Random. No more or less

So I just want to take a minute of your time to tell you that I will be MIA for how long I don’t really know!

Have some extremely pressing issues that need my attention atm!

Have a nice summer and enjoy your life. We only have one.

Btw my skydiving got cancelled because of inclement weather. Rebooked June 14th. It will be a bit warmer as well but I will post some pics. I bought the Superstar media package with my jump!
Sorry to hear the sky adventure is delayed, you will have a great time once you fly ;~)) Power to the win in your other life situations!
 
So I just want to take a minute of your time to tell you that I will be MIA for how long I don’t really know!

Have some extremely pressing issues that need my attention atm!

Have a nice summer and enjoy your life. We only have one.

Btw my skydiving got cancelled because of inclement weather. Rebooked June 14th. It will be a bit warmer as well but I will post some pics. I bought the Superstar media package with my jump!
As always, wishing you all the best!
 
If no one minds my sharing a bit, a rough week. My mom has been sick with a cough but kept refusing my taking her to a doctor until I insisted. Went to urgent care, but her oxygen was very low, so we went to an ER, and from there she was admitted for a couple days. apparently something triggered COPD which she never had before. She's home now, on oxygen, and several medicines. She spends so much time caring for my dad that she doesn't care for herself. (I do, too, I suppose, with both of them).

In mundane stuff, my car needed new brakes, which have gotten far more expensive in the last decade or so. And I learned something else. My car is starting to have difficulty shifting. The culprit may be a cable unique to 2012 and 2013 Mazda 3 Skyactivs, which Mazda stopped making in 2019. No aftermarket parts are available and are near-impossible to get. So when it does break, the car will be undriveable. So it looks like I need to car shop at one of the worst times to do so.

And in my work and volunteer projects, a few people haven't done what they said they would, so I'm figuring out how to work with several unexpected challenges.

On the upside, I'm really liking the PRS Kingfisher bass. I'll eventually change the electronics, but it plays quite nicely, like a PRS.

And I'm re-reading Anna Karenina, as I wanted to delve into a very long classic after reading a few dozen mostly shorter, contemporary books. (I discovered I especially love Han Kang's writing, although much of it is heart-wrenching.)
Trust me on this one! Take it day by day. Be kind to yourself and pamper yourself. Being a caregiver is very demanding and can seriously wreak havoc on your health!

This is the way I have to look at things atm. Actually for awhile!

I walked the dogs and now I am out in the garden with my hot chocolate enjoying the birds in the birdbath. Just the simple things in life keep me afloat!

Smile, be happy. I am eating the last chocolate eclair. 😂
 
Trust me on this one! Take it day by day. Be kind to yourself and pamper yourself. Being a caregiver is very demanding and can seriously wreak havoc on your health!

This is the way I have to look at things atm. Actually for awhile!

I walked the dogs and now I am out in the garden with my hot chocolate enjoying the birds in the birdbath. Just the simple things in life keep me afloat!

Smile, be happy. I am eating the last chocolate eclair. 😂
Thanks, I greatly appreciate that.

Slightly humorous aside. I was doing some chores this morning, heard an alarm, went to check it out, and saw my dad standing and staring at the oxygen generator. My mom had asked him to turn it off. Instead of pressing the big, square toggle button, he turned the oxygen level knob all the way up and partially unscrewed a nib cover, setting off alarms. I set it back to where it should be, and now it's working normally. I then made them breakfast.
 
Another update from your traveller fellow guitar player. This time Istanbul, Turkey!

As a weird fact, this is a transcontinental city, divided by the river Bosphorus: half of it located in Europe, the other half located in Asia. The Asian part, where this pic is taken, is super cool and chill, elegant and mostly silent. Really peaceful. But I stayed mainly in the european side of things, and it was a mix of modern and vintage, of elegance and extreme chaos.

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They say NY never sleeps? this city does not understand the meaning of sleep, bursting with activity, calls for praying and a never ending sea of people wandering through the streets. Streets where you can see women covered from head to toes in one of this black garments with only a strip cut in the fabric for them to see through, and some others that look they just came from LA or Miami. Funny mix

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But this city is brimming with history, and you just feel it in the air. Won't play the history lecturer, just take a look at Wikipedia or something.

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As a side note...when visiting our partner university there, one of my colleagues sent me this picture: "Hey, JL...they got a music room! Wanna check it out?"

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It was just a crappy Ibanez GIO and some acoustic, but you can guess where I spent the next 30 minutes, bringing some metal to this academic temple...!
 
Home from the hustle and bustle of Montreal. Weather was pretty awful the first 3-4 days, but it did get better at the start of last week.
The main purpose of our visit was a gathering of the Canadian branches of Shorinjiryu Karate to help unify the various schools and dojos into a stronger, more cohesive unit. So you understand, Shorinjiryu outside of Okinawa is very small, and is actually still quite small over there. If you were to pour all the traditional styles(Shotokan, Gojuryu, Shitoryu, and Wadoryu and then add in Kyokushinkai, Gensiryu and a couple others) into a jar to contain them all, the final few drops in the jar would be us. Duriong the conference, the attending members from 3rd dan up to 9th dan and some 30 representatives, we collectively totaled over 1000 years of experience in training and teaching our style of karate. But we're still a very small piece of the picture. So our purpose was to bring together as many of us as we could to hopefully build a stronger unit moving forward. Time will tell if we have nurtured that tree. We next meet with the full North American contingent of Shorinjiryu (Canada and USA) in November.Our other branches are scattered all around the world from Europe, Russia, the UK, South America, African Nations, Australia and Japan.

A few months ago back in January, our head instructor called my wife and I and told us after many discussions among the senior ranks we were to be promoted to our next dan level. Herself to 7th dan, and myself to 6th dan. Totally unexpected and was a complete shock really. I'd been a 5th dan for 17 years, and my wife a 6th dan for 15 years. Never expected any further advancement to be very honest. To avoid travel costs, the actual promotion took place virtually on May 4th, and as it was all by distance, there was no physical presentation of our rank certificates, or my new belt. My current black belt (from back as a 4th dan) was getting a bit tattered, not that I minded, and the customary belts of 6th dan and higher, up to 9th dan are red and white; 9th and 10th are solid red.
With the meetings and plan formulations concluded Saturday evening, we retired to the hotel in Sherbrooke where Shinan Donivan (our sensei) presented our certificates and my new belt. Of course that included the obligatory "kumpai" (toast) in which all but myself downed a shot glass of Irish whiskey (Sensei being of full Irish descent abhors sake); I don't drink alcohol so I had good old water. So now I wear the red and white belt and carry the title of "Shihan" not just sensei, my wife now has the title of "Kyoshi". Our sensei wears the red belt of a 9th dan, and now there are ten of us in our particular branch that wear these red and white belts, two of which reside under our own roof....Which is kinda cool, having 1/5th of the highest ranked members of the Kentokukan School of Shorinjiryu in a small Alberta town of 2500 people.
 
On the other end of the martial arts spectrum, my son got promoted a belt last Monday. He was surprised and thrilled. We’d gone to class on a night different than usual, so we were in with kids we hadn’t met. Vince was chosen to lead the class through warm-ups and exercises, which surprised me. I thought one of the regulars for that night should have had it, but whatever.

Vince’s confidence level and comfort with leading class are both sky-high. It’s fun to see him feel very good about directing his class.

We went camping for the first time this year from Thursday through Sunday. We were going to stay until Monday, but it was a bit rainier than I’d have liked.

It was our dog’s first camping trip. He did really well. He’s not a dog that likes being in the car, so the four-hour drive wasn’t his favorite thing. He couldn’t stop pacing once we were at the campsite and became quite concerned when any of us were out of his sight.

By Sunday he’d completely relaxed and had figured out that camping is an ideal napping situation. He very much enjoyed the hikes each day. Trips to the beach were fun for him, too. Lake Superior is damn chilly this time of year, but he kept going in to his chest level. Went swimming once.

He did a good job sleeping on his own bed in the tent, after the first night. I spent a fair bit of that first night hanging off the edge of the air mattress, as he needed to be curled up against my legs.
 
Trying to figure out this fx board! I feel like this is testing my patience to the max. Do I need a pilot’s license to figure this thing out? This is a really diverse piece of gear. I have watched some videos but their explanations are not the best. I wish I were a gear head atm!

Got my SG back from repair! The whole back of the tuner fell apart as I was tightening with new strings. The bushings and washers needed replacement.
 
I have considered getting a multi-fx to replace my old school pedalboard for my cover band, because it would be "easier" and "more reliable"... however I've not been able to convince myself that it would be either. Especially easier.

Pedals with knobs is simple. It's quick to adjust, even while playing. No menus, no scrolling, no saves. I had a Fender GDEC when they came out, and I think they sounded great for home use; but grew tired of tweaking/scrolling every time I plugged in a different guitar. I figure if a plain old school pedalboard is good enough for Steve Lukather these days, it's good enough for me.

And if a pedal goes down, I can remove it from the line. And replace it alot cheaper than a multi-fx.

Bonus: going the individual pedal route, you get your favorite version of every effect.
 
I have considered getting a multi-fx to replace my old school pedalboard for my cover band, because it would be "easier" and "more reliable"... however I've not been able to convince myself that it would be either. Especially easier.

Pedals with knobs is simple. It's quick to adjust, even while playing. No menus, no scrolling, no saves. I had a Fender GDEC when they came out, and I think they sounded great for home use; but grew tired of tweaking/scrolling every time I plugged in a different guitar. I figure if a plain old school pedalboard is good enough for Steve Lukather these days, it's good enough for me.

And if a pedal goes down, I can remove it from the line. And replace it alot cheaper than a multi-fx.

Bonus: going the individual pedal route, you get your favorite version of every effect.
I have a pedal board with some cool pedals as well. My bandmate from Boston built it for me. I just think there a big PITA. More equipment to take to rehersal and more headaches. I had to make a check list of all the stuff I would bring because god only knows how many things I have left behind because the next band was set to enter the studio and play for their time slot. It’s a frenzy with ppl coming and going.

For the kind of music I play I really don’t need any of this. A bit of distortion, a tiny bit of delay and some reverb and volume at 11 and I am set.

I have to find a wagon to cart my stuff from the truck to the beach asap. The designated area is a way down the beach. While I will get my steps in I just don’t feel like making a few trips back and forth! My husband will sit down the way just for my protection. I am tiny with a beautiful guitar which means I am an easy target. This beach in the summer is packed 24/7. You never know who you are dealing with. Police presence nil and non existent! I never see them out on the beach ever in all the years I have been frequenting this place. If anything they will sit in the parking area in their A/C cooled police vehicles.

I just have to get my sh*t together, and get organized.
 
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I have a pedal board with some cool pedals as well. My bandmate from Boston built it for me. I just think there a big PITA. More equipment to take to rehersal and more headaches. I had to make a check list of all the stuff I would bring because god only knows how many things I have left behind because the next band was set to enter the studio and play for their time slot. It’s a frenzy with ppl coming and going.

For the kind of music I play I really don’t need any of this. A bit of distortion, a tiny bit of delay and some reverb and volume at 11 and I am set.

I have to find a wagon to cart my stuff from the truck to the beach asap. The designated area is a way down the beach. While I will get my steps in I just don’t feel like making a few trips back and forth! My husband will sit down the way just for my protection. I am tiny with a beautiful guitar which means I am an easy target. This beach in the summer is packed 24/7. You never know who you are dealing with. Police presence nil and non existent! I never see them out on the beach ever in all the years I have been frequenting this place. If anything they will sit in the parking area in their A/C cooled police vehicles.

I just have to get my sh*t together, and get organized.
Having a full kit is both a pleasure and a pain. All in one load is convenient, but also can be a large package to tote around. Plus highly noticeable/conspicuous. If there's a lot of people milling around you should be reasonably fine and safe. It's the quieter less inhabited spots that are likely to be more troublesome for a lone female. Never be afraid to arm yourself with some form of deterrent (pepper spray etc) at the ready and screw the written law. Personally I lean towards more of the weaponized method (retractable baton, a walking stick or similar) but that requires proper training and expertise to be proficient with) and there are the concealed weapon issues in our wonderful judicial system. Some form of self-protection is always advisable though. For anyone.
Case in point:
During a post race day relax time last weekend, my photographer friend and I drove into Edmonton as she is a devotee of special tea concoctions (and also full vegan persuasion) and is winning me over with several of her favorite beverages so I always enjoy driving her to any of her vendors. She operates out of a large truck and camper combo so city traffic in tight spots is a royal pain for her rig and I always unhook my truck from the toy hauler so it's way easier to get around in should a supply or fuel run be necessary for anyone. Of course, there are always the usual street types on a busy late Saturday afternoon to contend with while walking. Now naturally I'm always on the alert for suspicious or weird types, and she's a black belt in BJJ so we aren't really the typical old fart and small pretty lady on the sidewalk, but you never really know. I have this habit of making myself the defensive barrier between myself and harms way of my friends/companions when in public, and when doing that Saturday she stopped me and asked why I was blocking for her. I just replied "old habits die hard". She laughed and shook her head "not necessary, really. I can look after myself." Which is certainly true, but I just told her "that's how I roll, just what I do". And wouldn't you know, less than a minute later some really wild and crazy looking dude walking like Clyde the orangutan from Every Which Way But Loose was making a real a-hole presence at an intersection we were needing to cross. Tense moment when our eyes locked and I thought there was going to be a nasty confrontation but maybe my body language or firm look worked and he turned the other way and wandered right out into the traffic. Anett looked at me and said "What the f*** was that?" I just shrugged and said "I guess we weren't quite his type of target." She answered back "Well you did something, I could feel it and you weren't even looking at me..." Maybe I've just got the pi$$ off stare down to a science...😂
Moral of the story is do NOT make yourself appear like an easy victim. Don't be outwardly aggressive, but absolutely do not be timid or look afraid. Walk with purpose and never slouch. Be firm but not outwardly angry if you can help it. Even be "nice" and don't confront a suspicious character unless you have no choice. Always look ahead for a path of little or no resistance, and not down at your feet. Find another path around or away from them without offering a reason to chase you down. That invokes predatory instincts, just like with a wild animal. Because that's really what these types are.
But back to the racing activity. Bike ran like a champ as always, and after a hellacious windy practice day on Saturday, things did work out OK for my riding and my times did improve somewhat. What with the crazy gusts and intermittent and unpredictable crosswinds it was hard to really push the limits safely. Then Sunday morning I had a brain fart and didn't realize the races were running ahead of schedule and I mistook the warning horn for a group ahead of me and missed the grid for the first race. S**t! The afternoon race I wasn't taking any chances on missing the call and was one of the first to grid at the start line. When the lights went out the guy in front of me had a problem and stalled his bike and in the ensuing chaos I ended up dodging multiple riders and ended up in the very back of the pack coming out of the first corner. But we all goth through without incident and I managed to make up several positions as the race progressed. Didn't get anywhere near the front runners (there are some really quick ones in our pack) but I was happy with making up the ground and managed a personal best time on my second last lap. Nothing to write home about but progress is progress and I'll take it. My main goal is to finish with no scuffs or broken parts with the rubber side down still. And that is working out fine for me.
 
Having a full kit is both a pleasure and a pain. All in one load is convenient, but also can be a large package to tote around. Plus highly noticeable/conspicuous. If there's a lot of people milling around you should be reasonably fine and safe. It's the quieter less inhabited spots that are likely to be more troublesome for a lone female. Never be afraid to arm yourself with some form of deterrent (pepper spray etc) at the ready and screw the written law. Personally I lean towards more of the weaponized method (retractable baton, a walking stick or similar) but that requires proper training and expertise to be proficient with) and there are the concealed weapon issues in our wonderful judicial system. Some form of self-protection is always advisable though. For anyone.
Case in point:
During a post race day relax time last weekend, my photographer friend and I drove into Edmonton as she is a devotee of special tea concoctions (and also full vegan persuasion) and is winning me over with several of her favorite beverages so I always enjoy driving her to any of her vendors. She operates out of a large truck and camper combo so city traffic in tight spots is a royal pain for her rig and I always unhook my truck from the toy hauler so it's way easier to get around in should a supply or fuel run be necessary for anyone. Of course, there are always the usual street types on a busy late Saturday afternoon to contend with while walking. Now naturally I'm always on the alert for suspicious or weird types, and she's a black belt in BJJ so we aren't really the typical old fart and small pretty lady on the sidewalk, but you never really know. I have this habit of making myself the defensive barrier between myself and harms way of my friends/companions when in public, and when doing that Saturday she stopped me and asked why I was blocking for her. I just replied "old habits die hard". She laughed and shook her head "not necessary, really. I can look after myself." Which is certainly true, but I just told her "that's how I roll, just what I do". And wouldn't you know, less than a minute later some really wild and crazy looking dude walking like Clyde the orangutan from Every Which Way But Loose was making a real a-hole presence at an intersection we were needing to cross. Tense moment when our eyes locked and I thought there was going to be a nasty confrontation but maybe my body language or firm look worked and he turned the other way and wandered right out into the traffic. Anett looked at me and said "What the f*** was that?" I just shrugged and said "I guess we weren't quite his type of target." She answered back "Well you did something, I could feel it and you weren't even looking at me..." Maybe I've just got the pi$$ off stare down to a science...😂
Moral of the story is do NOT make yourself appear like an easy victim. Don't be outwardly aggressive, but absolutely do not be timid or look afraid. Walk with purpose and never slouch. Be firm but not outwardly angry if you can help it. Even be "nice" and don't confront a suspicious character unless you have no choice. Always look ahead for a path of little or no resistance, and not down at your feet. Find another path around or away from them without offering a reason to chase you down. That invokes predatory instincts, just like with a wild animal. Because that's really what these types are.
But back to the racing activity. Bike ran like a champ as always, and after a hellacious windy practice day on Saturday, things did work out OK for my riding and my times did improve somewhat. What with the crazy gusts and intermittent and unpredictable crosswinds it was hard to really push the limits safely. Then Sunday morning I had a brain fart and didn't realize the races were running ahead of schedule and I mistook the warning horn for a group ahead of me and missed the grid for the first race. S**t! The afternoon race I wasn't taking any chances on missing the call and was one of the first to grid at the start line. When the lights went out the guy in front of me had a problem and stalled his bike and in the ensuing chaos I ended up dodging multiple riders and ended up in the very back of the pack coming out of the first corner. But we all goth through without incident and I managed to make up several positions as the race progressed. Didn't get anywhere near the front runners (there are some really quick ones in our pack) but I was happy with making up the ground and managed a personal best time on my second last lap. Nothing to write home about but progress is progress and I'll take it. My main goal is to finish with no scuffs or broken parts with the rubber side down still. And that is working out fine for me.
That was really nice of you to reply.

I always walk and stand tall. Perfect posture has always been a thing for me. I walk with awareness. My head is always on a swivel. I will never confront anyone because that’s an invitation to what could be a very intense and dangerous situation. I have to bite my tongue. There have been times where I would of liked to tear a strip off of some a-hole. Sometimes I wished I were 6’3” and weighed 250. I had a few scary events with crackheads when travelling to the studio downtown. Thank god for my son picking me up all the time.
 
I have a pedal board with some cool pedals as well. My bandmate from Boston built it for me. I just think there a big PITA. More equipment to take to rehersal and more headaches. I had to make a check list of all the stuff I would bring because god only knows how many things I have left behind because the next band was set to enter the studio and play for their time slot. It’s a frenzy with ppl coming and going.

For the kind of music I play I really don’t need any of this. A bit of distortion, a tiny bit of delay and some reverb and volume at 11 and I am set.

I have to find a wagon to cart my stuff from the truck to the beach asap. The designated area is a way down the beach. While I will get my steps in I just don’t feel like making a few trips back and forth! My husband will sit down the way just for my protection. I am tiny with a beautiful guitar which means I am an easy target. This beach in the summer is packed 24/7. You never know who you are dealing with. Police presence nil and non existent! I never see them out on the beach ever in all the years I have been frequenting this place. If anything they will sit in the parking area in their A/C cooled police vehicles.

I just have to get my sh*t together, and get organized.

This is why I have 2 pedalboards: one that doesn't leave home, and one that stays at our rehearsal space (at a band member's house) and goes to gigs. Because you're right: putting a pedalboard together every time you need to practice or gig is a PITA!
 
You are so kind. ❤️ I have put it away for now. Too much going on. Thank you my friend for the offer. Once I get things put to bed then I will give it another go.
When you get a chance, PM me a picture of it. Then when you're ready we'll talk about the issues you're having and what to do to address them.

When you have a group of pedals, all working as intended, and even if you constantly flip around one pedal at a time, it's pretty easy to figure out any issues. However, if you start with a new board full of pedals (which sounds like what happened here) you have to start out and set them up one at a time. All off at first, then one by one set them up to work as you want, and with each other. We'll get it figured out to where you won't need to mess with them a lot after they get your base preferred settings.
 
SKYDIVING 12 o’clock tomorrow and I will be dancing with birds! I just got a go ahead on the weather. The owner txt me back and said it’s all good for tomorrow! I have bought the star media package. I will share some pics with you. I am literally vibrating with excitement!
 
SKYDIVING 12 o’clock tomorrow and I will be dancing with birds! I just got a go ahead on the weather. The owner txt me back and said it’s all good for tomorrow! I have bought the star media package. I will share some pics with you. I am literally vibrating with excitement!
This is something I have wanted to do for a long time. It is a bucket list item for me, that and hang gliding. I hope it is a ton of fun for you.
 
I covered up my name but TA DA!
This was so much fun! My instructor was excellent! We got brief instructions before we got harnessed up! When we hit half way up my instructor said do you want to back flip out! I said no at first and then said okay. We were going 120 mph! He had a gadget on his wrist with speed and the height we were climbing too! When he opened the first shoot you go sky rocketing to the moon. When the second shoot opened he let me take the reigns! The birds are flying around the sky! I was so close to them but yet so far away. I got to see Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. I never even got nervous! I am going again in September again with my son.
I actually want to go to their school to get my class A license. I love it that much. Btw all my pics are on a USB. I don’t even know how to get them here! When my computer expert(my older son) comes for a visit I will get him to see what he can do!

 
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