Are you a thread ender?

[ryler]

Happy weekend, everyone.  It's sunny and sorta cold here in the northeast U.S.  Beautiful day out.  How's everyone's guitar playing?  Getting a lot of hours in?  As for me, not so much.  I'm hoping to swing  back into playing routines, um, someday.  It's amazing how easily discouraged I get lately.  Just wanted to say hi to you all.

[ST]

Hi, ryler.

It's rainy and chilly (Pacific Northwest winter). I did my 16 kilometer (10 mile) walk from 5:30-7:30 am and it was cool with a light breeze and only light precipitation.  I do that every day.

Lots of (electric) guitar time lately. I've acquired some terrific gear that works well at low volume. I can play as loud as I want here, but it's fine to play at living room volume and save my ears.

I miss playing out. Having gigs has always been a great motivation to play at home, but I'm managing to play daily anyway. There's more time to focus on new skills these days.

"Getting a lot of hours in?"

I'm sorry you're not playing much.

My daily goal is to dedicate some time to playing: not a specified amount - but just to do it. Once I get started, the hours come naturally.

Stay well!

[ryler]

ST--you walk 10 miles every day?  Impressive.  I feel so good when I get out in nature.  The foliage is doing its New England thing here, and with some temperate sunny days, it's been great outside.  I'm good for a 2-3 hour walk around one of the most beautiful reservoirs in my area, but I'd be quite surprised if that equaled 10 miles.  Some of that walk time is quick-paced, others leisurely, but not every day, either.

Glad to hear that the new gear is pleasing and that you're playing.  "Some" time dedicated to playing would be the smartest goal for me at this point.  I'll try it on for size.

[ryler]

Hey, everyone...don't make me claim this title.  It has been lounging since October.  Needs resuscitation by all of yous guys!

[unclrob]

 

My bad I didn't mean too mess it for you......

Been lazy at my job.

[old folky]

Well, I've been wrapping Christmas presents and I've discovered that I'm just as bad as last year...or maybe the year before too...

[Mikeymac]

Hello everyone, and "early Merry Christmas!" 

I've been getting ready for Christmas Eve Candlelight services (we're actually having one on the 23^rd and one on the 24^th so we can accommodate more folks and spread them out ... and even at that, we won't be able to have as many as we usually do at one "big" full capacity Christmas Eve service.

Looking forward to kicking back a bit during the holidays and spending time with 3 of our 4 kids (won't get to see our daughter and her family in Japan, sadly) and two of our 4 grandkids... If all goes well, we'll have another grandchild this year, but our daughter has had two miscarriages since having her 2nd child - so we're praying and waiting.

Christmas and New Year's blessings to all!!! 

  << Hot Chocolate

[fongie]

Merry Christmas Mike and to all you wonderful friends on this great forum. Have a great New Year as well and stay SAFE!!!

[Queequeg]

Merry Christmas, you all. ( or is it "Yule"?)
Be well
Do good work
Keep posting and keep playing.
And may the new year find you healthy and happy as the butcher's bulldog.

[Mikeymac]

Well - our service tonight got cancelled - we're under a blizzard warning until midnight tonight - and it is truly nasty outside. I had to be out this morning (at the local radio station recording programs for the next couple weeks), and it was already getting bad then; I ran out of wiper fluid trying to keep my windshield cleared off! 50-60 mph winds and 4-8 inches of snow...UGH!!!

We should be able to have our Christmas Eve service tomorrow afternoon - and quite frankly, I hope all the folks who were supposed to come tonight show up; distancing be damned (can a pastor say that?); we'll all survive, and we need to be together to celebrate this holy day of Immanuel...

Again, Merry Christmas, y'all!!! 

[ST]

Hi, ryler,

... I feel so good when I get out in nature.  The foliage is doing its New England thing here, and with some temperate sunny days, it's been great outside.  I'm good for a 2-3 hour walk around one of the most beautiful reservoirs in my area, but I'd be quite surprised if that equaled 10 miles.  Some of that walk time is quick-paced, others leisurely, but not every day, either.

Glad to hear that the new gear is pleasing and that you're playing. "Some" time dedicated to playing would be the smartest goal for me at this point.  I'll try it on for size.

Are you playing more these days? Still walking?

[ryler]

Hi ST,

Yes, I've actually stepped it up with the guitar.  Old skills that had atrophied are being resurrected.  I'm not whiz-bang guitarist, but I have tapped back into that love for it.  If I retired from work, well, that would help a lot!  Thanks for checking in and asking.

Walking is essential for my serenity.  More so than guitar.  It's more the nature-connection than the physical movement, so even though I end up with a limp (bum ankle) after many of my treks, I keep doing it.

I hope you're doing well and enjoying the small pleasures of life.

[ST]

Hi, Ryler,

That's great to hear about you and your guitar. I'm sorry about your ankle. Moderation! So you can heal.

I'm having a ball with small pleasures. I was walking farther every day until the snow came a few days ago. I'm still out there daily, but I don't last as long. I start about three hours before sunrise and march around in the dark with a stiff breeze off the water. It's a great time to contemplate, ruminate, cogitate, and if I drift into obsession, listen to podcasts.

Came to the odd realization I had put more miles on my shoes than my tires in the last year. No gigs.

Still, hope springs eternal. I bought a bunch of new PA (sound) gear lately and I have more on the way.

I'm taking a couple of courses.

[Mikeymac]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

(Hey - where is everyone???)

Hope you all have a truly blessed New Year in 2021!

[Queequeg]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

(Hey - where is everyone???)

Hope you all have a truly blessed New Year in 2021!

Thank you, Mike. And Happy New Year to you and everyone here.
According to the clock on your post, you wrote that at 2:32AM!
I know where I was.
I haven't stayed up to ring in the new year since 2000.
(It's not that I fail to stay awake; I make no attempt to do so.)

[unclrob]

Welcome to 2021 .



I think...maybe I should get the new cave in order.

[Queequeg]

Welcome to 2021 .



I think...maybe I should get the new cave in order.

New cave? 
You got a new cave for Christmas?
pictures or it didn't happen.

[unclrob]

I finally moved everyones crap that moved into the shed.A couple of years ago during a storm put a tree thru the club we're doing benifits for,well all the old gear got move to my shed,of coarse the wife and son started tossing stuff in it.So I tossed a bunch of stuff more the gear and now have an almost cleared space that's 16'x 18'.Was going to build walls bit wood is so pricey now that I'm going with Black out curtians for the walls.Got a small pa set up for rehearshal and putting the money together for a nice camera  and a laptop to record the two duo's I'm in and have some people who like to get video's done mostly acoustic acts so I'll be able to make some quid.Gene my lets play metal tune's on acoustic guitar is thinking hosting a facebook show.Good things may be on the way.I'll get someone to take pix and then I'll email them to you as I'm still user idiot to post them.

[Mikeymac]

Thank you, Mike. And Happy New Year to you and everyone here.

According to the clock on your post, you wrote that at 2:32AM!

I know where I was.
I haven't stayed up to ring in the new year since 2000.
(It's not that I fail to stay awake; I make no attempt to do so.)

Well, I'm on Central Time Zone, so it was *only* 1:32 AM...

Yeah, I was still up reading and surfing a bit; my wife had already gone to bed at 11:30, so we didn't really "ring in the New Year".

[Mikeymac]

Meanwhile, today I completed my 63rd trip around the sun (63 today, January 4th, 2021).

So, yeah, happy birthday to me... ho hum...

I did have a good day, though. My wife gifted me the day to do a day trip and, I drove 3 1/2 hours to Omaha, where I dropped off four guitars (three Larrivees and one Martin) to have pickups installed. Oh, and the L-04 (which is basically an L-09 w/Flamed Maple b&s) is getting the bridge saddle "reversed" so that it's actually left-handed (I redid the nut months ago when I bought the guitar. I went to Omaha because I know the guys there, been doing business with them for 22+ years, and it gave me the chance to also just hang out and catch up with some of them, including the store owner (Dietze Music).

For the nerds and geeks, here's what each guitar is getting:

Larrivee L-04: new lefty saddle and Martin Gold Thinline piezo (I think - it's discontinued and I got a good price on it; I've had one of these in my Larrivee OM-05 for 25 years and it still works great)

Larrivee L-05: K&K Pure Mini

Larrivee C-03R-TE: Baggs Anthem

Martin Model America 1: K&K Pure Mini