Friday, January 5, 2018
The Joker...
If you said, "Steve Miller Band, 1973," you get 50 bonus points. Some people think that song is called "The Space Cowboy." Huh-uh.
This is a very simple 3 chord song. Took less than 45 minutes to record 4 tracks and mix them. A fun song to play, though...
https://soundcloud.com/captainjimb/the-joker
If you looked at the image to go along with that song on SoundCloud... a very young version of yours truly.
What's that? Haven't changed much? Nice of you to say... I'm wearing the hair a bit thinner and the torso a bit thicker. ;-)
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On Edit:
The photo discussed above...
I don't watch TV - haven't had one since the 90s...
It was a discussion on Facebook that started with a friend complaining about the ratio of commercials to programming on TV. People came out of the woodwork to put down "idiot boxes" and decry how "TV rots your brain."
Yes, on the internet. Anyone else see a pot and a kettle? ;-)
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My response:
I'll be the contrarian here: I like TV! I like the options I get with satellite TV. And cable. Even that "free" over-the-air stuff. We make up for some of the folks here who don't have a TV - we have 3 in the house and 3 in the motorhome. Sometimes it is in the background, sometimes it is the focus. I don't feel my mind is being "rotted"... I am informed and intelligent enough to know when something is bullshit and when a view offered is slanted. I can hear and see that slanted view and still think for myself. I can turn it off when I want. There is far more mind-wasting crap on the internet, yet you don't see anyone here pooh-poohing that. Think for yourself! Don't like commercials, don't watch 'em. Don't like the program that is on? Our TVs come with this fancy device that allows me to (gasp) change the channel! At will. Really - any time I want. Pick and choose - entertainment and information. Just like out in "the real world" - some content makes me laugh, some makes me shake my head. Some makes me pause and think.
"Program your brain"?? Just watch old movies? "Haven't had one hooked up in years"?? How could you possibly know what is available if you don't have or watch? The difference here is HAVING AN OPEN MIND - I don't think less of people who don't watch TV, but I think there is a bit of "I am better than the masses because I don't watch" going on here.
Feel free to discuss... because everyone knows if you put your opinion out on the internet often enough, it will change minds. Hahahahahahahahaha!
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Do you suppose the non-TV viewers still have newspaper subscriptions? Are their minds so weak that they can't hear an opinion and not believe and agree with it? Can they not recognize slanted journalism? We have gone without TV for a month or so at a time when boat cruising - not from lack of trying, but because we couldn't get a signal. The last couple years of owning Wild Blue, we had a satellite receiver and two TVs onboard.
TV is not bad. BELIEVING everything you see on TV would be bad. Just like it would be with the internet. Or reading gossip magazines. It is up to the individual to "process the input" and determine what is useful or factual; and, what is entertainment.
And now, back to our regular programming...
;-)
Thursday, January 4, 2018
Update...
Well, most days around here there is some sort of update. I have to say I am not a fan of seeing that there's an update for the computer, the iPad, or the phone. Most of the time, it isn't a problem - once in a great while, it's a crap-fest.
This morning, I was singing and playing... I heard a popping sound when strumming the bass notes on the guitar. I said to myself, "Self, that doesn't sound good." I went about trying to isolate the issue: it wasn't the amp. I switched a bunch of cords around - nope, not the Bose PA. More switching, and I really hope it isn't the pickup on the guitar. Nope... but, while I was messing with the guitar, I decided to switch out the battery in the guitar that powers the onboard pre-amp.
OK, where was I? Oh, yeah, the popping sound. The only thing I couldn't check on its own is the effects pedal I use for vocal harmonies, reverb, and some guitar EQ. When in doubt, turn to the internet... I found others who were having some kind of "popping" issue, although not exactly like this. A check on the manufacturer's website showed that there is a firmware update that "features many new vocal and guitar options... oh, and addresses some minor bugs."
Do you know the definition of a "minor bug? If someone else is having a problem, that is minor - if you are having a problem, that is major. I downloaded the update and hooked the pedal to the computer... it didn't take long. Then, found that all my settings on the pedal were gone. This particular pedal has a gazillion adjustments... and it takes time to put all the settings into it so you can use it by stepping on one of the three footswitches. It was confusing and time-consuming when I first got it, but fortunately, since I've had months of experience with it... yeah, it was just as confusing and time-consuming.
By this point, it was about 2:00 pm - time for lunch. Joan and I were visiting while I cleaned up... I was telling her about an article I read last night that stated: "As we all expected, scientific proof that dogs are smarter than cats." It went on to explain that dogs have about twice as many neurons in their brains, compared to cats.
Izzy poked her head around the corner... "Fake news!"
She then said, "Have you seen the neighbor's dog crap outside?"
I replied, "Yes."
"Have you ever seen me crap outside?"
"No."
She said, "I rest my case. But, if you need more evidence - dogs will eat cat crap out of the litter box. You have never seen a cat eat dog crap."
"Now that you mention it, you are right."
"For the record, there are some who think cats are smarter than humans."
I said, "Well, there are some humans out there that illustrate that."
"Like I said: fake news!"
I think she is feeling better. That makes my heart happy.
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On Edit:
Izzy is definitely showing improvement: eating good, curious to see what is going on around the house, and lovey.
A sunset this evening...
I'm thinking the cover may come off the boat for a little cruise tomorrow, if we can get by the dredge.
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
In the words of the philosopher Annie...
"The Sun'll Come Out Tomorrow!" Welcome to "tomorrow"... for the first time in 4 or 5 days, the Tropical Tip is sunny once again. Still struggling to get the temperature back where it should be, but I am surprised at the difference in attitude. A tough day in our household yesterday, with a couple hours at the vet, where we found some kind of upper resperatory and sinus bug had our sweet kitty ill. Antibiotics and nose drops, and she seems to be on the mend.
I played guitar this morning, and she hopped up beside me. She is my second biggest fan.
Music and the "savage" beast.
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On Edit:
Little Izzy is definitely improving. She has been sleeping on a heating pad, but getting up occasionally to grace us with her presence. At one point, she poked her head out from where she had been under a blanket...
There is some spark back in the eyes, and she gave me leg rubbing at feeding time (part of our meal ritual). This photo is unusual, in that you don't see her mane (behind the blanket)... it almost looks like she is at the beauty salon, ready for a haircut (the way that blanket is in front of her).
A better look at the mane...
Sorry for the crappy cell phone image.
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
The furry girl...
Little Izzy had a tough weekend - the poor little furry girl isn't feeling good. A trip to Dr. Julie (Izzy's vet) shows that she has a low grade fever, possibly a nasal and upper respiratory issue. She didn't eat much over the last couple days, and that is an issue with cats. An antibiotic shot and nose drops - we're hoping this gets her feeling better soon.
This isn't her typical bright-eyed face...
Dr. Julie's office didn't have any available appointments for the next few days, but we were told we could come in right away and they'd work us in where they could - "Prepare for a wait." Fifty minutes later, we were into an exam room... better than I usually get at a doctor with an appointment.
Izzy does not like being poked and prodded, but she is pretty docile - she won't bite or scratch; but she is a little powerhouse She will squirm and kick her way out of being held. It takes two of us to administer the nose drops. I'd like to think she knows it is for her own good.
Monday, January 1, 2018
Anyone remember the 60s?
If you are too young, you still may have heard the saying: "If you remember the 60s, you really weren't there."
I was there. I remember a bunch of it. I remember that February in 1964, seeing The Beatles on Ed Sullivan... that shaped some of my musical life. Because... you know... chicks, man. I'm still convinced that 5 years later, being in a band helped convince this young blonde girl to go out with me.
So, here's a tribute to The Beatles, one of my favorites of their songs...
https://soundcloud.com/captainjimb/got-to-get-you-into-my-life
Joan is working on a quilt project; Izzy is snoozing on the couch; I've got time to play in my music room... none of us has any interest in going outside in this snotty weather.
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On edit: a couple more songs recorded this afternoon. The first one is a cover of the Dave Loggins, also covered by Kenny Chesney, Please Come To Boston...
https://soundcloud.com/captainjimb/please-come-to-boston
The second is song by Eric Stone, Reggae Guy...
https://soundcloud.com/captainjimb/raggae-guy
At this rate, if the weather doesn't break soon, I will have used up my whole SoundCloud allotment. ;-)
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Another edit:
There is a full moon tonight - the Wolf Moon - and, it's a Supermoon. I'm trusting that is true because the same heavy overcast that left us with drizzle and making sure the temperature didn't get out of the 40s here (Tropical Tip??) is preventing us from seeing the moon.
Happy New Year!
2018 is coming in like a lion. Let's hope the rest of the year is more lamb-like. What? That's the month of March? Somebody tell Mother Nature. The anticipated norther blew in with a bang overnight, awaking to winds out of the north at 27 gusting to a million; 43ยบ and that is as warm as it's going to get. Spitty drizzle. More rain coming.
Anticipating all this, we took down our outside Christmas lights yesterday and I wrestled the cover onto the boat. It looks like this snotty weather is going to be around for a while.
Joan and I had our traditional quiet evening, even stayed up past midnight - watched the ball drop in Times Square at 11:00 our time, just in case.
I'm not a resolution-maker, but I'm hoping for a kinder 2018.
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