The Ronn Show

Catching Up on stuff...

2011-02-06T10:45:00.000-08:00

Long time no see, huh?

Neemo singing along with Carcassi or Satie.

I though I would update the blog on the 400 projects that are half done around here.
First off is the Strat:
The strat is 'done' but I am still fiddling with it. I'm not completely happy with the neck. But it's getting close.
It did turn out pretty and actually plays nice. Very different from my Gretsch 5120 in size and sound.
But that's part of the fun. Plus I learned a bunch of different tricks while working on it.

Next up is Marilyn's Tenor Ukulele. It's Walnut back, top sides and neck, with a Bubinga fretboard. It has a brilliant tone! It's fun to play and I have another in the planning stages....

When I was about 14, I bought a Pre-CBS Fender Jazzmaster for $50. I repainted it several times and later sold it for $100, and thought I was oh so clever.

I always regretted that, so I thought it would be fun to build one. And yes, psycho-therapy would have been cheaper but there you go.

Since last post I had gotten the blank cut out, shaped and have started the prep process.

I've sprayed the sand and sealer and went over everything with 400 grit. Yesterday, I was able to put on the primer. Very thin coats, over several hours.

Sand and Sealer

Jazzmaster neck

I ordered some Ice Blue Metallic from Re-Ranch along with the yellowing clear coat. The end result should be a very soft green.

I also started making a Neck for the Strat out of Coccobolo.
It looks cool and weighs as much as I do.

Turns out I am allergic to Coccobolo. Who would guess? Actually, I am allergic to just about everything except for Diet Coke and Styrofoam packing peanuts.

A friend from work brought me her Ukulele to be repaired (yeah, like I know what I'm doing).

It's still solid but in major need or some TLC.

I'm going to re-do the frets and try to restore the finish. I don't want to strip it, which would be easier, but instead I'll flatten out the wrinkles and put a gloss over it. At least that is the plan.

I've also, been working on making little wood houses for Marilyn's art show this summer.

Here we are in February and the radiches, lettuce and onions have popped up!
This the front of the house where it's shady most of the day. During the summer it's way too sunny for lettuce.
Then again, everywhere else seams to be snowed in. Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Sorry.

We join this project already in progress.....

2010-11-21T08:35:00.000-08:00

I have several excuses:
I had the flu TWICE!
Couldn't find the damn camera.
I forgot.

When my son was a baby he had a computer game (I know, crappy parents) called Road Construction Ahead. If you tried to do the levels out of order the grizzled foreman would say "finish one job before you start another".
Anyhow, a few weeks back I was looking for ideas on a Jazzmaster project I want to build and I found a maple drop-top strat body on ebay. I got it for $28.00, shipping included! I figured worse-case it could be a good practice for finishing.
It turns out it's a StewMac body. It came with a "Blue burst" finish on it. Cool effect but not my style. I had intended to paint it Daphne Blue or Surf Green but after stripping the blue off the maple still looked good.

Normally I'm somewhat ham-handed with sanding, but with the thin veneer of the drop-top I really tried to go slow and not screw up.
I ended up using Amber and Mission Brown dye on it. The maple top just pops! The ash body tended to look darker, which was ok too.

I ordered a MoP pickguard and gold hardware from Guitar Fetish. Sounds garish but it does look cool against the dark maple.

While looking on-line I saw some examples of counter sinking the jackplate and trem cover. I thought since it's kind of a "fancy" body I would do some "fancy" upgrades (?).

Very nerve wracking routing buffed and waxed body, but it turned out ok. I plan to sink the neck plate as well, but I want to have the neck ready first....

On that, I ordered some body/neck templates (for the JM project) . Not here yet but I got 900 other things I should be doing instead.

First I positioned it and lined it up with the existing screw holes. Masked it off. This provided some scratch protection an gave me a nice line to route too.
I routed almost to the line then used a sanding block to finish it. After, some brown dye on a q-tip. I'm going to let it dry for a day or so then seal the edges with some clear lacquer. Yes, I do wish I had found out about this before....

I like the cleaner line of the sunk trem plate. I like the MoP against the brown. I was thinking black would be nice too, but I didn't want it too dark. Besides, I can always cut another one later.

The Mandocello is crawling along. I didn't like the binding at the neck joint, so I've been re-thinking it. There are no photos because it looks like crap. Not that I haven't posted that kind of thing before. But I am trying to slow down and be careful.
Also, still trying to find a good tailpiece for it is rather difficult. They're either too small or too big.
I may have to build one.

Last weekend I have ripped out all the summer veggies and planted the winter crop. Here's the last of summer stuff! Nothing better than home-made veggies.

Now that the camera has been located, I'll clean out the memory card and get some more photos going.

mondo mando

2010-09-09T05:59:00.000-07:00

Well, summer is over and Joel and I are back at school. Joel to 8th grade and me to 2 schools this year. I am supporting our 2 largest schools. I like the staff at both places and there is tons of projects to keep me busy. I will be doing classes too starting next week!
The pond is now finished except for some landscaping around it. Last month, the pump shut off, combined with the heatwave we had all our fish got poached. So we decided to re-do it. The main reason it overheated was it was 7' across and only 18" deep. So I dug it out to 8x8' and 3.5' deep. I have a bigger drain to the filter and all seem good. Our good friends Kim and Mike gave us some koi too!

I finished Marilyn's Selmer Maccaferri Concert model. Nylon strings, so that means glued on bridge and fan bracing. I'm still fiddling with the bridge to get the action right but it sounds great. I did a french polish on this one and not sure I want to do that on the next. It looks ok but....

I love the lacewood rosette. When the light catches it right it glows.
And of course Doogie approves of the case. Marilyn has found a book of duets so we can play together.

Ev's Mandocello is coming along. Because of the way the neck fits in I had to rout and bind the top before I could attach the neck. The differences in the profile of the carved top make routing very exciting to say the least. My normal router attachment is too large, so I got the Stew-mac dremel guide. Very helpful.

The neck is in and the back is glued on. It's sounds cool when you bang on it. Sorry, Ev I meant tap on it.

The next big task is routing the back. The heel/back area is proving the most challenging.
I'm still waiting on the design for the headstock inlay but there is plenty to keep me busy.
I need to practice the finishing on some maple scrap too. I should have the bridge and tailpiece figured out soon. Sorry for the lack of photos.

Mid-summer update

2010-08-01T16:46:00.000-07:00

So far this summer has been a whirlwind of activity.
Marilyn and I went to Las Vegas for our 20th Anniversary. We saw Penn and Teller and took naps by the pool. Fun stuff.

The tomatoes and cucumbers are finally coming in. They're late because it's been so cool this summer. The other day Marilyn made a salad of Tomatoes, cucumber, onion, dill (all from the garden) and yogurt. Yummy!

My elbow is healing and I am finally able to get projects around the house done. I finished up the 12 string! Well, got it put together and put the strings on. I haven't done a proper set-up yet as I'm both busy and lazy.

Soundhole and logo with diamond brace

It sounds cool. I had a Yamaha 12 Dreadnought back in the '80' and loved the sound. But, I had forgotten how different they are to play. My wimpy hands are out of shape for a 12 string--especially with giant action. After about 20 minutes of playing my elbow was starting to throb. Hopefully both will get fixed soon. Still, it sounds cool. Mark, my guitar teacher gave his approval too!

Next time (oh yeah?) I'll put 2 truss rods rather than one and 1 c/f rod in the neck.


Finish stripped for bridge gluing

I learned a lot on this project. Mostly where I make mistakes due to rushing through a step or not planning ahead. But that is part of the journey.

Ta-Da!

Marilyn's guitar is coming along. I didn't like the way the neck was shaping up so I re-did it.
Much happier this time. Yesterday I was able to get the frets on and will hopefully be done by the end of the week. I'll get some pictures of it posted....

I've been doing a lot of work on Ev's Mandocello. It's starting to look like something. It seems like most of the time goes into making the molds and forms for bending. Once that's done it goes pretty quick. Yesterday, I got the sides bent and glued together. I'm still playing with the top and back. I need to remove more material from the insides. I also need to prep the headblock and heel. Maybe tomorrow....

Maple sides being clamped into submission

Sides bent and glued to headblock

Getting back to it.

2010-06-12T07:51:00.000-07:00

Things have been wacky-busy of late. Since last post, my job changed dramatically (for the better), I had elbow surgery to fix (?) a detached tendon, and bunches of odds and ends to do around the house. So, not much writing.
The guitars have been making some progress.

I re-did the top on Marilyn's Sel-Mac Concert. I got a great cedar sound board from Fraiser Valley woods. Super ringy tone. I wish I bought a dozen of them. Marilyn cut out a rosette of Lacewood and the top got stuck on.
I got the ebony bindings installed. I need more practice/patience....

I pore-filled the back with Z-poxy and it's now baby-butt smooth.

I've started the french polish of the top. It's a lot of work, but It's easy to fix mistakes and it's very zen-like. There is a learning curve to it, but it's not bad.

I decided to focus on getting Marilyn's guitar done, then Ev's mandocello, and fit the 12 string in along the way rather than try to do all at the same time. I'm working on that ADHD thing.

The other big distraction (other than family and work) has been the garden. Here in SoCal, we can grow veggies pretty much year round. I've ripped out all the old winter stuff and re-planted both the front and back yard gardens!

We had tons of artichokes already and I cut them back to make way for tomatoes, celery, peppers--bell, sweet, hot, courgettes, squash, carrots, radishes and onions. There's even pineapple and peaches towards the back.
OBTW: The string you see is to keep the herons from eating the koi in the pond just to the left.

This is the back of the house. Tomatoes, Basil Peppers, Squash and a dwarf apple tree.

Bananas!

Now, back to building!

Guitar building

2010-06-12T07:10:00.000-07:00

12 string update

2010-03-09T06:58:00.000-08:00

I haven't updated for a while. Because, well, I don't know. Just haven't felt like writing.
Maybe it's the thinking that comes with writing...

Anyhow, the 12 string is coming along. I cut a sound port in the upper bout and got the back and top glued on. You can see the precision measurements used to do this.

For the back graft I used spruce squares. I saw this used online, and thought it looked cool. We'll see how well it holds up...

I bound the finger board with koa to match the bindings and rosette. It looks great.

Ev's Mandocello is coming along too. We settled on a shape and I started ordering the wood. I got a stunning piece of flamed maple for the back. and have gotten it cut an profiled--I need to get a current shot of that. It's sexy. The shot is the graduations for the rough gouging before sanding it smooth inside and out. When you tap on it I swear it rings! I've also profiled the outside to be more "form-fitting" Luckily, Ev and I are about the same shape (out of shape?). He's very excited.

Marilyn's guitar is on hold. I didn't like the rosette, so I ordered a new top and routed the old one off.
rrrrrgh

I'm getting another Cortisone injection in my elbow next week. I'll be able to get some work done and maybe even actually play a bit too.

Getting closer

2010-01-11T16:40:00.000-08:00

The neck is done. Well, sort of. I need to adjust the heel a bit, but it's close. It gets frets this week end and i need to tidy up the rosette.

I'm waiting on a router part. Once that gets here I can do the binding then move on to the finishing!

Mounting the bridge is worrying me. I need to read up on placement and all that before I do anything.
I started on the forms for the 12 string body this weekend. I hope to get them done next week so I can start bending.
Oh boy!

End of vacation update

2010-01-03T17:04:00.000-08:00

Having been off for the last 2 weeks has been good for both my psyche and the guitar.
I was able to get lot's of stuff done.
I have the neck for the 12 string ready to carve. I'll cut the tennon tomorrow on the new table saw!

I know you're thinking, "Hey that wood looks just like the counter tops in the kitchen". Yes. I had some left over out in the back yard for the last decade or so. It's about 30" long and 1.5" square, laminated Rock Maple! Insanely hard. I ripped it down to 1" blanks then laminated it with 1/8" koa/maple/koa sandwich between them.

I bent the ebony binding with minimal scary noises. I just soaked it in the bathtub for a few hours then let it heat up for about 20 minutes before starting to crank it down.
Marilyn made the label for her guitar!

Bridge is ready!

I was able to get Sel-Mac/nylon body glued up. Rosewood back and sides, western cedar top and spanish cedar neck. Fingerboard ready to fret (well after I finish setting the neck angle on the heel and glue it to the neck)

This time for sure...

2009-12-28T06:23:00.000-08:00

Again, more false starts...
Just haven't felt like writing. It requires too much introspection. But now I'm off for 2 weeks and am starting to feel like thinking again.
Actually things are moving forward with reasonably few screw-ups. So far. I HAD to take a break for a while because I had surgery on my left hand to remove a "Dupytron Nodule" the size of a Lima Bean from my left hand. It had gotten to the point where I couldn't hold or carry things in my left hand.

It made playing very painful.

The doctor did a great job and things are good.

While I was in having it looked at, the same doctor gave me my 4th(!) shot of Cortisone in the left elbow. They're scheduling me or surgery... The "tennis elbow" keeps coming back.

Anyhow, the stitches are now out, and I'm back in the garage! Stuff is happening. Sawdust is being created!
I got the back and top of the 12 string braced. Now I have to do the sides. I hope to make the bending forms this week. Once the sides are in the form, I can glue the back and top on.

I made a new top for Marilyn's Sel-Mac. The rosette is solid ebony with back/white trim. It's all braced and ready to go.

The bracing is different from the Standard D-hole (which is different from normal guitars i guess) in that it has the ladder brace from the front of the guitar, but the lower bout is fan braced. It is a "classical" guitar.

Plus, the #3 brace is huge!
The top has great "tap tone" and is very ring-ie. I hope this translates to nice tone when it's glued up. I'm still worried that the back is too stiff... We'll see.

I measured the sides and trimmed them to height, then glued the head and tail blocks.

I got the top of the sides sanded yesterday and am hoping to get the back done today. The top is flat so it got sanded on a flat surface where as the back is being sanded in the 25' radius dish.

Also, the necks for both guitars are rough cut. I need to clean up the tennon on the 12 string.

I am using the very bitchen Ryobi table saw my wife and mother in law gave me for xmas!

I've also gotten the drilling template ready for the 12 string, now that the tuners have arrived.

Still much to do. But I feel like I am learning from previous mistakes and am getting better at my craft.

One step forward, two steps back....

2009-11-29T08:18:00.000-08:00

One of the reasons I like building guitars is that I am "learning" patience. Sure.
This is something I have struggled with all of my life. For me the alphabet goes A..B..C..Z! Screw the stuff in between.
That nifty rosette in the last post got buggered up because I was sanding with the R/O sander and tore out the purfling. Trying to fix it made it worse. So, I have a new cedar sound board arriving soon....
Oh well.
Then again, work on the 12 string is progressing.

I used the LMI rosette cutter to make a nice ring out of Koa. Circles are so much easier than Ds. Not as cool, mind you. I need a better D-hole template for the NEXT sel-Mac...

After cutting a channel and routing it out, I flooded it with CA glue. The redwood really soaks it up. Then GENTLY
it down and there it is!

The back and top are now braced and ready to go. I still have to bend the sides, but I'm pleased with the progress so far.

I thought the cleats would look cooler than a big graft strip on the back. Hopefully they are wide enough to provide the support....

The reason for the gap between the 1st and 2nd back brace is because I'll make a plate the same shape as the logo sticker and glue that down. That will act as a large cleat as well.

For the last few weeks, our older cat Neemo has been trying to sit on my lap when I practice. Last week, he climbed up between my stomach and the guitar and took a nap.

I've been trying to be more diligent about practicing. Cat not withstanding. I'm polishing up Erik Satie's Gymnopedie #1, which one of my favorite pieces. We also started working on a Shadowy Man piece called "Egypt, Texas" (a cool surf piece) and "Sweet Child o' mine". Go figure. My teacher, Mark is a guitar-god.

Finally getting back to it...

2009-11-07T18:40:00.000-08:00

Got yet another Cortisone injection Thursday. I can now bend my elbow and close my left fist without crying.
I was able to get some stuff done on Marilyn's sel-mac/nylon!
I took the top and back out of the gluing jigs and realized that I need to get better at shooting the edges...
The seams are tiny but I see them. Oh well.

Marilyn asked me to do a solid-wood rosette with b-b-w-b purfling around the in/outside.

I was rather nervous about doing the cutting/sanding. It turned out better than I thought it would. I just need to do the routing on the top--maybe tomorrow.

I rough cut the braces for the back and top and glued up the headstock plate.

I am off for until Thursday! Hopefully I can try out the new side bender and set up the go-bar deck!

The side bender is done-done!

2009-10-31T16:53:00.000-07:00

I finished the cut away attachment for the side bender!

I also made it easier to us the adjustable plate on the main clamp.

The timer works and it throws out a ton of heat. the steel bending sheets should be in next week.

Now I just need to get the tops and backs joined--which is proving to be harder than I thought. I might just make a jig for the router...

Side Bender

2009-10-24T15:55:00.000-07:00

I finished the basic part of the side bender. I still need to do the cut-away clamp.
but the switch and the timer work! Just a little fine-tuning and I can start bending for Marilyn's guitar.

The Rosewood showed up yesterday. It's pretty but too thick right now (i forgot to order it pre-thinned) so I need to do some planing first.

I also got some tortoise-white-black celluloid pickguard material for Ev's mandolin. So, I made one for the Gretsch too! It looks very retro now...

Finishing up and begining again.

2009-09-20T19:05:00.000-07:00

Following the old adage "there's never time to do it right, but always time to do it twice"; I finished the guitar. Again. I didn't like the way the top turned out, so I sanded it down and re did it. I made sure I got a good level base with the Z-poxy. That helped bring up the grain of the wood. The mango really pops and the I got the medulary rays in the sitka top to look more 3-d.

Also, I had noticed some buzzing in the 12-13 frets, so I did a re-level on them.
Now the buzz is gone and it looks and sounds way better. I figure the epoxy made the top stiffer. There is a lot less "honk" now. The Selmers can produce a nasal sound sometimes because of the way it's braced. That said, it's not a bad thing. Especially if you play it harder than you would a regular guitar. It was designed to be heard over jazz bands so the sound is big and piercing.
There's a hundred things I'm going to fix on the next one, but overall I'm happy with it.

I started on building one for my wife today. She hasn't settled on what wood she wants, so I got the neck started.

I cut the mahogany billet and cut the 11 degree scarf joint on the bandsaw and glued it up.

This one went a lot easier and nicer than the last.

I got the grain to line up and the glue line disappeared!

Next, I need to plane it to thickness and laminate the heel block.

Almost there!

2009-08-15T11:34:00.000-07:00

Here it is.
I still have some set up and fine tuning to do. Plus some touch up, mostly mistakes and goofs from the polishing. I still have some fret buzzing in the higher frets, but I want to let it sit for a few days before I do anything. I still have to attach the mustache pieces to the bridge but i'll do that last.

Now I can get all those home-repair projects done....

Catching up

2009-08-07T18:07:00.000-07:00

I tend to like my routine. This is the first summer in a long time that I have had the whole summer off. When it's only a week or so, I plan what I'm going to do and try to cram as much as I can into the time. Being off for so long has messed up my schedule. Rarely do shave, wear shoes, my watch or pants all at the same time. I am not looking forward to going back to work....
I ripped out the garden in the front yard and replanted with vegetables, plus I replanted a bunch of the pots in the back too. I have tons of artichoke, cucumbers, lettuce, bell peppers(red, black and green), onions and tomatoes! Plus the lemons are really good this year. My gawd, I've become my parents!
Anyhow, much has happened and little progress is made.

I haven't been able to practice much due to a slightly torn ligament (basically "tennis elbow") in my left arm. It got to the point that I couldn't hold anything and was not sleeping. Finally, I was able to get the referal to an orthopedic specialist (after 6 weeks of trying). In 30 minutes I was out the door, I got a Cortisone injection, elbow good as new. Then, the Novocain wore off. Boy, that hurt like a mo-fo. But now things are back to normal and I can play and not cry.
Mark and I are working on Bach's Prelude from the 1st Cello Suite. Tricky but very cool. Also, we're working on a finger-style version of Chet Atkins' "Music to watch Girls by". A great surf classic. Those of us that are my age might remember the Pepsi commercial that featured it. I'm also working on "Good Clone-Bad Clone" by 3 Balls of Fire and their arrangement of Bahia (Chet Baker tune).

On my guitar, I am making some progress. I trimmed the neck block and set the angle. Hopefully it's correct.... To make sure everything was straight, I used my laser level. Very "rocket science".

Once that was set, I glued the fingerboard and neck together and installed the frets. I also added a heel cap made from some leftover tortoise and black and white sheets. Looks cool.
I also re-did the epoxy pore filling and sanded everything level. I'm hoping to pick up a small spray gun and start spraying finish starting next week!

All bound up--catching up

2009-07-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

I've been side-lined of late due to what may be tendinitis of the left elbow. I can't hold anything in my left hand so working on the guitar has been on hold (playing is out too). Plus, we were on a cruise to Mexico last week.

Now I'm back, sunburned and rested and ready to hide in the garage for a while.
I had started putting on the binding a few weeks back--mostly working in the middle of the night. Not able to sleep due to the damn elbow...
It looked less that perfect (like crap actually). With the help of Sensi-Larry I routed the the old bindings off and cut new channels. I had originally cut them using the stew-mac Grammel hand tool. Because of the funny grain of the Mango and my lack of hand-eye coordination, the channel was a little shaky.
We used the Tom Ribbeke binding machine (http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdproducts.asp?CategoryName=Binding+Tools&NameProdHeader=Universal+Binding+Machine)
What a difference. I need to buy one of those!
It took about 3 hours to get the sides of the box perfectly vertical and the bit/bearing set properly. Much testing on 2x4s. Once it's set, it went really fast. I found that due to the slope of the back it worked best to go one way, then do a reverse pass.
Larry also introduced me to the wonders of "Hide Glue". That stuff is great! it holds quick and if you need more time, just brush a little hot water on it and the glue re-charges. Easy clean up too. I need to get me some of that too for the next guitar.
I actually ended up using Hide, Titebond, CA and a Vinyl glue to get everything stuck on.
The Hide and TB were used on the wood bindings. I used the CA to tack down the edges of the "stacked miters" on the corners with the b-b-w-b strips--it held them and made them easy to trim with nippers or a chisel. The tortoise got the vinyl.
It was really important not to rush and to keep ones' hands clean!

Because I needed to rout out a bit more, I went with a black-black-white black purfling scheme. I also ran a B-W-B accent under the Tortoise binding. Too make the tortoise more visible, I put a strip of maple under. It sounds busy but looks cool. The tortoise goes along with the wacky Mango grain of the back and sides.
I love the subtle difference between the white (fiber) and the slightly duller of the maple.

I also found that you can not pull too hard on the binding tape. Or use too much.

Also, I found that by starting with the tight bends, things would lay flatter.

After all that I sanded it up to 600 grit and then did the pore filling using Z-poxy. Great stuff, easy to use. Makes the grain "pop". I know I'm going out of order (so what else is new?) but I have some time before we get to set the neck etc, so I thought i would get this step out of the way.

On the left you can see the purflings and accents glued and taped.

Look, all the little lines line-up!

Next, the neck.....

I have a box!

2009-06-12T17:17:00.000-07:00

Or, a very expensive drum..
I got the back glued on at class and did some other fiddly stuff. I also put a coat of shellac on the inside and affixed the nifty label that Marilyn made for me. It's a copy of the original Selmer label from the 1920's.
Since I had a day off I was able to get lots done today.
I fitted the top and glued it to the sides.
Before I could do that, i had to trim down some of the braces that were just a tad long and weren't quite fitting. Prior to gluing I taped a plastic trash bag on the inside to catch any glue that dribbles.

After the glue dried I was able to use a laminate trimmer to trim the top and back overhang. A sanded down the edges and set the box aside for now.

I started back on the neck. I drilled and cut the slots for the strings BY HAND. The router scares me. I had already had it jump and chew out a notch on the outside of the peg head, necessitating a slimmer head. I may have to grind the rollers a bit more so they don't touch.
Finally, I cut the neck to width (plus a little). If I get the plumbing done at the in-laws' I can trim down the fretboard.

I also did some gardening!
We got about 10 artichokes, some giant onions and some lettuce.

Two forward, one back

2009-06-07T09:34:00.000-07:00

While building my Sel-Mac I am learning a great deal. Mostly, I am learning both by the horrific number of mistakes that I get to correct, but also I have been spending time with my "Guitar-Sensei".

Larry, my Sensi, is one of the instructors in my guitar building class. He has invited me to his house to work on my guitar on several occasions. Each time we both say, "yes, but not for the whole day", and no matter how early I get there it's close to dark by the time I go home.
This is because we are in the groove and time slips away, or more probably, because I am somewhat lame and really slow. Needless to say, I am very lucky to be able to get this much face-time with someone who really knows their craft. He is my Mr. Miyagi.

The ladder-bracing for the lower bout (fat part) of the top had some gaps i the joints so it had to come out. That meant planing it down to the soundboard and starting over. It was a waste of a day, but I would rather it be right that what it was. I then cut and shaped the new pieces and Larry showed me a cool trick for cutting the joints just right. We glued them together as a unit and I glued them to the top using the go-bar-deck at home.

While the braces were drying, we switched to the neck. The neck and headstock were carved to thickness with the Safety-Planer after making a shim to allow raise the heel of the neck so that it's fatter where it meets the body and thinner at the headstock. Then on to the belt sander.

After that we made a router template to carve the headstock.

When I got home, I finished notching the top and back linings, so the tabs on the braces will fit and I can glue the box together at Tuesday's class!

Still to come: Close the Box
Finish the Neck
Frets
Bindings (still trying to decide what to do)
Fit Neck to Body
Finishing
Bridge and Strings.

Some days it feels like it will never be done. Mostly I'm learning patience.

Making some progress--finally

2009-05-27T21:48:00.001-07:00

My guitar-Sensei, Larry has been helping me get caught up on my guitar.
He's very knowledgeable about all things guitar and my "craftsmanship" is getting better with his help.
I now have the sides glued together and the linings glued. I have the back "indexed" and will get the front done tomorrow.
The back is braced. I put a backseam brace on. The originals didn't have them, they put the seam brace on the top; probably to cover bad joinery or to add strength to the pilage. Since I'm not doing one, it's not needed (i hope).

I cut the top braces (again) and sanded them on a 20' sanding dish.
The top is in the "go-bar-deck". This is cool, It's a giant clamp.

The neck is rough cut and routed for a truss rod. Tomorrow I hope to cut the neck heel.

This weekend, I'm going over to Larry's and he is going to help me plane it down and cut it to width. It really does help having someone who knows what they are doing.

The rosette of Doom!

2009-05-02T16:33:00.000-07:00

I have been stressed about doing the rosette. My first attempt was terrible, the templates were difficult etc. It finally came together and I was all set to drop it into the top. But before that, I would have to rout a channel in the top of the guitar. My router skills suck. I practiced on some scrap wood, but not nearly enough. rrrrrgh.

This is why I can't get anything done...
The cats found it infinitely interesting for me to work at the kitchen table. If I would get up, one of them would walk over and sit on whatever I am working on. Then the other would come and sit down on it as well. They were rather irritated at being moved. Doogie knocked tools and pencils onto the floor.

Neemo likes to smash down what ever I'm working on.

Doogie tried to nap on my plans.

It's good to have such close supervision.

Side Bending, the learning experience...

2009-04-30T19:46:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness that mango is such a flexible wood. Spritz a little water on it, place in the side bender and in no time it just bends. It is also very easy to straighten out once bent. Ask me how I know this.....
Yes, I "got" to practice straightening one of my side pieces!
Here is my newly straightened side board.
I placed the bass-side piece in the bender upside-down. oooops. I caught it when I was lining up the grain on the tail end of the guitar, well trying to at least. Since the two side pieces are "bookmatched" the grain should match up on either side. It does now. This time I marked the wood and paid much attention. Going slow is sometimes hard for me. This is a good exercise.

I also finished up the 90 degree bend on the lower side where it joins the neck. I couldn't do it on the side bender so I made a bending pipe. This is one of those "old" ways to do it. I got an electric BBQ lighter and squished it in the vise so it would fit into a 2 inch galvanized pipe. Clamped the pipe into the vise and it's ready to go! I thought the electric option was better than the propane torch method given my ADD. I was amazed how easy it was. I had heard all sorts of horror-stories, but just wait till it gets hot, keep spritzing and GO SLOW. Piece of cake.

I'll get some better photos for next time. These don't make much sense without arrows and labels. Next time.

I also cut the scarf joint and glued my neck blank. The neck joint is 10 degrees, where as most other steel strings is 15. Strange. I'm not doing the traditional mortise/tennon neck joint. Since I'm part of a class they had everything set up for the scarf joint method. Which is what most people do now days.

I'm going with walnut for the neck, as is traditional to the Maccaferri guitars. Walnut is also one of those things I am allergic to (along with just about everything). I haven't noticed any itching or stuffiness (other than the usual spring time stuffy nose) or Anaphylactic shock that I get when I eat walnuts. That's a good thing. Then again, I have lots of benedryl just in case.....
I still have to trim down the sides to the right depth, rough out the head stock and laminate the heel block which I hope to get to this weekend.
I'm very excited. It's starting to look like a guitar, as opposed to just a bunch of pieces of wood.

Oh, I forgot: I still need to do the rosette, which is done (finally) and soundhole. Then glue down the braces.....

Holy Mangled Mango, Batman!

2009-04-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

After several weeks of doing fiddly stuff and not make ANY progress on the guitar I finally got around to bending sides. This was very exciting because now it would actually start looking like a guitar. When people have asked to see what I'm working on and I show show them flat un-cut or bent wood they seem disapointed. If I say, "yes, but here are the braces I've made--no, you don't see them because they go on the inside" they doubt my sanity even more so.

Bending is also somewhat nerve wracking. Taking an expensive (about $40 a slat)piece of FLAT wood and forcing it into a couple of gentle curves and a couple of very extreme curves is daunting. If not done right, Snap Crackle, Pop and swearing will result. I practiced on some "doorskin" paneling before I used the mango.

This is what happens if you go too fast. This is the lower front of the guitar. It has a bend that's about 140 degrees. Good thing it was the doorskin. I have lots of it!

Fortunately, there was very little drama.

I got to use the class's Fox Side Bender. It's a jig that holds the wood and pipe bending forms I made earlier and heats the wood using light bulbs while you clamp in various directions.
The wood gets spritzed lightly with water and wrapped in parchment or aluminum foil (to hold the steam in) and placed between 2 steel slats. Then, it's placed in the machine and the giant clamp on top gets cranked down. Turn the lights on and let the heat and water work their magic.

Little by little you tighten the cauls into place. The big crank is first. It's the waist of the guitar, and it has a gentle curve. Next is the rear or lower bout of the guitar.

The bass side was fairly easy as it was 3 gentle curves and it bent in about 20 minutes. The treble side was the tricky one. You can see the light leaking out between the the wood/steel sandwich and the side of the bender. The side will eventually bend to the shape of the mold thanks to the springs on the caul (big wood thing on the outside) and the heat. This made me nervous! I still have to do another outside bend where it will join the neck. That gets done on the pipe bender next week.

After the bending and the cooling. the sides get clamped into the big mold so they will retain their shape and its a nice safe way to store them.

I also went ahead and pre-bent the ebony binding pieces. One less thing to worry about down the road.

Now I have to get back to the rosette, which is proving to be a major headache.
I keep wandering back out to the garage to see if there is anything else to do. I am not good at the waiting-thing.
Maybe this is good for me?

Rosette bending jig

2009-03-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

I've been stressing about bending the purfling for the rosette for several weeks. I had some inside pieces from the routing jigs and thought it would be a good start for a template. I made an inside piece and screwed it to a piece of mdf. I was thinking of clamping the strips as I went around but that would get crowded real fast.
I drilled several holes and cut down some wood skewers to act as pins.
Wa-la.

It looks like a cribbage board but seemed to work.

First, I soaked the wood in HOT water in the kitchen sink for a few minutes, then put it into the jig.

I did get some de-laming and cracking in spots but I think that was because I was going too fast.

Guitar Update-forms and functions!

2009-03-11T09:40:00.000-07:00

Last night at guitar class I got more work done on the molds for the shape and got the back glued up. Seems like I'm building the workshop before I can build the guitar.
Before I could glue the back I had get the two sides baby-butt smooth. With NORMAL wood it's a few passes with the block plane and a quick check on the light table (to make sure that it fits perfectly) then smear some glue on the edge and slam it into the glueing jig.

Oh-no, with Mango, the wacky grain necessitated getting a router jig set up to cut the edges with identical cuts on both sides. Even that took about 6-8 passes with checking in-between on the light table. But, in the end I got a light-tight joint and was able to glue up the back. Next class I hope to thickness sand it and cut out the basic shape.

I spent a lot of the time working on the damn molds. Six inches of mdf board weighs a ton. Moving it on the band saw will surely allow my chiropractor to send his kids to a nicer college.

I still need to tidy it up with my fancy Japanese pull-saw and the spindle sander.

I also sanded and drilled the bending forms to go into the bending machine, It looks like the machine from the Princess Bride. I'll get a photo of it for next time.

I am hoping to be able to start bending next time too.
When I got home there was a box from the LMI with my stuff for the next few steps!
Neck and Finger board: Walnut and Ebony.

The black sticks are the Ebony binding for the outside of the guitar. They protect the edges from dents etc. The tiny black/white sticks are the prufflings. They go between the top/side wood and the ebony binding. All this stuff is wood which will need to be heat bent as well as the sides.

The sticks with the notches cut in them are the edges for inside the guitar. This helps hold the sides to the top and back. I bought the pre cut stuff because I'm lazy.
Here's the headstock plates. I'm going with Ebony on top of Birch. That way I get a nifty little white line between the walnut neck and the head plate.

I wake up in the middle of the night worrying about how all of this is going to work together. I'd still be wearing Giranimals just for the simplicity if they made my size!
We'll see....

Guitar Update

2009-03-03T19:15:00.000-08:00

The past two weeks have been hectic. I'm doing LOTS of stuff but not making much progress in any of them.
At last weeks guitar building I was able to get my mold glued up. It's 6 layers of 3/4 inch particle board; and about 900 pounds. Next week I will cut out most of the insides and it'll be ready for side bending.
Also, I ran the top through the giant drum sander to get it down to about .100 of an inch. After each pass through the sander you check the boards with a digital caliper and give the machine a 1/4 crank and shove it through again. After 10 or 12 passes, its ready for the next step. Cutting out the rough body shape and doing the rosette. More on that later...
I'll get some photos up when I can.

Playing wise, it's been hard to sit down and practice. Too many other shiny things have caught my eye. Stuff like going to see my guitar teacher's band play, re-roofing the garage and fixing Joels' quad, but I digress.
I'm currently working on two different and challenging pieces. One a manouche piece called Valse a Django and Asturius or Leyenda by Albeniz. Asturias is a great classical piece that is all overt the neck and has some wild parts, making me concentrate on finger and arm positioning. Because you have to hold these chord-like positions, moving fingers around but staying in position it's painful. My fingering is getting better as a result, at least my left hand. I need to tighten up my right hand now. The picking has pedal tones, played on 1 string, then 2 strings then 3. It's a good division of attention exercise. Fun stuff.

Guitar Update-Templates

2009-02-16T19:57:00.000-08:00

My wood has showed up and we're starting to cut and glue stuff! It's hard because I want to charge into it, but that's not how to do it. It's a good thing to learn....
I've got my mold partially glued up and have the outline drawn on the tops of 2 of the 3 pieces--picture a sandwich, the guitar outline goes on the bread and a larger piece of mdf goes between them. It all gets glued up, then cut out next tuesday.

Also, I glued up the top of the guitar. It comes as 2 pieces of Bear Claw Sitka (it's hard to see the sworls in the grain, but it's very cool), then you plane it, check where the two pieces meet using a light table, then plane and check some more. When they are perfect--NO light can be seen through the seam-- then you can glue. It took about an hour. The class instructor used mine as the demo, but I was the one doing the planing.

I also got the template for the guitar cut out and sanded. I spray glued a copy of the plan to a piece of plexiglass and cut it out on the bandsaw at home and cleaned it up on the disc and spindle sanders in class. Plus about an hour of hand sanding. It's funny, it may look smooth, but if you run your fingers along the edge you feel all sorts of bumps. Those gotta' go.

I bought a belt/disc sander today and cut out the router guides for the Rosette and sound hole. Everyone else in class can use a hole-saw, but I'm making a 'D' hole guitar and that requires special jigs for routing the channel for the rosette and sound hole. It was a good exercise in patience (not my strong suit). The first ones I made I cut out of 3/4" mdf and routed with the dremmel tool. They looked like crap.

Today, I cut them out of some scrap plexi and sanded them on the new sander. I also made a spindle sander with my drill and vise. Then, lots of hand sanding. I had to touch up some spots with Bondo, which I'll clean up tomorrow.
Anyhow, here are the router jigs:

The big one is the outside of the rosette. The thin one goes inside to cut the inside of the rosette. Then the thick ring goes inside the big one to cut the soundhole. I'm hoping to do this next week.

A birthday post

2009-02-15T16:46:00.001-08:00

The end of an era

2009-02-07T09:50:00.000-08:00

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up my childish ways.
1 Corinthians 11:13

I am sad to report that I am selling one of the finest motor vehicles ever made.
I have to place my obsessively babied Ducati 900 SS/CR up for sale. I love the bike and have many fond memories but I haven't ridden it in almost 6 months. And even that was just to charge up the battery and circulate the oil after changing it (did I mention obsessive?).
This was the perfect street bike for me. A little bulbous and finicky. Loud but not boastful. Not a stratospheric-revving "crotch rocket", but more an understatedly and smugly powerful mile burner. It has the sexy V-twin sound, a life-affirming heartbeat throb, reminiscent of a Mustang's RR Merlin--not that stupid out of balance HD drunken stumble. Its hand-butt-foot triangle was perfect for my height, reach and girth. It made me a better rider. It was very forgiving of spazzy steering and throttle applications. It needed attention, but not in a high-strung, cloying, psycho-girlfriend way, more like a trusted and faithful friend; just checking to keep the battery charged (or replaced) and the fluids topped.
For the past year it has been a piece of sculpture in my garage; I would go out to the garage every so often and remove the flannel covering and look at it or sit on it.
But, that is it. I don't ride it and I'm not a collector. So it is up for sale.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200307533968&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:MOTORS:1123

I'll miss it.

My new favorite song

2009-02-02T16:44:00.001-08:00

My Uncle Gerry sent me this.
That's why he's my favorite uncle.

I met an onion-grower today and did I say those words?

2009-01-17T10:15:00.000-08:00

Kahn!!!!

2009-01-15T06:48:00.000-08:00

Richardo Montalban was great in everything he did.

He passed away yesterday.

I'm not a number, I'm a freeman!

2009-01-14T16:51:00.000-08:00

Patrick McGoohan died to day.
The prisoner was one of the best tv shows ever!
I'm surprised it hasn't been re-made yet. Probably too cerebral.
A good litmus test for someones' cool/geek factor was how they felt about The Prisoner.
I always admired his single-mindedness in producing the Prisoner. He knew what he wanted to say and fought to do it the way he thought it should be. Not sure I would want to work for him...

The Scarecrow scared the heck out of me when I was a kid. Disney was supposed to be releasing it on dvd, however it was a "special edition" and sold out in minutes. Damn.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7829267.stm

Ah, memories...

2009-01-11T17:08:00.001-08:00

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

Thanks to the good people at 23/6.com

Hurt feelings......

2009-01-11T09:06:00.001-08:00

Well, it seems Britain's Prince Harry has hurt the feelings of Pakistan by calling a friend of his a "paki" and a "raghead".
Grow the hell up!
Since they were serving in the same unit THREE YEARS AGO, and since the guy was wearing a headscarf, it was probably a good natured jest. Either way, get over it. Besides, if it was soooo naughty why was nothing said in all the time since?

I am sick of muslim groups getting their burkas in a bunch every time they feel slighted and yet feel it's ok to demand beheadings for any number of things. I'm sad that Britain allows such nonsense and I hope it doesn't get as bad here.
Besides, isn't Pakistan the same place that has sold nuke secrets to just about everyone and allows Al-Qaeda to hide in their country and possibly trained and supplied the Mumbai terrorists?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/10/prince-harry-apologizes-o_n_156869.html

Just to cheer you up!

2009-01-02T09:24:00.000-08:00

This was in Mondays' WSJ.
Great, just when things were starting to look better.....

Igor Panarin says the US has a 45-55% chance of disintegrating. Then again...

Here's the link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123051100709638419.html?mod=todays_us_page_one

Eartha Kitt

2008-12-26T08:53:00.000-08:00

Peace on Earth, good will to man....

2008-12-24T10:55:00.001-08:00

oops.

The dots are now connected!

2008-12-24T08:48:00.000-08:00

I love the TED talks.
I want to be clever like this one day.

This is so cool

2008-12-19T05:51:00.000-08:00

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2006/11/2000_year_old_c.html#previouspost

Thanks to Attu for the link.

My hands and brain hurts, but the knee feels better!

2008-12-17T20:24:00.001-08:00

The past few weeks have been a bit weird for playing. While I was sick I didn't practice for about 10 days. So I am trying to make up for that time off. My hands have gotten flabby.
I'm currently working on Bouree by Bach and Gymnopedie #1 by Erik Satie. Two very pretty pieces that I've always wanted to learn. They're both very different as well. Bouree is very quick with notes going on both the bass and treble side of the fingerboard. Gymnopedie #1 is slow and languid. Ringing chords and melody notes with lots of barre chords. Interesting but here's where the flabby hands become troublesome.
As a relaxing piece I'm working on Steely Dan's Josie. Steely Dan uses all these great jazz chords with slash chords and all sorts of inversions. And not just normal ones either!
We're using it as a springboard for theory stuff. It's funny, it's starting to make sense.
I just got to get back to work....

My favorite xmas movie!

2008-12-15T06:56:00.000-08:00

More Holiday spirit stuff

2008-12-15T06:54:00.000-08:00

Getting into the Holiday spirit

2008-12-14T08:04:00.000-08:00

I love this.

Betty Page April 22, 1923-December 11, 2008

2008-12-12T16:22:00.000-08:00

Betty Page passed away last night.
She was an icon in the fetish magazine world and later in pop culture.
She had that girl next door looks, but also a naughty streak a mile wide. No matter how "hard-core" the situation she was photographed in, there was always this sense of silliness to them because of her good natured looks. I don't pretend that she was totally innocent or hard-boiled. I don't know. I've read some of the stories about her and her life was anything but simple.
She lived a varied and at times conflicted life. Most people know her as a bondage pin up, but in her later years she spent time as a missionary in Africa. Everyone who met her said she was the nicest person they ever met; not at all like her photo-persona.
I became aware of her years ago through collecting pin-ups from 40s and 50s. The first comic I became a fan of was Rocketeer--because I liked the aviation/jetpack thing. Betty Page was the model for Cliff Secords' girlfriend.
There are tons of biographies of her, so I won't bother here. Wikipedia has a good short bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_page

More Prop 8 madness!

2008-12-01T15:23:00.000-08:00

I can bet the moral-minority will be all over this! I'm sure this will only fan the flames of hatred to Nurrenberg-Rally proportions. A big thanx to Don W. for pointing this out to me.

The two penguins have started placing stones at the feet of parents before waddling away with their eggs, in a bid to hide their theft.
But the deception has been noticed by other penguins at the zoo, who have ostracised the gay couple from their group. Now keepers have decided to segregate the pair of three-year-old male birds to avoid disrupting the rest of the community during the hatching season.
A keeper at Polar Land in Harbin, north east China explained that the gay couple had the natural urge to become fathers, despite their sexuality.
"One of the responsibilities of being a male adult is looking after the eggs. Despite this being a biological impossibility for this couple, the natural desire is still there," a keeper told the Austrian Times newspaper.
"It's not discrimination. We have to fence them separately, otherwise the whole group will be disturbed during hatching time," he added.
There are numerous examples of homosexuality in the animal kingdom, but gay penguins have captured the public's attention more than any other species.
A German zoo provoked outrage from gay lobby groups after attempting to mate a group of gay male penguins with Swedish female birds who were flown in especially to seduce them. But the project was abandoned after the males refused to be "turned", showing no interest in their would-be mates.
In 2002 a couple of penguins at a New York zoo who had been together for eight years were "outed" when keepers noticed that they were both males.

Here's the link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3530723/Gay-penguins-steal-eggs-from-straight-couples.htm

Ok, this is weird...

2008-12-01T08:32:00.001-08:00

Last Friday, I was working on the front walkway. Chipping out some broke pieces of slate and putting new ones in. Easy-peasy. I had the right tools, knee pads and oodles of experience.
After quitting time I noticed my knee was a little tender. No wonder, I'd just spent 4 hours on it. A few advil and shower will fix that.
By dinner time it had puffed up to the size of a softball and gotten all pink and stiff.
The next morning I couldn't stand on it or bend it. Very strange.
Go to health barn and get some Anti-inflammatory stuff and go home.
Can't sleep because of the throbbing; that and every-time Marilyn rolls over or the cats jump on the bed they whack my knee.
oh-well.
The upside is, the walkway looks bitchen and I have only a few more tiles to set (the fiddly-cut ones) and the in-floor lights to plug in and I'm done. Maybe next week.....

Life imitating art?

2008-11-27T08:33:00.000-08:00

This cracks me up.
Most of the time art is subjective--it speaks to people differently, and that's ok. People like what they like, and other than Thomas Kincade, I don't mind.
But this seems to me to sum up the spin of the last 8 years. What is projected as a nobel crusade is really a common thief trying to escape the law.
I love the fact that it was an originally a magazine commission.
That's not to say because it was in a magazine that it's not art. Not at all. Many great artists painted for magazines. It's just part of the story of art. Personally, I used to collect Varga and Petty gatefolds, and have more than I can hang in my office (you can't put pin-ups in the livingroom; at least not if Marilyn has anything to say about it). Does the fact that they're from Esquire from the '30's and 40's make them less art-full? Not to me. But I don't tell people they're pictures of saints or whatever (but they are proof of the wonder of God's creation). They just are.

A warning to us all

2008-11-26T06:49:00.000-08:00

Beware of the Doghouse- Hilarious! - video powered by Metacafe

Presented for your approval; officially, the gift buying season begins on Friday, so I wanted to pass on this cautionary tale.

A tip of the dunce hat to Attu Sees All.

Cutting the cheese

2008-11-24T18:34:00.000-08:00

We made cheese today! My friend Joel McKinney (Classic Joel) has been doing this for a while and sent me some recipes and the chemicals needed to make some cheese. It took about 30 minutes to make some mozzarella that was really good.
It was dead easy. Although my next task is finding cheaper raw milk as it's about $20/gallon at Henry's.
I need to order the chemicals too.
I'm going to try making some more tomorrow.
Now I know what everybody is getting for xmas this year....

A vision of what might have been.....

2008-11-21T06:28:00.000-08:00

She's "in charge of the turkeys!"
Personally, I think this is a carefully crafted warning to all who dare to oppose her.
I have already moved my loved ones to a safe-house deep inside Elite-Amerika.

Say Thank you!

2008-11-21T05:35:00.001-08:00

http://www.letssaythanks.com

Xerox has a program where you can send a card to a soldier overseas. They do all the hard stuff: the printing, sending, even the writing if you don't know what to say.
They will print out your card and send it to soldiers in time for xmas.

I don't normally forward stuff I get in my email, but I am sending this to everyone I know. Please do something similar. When you are far from home, someplace strange or dangerous for a long time, mail from "home" is comforting and reaffirming.
Here's the link: http://www.letssaythanks.com

So what? I disliked him before it was cool...

2008-11-20T21:00:00.000-08:00

I don't know how these people were raised, but my mother taught me to be polite.

They're heads of state for crying out loud! They should know how to put on the fake smile, shake a hand for the cameras.
Or, it is a public snub, at least have the balls to say it out loud.
He still has 45 days or so; he can still bomb you back to the stone-age. And you know he would too. You sucked it up for 8 years. What's one more photo-op?
Cowards.

Thank a Vet

2008-11-11T09:03:00.000-08:00

America gets to take a day off because some Americans did their job.
Tell them thank you.
Pray for their safe return.

The economy is bad....

2008-11-10T08:50:00.000-08:00

Thank you to the good folks at Beer Goggler and Attu Sees All.

When will the lying stop!?

2008-11-08T10:34:00.000-08:00

According to the Chicago Times, President Elect Obama has broken his first campaign promise.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-talk-puppy_08nov08,0,2230895.story

"Despite breathless anticipation over the name and breed of the First Pup, the family will wait until spring to adopt a pet, Obama's transition staff said Friday. But aides say Obama is not reneging. When the future First Parents agreed to let Malia and Sasha have a dog, it was on the condition that the adoption occur in the spring so they wouldn't be housebreaking it in the winter."

Is this just another democratic cover-up?
My gawd,this is just like those WMDs, what next?

Oh, sorry. I was just trying to see things from the republican side.
I feel silly. I need to bathe now.

I just thought of this....

2008-11-07T20:28:00.000-08:00

A wingnut like you and me...

2008-11-07T19:24:00.001-08:00

On thursday my expectations for my government were validated; as they are most thursdays. The trash was picked up.
Yeah, Obama won, and I think that's a good thing. However, as long as the lights go one when I flip the switch and the toilet flushes and trash guys come on thursday, the government is doing ok. I realize that most of those things are not specifically government related, but that is my gauge for society functioning.
A woman at work today asked me if I was "happy we got us a 'Socialist' president". I said "Yeah, I think it was great how Bush Nationalized those banks and collectivized all that debt". She went on to explain that is not what she meant.

I paraphrased Stephan Colbert's chauffeur for her: "look at it this way, the democrats have only been in power a day or so and already we're in 2 un-winable wars and the economy is in shambles". That cheered her up I think.
Whatever.

I am sad though. I feel that the country has become divided between red and blue, "real amerika" and elites, socialists and fascists, patriots and well, patriots. We used to be a country united by our belief that everyone is welcome here. Now, there is so much anger and hate shown to people who think differently. People seem more concerned with their own "hot-button issues" that the rest of the country be damned. I am so tired of the spin. Each side is more right than the other. One side has god and the other reason. I forget which. Can't both side have both?

I have fallen into this trap as well and I am sickened by it. I have lost, or maybe jettisoned some friends because of their passionate beliefs. Both red and blue.
I wanted to think of myself as not that shallow, but I guess I have to get used to that.
I fear my government and citizens when they feel they need to legislate morality or peoples' ability to make money. We saw how well that worked for the airline and electric industries. On the other hand, maybe "wall street" could have used some more?
That doesn't mean I am all for greed or licentiousness, but I just wish people could regulate themselves. Work hard, reap the benefits; but be compassionate and responsible to those around you.
We should start being Americans again.

It's out! Buy some!

2008-11-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

Marilyn's newest book is finally out! Marilyn did the artwork for Vile Things. It's cool as all the flora and fauna in the book are real. Very gross, Very cool.
We're hoping it'll go to a third book (book 2 comes out next year) because that's when the big bucks start.
Here's the link.
http://www.amazon.com/Search-Vile-Things-One/dp/0439908884/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1225556354&sr=8-1

19 and counting

2008-11-01T08:48:00.001-07:00

ect>

Last night Marilyn and I had our 19th anniversary. Well, we had our first date 19 years ago at Mulldoons', a "irish" pub. It was a blind date of sorts, a mutual friend called a bunch of people to join him for drinks and we were the only ones to show up. We spent the evening talking about our worst dates.
I knew the moment I met here that she was the one I would spend my life with. I just had to wear her down...
I am so damn lucky and blessed. We have a house in the town we grew up in, a bright and funny son and 2 cats.
The first year we were married we were apart almost half the time. Marilyn was designing sportswear and doing a lot of international traveling. I was still in the army "being there, doing that".
In many ways Marilyn saved me from myself. I know that sounds hokey, but with her I am a better person than I could have become otherwise.
Who'd a thunk it?

Now I see the problem, I was confused...

2008-10-29T19:12:00.000-07:00

Doesn't the Declaration of Independence say "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"?

Also, doesn't the US Constitution (that thing W called "just a f***ing piece of paper") say No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws?

Black is white, up is down! Words mean what we say they mean!

2008-10-29T19:03:00.000-07:00

When everybody shares the resources and gets shares in the profits it's Communism!
I am amazed anyone would be stupid enough to believe Tucker Bounds. What a lying sack of shit.

Something to cheer us up

2008-10-29T06:42:00.000-07:00

Just skip the first 2 minutes ...

Less than a week to go.....

2008-10-29T06:22:00.000-07:00

I will be so glad when this election is over. I am tired of the nastiness on both sides. I may even be able to speak to my dad again. Then again, he'll start up on the whole mac/pc thing...... (He's wrong about that too)
I am saddened that America is becoming "balkanized" of "real"-america and "elite"-america.

However, next week I'll have to find something else to read about on the internet....
I wonder what I'll find?

Also, this song has one of the best bass lines ever!
I'm adding that to the list for next week.

Wow, this would've saved some time

2008-10-29T06:04:00.000-07:00

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

Thanx to the good folks at 23/6.com

sad and funny at the same time

2008-10-27T07:01:00.001-07:00

A reference to the worlds most annoying ad.

2008-10-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

It's funny to me that they used the same actors from the original. Still, I hope we don't have to hear whazuup.....

Stuck in my head!!

2008-10-26T07:36:00.000-07:00

Where's the hammer....

The way ads should be

2008-10-24T20:25:00.000-07:00

I am so sick of the recent wave of nasty "Rovian" "swiftboating" ads. I think this panders to the lowest common denominator and empowers the ugly mob within us all. It's nice to see a politician say what they WILL do, rather than attack the opponents' character. It's doubly disgraceful when the attacks involve lies.

I've read some of Frankin's books and he does get a bit ranty, but he does have a point more often than not.

Flash back--sorta'

2008-10-23T19:17:00.000-07:00

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Scouting

2008-10-20T19:37:00.000-07:00

We have decided to take a break from scouting. I have mixed feelings about this. Joel has expressed that he is not interested in the meetings and the general "hurry up and wait". I tried to explain that the meeting is just the part of the organization that makes the fun stuff happen. To no avail.
We joined the troop made up from kids at his school. Great bunch of kids and parents. There's a couple of turds, but that's life.
It's not super exciting though.
Joel was very worried he would disappoint me by dropping out, but I want him to be happy. If scouts isn't his thing, we'll find something else to do as a family.
I grew up in scouts. I started as a cub and went all the way to Eagle Scout (with Bronze Palm). I had a great troop and a great scoutmaster. Mr. B was one of the best men I have ever known and I want to be as good as he was some day.
In scouts I learned how to camp and hike and use a compass, but also there were many lessons that I didn't notice until I was older.
Scouts was very important to me. I am sorry that Joel does not feel the way I did about it. Part of it is our temperament, part of it is the times and part is harder to isolate.
I just want to find something we can do together--other than WoW.

We went on a campout this weekend and something I noticed was that the parents (some of whom are very experienced campers) were kinda' blown off by the scoutmaster. Fair enough, he's in charge, and it would be fine if there was some direction. His plan is to let the boys flounder around to "find their way". Us "helicopter parents" were hoping for a little more coaching on some of the skills required for being outdoors. Plus, the boys were not allowed to leave the campsite. Way too much boy-energy in a very small area....
The parents had to have our own area and we were discouraged from "interfering". So we sat up at one families' motorhome and drank beer. One dad spent the whole weekend with a lit cigar.
We did have a nice time and I cooked a kick ass Jambalaya and baked some bread in the dutch oven. Some of the boys kept hanging around asking me to show them how to cook stuff but the scoutmaster would chase them away. oh-well.
Anyhow, many mixed emotions.

I read this on the blog The Art of Manliness and it rings true for me.
Teddy Roosevelt said What we have a right to expect of the American boy is that he shall turn out to be a good American man.

The boy can best become a good man by being a good boy–not a goody-goody boy, but just a plain good boy.

I do not mean that he must love only the negative virtues; I mean that he must love the positive virtues also. ‘Good,’ in the largest sense, should include whatever is fine, straightforward, clean, brave and manly.

The best boys I know–the best men I know–are good at their studies or their business, fearless and stalwart, hated and feared by all that is wicked and depraved, incapable of submitting to wrongdoing, and equally incapable of being aught but tender to the weak and helpless.

Of course the effect that a thoroughly manly, thoroughly straight and upright boy can have upon the companions of his own age, and upon those who are younger, is incalculable.

If he is not thoroughly manly, then they will not respect him, and his good qualities will count for but little; while, of course, if he is mean, cruel, or wicked, then his physical strength and force of mind merely make him so much the more objectionable a member of society.

He can not do good work if he is not strong and does not try with his whole heart and soul to count in any contest; and his strength will be a curse to himself and to every one else if he does not have a thorough command over himself and over his own evil passions, and if he does not use his strength on the side of decency, justice and fair dealing.

Maybe we'll go back in a little while but for now, we're taking some time off.

I admire this...

2008-10-14T05:46:00.000-07:00

It's good to have a bobby!

Practicing....

2008-10-09T19:07:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a break from Romanza, mainly because I'm having trouble with the #@%&* B7 chord and some pinky stretches I can't quite do. I've tried other positions and other voicings but I get muted strings (they go thud) and it bugs me. So I'm taking a break.
This week we're working on polishing Penetration and working on the solo to Pipeline for my surf pieces. I am coming back to Bouree after several weeks off. I was able to sight read through with only minor mistakes. I am also working on Tush and La Grange, both by ZZ Top.
It's funny how a phrase in one piece will trigger a lesson in another song. In Bach's Bouree there are a couple chromatic runs, that lead to a discussion on types of scales, which lead to Pentatonic (5-note or blues) scales. So we had to work on La Grange/Tush.
It was fun jamming on these songs. It's different when you have the chance to switch back and forth from lead to rhythm parts. The only rule was that I had to use Pentatonic scales or chromatic runs. It's cool when you start to hear the out of key notes. I mean, be aware of them. They were there before in my playing but I didn't notice I guess.
Also with the ZZ Top pieces I get to practice with my distortion and compressor pedals.
I am also digging my new ISP Decimator. It's a noise reduction pedal that sucks out the amp-buzz that comes from having non-grounded outlets.

For the love of gawd, don't let Nancy read a speech!

2008-10-03T06:18:00.000-07:00

Well the house gets to try again with the economic "rescue"/"bailout"/"ransom". I'm glad to see more details were added and the "we can do whatever we want with no consequences" language was removed.
I was concerned with the first one because I thought the nationalizing of the banks and the "cap" on salaries was rather Socialist. I say let people make as much as they can, just make sure it's done legally.
It's hard to regulate greed. There is a fine line between being driven and being greedy, but I'm not sure where that line is.

I have never been a fan of "rules". But as I get older, they start to make sense. I would like to see the markets regulate itself, but I don't think that works in real life. Too many non-invisible hands at work. Besides, we've seen how well de-regulation has worked for the airline ($5 for a blanket and pillow) and power (enron) industries.

I just hope that the Speaker of the House doesn't hurt the feelings of any republican members. Because they may be forced to vote against what they know in their heart is right. yeah.
If your feelings get hurt by one speech, which is pretty much like all the other speeches, you are too big of a pussy to represent the people of America! F-in' crybabies.
The rest of you: Put on your big-girl pants and get back to work. And play nice.

Big doings at the Waters' estate....

2008-10-01T16:45:00.001-07:00

As with the Winchester House, we are constantly fixing stuff.
The ugliest part of the house for many years was the side yard. The sidewalk was cracked and the planters never seemed to get enough sun or water.
We finally decided to have the sidewalk and planter torn out and the whole thing bricked in to match the rest of the patio.
Marilyn just got a big handful of money from her publisher so we set some aside for this.
It's great because I don't have to do this one! It's also straighter, drains the right way and doesn't involve swearing. The guys are doing a great job.
I can do brick work, but it's hard on the back and knees. This is one of the few projects that I had (got to) to call in outside help. As much as I love doing it, I'm ok with that.

I'll post photos soon.

Reading is FUNdamental!

2008-10-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Banned Book Week!
Thoughts are scary. Books make you think. Therefor books should be banned.

Variety is the spice of life...

2008-10-01T06:32:00.000-07:00

I guess I am a creature of habit. I like the toothpaste I have and I must say, I am not looking for any new experiences in that realm.
I'm dull.
Here's the link:
http://inventorspot.com/articles/pork_flavoured_toothpaste_17070

"It's difficult for me because I'm thoughtful"

2008-09-28T17:57:00.000-07:00

Marilyn sent me this.
Personally I can't stay up late enough to watch Dave anymore and I don't watch O'reilly (other than the time Colbert was on) because he's a loud-mouth ranted--I watch other loud-mouth ranters.

O'Reilly brings up the "Saddam killed 'X' number of iraqis, which seems to be the new reason we are there (after WMDs, Oil?, liberating and 'nation-building'). I have heard this from other loud-mouth ranters. BFD. Personally, I don't care how many he killed; it's not worth ONE American life. NOT ONE.

But that's just me.

Paul Newman

2008-09-27T14:45:00.000-07:00

Shana tova k'tiva v'chatima tova!

2008-09-27T14:20:00.000-07:00

The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo

NSFW!

TV worth watching

2008-09-27T06:54:00.000-07:00

I actually enjoyed watching the debate last night. After so many hate-ads it was good to hear the candidates actually speaking. True, a lot of it was just "talking points" but this is something they should be doing from the start INSTEAD OF all the other agitprop that gets excreted on to tv (and my blog of late).
It was good to see the "old" McCain again. Did you know he's been a guest on the Daily Show more than anyone else? He always has interesting things to say.
It was also nice that no one seemed to be wearing an earplug this time, although they should have been made to remove their jackets on camera--"trust but verify".

Since it was a pseudo-sporting event what would have made it better would be play by play commentary. Maybe Bill O'Rielly and John Stweart. But then again, you wouldn't be able to hear the candidates. Or, maybe something like pop-up videos where a little bubble pops up with trivia or facts from factcheck.org. Or, quieter commentary a la' MST3K.

Like pro wrestling or roller-derby, I thought it best when the contestants started to get ticked off and began correcting and interrupting the other. That was what the debate should be--not just a recitation of the party line but a real response to questions and attacks.
I was hoping they would start swearing and yelling at each other. But they are probably warned NOT to do that on tv.

Here's an idea for the budget woes...

2008-09-26T17:17:00.000-07:00

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4810644.ece

Corporate India is in shock after a mob of workers bludgeoned to death the chief executive who sacked them from a factory in a suburb of Delhi.

Lalit Kishore Choudhary, 47, the head of the Indian operations of Graziano Transmissioni, a manufacturer of car parts that has its headquarters in Italy, died of severe head wounds on Monday after being attacked by scores of laid-off employees, police said. The incident, in Greater Noida, followed a long-running dispute between the factory’s management and workers demanding better pay and permanent contracts.

It is understood that Mr Choudhary, who was married with one son, had called a meeting with more than a hundred former employees who had been dismissed after an earlier outbreak of violence at the plant. He wanted to discuss a possible reinstatement deal.

A police spokesman said: “Only a few people were called inside. About 150 people were waiting outside when they heard someone from inside shout for help. They rushed in and the two sides clashed. The company staff were heavily outnumbered.”

Other executives said that they were lucky to escape with their lives. “I locked my door from inside and prayed they would not break in. See, my hands are trembling even three hours later,” one Italian consultant told reporters.

More than 60 people were arrested and more than 20 were in hospital yesterday.

A spokesman for the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry said: “Such a heinous act is bound to sully India’s image among overseas investors.”

The murder has stoked fears that outbreaks of mob rule risk jeopardising the sub-continent’s economic rise. Thousands of violent protesters recently forced Tata, the Indian conglomerate that owns Land Rover and Jaguar, to halt work on a plant being built to produce the world’s cheapest car, the £1,250 Nano. The move could result in £200 million in investment costs being written off.

Tata stopped work three weeks ago, saying that it could not guarantee its workers’ safety at the factory in the state of West Bengal. The billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani said that the Nano crisis showed how protesters were creating “a fear psychosis to slow down certain projects of national importance”. Other companies, including Vedanta, the London-listed mining company, have encountered similar problems in India.

In a statement issued from Rivoli,Italy, Graziano said that some of Mr Choudhary’s attackers had no connection with the company

I want to quit, I swear to gawd I want to quit....

2008-09-26T16:20:00.000-07:00

I watched this interview. It made me cringe.
If a student in my class answered a question like this I would have asked them the question again and ask that they answer the question asked, not some other question.
I would also ask them to think a little bit longer before jumping into a convoluted response.
And why does she keep looking down? Is she looking at a cheat-sheet?

In my classroom, I would tell students that if they were going to cheat off someone else's paper, sit next to the smart kid. Just don't let me see you do it.

My computer predicts the future!

2008-09-26T14:11:00.001-07:00

It's kind of like that Twlight Zone episode where Burgess Meredeth was the typesetter from hell and his headlines were predicting the future. I saw this this morning, but when I went back it was gone. But here's a link proving that it really existed.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/09/mccain_wins_debate.html
The WSJ article is very good and raises some interesting questions about the bailout.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122238667352477103.html

Mission Accomplished!

Because we're all busy....

2008-09-26T11:13:00.001-07:00

Thanks to the good folks at 23/6!

Debate or not?

2008-09-25T13:19:00.000-07:00

I feel strongly both ways. Both Obama and McCain and pissing away taxpayer money trying to get a job they WANT rather than doing the job they HAVE. So, now that the economy is OFFICIALLY imploding, McCain wants to cancel the debate. He can't take an hour out of fixing the economy to answer some questions on tv? Don't they have tv cameras in Washington?
Then again, if one or the other is going to be the next president, maybe they should be trying to fix it now.
I'm not sure a bailout is what is needed. I don't know enough to say one way or the other right now. I just don't want to give money to the people that screwed it up in the first place. Did they "learn their lesson"? Make the money come out of their pockets before mine.

Either way, get back to work!

$$$$$?

2008-09-25T07:08:00.000-07:00

Years ago, when we first bought our house we received a letter from the bank two weeks after we moved in. It stated that they (the bank) had made an "accounting error" and that we owed them $1800.00. We had scraped everything we had to make the down, we didn't have any extra.
So I called the bank to find out what the deal was.

It seems THEY made a mistake AFTER the contract was signed. I explained that after the contracts were signed doesn't count; too bad. They threatened to cancel our loan. So I asked how they figured the balance due? Were they using a calculator or just adding the numbers up in their head? I brought a calculator when we signed and I checked the numbers. I ASSUMED they had done the same before they sent the paperwork to me. I offered to send them my $2.00 calculator that they could use for this high-level contract stuff because just adding the numbers up in their heads or writing it on napkins was making them look like asses.

After about two hours on the phone, most of it being me pointing out that THEY made the mistake NOT ME, therefor it was their problem not mine. They "could not" see it that way.
Finally, the bank-guy said they would split the fee with me.

Wow.

I replied that if that was the best he could do, fine. But, I would tell EVERYONE I knew the type of service I had received from this bank.
Three days later a letter arrived saying they had "reversed" the "error" and we would not be required to pay it.

This has come to mind lately....

ADD guitar playing

2008-09-24T06:42:00.001-07:00

My guitar teacher and I started on some new pieces this week. I've been working on my classical technique and reading for the last month or so and The pieces I'm working on have hit their plateau.
So, I am B-listing them. They are going to be my warm-ups while I focus on some other stuff. It's funny, now that I have the piece memorized, the hard work is beginning. Here's where my OCD comes in handy too...
Into the mix we have thrown a jazz and a surf piece. My Funny Valentine and Penetration.

Penetration is a surf "standard" and fairly easy; I'm hoping to polish it by next week. I feel a little embarrassed working on it as it's not like the other pieces we've been working on. I was able to sight read through it, but I want to work on my timing and feel. Mark says I can play the notes, now we start working on playing the music. I started out wanting to be able to read music, and now I need to learn where the empty spaces between the notes are.
I have been using a metronome lately and my counting has gotten much better. Now, I am working on speeding up and slowing down Intentionally in a piece for effect. Harder than it sounds.

MFV is an old Chet Baker tune. Very cool but the jazz chords are very challenging. Then again, that's why we're working on it. Since it's called a chord-melody style piece, each note of the melody gets a chord. Not just any old chord but weird augmented 6/9ths and diminished 7/13s. Very cool sounding even over the grunting and swearing. This is definitely a long term piece.

Here's 9 year old Chicchi playing Penetration. Very cool.

With friends like this....

2008-09-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

Pakistan troops 'repel US raid'
Pakistani troops have fired warning shots at two US helicopters forcing them back into Afghanistan, local Pakistani intelligence officials say.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7628890.stm

Good thing these guys are our friends. Well except for that helping North Korea with their A-bomb and keeping OBL safe and warm. But other than that.....

Depends on which angle I guess...

2008-09-20T09:17:00.000-07:00

This is from the good folks (or terrorists) from That Minority Thing
http://www.thatminoritything.com/?p=53193

I have marveled at this for a long time. I know that the other side has opposite opinions. That is interesting to me. What is scary is the force of conviction that goes along with it. I realize I am wishy-washy (flip-floppy?) by thinking the truth may lie somewhere in the middle. I am so saddened and offended, and embarrassed by the amount of hate/double speak that has been flung about. I realize too that on some level I am contributing (or responding to) the crap-storm. I don't understand how one event is interpreted so differently.
When I was in a literary criticism class in college I wrote a paper on a critique of Jack London from the point of view of the dog. I got a good grade on it and was told that it was excellent example of "serious dog-ist criticism".
Dog-ist? I was just being funny.

The Conservative Palinguage Guide Vols. 1 and 2
September 5th, 2008 | Posted in Featured Writers |
Vol. 1

If you’re a minority and you’re selected for a job over more qualified candidates you’re a “token hire.”

If you’re a conservative and you’re selected for a job over more qualified candidates you’re a “game changer.”

If you live in an Urban area and you get a girl pregnant you’re a “baby daddy.”

If you’re the same in Alaska you’re a “teen father.” (Actually, according to your own MySpace page you’re an F’n redneck that don’t want any kids, but that’s too long a phrase for the evil liberal media to take out of context and flog morning noon and night).

Black teen pregnancies? A “crisis” in black America.

White teen pregnancies? A “blessed event.”

If you grow up in Hawaii you’re “exotic.”

Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, you’re the quintessential “American story.”

Similarly, if you name you kid Barack you’re “unpatriotic.”

Name your kid Track, you’re “colorful.”

If you’re a Democrat and you make a VP pick without fulling vetting the individual you’re “reckless.”

A Republican who doesn’t fully vet is a “maverick.”

If you say that for the “first time in my adult lifetime I’m really proud of my country” it makes you “unfit” to be First Lady.

If you are a registered member of a fringe political group that advocates secession that makes you “First Dude.”

A DUI from twenty years ago is “old news.”

A speech given without proper citation from twenty years ago is “relevant information.”

And, finally, if you’re a man and you decide to run for office despite your wife’s reoccurrence of cancer you’re a “questionable spouse.”

If you’re a woman and you decide to run for office despite having five kids including a newborn with Downs Syndrome… Well, we don’t know what that is ‘cause THAT’S NOT A FAIR QUESTION TO ASK!

Vol. 2

If you get 18 million people to vote for you in a national presidential primary, you’re a “phoney.”

Get 100,000+ people to vote you governor of the 47th most populous state in the Union, you’re “well loved.”

SoyAA says: If you are biracial and born in a state not connected to the lower 48, America needs darn near 2 years and 3 major speeches to “get to know you.”

If you’re white and from a state not connected to the lower 48, America needs 36 minutes and 38 seconds worth of an acceptance speech to know you’re “one of us.”

If you give your wife a dap on stage, it’s actually a “terrorist fist jab.”

If your daughter licks her palm so that she can slick down your youngest child’s hair on national TV it’s an “adorable moment.” (Seriously, forget about abstinence only, teach these folks some grooming skills).

DTD SAYS: If your pastor rails against inequality in the United States of America, you’re an “extremist.”

If your pastor welcomes a sermon by a member of Jews for Jesus who preaches that the killing of Jews by terrorists is a lesson to Jews that they must convert to Christianity, you’re a “fundamentalist.”

If you’re a black man and you use a scholarship to get into college, then work your way up to being the president of the Harvard Law Review, you’re “uppity.”

If you’re a conservative and your parents pay your way to Hawaii Pacific University . . . you only have four more schools to attend over the next five years before you somehow manage to graduate (it might be five more school over the next five years. No one has yet verified whether or not Palin was actually ever registered at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. But, you know how shady people are who ever attended any kind of school in Hawaii).

SeanOcali says: If you’re 18, white, and get a 16 year old girl pregnant “life happens.”

If you’re 18, black, and impregnate a 16 year old girl, you’re a “registered sex offender.”

If you spend 18 months building a campaign around the theme of “Change,” it’s just “empty rhetoric.”

If one week before your party’s national convention you SUDDENLY make your candidacy about “Change,” that’s “red meat.”

And your last lesson for the day:

If you are a Democrat, an Independent, or even a moderate Republican, if you’re female, male, white, black, Asian, Hispanic, bi-racial, multi-ethnic, or GLBT, if you’re a Jew, Gentile, Muslim, agnostic or atheist - “Yes, we can!”

If you’re a pitbull with lipstick from Alaska, “Yup, yup!”

If you’re a 13-year-old Chelsea Clinton, the right-wing press calls you “First dog.”

If you’re a 17-year old pregnant unwed daughter of a Republican, the right-wing press calls you “beautiful” and “courageous.”

If you’re a Republican and your underage daughter gets pregnant out of wedlock, it’s a “blessing.”

If you’re a Democrat and you get a blowjob, it’s a matter for the Supreme Court.
If you are a pregnant and your waters break when you are 7 1/2 months along far away in Texas where you are to give a speech, it is perfectly acceptable if you are a social conservative for you to give the speech anyway, fly to Seattle, fly to Anchorage, drive another 45 minutes to get to the podunk hospital outside Wasilla. Who needs those big city hospitals with all the resources to help your special needs child? 13 to 14 hours between waters breaking and getting medical attention for yourself and the child you know is already highly vunerable is the sign of a “tough” woman.

If you are anyone else, you are irresponsible, a political opportunist, selfish, and/or stupid and/or crazy.

oops, I'm sexist or elitist I can't remember

2008-09-18T06:58:00.000-07:00

Again, this is from the good folks at 23/6.com.
Darn clever if you ask me. Yes, yes, I realize there is no video like this for the dems. There is a reason for it but it isn't unfair reporting.

Just because I guess....

2008-09-18T06:45:00.000-07:00

This is so not my demographic. I never watched much Sinefeld and I'm a total Machead. Yet, I love these ads. I hope they make more of them.

It could happen....

2008-09-17T18:35:00.001-07:00

A tip of the hat to 23/6!

It's Finally Here!

2008-09-15T20:23:00.001-07:00

Marilyn received an advance copy of her book Vile Things today!
You can pre-order it thru Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Search-Vile-Things-One/dp/0439908884
It'll probably be in the Scholastic Book Fair after November.
The Second book is done and will be on shelves sometime next year. We're hoping it goes to a third or more in the series. $$!!
We will need to travel to exotic lands so she can observe animals up close.
Meanwhile, she is hard at work on her next series: Haunted Histories. Hopefully it'll be out 2010. It takes about 18 months for a book go through "the machine". The writing and artwork are actually faster than what happens after the publisher gets it. It'll be very fun.

I am very proud of her.

A sign of the coming Apocalypse

2008-09-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

I find Karl Rove using the words "gone too far" oddly ironic. Unless he's just trying to lull people before cranking the smear machine up to 11!

SNL Last night

2008-09-14T10:35:00.000-07:00

I forgot to TiVo and it was already yanked from YouTube.
Darn funny. Tina Fey is brilliant.
A tip of the hat to Crooks And Liars and to NBC for the use of the video.

Recommended by one of my nut-job friends...

2008-09-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

I have a friend who was telling me that Obama was a "Manchurian Candidate". I asked if he'd ever seen the movie or read the book. (The book is MUCH creepier than the movie) He said no, but they were talking about it on the radio (AM talk-radio, if you know what I mean).

It's a great book/movie. I think the people he was talking about hadn't read it either. But it's a good cliche. The book is about the fear that some ideological fanatics will try to take over the country through illegal means (and brainwashing) to instal a feeble-witted dupe to do their bidding.
hey, wait a minute....

Jerry Reed

2008-09-10T19:21:00.000-07:00

Jerry Reed, who appeared in the “Smokey and the Bandit” movies, past away of complications from emphysema at age 71 last Tuesday.
He was a great guitar player and from all reports a nice guy.
He will be missed.

Obama plagiarizes McCain and Cheney

2008-09-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

No wonder the conservative "news" outlets are upset.