Sunday, October 14, 2012

Country Guitar Kindness

A guitar player, who also plays bass, drums, and harmonica, and has played country since forever gave me this delay pedal the other day.  

We were talking about what I like to play through, amp wise, and I mentioned that the main thing other than the amp was a delay, and I'm set.  I have all the microphones I need for the moment.  I always come back to the Audix Fireball anyway.  The next step up would be a very costly mic and I have no call for that unless I am playing scenes which I am not now playing or likely to play.


that's all I need for now, just the basic delay with proper controls. The Bassman will do well with this I think.

I found the generosity quite touching.  Cliff and Linda and I were over at this guy's house and he went into his workshop/music gear room and came out with this delay pedal.  He said he has a few of them.  He does have the gear, no doubt.  He and his wife have hosted some cool events at his house with the PA set up on his back patio, with a lot of musicians playing.

There is a bit of that going on in East county and around San Diego.

I guess I'll start using amps more and maybe bringing the delay and my own mic with me to some of these things.  It could be worth it.  Not much call for the amps just yet though.  That may change when we get out and about with the people I've been practicing with in Poway.  Why not ride with it even if I wonder if I'm nuts.

Deed is Done; Official Ballot Marked and Sealed

My number one motive for getting my official mail in ballot marked and sealed in its envelope was to avoid spilling coffee or food sauce on it.  The longer it floated around this hovel, the higher the risk for an aborted suffrage situation.

I wonder if anyone received a ballot marked "unofficial"

I did a little background checking on some of the propositions on the ballot.   In one case an allegedly neutral random citizen committee redrew lines for voting districts.   Do I want to go with their plan?   How do I know?  Let me check out this committee and see what's up.

A typical condescending pretense.  A committee of professional busy-bodies, most of whom have never lived life in the real world, or else they spent their entire adult lives with an ax to grind because Mom and Dad were sad and lonely.

So, No, I doubt that committee is less corrupt and misguided than whatever it is they were to change.

School boards, and this and that board or commission of vague purpose, I voted those whose titles indicated some real life private sector experience, plus one military guy who I think might be outspoken and intimidating to the others.  I almost wrote you in but wasn't sure if y'all wanted the job.

Now do I send in my vote to help get the momentum going my way, or do I wait until the last minute so I can cast the deciding vote that saves the world?   I'm leaning toward getting the momentum  going. That is what leaders do, they lead.  Besides, what if I lose the sealed envelope?  Better to get it in the mail so someone else can lose it.

I'm having trouble suspending disbelief in this process.  They open the ballot, and see who I voted for or against, and I'm to believe the noble state employees in CA will not do their best to queer my voting deal?   I don't buy it.  And I obviously did not vote in the way that hard core public sector people would vote.

Despite my previous post, I went the route of maximum freedom, least cost.   I voted down a measure to tax those who make 250k or more some additional amount for the next seven years for two reasons.  One, I think it is very dangerous when a person can vote to tax another and be exempt himself.   Two, I do not think this will do anything but chase more people in that income category, and small businesses, out of state.  They abuse the money they have.

It was fun trying to vote for three or four out of a list of names which were all unfamiliar to me.  I ruled out names if they were prosecutors, cops, lawyers in general, or appeared to be lifelong public employees.  I voted for a couple of nurses, small business people, engineers.  Doesn't mean they aren't Bolsheviks, but they are less likely to be sadistic wackos who love to cage people or beat them with sticks.  Less likely.  That is the best I can do.

This may be the year that The Great Pretense, in all its many incarnations, finally implodes in on itself, or explodes on everyone and everything.  Just like the Mayan Calendar said.  Really, I have no idea what the Mayan calendar said.  I don't think those who tell us what it says actually know.

It ends soon.  They probably just figured they'd mapped out stuff far enough into the future for the time being and took a break.  Or else they figured out this would be when the Great Pretense became impossible to sustain.  In one way I hope so.  In another I don't because things will get messy for awhile when the overdo 21st century Enlightenment flashes onto the scene.

This has got to be as un-secret as having my picture taken with the list of my voting choices.  My name is printed on the outside of the ballot envelope and I have to sign the outside as well.  Gee, I wonder whose ballot it is we are pulling from this envelope?  I guess the best check in this system is that so many CA public workers and officials are morons and may be stumped by that question.

I only regret that I didn't make sufficient copies to confuse the process.  I was even unsure on one measure.  To do it over, I'd vote the other way on that.  Oh well, let us hope this particular measure is never one that touches me personally.

I did vote to weaken three strikes.  Take away the barroom tough talk and look at reality and you know this has been abused and is a way to take incompetent judges and dishonest others in the justice system off the hook.  Let baseball be baseball and life be a little more rational.

Oh, for one of the school board things I voted for a kid named Zack, who is a student at a local university.  I pictured myself at that age, having nerve to get on the ballot.  Maybe it was a dare.  You know he'll be thrilled to get elected, or get any votes.  And his name is Zack.  That's a name you can trust.  His odds are good.  There were 8 slots and only 13 choices.

Reminds me when there was a write in campaign at my last college to grace me with an honorary degree.  They had a suggestion box for such purposes.  I won't say that this effort in no way included me, but it did get legs and many people submitted that suggestion even when I wasn't supervising.

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Ballistic Mountain, CA, United States
Like spring on a summer's day

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