my piece of the world

It Took Me 5 Years But I Made It!

2009-11-14T23:27:00.001-07:00

I have left my 5 year old phone behind! I'm now a new Droid owner. I have the Motorola Droid phone and love it!

Playing More...

2009-10-04T11:06:00.003-06:00

In the past I've had almost 30 guitars (acoustic and electric) at one time. That really is a ridiculous number of guitars to have. I don't think anyone could play 30 guitars on a regular basis. I bought guitars for many reasons. They looked good, they sounded good, needed to buy something to make myself feel better, it was a good deal, etc. I found myself not playing my guitars and running out of room to store them. When I had the desire to play guitar I found myself with too much choice and not entirely inspired by any of them. I have found the following:

When you have a guitar you must play it and build a relationship with it. You learn how it reacts to different styles of playing and different strings. You learn how to play the guitar because the body shape, string spacing at the nut, gauge of the string, size of the neck all make a difference. It is a love affair. If you don't spend time with the guitar you'll never know what it can do, what you can do and what you can do together. If you have too many guitars you have acquaintances and not love affairs.

I started selling the guitars I knew I would never play and ones that overlapped in purpose with the ones I had planned to keep. By many standards I still have a lot of guitars (10 acoustic, 5 electric) but I think I have weaned down to just the right amount. After selling the last 5 I noticed a change right way. I was playing more and getting more intimate with the guitars that were left.

It has been a wonderful experience buying and selling guitars because it allowed me to know what I wanted in a guitar, but ultimately the experience I love the most is playing and singing.

Foxy With New Owners

2009-09-05T17:32:00.005-06:00

Foxy is absolutely adorable, so adorable that she was scooped up by this family. Life has not made it easy to take care of puppy right now. So in order that she would have a fun life I found her a new home with a couple that has two older children and stay at home mom. She is doing great with her new family. I was sad to see her go of course and it is hard to look at photos of her without getting sentimental. I had to do what was best for her. The last I heard she was being treated like a queen and I'm sure Foxy likes it that way.

Oh The Irony!!

2009-09-05T15:28:00.003-06:00

How ironic is it that I live in the mountains away from the city and while all of the city folk are coming to the mountains with their RVs for the holiday I am on my way to the city with my RV.

Breedlove Custom Shop Coup

2009-09-03T22:46:00.004-06:00

While visiting a music store the sales man gave me a Breedlove Roots OM to play and it was alright. The finish was great and it felt OK, but didn't speak to me. I had authorization from the misses to get a new guitar so I could afford it, but it just wasn't the right guitar. Later that evening I went to research the Breedlove Roots series and found the Revival series instead. The Root series bodies are made in Korea and then the neck and final assembly is done in the USA. The Revival series is made in the Breedlove Custom Shop in Bend Oregon. There is a general consensus that guitars made in the US have better workmanship. The sales guy at the store was willing to sell the Root OM for $1499 out the door. The price everywhere else is $1649. So not a bad deal. The problem is I found a Revival series OOO-R Deluxe that I could get for practically the same price. The Revival OOO-R Deluxe I got for $1560 and everywhere else it was $3199. I bought the guitar from Amazon.com of all places. It was 63% off list. For those who have no idea why this is incredible, guitars, especially those of this quality, are NEVER discounted this much, NEVER!! I found out later this was a pricing mistake by Amazon.

I was actually very nervous about it all because I thought this can't be real! I called Amazon to have them confirm the specifications of the guitar and everything seemed OK so I pulled the trigger with overnight shipping. The OOO-R Deluxe is my first Adirondack (red spruce) top which according to the world is the holy grail of top woods. I went to sleep that night and when I woke up in the morning I saw another Breedlove on sale, the Master Class Northwest Classic, which I wasn't authorized to buy and would be using some savings to buy. I spent many minutes :-) deciding whether to get this second guitar. I reasoned that this opportunity wouldn't come again. The Northwest Classic is also a custom shop guitar with Myrtlewood on the back and sides and tribal totem inlays on the neck.

The Northwest Classic is a dedication to the Pacific Northwest wood and culture. I'm from Oregon so I had some sentimental feelings about the guitar too. But mostly the price was what got me. I figured if I had to return one I of the guitars I could. Normally the Northwest Classic is $3999, but Amazon had it for $1950. I have been going crazy at the deal I got on both guitars. I immediately put seven of my other guitars up for sale to try to recoup the cost of the second guitar. I play them everyday and am not interested in buying anymore acoustic guitars because these latest two Breedloves are incredible!!

Can You Hear Me Now

2009-08-16T08:31:00.005-06:00

I woke up this morning to let the dogs outside and I was watching Foxy and noticed that her ears had popped up. I figured they would, but wasn't sure since we thought she was mixed with Daushund.

Rogue Guitars... Not too bad

2009-08-15T19:08:00.007-06:00

I don't even know how Rogue can make a decent guitar for $80 but they do. I happened along a deal for a guitar, a hard shell case, a strap, and a capo for $30. I didn't know what type of guitar it was, but the ad said it was in excellent condition. This was a perfect time to get a "beater" guitar that would be ok playing around the camp fire or letting someone else play. I figured even if the guitar was bad the hard shell case alone was worth more than $30. When I finally saw the guitar and saw Rogue on the headstock I have to say I was disappointed, because Rogue is synonymous with very cheap. I just checked it for cracks, didn't even play it, put it back in the case and took it home.

On the way home, I stopped at Burger King to get a #9 (Chicken sandwich meal) but before going in I took the guitar out in the parking lot and played it. I was absolutely blown away at the sound coming out of this cheap, all-laminate guitar. The build quality was good too, all of the edges and seams looked good. Not as clean on the inside with some noticeable glue, but not too bad. The edges of the frets weren't smooth and the action a little high, both fixable though. So now I'm feeling a little better. I would have NEVER considered buying an $80 guitar, but Rogue has really changed my mind.

So after getting it home I cleaned and polished it and removed the plastic saddle. I put in a tusq saddle and it sounded even better. The only thing is the plastic saddle was very very tall and the tusq saddle was about 3/8" shorter so the strings are now hitting the fretboard when I strum. So now I have to shim the saddle and clean up the fret edges and the guitar will be perfect.

My usual suggestion for buying an acoustic guitar is to always get one with a solid wood top, which usually starts above $200. But if you know someone who is wanting to learn guitar, but doesn't have a big budget or a parent who doesn't want to invest in an expensive instrument because they are not sure if their child will stick with it, the $80 Rogues are worth looking at.

Foxy and Jack Playing

2009-08-01T23:09:00.001-06:00

I had Jack (shih tzu / cockapoo mix) first and found he was a bit much for me and the rest of the other dogs in the house. While finding a home for Jack I got Foxy (chihuahua mix). They overlapped about four days and played with each other all of the time. The play mostly consisted of Jack pummeling Foxy. Jack is with a new family that has grade school age children and they are loving him. I only had him two weeks, but he was just the cutest, smartest dog I'd ever had.

New Baby Blows Up!!

2009-07-29T17:06:00.006-06:00

My new puppy reacted to her first shots. I was hysterical when I saw her cause I thought she might die. I called the Vet and they were out to lunch. They were 20 minutes away from my house so I drove there hoping someone was actually eating lunch inside. The Vet heard me crying outside and got my puppy and gave her a shot which worked well for 2 hours. I was home and the puppy blow up again!!! So I was giving her 1.5 ml of baby benydrl every two hours until about 4am. She was fine the next day.

My new baby is a Chihuahua mix and I think she is mixed with a Dachshund, but I'm not sure. At the rate she is growing she will likely be between 6-7lbs full-grown. She is quite fiesty! I love her. I've always had little boys and she is my second girl. My first girl, Layla, was stolen.

Traveling Rig

2009-07-13T10:35:00.021-06:00

I have been learning songs lately and I travel a lot as a passenger in a car or truck. I wanted to find a way to practice while traveling without bring all of my gear and without having to buy any new gear. Here is what I came up with.

My first thought: Ultra-Light, Pocket Pod, iPod Touch, Amazing Slow Downer, Head Phones

My second thought: Ultra-Light, DR-1, Pocket Pod (optional), Head Phones

My third thought: Ultra-Light, BR-600, Head Phones

Traveler Ultra-Light: My main concern here was finding a guitar that would not interfere with the driver. This guitar has no headstock so I won't be banging the driver in the head while I play in the passenger seat. The two other pluses for me are the 24.75 scale neck which plays like a real guitar and the very compact size when packed in its case. I've had three other travel guitars, a Yamaha APXT1 (had a nice neck), the Dean Avalanche J 3/4 (which was small but had to tune up otherwise the strings would be too loose), and the Martin LXMe (which was actually great but scale was too short). When practicing it is really important to practice on a regular scale neck because it just doesn't translate when you learn on a really short scale guitar

Line 6 Pocket Pod: I use the Pocket Pod for some really nice effects. Plus it has an input for your mp3 player if you want to play along with it. The Pocket Pod is very easy to use. For quick and dirty you just choose your sound by band or style of music. It does come with pc/mac software that will allow you to create your own sounds and upload them to the Pocket Pod or you can tweak the presets and make your own sound right on the Pocket Pod itself and save it in the user area. I only wish it had some basic drum tracks. Now that would be perfect. But then I would want it to also be able to record. Now THAT would be perfect.

Apple iPod Touch & Amazing Slow Downer: Since I carry the Touch around with me all of the time anyway and that is where my music is I looked for an app that could slow down a song without losing the original pitch and change the key of a song without changing the original speed. I saw a few applications and settled on the $14.99 Amazing Slow Downer. This is the one thing I did buy and it was expensive for an Touch app. The awkward part is that Apple doesn't allow any other application to play music so you have to import that songs you want to use into the Amazing Slow Downer app as opposed to using the library that is already on the Touch. It is easy to import songs, but a hassle none the less. So I plug my iPod Touch into the line-in of the Pocket Pod I have an awesome travel rig.

Tascam DR-1: I remembered that I had the DR-1 and thought I could make my travel rig a little better/lighter by using it instead of the iPod Touch and software. I got the DR-1 a while back to handle recording my inspirations. I was previously using a smaller digital recorder and before that a recorder with the microtapes. The DR-1 sound quality tops them all. The convenient features on the DR-1 makes this a no brainer for me. It has the ability to import an mp3 or wav file which I can use as a backing track. It has the ability to change the speed, change the key, and loop a section of a song. This is helpful when learning solos or trying to figure out a piece. The only thing missing that a guitarist might want is drum tracks and guitar effects. You CAN have this if you buy the Tascam GT-R1 which is almost the same as the DR-1 but with drum tracks and guitar effect. The GT-R1 came out after I purchased the DR-1 and I was very disappointed, but not disappointed enough to shell out $399 for the new recorder. To make up the difference I have to load backing tracks onto the DR-1 to be my drum tracks, and I have to use my Pocket Pod for effects. If effects aren't that important then I can forgo the Pocket Pod when using the DR-1 and have an even lighter travel rig.

Boss BR-600: This recorder is phenomenal for the price and what it can do. It is slim and easy to drop in a back pack or even a decent sized purse (hobo bag). It has a tuner, a trainer, backing drum tracks, guitar effects, and 8 tracks to record on. This is my most comprehensive mobile solution. Though this solution is likely the largest in size it is perfect because everything I need is in one device instead of two or three devices. I would say the DR-1 is the least complicated to use and most portable solution, but it lacks guitar effects and recording multiple tracks might not produce the best finished product. I have to remember I'm just trying to practice on the go. The BR-600 is about 2.5 times the size of the DR-1, but it has guitar effects, multiple tracks, and editing capabilities for a fully functioning practice and studio space. The question is I am really going to be using all of the recording feature when practicing on the go. I still think the DR-1 is going to be the best portable solution. If I were going on a trip the BR-600 would likely be my choice.

Head Phones: Well I gotta have head phones to listen to my music either through the Pocket Pod or through my DR-1. I use the over the ear kind that can fold up, though I could use my ear bud head phones and get even more compact.

Searching for Sound - Saddles

2009-06-30T10:22:00.015-06:00

So many thing affect how a guitar sounds. For the most part the shape of the guitar and the woods used on the guitar affect the sound the most. The saddle, strings, picks, playing style, bridge pins and the nut all play a part in the sound of the guitar. Most of my guitars sound good to me already, which is why I bought them, but none of them sound perfect. So in an effort to make the most dramatic sound change I'm starting with saddle changes.

There are a lot of saddle materials out there and most guitars use plastic, Tusq, and bone. Most of the time you'll see some sort of plastic or Tusq being used. Only the really high-end guitars come with bone saddles.

As densities go plastic is the least dense then comes Tusq, soft ivory, bone, and then hard ivory. You want dense material because it transfers more vibration of the strings to the top of the guitar (the sound board).

I bought a guitar once that was beautiful and had a plastic saddle. I heard that a Tusq saddle would be better and once installed I had a brand new guitar. That is how drastic the sound change was from plastic to Tusq. This should be the first thing you do if you have a plastic saddle or bridge pins is to change them to a more dense material. IMMEDIATELY!!!

Here is the list of my acoustic guitars that are getting saddle changes. The only acoustic guitar that is not on this list is my Seagull S6+ Performer. It is my brightest guitar and has a cedar top with wild cherry back and sides. The saddle is Tusq. I really like the way it sounds. Actually right now it is my favorite sounding guitar and I have at least 4 guitars that cost more.

What you get when you go to a denser material is better string separation, better overtones because of the better transfer of vibration to the sound board, and longer sustain.

Larrivee D03e (sitka/sapele, dread) - Sounds kinda dull/muddy/dark though more even than my spruce/rosewood guitars. I'm replacing the Tusq saddle with a bone saddle in hopes that I'll get more string clarity.

Taylor 712ce (engalmann/indian rosewood, concert) - Very bright, but not too bright and not a lot of low end. I'm replacing a Tusq saddle with an elephant ivory saddle in hopes that it will tame the high-end and boost the low-end.

Breedlove AC250-SM12 (sitka/mahogany, concert) - Sounds good, but would like to even out the jangle of the higher strings. I'm replacing the saddle (not sure of material) with an elephant ivory saddle to even out the sound of the strings.

Martin 00-15 (all mahogany, concert) - Has great sound already, but it is a small guitar and doesn't project as well as I think it should. I'm replacing the saddle (not sure of material, though it looks like Tusq) with a bone saddle to give it a little more punch.

Fender GDO-500SE (cedar/ovangkol, concert) - Sounds like someone put a pillow over it. I'm replacing a urea (plastic) saddle with a bone saddle to give it more punch and string clarity.

Dean Exotica RSE SP GN (spruce/rosewood, grand auditorium) - Sounds a little abrasive right now. I'm replacing the plastic saddle with a bone saddle to take away the abrasive sound and give it more balance between the strings.

Yamaha CGX171CCA (cedar/rosewood, concert) - I do like the sound of this guitar though it has a plastic saddle and I'm sure it can sound better. I'm replacing the plastic saddle with a bone saddle just to hear the difference.

I will do sound tests with the guitars before and after so both you and I can hear the difference.

Pinched Nerve

2009-06-18T13:31:00.000-06:00

Wow, who knew a pinched nerve could be so bad. I was scratching my right side one day and found it felt numb. Not all the way but noticeable. X-Rays showed the pinched nerve was causing the problem AND that I have arthritis in my back from an injury that perhaps happened abut 5 years ago. I have no idea what happened to me 5 years ago, but whatever it was it was bad. You find out later in life, when everything is falling a part that your health is all you got. Who wants to be a live at 80 if you can't walk or have chronic pain. Stay health kids you only get this life once. The chiropractor is moving my spine back into the place and some of the numbness has gone away. It will take some time to get back to normal, but I'll get there.

Netbook Wishes and Mobility Dreams

2009-06-18T13:28:00.001-06:00

I kept looking for a netbook that I could change into Mac netbook. It was difficult finding one that would just work. Well Dell made one, Dell Mini 9. I couldn't find it in the stores and I didn't want to purchase a computer from Dell over the internet. To get the one I wanted I would have had to customize it and that would have put it beyond the $500 mark and I certainly didn't want to spend that much for a netbook. So I thought the Acer Aspire One might be good, but NO as some of the hardware isn't compatible with the Mac installation. I even looked at others that were close, but for the most part the Dell Mini 9 was the one if you wanted a Mac netbook with no hassle. So I let the dream go because the Dell Mini 9 was just too much and then I didn't really need a Mac netbook.

However, what I did need was a way to have a windows machine that was portable. My work windows machine is a 17" which requires too much power to be powered in a car. Plus it is heavy. I like having my personal machine (Macbook Pro) with me when I travel and adding a 17" monster to that just isn't fun. If I had a smaller portable Windows machine I would be in heaven. I use VMWare Fusion to run Windows on my Macbook Pro, but sometimes you just need a physical windows machine.

Having given up on wanting a Mac netbook I moved to just needing a Windows netbook which made the choice of netbook very easy. The Eee PC 1000HE is the only one that gives you bluetooth, wireless N, 160GB harddrive, and the best battery life in the world. The most recent MSI Wind comes close, but Eee PC has better battery life. So I ordered the Eee PC from Amazon and got it in a couple of days. I immediately put Windows 7 Beta on it. It is slower than I'd hoped. Probably because of Windows 7 and maybe debug info being captured.

After using the Eee for a while I do like it, but I wouldn't want to work on it all day. If it was my only laptop. I would have to use an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse. It is convienent to have the small laptop, but you get fatigued by the small screen, small keyboard, and small trackpad. My biggest problem seems to be the small shift key on the right side. I end up hitting the up arrow that is next to it a lot. The tracking of the cursor with the track pad is not quite right though I suspect adjusting the track pas settings would help with that. I can do most of my work on my Macbook Pro, but the rest I do on the Eee.

I also put a skin on the Eee after seeing all of the designs available. I did notice the top getting lots of finger prints and would guess it would get lots of scratches too after a while. The skin protects the top and the even comes with a matching wrist rest skin.

Guitar Deals

2009-06-18T11:03:00.016-06:00

I have been selling off my gear to make room in my house and to give my gear a chance to be used. In the midst of this I've been looking at Taylor acoustics and just hadn't found one I was willing to buy. But then on Craig's list I found a 712ce, small body guitar with a short scale -- right up my alley! Lest you think I was spending more money on yet another guitar I have been saving my proceeds from my other gear sales to finance this purchase, plus I got my bonus from my job. The guy wanted $1850. I found out I could get a brand new one for $2169 so I figured I'd just save up the money and get a new one. So the guy dropped his price down to $1500. That I thought was a good deal, but just couldn't pay that much. I agreed to see the guitar because I figure I can get the $1500 if I really liked the guitar. So when I finally see the guitar in person I found a finish crack on the bottom bout binding. It looked really bad. I have dropped my acoustic guitars and even had one fall off stage and I have never seen a crack in the finish that looked so bad. I didn't feel good about it so I passed on the guitar because I was concerned about the integrity of the guitar. The seller assured me that it hadn't affected the wood under the finish or the integrity of the guitar. I figured as much, but was afraid to take the risk. He then offers the guitar for $1200. I stand there and think about it with a scrunched up face and finally decide to take the guitar. $1200 is what I offered in the first place. I was assured by others on the Acoustic Guitar Forum and Acoustic Guitar Community the cracks in the finish are nothing to worry about. So that was a GREAT deal. I already have equity in the guitar even with the flaw in the finish.

My next coup was a Squier Classic 50s Vibe Duo-Sonic for $184. Something about this little guy was calling me. I've wanted one since they came out, but I have several electrics and really didn't need another one as I'm sure I had all of my sound needs covered. I have read glowing reviews about this guitar and haven't seen one bad one. The worst I read was that the frets needed to be filed down. So I go to the local music store and they have two, one used and one new. I figured I'd go for the used one, but most used prices in music stores are very close to the new price, so I wasn't getting my hopes up on saving that much money. The new one actually had paint chips (more like divots) and a thumb-sized dent in the body (WTF). So I looked at the used one and was happy to see the price, $200, $129 below new. The used one had no flaws whatsoever accept that it wasn't as clean as the new one. I asked if something was wrong with the guitar and the sales guy said no. Someone just bought and returned it. So I asked if he could do better than $200 and he offered to make it $200 out the door so the guitar cost $184 + tax. Awesome deal! The guitar is great. It has a 24" scale and a very nice neck, which is easy to play. It looks and sounds good too. Though the middle position and the neck position don't sound that different to me. The simplicity and style of the guitar makes it stand out.

Logan aka Dumb Jock

2009-06-02T13:31:00.003-06:00

This is my latest rescue, Logan. He is a Shar pei mix, likely with a gold retriever. He is not the smartest dog, actually we call him the dumb jock. He does like it in the mountains because of the space to run, but I think he would be happy to stay inside like the little dogs. He doesn't like to guard the house like our other Shar pei mix, Chuune. He does like to play, but apparently not work.

Wii Fit and Wii Active

2009-06-02T13:29:00.004-06:00

The Wii Active came out recently and I waited a while to see what the reviews will be. The reviews were excellent all-around so I bought it to go along with my Wii Fit. I really like Active and like it better than Fit. I'm not that active or fit so exercising with these programs is good for me because I get challenging work outs with both. While I don't have to go to the gym to workout I'm still as flaky with my consistency. I really need to exercise!!!! Get it together RAY!!

Tookie Comes Home... Oh Lord What Have I Done!!

2009-06-02T13:28:00.006-06:00

So I finally got my horse. His name is Tookie. He is a 16 year old quarter horse gelding. He is very sure footed which is a good trait in the mountains. He is also a little wacky, which make him fit right in with the rest of the animal family. When I got him he was very hungry, skinny from being bullied away from the food by the other horses he was with. I've had him for several months now and he looks a lot better. I've ridden him twice, which isn't very much I know, but I have to be supervised while around the horse because I've had a few accidents. As I get more confident I'll be able to ride and be by myself.

Recently Tookie took off with some wild horses while out of his corral grazing. He came back the next morning. I guess the stallion was picking on him, or maybe he just wanted some grain (sweet feed). I vacillate about keeping him, because owning a horse is a lot of work and money. Everytime I think I want to sell Tookie (yes, after I just go him), I always think of a reason to keep him. I just have to work on not being scared to ride him.

Game Playing

2009-06-02T13:27:00.010-06:00

I've always had a gaming console at my home mostly for when my cousins' children would come visit. Now I've finally gotten into playing the games too, after a gazillion years. I'm playing Lara Croft Underworld (xbox360), Grand Theft Auto 4(xbox360), and Uncharted (PS3). I have lots of other games too, but I'm concentrating on these games first. My goal is to finish one of these games. I'm playing on the lowest level of each game. After these three I have Halo 3, Bio Shock, Borne Supremacy, and some others I can't remember.

I just found GamerchiX too. I applied to be part of the group and I'm waiting on confirmation. They game every Wednesday night. I'm looking forward to gaming with the girls.

AWESOME!!!

Home-made 300 watt 4x10 Cabinet

2009-06-02T13:27:00.005-06:00

Since getting the Super Champ XD, I remembered a friend of mine had an amp that he wasn't doing anything with. The amp was a Peavey Classic VT50 (4x10) from the 70s. I look at it and researched it and found that it needed some fixing and that it would cost more than it was worth to fix. So I bought the amp for $20 and planed to use it as a speaker cabinet.

Since I didn't need the amp part (which is quite heavey) I removed everything. I connected one input jack that is wired to the speakers. I then cleaned the tolex and the grill cloth. From there I moved on to the speakers. The amp in it current state It had 3 16 Ohm Peavey speakers and 1 8 Ohm 35watt Jensen speaker. I tried to reach the Peavy speakers, but couldn't find much.

My plan was to push the speaker cabinet with my newly acquired Super Champ XD and the Super Champ wants 8 Ohms. I couldn't figure out how I could take three 16 Ohm speakers and 1 8 Ohms speaker and make it 8 Ohms. So I opt'd to buy 4 speakers (costly venture).

I did research on different kinds of speakers and I ended up choosing Eminence speakers for the cabinet just as I had for the replacement speaker for the Super Champ. I did mixed the speakers this time using two Ragin Cajun and two Cooperhead. Very loud and very nice cabinet!!

I had a hard time making my own speaker cable. I had two right angle with a very thick speaker wire and I couldn't keep the positive from touching the casing. I did get it after three tries and with a friend who knows electronics helping me. I was doing my own soldering, which I don't do very well. Plus the speaker wire was a bit too thick for the connectors.

I'm very proud of my effort and glad that everything works.

Fender Super Champ XD

2009-06-02T13:26:00.007-06:00

I sold my two electric guitar amps, a Roland Jazz Chorus 50 to a kid in Tucson and a Fender G-Dec 30 to a man with kids. I was trying to clear out space. I figured I could just play my pod through my acoustic guitar amp and I had a pedal, Line 6 JM-4, that would allow me to "practice with the band" so I didn't need the G-Dec anymore. I was proud that I clear out the space the amps were taking up as my music room/office was a bit crowded.

My acoustic amp, Fishman Loudbox 100, started acting up. Fishman fixed it, but before that occured I went back to thinking I needed a regular guitar amp. I started looking and had decided I wanted something small like a 1x12, a tube amp and something that had great clean tone. I need a good clean channel for playing with the pod. After doing research EVERYONE said Fender amps have the best clean tone. The funny thing is that for solid state the Roland Jazz Chorus was reported to be the best clean and so I felt stupid for having sold it. You live and learn.

So now I'd narrowed it down to Fender and I was looking at the Blues Junior. I found Billm's website on customizations to the Blue Junior and was excited to get one. BUT THEN... I found the Super Champ XD. It is a tube amp, with modeling AND is a 1x10 which means it was going to be easy to carry. The Blue Junior didn't have modeling but did have reverb and chorus, but I figured the Super Champ would be the best choice for me. I could use it easily without pedals and it was small enough to carry and big enough to give good sound.

I also read that the stock speaker which is 8 Ohm, 35watts wasn't that good. I probably wouldn't have known the difference, but everyone was saying that at high volumes the stock speaker just wasn't going to cut it. So I did replace the stock speaker with an Eminence Ragin Cajun. It is louder and is a bit my harsh, but I heard that will smooth out after the speaker is broken in. There is talk about good results when changing the tubes, but I'm not going to do that until I have to.

I am very pleased with the features and size of this amp. I'm glad I got it. I got it for a good price too. I bought it from Guitar Center, but found a better price on Musicians Buy for $329 with free shipping. Fender went up on their prices in September of last year and then again at the beginning of this year and while the discount didn't get me back to the original price of the amp it came close.

I've been playing electric guitar more since getting this amp. This is my first tube amp and it sounds great!!

And I'm Back... AGAIN!!

2009-06-02T13:20:00.003-06:00

It has been a long time. I have been busy, but I'm back now. I have lots to tell you, but it will have to be later cause I'm working right now. I have music projects, horse projects, computer projects, games projects, and exercise projects to inform you of.

OH WHO AM I KIDDING... no one cares that I've been gone for months!! LOL. I have one follower and that is my partner and she doesn't count.

Honestly I write stuff on my blog to share my experiences with the world. I have often found some really helpful information in other peoples blogs and hopefully what I share is of some use to someone other than me.

February is gone, I skipped March, and almost lost April

2009-04-25T17:36:00.002-06:00

I'm apologizing like I actually have fans following me, but I have been gone a long, long time. I don't even know what I've been doing except for working a lot, dealing with my horses. Anyway I'm back.

FAWM - Day 18

2009-02-18T23:59:00.000-07:00

Ya know I don't think I'm as committed to this month as I wanted to be. You really have to sequester yourself from your life to do this and I haven't been able to do that. There is a lot to do and a lot to pay attention to when you have a spouse and children (even if all the children have four legs). Between work and family it is difficult, but I haven't given up. I will concede I may not have 14 songs by the end of this month, but I will have more than two. And that is more than I can say for the last 8 years.

FAWM - Day 17

2009-02-17T23:59:00.002-07:00

OK I got back to work and it really felt like work!!! I was so tired. I was working on two songs and finished one though I wasn't pleased with the lyrics. I uploaded the song. The other song I was working on I couldn't finished. I was trying to find the right chord progression and just couldn't find it.

I promise I have so much more to come.

FAWM - Day 16

2009-02-16T23:59:00.000-07:00

I was working, picked up glasses at Costco, picked up big speaker at Guitar Center because I have a DJ gig. I thought about music a lot but didn't do anything.

FAWM - Day 15

2009-02-15T23:59:00.000-07:00

I can't remember what I did, but it wasn't music.

FAWM - Day 14

2009-02-14T23:59:00.001-07:00

OK So didn't do a thing today, but should have. Was nice to finally be back home. I did feel sick this morning and then I got distracted and now it is too late. So tomorrow will have to be my day for getting the songs finished and new ones started. I'm so behind!!!

FAWM - Day 13

2009-02-13T23:59:00.001-07:00

I was traveling back home from a conference and I recorded some more lyrics to a song I already started.

FAWM - Day 12

2009-02-12T23:59:00.001-07:00

Today I went horse viewing, to the Apple store, hung out with family. I haven't seen my family in a while so while at the conference I visited them. I don't see them that often since my Mom moved.

FAWM - Day 11

2009-02-11T23:59:00.001-07:00

This is the last day of my conference and we were busy appreciating the clients at Western Casino. I drank too much and played Texas Holdem. I won big!! Didn't go to sleep until 1:00am so, NO, nothing got done.

FAWM - Day 10

2009-02-10T23:59:00.001-07:00

OK so I did have a chance to get something together. I started on music for the Shut Up songs and I got lyrics to some music I created a while ago. Neither song is finished, but a good start. I'm so sleepy!!!

FAWM - Day 9

2009-02-09T23:59:00.001-07:00

During the conference I had my team in my room so I just didn't have any a wake time to work on this. I know excuses EXCUSES. But I fully intend to have 14 songs by the end of the month. So I'm not squelching on my duties because my job and other previous commitments are getting in the way. I WILL HAVE 14 songs!!

FAWM - Day 8

2009-02-08T23:59:00.001-07:00

I was traveling all day by car for a work conference. Once I arrived at the hotel I was too sleepy to do anything FAWM related.

Looking for a New Horse

2009-02-08T10:48:00.003-07:00

While I really did like Snickers I think I can find a horse better suited to me as a beginner rider. Snickers is well trained, but I want the perfect horse so instead of just settling for the horses around me I'm going to search for my perfect horse. My trainer bought Snickers back as he needed another broke horse for his girl friend. I still have and plan to keep Drumstick, my pregnant mare. My trainer said he would help me find a good horse. Until I find a horse I will be getting taught how to ride on Snickers.

FAWM - Day 7

2009-02-07T23:59:00.000-07:00

No activity on this day either. :( I was taking care of my horses, going to the chiropractor, and preparing for my very first DJ gig later this evening.

FAWM - DAY 6

2009-02-06T23:59:00.000-07:00

Again, I did absolutely nothing regarding FAWM. I was working all day and then just vegged out.

Facebook is a Job!!

2009-02-06T18:59:00.003-07:00

Being on Facebook and keeping up with all the things people send you and things you have to do it's like homework or a job. Who thought this sh-t would be fun!! I got "tagged" and now I have to write 25 random things about myself and then tag 25 more people when I'm finished.

FAWM - Day 5

2009-02-05T23:59:00.000-07:00

I did absolutely nothing concerning FAWM on day 5 except realize I am far behind in my song completion.

FAWM - Day 4

2009-02-04T23:59:00.002-07:00

I did do some lyric writing today. The motivation came from a meeting I was having at work with a person I can't stand to hear talk. Great to have at a party, but not great to work with. Anyway the song is called Shut Up until I can think of a better title. Late in the evening I did also pick out some music. I'm behind as I should have two songs by now and I've only finished one. I gotta get a move on!!! (that is what my Mom would say)

FAWM - Day 3

2009-02-03T20:46:00.003-07:00

I did write and record my first song. I started around midnight and finished at 4am. I had hardware issues while recording otherwise I would have finished earlier. It was great to finally finish a song, but my second song is due and I haven't started. Hard to do this during the work week. So I'll be working hard to get my second song out on day 4. You can check out my songs at http://fawm.org/fawmers/dragonfly66/

FAWM - Day 2

2009-02-02T23:59:00.000-07:00

OK Nothing again, though I was creating music for the song, I haven't completed a song yet. I'm up at midnight, the beginning of Day 3, trying to catch up so that I'm not stuck writing a gazillion songs later in the month.

FAWM - Day 1

2009-02-01T23:59:00.000-07:00

I did absolutely nothing related to FAWM on the first day, except listen to other songs people had written. The Superbowl really threw me. I had to visit with my horses, which are an hour away from my house, and then get back to my house to finish cooking my chili, and then watch the game, and then do my timesheet for work. As my mom would say, "Let's get a move on!" Well I do sense urgency now that I have just one day to write a song and I will do it. I will not give up! I am going to write 14 songs this month.

We Are Gonna Have A Baby... a baby horse

2009-01-30T11:05:00.006-07:00

I got a call from the guy who is boarding my pregnant mare, Drumstick, who informed me that he sees the "sack" and we should be having a baby in a week or two. Drumstick, is living down in the valley where it is warmer than the mountains. We moved her down there so that the foul wouldn't freeze to death after being born. It won't warm up up here until later in February.

I'm excited and glad I decided not to sell my horses. Part of the trade was getting Drumstick trained and the trainer says she has a good head. I'm looking forward to having the horses up in the mountains, but I still have to get a corral and a fence.

UPDATE (02/01/09) We had a horse mid-wife check Drumstick and apparently she is NOT ready to give birth. She told us that Drumsticks tail would get real loose when it is time. Right now her tail is stiff. She also invited us to go the farm where she works and see the different stages so we will know when Drumstick is really ready.

I Am A Fawmer!

2009-01-28T23:52:00.005-07:00

February Album Writing Month.

I will be participating in FAWM this year. It is about time I get back to writing lyrics and music. I'm excited and worried I won't be able to write 14 songs in one month. Who puts 14 songs on an album anyway? I will write 14 songs and hope there are enough good songs to put on an album.

I have to write 14 songs, while holding down a full-time job, taking horse riding lessons every morning, taking care of my dogs & horses, AND keeping my relationship together. It will be a challenging month, but if all goes well, I'll have written 14 songs, learned how to ride a horse without falling off, and prevented a divorce.

I can't wait to get started!

And I'm Back

2009-01-28T23:30:00.012-07:00

OK so I decided NOT to sell my horses and attempt to learn how to ride. I know I justified my decision, but I want to learn how to ride. It is a dream of mine and though I'm scared around the horses I will be spending much more time with them to get more comfortable around them. I CAN DO THIS!!!

The month of February is the month I will learn. My instructor is going to be gone most of the spring (March, April, May) so I have to get some good lessons in during February. I'll have to get up early in the morning too because he works during the day so lessons begin at 8am. Yipes!! That means I'm going to have to move down to Tularosa for the month. What is crazy is that February is also the FAWM month where I have to write 14 songs in one month. February is going to be crazy!!

Why I Hate Facebook

2009-01-28T22:32:00.002-07:00

I hate Facebook because the ads look like they are part of the website. Why does Facebook allow this deception? There are goofy applications, super powers, girly gifts and the like, that keep you on the site and it is all a waste of time. The one good thing is finding people you haven't talked to in a while, but why would you actually use the site. The site is visually uninspiring to say the least. I think it is just aweful, but it seems to be the place to be (until the next big things comes along). I joined just to connect with people not to use Facebook to tell people what I'm doing or to play with the applications. I don't get it the draw of Facebook pasted the possibilities of finding people you haven't seen in a long time. This is my opinion and I'm intitles to it, so if you are a Facebook freak it doesn't matter why you love it so much I still won't.

The Best Guitar Buying Advise

2009-01-24T23:38:00.014-07:00

I was trying to make a decision on whether to buy the Taylor GS8e and I got this advise from a thoughtful man:

Is this going to sit in its case after the newness wears off?
Is it going to inspire me to play more?
Am I going to regret it later if I miss the opportunity?
What impact will it make in my progress?
Does the sound really grab you?
Will it fill the need for a style that you may want to play that your other guitars don't quite fit?
What about the comfort level?
How long have you played it?
Have you tried it more than once?
Make it a point to have the guitar put on hold for a day or two and go back to play it. Almost always the guitar will not sound the same, thought there may be an exception.

After thinking about these questions I realized I was mostly excited about the GS8e because it was on sale and usually Taylors are not discounted. I would have saved almost $600. The sound was good, but not inspiring and all styles of music I play are covered well, if not adequately, with the collection of guitars I already have.

P.S. Some other advice was to sell one or some of my guitars to get the money and make room for the new guitar in my collection. I like this idea as it gives me reasons to get the guitar instead of reasons not to. I am trying to sell some of my guitars, but no one is buying :-(. Damn economy!

Only The Rock Remains

2009-01-24T15:40:00.025-07:00

All I have left is my rock as evidence that I once rode horses. And of course the photos and videos. I came to the conclusion that the time, effort, and risks I would have to take to learn to ride and not be afraid of horses was more than I could give. The benefits didn't out weigh the effort. I am very sad and have cried several times about it. It is not that I was so close to my horses it was that I really wanted to ride and I just couldn't do it. It is not a very good feeling when you find your limitations.

I sold Snickers back to the guy I bought him from and I'm selling Drumstick and the two saddles, blankets, and tack I have. I still feel sad and upset that I couldn't make riding horses a reality, but there are other things more important to me in life than the horses and I made the choice to do those things.

I will save the rock. The rock I held in my left hand to keep me from holding on to the reins or the saddle horn while riding.

Into The Woods

2009-01-23T20:54:00.016-07:00

I have been investigating the different woods on guitars and their sound. I own two Taylor electrics and none of their acoustics. I want the 814ce, but then I played the GS8e and now I want that. I found a good deal on the GS8e, but still can't afford it. I'm beginning to think that I don't need it. I'm not a professional singer/guitarist so do I really need a $2600 guitar? The answer is no, but I still want it.

Anyway back to the wood. I've been playing lots of different Taylor's and investigating the different models. I found the different models have different woods and that made me want to understand how the different wood combinations sound. Since I owned a couple of electrics from Taylor I get the Taylor magazine Wood & Steel and in the Fall 2008 issue they had comprehensive information on woods used on their guitars.

I read about the different woods and what they sound like combined with other woods and it was all very interesting. It made me pull out my 9 acoustic guitars to see the difference in their sound and which I preferred. I'll be recordings of all of my guitars in a separate post so you can hear the wood and body shape combinations.

Really looking at the guitars I own and the roles each guitar can play makes me appreciate what I have. Though I want a Taylor acoustic I have all of my bases covered with the collection I have.

On The Ground AGAIN!!

2009-01-17T21:33:00.005-07:00

OK so today was the first day I went riding after getting bucked off Mud. I was riding Snickers this time. Snickers isn't a bucker and it really wasn't his fault I fell off. I was going up a hill, didn't have my feet right in the stirrups, so when Snickers started hopping up the hill I was out of the saddle. I was hanging on the right side trying to pull the reigns back and couldn't. I was only about 2 feet off the ground, but I couldn't stop the horse so I let go and hit the ground.

I did get back on the horse, but was scared to go UP. I was with my riding trainer and his friend. We went down to the road and just rode on the road instead of in the hills. On the road I got freaked out because the Snickers was moving his head a lot and felt like I wasn't controlling him so I stopped him and got off. His head movement reminded me of Mud before I got bucked off. My trainer, Harold, promised me that Snickers would never buck, and I believe him, but he also told me, "If you are scared to ride you shouldn't ride." I was scared so I got off the horse and I feel good about that decision.

Harold said he was going to put me on Rony Pony which is a 10 year old gelding that is, "broke, broke, broke" Harold said he thought Snickers might be too much for me right now so I'll spend some time on Rony Pony to get confidence and get more settled in my saddle. I think my saddle might be too small, but we'll be evaluating that tomorrow.

I am scared, but I still want to learn how to ride. Though I definitely had doubts about whether I really needed horses. I could do without horses for the rest of my life and be perfectly fine. But since I own two horses I'm going to give it a go on Rony Pony and see what happens.

New Horse

2009-01-11T21:04:00.007-07:00

As I have been healing from my traumatic experience with my horse Mud, it is painfully obvious that he is not the horse for me. My tail bone still hurts and my right shoulder and left hip are still sore. I'm a little nervous around horses now, afraid they will knock me down or trample me. Afraid I'll do something that will make them want to buck me off. At the same time I can't wait to ride again.

I have been looking for a horse that I can ride right now without fear that my horse is going to dump me. Well, I found that horse. He is a small horse, an Indian Pony/Quarter Horse mix. Very sure footed and well trained. He is very small in terms of horses, but big enough for me and since I am just going to ride him and not use him for work he is perfect. His previous owner used him for roping and other stuff so he is no slouch. He is proportioned, solid and the cutest thing you've ever seen. His name is Snickers! He is tough and strong. I love him!!

Snickers was a wild horse not a little more than a year ago and the fact that he knows what he knows is a testament to his intelligence. He was a stallion less than 5 months ago.

I traded him for Mud plus riding lessons on Snickers, the training of my other horse Drumstick, and new shoes for Snickers.

Snickers has his quirks, even though he knows how to do everything you ask, you must catch him if you want to ride him. Though catching him isn't hard you must corner him and get the reins on him, which he resists a little. The act of catching him makes me nervous because he is bigger than me and when he moves quickly he scares me just like if moved quickly around him it would scare him. Once caught, he is OK. He does pull a little on the lead rope, but if you pull back he relaxes. I'm hoping working with him will make him come to me instead of me having to corner him.

The Bachelor Marries Mellisa

2009-01-11T20:45:00.005-07:00

How do I know. On the first Bachelor they showed a montage at the end that included Jason proposing. The girl had dark hair, she was shorter than Jason, her skin was tanned, AND she had moles on her arm. I just saw the ad for the second show and there was a shot of Mellisa she has moles on her arms. So my prediction is Mellisa.

I'm a DJ!!

2009-01-09T22:13:00.006-07:00

I'm no DJ, but I have to be one at a sweet sixteen party early next month. I set up my PA system and karaoke system at a family retirement/birthday party and apparently some one thinks I know what I'm doing. I get this call from my partner's niece saying she wants me to be the DJ at her sweet sixteen party. I'm thinking this could be good or very very bad. I said yes.

I have absolutely no mixing skills so I'm going to be the kinda of DJ that when one song ends the next song begins. If I tried to mix I think it would an awful party. We have all bashed the DJ who didn't mix a song correctly, so I'm not even going to attempt it.

A DJ also entertains the crowd and I'm not sure I'm the one for that either. I'm 42 years old, what the F am I going to say to a bunch of teenagers that won't make me sound 42 years old. I know, I know I should have said no, but she my partners niece and I'm cheap (read FREE).

I immediately started figuring out what I needed to know to make the party a success. I abandoned the idea that I would learn how to mix in such a short time. I've tried it before and the song always ends before I can get to the two songs mixed. Sad. So sad. So I have to know how to entertain the crowd and that is where I will concentrate my research. I might practice mixing just to see if I can learn anything between now and then, but won't commit to use those skills at the party unless I think I won't embarrass myself.

There you go.

Real Guitar

2008-12-04T23:06:00.006-07:00

Watch my videos:

Rock Video
News
Korean Message
Short Film

I Survived!

2008-11-24T23:53:00.008-07:00

I survived getting bucked off of "Mud" twice. I'm hurting but no broken bones. I fell on the left the first time I was bucked off as there was a tree coming towards me on the right. I hurt my left hip and my tail bone. I laid on the ground and yelled as loud as I could. Then I prayed that God would heal me and then I got up and walked back to the barn, cussing my horse the whole way. Some gentlemen brought my horse to me before I could make it to the barn. So I cried some more, mostly because I was hurt and also because I didn't understand why "Mud" would do this. I wasn't asking him to do anything crazy. So he seemed calmed and I got on him again. I didn't want to ride him back to the barn because I thought that would be rewarding his earlier behavior. So I took him away from the barn and he started bucking again. This time I tried harder to hold on but I continued to go up in the air and the horn hit my groin twice and I finally let go and fell off to the right this time. I landed on my right shoulder and dislocated it. When I rolled over on my back my shoulder popped back in. The guys came to pick me up cause I was really hurting. This time the horse made it to the barn. FCKR!!

I was dejected and felt so stupid, but my partner told me that I was trying to ride a horse that was beyond my skill level. So I'm looking for a horse that isn't so "green". I love "Mud" who was just being himself, I just can't ride him.

I'm recuperating with Hydrocodone. I'm still in a lot of pain especially when I sit and bend over. I'm only on my second day after the incident and I heard the third day is the worst. I actually feel better today than yesterday and I'm sure it is because of the drugs. It is quite painful and the bruises are really coming out now.

I have to say that the highlight of the whole thing was when I went to the Hospital to make sure I didn't break anything (I didn't) the woman checking me in asked me if I was a minor? I'm 42 years old. This has to go down in the books. I doubt anything will top that!

I'll keep you posted on my horse journey. I don't regret anything even though I got hurt. I really love riding, I just have to get better at it.

Traded 1962 Mercury Monterey for Two Horses

2008-11-10T19:04:00.010-07:00

This is "Drumstick" a 6 year old pregnant mare. I went for it, as one of my friends said to do. I traded a car I liked, but didn't have time to mess with for two fully dressed quarter horses. I'm excited and a little nervous. My neighbor, who I traded with is helping me get my stuff together. I have books and DVDs on the way to my house now on how to take care of the horses, fencing, building relationship, etc. I'm also looking into taking some riding lessons as I don't trot very well and I'm scared to canter. I think lessons are in order, don't you? ;-)

Just from the time I've spent riding them and brushing them I love them. It is an unbelievable experience. I'm looking forward to this journey. This is part of my life dream. I always wanted to live on a ranch with horses. I'm not quite on a ranch but I'm on two acres in the mountains.

This is "Mud" a 7 year old gelding. The horses will be staying with my neighbor through the winter. I'll be putting up a fence around the two acres and then around the house to keep the horses off the main house area. Then I have to build them a shelter of some sort so they can stay out of the bad weather. I need a place to put my tact too. So it will be fun getting this all together.

I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Resisting the Urge to be a Consumer

2008-11-03T17:04:00.004-07:00

I made a commitment to not buy anything new for 6 months. (That means no Christmas presents people!) Of course I had already committed to purchasing Guitar Hero World Tour and Rock Band 2 prior to my commitment so those were my last big purchases before the cut off. Of course I can buy cloths, shoes, and a DVD here and there, but no guitars and no electronics--can't buy the big things.

I've also been purging what I don't use or need. This gives me money to pay bills and play money. The money I make from my job I'm conserving. I have found already that I'm making due with what I have. Instead of concentrating on buying the next new thing I'm actually using what I do have. I have gained more time, by not being online researching products all of the time. I feel good when I see something I want and decide not to indulge.

It has been hard though as I've had to stop myself while checking out. Just today I almost bought something from Amazon.com. I was almost about to complete my order and I stopped myself. As soon I did that I felt more empowered and felt that the next time I wouldn't get that far. I know I sound like an addict and in some ways I guess I am. Addicted to new things.

Hi, my name is Kirsten, and I'm a SUPER Consumer!

Hi Kirsten!

Smokey has a new home

2008-10-22T22:40:00.010-06:00

I didn't have time to work with Smokey so she is now with a family with two other dogs and two children. They love her and she has lots of room to run and play. I'm sad she is gone, but happy she is having fun with her new family. She wasn't really a mountain dog and she should be happier in the valley. Here is Smokey with her new owner. She is very happy and plays with her other two brothers and sister.

Vacation Almost Over

2008-10-13T13:52:00.004-06:00

I have today and tomorrow left for my vacation and I really have enjoyed myself! I'm spending time with my family in Louisiana now. I've been to Las Vegas, Zion National Park (Utah), Flagstaff, Tucson and Phoenix (Arizona), and now Shreveport (Louisiana). It has been a great two weeks!!!

I'm going to be making a DVD of the trip to send to my Aunt which will have video and photo slide shows of my wanderings. I thought I wouldn't want to go back to work after two weeks off and I must say I'm ready to go back to work. I feel great and refreshed. Vacation is GOOD!!

VACATION!!!

2008-09-26T23:44:00.004-06:00

This will be the first time I've ever taken a two week vacation. I can't wait. I still have to finish up a requirements document and my timesheet for work, but after that I'm free for two weeks!!

I'm on my way to Las Vegas and Yosemite National Park. I'll be bringing my guitar and I can't leave home without my laptop. I'm only bringing my laptop cause I'll be attempting to learn some new music software I have. Of course I'm taking the babies, Simba and Pierre, my two chihuahuas.

I'll be posting photos and possibly video to keep the family updated on what is happening on my trip.

Puppy Pierre

2008-09-01T12:45:00.007-06:00

I didn't want to say anything on my blog because I thought Layla would come back, but she hasn't. Some ladies from Texas picked her up. Layla followed me down from the house to the road when I as leaving in my SUV. She was down at the road when the ladies picked her up. They talked to my neighbor who told them the dog was likely ours. The ladies said they wanted another dog like theirs, which the neighbor said looked just like Layla. Layla had a collar on but no identification tags. That is my fault!! I just never thought she would wander that far away from the house. Anyway the ladies excuse for not bringing her back to us is that the gate was closed. The gate wasn't locked and could have easily been opened. So the ladies stole Layla knowing she belonged to someone else. After putting up signs in the local camping spots I haven't heard anything. It has been over a month now. I have no doubt that they are taking good care of her, but she is my dog and they stole her!!

So I recently went looking for a puppy, not to replace Layla because she may still come back. I wanted a cuddle dog and I have found that Chihuahuas fit the bill for this quite nicely. I bought my first Chihuahua 13 years ago and I still have him, Simba. I bought another one one year after Simba, his name was Wilder. I gave Wilder to my partner's father after finding out he lost his dog. Wilder is having a great life with my partner's dad and his wife. So I've had great success with Chihuahua. My third dog was Kobi a terrier mix who was selfish and wanted to play all of the time. Kobi wouldn't back down from anything, which got him badly hurt by a Chow and ultimately killed by Coyotes. Layla was a Chihuahua Terrier mix and exhibited more terrier traits in that she was selfish and active. I love her. She wasn't a cuddle dog unless she was going to sleep. She had a great relationship with the big dogs and could hold her own.

So this time I wanted to get a REAL Chihuahua, not a mixed Chihuahua. I found Pierre, who is 6 months old, from a breeder near by. He is quite small, maybe 3lbs, but is all Chihuahua (with papers, pedigree). He has only been with me for one day. He has been introduces to all of my other animals (Chuune, Gigi, Smokey, Simba, and Raz). He is understandably a little nervous, but he is coming around. He is very cute, but so small I'm afriad he will be hurt so I watch him very carefully when he is outside. He seems a little reserved so I'm curious to see what his real personality is after he gets more comfortable.

GPS Alone and Scared

2008-08-29T11:22:00.005-06:00

This is just too funny. OK, so I park my car while I'm shopping and I pull my GPS unit off my window and put it under my seat. When I return to the car the GPS unit appears frightened and lost. Here are the questions Little Johnny GPS asked me upon my return. Please read like a scared, hysterical little kid or it won't be funny.

Little Johnny GPS: I can't connect to the satellites, are you inside?
Me: no

Little Johnny GPS: Are you still in Arizona?
Me: yes

Little Johnny GPS: Is today's date August 28th, 2008?
Me: yes

After answering these questions Little Johnny GPS calmed down, I wiped his tears, gave him a pat on the head and he was back doing his job. Crisis averted. Whew.

I love Duncan Donuts Coffee

2008-08-22T17:31:00.003-06:00

I am a Starbucks fan when it comes to the White Mocha, but for regular coffee I love Duncan Donuts coffee. I live in a remote, small town area and we don't have a Duncan Donuts, but they sell the ground coffee at Walmart. Yipeee!!! I just saw it a couple of days ago and ever since I've been loving my mornings with my tasty coffee.

Puppy Is Growing Up and Getting Hurt

2008-08-09T20:30:00.016-06:00

(The photo to left is when I first brought Smokey home) The puppy is crazy... about food. She goes berserk when food is around. I had a sandwich in my hand while I was leaning over to move something and she took a diving leap at my sandwich and got her bite. I had to beat her down for that one. That was her first beat down. I guess she is crazy for food because she was probably very hungry for several days while in the forest alone. She even takes on Gigi and Gigi let's her take her food. I don't get it, cause Gigi can be very aggressive.

The puppy is growing by leaps and bounds. We initially thought she was going to be small because we thought she was older than she really was. Here eyes weren't blue when we first found her so we thought she was about 10 weeks old. I went on a business trip for a week and a week-end and I came back and she looked like a different dog. She grew so much. She is still clumsy, which lets me know she is very young. Her legs are still very long. I'm curious now how big she will get.

(This is Smokey 3 weeks later) I noticed today something by her left eye and was horrified at what I found. Her skin was split at the edge of her eye and had obviously bleed. I cleaned it up with hydrogen peroxide and water. This was not received well by the puppy. You can see in the photo that I covered the injury with a band-aid. I'm not sure how it happened. I'm inclined to believe she got into it with Gigi, but there is also a lot things you can get caught on out here in the forest. It also could have been the cat as the injury seems quite clean like a knife/claw did it.

A Rainbow

2008-08-08T21:13:00.005-06:00

Whether you believe the rainbow is a sign from God that he won't flood the entire earth again or not, when you see a rainbow there is this awe to the spectacle. Many times the rainbow seems far away, but this time it seemed so close, so big. Here is a rainbow I saw on my ride down from the mountain to the valley.

Bottleneck and Acoustic Blues

2008-07-30T20:53:00.023-06:00

I really like the blues, but I've mostly been playing blues for electric guitar and I want to branch out to acoustic blues which is more of the original blues. I have my Fender GDO-500SE and Martin 00-15 small body guitars for this. I just invested in a budget Resonator guitar made by Liberty Guitars (LO-100) so I could also learn the "bottleneck blues". I need to get a decent slide which I heard is glass or ceramic (which technically is glass). I also read that there are differences in the sound based on the slide material and the thickness. Who knew there was so much to think about? Right now the only slide I have is the Dunlop Hoolahan which I think is too big. I see people put the slide on their pinky, but my pinky is unusually short so I might have to use my ring finer instead,that is if that is an appropriate place to put a slide. I have no idea about using a slide so this is truly a great adventure for me.

I bought the Bottleneck Blues Guitar DVD by Bob Brozman (Homespun) and he is a great teacher. Plus I found out he is an outstanding musician outside of his teaching DVDs. I love that acoustic blues and bottleneck blues are blues and finger styling. They are so fun to play.

I have lots of blues and acoustic blues books, but I really like learning from DVDs now. I also bought the Easy Steps to Acoustic Blues DVDs from Homespun taught by Happy Traum. I've been playing for a while so I don't need to start from scratch, but I like to see how people teach. Since I haven't had that many lessons over the years I always learn something I didn't know from my DVD teachers. For instance DVD one of the Acoustic Blues series is called "Starting From Scratch" and I thought that meant Happy would be teaching me chords and basic strumming, but the DVD is pretty fasted paced and right to the point. You should know a little something before you "Start From Scratch." He is not teaching you guitar he is teaching you blues. I like that. I know the blues progressions already but Happy shows you variations on chords and lots of turn around variations. This DVD is really great!! I have plenty on this first DVD to keep me busy for a while.

I'm so excited. I love the blues!!

Hagstrom: The other hollow body - an alternative to the Dot!

2008-07-25T09:52:00.013-06:00

For those looking for a decent shallow hollow body in mid-price range there is a very nice alternative to the Epiphone Dot, the Ibanez AS series, and the Gretsch Electromatic... the Hagstrom Viking and Viking Deluxe.

I have a 70s Univox Coily which is not the easiest thing to play even after being setup. It is a very old and cool looking guitar. It is nice to have, but not so nice to play. I bought an Epiphone Dot Studio because I didn't want to spend a lot of money. I bought it for $175 on Craig's List and while it plays a lot better than the Univox, the workmanship and quality of the hardware sucked plus the neck was unusually thick. I heard someone refer to the neck on the Dot Studio as a "baseball neck". The Dot Studio is the cheapest of the Dots though so my expectations weren't that high. I did want something a little better so I went looking.

I tried the Epiphone Lucille, Sheraton, and Casino. The Casino has P90s in it and I like the way it sounds. The Lucille has such a variety of sound I actually would have chosen it if I hadn't found something else... that something else being my Hagstrom Viking! The Sheraton I don't like so much. Nothing really grabbed me about this guitar. The Gretsch Electromatic, while it looks cool I don't care much for the sound. I tried the Ibanez AS73 and it sounds decent and it has a great neck, but something just wasn't hitting me, likely because the AS73 is not really in the same class as the higher end Dots and the Gretsch.

OK, I wasn't digging anything enough to buy, so I looked online and found another company making hollow bodies, Hagstrom. I looked at the Hagstrom Viking and Viking Deluxe. Good reviews and a really nice look. I searched Craig's List (my favorite place to shop) and found exactly one Hagstrom Viking for sale for a little more than half the price of the Viking and a Hagstrom hardshell case. I went to see it and the styling and details of the finish were incredible. The neck was thin like the Ibanez and this baby was so easy to play. It sounded great (even acoustically), felt great, and looked great. You can't beat that!

Of course I bought it and I wanted to share with you that you do have an alternative, and I think a better alternative, to the other mid-priced hollow bodies. Retail the Hagstrom Viking cost $599.99 w/o a case. I got mine, which looked like it had never been played (save the pickguard) for $375 w/ hardshell case. Plus the guy who sold it too me was very easy on the eyes. So give Hagstrom a try you will not be disappointed. The only online seller is Musicians Friend, but Hagstrom has local dealers too, just check their website.

12-String Heaven

2008-07-08T19:06:00.005-06:00

I had the Alvarez 5214-12 which played nice, but I was looking to move up in quality and sound. I sold the Alvarez to a grandfather buying it for his grand daughter. He recently sent me an email telling me his granddaughter loved it. Alvarez makes some excellent, affordable instruments.

With the Alvarez sold I was on the hunt for a new 12-string. I played three 12-strings, an Ovation Celebrity, a Jumbo Takamine, Seagull, and Breedlove. The Ovation sounded crappy, the Takamine sounded and felt good, but it was a Maple version so it was way too bright for me. The Seagull finger board was just too wide though the action and sound were great. The Breedlove was just right. Perfect size with the Concert body and the best sounding 12-String I've ever heard. All strings working together, none of them trying to out do the other. The sound really was a perfect blend. It has the 12-String fullness, but not too bright or jangly. I was suprised at how loud it was being that it was a concert body.

I have 6-string Breedlove AC25-SR Plus and had some issues with the frets (it needed a fret dress) and I was skeptical about buying another Breedlove, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really liked the AC250-SM12. I'm so happy with my purchase especially because I got it for $520 instead of the $799 retail price. It is currently my favorite guitar.

Chuune & the Bee

2008-07-07T15:41:00.008-06:00

Not to be out done by Gigi & The Quills, Chuune (pronounced chew-ney) had to get some of the lime light. Having already done the quills thing, she step up her game and went for the candid shot with the bumble bee. How exciting! Nature at work--the bumble bee pollinating and Chuune, ever the explorer, seeing how it's done up close and personal.

I am surprised that the bumble bee didn't fly off because when Chuune is investigating she is smelling and when she is smelling she is making what amounts to be monkey noises (oo oo oo oo oo oo).

Gigi & The Quills

2008-07-01T18:03:00.008-06:00

No, Gigi & The Quills is not a new band on the scene. Gigi is my chow/healer mix and she decided it was a good idea to try to catch a porky pine. What she got was a muzzle and mouth full of quills. How lovely. She didn't seemed too bothered by the quills, meaning she wasn't crying or anythng, but they definitely made her uncomfortable.

My other dog did the same thing some months ago, but she didn't have any quills in her mouth and it was a hellava time getting the quills out. I tried getting the quills out, but Gigi wouldn't sit still for me. I had to call the vet, who was almost out the door for the day. She was nice enough to make an after hours appointment. Gigi first got a sedative, but still moved around too much so they had to put her under to get all of the quills out. She survived the procedure and was groggy the rest of the night. She was refreshed and smiling in the morning, quill free!!

New Addition to the Family

2008-06-26T12:26:00.012-06:00

Well it seems we are just supposed to take care of the animals. Only two of the six animals we have were purchased. The rest are rescued from a shelter/owner or strays. This one is a stray. She was found walking across a logging road road in the mountains. My partner was driving back home with her Dad and they saw this scrawny puppy walking across the road. They looked but didn't find any other puppies or the mother. My partner gave the puppy to her dad and quickly found out that the puppy didn't like him. So the puppy came home to live with us. So cute! (So ugly she is cute!!)

The puppy had/has fleas and ticks. After a bath, which scared the poor puppy, we think we got most of the critters off of her. I got a free cat while on a business trip out in front of Walmart. He had fleas for days! So I know there are still probably fleas on the puppy and I have to be mindful of when she scratches to get the flea comb.

She has a great temperament so far. Doesn't cry too much, wants to see everything. But she is not well yet. She's been without food and water, has ear mites, and her eyes have mucus. Wonder what she'll be like once we get her well.

The only thing I can tell for sure is that she is part blue healer. There are a lot of dogs our here that look like that. Makes me wonder if there is boy dog making his rounds.

She ate, had a bath, went to pee, had some water, went to poop, and now is sleeping. She is too cute and I love her already.

Found a Teisco E-100 Del Rey for $45 at the Pawn Shop

2008-06-26T07:43:00.012-06:00

I've started looking for old guitars at pawn shops, thrift stores, and yard sales so that I can have guitars to practice my guitar repair on and to possibly find a great guitar. I give guitars away sometimes and shopping for guitars like this makes it easy to do that. The Teisco E-100 is a simple guitar, one pick-up with a tone and a volume knob. It has a cool shape called the "tulip" and is wearing the Teisco Del Rey style which I can only surmise is the fancy pick guard.

I took the guitar apart and cleaned it up. The body is beat up pretty bad. The pick-up had a dent in it. I did plug it in and the volume pot works, but not the tone pot. It only had three strings (EAD) on it at the pawn shop so those are the only ones I could test. Where the pick-up is dented is where there were no strings so we'll see if it works once I get strings on it. Right now I'm going to clean the pots out and see if that will help the tone pot and then I'll put strings on and see how it plays. The frets are pretty flat, but it looks like they are flat on purpose and not from playing. There is a zero fret (a fret next to the nut) which is wierd. I'm sure there is reason for the zero fret I just don't know what. The zero fret is cut into almost like the nut.

Anyway it is a cool looking guitar that if nothing else would look good on a wall. The cheap guitars made in the 60s, like this one, were mostly for the rock sound and with one pick-up this guitar has a very distinct and limited sound. It is a very light guitar, I heard the body was solid mahogany, but after seeing the wood under the paint it seems more like particle board or plywood. I'll get more information and update My Guitars page.

What Would Happen If I Got Locked Out Of My House

2008-06-25T22:13:00.004-06:00

If was locked out of my house and no one was home, I'd have to walk over a mile to my neighbors house and hope he was home. Then ask him to take me 45 minutes to where my partner works to get the key and then back home. I figure 20-30 minutes to get to neighbors house and two hours to get the key and back. So 2:30 minutes if everything goes right. What if the neighbor wasn't home...

I've gotta hide a key somewhere.

New Song A Coming... Summer Time

2008-06-18T20:51:00.004-06:00

I am impressed with myself. On the same day I promised to write a song in two weeks time I have the chorus of the new song and am on my way to getting the chords and melody for the verses.

I am most happy when creating and performing. I love it more than developing software, I just can't make as good a living.

Cheap DIY Soundbooth / Soundwall

2008-06-18T09:29:00.012-06:00

I had been searching all over for cheap sound proofing for my home studio. I ended up getting Auralex foam and bass traps and it did a great job, but I still have a small room which acts as the control room and the tracking room. I have a convenient corner to track in, but no way to enclose the person/instrument. I figured I'd hang some furniture blanket from the walls to do that. I didn't want to have to drill any holes in the walls or ceiling to do this so I looked for how to create my own gobos (portable soundwalls). I couldn't find anything that was affordable and nothing I could break down after use. Since my room is so small the gobos would be in the way if they were a permanent fixture. Plus I am offering my recording services to others at remote locations and having portable soundwalls makes this a great solution for me.

So one day when I wasn't looking I found this excellent idea Cheap DIY Soundbooth / Soundwall. It uses PVC pipe, furniture blankets, and spring clips. This isn't the best sound proofing, but it is cheap, portable, and works well enough for me. I found some conversation about this solution here Improving your Sound with a DIY el-cheapo sound booth.

One thing to note, you will have to glue the bottom PVC pipes (even though it says no glue needed) otherwise the frame will fall over. You can make this as tall or short as you want. Obviously 76" to 78" would allow most of the population a comfortable space to record.

Haven't Been Writing...

2008-06-18T09:18:00.004-06:00

A while back I said I was going to write a song for each of my guitars. So far I've written NONE!!! I notice I spend a lot of time preparing and not enough time doing so I'm lighting a fire under my (uh-hem). So really, no REALLY I'm going to write!!!

I'll start with my newest guitar, the Fender GDO-500SE. I will write a song over the next two weeks no matter how stupid it might sound. I'm not looking for hits here, just trying to get back into the act of creating. And the song might take more than two weeks to perfect, but at least I'll have some words and a melody to press forward with.

REALLY, I'm going to do this!!!

Potato Salad at 42

2008-05-26T17:11:00.003-06:00

Today was my first day ever making potato salad. It turned out pretty good. It needed some salt and I thought I put too much relish in it, but for a first try it wasn't bad. I also cooked the best ribs in the world. I can't tell you the recipe because I'd have to kill you.

There are bugs and spiders under the rocks!!

2008-05-25T12:39:00.004-06:00

I live in the mountains now and have been here for 2 years. I love it! It was quite an adjustment though. I buy more things online. I buy more groceries every time I go to the store. I plan my trips (not just cause it takes so long to get anywhere, but also because of gas prices). I live 15 minutes from the nearest small town and about 45 minutes from the nearest small city. When you live in the middle of no where, how things are setup at your place and how you interact with the world is a little different.

So I said all that to say when you live out here you don't go to Home Depot or Lowes and buy rocks or bricks to make a patio, you look around and find the rocks in the earth. So I'm out looking for flat rocks and I when I pick them up ants, bugs, spiders, and grass hoppers are everywhere. I only screamed twice, ok maybe four times. I'm not a bug person, but I had to suck it up if I wanted my patio. I got it about 1/3 done on the first day. Today is the second day and my body is sore. I don't exercise that much and I have two degrees that help me stay away from manual labor jobs so carrying heavy rocks and digging into the earth was a rude awakening for my body.

One Blond Hair

2008-05-04T22:37:00.002-06:00

Every summer, in this case spring, when the sun comes out to play I always get this one blond hair on my left arm. I think the hair loves the sun or it's showing off. Strange stuff.

My Big Knob and Gorilla Snot

2008-04-10T22:43:00.009-06:00

Yeah the title seems a little nasty, but I'll explain. Tomorrow I'm getting the Mackie Big Knob which is a handy mixer for small studios. Right now my mixer is on the floor under my desk. It is very inconvenient to have to roll back my chair and then bend down to adjust my listening volume. I don't have rack space nor any desk space. The Big Knob will get my mixer off the floor at least. I need to make room for it on my desk cause between the keyboard and the audio monitors there is not a whole lot of room.

And now for the Gorilla Snot. I was playing my guitar and I was really going for it and I kept almost dropping my pick. I kept thinking that if I only had some Gorilla Snot my fingers would be stuck to this pick and I wouldn't have to be thinking about it dropping out of my hand. This really can be distracting while trying to get through a song. Gorilla Snot is something that helps you get a grip! Oh yeah, I'm on a roll!!

This week-end I will be clearing out the unnecessary things in the music room, setting up my Big Knob and ART MPA Gold pre-amp and doing some recording. Right now you would break your neck if you walked around in the studio. It is very very tight in there. Whew. Can't wait to clean it up and get to making some music.

Working On My Office/Music Studio

2008-04-04T20:31:00.005-06:00

I have changed my guest bedroom into my office/music studio. The guests now have to stay in the "Cabin" (The "Cabin" is a whole other story that will have to be discussed on it's own.) I use, what I now call the "Music Room", as an office for my daily work and as my music/recording studio. It is a little cramped, but I'm making it work.

I have audio monitors, a 22" lcd monitor, and a 61-key midi keyboard on the desk. My work laptop and my personal laptop go on selves under the desk and are KVM'd to the monitor/keyboard/mouse. I have two keyboards to the right side of desk and a guitar rack to the left. One corner is acting as a live performance area where I have my amps, effects, microphone and stool setup. The closet and dresser are my storage spaces.

This week-end I'll be putting up Auralex foam to create a better listening environment for mixing the music I record. I really liked the guest room, but I like having everything I need to work and play in one space where I can go to create on the fly. I love it!!!

I got the Taylor Classic TOO!!

2008-04-04T16:43:00.004-06:00

I'm buying this one for myself. The Taylor solid bodies are just a wonderful. I originally wanted the Classic, but the Custom was so lovely I couldn't pass it up as the pick for my birthday gift. The Classic and Custom have a very different sounds so it's not like I'm getting a new color of the same guitar. I'm getting a very distinct guitar. The Classic is solid where the Custom is chambered. The Classic uses a swamp ash body and the Custom is sapele. The neck on the Classic is maple matte finish and a glossy mahogany on the Custom. Different enough to be two different guitars. I am so looking forward to adding the White Classic to my collection. I'm actually trying to sell some of the guitars I don't use anymore to off-set the cost of this guitar. Kinda pricey, but I think it is worth it.

OMG I got the Taylor Custom Solid Body

2008-03-09T21:44:00.004-06:00

I got this guitar as a birthday present and I'm very pleased. A little nervous having a guitar so expensive. But I promised myself I would play it EVERY day so I could get my (well not my) money's worth. It is beautiful and sounds great. I played both the Custom and the Classic models and they sound noticably different. I was surprise that they sounded so different. When read stuff like that in reviews you think that only the best ear can hear the differences. The sound difference between the Custom and Classic were so different that you couldn't help but notice. I haven't had the chance to play the Standard, but I heard that sound different from the both the Custom and the Classic. The Standard has the full sized humbuckers where the other two version are using the 3/4 sized humbuckers. I have been true to my word. I've only had it two days now but I've played it every day and I'm at a users conference for my job. AWESOME!!!!

My Puppy is a Woman Now

2008-02-29T00:20:00.004-07:00

I have never had a girl dog that wasn't spayed and so having a little girl in heat is new to me. Since she is small she lives in the house and not outside so I had to do something about... ah... I had to cover her up. I ended up making a pair of makeshift "In Heat Underwear" with an old pair of panties and panty liner.

Layla, the puppy, looked a little confused and not really sure what was going on with her new underwear. She was afraid to move around in them. Her attitude is like she is being punished some how. So I play with her to get her used to wearing them. So far she hasn't been able to ignore them.

I do plan on breeding her so I have two more heats to go through before it's ok for her to get pregnant. Tomorrow we will be going to get her some real in-heat-underwear. Yippeee! I'm going to be a grandmother, aaaaahhhh I can't wait.

Installed OS X 10.5.2 Twice

2008-02-15T21:44:00.002-07:00

When I installed 10.5.2 yesterday I had problems with it. I had it lock up and the desktop background wouldn't change from the blue background to the image selected. I searched the internet to see if others had experienced the same issue, but I found nothing. Since it wasn't a wide-spread issue I figured I'd install the update and the subsequent graphics update again. That did it. After the second try I was fine. All is well in Macland.

OMG!!! Taylor Solid Body Guitars

2008-02-15T21:38:00.005-07:00

I have wanted guitars before, but none as bad as I want this guitar. I have never held a guitar that felt this good. I prefer the Breedlove acoustic sound so I'm not really into the Taylor acoustics. The guitar is very expensive even for the classic. Of course I want the custom though. YIKES!!! The neck is awesome. I love the super jumbo frets. I love the scale and the width of the neck. The fit and finish of the guitar is perfect. The guitar is perfect. Wow!!! I have never wanted to pay thousands of dollars for ANY guitar acoustic or electric, but I will pay for this one. This is the best guitar ever!!

DJX, I Found You!!!

2008-02-13T14:18:00.006-07:00

I had a DJX (the first release) a long time ago and I wanted to find it again and I did. My first try was on eBay. I half-heartedly bid for it and lost. I was pretty sure Ididn't need it and if I got it where would I put it. I have an Alesis Synth 88-keys weighted like a piano and just recently gotthe M-Audio Axiom 61-key to use with Reason 4. I got it cause I created some songs with the keyboard and I remembered how great it was. I gave the keyboard to a bidding star before I moved from Maryland and he was happy to get it. And now, finally, the DJX has come back to me. We will see how long it stays on the gear list.

Just in case you don't know what is special about this keyboard I'll tell you. It was a consumer keyboard that had a lot of professional features. Later releases of this keyboard had pro features removed (like midi out). I think I paid almost $400 for this keyboard when it was new. It has 61-keys and was made for DJs looking to create songs on the fly. It can sample audio. It can create songs and save the sequence. It is an awesome keyboard.

I'm Done With Online Guitar Buying!!

2008-02-12T17:01:00.002-07:00

I have purchased a few guitars online and I'll tell you there is nothing better than actually feeling the guitar before you buy it. The guitars I bought online were either guitars I had seen and played already or ones I couldn't get in the store. I recently purchased a guitar from a reputable online seller and it came cracked!!! Aargh!! Before that I had purchased a guitar that I couldn't find in the store and when I got it I didn't like it. I exchanged it for the cracked one that came today. Other guitars I purchased online needed a fret dress (an acoustic) and the other had loose fret board inlays (an electric). Both guitars I would not have purchased had I been able to touch them. I'm done with online guitar buying. There I said it!

Update (5/29/2008) : I did end up buying another guitar online. Mostly because of the price. It was a $900 guitar that was on sale for $399.99. It is my Fender GDO-500SE-Sunburst. I was nervous the whole time I was waiting. Thinking to myself why did I do this again and what if the guitar is broken. I figured I could just return it, but it was the emotional connection I had made with the guitar and the hopes and dreams I had for it. So it arrives and I open it and it is perfect. It looks better in person than it does in the photos. It is my favorites guitar now, next to my Larrivee D03E. So far I've purchase the Luna Dragonfly, the Schecter S-1 Elite, the Dean Baby Z, and the Fender GDO-500SE. The Luna needed a fret dress which I did myself, the Dean Baby Z was return because the body was split, the Schecter was perfect and the Fender was perfect. So I haven't done too bad. I guess buying a guitar online is not so bad as long as you can return it and as long as you understand that it may not make it to you in one piece.

Her Name is Layla!!

2007-09-07T09:06:00.001-06:00

This is the new baby and finally after some days of calling her "lil' girl" she has a name!! LAYLA!!

New Baby

2007-09-05T09:04:00.001-06:00

I picked up my new baby and she is definitely a hand full. I thought she was a 100% chihuahua, but when I look at her and watch her I know that she is part terrier. I saw her mother and father and the father is a chihuahua, but the mother is big and a little long (like a terrier). My new baby has a chihuahua face and a terrier body and attitude. I thought I was getting a good companion dog, but noooooooo, I have a little beast on my hands. She is quite active, which is good and bad. She is selfish, stubborn, thinks she is bigger than she is JUST LIKE A TERRIER. But she is sooooo cute and fun to play with so I have to live with the good and bad. She is only 6 weeks and is very small and I mean very small. She is still awkward, clumsy, and wild. She hates to be by herself and will scream at the top of her lungs when she is alone. I'm pretty sure this will subside as she gets older. She puts everything in her mouth and tries to chew it. She is sounding like a real baby isn't she. At this early stage she is like a baby. She does sleep through the night though :) I'm looking forward to watching her grow up.

Poor, Poor Motorcycle

2007-08-30T09:02:00.000-06:00

I feel so bad for my motorcycle. I don't ride it because of being busy and it is not that fun riding by myself. I have a friend who has a bike too, but she has been busy too. I have a Honda VTX 1300, a fairly big and BEAUTIFUL bike. I love riding it. I live in the mountains, but have property in the valley and the bike rests in the valley. I live so far in the mountains that we don't have a paved road to our house so riding the motocycles to my house isn't doable. I miss my bike.

I tried to sell the bike, but I guess around her bikes are cheap so no one wanted to pay what I was asking. So I'm keeping it, but I want to ride it!!!! I met a woman who started riding at age 50. She has taken a fall on her bike and is still riding and loves it. I want to be that lady!!! Her and her husband were passing through the area and we talked for a long time. It was very inpsiring!! I got her number and now I can't find it!! Bad Kirsten!!

My Favorite Outfit

2007-08-29T09:01:00.001-06:00

I have noticed since moving to the mountains that my clothing selection leans toward this one outfit most of the time. I live a white v-neck t-shirt, jeans (that hit the floor), and my Chaco sandals. I wear my Chaco's as much as I can. My feet like being free and my body likes being comfortable. With the v-neck t-shirt it looks more girly and you can dress it up with earrings and a neck lace. Life is a lot simpler here in the mountains and dressing comfortably is a must.

Long Time

2007-08-29T09:00:00.001-06:00

It has been a while since I posted last, but I've been busy and in the middle of recreating my blog with Expression Engine (EE). I didn't want to put any more content into this system that is using Serendipity before migration to EE. EE is a great framework on which to build a website, but it has a learning curve so I'm learning it so I can use it. I finally gave in and will be adding content to this blog because it needs it!

FE-1 Fuel Economy Chips

2007-06-04T08:59:00.000-06:00

After owning my Toyota Tundra for a while I found out about some fuel chips that were supposed to increase your gas mileage. A friend put them on her truck and saw a noticable difference. She tested on her two hour commute. She told me a local dealership was installing them with a 30-day return policy. The install price was about $160.

I tried it and I saw a noticeable difference -- two to three more miles per gallon. This is a big deal if you have a V8. I traded in my Tundra for a Toyota Highlander and I'm getting chips on that too. I'm also considering that I will put them on my 1962 Mercury too, it only gets 15 on the highway :(

The chips were originally called QX-3, but that name couldn't get trademarked so the name of the chips were changed to FE-1. You can order them and install them yourself or if you are in the Phoenix area, where the chip maker is, you can get them installed at Pioneer Ford.

I don't know about any other gas chips, but these work. I'll let you know how it goes with the Highlander and the Monterey.

My New Mac...

2007-05-13T23:19:00.000-06:00

Well I can definitely see why Mac people love their Macs. I love mine. Everything I need is right here out of the box. I had to install applications to be able to do my work and that was fairly easy. Easier than doing it in Ubuntu, which is what I am coming from. Overall I am please with my purchase and will continue to buy Apple computers.

I think though my expectations were pretty high. At first I was disappointed with the screen, I thought it should have been more crisp and more defined like their big cinema monitors. I thought the laptop was going to be lighter, but the heaviness makes it feel sturdy. When you pick it up with one hand it doesn't feel like it's going to brake in two.

I like my Mighty Mouse, which is a bluetooth mouse. The mouse though isn't as form fitting as my logitech mice. I don't have to plug in a usb adapter to use the Might Mouse, which is good since the MacBook only has two USB ports. That was a shock since many laptops come with four. I already had a portable USB hub so thats OK.

I had to buy an adapter to go from the laptop to an external monitor. The adapter, according to others, is pretty flakey. After it bends a couple times the wires get loose so I have to wrap it with something that will make the cable more sturdy.

The fan is quite loud and comes on often because it does get quite hot. I found this website www.appledefects.com which told me all the bad stuff that has happened to others. That made me very afraid of my new laptop.

I think my Mac has crashed more timed than any Windows machine I've had. The first set of crashes were related to some software that lets you have more than one desktop. It took me a while to figure it out. The laptop was just crashing on boot up. I didn't think I would have to figure this stuff out. I didn't think Mac was so much like Windows in this respect. While OS X is more intuitive and comes with everything you need, it's not as stable as many have reported. If one app can bring down the OS that is not stable. My conclusion is that I like the Mac, but the hype is not all that it is cracked up to be. I really wish Linux was better because of all three OSes Linux is what I would choose

Shanghai China!!

2007-04-07T15:35:00.002-06:00

It's quite wierd seeing a package meant for you coming directly from a forgein country. I live in the US and I recently ordered a MacBook (White) and when I got the package tracking notice I didn't recognize the state code CN. I thought to myself is that Connecticut? No because that is CT. So I looked at the city and saw Shanghai! OMG!! I thought WOW, my notebook must be very important to come all the way from Shanghai :). It wasn't the ready made MacBook; I upgraded the RAM, Harddrive, and added a DVI to VGA connector so it had to be custom made.

So there you go, I'm all excited about getting a computer straight from Shanghai, CN. (I know... get a life!)

TiddlySpot

2007-04-07T15:31:00.000-06:00

I my search to find the right tool for Getting Things Done I found TiddlyWiki and then GTDTiddlyWiki and now you can try several different TiddlyWiki version at TiddlySpot.com. You can try out different versions and make your decidion from there. I started out with MonkeyGTD, but I'm trying out the D3 version. I haven't even did a brain dump yet so I'm just looking at the interface and whether I understand it and can get around.

After entering a project and actions into each system I have to say they both have something that are hard to find, but over MonkeyGTD is absolutely better. How I enter projects and actions make sense to my brain. I'm glad I tried D3 though because I'd always be wondering if I chose the right one.

Linux to Mac

2007-04-06T21:38:00.000-06:00

I finally took the second leap. The first leap was from Windows to Linux (Ubuntu). After moving to Ubuntu I used the Hacks for Ubuntu book and was quite happy with my experience. As my usage of Linux progressed I found that it doesn't do multimedia very well. This has become a complete annoyance. I refused to go back to Windows. So I looked at the most exciting alternative, OS X from Apple. This operating system runs on BSD Unix so I can have the best of both worlds. I can have a great interface that we know does a great job with multimedia AND have my Unix programs and command line. After the light bulb went off in my head I was on a mission to find the right Mac for me.

I started out thinking that I wanted the MacBook Pro 17". I thought WOW I could do some damage with that thing. The price tag was hefty, but I was willing to go for it. Then I started thinking about how big the 17" is and while it is lighter than most 17" laptops it's still heavier than what I'd want to carry around. Right now I have a 14" Toshiba Satellite M105 which is a great size and weight. It's easy to fit in the back pack and I love it. So I compared the MacBook 13" to the MacBook Pro 15" and decided I would get the MacBook 13". I liked going smaller and being more portable. The MacBook Pro does offer a non-integrated graphics card, but the last two laptops I've purchased have had integrated graphics cards and I haven't had a problem doing anything I want to do on them. So for me the MacBook was the right size and the right price.

I customized my MacBook, it has 2GB of RAM, 160GB 5400rpm hard drive. Those were the only two options I changed. It sports a 2GHZ Core2 Duo CPU and it comes with iLife. I have to tell you right out of the box there isn't much bloatware and the iLife package is awesome. I didn't need to buy extra software. Plus I can run GIMP (a very good and free Photoshop wannabe), OpenOffice (free office suite), and many more Unix applications. I think I'm set.

Apparently I'm not the only one making this jump from Linux to OS X. There is no better GUI than the one in OS X and it's a bonus that is runs on top of Unix. Do a search for Penguin2Apple or Linux to MAC and you'll find the same story. Linux - great, but tried of doing so much work to make it work; Mac - easy to use and I still have Unix.

Getting Things Done With Tiddly Wiki

2007-04-05T08:14:00.000-06:00

I found an interesting book in the book store called Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allan. I thought to myself, I really need this book, because I have a billion projects I want to do and I just can't keep track of them all. Some projects will distract me from what I really need to be doing. I had the book for months before I actually started reading it.

It's a really eye opening book and if you have ever felt overwhelmed by all of the things you have to do in your life this book is for you. The odd thing is that a co-worker of mine uses a wiki called GTDTiddlyWiki which means Getting Things Done TiddlyWiki. TiddlyWiki is a "a reusable non-linear personal web notebook". It's really a webpage that uses html, javascript, and cascading style sheets to produce a really nice wiki you can take with you anywhere. The GTDTiddlyWiki is a version of the TiddlyWiki with modifications to make it useful for those practicing the ideas presented in the Getting Things Done book. Wow what an awesome idea. This came along right as I was trying to figure out what tool to use for getting things done.

Nothing against GTDTiddlyWiki, but I found another TiddlyWiki version that I like better for the Getting Things Done routine, MonkeyGTD (blog) MonkeyGTD (demo). I am configuring my MonkeyTD wiki now while I finish the book. I'm very excited to get organized. I have shown signs of stress for at least 5 years now and have been trying to manage it. I'm hoping this GTD routine will help clear my mind so I can sleep without thinking of things I need to do, so I can focus completely on the action at hand, and so I can free my mind to be more creative.

So far so good. The book is great and probably by this evening I'll be taking inventory of my whole life using my wiki.

She Finally Got A Guitar

2007-04-01T21:28:00.001-06:00

My girl friend finally bought a guitar!! It's perfect for her, skinny neck, skinny body, short scale, and light weight. She bought the Ibanez SA220QM Limited Edition from Guitar Center. Wait... I bought it for her. I have given her one classical guitar, a bass, an acoustic, and now an electric. She doesn't really play guitar, but she (I) also bought her an Easy Guitar book with classic rock-n-roll songs. I'm excited because she now has a guitar she likes and an easy guitar book that she can play from. I just bought an amp, the Fender G-Dec 30 that will allow us both to plugin and play with a back-up band. This is going to be very cool. She is already talking about a concert... LOL!!