tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157990432024-03-07T06:57:35.195-07:00nihil obstatplatitudinousDavy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.comBlogger582125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15799043.post-76334766418808236992012-12-21T08:37:00.004-07:002012-12-21T08:37:42.675-07:00comics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Davy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15799043.post-80539702239027137972012-08-11T23:15:00.001-06:002012-08-11T23:15:32.497-06:00Summer Guitar Project 2012 Part IIII'll probably post some pictures once I get everything. I'm going to try and assemble it all in one day. Hopefully. I don't foresee any big difficulties, but there are a few things that may be tricky:<br />
<ul>
<li>Neck fit</li>
<li>Drilling holes</li>
<li>Soldering electronics</li>
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The neck pocket is about 1/16 of an inch too narrow. I'm not sure if that's due to the paint, but I'll have to sand the pocket to allow a nice tight fit. On top of that, none of the holes are drilled for any of the hardware. The plate, pick guard, strap buttons and bridge need to have screw holes drilled. I also have to drill a channel for the bridge grounding wire.<br />
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I'm no soldering master, but I'm going to put it all together myself. I apologize if this is boring or the terminology doesn't make sense. Google it.<br />
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<span style="color: #b6d7a8; font-size: large;">Pickups</span></div>
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When you think of Jazz basses, there's a distinctive sound that has evolved over the years. Fender Jazz basses usually employ two single coil pickups, with one toward the neck and one located toward the bridge. Two volume knobs and a tone knob adjust the sound. Pickups are comprised of some sort of ceramic or alnico magnet and wrapped wire. Looking at vintage Fender Jazz pickups the DC resistance of both the neck and the bridge pickups come in between 7.0-8.0.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5OVKFC7oOHDjj78Sdce0-aH3mrVy_dAwFs2eTIa8X64hkhtBnih8PaslXfUFeKCB8Fhi3BxatRAkmlt5oDKQ2InO1owoMKmsFslEI09KZHwCyh1vEL2DUVhJLmQq3P5m4tF1inQ/s1600/Fender_Pickups_Custom_Shop_60s_Jazz_Bass_Set_0992101000_a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5OVKFC7oOHDjj78Sdce0-aH3mrVy_dAwFs2eTIa8X64hkhtBnih8PaslXfUFeKCB8Fhi3BxatRAkmlt5oDKQ2InO1owoMKmsFslEI09KZHwCyh1vEL2DUVhJLmQq3P5m4tF1inQ/s320/Fender_Pickups_Custom_Shop_60s_Jazz_Bass_Set_0992101000_a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Single coil pickups have a 60 cycle hum. Turn up that volume and the hum is apparent. That's why they invented humbucking pickups with dual coil wire wraps to eliminate the hum. It isn't a bad thing though. That's just part of the sound of the bass<span style="background-color: white;">. With proper shielding and grounding, the hum isn't so bad. Some players prefer that sound, and pickup makers continue to reproduce pickups to vintage spec.</span><br />
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That vintage sound is hard to come by unless you have vintage gear laying around. Spend the right amount of money and you can approximate the sound of a vintage bass. Who cares about vintage sound? It all depends on the music you play, and that vintage tone would be inappropriate for certain styles of music. Jazz pickups are made with all sorts of materials these days, in any configuration possible. Some musicians have made a name for themselves based on the sound of their recordings.<br />
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I wanted to find some pickups that were split coil humbucking pickups. I don't care for the hum, from all those years of playing an active bass. Looking around the best pickups are probably <a href="http://www.nordstrandpickups.com/bass-pickups/index.shtml">Nordstrads</a>. They are hand wired and can be set up to replicate the real deal. They're expensive but high quality pickups.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9fiAiRwJRR-kfF168NPBMd0d2JYMxJdtxNT5Lnm8z6n_9g9FcUWoOIrz8H-TvMEVsYaHqgJ0VuppmxaZNWW4WoHXHP4fFhI5YmqeWnRQphBYp6NuG0rR3xDxdsyKKttX6E24Tw/s1600/dp123bk_sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9fiAiRwJRR-kfF168NPBMd0d2JYMxJdtxNT5Lnm8z6n_9g9FcUWoOIrz8H-TvMEVsYaHqgJ0VuppmxaZNWW4WoHXHP4fFhI5YmqeWnRQphBYp6NuG0rR3xDxdsyKKttX6E24Tw/s400/dp123bk_sm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Then I came up on the Dimarzio Model J pickups. I haven't seen a bad review for them, and from what Ican tell, bridge the gap between vintage and modern sound without losing the low-end. I don't want a super hot pickup, and I don't really want something that will be unjazz sounding because this is a fretless. The magnetic poles look.. adjustable? Getting the pickup height is important to be able to get the correct volume for each string.<br />
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So I got the Model J's. Other folk's on the internet have said that they are really good for fretless. That's cool. What's better is these pickups have a four wire configuration that will allow me to wire them to push/pull pots in the future. That way I can switch from series to parallel whenever I want, altering the tone.<br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79; font-size: large;">Wiring</span></div>
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Then comes the wiring.<br />
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It seems like there's probably four or five different ways to wire a Jazz bass. They all work, and I can't really decide what the difference is. I can't read a schematic. It's all nonsense to me. Here are a few ways to wire this... and they all are very similar, but the differences with grounding and some other soldering locations puzzles me.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywXAOTCyDEpGbF-8y-PdrMojKPoG9Ug3RW2cQPI4V44ZlImeAdN7duoEFCD-heo7pG0ufTFKcsaQAncmwplsAocJhCKntAgG8YMp4-To4lNBXUgruIbn3tdNL3UzuEfQkmNzbJQ/s1600/standard-jazz-wiring.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywXAOTCyDEpGbF-8y-PdrMojKPoG9Ug3RW2cQPI4V44ZlImeAdN7duoEFCD-heo7pG0ufTFKcsaQAncmwplsAocJhCKntAgG8YMp4-To4lNBXUgruIbn3tdNL3UzuEfQkmNzbJQ/s400/standard-jazz-wiring.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fender Jazz Wiring</td></tr>
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So I went to Fender's website and looked at their basic Jazz wiring diagram. It looks different from the others, but if it works for Fender... it should work for me. I hesitate to seriously solder anything, but here goes nothing. If it doesn't work, I'll try another diagram.</div>
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I also want to shield the inside cavity with copper tape, just in case. It's always a good thing to do even with the humbucking pickups. </div>
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Next time: Finishing up and strings!</div>
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<br />Davy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15799043.post-44062636759191689112012-07-26T11:27:00.001-06:002012-07-26T11:27:43.120-06:00Summer Guitar Project 2012 Part II<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white;">This is Part II of my incredible Summer Guitar Project 2012. I talked about necks and tuners before and now we go down the list to some other hardware that makes up a bass guitar. In the search for perfect tone, players go to great lengths to find the best hardware. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Bridge</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Bridges are one of the contact points on a stringed instrument that hold the string in place, and can be set to improve playability or intonation. Adjustments made to the saddles on a bass can increase or decrease the scale length of an individual string. Bridges for guitars and basses come in all shapes and sizes, each with their own claims to </span><i style="background-color: white;">increased sustain</i><span style="background-color: white;"> and </span><i style="background-color: white;">tone. </i><span style="background-color: white;">Every player wants to zero in on the perfect tone, and the bridge is a good place to start. </span><br />
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Bridge design on most Fender basses is pretty consistent: a big bent piece of brass holds the string to flimsy spring loaded saddles that probably will buzz, and move around after awhile due to vibration. Fender hasn't deviated from this design in sixty years, so why would they stop now? I dislike those bridges just because the tiny parts tend to move around too much. It isn't as solid as I would want it to be.<br />
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Early Fender bridges have threaded saddles which probably help if the player wanted to adjust string spacing. Here's a bridge from an early 1960's bass and you'll see what I mean:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-D0-rtXmt4K9bY3xOYYGOZGpKmZI0w9XxXWwg7a8mx30R0_zr8IevQd6L_m7BqGU7HZEkBnzwPXb-Kjk7DkRRg6meIGbhgw1gkCfYTP8ll94uGShBPiKifWicQ4g3iPrBOGL3Yg/s1600/55U-4015_bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-D0-rtXmt4K9bY3xOYYGOZGpKmZI0w9XxXWwg7a8mx30R0_zr8IevQd6L_m7BqGU7HZEkBnzwPXb-Kjk7DkRRg6meIGbhgw1gkCfYTP8ll94uGShBPiKifWicQ4g3iPrBOGL3Yg/s320/55U-4015_bridge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I looked around for alternatives and saw some interesting designs by Hipshot:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijTi9EQnVx4q6rx3M-gcSscipeKOT5QoFIKxUQ8Oe8mKDPknmCylfwsqADm87BDVhxR3Yr8KCdp0hSgXQ063RhUsVtzrM3ipJapxJPa3nSoXIqLnMxC7mSa4hEWFBFq0mMs_jR-g/s1600/hipshot_bass_guitar_bridge_4stringblk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijTi9EQnVx4q6rx3M-gcSscipeKOT5QoFIKxUQ8Oe8mKDPknmCylfwsqADm87BDVhxR3Yr8KCdp0hSgXQ063RhUsVtzrM3ipJapxJPa3nSoXIqLnMxC7mSa4hEWFBFq0mMs_jR-g/s320/hipshot_bass_guitar_bridge_4stringblk.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Look at any boutique/custom bass and you'll probably find one of these heavy brass Hipshot bridges. A lot of musicians endorse them, and luthiers like the no nonsense adjustability of the saddles. Probably an awesome bridge, and my Ibanez bass has something very similar. But it seems like every bass under the Sun uses them: from <a href="http://www.fbass.com/">F Bass</a> to <a href="http://www.xylembassguitar.com/">Xylem</a>. I wanted something a little different. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewwTEY8GOtg6Tvi44dOsvu7ovfWPZOkohqMHAVQ2CJeFMtCV-LlbBv3Qpi_z3QuTM2y61K5YBW1nNje0uQ21qeM0LyvBLIc7IkyD9nbWFPOskXt85lmL04FF54Ng5RjI-Hyj3xg/s1600/Badass+I.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewwTEY8GOtg6Tvi44dOsvu7ovfWPZOkohqMHAVQ2CJeFMtCV-LlbBv3Qpi_z3QuTM2y61K5YBW1nNje0uQ21qeM0LyvBLIc7IkyD9nbWFPOskXt85lmL04FF54Ng5RjI-Hyj3xg/s320/Badass+I.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Leo Quan has been making brass bass bridges (<span style="font-size: xx-small;">say that five times fast</span>) since forever, and their bridges are often the first thing people turn to when they make upgrades to their instrument. Their Badass bridges I-III are common, but something about the pointy saddle bugged me. I've heard reviews that suggest the pointy saddle contact point can damage strings or cause spacing problems without filing a notch. Other musicians swear by them. Who knows. Overall, it didn't seem like much of an improvement from the original Fender design. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmsmT3WO5LXMiEbTMb64GIOtSqh7NlREwdNTx93xY5fBmwbmFsD3VE_OtNzY6cDSf8G-lZVSM-KJ75N3HPuEHgbK5FbB0MlZtIX-oN-hUYAIbigyCS75VHOsVYXOS9GVtd_Bz51Q/s1600/270497.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmsmT3WO5LXMiEbTMb64GIOtSqh7NlREwdNTx93xY5fBmwbmFsD3VE_OtNzY6cDSf8G-lZVSM-KJ75N3HPuEHgbK5FbB0MlZtIX-oN-hUYAIbigyCS75VHOsVYXOS9GVtd_Bz51Q/s400/270497.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I eventually settled on a new bridge designed by <b><a href="http://www.fullcontacthardware.com/">Babicz</a></b>. They say their bridges provide a solid contact point for each string, increasing sustain, tones, whatever. I was sold when I saw that their bridges are not only fully adjustable, but you can lock those setting into place and forget about it. Every time you change strings, you have to spend time to adjust the bridge, saddle and spacing. This bridge locks it down so that isn't a problem. This bridge had good reviews and the price was right, so I went for it. It is surprisingly light and looks incredibly solid.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Body</span></div>
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When I talked about tone earlier, I said that guitarist believe that anything from the nut, bridge, finish, and wood of the guitar has a great effect on sound of an instrument. Perhaps on an acoustic instrument... but on solid body guitars... I think that the pickups and amplification have more to do with the initial reception of how it sounds. You could honestly slap a pickup on a hockey stick and make a crazy guitar out of it.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">And it would probably sound good.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I don't know how </span><i style="background-color: white;">tonewoods</i><span style="background-color: white;"> really effect the sound, but I was looking for a solid body that didn't weigh a ton, and was prepainted. </span>I don't feel like painting another guitar. I don't have the room, or the time to paint, wet sand between coats, and then spray a hard lacquer that has to cure and harden for a couple of weeks. There are many places on the interwebs that do all the work for you... with good results. I chose a lightweight palouwnia body that is really light. I'm amazed how light it is. Black. No nonsense. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFgMi4BaD8n_OUQ_ooa9qepqU44oMG_2liN_QeHkDnUvXOlm6_U4GCGPemHz_vRzko2hgfUTvQRxeOZIMCz8LcBh4fSSnFsvgsRO07HadPDMPHkO7kJmouAhKa3fYA8TeEaf4aQ/s1600/JAZZ_BK_C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFgMi4BaD8n_OUQ_ooa9qepqU44oMG_2liN_QeHkDnUvXOlm6_U4GCGPemHz_vRzko2hgfUTvQRxeOZIMCz8LcBh4fSSnFsvgsRO07HadPDMPHkO7kJmouAhKa3fYA8TeEaf4aQ/s320/JAZZ_BK_C.jpg" width="302" /></a></div>
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The routing for the pickups and neck looks good. I'll have to drill holes for the hardware, grounding wire, and pickguard, but that's ok. If everything fits together it should work out.<br />
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Next time: Wiring and Pickups.Davy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15799043.post-42920859132254092412012-07-24T09:22:00.002-06:002012-07-24T15:57:33.756-06:00Summer Guitar Project 2012 Part IThis Summer I thought that I'd try my hand at building my own bass guitar. I have tinkered around with guitar stuff in the past, building a Telecaster style guitar a few years back. This time I wanted to make a bass because I consider myself a bassist first and foremost. My main bass that I've played for over 10 years is an Ibanez 5-string that I picked up in High school. A great instrument, but I've always wanted a fretless bass. I love the sound of a fretless, the woody <i>mwah</i> tone that I've heard on many albums. I also wanted to go back to a four string bass, just for simplicity sake. With some talk of jamming with some work friends in a bluegrass type of thing... a new bass would really be interesting.<br />
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My original idea was to find wood, glue it all together and actually make a through neck style bass guitar. But then I remembered that I didn't want to turn my kitchen or office into a woodshop. I'm too impatient anyway. Woodworking takes time if you want to do it right, and the thought of sanding and carving without the proper tools just wouldn't work right now. I hate sanding. Someday, when I have the room and the time, I will clamp together a bunch of exotic hardwoods and build a bass... but that won't be for a while.<br />
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So I'll assemble the perfect bass guitar. I didn't want to break the bank, but I did want quality parts. I went with a Fender Jazz design, because, let's be honest, aftermarket parts are plentiful throughout the internet.<br />
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I broke it down to <u>eight core elements</u>:<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">tuning machines</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">fretless neck</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">body</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">bridge</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">pickups</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">wiring </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">miscellaneous</span><span style="background-color: white;"> hardware: strap buttons, screws, wiring plate, </span>pickguard</li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">strings</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Tuners</span></span></div>
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Bass tuners range in size and their ability to hold the string securely on the headstock. On any string instrument, tuners that turn easily and stay in place are the best because they keep your strings in tune. Imagine that.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyzX8RKeIDoTmyOIYTzPIvp8C_5-NV4UD7E_GQFi7UiFRfeA0IuVpAZF2EzVuL1QF4A5wySOhERd9s8YK7VfAX7uPUR104Ej0UPSnVwCLCkMaU3c3H-lt0__EMYzFKsndJTC2Rw/s1600/2HUV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyzX8RKeIDoTmyOIYTzPIvp8C_5-NV4UD7E_GQFi7UiFRfeA0IuVpAZF2EzVuL1QF4A5wySOhERd9s8YK7VfAX7uPUR104Ej0UPSnVwCLCkMaU3c3H-lt0__EMYzFKsndJTC2Rw/s320/2HUV.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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For the tuners, I wanted the traditional "elephant ear" or "clover leaf" style Fender tuners, and I found that there are a wide variety of vintage and modern-style tuners. I'm not sure about the tuning ability of most makes, but in general I wanted that classic Fender look. I always liked the big beefy chrome or nickel machines on the back of the headstock, so I looked around for 70's style tuners.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFWtEUluegTNXGCpeHbDQSFc_dIW9PZLQ8QbZsIZEalqW8Q3SXFmX57KVhr_8U5Uj_KrWmc6J1M91nBmtHYkKOsQzB1jHaFY3MHqY_R7NmgpKPYT0bFvxj8WeEq2bidxuxDz7z0g/s1600/1971_Fender_Jazz_Bass_300874_tuners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFWtEUluegTNXGCpeHbDQSFc_dIW9PZLQ8QbZsIZEalqW8Q3SXFmX57KVhr_8U5Uj_KrWmc6J1M91nBmtHYkKOsQzB1jHaFY3MHqY_R7NmgpKPYT0bFvxj8WeEq2bidxuxDz7z0g/s320/1971_Fender_Jazz_Bass_300874_tuners.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1970's Trapezoidal Fender Tuning machines </td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Then I found that the early 1960's reverse style tuners looked even more massive, and in general pleased my eye more when lined up. They probably aren't the best tuners, but to me getting the look right was more important. I found a set. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlFrgkooUG9CwbEPm9h2C-m77lhTVYJvxADuC6e0dzkgBwK95RFgGZ1pyuXX57NRepYF3iV1q_-tM3Xc4DhGd54vmtmAEf8obLQf3dEYfqDAq22PW285wi8CAow4fFv4QnPo1TtA/s1600/fe9231003213-xl-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlFrgkooUG9CwbEPm9h2C-m77lhTVYJvxADuC6e0dzkgBwK95RFgGZ1pyuXX57NRepYF3iV1q_-tM3Xc4DhGd54vmtmAEf8obLQf3dEYfqDAq22PW285wi8CAow4fFv4QnPo1TtA/s400/fe9231003213-xl-04.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fender Reverse Tuners (reissue)</td></tr>
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Then I stumbled upon an even rarer version of these tuners: the 1966 Jazz Oval reverse tuners seen here:<br />
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Totally rare, totally awesome, and totally peculiar to the <b>1966</b> Fender Jazz model, as you can see in this photo of Paul McCartney using that bass in Abbey Road studios during the making of the Beatles' <i>White Album</i>. I've seen these tuners go for about $600 on eBay. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPZWIwTgwVjWpln6ECHP5ZoNhxVq3dz7g2kMsC9OZCPUwYlSvzmwFlU5BXYOmuA5LR-rXrdoGVSQIyIbEbca77ehNi39w8OZOFxpOn1_Dp4n0uhZy9m9bwjtaHzC-daPAZRYsRA/s1600/SMG_Paul_McCartney_Fender_Jazz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPZWIwTgwVjWpln6ECHP5ZoNhxVq3dz7g2kMsC9OZCPUwYlSvzmwFlU5BXYOmuA5LR-rXrdoGVSQIyIbEbca77ehNi39w8OZOFxpOn1_Dp4n0uhZy9m9bwjtaHzC-daPAZRYsRA/s320/SMG_Paul_McCartney_Fender_Jazz.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
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Maybe I'll make a fretted Jazz someday... depends how this build turns out though. I may retire from guitar making all together if I can't figure this out. </div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: large;">Neck</span></div>
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The next thing I needed was to source out a fretless neck. There are many places that have licensed fender necks on the internet: Warmoth, Allparts, etc. But I know where they probably source all their products from: China. So why not go to the source? There are lots of quality builders in China these days.. and after some deep searching of the internet marketplace, found a parts place that produced fretless versions of their bass necks: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNTqvjDvQI79ZbIFPK_gIxm3n5OubQYfXnve5BKtG_HQUtSLqAQbymKPNivCPjUMFuLStGRLCozBTSKPE3HuefWrCxWW0KYJIk83Ckb3Gf_hSMCasmeWesGNmSOAfPJ0G0fovdJg/s1600/neck.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNTqvjDvQI79ZbIFPK_gIxm3n5OubQYfXnve5BKtG_HQUtSLqAQbymKPNivCPjUMFuLStGRLCozBTSKPE3HuefWrCxWW0KYJIk83Ckb3Gf_hSMCasmeWesGNmSOAfPJ0G0fovdJg/s400/neck.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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They've since increased the pricing which makes me happy that I got my neck when I did. I can tell these necks are just the unfinished fretless versions on of their regular necks because the side dots markers are in the wrong place: in between fret positions instead on being exactly on the position. The fingerboard is unlined, and I like that. I'm going to make subtle fret line markers in between the dot markers to help with fingering intonation. The neck is nice, and there were no flaws in the design that I can find. The nut looks suspect, but that is easily fixed. The tuning holes line up nice, and the overall feel of the neck contour is nice. </div>
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Since there are no frets on this neck, where my finger makes contact with the fingerboard is essentially where the "fret" is. If my finger is off slightly, the result will be a note that is out of tune. Practice is important to develop the right muscle memory to hit the right place on the fingerboard to stay in tune. </div>
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That's it for now. I'll talk about the body and bridge next time. </div>Davy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15799043.post-73440606928754277372012-04-16T22:58:00.004-06:002012-04-16T22:58:59.087-06:00New childsI've got a daughter now.<br />
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Friday morning we went to the hospital and my amazing wife had our daughter, Allie. Everything worked out perfect, and it couldn't have gone smoother.<br />
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It seemed better than when my son was born. I slept better the first night, and endeavored to eat food outside of the hospital this time. Nat ordered room service and the little girl was content with her new parents.<br />
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Lots of family visited and I was wondering how my son would take to having a new sister. He seemed to not even notice. He was more inclined to push buttons, crawl under the bed, open drawers and doors, and scream every time we tried to take a picture. So it worked out.<br />
We drove home a couple days later and have had terrible sleep ever since.Davy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15799043.post-91148085662303900522012-04-03T21:38:00.003-06:002012-04-03T21:38:54.977-06:00Morning RushWorking nights has a weird effect on me. I've been doing it for 2 months.. and since I've started I've found that the little time I have in the mornings to watch my son and do things around the house are all I really get... by the time I come home at night, I'm so tired that I can't stay up to get all the things done that I'd like to. My art has fallen off, my podcast died, video games are hard to play, and thinking of things to blog about is a distant memory type of thing. <br />
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I need a better schedule to figure things out... and just get out of my house. Or I get sucked into a time warp where I don't know where my time goes. So I propose the following schedule:<br />
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Breaksfast(s)<br />
Sesame Street. <br />
Time at the park with my son and dog. <br />
Naps (if necessary)<br />
Lunch.<br />
Clean up. <br />
Get ready for work<br />
Go. <br />
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I'm going to have to find time on the weekend to catch up on art projects and everything else. House projects, cleaning, and finally organizing myself. I'll probably have to figure out a weekend schedule as well. <br />
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yeah... <br />
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I don't know if this working evenings thing will last forever. It probably won't and I'll have to readjust again. Maybe I'll start to enjoy it. Who knows. I like where I'm at but I wish I could do more.Davy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15799043.post-84655705731449516622012-03-04T22:37:00.000-07:002012-03-04T22:37:45.749-07:00Name GameI can't decide on a name for my kid. We are having a girl in April and she doesn't have a name. I'm not worried though, because I don't decide until I actually know it is a child and not some space monster. Until then, I'll just have to veto all the bad names. My wife believes that this is heresy and that a name must be chosen to ensure our unborn child's ultimate success in this world. I don't really see the problem. We've still got time.<br />
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How do you name someone? I just don't like deciding things that are permanent. It's like getting a tattoo or LASIK or something. You could mess it up and that kid has to live with the name forever. A tattoo I can hide, but calling your kid some yuppie name is unacceptable. Do I live with weird name guilt because I've been harassed my whole life because I share the same name as a former frontiersman who died in the Alamo? I don't know. It's a strange situation.<br />
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I just don't want to be the guy with weird named kids. That's all.Davy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15799043.post-10042443448751339492012-01-14T23:57:00.001-07:002012-01-14T23:58:00.916-07:00blog neglectBlog neglect. It's a terrible thing.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>At work today I was looking through old yearbooks again and this time I found a couple from Rice University from the early 50's. I was surprised to see some promotional artwork from Walt Kelly's comic strip <i>Pogo</i>. I looked around the internets and wasn't able to figure out this connection to Rice. It may have been during the Pogo for President campaign. Even though Pogo was before my time as Sunday morning Comics reader, I've enjoyed Kelly's cartoon art style. He worked at Disney before going into comics, and his art definitely shows that style. I still think his influence is seen all over daily comics today.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgiArtym4qcS-b_CvvazptG8E-qzDmdqhasp3ODa-dhyphenhyphenYH7V1vroYkdfGa7fXS8t6r5_vQFvtBARxjC2L3OcvHYvXue7sOwD5rL9dZ3bKiTuT0fFj1cLHdKeW23AdyhLS5Kf1PQw/s1600/Pogo_1969-05-25_100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgiArtym4qcS-b_CvvazptG8E-qzDmdqhasp3ODa-dhyphenhyphenYH7V1vroYkdfGa7fXS8t6r5_vQFvtBARxjC2L3OcvHYvXue7sOwD5rL9dZ3bKiTuT0fFj1cLHdKeW23AdyhLS5Kf1PQw/s640/Pogo_1969-05-25_100.jpg" width="488" /></a></div><br />
Volume 1 of the Complete Pogo Daily and Sunday Comic Strips was released in December. I would love to get my grubby drawing hands on that.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaU9W2djTNnNkPN0cg-55DNDTBrgFAVqjypCFbSGE4G2Urxc8IvH_D4CyajAx7AVEQQH4fVn9PCPFolu9tcTuAbISq-OyKWu3vLdiZDtdFsPkn9lQiu3QwLrjuZ7PzJ-MjZ_wXcQ/s1600/pogo03-big.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaU9W2djTNnNkPN0cg-55DNDTBrgFAVqjypCFbSGE4G2Urxc8IvH_D4CyajAx7AVEQQH4fVn9PCPFolu9tcTuAbISq-OyKWu3vLdiZDtdFsPkn9lQiu3QwLrjuZ7PzJ-MjZ_wXcQ/s640/pogo03-big.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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</div>Davy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15799043.post-59123429756736333172011-11-16T16:29:00.000-07:002011-11-16T16:29:14.683-07:00another yearbook quoteI found this today while looking through some images. From a middle school yearbook from 1977 someone wrote:<br />
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<i>I hope you get hit by a car and get spread over a 50ft area of pavement and they have to scrape up your guts with a putty knife. Let's have a good year!<br />
Your friend<br />
Rex</i><div><i><br />
</i></div><div><i>P.S. Should I?</i><br />
</div><div>Should he what? That's what I want to know. Who knows what he was talking about...</div><div><br />
</div><div>Another yearbook from around the same time, and it belonged to a girl. All of the messages written inside started with the phrase "<i>I don't know you very well</i>." Which kinda made me feel sad for her. Why did she get all these semi strangers to sign her book?</div><div><br />
</div><div>This makes me wonder, since most of these books are on loan, how did these people lose their yearbooks? Did they donate them to a library or archive? Why would you give up a yearbook? Interesting. </div>Davy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15799043.post-27439508786534023502011-11-09T20:42:00.000-07:002011-11-09T20:42:16.393-07:00year booksAt work we are finishing up a big year book project. We scan and photograph yearbooks for genealogical purposes. Big project. Lots of yearbooks dating back over a hundred years. After we import all those images we have to QA each book.<br />
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While I was looking through some of the images, it becomes obvious that many of these books once belonged to someone. I can read the short messages people write to their friends. Most of it is the same stuff that you see written down all the time: "Thanks for being a friend. Have a good summer. etc. etc." I've found some long and heartfelt letters between people in serious relationships. One yearbook around 1942 said something like "Strange how this war is tearing our world apart. Victory is in sight, and after everything is over we'll have to get back together again." Serious stuff. If I have time, I try and track down the photo of the owner of the book... Kinda makes all those little notes fit into some sort of context.<br />
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I've even found old photos tucked into some of the books. For example: I was taking photos of a very old yearbook from around 1917-1918 and I found a tiny photo of a man dressed in a military uniform. I couldn't tell if that person was one of students from the yearbook, but I assumed it was. On the back was scribbled in fountain pen "Give this to Eleanor". Maybe the book belonged to Eleanor. Who knows.<br />
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These brief messages in time are all that are left of some of these people. I'm sure many of them are long dead and forgotten. Who knows what else I'll find?Davy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15799043.post-38553954393851582072011-11-07T17:46:00.000-07:002011-11-07T17:46:33.464-07:00code talkerMy son almost talks. Not really though. It's more of an energetic babble. He's only about 16 months old, so I don't know when he'll start forming sentences like "I need more money dad." or "can I borrow the keys to the car?".<br />
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I keep wondering when will be a good time to introduce him to movies, music, and video games. I don't know how "involved" a parent I should be when forcing awesome stuff down his throat. I liked some of the stuff my dad likes, but I ended up figuring it all out on my own. Who knows. I guess we'll see in time.Davy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15799043.post-3342904273211547772011-10-29T11:25:00.001-06:002011-10-29T12:12:41.789-06:00Crazy stuff.I didn't think that I'd usually fall into the crowd that buys into special editions of things... even if they're the same thing they already have. For example: all those different color, or special edition game consoles that come out every so often. Did anyone get the <i>Pokemon</i> Edition N64? What about the new <i>Battlefield 3</i> Xbox 360? Do I really need a <b>red</b> Wii? Things like that make me laugh at the morons that fall into that trap. They're just making money off of you! Your hard earned money!<br />
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Then I saw this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9HVrlKbqiRM__BKLGj-2goNqNCD8tkE9-ijWuOyZnwu8_h1ppH-SBOgzSpN9tPJEgIFG4u0TCdg8-96QXYC8Y40k2BsAys4NQmf_R5pQDPMNBEKfuhx82vDx7VBVZiaG8_zYHIg/s1600/27yqpa8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9HVrlKbqiRM__BKLGj-2goNqNCD8tkE9-ijWuOyZnwu8_h1ppH-SBOgzSpN9tPJEgIFG4u0TCdg8-96QXYC8Y40k2BsAys4NQmf_R5pQDPMNBEKfuhx82vDx7VBVZiaG8_zYHIg/s400/27yqpa8.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Its the special edition wii classic controller that was bundled with copies of <i>Monster Hunter G</i>. Only available in Japan, this little blue controller is kinda hard to come by by itself, unless you buy the bundle. Ugh. I want it. I don't know why, but I want it.<br />
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Lame!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-qzW14LjXarfqyhgRdx63gxEjhuFjkjNQMGjzIKITULaA3ACaZwW3EpVUS4QfD1WdcqlNQAjsxPpKzOzhj34dpg921rLpLGLQh03Np1AM8nQXbW7HiNBq74EdZ2eiz4qWLN_PHw/s1600/monsterhunterbox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-qzW14LjXarfqyhgRdx63gxEjhuFjkjNQMGjzIKITULaA3ACaZwW3EpVUS4QfD1WdcqlNQAjsxPpKzOzhj34dpg921rLpLGLQh03Np1AM8nQXbW7HiNBq74EdZ2eiz4qWLN_PHw/s1600/monsterhunterbox.jpg" /></a></div>Here's the box for the upcoming <i>Monster Hunter Tri G</i> with included Circle Stick, for the 3DS. I've heard that the new Circle Stick thing is really light, almost in a cheap way, but it make holding the 3DS kinda nice. It adds right and left triggers buttons, and contours the hand in more of a console controller fashion. It takes a AA battery to operate.<br />
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<i>Monster Hunter Tri G</i> is an updated and expanded version of <i>Tri, </i>and it looks pretty awesome.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Dzg59VfcdE8" width="560"></iframe></div><br />
Still haven't heard any news on <i>Monster Hunter 4 </i>which is also for the 3DS. Crossing my fingers that they get localized for North American release.Davy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15799043.post-87504495132644717212011-10-16T21:44:00.002-06:002011-10-16T22:03:55.460-06:00chiptune<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F4726467"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F4726467" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/rac/anamanaguchi-airbrushed-rac-mix">Anamanaguchi - Airbrushed (RAC Mix)</a><br />
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I like this remix because it integrates non electronic instruments with chiptune. Anamanaguchi is known for their punk rock style Nintendo music, but I think that this remix shows how it doesn't have to be repetitive mindless techno all the time. This track also slows everything down. Anamanaguchi's stuff is often too fast paced, and you just feel tired after a while... if more musicians would just slow the tempo down it would make for an easier listening experience.<br />
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I think the Gameboy sound is getting old. I like it, but artists need to explore different sound chips. The popularity of chiptunes have increased a ton in the past 5 or so years, I'm wondering what new directions the genre will take. Try a Sega Master System or an Amiga or Commodore 64. Even the NES sounds awesome, but I don't think enough people use it for their chiptune work. Maybe the hardware is just getting too hard to find these days. Maybe the circuit bending crowd will have to take over hardware manipulation in the future.Davy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15799043.post-23783894561140809532011-09-26T18:14:00.001-06:002011-09-26T18:15:33.367-06:00tiny lands<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEri5Zdu1lPTHcjmw8lkO2XRJIElPVUMYlYy8Mlj263pvgax_F1iWOrphXdi7-WDcIpZAmb1HVGpQtxVPSiiM0NhSSG-W0YiVuAYLSQsyvs8qu_nLYUfyy8yqCpRMCa-WTGTvvlQ/s1600/landscape.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEri5Zdu1lPTHcjmw8lkO2XRJIElPVUMYlYy8Mlj263pvgax_F1iWOrphXdi7-WDcIpZAmb1HVGpQtxVPSiiM0NhSSG-W0YiVuAYLSQsyvs8qu_nLYUfyy8yqCpRMCa-WTGTvvlQ/s400/landscape.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've been drawing some things lately... some things for my wife's school stuff and other things just doodling around on the computer. I've got a tiny Wacom tablet that I've been using, and I like to experiment in photoshop. If I'm on the computer and something comes to me I usually try and sketch it down. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've been making <a href="http://www.tinylands.blogspot.com/">tiny lands</a> for a while now. I've almost hit 50 posts, and that's something that surprises me. I've never really been able to keep a project going that long. I guess the small nature of tiny lands is what makes it so appealing to me. I can think of a landscape and draw it out quickly. And I've got a small book of all the landscapes I've made over the past two years... so its nice to look back and see how I've improved over time. I think I want to make a book when I feel like I have enough that are print worthy. That sounds like a nice thing to do. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But now I'm torn. Because the entire vibe of tiny lands was to physically draw on sticky notes, and somehow the act of drawing on actual paper is what made it what it was. I've become more involved drawing on the computer for other things... it seemed only natural to try a tiny lands out digitally. My first effort is pictured above, and it looks great. Do I take tiny lands in a digital direction? Should I stop actually drawing them? I don't know. Just a thought. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Davy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15799043.post-17880000328468851402011-08-21T07:27:00.000-06:002011-08-21T07:27:45.076-06:00another blog<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://theincompletionist.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPK2ovN5eleVOzoTGp6Ip2neI8oLvU5aEy-9Eeq1qTqkXwOu8p2eMOIGKwb_NV20VaGNQd8GinL5xFaC-LX5AvC1ewtzjoy4GF55uX6FkjY8lPeGYnBC_LZGn9Tg_zr3zufN3irA/s640/Super-Mario-Bros-1-1+%25282%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Can you have too many blogs? Not if you want to compartmentalize everything you do. I started another blog to document all the crap it takes to finish old video games. I'm taking a page from the Japanese show " Game Center CX" where this guy forces himself to play old games. I don't do that, but I like the way they keep track of all his statistics every time he plays. Things like "86th attempt" flash in the upper corner of the screen... or after a cut scene the announcer says that he's been playing the same level for the <b>last four hours</b>.<br />
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That got me thinking. How many times do I die before I win? How long does it take? How many game overs? I've started tracking that information as I try to conquer old video games. I can't wait to see the data. I'm sure it will explain how bad I actually am at video games...Davy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15799043.post-80512034548854394882011-08-03T21:09:00.000-06:002011-08-03T21:09:43.838-06:00ebooks or whateverBorders is going out of business. Lots of folks laud this as the continued downward spiral of printed media in general... Newspapers are doomed and books will soon follow with the amount of electronic devices, phones, tablets and whatever else that can hold thousands of books. Bookstores are losing customers as more and more people either download their reading material or find other ways to circumvent the system. But do people actually read anymore?<br />
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I've been reading stuff on my iPad since I got it, but for some reason I've never really been able to read a complete novel on it. Up until a few days ago I wasn't exactly sure why. There are tons of apps that let you read crap on Apple devices. I've even looked at my mom's kindle and thought that it was pretty awesome too. What's kept me back?<br />
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I think reading off a screen messes with my eyes... There are modes to decrease the brightness, nightmodes, and such... but it still doesn't get rid of the fact that I'm starting at a screen. Just doesn't feel right for some reason. That's probably where the Kindle wins over an iPad I guess. But if there are pictures or illustrations, the iPad is the ultimate device.<br />
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Do I miss the page "feel" of a real book? Not really. When you turn the pages while reading a book you do eventually have more pages on one side as you hold it. It's kind of a visual indicator of how far you are and how many more pages are left by gauging the thickness of the remainder. On a screen all you see is a fraction like "125/258". So even after reading for a while I don't have the same indication of what's left that I get from holding a physical book in my hand.<br />
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Even with all those problems the best thing about reading stuff on a tablet or whatever is that you have the option to store tons of books on it. I have more books than I'll ever read, and with the available amount of electronic books increasing everyday, that will never change. So I guess I'm set for an awkward night out or while stuck on a bus, train, or plane. Who knows. I like being able to have entire series of books without worrying about a missing volume that I can't find somewhere. I like reading books series all at once, once all of them are out. It's just easier that way.<br />
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All that being said, I finally finished a novel "cover to cover" (I guess) on my iPad. It was ok.<br />
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Could electronic devices make books more interactive and a better reading experience? Yes.<br />
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Has it happened yet? Nope. I'm still waiting.Davy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15799043.post-70567679145618277592011-07-15T23:41:00.000-06:002011-07-15T23:41:41.677-06:00self portraits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNcWNbAXh26pRcbWvsEQM_2KWvsj0MwfKTCXUtsZcVACvcI_Qvz36nJzaiqq8QNOy0j4PqFSnm4ZE_KvTy5vS2eycKNCyUV9PCgPWEGwv7to57AU-GnbmcfbAxLyq_hEEJooP4Cg/s1600/img062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNcWNbAXh26pRcbWvsEQM_2KWvsj0MwfKTCXUtsZcVACvcI_Qvz36nJzaiqq8QNOy0j4PqFSnm4ZE_KvTy5vS2eycKNCyUV9PCgPWEGwv7to57AU-GnbmcfbAxLyq_hEEJooP4Cg/s320/img062.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> I found some drawings I made not too long ago. They are self portraits while I worked away at my old job. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB94W9w_zuEcPh21olHnz9QW6QFP2xZq0vA2ycfsDDddJNOaLenfiyJ_cTVtzC7i6L4O6kHR4HQUjD2iR5B9WLxgsjO7laQ6LaS3YUvRTn8zYbVW9EUA7ZNAbOYMTrwRKXxouIhg/s1600/img063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB94W9w_zuEcPh21olHnz9QW6QFP2xZq0vA2ycfsDDddJNOaLenfiyJ_cTVtzC7i6L4O6kHR4HQUjD2iR5B9WLxgsjO7laQ6LaS3YUvRTn8zYbVW9EUA7ZNAbOYMTrwRKXxouIhg/s320/img063.jpg" width="317" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> They all generally reflect an attitude of boredom and frustration I felt at the time. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7VSdSkQCcsBMgTrw2cEuvoWgLNhYTt4E-Of3y_ewbgmMC5hS4rVJ-tzZSH1eP9PdXXAGEJ5uR-Feo0VUC1ibvgBxixYu73pqzZ2uqH_vItPJHrPRCZhp96etVE0naIzv7cmSng/s1600/img064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7VSdSkQCcsBMgTrw2cEuvoWgLNhYTt4E-Of3y_ewbgmMC5hS4rVJ-tzZSH1eP9PdXXAGEJ5uR-Feo0VUC1ibvgBxixYu73pqzZ2uqH_vItPJHrPRCZhp96etVE0naIzv7cmSng/s320/img064.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">This last picture defines the many different moods one can feel during the day. There's a range of emotions felt based on the how things change from minute to minute. I suppose its just electricity and chemicals mixing around in the brain.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Davy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15799043.post-25821543604264324702011-07-05T12:00:00.000-06:002011-07-05T12:00:54.745-06:00runningI ran another 5k yesterday. It was the biggest 5k I've ever ran, with thousands of people running and thousands of people passing me by. It was hot and I wasn't sure how I would do because I haven't been able to "train" for it. Who trains for a 5k? With all the stuff that I've been doing around here, I haven't been able to get out and run like I wanted to.<br />
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So I ran. I started off ok, and then started to taper off around mile 2. the first mile was great, but after that I run out of steam. It happens every time. I feel like I can keep going, but I just start to slow down. Everyone started to pass me. I'm just not a good runner.<br />
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I did cut off a minute from my PR though, which doesn't sound like much but considering how bad my PR actually is, but I think it was pretty good. There was a hill towards the finish and that slowed me down. If the course was a little flatter, I think that I would have taken more time off.<br />
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It looks like I end up cutting between thirty seconds to a minute every time I run a 5k. If I keep up at that pace and keep working at it, it will just take me fifteen more 5ks to run competitively. Is it mathematical? I don't know. And I need to run faster. About twice as fast as I do right now.<br />
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We'll see how I do next year.Davy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15799043.post-46527644647989504852011-06-10T00:04:00.000-06:002011-06-10T00:04:16.140-06:00Summer Timesmall list of stuff I want to do this summer:<br />
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1. Go camping somewhere. Build a fire. Cook something and eat it. Come back home smelling like camp fire smoke.<br />
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2. Metal detect stuff. I want to find treasure... one quarter at a time. There are some specific places I plan to visit.<br />
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3. Go around town and take pictures of stuff. I've got a camera... why not? I've got a list of things I want to shoot. It might be cool.<br />
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4. Read some books.... and actually finish them. Working on Terry Brooks' Sword of Shannara series. A Revolutionary war book. Archaeology textbook. A Roman history book. A Lewis and Clark journal.... and the list goes on.<br />
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5. More <a href="http://tinylands.blogspot.com/">tiny lands</a>. I like where this is going. If only I were a little more consistent to my posting schedule.<br />
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6. Get a job. I'm applying. I'm just waiting for someone to actually call me back. I'm available. really.<br />
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7. Celebrate my 5th anniversary. I don't know what we're going to do, but I think it will be awesome.<br />
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8. Build something (To be determined).<br />
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9. Run more 5ks. Beat my PR.<br />
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10. Make music. For reals.Davy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15799043.post-65412809082779185212011-05-11T19:10:00.000-06:002011-05-13T14:21:14.575-06:00more of the sameI'm working on some tiny lands right now. I'm getting more ambitious with it... because I'm kinda bored drawing the same things over and over.<br />
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I'm probably half way done cleaning off my desk so I can start a small music project that I've been twittering about over there. The biggest obstacle to any music project has always been a messy desk and video games. With a few final things out of the way, I should be able to hook up some syths, my gameboy, bass, and iPad into my mixer and see what happens. If anyone reads this blog wants to hear some older stuff I made years ago you can tab over to whitehairboy.tumblr.com and there are a few of my latest (ahem) tunes there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQyO2C5wVrJACQ2nZ66L4hy0DPqioDxFfOgehRgSfUiLWzur2A-hhl4BTPobcCPeQHf8LZ5SZ_2Q0TgDefrjQE5S-_NrJP8E8WsiIwVPjDLWvQBZIzujtfuYsm7judP3OkDEwStg/s1600/Masters+Green+Jacket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQyO2C5wVrJACQ2nZ66L4hy0DPqioDxFfOgehRgSfUiLWzur2A-hhl4BTPobcCPeQHf8LZ5SZ_2Q0TgDefrjQE5S-_NrJP8E8WsiIwVPjDLWvQBZIzujtfuYsm7judP3OkDEwStg/s320/Masters+Green+Jacket.jpg" width="232" /></a>Other than that... I went to DI and picked up a nice putter. Kevin is putting together a Master's Tournament at the local mini golf place. Winner gets a GREEN JACKET. I've set up my indoor course in preparation.Davy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15799043.post-33774892946552553042011-05-03T10:22:00.001-06:002011-05-03T10:23:12.753-06:00HeyHaving my blog marked private meant that it was even private from me... Blah blah blah. <br />
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So it isn't anymore. But I can't guarantee that i'll blog as often as I used to.<br />
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I've been working on <a href="http://www.tinylands.blogspot.com">tiny lands</a>, and given the simple nature of sticky note art, I've been able to keep up a steady Monday, Wednesday, Friday posting schedule. We'll see how it goes.<br />
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Fixing stuff around the house. Going to put in flooring and refinish my kitchen cupboards. Can't wait. <br />
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Working on an awesome podcast this week. Go to <a href="http://www.desertbears.com">desertbears.com</a> for our latest 'casts.Davy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15799043.post-52060273449353687492011-03-23T22:05:00.005-06:002011-05-03T09:44:51.367-06:00birfday<div style="text-align: left;">I had a great birthday. Natalie surprised me by taking the day off of work and we went to the zoo. It was awesome. I got a chance to take some pictures of some funny animals. Some of them turned out pretty awesome.</div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgufDe62v1PUxyPjsaS6nWiyYVEATRn-PwZS2R5N2rIQXddQnWBcKO9g_06XbVl8audAt8CZR-Z_kFlIYaGWVu1sYfavQk41GKgGOWjD9g4jR1xow7-axO5ldU0CJ7D7sYDy_b3gQ/s400/DSC_0191.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588011554880649362" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGMEJzBsPSjPNDeeEOSV50xwqpU90L1X-ocDySUL5Ud3nPUO-ul8TxOZRtQlIA4USLuQu6z61NfqoZs3Vl7hywn9ludZES_3a7w-QFo9Z6QDe_ZeQEdkwgC6kaMHCZgospEP9og/s1600/DSC_0110.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGMEJzBsPSjPNDeeEOSV50xwqpU90L1X-ocDySUL5Ud3nPUO-ul8TxOZRtQlIA4USLuQu6z61NfqoZs3Vl7hywn9ludZES_3a7w-QFo9Z6QDe_ZeQEdkwgC6kaMHCZgospEP9og/s400/DSC_0110.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587502422964142706" /></a>I think we were lucky that many of the animals were active, or being fed when we were there. Sometimes you go to the zoo and all you see is a tail sticking out from a rock, and a sign explaining what the animal should look like in its natural habitat. I feel bad that the zoo is so small for some of these animals. They need room to run! <div><br /></div><div>My birthday was awesome. Camden had lots of fun looking at the animals. Natalie and I went out to eat and had a great day. I love my family. </div>Davy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15799043.post-4778435721689187382011-03-16T20:37:00.002-06:002011-03-17T18:54:36.712-06:00quick note.Working on a blog here. <div><br /></div><div>I set my ipod to shuffle, and I'm surprised to hear the results. I'll usually listen to random stuff until I hear something that I like. This time it was Yes. Progressive rock. Freaking awesome. </div><div><br /></div><div>Been drawing some doodles that I probably will never scan in, but they look very Hanna Barbera-esque. I like the cartoony way that those old characters from the 1960's looked. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now in all seriousness:</div><div><br /></div><div>I wrote this blog entry on Feb. 04 but I didn't have the guts to post it. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>"I feel like I should be writing music... but my guitar is in a million pieces. I have great ideas, but I can never seem to find enough time to act on them.<br /><br />Its really hard to explain how weird I feel sometimes. I have a hard time focusing. It feels like I'm being torn in many directions and I can't dedicate enough time to one thing at a time. Or when I do find a way to focus on something, it becomes my focus for days. When I start something I rarely finish. I have four or five books on my desk that I've started or plan to start and I can't do it. I just can't do it.<br /><br />I lose track of time too. I can be watching tv or trying to fix something in my office and before I know it three or four hours have flown by without anything to show for it. I feel like I'm losing to the clock. Days are going by too fast and time itself is something that I can't seem to hold on to. And for some reason, last year it seemed like it was getting worse.<br /><br />I wonder how long it will take me to put my guitar back together?"</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Tomorrow I'm going to see someone about (what I suspect to be) ADD. I've looked at the symptoms and I've been in denial... saying "This is how I've always been" or "I don't want them to change me." or whatever. I've struggled with <i>really weird</i> things all of my life, and while some may blame laziness, or fears, or other things... I think something else might be going on here. I feel like I need help, and my wife has urged me to do this. I honestly haven't really thought about it, I kinda want to just show up so I don't over-think this. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div>Davy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15799043.post-86479814352006556112011-03-01T05:12:00.002-07:002011-03-01T05:45:09.332-07:00crapI can't sleep because I keep thinking about all those job interviews I screwed up because I was nervous or just too excited to be there. I tend to say awesomely stupid things in interviews and then hear back a few days later that I "wasn't selected" or "we went with another candidate" or something to that effect. I don't know what my deal is, and I have only myself to blame really. <div><br /></div><div>I missed a job that would have probably fixed everything a while back... and it still bugs me. Things would really be different now, but I guess I'll never know. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm <i>finally</i> getting over my sickness. Geez, it's been like two weeks of feeling like a zombie.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now I'm just waiting. </div>Davy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15799043.post-79928510367088696732011-02-25T14:23:00.002-07:002011-02-25T14:35:11.399-07:00watch<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/20379529?portrait=0" width="620" height="349" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /><br />The Vernal Equinox.Davy Jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16072166964508256075noreply@blogger.com0