O-Dark:30

 

We woke up around 4:30(ish) to find the power out.  My first thought: check on Steph and Dan, since they have to get ready to go to work.  I went next door, and they were feeding their cats... by flashlight.  I was concerned that they might miss their alarm (it's very rare that we have to set an alarm). 

Steph's first thought when they discovered the situation: "Someone has cut power to the house, and they are going to break in.  Well, until they looked out and saw no lights anywhere."  Dan's first thought: "Armageddon - it's related to the election."  They had already checked SRP's site - it is localized in our vicinity and power should be back on around 3:00 am.  And then moved back to around 6:00 am.

It is 5:44 am as I am writing this.  If the power isn't back on soon, I, too, will be feeding cats by flashlight.  And, the power just came on... it is not quiet in our house as all the things connected to power beep and flash their blinking "12:00."

"So, how are you writing this if the power just came on?"  Thanks for asking.  The laptop was plugged in overnight and the internet connection is being provided by my iPhone hotspot.  No idea how long it will take the whole house router to reset and turn on.

So, time for me to go feed kitties.  Fortunately, not by flashlight, and with some air moving thanks to the ceiling fans.  At least, it isn't hot right now, so it stayed pleasant in the house.

Oh, and I'm happy to report no one broke in to kill us, and there appears to be no Armageddon in the making. 

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Oh, yeah - and, it's Election Day.  Over a million early and mail-in votes have been counted in Arizona.  Of course, no reveal on how those votes are going.  We'll see how things shake out.  In the meantime, the political ads on TV are still going.  Yes, with the power on, we have TV.  And internet... all those modern conveniences. 

 

 

One More Day...

 

One more day of all the political ads.  All that money spent to convince no one.  Millions spent to get a job that pays $174,000 (the annual pay for a US Senator).  Each side trying to convince the undecided that their side isn't as bad as the other side.  Each side blaming the other side for high prices for everything.  Neither side saying what their intent is once in office... only blaming the other side for what is wrong.

What is wrong is the incredible waste of money to try to secure "a win for our side."  All that money could be spent to improve our roads and bridges, educate our kids, and pay down our huge national debt.  A debt that each side blames the other for.

In places that allow early voting and voting by mail, the numbers are averaging about 1/4 of the eligible voters.  While these mid-terms are expected to have a higher turnout than usual, all that money spent hasn't influenced the majority of voters to participate.

Brewster's Millions, a film starring Richard Prior from 1985 had it right...

 

 

Trick or Treat!

 

It was a rainy Halloween evening - that definitely cut back on the number of little spooks and goblins that came to visit.

We discussed different options on how to stay dry out there while handing out candy: set up a pop-up kiosk in the driveway; move the cars out onto the street and use the garage... in the end, we set up right at the front doors, where it is covered...

 No, that is neither spooks, nor goblins; Steph, Dan, and I manned the candy, while Joan was inside baking.  When kids came to the door, we encouraged them to take several from each bowl (chocolate in one, sugary stuff in the other).

Steph estimated about 25 kids came to the door.  That is way less than we had the last two Fright Nights, but this was the first time since 1987 that Phoenix had rain on Halloween.  We are on a street with only 3 houses, so this is not a "target rich" location compared to other streets in our neighborhood.  Steph tried to "drum up" business by going to the intersection closest to us and letting people know there are "treats at that 3rd house."  Nothing creepy about that: "Hey, kids, want some free candy?"  The only thing missing was a ratty white van.  ;-) 

At one point, a father and adult son we know from the neighborhood stopped by - we met them 2 years ago at Halloween.  The son, in his 20s has some kind of malady that leaves him painfully thin and pale; he is a budding guitar player.  I invited them in to check out my music room.  And invited the son to play some of my guitars... he is considering a carbon fiber acoustic and was delighted with the opportunity to play some.  I missed out on some of the trick or treaters, but had a good time talking guitars.  I am older than the father, so it was a wide range of music tastes.

About 8:15, we decided to call it a wrap, and brought the stuff we set up in the entryway back inside.  Steph and Dan will have plenty of left-over candy to take to school for the "tech boys" Steph works with.

Still raining this morning.  The mountains are shrouded with clouds.  It let up enough for me to get Murphy outside... I had to dry his feet and towel his fur before we came back in.

100% chance of rain through today, with possible flash flooding in parts of the Valley...

 High temps in the 70s all week.  That is a treat!

Also, 100% chance of political ads for the next couple days... we voted by mail; I will be glad to be rid of the ads.  Anxious to see where this country is heading after the election.

 

You Make A Strong Case...

 

You won an argument, Jim?

Well, if it is really an argument, does anybody win?  

There was no argument from me - I really like my PRS SE Studio Standard guitar.  It plays great.  Lots of good tones.  Looks decent (although I am very partial to the forward thinking Emerald designs).  The only thing that is less than great about the PRS is the gig bag.

You may be aware that I really like a well-designed gig bag.  The Emerald gig bags I have for the X7 and X10 are great - the have something solid in the sides that keeps their shape, and a neck support that provides protection for the neck, headstock, and tuning keys.  The PRS gig bag looks very nice, but... nothing solid in the sides and no neck support; every time I pull the guitar out of the gig bag, the tuning keys have been moved and the guitar needs to be tuned.  Tuning isn't a problem, but the fact that those keys get moved around means there is no real protection for the neck and headstock.  When it was shipped, there was a piece of foam around the headstock.

So, I have been researching cases and gig bags.  The Studio Standard has a similar look to the venerable Fender Stratocaster, but the physical dimensions are not the same.  With actual measurements in hand, Joan and I both researched options.  After extensive research (more time into this than that put into selecting the guitar), I had narrowed it down to two options: an injection molded thermoplastic case with interior appropriately shaped, and a more traditional wood/Tolex case like what I have for my Taylors and the Gibson ES335.  A significant price difference.  I liked the look of the wood/Tolex case (it was a deep blue on the outside, tan on the inside), but having other ABS molded cases for a couple of my Emeralds, I know that, with the right interior, it gives better protection for the guitar.

Joan said, "Forget about the price.  You plan on keeping this guitar a while, don't you?  Get the case you want."  I made the decision, and she pressed "Add To Cart."  Done.

The SKB...

 I thought the case looked too small when I pulled it out of the box.  As you can see in the top photo, it is a perfect fit.  All that research paid off.  With the neck supported, there is room around the headstock, so the tuning keys won't get knocked around.  Another plus: the injection molded material is tough and light weight.  

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I'm not the only one to get something.  Murphy and Stella got another bed/toy - they heavy felt structure, with a carboard scratcher, and noisy plastic balls underneath that they can reach in and bat round.  We have one like this, just a different color.  The cats love this toy.  It took Stella about 12 seconds to pull it apart and get the noisy plastic balls out of there.

Murphy looks a bit too big for the bed part of it, but can can relax most anywhere...

 Joan has another one on order.

An Autumn Ride In The Desert...

 

It's been a while since I took the CTX out for a ride - I took care of that this morning...

 I shot some video with the DJI Action 4 camera, mounted on a chin mount on my helmet.  So, the perspective is all from that angle.  But, on the bright side (for me): no editing!  That makes for a long video that will likely have just one viewer (me), but the longest part of the process was picking out a few music clips.

Cut to the video...

 A really nice ride - the temperature was 67º when I pulled out of the garage.  I got to wear my lined riding jacket (instead of a mess version) and actual riding pants.

When I got back to the garage, a shot from the camera, showing the signs on the garage wall...

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National Cat Day!

A day to celebrate and dote on our cats.  So, yeah, like every other day.  I woke them from their nap to take these photos...

 "Yeah, yeah, we're cute - now let us get back to our naps."  So sweet.

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Stephanie sent us a photo of her latest Guide Dog for the Blind puppy in her Halloween costume...

 Joan replied "Cute".

Steph asked, "Cute enough that she will be in the blog?"

It's National Cat Day, not National Embarrassed Puppy Day Because Someone Dressed Her Up Like A Wendy's Fountain Drink Day.  But, I threw her a bone (Get it?  A bone, because it's a dog.) and put the photo here in the blog.  Because I also dote on our daughter.  And, who ever heard of a Wendy's soft drink in a black container?  This is one of those costumes that you will have to explain every time. 

This was part of the text discussion between the 3 of us...

 No, we will not be doing that.

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Perhaps the last one for a while...

A change in the weather coming up.  80% chance of precip for tomorrow, 20% on Saturday, 100% on Sunday.  The weather weasels are talking 1/2 of the normal annual precipitation happening over the next three days.

I was outside with Murphy.  Joan and I had picked up furniture cushions, the flag, and other things we didn't want to get wet.  We weren't expecting any significant wind with these storms... then, Joan came out and said, "We are in a "Tornado Watch" area for tomorrow."

Guess we better put away the patio umbrellas.

I took this photo as the sun went behind the mountains to the west...

 I'm pretty sure it is going to be a few days before we get to see anything sun related.  We'll enjoy it while we can.

 

 

 

 

Do they really get along?

 

Yes, really.  Of course, I'm talking about Murphy and Stella.  They will wrestle and chase each other around the house, but they are good together.  They eat side-by-side; get treats the same way.  They both like to be on or near their Momma.

And when she isn't there, they are just fine being side-by-side...

 Pretty sweet, huh?

 

Nothing Says "Rock 'n Roll"...

 

Like a morning gig.

A morning gig?  Yes, just like I wrote in that line above.  I think it was last spring when we did one of these Memory Cafe morning gigs.  We've done this one several times before.  This is for a group that meets once a month for care-givers for Alzheimer's patients.  The VIPs (those who have the disease) and their caregivers attend.

These are moving situations: looking out at the audience and seeing people with memory issues singing along.  To put a more poignant point on it: they may not remember family members' names, but they can sing along with songs from the 60s and 70s.  It also allows their care-givers time to interact with other care-givers.

I doubt I'll have any images on this one - Joan is not going along.  She has come to these before, but it is mostly sitting and waiting while I unload, set up gear, then after playing, tear down gear and load out.

So, an early morning for me - I'll be heading out around 8:15 to get there for a 9:00 load in.  

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So, I didn't think I'd have any photos to share, but Cindy (Mark's wife) was there and took these...

 The place was full and the crowd was very receptive.  Cindy included this photo to remind us why we do this gig a couple times a year...

 The gentleman on the right has Alzheimer's - that is his daughter in the middle.  Mark and Cindy occasionally see them in their neighborhood - the daughter is pushing her father in a wheelchair.  Today, he got up and danced with his daughter; she was amazed.  The lady on the left is Janice, the one who arranges all this.

I was home and had gear loaded in, and gave the neighbor kitties a treat, before 1:15.  That may be a bit early to rock 'n roll, but I might get a nap in this afternoon.  ;-)