My little bro was on the Kellogg Fire in Idaho. He did such a good job, a group of hotshots guaranteed him a job for next year's season.
It's a growing industry. How sad.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Friday, September 28, 2007
Weather is here!
Hmm actually, the weather arrived last Wednesday, when we had snow at various places about 6000 feet. Bly mountain got some, but just enough to look out the window, say "Hey, it snowed" and then it went away.
Today, the snow level appears to be right at around 5500 feet or so. The tops of the hills around town got a dusting.
I needed wiper blades. I knew this a week ago, and kept thinking, "Pick up blades for the car and the Fo." Stopped in somewhere finally, today, to grab some, and stood in line behind a handful of other people who, like me, put it off. Heh. My blades on the Camry are about falling off- they're a year old. The ones on the Fo are intact, but simply don't do the job anymore. You can make a set of blades last two years on the coast- you're always using them, and if you wipe them off every time you squeegee your windows, they'll last. Out here, the just rot all summer and even keeping them clean doesn't do any good.
blah blah blah
Today, the snow level appears to be right at around 5500 feet or so. The tops of the hills around town got a dusting.
I needed wiper blades. I knew this a week ago, and kept thinking, "Pick up blades for the car and the Fo." Stopped in somewhere finally, today, to grab some, and stood in line behind a handful of other people who, like me, put it off. Heh. My blades on the Camry are about falling off- they're a year old. The ones on the Fo are intact, but simply don't do the job anymore. You can make a set of blades last two years on the coast- you're always using them, and if you wipe them off every time you squeegee your windows, they'll last. Out here, the just rot all summer and even keeping them clean doesn't do any good.
blah blah blah
Thursday, September 27, 2007
maybe disgusting
With the newest acquisition of the Yomamaha acoustic geet, it brings the grand total of stringed instruments in our house to...
*drumroll*
seven.
two steel string acoustics, one spanish classical acoustic, one electric six-string, one archtop acoustic, one solid-body bass, one hollow-body bass.
And, you know, if I sold them all, I still couldn't buy a $2000 Taylor or anything like that. *laff* Not even if I threw in the 15-inch ported bass cab, 100-watt head AND 15-watt practice amp.
I have all this shit, and still I'm driving around in an '87 Camry who threatens me with something new to go wrong every stinking day. What's wrong, here?!
Oh the rambler and i made a musical discovery last night, and spent an hour trying to figure out what made it work. I played a song in A minor. Then I showed him the bass line for it, which is in E. We both went, "Wait a sec...", because I had never made the connection about the two parts. (my guitar brain and bass brain aren't connected. If you ever jammed with me, you'd see this). So I played the piece again, just the rhythm part, and he played an E minor pentatonic scale over it for a lead. It sounded great.
It has to do with the circle of fifths, and why certain things we've played with two guitars-one capo'd, one not-sounded right. So we spent a while trying to drag this information from the depths of my mind, where it resides, and creeps out once in a while and whacks me in the head, resulting in a moment of " Holy crap I get it!!!". This feeling disappears after about an hour, and I'm lost on the theory shit all over. anyway, I couldn't quite make the connection make sense for him, because it isn't real solid for me. We'll work on it.
*drumroll*
seven.
two steel string acoustics, one spanish classical acoustic, one electric six-string, one archtop acoustic, one solid-body bass, one hollow-body bass.
And, you know, if I sold them all, I still couldn't buy a $2000 Taylor or anything like that. *laff* Not even if I threw in the 15-inch ported bass cab, 100-watt head AND 15-watt practice amp.
I have all this shit, and still I'm driving around in an '87 Camry who threatens me with something new to go wrong every stinking day. What's wrong, here?!
Oh the rambler and i made a musical discovery last night, and spent an hour trying to figure out what made it work. I played a song in A minor. Then I showed him the bass line for it, which is in E. We both went, "Wait a sec...", because I had never made the connection about the two parts. (my guitar brain and bass brain aren't connected. If you ever jammed with me, you'd see this). So I played the piece again, just the rhythm part, and he played an E minor pentatonic scale over it for a lead. It sounded great.
It has to do with the circle of fifths, and why certain things we've played with two guitars-one capo'd, one not-sounded right. So we spent a while trying to drag this information from the depths of my mind, where it resides, and creeps out once in a while and whacks me in the head, resulting in a moment of " Holy crap I get it!!!". This feeling disappears after about an hour, and I'm lost on the theory shit all over. anyway, I couldn't quite make the connection make sense for him, because it isn't real solid for me. We'll work on it.
in the spirit of all the "overheard" things
2 from here.
At a mini-mart i'm stocking, the clerk and a customer are discussing the merits of the "can cappers".
"Once you get them on, they don't come off easy"
"Yeah, it's hard to get off the can sometimes".
*
At a meeting of musicians, discussing the fact that a temporary outdoor stage was taken down-
"well, we all have experience playing on grass".
mundane if read one way, i thought they were a roar in person if you took the double meanings from them.
At a mini-mart i'm stocking, the clerk and a customer are discussing the merits of the "can cappers".
"Once you get them on, they don't come off easy"
"Yeah, it's hard to get off the can sometimes".
*
At a meeting of musicians, discussing the fact that a temporary outdoor stage was taken down-
"well, we all have experience playing on grass".
mundane if read one way, i thought they were a roar in person if you took the double meanings from them.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
how weird things are
SO, i took the trip down with my aunt, whom, as i said, i think, I hadn't seen in at least 20 years. Possibly longer. Now we live within an hour from each other.
We got to talk for 12 hours straight, then another 12 coming back. That's right, we busted through the trip in one shot both ways. Stopped for gas, potty breaks, and that was it.
I got to meet my little second cousin when I went to her house. A little red-headed kid. I love little red-headed kids. She's smart as hell, too. Five, heading into kindergarten this year. My cousin looks fantastic. My uncle is a volunteer Policeman at Rogue River- the man is pushing 70 and is unstoppable.
My aunt looks just like her mother. Sort of sounds like her too, although I hear my dad and my uncle's mannerisms in hers, and see pieces of grandma in how she acts. She laughs and says, about my misadventures, "you may not be one by blood, but you're one of us that's for sure". Her daughter is the only cousin I have on that side that did not make a life-alteringly horrific decision at any point in her life. Good for her. Like I said, she's the "good heather".
Anyway, i suppose I should mosey off to work. I have to be there in 10 minutes.
We got to talk for 12 hours straight, then another 12 coming back. That's right, we busted through the trip in one shot both ways. Stopped for gas, potty breaks, and that was it.
I got to meet my little second cousin when I went to her house. A little red-headed kid. I love little red-headed kids. She's smart as hell, too. Five, heading into kindergarten this year. My cousin looks fantastic. My uncle is a volunteer Policeman at Rogue River- the man is pushing 70 and is unstoppable.
My aunt looks just like her mother. Sort of sounds like her too, although I hear my dad and my uncle's mannerisms in hers, and see pieces of grandma in how she acts. She laughs and says, about my misadventures, "you may not be one by blood, but you're one of us that's for sure". Her daughter is the only cousin I have on that side that did not make a life-alteringly horrific decision at any point in her life. Good for her. Like I said, she's the "good heather".
Anyway, i suppose I should mosey off to work. I have to be there in 10 minutes.
the manifest
I'm just going to start a new flickr account, since they've been so unhelpful (read unresponsive) in merging the old one for me. But for now, a list of the items i was given.
a "pub clock", the name is what style, not where it was. The clock says "RAF" under the XII, it belonged to the Royal Air Force and probably went in a mess hall or something similar. It's in perfect condition, as anything belonging to my dad is, except the things my brother was allowed to touch. It must weigh 40 pounds.
A pipe cabinet. About 2 feet high, very delicate legs. The top warped at some point and is no longer attached, but still fits. It's oak.
14 x 14 framed print of the insignia of the Glomar Explorer. Also included with this treasure is a belt buckle that came with the print, that has the Explorer on it, and my dad's name under it (google Project Jennifer for more info on this project).
A framed and signed drawing by Paul Conrad, an editorial cartoonist from the LA Times. From 1971. It was signed again and given to my dad, "To (my dad's name)" in 1976. An original ink drawing, not a print.
A humongous oak-framed mirror. Not sure what style it is.
2 oddball pieces in cast aluminum and glass. My dad made them. One has a light inside, and the other is a place to put your pocket finds.
A spun copper bowl, made by my dad in college.
My dad's carpentry gig bag, from college.
Some of my grandfather's tools, and his toolbox. All are made in USA. Included are lineman's pliers, original channel locks, tin snippers, 80 million types of feeler gages, spark plug gappers, etc.
Our old camping equipment. Coleman single burner and two-burner stove, lantern, fuel to run them. The old aluminum pole tent, and an older backpacking tent. Scored his axe, the one we always took with us, with it's leather head cover.
Many old pictures, which my aunt has, and she is going to scan and print them.
A trashcan that looks like a Campbell's Tomato soup can.
Another clock, that we couldn't fit, that he is going to ship up.
A giant oak roll top desk, which my aunt will keep for us until we get a place it will fit... because we couldn't even get it in the door, probably. This alone weighs probably 500 pounds, in three pieces. To get it out of his house, we hauled it down three flights of stairs (and between the three of us, we had maybe three properly functioning knees, so that was fun)
My schooldesk. It's mine because I had it all growing up, and when I moved out, my mom gave it back to him for the kids to use. Surprisingly, it's not trashed. When I say "schooldesk", you think of the ones the kids on Little House on the Prairie used. Inkwell hole, cast iron feet that bolted to the floor, seat in the front for the next kid.
The "Come right now or get your butt spanked bell". Brought out from Kansas by my grandparents, a real cowbell. Bronze. They rang it when it was time for my dad, aunt and uncle to come in for dinner.
2 pieces of cast iron cookware. A "cauldron", just a pot. Also a long cauldron, about two feet long and 18 inches deep. These belonged to my great-grandparents, the Jennings (grandma's side)
a four-legged stool my dad picked up somewhere. He couldn't understand why i wanted it. It was mine to sit on when we were working in the garage together. I absorbed a lot of mechanical information, metallurgical information, and things you just generally tell your son about when you're in the garage together, while sitting on that stool.
A long tapestry thing with dragons embroidered on it, that some Minister of Something in China gave my dad on one of his trips over there that had to do with his business.
His old down sleeping bag. Also, his down coat. This coat is a monster. I can't wait until it's cold enough to wear it, although we'll probably have it set aside for guests from more temperate climes to use in the wintertime.
Dad's skis and poles. Head Standards. They're aluminum downhillers. Probably from the late 60s. I forget what the bindings are. I will risk more knee injuries learning to use them, i'm sure.
My brother's acoustic guitar. A Yamaha. It was probably played twice. Looking at the book in the case, I'm not surprised he didn't continue learning. There was an electric geet, but dad said bro came over and got it one day and it never came back. Probably got sold for bail money, drugs, or to pay off a ticket. I snicker. I would have probably done the same, but the acoustic is a better guitar than the electric was.
A digital clock that's neato- has a big face, big numbers, shows the time, date, day, inside temp, outside temp, relative humidity and a general direction of which way the weather is headed. It currently isn't showing the outside temp, even though the sensor is outside. I'll have to fiddle with it some.
Some painting stuff. Including a nice dropcloth (finally!), scrapers, decent brushes. Good stuff to have.
Some other miscellaneous things. I went and took pictures of all this stuff and will put them on the new flickr acccount when i set it up.
a "pub clock", the name is what style, not where it was. The clock says "RAF" under the XII, it belonged to the Royal Air Force and probably went in a mess hall or something similar. It's in perfect condition, as anything belonging to my dad is, except the things my brother was allowed to touch. It must weigh 40 pounds.
A pipe cabinet. About 2 feet high, very delicate legs. The top warped at some point and is no longer attached, but still fits. It's oak.
14 x 14 framed print of the insignia of the Glomar Explorer. Also included with this treasure is a belt buckle that came with the print, that has the Explorer on it, and my dad's name under it (google Project Jennifer for more info on this project).
A framed and signed drawing by Paul Conrad, an editorial cartoonist from the LA Times. From 1971. It was signed again and given to my dad, "To (my dad's name)" in 1976. An original ink drawing, not a print.
A humongous oak-framed mirror. Not sure what style it is.
2 oddball pieces in cast aluminum and glass. My dad made them. One has a light inside, and the other is a place to put your pocket finds.
A spun copper bowl, made by my dad in college.
My dad's carpentry gig bag, from college.
Some of my grandfather's tools, and his toolbox. All are made in USA. Included are lineman's pliers, original channel locks, tin snippers, 80 million types of feeler gages, spark plug gappers, etc.
Our old camping equipment. Coleman single burner and two-burner stove, lantern, fuel to run them. The old aluminum pole tent, and an older backpacking tent. Scored his axe, the one we always took with us, with it's leather head cover.
Many old pictures, which my aunt has, and she is going to scan and print them.
A trashcan that looks like a Campbell's Tomato soup can.
Another clock, that we couldn't fit, that he is going to ship up.
A giant oak roll top desk, which my aunt will keep for us until we get a place it will fit... because we couldn't even get it in the door, probably. This alone weighs probably 500 pounds, in three pieces. To get it out of his house, we hauled it down three flights of stairs (and between the three of us, we had maybe three properly functioning knees, so that was fun)
My schooldesk. It's mine because I had it all growing up, and when I moved out, my mom gave it back to him for the kids to use. Surprisingly, it's not trashed. When I say "schooldesk", you think of the ones the kids on Little House on the Prairie used. Inkwell hole, cast iron feet that bolted to the floor, seat in the front for the next kid.
The "Come right now or get your butt spanked bell". Brought out from Kansas by my grandparents, a real cowbell. Bronze. They rang it when it was time for my dad, aunt and uncle to come in for dinner.
2 pieces of cast iron cookware. A "cauldron", just a pot. Also a long cauldron, about two feet long and 18 inches deep. These belonged to my great-grandparents, the Jennings (grandma's side)
a four-legged stool my dad picked up somewhere. He couldn't understand why i wanted it. It was mine to sit on when we were working in the garage together. I absorbed a lot of mechanical information, metallurgical information, and things you just generally tell your son about when you're in the garage together, while sitting on that stool.
A long tapestry thing with dragons embroidered on it, that some Minister of Something in China gave my dad on one of his trips over there that had to do with his business.
His old down sleeping bag. Also, his down coat. This coat is a monster. I can't wait until it's cold enough to wear it, although we'll probably have it set aside for guests from more temperate climes to use in the wintertime.
Dad's skis and poles. Head Standards. They're aluminum downhillers. Probably from the late 60s. I forget what the bindings are. I will risk more knee injuries learning to use them, i'm sure.
My brother's acoustic guitar. A Yamaha. It was probably played twice. Looking at the book in the case, I'm not surprised he didn't continue learning. There was an electric geet, but dad said bro came over and got it one day and it never came back. Probably got sold for bail money, drugs, or to pay off a ticket. I snicker. I would have probably done the same, but the acoustic is a better guitar than the electric was.
A digital clock that's neato- has a big face, big numbers, shows the time, date, day, inside temp, outside temp, relative humidity and a general direction of which way the weather is headed. It currently isn't showing the outside temp, even though the sensor is outside. I'll have to fiddle with it some.
Some painting stuff. Including a nice dropcloth (finally!), scrapers, decent brushes. Good stuff to have.
Some other miscellaneous things. I went and took pictures of all this stuff and will put them on the new flickr acccount when i set it up.
the visitor
i found her owners the day after she wandered into our yard. I called around to the local vets to see if someone had reported her missing. OUR vet said, "She sounds familiar" but she hadnt been reported. I took her down there. They recognized her from when she was a puppy. Someone had found her wandering along one of the main drags here, with a messed up eye, so they brought her to the vet and got her all fixed up, had a chip put in, and looked for a new home for her to go to. She got one, with a family, a big yard, etc. But she had gotten out the gate while playing with the kids a couple of weeks ago and then appeared in our yard.
So, yeah she went home and she was ecstatic to see the vet. weirdo dog.
In other news, I just returned from a whirlwind trip to LA and back, on Monday. Loaded down with family treasures. More on that later.
So, yeah she went home and she was ecstatic to see the vet. weirdo dog.
In other news, I just returned from a whirlwind trip to LA and back, on Monday. Loaded down with family treasures. More on that later.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
4-legged visitor
Because we live at the intersection of the freeway and a busy street, when a dog or cat wanders into our yard, i'll close the gate and look for the owner. Yesterday, I locked myself out of the house and this beautiful little pit bull wandered over. Super friendly. Starved half to death. So I put her in the yard, closed the gate, and walked up to the K Hole to buy a bag of hound chow. Came back, fed her. She has a collar and no tag. She's brindle with white toes, white chest, white mask. And one eye. Housebroken, rides in a car without much problem. I took her out for a walk around the 'hood to see if anyone recognized her. No luck. So, today while working, I will drop her at a groomer for a bath (she smells like stinkydog) and in between stores, call the humane society and as many vets as I can to see if one of their patients is missing. She has little snaggleteeth, too. I don't want to take her to the pound, so I've got the word out that I've got a sweet little pitty that needs a really good home. She is a spoiled dog, has attachment issues it seems. She's an inside dog. She looks purebred, but small. She has a collar, but no tags.
The cats aren't real sure what to think. Tam has come out to visit with her dog before and they did ok, just hung out in the bedroom while the dog was around. Except queen Spot, who kept her place on the couch and ignored Tuffy.
So, if anyone in Klamath stumbles across this, who knows who might belong to this sweet, one-eyed girldog, leave a comment. I've been calling her Jack.
The cats aren't real sure what to think. Tam has come out to visit with her dog before and they did ok, just hung out in the bedroom while the dog was around. Except queen Spot, who kept her place on the couch and ignored Tuffy.
So, if anyone in Klamath stumbles across this, who knows who might belong to this sweet, one-eyed girldog, leave a comment. I've been calling her Jack.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
What was the A-side for "The Great Pretender"?
Well, you may not get the joke of the title, because the its the flip of a caption I remember reading in Creem Magazine a million years ago.
The answer though, is "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes". Which is what work was like yesterday in Siskiyou. A fire, apparently pretty large, is burning near Susanville.
In the morning, it was so heavy it was hard to see Mt Shasta, even standing at it's feet in South Weed. Into McCloud, the smell was nearly overpowering.
The answer though, is "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes". Which is what work was like yesterday in Siskiyou. A fire, apparently pretty large, is burning near Susanville.
In the morning, it was so heavy it was hard to see Mt Shasta, even standing at it's feet in South Weed. Into McCloud, the smell was nearly overpowering.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
two things
I recently bought Wilco's "Sky Blue Sky". Because of the song "You Are My Face". I'm still kind of trying to decide if i like the whole thing or not. All in all, it's good. I love the lyrics. Not necessarily the content, but the flow. Some of the music really stands out and makes me go "ooh! ok rewind to that spot again... oooh!" and some of it is boooooring. I have nothing to attach the album to.
ALso finally got around to reading "Wicked". But here's what happens when I read a book, anymore. I don't retain it for more than a couple of days. I liked the book. I don't really know why. I like that the Witch was an idealistic youngster, I like the discussions about the nature of evil. I liked the book right after I read it, but a week later, couldn't tell you a damn thing about what was in it. So, go read it yourself.
ALso finally got around to reading "Wicked". But here's what happens when I read a book, anymore. I don't retain it for more than a couple of days. I liked the book. I don't really know why. I like that the Witch was an idealistic youngster, I like the discussions about the nature of evil. I liked the book right after I read it, but a week later, couldn't tell you a damn thing about what was in it. So, go read it yourself.
Saturday, September 08, 2007
countdown!
November 1 is when the ice skating rink opens. I'm all over that. I'll be there standing with my skates hollering at them to finish up with the freakin Zamboni, already, for pete's sake!
Winter Sneaks around Fall
The mornings have been cool, nights windy. The days are still hot, but there's the underlying bite that says "Not much more of this". Soon it'll be snow tire day, after Halloween, and dig out the warm clothes day.
Friday, September 07, 2007
i love this bar
after we jammed last night, and before i paid my tab, i wandered in to the ladies facilities to avail myself of the fixtures. I noticed there were huge pieces of broken glass all over the floor. I was only moderately alarmed. Headed over to the bar to pay up, and told the beloved tarbender, "Hey, T, there's broken glass all over the floor in the women's pot". He says, "Yeah, I know. Some chick just got a bottle busted over her head in there."
I love this bar.
I love this bar.
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