Simon and I are going to build a cigar box guitar.
What do y'all think? Should I show Simon the value of ingenuity and how you can do a lot with a little? Or should I spring for better parts and build a cooler, more solid-looking instrument?
Because if I order just the tuning keys and strings, then just use a cigar box, a piece of maple for the neck, and various crap from the hardware store, I can make it cheaply. And that would be fun and maybe a good life lesson.
Or I can buy frets, bone blocks, better string mounts, and maybe even a little pickup to build in and end up with a fancier (and electric) guitar. But that's a little more like assembly than building. And it would cost more obviously.
REM and bluegrass is all I've been listening to mostly. I'm just trying to get a feel for mandolin stuff.
I have been startled to find that I don't hate all of the latter era REM records I thought I did. They're actually pretty good, although I can only imagine they frustrated the shit out of Warner Brothers as they mostly come off like 10 album tracks and no single.
I don't love them like I did when I was a kid, but they hold better than I would have imagined. And lots of easy mandolin riffs in songs I recognize!
We have this thing called Artscape here. Biggest outdoor art festival in the nation. It's a mix of a lot of things. Some corporate stuff, some run of the mill art... but mixed in are quality weirdo art, friends bands, good food trucks.
Except for the fact that they always manage to book it on the hottest fucking weekend of the year, it's a blast.
There's a block party on our culdesac this weekend. Sort of a combined bday party for four people. They rented tents, ordered catering, got a bouncy house. The whole thing.
I was finally on the Ticketmaster site at the right time to claim some free tickets (from that settlement a few years back... I still had codes). The selection was pretty meager: Jimmy Eat World, Counting Crowes... I took a pair to see Cyndi Lauper weekend after next. I have a soft spot for her and free is pretty much the right price. She's opening for Rod Stewart. I don't suppose Rod will blow off the last forty shitty years of his career and just play "Every Picture Tells a Story" in order and then close out with some Faces tracks?
I'd see Cyndi Lauper. She's beautiful wike a wainbow.
We're leaving for Vegas at the ungodly hour of 8:00 A.M. I haven't been up before 10:00 in weeks!
I found out that my friend who lives in Dallas is going to be in Vegas on Monday, so that's unexpected and exciting. Anyone have any favorite roulette numbers? My lucky number is rarely very lucky. I don't even know why I consider it my lucky number. OK, there's no such thing as a lucky number, but I want to know yours anyway.
I don't know if I told you guys this. Lucas, 18 is in San Antonio from July 3 until September? for Air Force Basic Training and Airman's week. Then he goes to Spokane WA for 4 years for SERE training.
Matt, 22 has accepted a job as a Butcher for Norwegian Cruise Lines cruising the Hawaiian islands for 6 months from September 2017. He then comes home for 6 weeks and will work at his old job Smoking Goose Meatery, an independent smoke and butcher shop which supplies their store Goose The Market and stores all over the US. Foodies and yuppies love them.
It's time for me to get motivated and start looking for jobs and get out of Indy for Chapter 7 of my life. Depression freezes my motivation but I'm going to push myself cause I despise looking for a job
1st - birth until High School 2nd - College at IU 3rd - Prof. job and adulting 4th - Paul/Marriage/2 homes/2 sons/Divorce 5th - Single mom with 2 sons 6th - Fountain Square/2017 empty nest
Here's to having all of young'ns out of the house.
I gotta think the entire empty nest thing is bittersweet. Proud of them for moving on, but miss them. Glad you can do whatever the fuck you want with your days, but not sure what that might be sometimes without kids around as a central organizing principle.
PMAs, if you need 'em.
And Johnny Paychcecks, too. Good luck job hunting.
Simon has tried it some but is having trouble getting started in terms of how to hold his hands/fingers. He is going to go to a few lessons starting Thursday.
And yeah, I am getting on their nerves some. Simon begged me to stop playing the Super Mario theme Saturday.
I bought parts for the cigar box last weekend, some strings, tuning pegs, frets, a tiny pickup, etc.
And I went to a place that sells cigars and found this beautiful, detailed illustrated box with faux-filligreed trim. I was so excited to show it Simon. And Simon kept obsessing over where we would cut the sound hole. IT NEEDS TO BE IN THE MIDDLE, DAD. And I finally realized there were naked people in the logo, so I went today and bought him a nudity free cigar box.
Dad is a little slow sometimes. Eight year-olds don't like paintings of Aztecs with their titties hanging out on their guitars.
Comments
I like Mama's chutzpah!
What do y'all think? Should I show Simon the value of ingenuity and how you can do a lot with a little? Or should I spring for better parts and build a cooler, more solid-looking instrument?
Because if I order just the tuning keys and strings, then just use a cigar box, a piece of maple for the neck, and various crap from the hardware store, I can make it cheaply. And that would be fun and maybe a good life lesson.
Or I can buy frets, bone blocks, better string mounts, and maybe even a little pickup to build in and end up with a fancier (and electric) guitar. But that's a little more like assembly than building. And it would cost more obviously.
I have been startled to find that I don't hate all of the latter era REM records I thought I did. They're actually pretty good, although I can only imagine they frustrated the shit out of Warner Brothers as they mostly come off like 10 album tracks and no single.
I don't love them like I did when I was a kid, but they hold better than I would have imagined. And lots of easy mandolin riffs in songs I recognize!
I can pretty much play "Half a World Away" now.
I think they got so huge at some point, their music and Stipe's interviews just annoyed me.
Except for the fact that they always manage to book it on the hottest fucking weekend of the year, it's a blast.
There's a block party on our culdesac this weekend. Sort of a combined bday party for four people. They rented tents, ordered catering, got a bouncy house. The whole thing.
Nah, guess not. At least we'll beat the traffic.
We're leaving for Vegas at the ungodly hour of 8:00 A.M. I haven't been up before 10:00 in weeks!
I found out that my friend who lives in Dallas is going to be in Vegas on Monday, so that's unexpected and exciting. Anyone have any favorite roulette numbers? My lucky number is rarely very lucky. I don't even know why I consider it my lucky number. OK, there's no such thing as a lucky number, but I want to know yours anyway.
Matt, 22 has accepted a job as a Butcher for Norwegian Cruise Lines cruising the Hawaiian islands for 6 months from September 2017. He then comes home for 6 weeks and will work at his old job Smoking Goose Meatery, an independent smoke and butcher shop which supplies their store Goose The Market and stores all over the US. Foodies and yuppies love them.
It's time for me to get motivated and start looking for jobs and get out of Indy for Chapter 7 of my life. Depression freezes my motivation but I'm going to push myself cause I despise looking for a job
1st - birth until High School
2nd - College at IU
3rd - Prof. job and adulting
4th - Paul/Marriage/2 homes/2 sons/Divorce
5th - Single mom with 2 sons
6th - Fountain Square/2017 empty nest
I gotta think the entire empty nest thing is bittersweet. Proud of them for moving on, but miss them. Glad you can do whatever the fuck you want with your days, but not sure what that might be sometimes without kids around as a central organizing principle.
PMAs, if you need 'em.
And Johnny Paychcecks, too. Good luck job hunting.
But I did learn to play the complete theme from Super Mario Brothers on mandolin. So there is that.
And yeah, I am getting on their nerves some. Simon begged me to stop playing the Super Mario theme Saturday.
And I went to a place that sells cigars and found this beautiful, detailed illustrated box with faux-filligreed trim. I was so excited to show it Simon. And Simon kept obsessing over where we would cut the sound hole. IT NEEDS TO BE IN THE MIDDLE, DAD. And I finally realized there were naked people in the logo, so I went today and bought him a nudity free cigar box.
Dad is a little slow sometimes. Eight year-olds don't like paintings of Aztecs with their titties hanging out on their guitars.