Wednesday, April 30, 2003

Reasons 4 Love #5

Every Wednesday those who are involved in a relationship with somebody share a few (simple but significant) reasons for their love.

I love Susan because:
Even when she's sick, she tires to clean house--just because she knows I prefer a clean house.
Even when she's sick, she's still a mother first.
Even when she's sick, she wants to get the laundry done.
She's cute with a bob haircut.



According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

some lame post

Well, the Charlie Jones model pink sparkle set is 95% finished. In fact, it's mostly set up downstairs. Perhaps tomorrow I can get a photo up. Susan is still not feeling well. Other than that, there's nothing to report.


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Tuesday, April 29, 2003

Shootin' out thank-you's

Mom got a job at the local ice cream parlor. Had I mentioned that before? That's like turning Dracula loose in the blood bank. Gina went to said ice cream parlor today, and I asked her to pick me up a chocolate milk shake. So, thanks to G. for picking one up for me, and thanks to mom for picking up the tab.

Next up: Amy. Susan is sick today, and Julia's been sick. So Sue's good friend Amy dropped by this afternoon with a roast chicken, potato salad, and rolls. Thanks Amy, that was muy nice!


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

The Bearing Edge Review

The Bearing Edge Review

It's finally here. (http://billyrhythm.com/drums/snares/be.jpg) I didn't tell anyone here (or any message board) that I ordered it. I wanted to see how well the process would go first. You know, so I could give you all a faithful representation of went actually went down.

I won't go into the ordering process too much. But let me say this: if you want a Bearing Edge snare drum, be prepared to wait. I paid in full, with the idea that my eight week wait would be cut down to four. I STILL waited 14 weeks. Also, Kevin's communication skills are a little weak, IMHO. Once you get a dialogue going, he's ok. But in between, there are no updates. No "This part is back ordered" kinda thing. Once you can get him on the line, he's ok, but it can take a week for him to respond to an email. I would advise you to buy one of the snares he sells on ebay--that way, the snare's all made, and you can have it in a few days. If you simply must custom order one, be forewarned.

Now the review. I ordered my drum in 6 7/8" deep by 14". I had him put Bubinga veneer on the outside AND the inside. (He usually only does one side.) I ordered olive ash burl hoops, and a clear and brass Nickelworks strainer.

Construction: The drum was finished in a high gloss Italian polyester finish. Italian? Polyester? Beats me. The drum is drop dead gorgeous. He also offers a satin finish. I've read of a couple of owners who've had their veneer on a satin finished drum go south on them. I think the gloss looks good, and it is better for protection.

Bearing edges were sharp, with what looks to me like a 45 inner, and a more obtuse outer. The bubinga veneer was spotless. The olive ash hoops had some imperfections in them. There where a couple of knots, and it appears that the width of the veneer on one end was not wide enough to cover the width of the hoop. So on the other end, a tongue was cut protruding out, so it filled in the gap on the other end. It really just means the seam is not straight--it looks like and upside down "L." It's not really noticeable, and certainly not from a distance. And, due to the nature of wood, and not knowing what olive ash burl looks like in general, I wasn't very concerned. (The hoops, by the way, are guaranteed for life.)

The drum hardware is as simple as it is beautiful. Machined brass. Yummy! I ordered mine with 10 lugs. That way, if I ever want to put metal hoops on this drum, I can. Now, the tube lugs don't have inserts, and brass is quite soft, so be careful when putting tension rods in. But, since you'll be using claw hooks instead of hoop ears, getting things lined up will be a breeze. And who rushes through a head change on an instrument of this quality? I won't! And this is my first snare with a Nickelworks strainer. I see what all the buzz is about--this is the smoothest, slickest, and most dang-nambnest strainer I've ever used. I used to like Gladstone style vertical strainers best, but this one has really got me. Pricey, yes, but if I can find a good deal, I may retrofit some snares.

Sound: This is the deepest drum I've ever owned. (Well, not quite. I do have a 12" deep Ludwig stainless marching snare, but that never gets on a stand.) I ordered it deep as I wanted something fat. And boy did I get it! This baby wants to be tuned low. It will go high, but I'm a believer in a drum having a resonate frequency (or two) at which the drum will have its fullest tone. And for me, and this drum, it was low. If was a little lower in pitch than my Pearl Masters Burl Mahogany (http://billyrhythm.com/drums/snares/mahogany.jpg). That drum is 6 1/2" deep, and has reinforcing hoops.

I've also read that the wood hoops play a big part in the sound. Metal hoops introduce high end resonances to drum sound. Without the metal hoops, rimshots take on an entirely new sound. On the Mahogany, the base note was deep, but smacking the die cast rim introduces high end sparkle. On the wood hooped BE drum, there's an extra SPANK. Or better, extra THWOOK. It's got some extra hardness, and little extra sharpness, but the overtones are very much like that of the drum itself. It's very pleasing. Also really cool--the hoops are made so they cover the aluminum "flesh" hoop of the drum head. It really cleans up the lines, and keeps everything tidy.

Downsides. Well, wait time, one. Sensitivity is a little strange. I have no problem getting snare response, even at low volume. But sometimes, ghost notes get mushed together. Of course, on a 7" deep drum, you don't expect the same snare response as a 5" COB cranked pretty tight. But this snare won't be my primary funk snare. But then, I didn't buy if for that.

Sum up: A very good looking, good sounding snare at a good price. Be ready to wait, but I don't think you'll be disappointed.


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Just some stuff

Here's some funny stuff that came up at the office yesterday.

Are you familiar with the story of Onan? He was charged, under Jewish law, to sire a child for his brother, who had died and was left without an heir. So he did as he was supposed to, but, um, didn't finish the deed, so to speak. And so, God killed him. (Interestingly, the Catholic church has used this passage to show the "sinfulness" of masturbation. Of course, the Bible story has nothing to do with masturbation, but hey, why would we want to teach what the Bible actually says? )

Anyway, JP mentioned that there is a company who builds portable generators whose name is Onan. Their parent company? CUMMINS! I'm not making it up! Click the link, it's true!!!

Back in the early 70s, Ludwig released a series of really wild colors. The Psychedelic Red lasted the longest, maybe 5-6 years. Just a couple of years ago, Ludwig reintroduced the psychedelic red color. Mod Orange was a swirling of orange, yellow, and purple. It is the second most rare of the phunky phinishes. But not unheard of; a drum shop here in Maine has one for sale, in fact. The rarest of the wackies is Citrus Mod. How rare is it? Well, Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick owns one, and Frank Beard of ZZ Top purportedly owns one. On ebay a while back, some guy was selling a bunch of snare drums. In the background of one of the pictures, you could see a Citrus Mod snare. (It was not for sale.) Even then, just a shot of a Citrus Mod drum was enough to get the vintage drum community buzzing. For many, including me, this was the first time we ever saw Citrus Mod, with it's swirling lime and lemon, and a little red thrown in. So what do you think happened when this showed up on ebay? The seller is well known, and a nice guy. He started this auction with an opening bid of $1, with no reserve! That's gutsy, my friends.

Blood types, and how they work. I'm O-, as is only 7% of the population. O- can give blood to anyone, including 0+. But, we can't receive O+ -- just O-. Luckily, my dad is O-. Why did this come up? I have no idea.


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Saturday, April 26, 2003

Early Saturday morning

Good morning all! Glad to see Maria's back. I've got to DJ a wedding this afternoon, and it's quite a ways away, so I'm up at 'em early again. Yesterday, I stayed home from work. I wasn't feeeling 100%, and I didn't want to come down with anything before the gig, so I stayed home and rested. Then tomorrow moring, I'm DJing the Walk America here in town. I've done that for 4-5 years now. Well, that's it, I guess. I shoulda had coffee before posting!


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

The office Freedom Toast champion

This post was actually and inner office email I sent after the breakfast I made for the office on Thursday morning.

Cameron threw down the gauntlet yesterday. Ron was the champion toast eater, and Cameron wanted the title. He let it be known he'd be challenging Ron to a freedom toast, no-holds-barred double smack
down. Ron wasn't taking any guff from the new kid, and was up to the challenge. The odds were on Ron. After all, he had a proven track record, and, as General Manager Mike Young said, "Four hollow legs."

8am. Cam shuffles in, ready to begin. "What's the record?" Paddy pages out on the phone system. I had to check my records. As of October or so of last year, it was Ron: 13 slices of toast. Cam begins slowly, with only two pieces. Apparently, he just wanted to get the juices flowing. Over the next hour and a half, Cam eats 12 slices of french toast. The last 4 went down with no syrup at all. He was saving room. "Give me two more" Cam says. They also went down dry. Cam was at 14--one more than Ron's title.

10am. Ron shows up for his day. I've already got four slices ready to go for him. By the time I have the next four slices done, Ron's already ready for them. "You want more?" I ask. "I'll take four more" he says. 10:20am Ron's finished his 12 slices. He's full he says. Just full--not feeling sick. (Not feeling sick after a dozen slices of french toast???) "I'll take two more" he says. "That way, I'll tie with Cam."

"I'll take two more!" says Cam. "I have to have the record."

"If he's going to have two more, I'm going to stop" says Ron. "No need to make my self sick."

And so, after 2 1/2 hours, Cam bested the old record, downing 16 slices of Freedom Toast, equal to one loaf (or 1lb, 8oz) of Canadian White. He reports he doesn't think he'll be eating lunch.


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Thursday, April 24, 2003

Holy Cow! Maria's gone!

I was up and at 'em early this morning. Jim is going in for his leg surgery this morning, and his familiy needed help getting him down the steps in his wheelchair. So I helped out, and was done by 6:10 or so. I figured I come to the office (no need to go back home to bed), do some surfing and email, punch in at 7am, and make freedom toast and sausage for everyone at the office. So, in doing the daily surfing, I've found Maria's taken her blog down! I knew she had been getting some wacko guestbook comments, but nothing like I thought would cause this. Maria posts ususally at least twice a day, even weekends! And she's always so nice. Too bad a couple bad apples have to spoil it for all of us. Hopefully, her hiatus won't be too long.


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Wednesday, April 23, 2003

Reasons 4 Love #4

Every Wednesday those who are involved in a relationship with somebody share a few (simple but significant) reasons for their love.

I love Susan because:
Even though she sometimes makes me cry, I know she will always love me.
She understands that I'm a "man," and that men's brains work different than women's brains.
Even when she has a house full of kids, she tries to make supper for me.
She's so cute watching every reality show on the planet.
She buys me chocolate.



According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Nutritional Anthropology, and the history of the patty melt

Ever wanted to know about General Tso's chicken? Go to Google--plenty of stuff. How about the Reuben? Yup, history of that's available too.

What about the patty melt?

It came up at the office today. How, I'm not really sure. But Paddy was talking about the patty melts he used to have as a child, and in his recolection, the patty melt included a slice of ham. Strange to me--I've never seen a patty melt with ham. So, we searched the web. What we found was a travesty.

No one knows anything about the patty melt. Some people have mushrooms on their patty melt. No! Some have mayonaise. No! Russian dressing? Please! So Paddy and I discussed what the patty melt should contain:
1) a hamburger patty.
2) grilled onions. (I would add that it should have plenty of onions. Copious amounts, even.
3) Cheese. We both agree it should be a melting cheese. The classic patty melt in my mind has American or Cheddar. In either instance, it should be orange. Cheese food can be used, but real American cheese is preferred. (Some don't even realize there's a difference between American Cheese and American cheese food.) Paddy thinks Cheddar is prefered. Many restaurants are using Swiss. I frown on this, and Paddy accepts it half heartedly, I think. But we both agree on some kind of cheese.
4) Grilled rye bread. We both agreed. It must be grilled, and it must be rye. You may use sour dough, but you may then not call the resultant sandwich a patty melt.

Note the ham is not considered essential. Still, something tells me that such a combo might work. It's almost a bacon thing. I surely would have no objections to bacon on a patty melt. (In fact, I rarely have an objection to bacon on anything--except chocolate covered bacon. I draw the line there.) Why then would ham not be acceptable. I willing to allow ham/bacon and as acceptable addition to the classic patty melt. Other than these additions, no other major condiments may be added. (Major condiments? Well, salt and/or pepper could be added. Maybe ketchup and mustard--though I would frown on that. Mayo? Right out! Dressings? Nope. Tabasco? Maybe.


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Tuesday, April 22, 2003

I should explain

I was showing a fellow web designer the benefits of using Greymatter as a possible solution for allowing a client to self publish to a web page. In showing him how the cgi worked, we put up a sample post. Bong water was his idea for a subject. I thought it was kinda funny, so I left. Not 10 minutes by when I had my first oral comment on the "Bong Water" post.


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Bong water

Don't drink the bong water. Don't even fix a price.


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Monday, April 21, 2003

Drums and Potted Meat

I was glad to see this. That's more than I paid for Wellman. Then again, I had to wait 14 weeks to get my drum. This chap will wait much less. At least, I hope he will!

Nice Trixon Speedfire kit. I think it was only a few months ago this guy bought this kit. I seem to remember it. Notice that the snare is no longer included, and the bass drum head has had a hole cut in it. That's too bad. Remo makes a run of those strange shaped heads about once a year. Cost? About $100 per head. Too bad the guy cut it.

I'm not sure how it happened. Someone here brought up Vienna Sausages. I did a quick search of the web, and found they were made by the Armour meat people. They also make Treet and potted meat.

Now, I like Spam. I do. But Treet is awful. It's just gross. It's not even in the same league as Spam. And potted meat? It just sounds gross. Too gross for me to even try. And do you know where the name comes from? After slaughter, places used to take the scraps and heads, put them in a pot (thus: potted), boil them until the meat was boiled of the bones, take that resulting sledge, mix ground onions and what-not in with that, grind it all up again into something coarser than a pate, and BINGO! Potted meat. Yum.

So now, take a trip to the Potted Meat Museum. Pork brains and milk gravy? In a can? Tripe stew? You can't be serious? Road runner meat? I can't believe I even read this stuff! The pork brains have 1200% of the USDA for cholesterol. Mmm, Mmm. Caned bacon. I couldn't even believe that one. A travesty.


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Sunday, April 20, 2003

Language and 4-year old girls

Julia just used and interjection that I rather liked. "Shucks and whiskeys!" she shouted. Hmm. Not sure what it means, but it sure sounds, um, funny? Appropriate? Not sure. But I like it! Might make a good name for an album.


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Happy Easter

For Cronin

You want to know more about my Lord, huh? Well, here's what I believe:

I believe Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God.
I believe he was born of a virgin, and lived a sinless life.
I believe he was crucified as the pefect sacrifice. I believe that his blood was recieved by God as the "once for all" sacrifice, and that man's sin was forgiven because of that sacrifice.
I believe the only way to get to heaven is to trust Jesus, to believe in his sacrifice, and realize that the only reason you're going to heaven is because of Him.
I believe the Bible is God's word given to man, and that it is inerrant.

IESUS NAZARENVS REX IVDAEORVM. Happy Easter all!


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Saturday, April 19, 2003

What did I do today?

Nothing of importance. It was soooo nice! We visited friends Jim and Rachelle for several hours. Came back home around 3:30pm. I took a nap for about 2 hours, and only felt slightly guilty about not raking the lawn. I made supper a while ago, and now I'm just hangin'. Having a real day off is real nice. No work, no gigs, I haven't touched a web page, or laid a finger on a macquarium. It's awesome!


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Last night's Palm post

Yet another post on the Palm. I'm in the Black Bull restaurant here in town. As I pushed my way through the patrons at the bar, I realized something: I hate bars. I used to think that when I had a free weekend, the reason I didnt go out was because I had so little free time. I mean, when you're in a bar every weekend, the last place you want to be is a bar. Now I know that's not it. It's just that bars suck.


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Friday, April 18, 2003

The good Friday drum post

So about the drum...

I'll give you a full review later. I've only played it a little bit. I want to give it the full workout, then I'll report in.

My buddy Barry is playing a little gig in town to night. I have the weekend off!!!!!!! YAHOO!!! I'm going home to spend time with my beloved, and the Flower of Loveliness. Then, I'll check Barry out. (He'll actually be playing my Stewart Copeland snare.) Then tomorrow, we're going to see Rachelle and her Aussie husband Jim, and their three children Jubal, Nolan, and Akira (or something like that). Then in the afternoon, I plan on getting some yard work done. Or maybe it will rain and I'll just have to goof. off.

Good Friday. The day my Lord was crucified. I wish there was something deeper I could say.


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Thursday, April 17, 2003

Wellman's home.

OK, so that free time got spent. I installed a BBS system for one of my web clients. So, that' s all up and running, and I'm almost done with that whole project.

Wellman showed up today. It was the funniest (read: saddest) thing. I was doing my daily ebay check. When what do I spy? Wellman's twin brother! I called him on the phone right quick. "Hey, this is Bill. I just saw a drum just like mine on ebay. I still haven't received mine, not have I received the tracking number you were supposed to call me with last Friday. What's the deal?" He called back. "I've got that tracking number right here." Fumbling. "Um, I can't lay my hands on it. Let me call you back." I swear I am not making this up. I start searching for the Secret Service wire fraud department, the Attorney General of Georgia, and the Better Business Bureau of Georgia. I even went as far as thinking about registering a fake ebay name, and bidding exorbitantly high on this other drum. Then, my browser quit. Then the phone rang. It was Susan. "Call home, we've got news."

I called. He was home. More later.


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Wednesday, April 16, 2003

Free time?

The web pages I'm working on are mostly done. I can't work on drums, as I'm waiting for parts. I've been commisoned to build 4 macquariums, but I left the tools at the office. Looks like I've got some free time!


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Death to service

What has happened to customer service? You know the story of the drum I'm having custom made right? The one that was supposed to take 4 weeks, and we're going on 14? Then, Paddy orders a bass. It's not here yet. So he called to ask them where it was. "You're credit card expired" the vendor told him. "The inhouse credit I have from you?" he asked. "The one with the card that has no expiration date on it--that one? That's the one that expired?" Apparently. So they canceled his order. Did they call him? Nope. Email? Nadda. I guess they really don't care about selling to him. He says that he's spent about $4000 with them over the years. Now, he won't buy from them again. Then those parts I ordered for the Charlie Jones model pink sparkle drum set? Well, they were back ordered. Did they call to let me know? Nope. Email? Nadda. What's up with service? We're turning into a service economy, if you haven't heard. If you can't give it, then people will go somewhere else.


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Reasons 4 Love #3

Reasons 4 Love #3

Every Wednesday those who are involved in a relationship with somebody share a few (simple but significant) reasons for their love.

I love Susan because:
She let me make Swedish Meatballs for supper one night, even though she doesn't really like them.
She got the table cleaned off, so we can eat there instead of on the couch.
She works hard to keep the house in shape, even though I care about it more than she does.
She still has that black hair thingy she used to wear when we were first dating.



According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Monday, April 14, 2003

I am at lunch

I have nothing interesting to say. My drum parts were ordered Monday. They were sent Priority Mail. They're not here. The pink sparkle Charlie Jones model drum kit cannot be completed until they arive. Argh!


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Saturday, April 12, 2003

The weekend off (almost)

So, what's going on for Billy Rhythm this weekend? Well, work from 9-noon. Then run a few errands, as Julia and Susan are going to a birthday party. Then, we're heading to Augusta. We need some stuff at Sam's Club. While were in the city, I hope we have supper at Applebees. That would be swell!

Next week, I have the whole weekend off--no work, no gigs. I haven't had that since Florida, the first week of February. I'm gonna sleep late (8:30am maybe), make a big ol' breakfast, and relax. Then, I'll get some stuff done around the house. The yard looks like a winter just hit it. Oh, wait...


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Thursday, April 10, 2003

Wellman Bubinga, the Custom Drum

Wellman Hupper was a guy who used to play fiddle at my church on Sunday evenings. He attended Advent Christian Church in Port Clyde on Sunday morning. Sunday nights, he played fiddle, Mom played the organ, Lisa played piano, I played drums, and Pastor Ken played guitar. Wellman grew up palying by ear. But her could read music too. Many times, a hymn would be called. Wellman, hard of hearing, wouldn't catch the hymn number. He'd just wait a bar or two, figure out what hymn it was, and what key, and just play it. And since he grew up in the days before radios and television, he knew all the tunes the folks liked to hear at the Saturday night dances. Everyone always wanted him to play "Lady of the Lake." He knew all kinds of jigs and reels.

It is in his honor that I name the first drum I've ever named. In this way, I can still play with Wellman.

Here's Wellman on the work bench. See how he's got BUBINGA!!! on the inside too? Kevin, the designer, said he didn't have any pictures of drums he's made with veneer on the inside. So he's going to use some pictures on his site. Here's Wellman with some of his hardware on. And finally, Wellman himself, all done. He's supposed to be shipped to me tomorrow.


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Reasons 4 Love, #2

This was supposed to be posted yesterday. I had it done, and forgot, so early Thursday morning will have to do.

Reasons 4 Love #2

Every Wednesday those who are involved in a relationship with somebody share a few (simple but significant) reasons for their love.

I love Susan because:
She heated up my supper for me last night in order to have it ready for me when I was done teaching my late (9pm) class.
She was listening to The Mingus Big Band when I got home. (She doesn't normally listen to Jazz without a vocal.)
She is a wonderful mother to Julia.
She donates her old clothes to the Salvation Army.
She does things to please me, even if she doesn't like to do it herself; she'll do something just for me.



According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Wednesday, April 9, 2003

Quiz, drums, blah blah blah

Billy Rhythm
is a
Garlic-Eating Ninja Monkey


...with a Battle Rating of 9.6



To see if your Food-Eating Battle Monkey can
defeat Billy Rhythm, enter your name:

1. Sexier (female)...Pamela Anderson or Jennifer Garner? Well, I had to look up Jennifer Garner. But I'd have to vote for her by default. Pam Anderson is just white trailer trash to me. And the tattoos! Blech!
2. Sexier (male)...Ben Affleck or Matt Damon? Ben Affleck, I guess.
3. The better piano player...Billy Joel or Elton John? Billy Joel. Anyone who says otherwise is fooling themselves. Elton John is a rock and roll piano player, and that's cool. I don't want to take anything away from his skills. But Billy Joel gave up pop superstardom to work on his classical chops. And, from a musician's point of view, classical piano is way more challenging technically the r&r piano. All that being said, I'd rather listen to Duke than either one of them. Maybe the question should pin the Duke against the Count.
4. Funnier...David Letterman or Craig Kilborn? Letterman.
5. The dumber cartoon cat...Stimpy (of *Ren & Stimpy*) or Tom (of *Tom & Jerry*)? Stimpy is more stupid, but I like him better. I'm not a huge Tom and Jerry fan, although Julia is.
6. A better news anchor...Tom Brokaw or Dan Rather? Brokaw. Of the 3 big networks, he seems the least biased of the bunch. And you know who I think is the most even handed? Tim Russert.
7. A better TV chef...Emeril Lagasse or Jacques Pepin? Emeril. His TV personality is better. As far as chef-ing goes, I don't care for either one of them. Give me Mario Batali.
8. The trashier talk show host...Maury Povich or Jerry Springer? Jerry is way more trashy.
9. The worse fast food burger joint...McDonald's or Burger King? Burger King. But give me a Wendys!
10. Thought-provoking question of the week: Only a handful of U.S. Presidents have been considered to be *great* Of the following two, which one do you consider to be greater...Franklin D. Roosevelt or Abraham Lincoln? Why? Abraham Lincoln; Republican. What more do you need? FDR? Democrat. Great Depression. Only bailed out economically by WWII. Yeah. Great president. [/sarcasm]

Well, the custom drum builder has called me a couple of times. He was supposed to call me the end of last week. I didn't hear from him, so I called him on Monday. His phone had been disconnected. That was not what I needed to hear. I had had enough, so I filed a complaint with PayPal. (I used them to wire the money to him.) A couple of hours later, I got a voicemail. "Bill, this is K _. I just got an email from PayPal. Give me a call on my cell phone." So I did. He explained that his wallet had been stolen Friday night. On Monday, his phone company tried to bill the stolen card, and it was rejected. So they shut his phone off. (Man, that company has no mercy, huh?) I told him I was starting to run out of patience. He said "I'll finish the drum tonight, and I'll email you the tracking number (Tuesday)." I got home late last night after teaching Beginner's Internet. Susan and I were in bed watching a tape of Trading Spaces. She said, "Oh, by the way, K_ called. He said he was just finishing the drum, and that it would be shipped tomorrow." So he called me today. He says it's done. He asked if he could take a picture of it to use on his website. (You see, I had my drum made with BUBINGA on the outside and the inside. He didn't have a picture of a drum with in and outsides veneered.) I said "Sure, and after you take those pictures, email one to me." So supposedly it will be shipped today. We'll see...


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Monday, April 7, 2003

SSI

Thanks to Tay Vaughan! Tay is a local web designer, and we've been working on a project together. Tay's done the basic layout, and I'll do all the upkeep. He's included a server side include (ssi) for the navigation bars top and bottom, and his logo at the bottom. What that means, is if I ever need to change the navigation bar, I make a change to one file. Then, whenever a page is called, it looks for the ssi. That means I don't have to change the code on every page. So, I stole a bit of that knowledge for another site I'm working on. On this page, the navigation buttons and the car photos on the right are includes--the code's not written on the page itself. This nifty little trick is going to save me so much time! And I could use some free time!


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Sunday, April 6, 2003

Written Entirely on my Palm Pilot, at Last Night's Gig

I'm in Joshuas Tavern as I write. It's been snowing all day, and the drive down was quite fun. Actually, I made pretty good time. But I'm not looking forward to the drive home. Plus, I lose an hours sleep tonight.

Mikey is playing bass with us tonight. Mike's wife, Maggie, stayed home. She used to come to gigs frequently with Mike, but now that they are married, she rarely comes. It's too bad. She's a very sweet woman, and nice to talk with on breaks.

One strange thing about posting on a Palm Pilot--I don't know all the strokes for punctuation. In fact, I just learned the apostrophe (') tonight.

(45 minutes later...)

1st break. The smoke is killing me. I'm out in the truck. This place is always smokey. There were three times as many people here last night, but there's more smoke tonight. Pehaps decause they're keeping the doors ciosed due to the cold. And, because there are so few people, we're playing very quietly. It's very hard to groove well, and play quietly.

I should mention I thought of a cool band a week ago: Caddilac Sanchez and his Mowhawk Five. (Unless there are, in fact, five members in the band. Then it's the Mowhawk Seven.)

2nd break
1 drambuie. I haven't had one of these in a long time. SWEET!!! Very sweet. It's a long way from bourbon. I don't like it as much as I used to.

The Spice Girl is here tonight. Same outfit: tank top, even though it's cold out. She came in wearing a winter jacket and a friken' tank top.


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Saturday, April 5, 2003

Gig last night, today's update

What a wild gig last night! The crowd was hoppin'! Glen, the scheduled bass player was sick, so Tim filled in. It was good to play with Tim. He's a rock solid, rock and roll bass player. When he's on, you don't have to worry about him. Sometimes, though, he dances with Captain Morgan a little too much. Not so last night. Just a good foundation, which every drummer loves. Notable things that went on: One guy got sick of waiting for the men's room, so he used the ladies' room. The management asked him not to do that again. Then, another guy decided to show the world his tattoo. Too bad it was on his bum. Again, management. This couple sat right in front of us. The guy was playing "how many buttons can I undo on your blouse to see the most cleavage". He did pretty well. She was wearing a red satin bra, and didn't seem too concerned that she was showing it to everyone. Also, there's this girl whose there at all our gigs. (She's probably at everyone's gigs there--I think she's a regular there, I mean.) She wears the same thing every time: a white tank top; blond hair in a pony tail; vinyl wind pants; tattoo on arm that's some kind of celtic/thorn ring thing. She's very in shape--she could whip me in a fight easy. Kinda Sporty Spice meets Emma Spice. Even when it's cold out (and it was last night--we've got snow here today), tank top.

After work today, I'll be going to the dump, then to see Jim, then home for a nap. I should be going to the funeral of a fellow Kiwanian, Ev Spear II. He was a great guy, but I'm just not up to it.


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Friday, April 4, 2003

You know what really frosts my shorts?

Some punk sent out a spam message about copying DVDs. He sent it with an adress of something like a85nfue92-dmso@billyrhythm.com. This puke then decides to send this to every frikin' AOL user their is. Of course, real people don't stay with AOL long (SLAM!), so a bunch of them get bounced back. And, since I have a catch-all box, all these bounced messages come to me! Twerp. And of course, there's nothing I can do to fix it. Email is so easy to hoax. Just put in a fake address, and a bad return address, and spam away. Of course, a decent ISP would notice you sent 20,000 emails all at once, and shut you down. But what does AOL or Yahoo care? What does anyone care? Oh, woe is me! My life is falling all around me! Before you know it, the price of milk in Maine will go up, and I'll be ready to end it all! I'm sure next the US will start rationing chocolate for the war effort, and I won't be able to have any. And then, all snare drums will be consumed by fire from heaven. This has got to be the end.

See you tomorrow.


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

I'm very sorry

I'm sorry I said that thing. I've deleted it. I will be depressed all weekend. Again, sorry.


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Someone bought a bass? Who, Who?!

Thanks to Shawn from the Asbestos Den for linking back to me! I've known Shawn for years. First, as a trombone player. (You know the definition of a gentleman? Someone who can play the trombone, and doesn't! :-) ) Then, for a while in early high school (may have been Jr. High even) I dated his younger sister. Shawn's also the local Libertarian. Whenever I take any kind of "what political party are you" quiz, I always come out Libertarian. Maybe that's how he found me.

So, Paddy went and bought hisself a new bass. It's a 1951 reissue Fender Precision--the first year they made it. Notable: it has a slab body. Most electric guitars have routed edges along the back to make it more comfortable to play. This one is just a chunk o' wood. One pickup. Two bridge saddles. By todays standards, it's downright primitive. Primitive and funky beautiful! Man, I'm so glad he ordered this. It will look so good in The Rhythm Kings. Match this with either my '58 WFLs, or my almost finished Pink Sparkle Charlie Jones Signature kit, and put the whole band in Zoot Suits, and we'll be burnin'!


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Wednesday, April 2, 2003

Reasons 4 Love #1

"Every Wednesday those who are involved in a relationship with somebody share a few (simple but significant) reasons for their love."

I love Susan because:

She lets me call her Susan--everyone else calls her Sue.
We're so in tune with each other, neither of us can sleep when the other is not in the bed.
Even though I sometimes leave my dinner dishes out until morning, she tries very hard not to chastize me.
She's a great kisser.
She'd be willing to have a another child just for me. (Of course, she's since realized she'd like to have another, too!)



According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

New info on old friends

Jim's still in the hospital. It seems he had a blood clot in his leg, and that's moved to his lung. They've put him on blood thinner, and they say everything will be fine. His surgery has been pushed to Monday. Please keep Jimmy in your prayers.

So Paddy went to Washington this weekend, and just made it back to the office today. He ate at some real froo-froo Eye-talian place. Dig these:
"Calamaretti saltati in padella serviti con il cappuccino di portobello e l'uovo di quaglia"
"Insalata d'arugula servita con le pere arrostite le rape rosse ed il condimento miele e tartufo"
"Ravioli di vitello con il ragu di funghi di bosco"
Let's play "What did Paddy actually eat!" Leave your answers here.

No new news on the pink sparkle Charlie Jones model drum kit. Still waiting for parts. Also, no news on the Bearing Edge snare. My four week wait is now 12. I called at left a message for the builder yesterday. He hasn't returned my call. :-(




According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

Tuesday, April 1, 2003

Album Cover Art

Album cover art is cool. I posted about this once over at www.thequietstorm.org. Since that blog is gone now, I couldn't find this rally cool album cover. Or this one. But I did finally find them.


According to the prophecy of: Billy Rhythm [Link]

 
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