Another Test...

 

A test of the Ray-Ban Wayfarer Meta Gen 2 glasses, this time while driving.  On my way to Mark's yesterday to make some music with the guys, I shot some video with the new glasses.  Not necessarily for public consumption, but I wanted to see how the on-board mics would handle the audio and how the 3k vertical video would hold up when cropped to horizontal.

No other post production video work done other than adding a few titles and transitions - no adjustments for exposure, contrast, and color.  Other than a lot of jerky head movements (I keep my head on a swivel when driving in this Phoenix traffic), the video is decent.  I can see where this new addition will fit in with my other cameras... and I will be sure to use it when I don't need to make all those head movements... you can't trust just your mirrors, even with all the safety stuff on the vehicles that beeps at you when it thinks you are getting too close to other traffic (or it is getting too close to you).

Let's cut to the video...

 Here's what the format would look like without the crop...

 And, with the crop...

 The issue for me comes in using a video production software (iMovie) that doesn't have a set up that works with vertical video.  It takes that vertical clip and puts it in the middle of a black horizontal frame.

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Yeah, who cares about that test video - where's the cat content?  Easy, big fella - here ya go...

 Murphy and Stella sharing a bar stool in front of the patio door.  Not an easy shot to get because I can't get further to the side because of furniture in the way.  And, I am shooting into the sun in the east from this angle.  Technical stuff aside, two cats sharing a space - one big furry boy and one short hair little girl.  Together.  Oh, they still have their rowdy moments, but I appreciate these sweet, sharing times.

Joan sent me this photo as a test from her new iPhone...

 That is a definite improvement from her previous phone/camera.  It has taken a while to convince her that an upgrade was necessary.  Not too many of those coal-fired iPhones out there anymore.  ;-)

 

Where does the time go?

 

Tick, tick, tick.  I missed making a post yesterday.  We were busy, but nothing scheduled.  Just getting stuff done.  Joan got a new iPad set up - even though you do a transfer of data from the old one to the new one, it takes time to go through all the apps to make sure you have passwords (if necessary) set up.  We made a run to a FedEx outlet to send the old iPad in for the trade-in.

We did other running while out: stock up on cat food, have lunch.  And through it all, getting used to my Wayfarer Meta glasses.

 Nothing earth-shattering here: Joan checking on her list at PetSmart.  For me, the opportunity to see how the built-in camera does on indoor lighting.

I have music at Mark's today with the "big group."  I missed it last time, so it has been a month since getting to see all the guys.  I'm looking forward to it.  Not excited about the drive there and back in the traffic, but the music with friends is always a good time.

This is different from playing with the Hip Replacements - those are rehearsals to get any particular song down tight.  I go with an acoustic tone for my guitar so it fits the blend.  With the MIM guys, I can lean more towards the electric side; I appreciate the variety.

 

Another Test...

 

I didn't study!

That's OK - you aren't being graded.  This is a test of the camera in the Wayfarer Meta glasses.  First of all, from the driver's perspective in the car...

 From mid steering wheel to above the visor... wider than I expected.  I'm looking forward to trying it in the van: a taller windshield and a higher seating position.

We did our planned shopping, then a stop for lunch.  Do you recognize the place?

 If you said, "Five Guys," you get 5 bonus points.

If you asked, "What's the point of those glasses?" that's a fair question.  They serve several functions: first of all, they are a nice pair of sunglasses; they have a built-in still and video camera; built-in speakers that direct the sound right into your ears - for listening to music, podcasts, sending and receiving phone calls (microphones built-in); getting messages; using the Meta artificial intelligence.  You can push a physical button on the right bow to take photos or videos, or you can say, "Hey, Meta - take a photo," and it will do it hands-free.  With the blue tooth audio, it can replace Airpods - or, at least, supplement using them, since you don't have to carry an extra device with you.

Plus, I enjoy working with these tech items.  At this point, I can't say how much or often I will use all these features, but... they are there.

I took a video while driving...

Yes, I check my mirrors frequently - especially when there are big trucks weaving over the white lines.

Could this be used instead of a dash cam?  No; there is a 3 minute limit for videos.  This has been designed to be used for Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook: short content to match the short attention span of the average viewer.  I'll have to use it for a while to figure out my best usage.

But, it all seems to be working. 

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Other things the glasses can be used for: language translation - let the Meta AI know you want Spanish to English translation (16 different language translators available), and as you're being spoken to, the glasses will tell you what is being spoken in English.  You can set a timer: tell the Meta AI to remind you to feed the cats at 5:00... and it will remind you.  Not that I would ever forget to feed Murphy and Stella.

After getting them fed at 5:00, I take Murphy outside... as long as it isn't too hot.  89º for a high today, so we were good to go.  When he and I come inside, there is generally a Churu treat for both of them.  I left my glasses on when coming in and got this photo hands-free of the fur babies getting their treat...

 Pretty sweet with them nose to nose enjoying a treat, huh?

I also did a test of that video I shot in the car, cropped to horizontal...

 Seems like that will be adequate.  Certainly not the same as 4k, but when viewing this footage on a phone or iPad, it should allow me to use it with other camera video.

 

A Beautiful Morning...

 

If you said, "The Rascals, 1968, from the album Time Peace: The Rascal's Greatest Hits," you get 20 bonus points.

If you said, "The desert this morning," you are are absolutely right, but no bonus points.  It was in the mid-70s when I took Murphy out shortly after 7:00.  He stalked a couple hummingbirds, but they were too fast for him.  He spent some time checking out a quail on the wall...

 From the Wayfarer Meta glasses camera, so: wide angle.  You might have to zoom in to see the quail.

Joan made us a nice bacon, eggs, and hashbrowns breakfast.  Then, I started packing up gear for the gig today...

 Seems like more gear than usual: both Bose PAs, an acoustic amp, two guitars, a pedalboard, a backpack with cords, mics, and stuff, a mic stand, and a speaker stand.  Looks like two trips with the wagon.  We'll be using my Bose PA gear today; more set up for me, but a smaller space than the last gig.

Time to clean up and take on the day. 

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Joan and I got to the restaurant just before 2:00; the other guys showed up about the same time.  Haul in gear and get set up.  On the bright side, we found a really close parking space where we could back up to the walkway.

Set up took just over a half hour.  Time to check the PA, get guitars tuned, and run a very short sound check.  That gave us about 10 minutes to get off our feet before we started.

The room where we were playing was full - good crowd; family, friends, and fans.  I assume the restaurant owner was happy with the crowd and food/drink orders.  Joan, Steph, and Dan were there - first time Steph and Dan have seen me play with a band in a long time.

We started right on time.  Joan and Steph took some photos...

 The crowd was receptive; seemed to be having as much fun as we were.  We did two sets; 3:00 to 5:00; started on time, ran a couple minutes long.

Then, the tear down.  That takes just as long as the set up, but you're tired.  It's part of the job.  On the even brighter side, Joan ordered me a lasagna to go.  I came to their table during our break, and the food looked great!  I don't like to eat right before playing, especially anything cheesy.  So, it was especially nice to have that to-go order.

The restaurant is nice.  Pricey.  My pay wouldn't cover the meals at our table.  

Once home, Joan and Dan helped me get gear carried in.  I put stuff mostly away; put things on the chargers that needed charging, then got kitties fed while Joan heated up my lasagna.  Yep, mighty tasty.

I'll be heading out to the hot tub after I take some ibuprofen.  A good gig.  Still, a lot of work for this old guy.

 

 

Cat Videos...

 

The reason the internet was invented.

Joan took some video of Stella and Murphy playing in the "new" cat donut.  You get some idea of the size difference.  And the noise that small cat can generate...

 Joan shot the video; I did some cuts and added titles and transitions.  One minute and 45 seconds.

 

The next one...

 

I mentioned yesterday that there was another glasses incoming.  Here they are...

 Those are the opposite of the pair I got at Shady Ray's yesterday: bigger in every dimension.  Built-in tech.  Tech?  Yes, thanks for asking.  These are the Ray Ban Wayfarer Meta Gen 2 glasses.  Considered "smart" glasses.  You can take and receive phone calls through these.  Listen to music and podcasts; speakers built-in; several microphones, too.  Take photos and video.  All powered by Meta's (think: Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg) Artificial Intelligence.

 They are a little more "structured" than a typical pair of Wayfarers, but they have the same shape and styling.  I got them set up - everything is done through the Meta app.  That app would like access to all your contacts and all your photos and videos.  Nope.  You can control most of the tech in these glasses hands-free by saying, "Hey, Meta" and telling it what you want it to do... make a phone call, send a text, take a photo or video, play music.  BUT, when you do that, Meta downloads all that to their servers, as well... for "training purposes," of course.  You can also do most of that by pressing/holding the button on the right bow or tapping/sliding your finger on the outside of that bow.  And, Meta doesn't get that.

Photos get downloaded directly to your phone when you start the Meta app.  The camera will take 3K photos - that wouldn't be bad, but they are only in "portrait" format, vertical.  It can't shoot horizontal.  It is nice that the video is "hands free", but you have to guess what the camera is seeing; that will get better with practice and use.

I pointed the camera down at Stella, and...

 That's a pretty wide point of view, and not great resolution.  The same image cropped in on Stella...

 Pretty pixelated when cropped in like that.  I like the premise of the video, especially the hands-free part, but anything I shoot for my YouTube channel is horizontal.  We'll see how this plays out... I bought it from Amazon (well, Joan ordered it), so it can be returned.

Oh, and they are decent sunglasses, too; a bit heavier than typical.  I will need to try them while driving - that is where I picture using these.  Again, we'll see.

There were some considerations on my part before ordering these.  The tech part looks good; entertaining even.  The camera/video thing is another concern: yes, these could be used for "sketchy" purposes.  Especially if people aren't aware that you are shooting.  There is a light on the front upper right corner of these glasses that flashes when you take a photo and continuously flashes when shooting video (the premise being it lets people know you are shooting).  There are scads of videos on the internet that show you how to disable that light.  So, if someone is wearing these around a playground, in a locker room, or in a restroom, that would be downright creepy.  Just the whole idea of that made me consider not getting these.

So, some concerns, some interest and curiosity.  Looking at user videos online, some wearers have had random people question if they are taking photos and video.  But most say that "people generally don't notice."  Again, if it is a problem, I'll be sending these back.

These will not replace any of my cameras.  But, they may add another perspective.  Or not.

 

Coming up on the end of an era...

 

"Oh, no, Jim - now what are you giving up?"

Nothing.  This is not a big deal.  Really.  For the last 30 years or so, I have been wearing Maui Jim sunglasses.  The style that I really like was discontinued about 7 or 8 years ago; it's a Maui Jim Sport frame that doesn't have any frame around the bottom of the lenses.  Oh, they still have some kinda similar, but not exactly the same.  And what they have doesn't fit me as well.  I have tried (and bought) other Maui Jim styles, but I always come back to this Sport model... for light weight, comfort, and the fact that it fits comfortably under a motorcycle helmet.

My last three motorcycle helmets have had flip-down sunscreens - easy to flip down or up.  So, I have kinda quit wearing sunglasses on my motorcycle and scooter.

 So, yeah, I can live without that exact style of Maui Jim's.  That said, I have stayed "one pair ahead" for the last 25 years or so.  As soon as I opened a new pair, I would order another to have it in reserve.  They were great glasses to wear on the boats (our own and the commercial boats I drove) - polarized lenses to cut down on the glare on the water.  That worked for me until I couldn't get that model any more.  And Maui Jim's would repair my old glasses... until they no longer had parts for that model.

About 10 days ago, I came across a sunglass maker on the internet called Shady Ray's.  I looked into the brand: they got great reviews and had a replacement program if you broke or lost your glasses.  Lost?  How would they know?  Looking into the brand, I found they have a store in Scottsdale and apparently sold them in other outlets... Dick's Sporting Goods was shown as handling some models.

Last Monday, we went to the closest Dick's Sporting Goods to see if they had any Shady Ray's.  They did not.  But, they had a Nike model that was pretty close - I tried it on and it was comfortable.  Much less $$ than the Maui Jim's.  I didn't buy them.  On the way home, Joan did a search and found that same model online for about half the price as at Dick's.  At that price, it wasn't much of a risk; she ordered them.  We talked about going to Scottsdale (about an hour away)... sometime.

Today was that time.  Absolutely nothing on the schedule today - one in a row!  I have to say I was quite impressed with Shady Ray's...

 It was a LOT bigger than I expected for a place that sells only their own sunglasses.  And they had plenty of styles with multiple lens options.  I narrowed it down to 3 styles that I really liked.  Oh, and we had received an email this morning for 35% off; and, yes, they honored that.  I picked out a style that is frameless - not what I had in mind when I went in there.  But, they felt weightless on my face...

 

My new friend Jonathon there was helpful, but savvy enough to let us wander around on our own, trying on different styles.  When I told him what I picked, he said, "Good choice - keep us in mind instead of your MJs (Maui Jim's) when you don't want to overpay for sunglasses anymore."  He made a point, with a bit of humor.  I could buy 4 pair of these Shady Ray's for what one pair of Maui Jim's cost.

This has been a sunglasses-centric kinda week.  The ones Joan ordered online will be in tomorrow.  And, another glasses kinda thing should show up.  Joan looked through my "sunglasses stash" and came up with 4 pair of Maui Jim's (with solid all-around frames)... in like-new condition.  I would buy them when we were out and about and broke my "favorites" - with no replacements available, I would try these... until the repaired glasses came back.  No more repairs or refurbishing on that discontinued model, so I am moving on.

On the bright side, I am probably covered for sunglasses for the rest of my life. "Well, that and cameras," Joan said.  No more cameras??  We may have to talk.

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Everything old is new again!

More sunglasses talk, Jim?  No, this is about cat stuff.  Joan was remembering a cat toy/enclosure that is round and hollow - kinda donut shaped, with an opening and a tunnel kinda situation.  Murphy didn't like it so she gave it to Steph.  Steph's cats were crazy about it for almost a whole day... then, they ignored it.  Steph couldn't remember if she still had it; she looked in their garage storage and their huge walk-in closet.  Nope.  Today, Joan looked around their place and found it in the closet in Dan's office.  Then brought it back to our place...

 Murphy was somewhat curious; Stella settled in that middle part and took a nap.  That "racetrack" with the scratcher in the middle has been a favorite for both of them.  Joan moved it from the tile to the area rug in the living room - "OMG - this is the best toy ever!"  Yep, it is a whole new thing.

We'll see how long this "new stuff" lasts.  ;-)  Joan shot these...

 

 

Video and a Board Meeting...

 

I took a video camera to rehearsal yesterday so Cindy (Mark's wife) could try her hand at shooting some video.  I may post some video (there were 32 clips), but here are a few stills from those videos...

 

For her first effort with something besides a phone, Cindy did a good job.  I'm hoping in the future I can spend a little time with her, give her a few pointers, and turn her loose to shoot more video.

It was a good rehearsal - we ran through the set list for this Sunday's gig, plus more.  After rehearsal, Mark, Podge, and I went to the restaurant where we'll be playing, to check out where we'll be setting up.  Nice place.  I'm looking forward to this one.

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I got home in time to get the kitties fed, then get my computer ready for an HOA board Zoom meeting.  The good news: I didn't have to be involved!  The bad news: there is still one board member (husband of the woman who was on the board last year who created much of the chaos) who is trying to show that he is in charge.  He isn't.  And a new board member was appointed.  This guy argued against the appointee.  He got outvoted.  Still homeowners complaining.  Attendees talking when their mics aren't muted.  And the beat goes on.

This board has hired a new management company.  Not sure who was in charge of that, but the management company they picked has a 1.7 rating (out of 5).

Not my circus, not my monkeys.

 

Rehearsal...

 

I have music with the Hips today.  We didn't get together last week (I felt the need for some "time off"), and we have a gig this weekend: two hours at an Italian restaurant.  The proposed set list for this one has changed a bunch of times already.  I have gone with the flow with the changes, but I think we'll need to have a discussion today about this gig.

It isn't a Hips Replacement concert, it is something the restaurant owner is trying to see if it generates more customers on a weekend afternoon.  I'm thinking we'll need to be at a lower than usual volume so those dining can still talk.  I may be a party of one on that consideration.  On the bright side, I don't think we'll need "heavy" front of house sound.  I'll see what the other guys have to say about that.  Mark and Podge have been to this place; I am supposed to check out the venue after practice today.

When I get home from that, there is an HOA board meeting, starting at 6:00 pm.  I am pleased that I don't have to plan my day around that.  If I'm a little late in getting to the Zoom meeting, it's all good. 

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Synchronized Dining...

Nothing to do with the gig this weekend.  Of course, I'm talking about the reason we're all here: the kitties...

 Breakfast a bit earlier than usual, because I was up at 5:30.  These two know the routine: it takes me a while to get their food ready; 3 different kinds of hard food (the bowl on the left), water in the middle, soft food on the right.  A bigger water dish between them.  If you look at those dishes above, they had each eaten some of their hard; then moved to their soft.  Pretty much in unison.  When they've each had their fill of their own, they switch places to see if the other had anything tasty.  Stella is still getting kitten food for the most part.  Every once in a while, I will put the same soft food in each of their dishes... and, yes, they will still do that switching thing.

After Murphy and I come back inside from his morning outing, they both know it is treat time: Churu, that they get together.  Then some grooming.  And then, nap time.  I think we all appreciate the routine.

 

Doctor, Doctor, Give Me the News...

 

If you said, "Robert Palmer, 1979," you get 15 bonus points.

I had a doctor appointment today.  I had a couple specific things I wanted to visit about with him.  But, the main thrust of the visit: he is leaving this office.  He couldn't tell me any details (contractual agreement).  I am good with the Google.  I can find him.

He and I have a good relationship and very open communications.  He does not recommend unnecessary tests (an issue I had with my last doctor in Texas).  I was happy to find him.

The appointment came about because a friend (not mentioning any names here) felt I was having cognitive issues.  I listened.  I considered.  He was basing this "medical diagnosis" (practicing medicine without a license) on his own flawed perceptions.  I'm not saying he was "projecting," but he changed the story and details on a project we were working on, not filling me in on those changes.  Turns out, I had things in writing from him that corroborated my side of the story.

Still, I kept the appointment.  As I (and my family) expected, my memory and cognitive function is all just fine.  I not only recalled the words they gave me, then discussed other things before asking me to state the words (I understand why they do that) - I also told them the words they gave me 2 1/2 years ago on my first visit to this medical office; they do a cognitive test with all new patients since this is a "senior" medical facility.  (They know how to take care of seniors here in Phoenix.)  Hopefully, this "friend" will visit his doctor to find out how his cognitive function rates.

Am I pissed about the reason I made the appointment?  Of course.  That said, knowing the doctor was leaving this practice, I did want to visit with him before he leaves.  It also gave me the opportunity to get some prescriptions refills added before we get away this summer.

And that's the extent of my medical discussion... HIPPA rules and all.  ;-) 

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A hot time in the old town tonight...

108º for a high temp today.  Yep, that's hot.  Murphy doesn't understand why he can't go outside right before his 5:00 meal... "Because it is hot and it will burn your paw pads."

 He is wistfully waiting to go outside... as soon as the sun gets behind the horizon and the pavers cool down.

 

Free Water and a Belly...

 

Joan orders from Amazon Fresh regularly.  Same day (or early the next day, if you order in the evening) delivery.  This time of year, anything that needs to stay cool is put in a foil lined bag, with one or more bottles of frozen water in there to keep your item cool...

 Two boxes of butter, with 5 bottles of frozen water to keep the butter cool.  We never have to buy bottled water... and here in Arizona, everybody carries a bottle of water this time of year.

"OK, I get the whole 'free water' thing, Jim - you aren't going to show us your Buddha belly are you?"  Buddha belly?  I'll have you know I am almost svelt these days.  No, this belly is attached to a cute baby kitty...

 To be fair, when we brought this little girl into our home, she was underweight.  Baby kitties should have some belly on them.  It has taken 5 months to get to this point.  Well, closer to 4 1/2 months, but I'm rounding up... just like little Stella.  This sweet kitty is thriving.

She is almost 10 months old; she has been with us about half of her life.  She is at that adolescent stage - Joan thinks her ears are a bit big for her head.  That's typical of adolescent cats.  Cool thing about the ears: I think the shape of them makes her look a bit like a small African wild cat... and, the tips of her ears now have black fur (sprouted in the last week or so)...

 Stella and I were talking this morning.  She said, "Murphy and I look like you and Mom, right."

"Yes, I see that," I told her.

"That girl that picks me up everytime she comes into our house - she calls you 'Mom & Dad'."

"Yes, that is Stephanie."

"She doesn't look like us," Stella said.

"Your point?"

"Is she adopted?"

"Your Momma birthed her, so: no.  Plus, everyone says she acts like her Father.  That's me.  It's nice that you treat her like family," I said.

"She seems nice."

Stella is pretty perceptive for her young age.   ;-)

 

Happy Mother's Day!

 

Steph came over this morning, bearing cards and gifts.  A lot of mushy stuff between them.  No recognition for the part I played in Joan becoming a Mother.  Not that it should be all about me, but, really, they could not have done this without me.  Well, not with the same results.

You're welcome.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there, and to those we hold dear in our memories.

 

Shoot! Shoot!

 

No, we're not going hunting.  No target shooting, either.  This is about the feline babies.

Murphy and Stella were sharing a bar stool pulled up to the patio door - looking out into the courtyard.  Back in our studio days, I would call it a perfect double profile.  I reached for my phone to get the photo.  Joan said, "You aren't going to be fast enough."

Self-fulfilling prophesy.

Also back in our studio days, the mantra was: "Get the shot."  If you pause to make it perfect, you could lose the shot that was really good.  Especially when working with kids or animals.

Of course, Joan was right: by the time I got my phone turned on, switched to the camera, and rotated myself around to frame the shot, the two kitties were no longer in perfect position...

 They had both turned their heads (to see what I was doing), Murphy leaned back just enough to not be seen, and Stella had her tongue out.  Yeah, pretty much like photographing kids in the studio.  If "double teaming" the subjects, with one person doing the set up and the other on the camera, there was often the "Shoot!  Shoot!" being whispered.  Which would, of course, result in the subject looking at the person saying, Shoot!  Shoot!"  ;-)

That self-fulfilling prophesy was as expected.  Not only did the cats not look back out the window, but Murphy started licking Stella.  Joan said, "That's going to turn into a chomp..."

 Yep.  Which resulted in the latest episode of Saturday Morning Smackdown.  And now Stella is laying by Joan on the couch and Murphy has the chair to himself.  One of these days, I will get that perfect double profile.  They do it at least once a day... never when I have a camera ready to go.

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The Facebook Memory from 10 years ago today...

 That X7 was my first Emerald and changed how I consider guitars, both acoustic and electric.  That X7 is a keeper (they don't make that size/shape anymore).

 

Still Rock 'n Roll To Me...

 

If you said, "Billy Joel, 1980, from the album Glass Houses," you get 20 bonus points.

I had music today with my "local" guys.  Well, 3 of us are within 5 minutes of where we get together, the other 3 come from the east Valley.  It's been a month or so since we got together last.  I enjoy getting together with these guys - the music isn't particularly my style (mostly 70s to 90s rock with a harder edge), but everyone has a good sense of humor, and we all know we're here to have some fun playing music.

No, we don't play any Billy Joel songs.  Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zep, Allman Brothers, The Cars, Alice Cooper, Clapton... that genre is generally on the set list.  

Allan shot a short video today; I grabbed these as stills...

 

A file photo from the last time we played out...

 

Nothing Americana or easy listening about this repertoire.  Getting together twice a month or so is enough to take care of my inner band rat.

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And speaking of playing out, the Hip Replacements are playing a week from Sunday at a restaurant in Glendale (Arrowhead area)...

 Podge is doing some Facebook marketing.

 

Foot Pedal...

I have a cajon.  "Great," you say, "What's a cajon?"  Thanks for asking.  It is a wooden box, used as a percussion instrument.  There are various types of cajons, with most of them having areas you hit that sound like a bass drum and/or a snare drum.  If space is tight and the sound volume isn't loud, a cajon is a good option.  It works for us in the Hip Replacements.

The cajon Ron was playing Saturday night is mine.  (Ron added the hi-hat cymbals.)  I bought it years ago, after getting together with Mark and friends when we were in Phoenix for a couple months during the winter - 6 or 7 guitar players is about 4 or 5 more than necessary, so I thought some percussion would add to the jam.  After Joan and I left for the season, Mark bought one just like mine so those getting together would still have some percussion options. 

Why not just get a more typical drum set?  Thanks again for asking.  Typical drums are loud.  To "keep up" with the drum volume, our guitar, bass, and vocal volume would have to go up.  This limits where we can play out.  This cajon of mine has a built-in pickup so it can be plugged into the PA or an amp if it needs more volume.  Also, typical drums take up more space and take time to set up and tear down.  Plus, Ron being the one doing most of the percussion, doesn't want to be locked into only playing percussion; he also plays guitar and mandolin.  No interest in investing in a typical drum set.

Ron plays with his hands on the cajon.  I generally use brushes made for the cajon.  You get a bass sound by striking lower on the cajon - that means bending over.  That means a potential back ache when playing for any length of time.  I decided to add a foot pedal to the cajon to get the bass sound, eliminating the bending over.  I used the money I made from Saturday's gig to get the pedal - yes, "re-investing."  It's a musician thing to make sure you never come out ahead on money made from gigging.  ;-)

 It attaches under the cajon and you operate it by using your foot (toes or heel) - step down, the beater hits the cajon.  Just like a foot pedal on a bass drum.  The pedal came in yesterday; Ron still has my cajon, so it will be a while before I can try it out.  If I add a small snare drum to the kit...

Yeah, that gear thing is ever-expanding. 

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Joan and I made a trip downtown (where Ron lives) to pick up the cajon.  Lunch out, then back home to try the pedal...

 I made a few adjustments to the pedal (for fit and sound) - works and sounds good.  Next, I wanted to try putting a wrap on one brush, to give the sound a bit more snap...

 Yep, that adds to the sound, too.  I sent a photo to Ron to show him what I was working on.  He is not a fan of the brushes because they don't project like it does when using your hands.  I explained to him in biblical terms the solution...

Man said, "God, my cajon needs more projection."

God said, "Let there be a pickup."

Paul said, "And that is good."  So did Ringo. (rimshot... yes, another drum reference)

Each of these things adds to the percussion sound.  And that is good.  ;-)

 

 

Why Don't We Do It In the Road...

 

If you said, "The Beatles, 1968, from the White Album," you get 15 bonus points.  If you said, "Something from PornHub," keep it to yourself.

Out on the Burgman 200 today.  I may not have mentioned this before, but... damn, that little scoot is fun to ride!  OK, I may have mentioned it a time or 20.  The CTX has been getting more attention, when I can find the time to give either of them some attention.

It was a cool morning (in the 70s qualifies as cool here), clear blue sky, and not much traffic.  The riding was good, the scoot entertaining.  I stopped a couple times to get a photo of the cute, but manly Burgman...

 That one above from a parking area.  I did find a spot to get completely off the road to get an angle with some road in it there...

 From the phone on the handlebar...

I mentioned "the road" and being well off it because of what I saw on the way down the mountain: it is a relatively narrow, twisty, 2-lane road.  Well down the mountain, on the other side of the road, an older woman stopped her car - in the driving lane (no place to pull off where she stopped) - got out of the car, leaving the driver's door wide open, then meandered across the road (I had to slow down because she didn't look before stepping out), and got her phone out to take a photo of the view.  Did I mention she left her car IN THE LANE?  With the door wide open?

There are a couple places with pull-outs when you can get safely off the road, and the view is even better; one less than a half mile from where she stopped.  Her behavior was stupid and inconsiderate.  I don't know why anyone would think stopping and getting out of the car while it is IN the driving lane is acceptable behavior?  No matter how pretty the scenery.

I saw more City/Park trucks on the mountain roads today than other cars.  Of course, there was no City Park Ranger there to write that woman a ticket.