edlib Posted January 15, 2005 Share Posted January 15, 2005 Thanks. I appreciate it. 1/15/05 Sorry to bring the whole thread down... but this is what I'm going through at the moment. Pretty much more of the same as yesterday, only an even longer day for us. He's still hanging in there. (He insists he's gonna watch the Patriots play tomorrow. A true fan even to the last!) It's obvious he's getting weaker... but there's some of his family that can't make it untill tomorrow, so I think he's fighting to hold on until he can see them all. His daughter and grandson flew in from California this morning. At one point during the day the room was filled with all his grandkids, as well as most of the rest of his extended family that lives in this area. The room (on a ward in intensive care) typically has a limit of 3 people at a time... there were times today that there were at least 20 people in the room. My favorite memories of him was when he helped me out on a couple of road trips I had to make with a band I was working with at the time. We had to drive down to the venue in a rented Ryder truck, set the band up, do the gig, tear down, and drive back. The first time was down in New Jersey, and then we went to Long Island. We had a lot of fun. Especially the night we found ourselves driving on the Long Island Parkway in a 10-foot high box truck watching the bridges go by with progressively smaller clearance hights, and finding the highest part of each bridge in the dark before we got there so that we didn't shear off the roof of the van! Introducing him to the band was also a blast for us. When I had talked to them last they asked if I had been able to get someone to help me, and I told them that my uncle Dave was coming along to help out. I'm not sure exactly what they were expecting, but I'm Italian/ Irish,favoring the Irish side as far as skin tone goes (pretty much straight-up lilly white, not even olive skinned like my dad)... and Dave is Cape Verdean, black, and fairly dark skinned at that. Watching the wheels roll in thier heads as they tried to figure it out and trying to put the pieces together (for the record: he is married to my mother's younger sister) when he met the band gave us both a bit of a laugh later. They also freaked-out big time when they learned of his heart transplant. He was a master chef, and insisted on doing most of the holiday cooking... and nobody ever disputed him on it ever. His meals are some of the best I've ever had... some of the most memorable. When my cousin Mike had his bachelor party, we all hopped in a van and went down to one of the big Indian casinos they have down in Connecticut. As we were walking in a bunch of people walking out recognized Dave. It was the first of several such meetings that night. Everywhere we went somebody knew him. And he made friends wherever he went. He will be very missed... EDIT: Just got a call... his brother is expected in shortly. After that happens he has asked to be removed from all medications and treatments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyan Farlander Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 Wow, sorry edlib Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitro Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 I've got an Uncle Dave too (mother's brother), and he's by far the one I'm most like... My prayers are with you and your family... As for my day... 01/15/05 The postal outlet my chorus pedal was sent to is in a drug store, so it was open today and I was able to go pick it up... Sounds *amazing* laid over my old DOD FX-50B overdrive. We also named the band: The Ammon Republican Army, Ammon being the "town" (consisting solely of the 10 mile long Ammon Road) where our unheated "jam hut" is located. It's pretty much just considered part of the Greater Moncton Area by everyone else, but Ammon residents (specifically our bassist, who owns the shop we play in) will always tell you they live in Ammon, not Moncton. Later in the evening, I found out I can play the drums disturbingly well for someone that before tonight hadn't held drumsticks for more then 10 seconds in his life... I just sat down behind our drummer's kit while our bassist and other guitarist were goofing off playing Black Sabbath's "Electric Funeral" and jumped right in... And 30 seconds later they both stopped and looked at me like, "WTF!!! When the hell did you learn how to play the drums!!?" Maybe I should buy a drum kit instead of that new amp... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogue15 Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 heh i had the house free to myself this weekend... I went out and bought Galaxies, waiting til next week for my bday present (new computer) to run it on...I ordered some pizza, watched Collateral which was a very good movie. And I played Halo 2 and levelled up from 7-9. yay. also canged my avatar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edlib Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 1/16/05 He went last night. I was there. It sucked. 'Nuff said. Me and my mom headed back to the hospital after that call. It was just before we got back that they removed the I.V.s. We didn't have long to wait. In this case quicker was better. I'm glad we got back when we did, when he was still awake. I'm sad for us. Happy for him. Mostly relieved that his suffering is over... but sad that the suffering of those who loved him has only really just begun. At least now there is something for all of us to hang our grief on. Watching someone die is an emotional rollercoaster... but now that it's over for him we can get everthing out of our systems that we've been choking back for a few days. I've been seriously considering becoming an organ donor in his honor. I've never really considered it before, but I feel like I really do something to honor his memory and the gift that a stranger gave us that we could all have more time with him that we never would have had otherwise. Thank you all for your concern, prayers, and well wishes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildstar Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 edlib I know all too well what you're going through, as it will be 10 years next month since my mother passed away. You have my deepest sympathies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogue15 Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 I got the specs to the computer my family's gonna get me. Pentium 4 Processor 520 with HP Technology (2.80 GHz, 800 FSB) OS: Windows XP Home Edition Memory: 512MBDual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 400 MHz Monitor: 17 inch (16 in viewable, .27 dp) E773c CRT Monitor Video Card: 128MB PCI Express x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) ATI Radeon X300 SE Hard Drive: 40GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM) Drives: Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM drive and 48x CDRW Drive I can't freaking wait to get it...it's a dell, but...alot better than this current computer, which specs are.... Compaq Presario...yay... Pentium 3 600 MHz celeron 255 MB Ram (original 64 musta died...cause it used to say 320...) 10GB Hard Drive Some integrated chipset ****...i upgraded to Geforce 2 MX but the card died. had this computer since 2000. i've reformatted it several times...it's had its good moments.....like UT Classic, Delta Force, XWA, Jedi Knight, Jedi Outcast (up to the swamp level), Deus Ex....now I'm not playing any games on it, since the geforce 2 died, as I noticed it froze ALOT so i'd say...be online chatting and all of a sudden FREEEEZE...and I'm mad and restart....it hasn't frozen since i got back from basic training, maybe cause i haven't put any games on it since then...=\ I'm way overdue to get this new computer....and i can't wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildstar Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 Rogue15 I'd replace the CDRW drive w/ a DVD burner at first opportunity. They're pretty cheap now...on TigerDirect.com, you can get a BenQ dual-layer burner with software (Sonic mastering and WinDVD) for well under $100. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edlib Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 1/17/05 Still recovering. Feeling better, trying to get back to normal. Watched the Pats dominate yesterday... but couldn't help but think about my uncle. He would've loved that game. Afterwards I watched a DVD of "Michael" with John Travolta, wich was the last of the movies that were given to me for the holidays. It was cute in moments, but generally kind of shmaltzy and not really my kind of movie. More shoveling this morning... not bad though. Went to the store. Picked up some DVDs (the new version on "The Manchurian Candidate", "MacArthur", "Moby Dick", "Enemy At The Gates", and one for my mom: "De-Lovely",) a couple of books ("50 Years Of The Fender Stratocaster" and Steven King's book 5 of the Dark Tower series "Wolves Of The Calla") and a game for my Gamecube (a bunch of old arcade games, with Pac-Man, Pole Position, Dig-Dug and the like.) I'm not sure if I'm going to work tomorrow. My boss told me not to worry about it, but I haven't heard anything about the plans for the wake and funeral, so there's probably no reason I shouldn't go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyan Farlander Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Originally posted by edlib ...and a game for my Gamecube (a bunch of old arcade games, with Pac-Man, Pole Position, Dig-Dug and the like.) Namco Museum! I just picked that one up myself. I was playing some Galaga earlier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edlib Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Yah! Looks good! I haven't tried it out yet, but I spent hours the other day playing the one with Defender, Joust, and Paperboy. (Williams?) That one rocks!!!!! It's amazing... some of the old games really are the best. What's great about them is that I can play one without investing hours, days, or weeks of my life to it like most of the modern games I can think of. Play for 20 minutes, put your name on the high-score chart, and move on. I really can't fathom just how many quarters I must have fed into these games when I was younger. Now I can play them at home whenever I want. Now I saw the other day that Atari is coming out with a console that has pretty much the entire 2600 catalog burned in, plus a number of 5200 and 7800 games as well. I have to say I'm somewhat interested... depends on how much it comes to, but playing some of those ancient games has an undeniable appeal. I feel like I'm going through my second childhood... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyan Farlander Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 I liked playing those games when I was a little kid in the early and mid eighties, but I didn't really have my "arcade phase" until the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Street Fighter II days a bit later on. I wasted a ton of money playing Street Fighter II in the arcade on Saturday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edlib Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 I was the perfect age for the golden age of arcade video games. I remember them all. Every weekend my friends and I would ride our bikes down to town to go to the arcade to see what the new, hot machine was... and to blow most of our weeks allowance and money from paper-routes, yard-work and the like. After we started getting home consoles this kind of tapered down, although all our birthday parties at the time tended to take place in places with a lot of games (the big local arcade was attached to a pizza-parlor... good planning on somebody's part! The pizza was lousy, but it didn't matter,.. we always ended up there anyways!) Eventually, as we grew up, less and less of our modest income went to the latest and greatest electronic distractions. We got into Dungeons & Dragons for a while (hey! it was the 80's!) which chewed up a surprising amount of money on books, miniatures, dice, etc... then it was on to clothes, cars, guitars,.. and girls. From that point on I pretty much lost track of the vid-gaming world until I was in my 20's and in college and bought my first real computer. That's when I learned about the X-Wing games... which combined my love for Star Wars with my long-slumbering interest in video games. Which eventually led me here. The rest is history... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitro Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 I actually owned an original TMNT arcade machine... Sold it a few years ago to buy paintball gear, and I kinda regret it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edlib Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 1/18/05 Quiet day at home. I called my boss and he suggested I take the day off even though there really was no reason to. I didn't argue very hard. Did a lot of reading and listening to music. Played some guitar. Watched "Enemy At The Gate" It was OK. I didn't realize it was based on true events... Interesting. Ed Harris was great, although I'm not sure if I personally would have cast Jude Law in that role. I thought the ending was a bit anti-climatic. I have a wake to attend tomorrow, and a funeral to attend Thursday. I hope the weather holds out, since it's a bit of a long drive to both. I gotta dig out my nice clothes in the morning. I seem to recall having then dry cleaned not that long ago, so they should still be in good shape. It all depends if the cats managed to get into the closet where I keep them. If they did I guess it means a trip to the mall to pick up some new clothes that will end up sitting in there for months, sometimes years between seeing daylight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitro Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 01/18/05 A friend loaned me his Tool cd's, and I've been sitting here all night listening to 'em since I can't play with my new amp (everyone's sleeping). Man, those guys make some messed up stuff... I haven't felt this "deep" since I watched Apocalypse Now, Vanilla Sky, and Clockwork Orange in one long run... As for my new amp... Fender Twin Reverb '65. Sounds better then hot sex on a cold morning. Compared to the 35W solid state Peavey bass amp I was jacking my Ibanez into before... It's like banging your hot older cousin, then finding out she's not *really* your cousin. Finally, ed, that Don't Drink The Water album is ripped and uploaded... Everything's ripped at 192kbps, and the final size of the zip file is 73.95MB... I've PM'ed you the link to give your would-be listeners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edlib Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 Originally posted by Nitro Fender Twin Reverb '65. I approve! I have a Music Man 212 65 Watt... pretty much the same thing, although the Twin is sexier! The only Fender amp I like better is the Vibroverb that my dad has... If I could get 2 of those to run in stereo... (insert Homer Simpson drooling sound here...) plus the name is kinkier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogue15 Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 meh it's snowing.....i'm hoping the temp agency will call me and say there's no work and not to go in.....cause i don't feel like working and i don't feel like driving in this ****. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyan Farlander Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 I've been thinking of buying a Valvetronix amp from Vox. Seems like a good way to get that tube sound with better reliability and not having to play at insane volumes. edlib, have you ever used an Shure KSM44 mic? If so, what do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edlib Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 We have the KSM 32 and 27s at work. The 32s are my first choice out of the mics we have for grand piano and marimba. They also sound great on guitar amps. The 27s sounded real nice on percussion, and guitar (acoustic and electric.) I haven't used a 44 yet,.. but I assume that it supposedly a step above the 32s in quality, as the 32s are to the 27s. The KSM series are great mics for the price,.. and Shures are known for thier durability. The top of the line AKGs and Neumanns probably sound a little nicer, but cost at least 10 times as much, and I would never use them in the environment that we do. I recommend them from the experience I have had. You could do a lot, lot worse. The new Vox stuff is real nice too. Last year we had a Beatles tribute band play, and all they used were the Vox Tube-Modeling footboards patched direct into the board, and they got some stunning tones out of those things. Very sweet. And beats carrying a bunch of AC30s around. 1/19/05 It's snowing here too. Just drove back from my uncle's wake. Driving was pretty sloppy. No plows out yet. Saw some people I haven't seen in years. Funeral is early tomorrow. Hopefull the roads will be well cleared by then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyan Farlander Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 OK, edlib, thanks for your input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nute Gunray Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 my car needs a new fuel filler neck, and I can't find such a part anywhere on the internet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyan Farlander Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 You mean you might have to actually venture outside to get one from NAPAA or something? Wow, that sucks No one should be forced to go outside. There's things out there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nute Gunray Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 None of the chain autopart stores have what I need either. It is not fun. My car's fuel filler neck has rusted a hole in it, mean that when I get gas about 10-15 fluid ounces worth of gasoline goes not get into my tank and instead pools on the ground under my car. As the roads get more nad more salt on them, it will only rust more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitro Posted January 20, 2005 Share Posted January 20, 2005 Originally posted by Keyan Farlander I've been thinking of buying a Valvetronix amp from Vox. Seems like a good way to get that tube sound with better reliability and not having to play at insane volumes. If you're looking to bring down the volume on a tube amp try swaping preamp tubes to something with lower gain. A friend of mine did that with his Marshall and it made the difference between him being able to play in our shop, and him just being too damn loud... I might switch mind from a 12AX7 to a 12AT7, 'cause as it stands now I'm drowning out our lead guitarist's solid state Peavey without even trying... More info on tube substitution: http://www.torresengineering.com/realinonprea.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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