Sweet little guitar (Yamaha APX500)

Yesterday, during my lunch hour, some co-workers and myself stopped by the local music store.  While playing around with different instruments I picked up a Yamaha APX500 acoustic electric guitar with thin body and cut out.  I was really impressed with the sound, feel, playability…  Too bad they are so expensive ($400)!!!  It does not have the low end of a full size acoustic, but it more than made up for it with the clear and sweet sound. 

Aaron Odom Concert

Last Sunday evening, (2/17/08 ) I worked on the Sound Team for a concert hosted at Lakeside Presbyterian Church featuring Aaron Odom.  Aaron performed a mix of traditional gospel and contemporary worship songs.  Some with background tracks on CD and on some he played piano.  It was a inspirational show that was very enjoyable.  Aaron has 2 CD’s available and gives a very moving testimonial.  If you get a chance to see him live, I recomend it!

Strange Maps…

 I currently work for a company that had a pretty big GIT/GIS presence (we make lots of maps) and I have always enjoyed geography and reading maps.  Recently I came across another wordpress blog called “Strange Maps” which posts collections of interesting maps.  Below is a link to one showing the religious breakdown of the US poplulation by county for 2000.

237 - Regionalism and Religiosity « strange maps

Some maps they feature are historical, some international (or in non-English language) but they are all interesting to look over.  Here is another which shows the birthplaces of famous Mississippi Blues artist.

222 - Birthplaces of Mississippi Blues Artists « strange maps

Check out Strangemaps!

Music vs. Lyrics

I am a big music fan and usually find songs that go along with my mood.  In the past few years I have really started paying more attention to the lyrics of the songs I like.  I am now finding more lyrics that are like poetry to me. 

Artist: Gary Allan
Song: Smoke Rings In The Dark
Album: Smoke Rings In The Dark

Well I won’t make you tell me
What I’ve come to understand
You’re a certain kind of woman and
I’m a different kind of man
I’ve tried to make you love me
You’re tried to find a spark of the flame that burned and
Somehow turned to smoke ring in the dark

The loneliness within me
Takes a heavy toll
‘Cause it burns as slow as whiskey through an empty aching soul and
The night is like a dagger
Long and cold and sharp
As I sit here on the front steps
Blowing smoke rings in the dark

I- I- I know I must be going
‘Cause loves already gone and
All I’m taking with me are the pieces of my heart and
All I’ll leave are smoke rings in the dark

The rain falls where it wants to
Wind blows where it will
Everything on earth goes somewhere
But I swear we’re standin’ still
So I’m not going to wake you
I’ll go easy on your heart
I’ll just touch your face and drift away
Like smoke rings in the dark

I- I- I know I must be going
‘Cause loves already gone and
All I’m taking with me are the pieces of my heart and
All I’ll leave are smoke rings in the dark

If I could retire early…

I’m sure many have dreamed of retiring younger, and I never really thought about wanting to, until I came across this:

The Grand Banks Eastbay 55SX…

Now, if only I could afford to retire, buy one of these, and cruise around…  According to the review I read in Yachting Magazine, it burns about 25 gallons of diesel fuel an hour at a fast cruise speed.  And at near $3.00 a gallon, that can easily be $100 an hour to ride it.  WOW!  Now it appears to be a great boat and I would love to be out cruising the “Great Loop” on one.  I guess if you can afford the probably $1 million price tag, then $1000 a day in fuel would not seem to important. (none of the reviews list a price.  They just say “call”.)  And I’m pretty sure it’s one of those “if you gotta ask, you can’t afford it” type of prices.  So for now, I can still dream.  I can read the magazines.  And maybe, just maybe, it will encourage me to work a little harder, save a little more, and at least have enough at retirement to afford some type of cruiser! 

 

Dixie National Rodeo

It’s getting close to time for one of my favorite local events, the Dixie National Rodeo.  It really brings out the cowboy in me and is always entertaining.  From rodeo clowns to the country music acts to the great livestock shows and action, it is never a disappointment.  In past years I have seen many great musical acts perform the “half-time” show and some good bull riding, calf roping, barrel racing, and much more.

Entertainment this year includes:  Craig Morgan, Little Big Town, Marty Stuart, Keith Anderson, Jason Michael Carol, Lonestar, and Joe Nichols.  In the past I have seen great shows by Gary Allan (who I really like) and Darryl Worley.  It’s a good family fun event.  And of course, there is always the Rodeo Dance being held February 8 and 9.  The rodeo starts on January 25 and runs through February 17, 2008.  Get your boots on!!!

Making assumptions…

LINK TO NEWS STORY - Fox News is reporting a story about an employee who “thought” she saw an ad for her position in the paper.  It even had her bosses phone number.  So she went to the office and erased every bit of data estimated to be worth $2.5 million.  Sounds like there might have been some existing issues there.  Well she is in jail and no longer employed.  Ends up the ad was for her bosses’ wife’s company…  You know what happens when you ASSUME!!  Think she will get a good recommendation for her next job? 

Blinded me with science…

This past weekend, my daughters and I visited my sister in Birmingham, AL.  She took us to a place called “The McWane Science Center” and it was a pretty cool place.  It has a floor of permanent displays about science that are hands-on and fun to play with.  This floor included exhibits on sound waves, lights and lasers, movement, physics, centrifical force, and much more.
They also have a couple of floors of rotating exhibits.  The current special exhibit is the “Magic of Model Trains.”  I happen to be a big train fan, so I really liked the HO layout.  They even had a train with a video camera in the cab and you could watch the engineers-eye view projected on the wall.