The weekend Thread

[R_of_G]

Best wishes for your wives Tig, PBP and Krash.

[Tig***]

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.

Thanks, everyone! In all honesty, I can't remember the last vacation I had. A nice weekend camping sounds like heaven to me, once the weather cools down a little more.

I hope Mrs. PBP gets the cause of her pain handled. Hopefull it is something easy to treat. Gall stones and the like can redefine someone's "10" level of pain.

[Tig***]

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.

Must be somethin' in the water... At least they aren't all preggers!

Having the occasional crippling pain gut problems, I feel for Mrs. PBP and Mrs. Krash. The main thing is for them to get tested and treated. The different causes rarely stay away or get better on their own.

[Eric***]

I hope Mrs. PBP gets the cause of her pain handled. Hopefull it is something easy to treat. Gall stones and the like can redefine someone's "10" level of pain.

I had my gall bladder removed last Thanksgiving, and though the procedure wasn't too bad, the pain leading up to it was pretty brutal. I felt like my abdominal region was spontaneously combusting.

On that note, PBP, I think gall bladder pain is usually in the middle (from side to side) top (from top to bottom) part of the abdomen, kind of between the lower reaches of the rib cage. I hope your wife feels better soon. That last part applies to all of you guys with ailing ladies!

[R_of_G]

It's been a very cool guitar-related weekend for me so far. I got to play the teacher role in a couple of cases.

Friday night my neighbor (the bass player) called. He bought an acoustic guitar last week and has been trying to learn to play. He wanted me to come over and answer a few questions and show him some stuff. Having played bass for a few years his fretting is more advanced at the two week level than mine was. He's having issues moving smoothly from chord to chord but the chords sound right (except when he inverted his D accidentally). He knew D, G and A so naturally I felt compelled to teach him "Dead Flowers."

Yesterday we went to a birthday party for our best friends' 14 year old son. We've known him his entire life and he's growing up to be a very cool kid. He recently got one of those First Act 222 starter guitar packages with the little practice amp. He's also taking classical guitar as an elective in middle school (which I didn't know they offered in a public school here and was pleased to find out otherwise). He likes a lot of current and more recent punk/pop bands so I made him a CD of the stuff I listened to at his age (basically a starter kit of classic 70s New York punk). He knows A, G, E, and D so I showed him how many things he could do with just those. If he listens to the CD he should get the point.

EDIT: I also found a pick that'd been missing for several months. It belonged to Adrian Belew until he dropped it onstage one night and left it there after the show. My friend who'd been standing in the front row grabbed it after the show and gave it to me.

[Brian Krashpad]

Sounds cool R of G. I always enjoy showing new players stuff.

Friday: dinner at fave local Mexican restaurant, La Fiesta

Saturday: yard work in morning, praise band practice at 3, Gator Game Parking also at church, 4:00-8:15. Went home and watched Gators get crushed after losing their QB.

Sunday: 3 songs at church, nap, side pop band practice at 6:00-9:00

[Eric***]

I made a cameo appearance at my old church this weekend. They were in dire need of a bass player, so I was able to try out my fancy-pants Ibanez bass in public for the first time. Everything went pretty well and it was fun to be back up on stage. I wish I could find a situation like that again, but circumstances dictate otherwise right now.

Had some friends over on Saturday and I won the game of Settlers of Catan. I like to live on the wild side, that's for sure.

[Tig***]

The temperature finally stayed cool this weekend, so I got my sorry carcass back on the bike for a 1 hour and 10 minute ride. I took the fixed gear since the geared bike needs a new chain. I rode to the local group ride (about 70-80 riders total) and went with the 18 MPG group. I turned around early since I knew my butt and body would be sore enough.

I'm surprised I did so well. The legs didn't forget much and I rode very smoothly. I was pretty sore the rest of the weekend, so I'm glad I didn't push it. This will be a slow and gradual return to fitness, thanks to age and health factors. I'm very happy to be moving again.

[Childbride]

we are both officially naui certified. today, texas got [FINALLY!!!] drenched in rain; did our last two checkouts looking up at the surface with spreading raindrop ripples. it was really awesome. went in and out of a scuttled boat, checked out an old cooling station... the water was chilly at 75, but we are card carrying scuba divers!

[marnold***]

we are both officially naui certified. today, texas got [FINALLY!!!] drenched in rain; did our last two checkouts looking up at the surface with spreading raindrop ripples. it was really awesome. went in and out of a scuttled boat, checked out an old cooling station... the water was chilly at 75, but we are card carrying scuba divers!

Congrats, CB (and Shiner)! Does Shiner's diving gear include a small barrel of Shiner bock around his neck like a St. Bernard? I was happy to see you guys get rain. Would figure that it wouldn't rain there all year except when the Tigers are in town

My folks moved to the greater Milwaukee area and I helped them move in on Friday. My mom called at 2:30 that morning to tell me that my grandfather passed away at 94. He was my pastor and one of the main reasons I'm in the ministry. His last few years were a little rough from a health perspective. Thankfully I got to have one last good conversation with him when I was home last summer. Going to sprint home for the funeral at the end of the week and sprint back for Sunday.

[Eric***]

My folks moved to the greater Milwaukee area and I helped them move in on Friday. My mom called at 2:30 that morning to tell me that my grandfather passed away at 94. He was my pastor and one of the main reasons I'm in the ministry. His last few years were a little rough from a health perspective. Thankfully I got to have one last good conversation with him when I was home last summer. Going to sprint home for the funeral at the end of the week and sprint back for Sunday.

Sorry to hear about your gpa, marnold. That's sort of amazing that he was still around so long into your life (mine are all gone), but it's tough nonetheless.

[Katastrophe]

See comment posted below.

[Katastrophe]

Outstanding, CB and Shiner!

Matt, I'm very sorry for your loss. Prayers sent for you and your family.

[Tig***]

Congratulations, CB and Shiner! Now, go have fun in the sun (and water). Keep it safe. --The local hyperbaric chamber people I know say they have treated divers that were within the dive tables, so go with what your body also tells you.

Marnold, you have my deepest heartfelt sympathy for your loss. The good thing is he was such an important influence in your life, and you wouldn't be the same without him in your life. Carry on his love and values, and he'll continue to live in the lives that you touch.

[Childbride]

thanks for the well wishing you guys... we really took it slow and learned this carefully, b/c we want to make sure we are safe doing this. i'm proud of us. we started back in august and really took our time. i did half of my skills yesterday with my mask flooded and blind.... i am a hardheaded woman. if i make up my mind to do something, it will happen.

Marnold... no barrel, but he's making up for it tonight. and Marnold, my deepest, deepest sympathies. you know how close i am to Gram. i cannot fathom your loss. my grandfather was a huge impact on the direction my life took. he taught me to be a good woman. hold tightly to everything about him, close your eyes and he will be with you. my prayers are with you and your family.

[luvmyshiner]

Marnold, thoughts and prayers sent in your direction my friend.

[marnold***]

Thanks, one and all. It was tougher when my grandma died because it was so sudden. She was at my alma mater's Christmas concert, went to a party at my Aunt and Uncle's house, and then died in her sleep. By the way, that's the way I'd like to go if given the choice. It's hard to feel sad when he lived a long, full life and the last few years have been filled with the typical medical problems. My Arnold grandparents died before I was born, so I never knew them.

The summer before last (I think it was) I wasn't sure how many more times I'd get to talk to him so when my family was done visiting I stayed behind in his room and thanked him for encouraging me into the ministry. He just got a wry grin on his face and said, "No charge." I always wanted to make my grandparents proud of me. The reality is that unless I became an axe murderer, they would have been. I was their first grandchild and the fact that I was going into the ministry was icing on the cake. My youngest cousin just started at the Seminary. We are the "bookends" of this generation. I'm sure they would have been thrilled to see him graduate one day.

[Eric***]

Friday: Spent some male bonding time with my drummer friend, playing Halo and drinking beer.

Saturday: Went to an Oktoberfest in Bethlehem, PA hosted by Yuengling. Obviously, most of the beers there were in fact Yuengling, but they also had Hofbrau original, so my wife and I downed a pitcher of that. Score. The real reason we decided to go up to the event was because part of the event included a concert by Here Come the Mummies, so we got tickets to see them and closed out the night by watching them. They were ridiculously tight and had tons of energy. I think they played for at least an hour and a half with no breaks whatsoever (like not even a pause between songs) and they were jumping around on stage the whole time. Pretty amazing for a quasi-gimmick band.

Sunday: After church, basically just hung around and watched some football on the computer, with some napping and beer-drinking multi-tasking. I guess it was a pretty beer-ful weekend. I can't complain.

[R_of_G]

Saturday: Went to an Oktoberfest in Bethlehem, PA hosted by Yuengling. Obviously, most of the beers there were in fact Yuengling, but they also had Hofbrau original, so my wife and I downed a pitcher of that. Score.

I have a lot of fond memories of Bethlehem. I spent my freshman year of college there.
Incidentally, there's a Yuengling plant here in Tampa not far from where I live. Not my favorite beer but not bad.