You speak the truth SG.

The bass is Fender Squire Affinity series. I'm seeing it online (used) for $200 - $250. Seems to be a low end "beater" guitar. Way better than the entry model my son was looking to buy on Amazon.

I tooled with it for a minute or two. Don't see myself playing the bass ever. Not even the slightest interest, whereas when I pick at a 6 string, I wish I could play it.

Squire is the lower end Fender line of guitars. They are quality instruments, mainly assembled in Mexico to save costs and they use less expensive wood. Definitely the place to start until he becomes Jaco Pastorius .

I can let go of my resentment now I know its a Squier, Inc :D
Squiers are good solid entry level axes - good choice :)

D

Or his Fave...Les Claypool.

Yes. I am glad to have found a good entry point for him. Should have good resale vaue too if he takes care of it. Not much chance of that though from a 15yr old boy. Although he does take good care of his drum set.

I've got one more day then I see my boys. I'm excited. I've got my key code for the AirBnB I rented and ready to go. Already planning my next trip with them. I'm thinking of taking them down to FL right when school gets out in April. Wheather should be good.

My Mom spends money on them like she wipes her butt with $100 bills. All I need to worry about is getting them there. I'm seriously considering driving since by then, all three of us will be drivers.

I think that would be a good experience as they haven't done long trips alone. My oldest son keep delaying getting his license. I have no idea why. He says so that he doesn't have to take the test? He's 18 and only has temps. That's crazy in my mind. My youngest took the test as soon as he could but failed.

So yeah...would be good experience I believe driving close to 17hrs. If I take 10 days off then drive it on two both ways, that could leave 5 days in FL and still one day off to myself. Fortunately I can do that at Staples. Most retailers wont let you take both weekends off at either end.

My only reservation is cost. I think it would be cheaper to fly TBH. I'll crunch some numbers.

Man...last thing...
Ran into a gent in the Noob forum who is almost where I was just before I quit. Got kicked out of house by mrs (taken back same day), waking up at night in sweats. He seems to be 80% there.

Just reminds me of several things:

- There was a time when every minute I wasn't drunk was hell. Pure hell. Sure was hard to quit when drinking was the only way I could avoid hell. Had to REALLY commit to walking through the fire there. That was tough. Real tough. Just making the decision. Never mind actually following through with it.

- Brought me back to when alcohol was literally the only solution I had to problems and was the only thing that motivated me, gave me courage, or made me "happy". It's crazy how much it hi-jacked my mind. Thinking back, it was hard AF (sorry Dee..nothing else describes as well) to relearn basic autonomic responses.

Glad to be sober with you guys as we cross the line to 4yrs :)

I have become a big Les Claypool fan. I missed Primus in their heyday, but am exploring their music now. Les Claypool's Flying Frog Brigade has the most incredible note for note live rendition of Pink Floyd's" Animals "album, my favorite Floyd. It's been a favorite of mine for years. He plays lead bass lines that are amazing. Definitely worth a listen.

My 13 year old daughter is having at least one friend over for a sleep over tonight. I am sure they will be awake long past midnight, though I doubt that I will.

Best wishes for a great beginning to 2019!

I like that Les does faithful yet different renditions of Floyd :)

D

Hoping you all have a great new year. Speaking of second hand instruments, I just picked up an early 90's Washburn guitar for 100€ on eBay. Maybe a little nostalgia there? I'm going to fix it up and leave it lying around the house in case either of my kids take an interest. I'd like that.

So, onward into 2019 tomorrow. Good to still be on the wagon and enjoying life. Thankful every day!

Hope you guys have a happy New Year!

Have a good one guys!

D

Good score with the guitar Amp!

It's great waking up hangover free once again on New Years!

Happy 2019 all!

Hey guys! I'm back to work tomorrow after my Christmas break.

Feeling lazy about it but the best thing about working in education has to be the long holidays!

I've been really happy to spend another Christmas sober. Seemed to be easier this year because I hardly regretted not being able to drink. Some days it seems hard to believe that drink once ruled my life but it certainly did. No room for complacency here!

Hoping you are all well!

A

Welcome back to work Amp! I hope you got recharged a bit over your downtime.

I have a friend who also works at a university and enjoyed weeks off over the holiday. I can't even imagine getting multiple weeks off over a holiday season. That's the difference between education and retail I guess.

I agree that this Christmas was by far the easiest in terms of regret. There was only a few brief moments when I even thought about drinking. I find that the further along I go, the less I remember the so called good times drinking, and the more I remember the brutal final years of abuse.

I have continued with trying to learn chords on my beater acoustic guitar. Since I have stuck with learning guitar to this point, I am thinking of moving up to a better beginner style guitar. Originally, I thought I would go electric, but now I am leaning towards an acoustic. I love the ability to just pick up and strum a few chords without the setup of an electric. I am finding the wider fret board makes it easier to hit chords, though the finger stretches are longer. I want something that will sound decent, and be playable for a few years if I actually stick with it. Reading numerous reviews, it seems the Yamaha FG 800 series is a solid line of acoustic guitars. I am probably looking to spend $200-$300 dollars. I have received gift cards over the holidays to the local Guitar Center, so I don't have to go super cheap. Any opinions Amp and Dee on good value acoustics for a rank beginner?

Have a good day!

I have one of these as my back up acoustic. It sounds great and I love it. A lot of people assume I would only have top end guitars around and remark on how playable it is and how good it sounds. I always laugh because it's the cheapest Fender you can get. Either way, once you buy it (if you go that way) spend the extra 25€ on a pro-set up as mine wasn't very playable till I got my tech to set it up. Now it's great!

Thanks for the tip Amp!

Amp I had to replace your link with a You Tube review of the same guitar as we can't have commercial links.

D

Ok, thanks Dee. Sorry about that

"... less I remember the so called good times drinking, and the more I remember the brutal final years of abuse"

Yup. I have a funny feeling the memory of the brutal years will stick around a while. At a minimum, I believe, we'll summarize the experience into a shorter but powerful memory.

I think it says alot about how "easily" the good times are forgotten. They simply were not real.

I'm appreciating that mental shift since when I first living sober, I literally didn't think it was possible tobhsbr good times again. Well.. Deep inside I had faith that I would have good times again. But man, that faith sure was hard to believe and didn't carry that much hope early on.

I'm wondering how much of that was chemical (dopamine) vs subconscious ego's response to change. I'd have to assume a healthy mix of both.

Not much going on with music ATM. Work is taking up much of my time due to the profit plan I needed to make and roll out in my store.

Most personal time is spent on spiritual growth via A Course In Miracles. I even stopped going to the gym.

Life will be better after 1/23 when I return from visiting corporate. I also have the RVP visiting my store next week. Trying to be prepared mentally and physically for that visit as well.

May sound stressful, and well it is. But it's absolutely manageable. I'm just now realizing how well I'm handling all that's going on and still putting priority to personal growth in the mix of it all.

How true that is!

Good luck Inc getting ready for the RVP visit and profit plan presentation. How did your store and the company overall fare over the holiday season?

Spent the first day of my weekend writing employee reviews. The company has dumbed down the process to expedite things. Employees either meet standards and get a predetermined raise, or they don't meet, and don't get a raise. Then I write a paragraph explaining why and setting upcoming goals. Previously, everyone was graded on a page long checklist by the management team, and a final number was determined. High scorers got higher raises, lower scorers got reduced increases. Now, the highest performers in the store get the same raise as the person who just barely qualified for a raise. It is definitely a morale killer for the most productive employees, getting the same raise as the most average worker. It is what it is. Smarter people than me are hopefully running my company.

I hope the RVP visit goes well Inc.

Crazy things happening back on your home island Amp. It must be hard on you and your family going through this.

Keep plugging along guys!

It's certainly a tough time! I've seen my European citizenship (which is a big part of my identity and livelihood) and basic rights threatened by a vote that I wasn't even able to participate in. It affects different people in different ways as you can see on this link, but none of it is good if you live outside (and if you live inside probably) the UK:

https://www.theguardian.com/politics...RbExAnwu9K0-8k

I'm applying for Spanish nationality but the paperwork mountain, not to mention the expense, is monumental.

Anyway, trying to stay philosophical about it. No use in worrying about the things you can't change, etc...

Hoping you guys are well!

Amp, how long of a process is it applying for Spanish nationality? Seems like that is your only option at this point. Ugh!

Sounds like a real downer Amp. Hopefully you'll appreciate a new identity soon. It's no fun looking at the past for identity. Been there, done that. Just holds you back.

I avoided the RVP visit :) Preparing for my flight to Cali tomorrow morning. I fly to Houston for a lay over then a 4hr flight. My seat was booked in the back middle seat. At 6'1" I was not looking forward to that! So I spent $70 to upgrade to what is really a normal seat coded as "Premium Coach" and I managed to score an aisle seat :)

It's going to be low 60 out there. I'll be just a couple miles from Newport Beach. I'm planning to rent a car so I can explore. I'll have 2 nights free. I suppose I could mingle with other GM's as there will be a couple dozen there. But I really don't feel like it. I'd rather cruise the shoreline. Maybe find a neat place to eat dinner.

I'm using "Turo" which is like Airbnb but for cars. I'm looking to rent a 2013 Mustang for $32/day with 300 free miles or a 2014 BMW class 3 for $35.

Lots of really good deals.

You're probably getting hit with the winter storm SG. It hit me yesterday. Got a few inches out of it. They was followed by a cold front which sparked lake effect snow off lake Erie for another few inches. Between the two, we got a foot of snow. Super pretty. I love the stuff. In fact, I saved my arrends yesterday until it started snowing heavy :)

Alright guys. Be safe. Make today count because tomorrow will just be today again. If you want an awesome tomorrow get a jump on it by having a great day today.

Peace

Have a great trip Inc. Hope it goes well!

I've signed up for a painting group. I used to paint before my kids were born so I'm going to try to get back into it. It's something I used to find very relaxing and I want to do something creative which allows me to disconnect. Running used to be good for me in that regard (disconnecting) but I'm not sure I'll be able to do that anymore. Friday was the first day and the 3 hours flew by so I'm looking forward to next week!

Hope you guys are keeping well! Have a great week!

It's great that you are taking up painting again Amp! It sounds like a nice alternative to running.

"Premium Coach" sounds like an oxymoron Inc. Missed the RVP visit-that's funny. It's cool that you are planning to see the sights in California. Hanging around with other management types just means lot of drinking. My last conference out of state with fellow management types, I went to dinner with a handful and then retired back to my hotel and got a good nights sleep while most were out late partying. Don't miss those days at all.

We just had a three day panic of people hoarding food like they would be snowed in for a month. The storm basically went north of us, and we just got a ton of rain. The governor banned commercial vehicles from the highway for a day, so we missed a couple of deliveries. We are pretty picked over now. It's a whole 11 degrees this morning, with minus 20 chill factor. 65 degrees sounds good Inc. Have a good time. California is so immense. I spent two weeks out there years ago and barely scratched the surface of things to see.

I took my daughter to see a jaw dropping acoustic guitar player last night, Tommy Emmanuel, Aussie guitarist extraordinaire. He somehow can play harmony, melody and rhythm all at the same time. I'm certain that you guys, Amp and Dee, are familiar with him. If you get the chance, go see him. Being far more musically knowledgeable than myself, I am sure you guys would be impressed with his amazing techniques. He will be touring England and the Netherlands in a couple months, then will be playing a couple weeks in Australia.

Crowd was mostly in the 30-60 range, with a smattering of older hippies thrown in. It was nice seeing music in which everyone was there to be awed by the artist, and not to party. I hope my musical 13 year old daughter will remember this night for the rest of her life, even if she is tired in school today!

Tommy Emmanuel is absolutely amazing! So jealous you got to see him live!

I learned to play his version of Day Tripper. Took me a month and not even half as fluent as him!!!😂

I used my accumulated gift cards and bought myself a guitar yesterday. I picked up a Yamaha FG 800. It really was the best sounding guitar in my price range. The action is much lower than my beater guitar, the fret board more narrow like an electric guitar, and the strings are lighter. And the sound is amazing to my ears. It will make chord change practice more enjoyable!

I used to have a Yamaha 12 string. Great sounding guitar. I stepped on it and totalled it one night when I was drunk.

Hope your Yamaha experience is smoother than mine was, SG. Mine really was a good guitar and there's nobody to blame for its premature demise but myself!

I can't imagine how you must have felt after trashing your 12 string while drunk. I am sure that even that did not make you think that perhaps you had a problem with drinking. I always wrote things like that off as just "really bad luck" or fate. Did you ever buy another 12 string Amp?

I put it down to "really bad luck" at the time, of course... I never got another. Not yet anyway....