The weekend Thread

[sunvalleylaw]

My weekend looked a lot like this except with one of the guitars in my hands.


wifey was out of town on a back pack trip with her girlfriends. Me, the kids and the MIL hung at home. I got all my recording software working again after not having it updated (or using it for that matter) for quite some time. Figured out how to mic my Concert with two mics, set up the SM57 and AT2035, pointed the 57 an inch or two off the screen a little above center cone on lower right speaker, put the 2035 a couple feet back directed toward the top of the upper right speaker as shown. Started working on recording a cover of a Joey Ramone's punk cover of Wonderful World. Worked on it much of saturday, but with many interruptions due to Dad duties, which come first of course. Did not get it recorded well enough to post yet, but did get a lot of stuff figured out in terms of twiddling knobs and getting sounds I think I want.

I don't have a bass, but do have some recorded drums someone gave me, but I might have to re-do a portion to make it fit what I am learning. So in lieu of bass, I have been using the Hag for the main guitar part of this punk song, and using the tele to cover bass with some palm muted power chords and the tone rolled back. But other than wanting the amazing sustain of the Hag, I almost want to use the tele for the main guitar too. Way easier to control this loud and distorted. But the Hag's sustain, and when it is right, on the edge rolling into feedback tone is pretty fun. I was liking the DS-1 with the Bad Monkey later in the chain to smooth it out for this task. Volume knob dependent for sure, but was getting some old school punk tones, or at least ones I enjoy, out of that with both guitars. It was a bit loud at my house most of yesterday and a bit of today. Gonna keep playing with it. Why not? I don't know what I am doing anyway. Might as well just play with it!

Did get a decent mountain bike ride in today, and kept the kids on task on the stuff that needed to get done before mom got home. Had a cook out over a back yard fire with fresh corn and watermelon. Avoided media coverage of 9/11 (I certainly remember and send prayers and mojo to all affected directly and indirectly, but did not want to join the media coverage in any way), and felt thankful to have my family and a nice day to enjoy with them.

[Brian Krashpad]

Sounds like a good weekend Steve! I avoided 9/11 coverage as well.

Went down to ORL for "Family Weekend" at UCF with Mrs. K and son. For some reason the UCF (home) team was at the Radisson we were at, dunno if it was just for game-day coach-ups or overnight the night before to get them off campus and stay focused. Either way, it worked. UCF 30, Boston College 3.

Plus of course we got to hang with my daughter. She went to the game with us after a little tour of the campus during all the tailgating on game day. Kinda hilarious, my wife made me leave my Sharp's NA "brew" in the car so I "wouldn't get arrested," and of course there were people everywhere, including underage college kids, drinking real beer like fish out in the open all over campus.

Took my daughter and her girlfriend to breakfast Sunday morning. Came back to GNV Sunday afternoon.

[Eric***]

That's a cool picture, B. My weekend was mostly spent on the road. My wife and I drove up to Boston on Friday to visit my sister, brother-in-law and niece, as my sister was supposed to have kid #2 by now. However, there was and still is not any baby, so we just hung around all weekend with them and my mom, who was also in town for the reluctant baby. We theorized that my sister must have a very comfy womb, as baby #1 was also late.

Drank plenty of beer on Saturday night and went candlepin bowling at a local place up there. Pretty decent weekend all around.

[Brian Krashpad]

Sound like a good weekend Eric. I don't think we have candlepins or duckpins down here.

Btw, the pic is one of UCF's official photos of the game. The sky was beautiful at sunset. By coincidence, it's taken from the same corner of the field we were sitting at, only we were up about 6 or 7 rows from the top of the stadium so we had a better perspective of the field.

[Brian Krashpad]

Nothing up Friday night, except for an early dinner at our fave local Mexican restaurant, La Fiesta.



I had fish tacos, with the fish grilled. Waaaay better than having it fried.

Saturday I was at church most of the day. Had band practice at 10. Gator Football Parking for the UT game started at 11:30, my wife dropped our son off for that. Most of our lot (the paved part, and a mulched parking lot) is all reserved, but we also have space on a side lawn that we sell. We got really creative fitting cars in (and still keeping the lawn "no block"), plus one space in the paved lot let us know they weren't going to show so we could sell their space. Made $500 for the Youth Group just from the non-reserved spaces sold. One guy in a Porsche SUV (who knew those exist?) showed up late and said he'd pay extra if we could give him a space. We moved a bunch of our cars around, and he paid us SIXTY bucks for the spot (we were selling them for $25!).

Went home at about 4:30, didn't even wait until halftime since it was so parked up and we got all the parking cones picked up early. Dropped the boy off at a freind's (who had also been at Parking) on the way home. Watched the Gators manhandle the Vols and go to 3-0/1-0 SEC. Tried to watch the FSU-OU game but fell asleep. Was actually rooting for FSU since we meet them late in the season and if they won it'd help us if we beat them, but that was not to be.

At church today we did a slightly slowed down version of a song I wrote for Crash Pad (it's in our current set), but changed about 5 words in to make it a praise song (yep that's all it took). We got away with it by doing it as pre-service music. We'll probably do a similar version of it (although probably with the original lyric) in my side band with the keyboard player. (Have practice with them in about an hour at my office.)

So that'll make 3 bands doing 3 slightly different versions of the song.

Meanwhile, while running through the songs rehearsing between the services, playing my Dano Hodad:



The strap peg on the upper horn pulled out while I had the guitar on. I automatically grabbed the guitar neck before it could hit the floor, but the bottom end swung down to below my hand, like a pendulum, which meant the headstock swung over right into my face. Cut the bridge of my nose open. Cute. Went over to the kitchen in the other building and got a small wooden skewer (and a band-aid I ended up not using) to do the "toothpick" repair and fixed the strap peg before the second service started.

On the way home I scored a Juice Box OD pedal off craigslist. Didn't need it, but for $20 how could I NOT buy it? First gear I've bought in like 2 years.



Will probably try it out at practice with the side band tonight.

So, how was your weekend?

[Katastrophe]

My weekends are boring. Started my sleep/work cycle on Wednesday (stay up all night Wed., sleep Thursday, start working Thursday night). Then it was work, sleep, work, sleep, work, sleep. I'm now finishing off this rousing weekend by doing a ton of chores, so that I can sleep some more, and go to school on Monday.

I'm in a serious rut right now.

[Tig***]

Ah, my second weekend OFF after working 71 of them in a row.
Spent most of the time with Mrs. Tig at the hospital and now at home after being discharged. She's doing well considering she just got a new knee.

Our youngest grand daughter has her 2nd birthday party today. No pic's, but she's as cute as they get.

[street music]

Enjoyed the 58 degrees this morning as I went to play around of golf, 76 degrees when we finished, came home and played my Carvin for about 1 1/2 hours and just kicked back after feeding the cat.Yesterday we went to festival and watched some great skateboard racing and saw a empty stage- not one person singing till after we left.

[Tig***]

I'm wiped out today. I've been running around crazy taking care of Mrs. Tig, the kids and the dogs... + Swapping ice packs, setting up the leg exerciser/inquisition machine 4 times a day, cooking, administering med's, emptying the porta-potty , and 10 million other things that needed to be done.

When you look back on your life and relationship together, these moments actually stick out in a good way. As a couple, you got through a difficult, painful time and came out stronger.

[Katastrophe]

Man, I hope Mrs. Tig gets well soon!

[Brian Krashpad]

Man, I hope Mrs. Tig gets well soon!

Ditto. Take care Tig!

[Brian Krashpad]

OK weekend: most of the small limbs up from the yard at Casa Krashpad, pulled some weeds, got some of the leaves off the roof, practiced at church on Saturday and did all 3 songs on Sunday with heavy Edge-type delay, just because. FINALLY got a haircut, and good Pedagogy practice Sunday night. Who'da guessed I'd ever play a song clean all the way through, with tons of major sevenths? True. I have witnesses.

And of course the Gators beat Kentucky. 25 years straight now.

Visiting Oral Medicine at Shands this p.m. to see just how messed up that dang radiation has made my mouf. Good times.

[Glacies]

Drove up to my SiL's house this weekend for whitewater rafting on Saturday and we almost bit the big one. It was a professionally guided rafting trip but the boat ended up flipping in a class 5 rapid and tossed us all the water. I was on the high side of the boat and had the most airtime before crashing down and getting sucked under. I got thrown on the opposite side of the river as my wife, her sister and her sister's husband and had a hell of a time not drowning all by myself out there. Another raft was able to get everyone else in the boat but I was stuck unfortunately having to pass through the rapids on my own before anyone picked me up. I can't describe the elation at seeing everyone okay, even if my BiL was in almost a catatonic shock. We were all beaten up pretty well but no serious injuries. Just minor cuts and bruises. The rafting company gave us all beers afterwards and we decided to hit a bar after that for more intense stress relief.

And then i watched Yankees beat Boston. Was good.

[Brian Krashpad]

Dang! Glad you're OK.

Thanks for posting.

[Tig***]

A crazy few weeks it has been at Casa Tig! I finally got some decent rest this past weekend. EDIT: Also, we have been taking care of our 7 year old grand daughter the last few weeks. (a long and not so happy story that I'll skip)

The previous week and weekend was a blur of sleepless nights and days with Mrs. Tig's surgery and return home. The poor woman has been dealing with some incredible pain (no, not me this time). Then, Wednesday night after being home for 4 days, her heart rate was holding at 120 with some hypertension and she felt like cr*p. The step son took her to the ER while I left work and rushed there by 11 PM. It was a very long night in the ER. They couldn't get a decent IV in her arms due to all of the failed IV attempts from the previous hospital stay. It was like watching a torture session with the RN's taking dart practice on the poor gal.

Finally, the ER doc comes in and gets an extended jugular vein in her neck with a honkin' huge 12 gauge IV needle. He gave the area a local to deaden the pain and hit the vein like a pro. Even though she had been drinking enough fluids to kayak in, her med's dehydrated her severely, causing the heart rate problem. They dripped a huge bag of IV fluids in her to restore everything, and we finally went home later. I had to call off from work due to no sleep.

So, rested, I took her to various doctor, lab (more blood draws) and a rehab appointment Monday morning, interrupted by a call from the school nurse... Our 10 year old grandson who we are raising has a fever. I pick him up, dose him with some kids tylenol, and he tells me he was dizzy, short of breath and felt pain in his chest (heart?!) and back (meningitis?!). I check his pulse. 124! Off to the ER!

5 hours later, they were about to send him home with a "looks like he's just catching something" excuse when the chest X-ray comes back with pneumonia. After a shot of antibiotics in the rump, we take him home, all of us exhausted. He'll be fine with more rest and antibiotics. He was perfectly fine earlier and then, bam! I'm happy we acted quickly.

I get a quick meal, catch the bus into downtown and have been working since. No nap today. I prey all goes smoothly for some actual sleep Tuesday.

[Brian Krashpad]

Holy cow! Prayers and mojo Tig.

[Glacies]

Wow Tig, Sorry to hear about that man. Mojo your way...

[piebaldpython***]

Damn Tig.........YOU need a vacation. Sorry about the Mrs and your grandson. Especially sorry about your granddaughter and her untold story. One can only imagine!

Mrs PBP hasn't been feeling so hot herself lately. Right sides cramps and stuff like that, some pretty severe and almost bad enough to go to an ER. She saw her gastro doc yesterday and he said she may be working on a gall-bladder problem. Blood testing and X-rays later this week as she is feeling OK right now.

[Brian Krashpad]

Dang, what's up w/all our missuses? Prayers and mojo, PBP! Mrs. K informed me this morning that instead of getting single stomach spasms in the night/early morning, she's now getting like 5 in a row.

Sigh.