Open Thread - Friday, March 30, 2018

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I cannot believe in a God who wants to be praised all the time.
― Friedrich Nietzsche

Good Friday, mates! I had been slogging along, operating in a sort of doldrums. I was making a point of exercising, eating right and not drinking too much, but needed more zest. Insufficient music dosage was dragging me down. My son was working an evening shift and getting home after midnight, so if I played music during the AM it was softly from the computer. Thing1 switched jobs and now tends to leave sometime before sunrise. I switched to playing the stereo, starting right after I press the coffee maker ON button. Ah, much better!

After a few days, my metabolism picked up. I am an adrenaline junkie, so I reached behind the subwoofer, turned up the bass and adjusted the crossover.

The added bass enhances the organoleptic qualities of the music. The low frequency vibrations are very stimulating.

So, if you need a little pick me up, turn it up and press play.

Have a great Good Friday!

And a great weekend! The thread is OPEN.

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riverlover's picture

I have yet to get my car inspected; It has gone overnight with rain with the trunk open. Yesterday had to crawl thru ice and snow to get to and from the car. But a day above freezing is good. I can retrieve one walker and cane and two months of mail. In small bits. Many packages as well. And two boxes of garlic corms to get in the slouched beds. Daff leaves are up. There is some green out there.

I had a long post, deleted. I am doing fair to middlin and enjoying my acquaired rocks and gems. A seller in Indonesia said it was 33C at night there. My vector is now stones; they are expensive like tulips were in the past.
I need to work on taxes, stuff in the box in my car.

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Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

NCTim's picture

@riverlover I reflect back upon Sue's mobility issues and get introspective about my own aging. For the longest time, I would just let the mail pile up. Now, I throw most of it into the recycling, without opening it. I share your fascination with rocks, although a more macroscopic view point. Once the consistently warm and less likely rainy days arrive I am off to observe.

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

riverlover's picture

@NCTim once I have finished. I am still thinking what to upmarket and what to keep. Bumblebee agate carbs seem to be a favorite. I am also into fossils.

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Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

mimi's picture

@riverlover @riverlover (redacted some stuff that was too personal)
For me days have come to a still-stand. It disorientates me. I am stuck and don't know how to get out of it. I look for things to do like a hungry dog. I bought something that is called a "Heckler" and started to cut all the branches in the garden into small pieces to start a compost with them. If I have nothing physical to do I go nuts. I don't have my own car here, so I do everything with bus, train or by foot. I like it, kills the time, makes the days pass faster, makes me more tired, helps me to sleep better. I can't believe where I am at. I always was a person of actions and with projects or plans. All the plans I had imagined to engage with in my 'old age' have fallen apart. I can't believe and can't accept it. Makes me so angry. That should not have happened to me.

I just read my first diary here, an Open Thread, and was amazed how much effort I put into it and how well it was received. It shows just how low my morals, spirit and work ethics have deteriorated during the last years and months.

Did you ever tell yourself that you can't believe what your life has become?

All the videos but one in NCTim OT are not available in Germany. Living here feels like any day there will be wars between the US and Europe and Russia. It feels as if you can't cross over to the other side of the pond anymore. The chasm is too deep and wide.

I guess I am sick.

Hold through, riverlover, the next spring is coming. My sister is waiting hours a day immobile sitting on the patio bench watching the trees and the birds, sighing over and over and asking me when the first green leaves are coming. She watches for hours the sky for a blue spot and a ray of sunshine. Most of the time it's grey here, like London weather, just worse. I had no idea how healing bird watching can be to your soul. My sister talks to the birds in the garden and we have lots of them. She is really happy when they come close to her and look and chirp at her.

Depression is an evil monster, suffocates your spirit and will. Even just living with a depressed person is very hard. I don't know how to be a good companion for a depressed person, who has lost the will to live, the will to walk, the will to do any thing per hand. Moving a coffee cup to the kitchen sink and washing it, is too much, impossible. Wished I were a therapist, but it's rather me who needs one these days.

Life must change. No way to go on like that.

I read your comments, riverlover, and am in awe of your will power to hold on and go forward through ice and snow despite your physical conditions. You are a great inspiration for how go on. Don't forget that, your comments are always welcome and loved and needed.

Big hugs and well wishes.

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NCTim's picture

@mimi The thing I most want, I can't have. I want a hug from Sue. The flat format of the Internet just doesn't get it. I had my television service terminated and have been limiting my Internet. Conversely, I have been drinking more beer. Many evenings, I walk to the local brew pub. There are people there!

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

mimi's picture

@NCTim
and I talk to them. Which to them is a surprise. But we end up to like it and have nice person to person conversations about who knows what.

I wouldn't mind to have a beer with you. Smile

Drinks

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riverlover's picture

@NCTim I think he would be proud of me and our two adult kids. We had a Maga dog. She died early. She'll turn around and bite you.

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Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

Raggedy Ann's picture

I'm back from my travels. Had a wonderful visit with my brother for his birthday - already a week ago. Hard to believe April begins Sunday. Time is flying by! Looking forward to a peaceful weekend hanging around the house, doing as I please.

Spring is trying to "spring" here, but we need more moisture! None on the horizon for another week. Hope it arrives.

Have a beautiful day and weekend, folks! Pleasantry

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

NCTim's picture

@Raggedy Ann It is good to hear things went well. Climate changes have endeared us with nasty droughts and floods. Coupled with clean water issues and the food supply, I think humanity is in dire circumstances. And the powers that be are a bunch of big mouthed idiots.

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

My old Bosses at a company called Ultra Sound out of CA. were big into Psychoacoustics. Another one of my employers was a man named Peter Tosh. He was also into it without studying in accepted circles of education. Turning up the bass has strong effects. When I first toured with Peter Tosh in 1979 working for a sound company called Phoenix Audio. We had big time sub woofers in the 5 way sound system we provided. While on tour playing a bunch of older theaters on the east coast we could make plaster chunks fall from the ceiling! That is some serious low end power. We powered the subwoofers with Phase Linear brand 700 Watt amps. Here is a video from 1983 when we played at The Greek in LA. I was the Production Manager for Peter Tosh then and this was filmed with eight 16mm cameras. The sound was recorded on Record Plant's west coast mobile truck.

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NCTim's picture

@jbob I have a integrated amp with a subwoofer line out and powered subwoofer, so I just boosted the output and moved the crossover from 8K to 4K. Back in the day, I really wanted a Phase Linear with Ohm F's. That was not supported by the disposable income budget, so I settled for HK/JBL. Reggae's infectious bass line regularly spills out of my music mix.

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

orlbucfan's picture

@jbob --Wow, you got to work with and listen to some great artists.

Hubby and late ex-boyfriend worked in high-end audio. I was always hearing the phrase "bass contour." High end sound freaks were always fiddling with it, usually lowering the bass. It was a real bitch setting noise levels with classical music. My favorite music is r & b/soul dance tunes. It makes you feel good, and the high level of drums and bass is imperative. Right now, we need all the healthy positive meds we can get! Rec'd, Mr. Tim!! Smile

BTW, do not insult "Maga Dog" by equating it with the Orange Imbecilic Disaster!

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Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.

NCTim's picture

@orlbucfan Digital mixes are all over the map. I play on full random, so it is not like the old days where you could put on an album, do a little equalization and enjoy. I miss the old analog days.

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

orlbucfan's picture

@NCTim ears like it cos it's warm sounding. Digital might be perfect, but it's a cold perfect, hearing-wise.

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Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.

Lookout's picture

As a musician, I've always been careful of my ears and hearing. I wear ear protection while mowing, chain sawing, and so on. Even when I went to rock concerts as a youngster, I stuffed paper in my ears. It paid off, I still have good hearing.

It isn't just rock music. I've been playing acoustic music with fiddlers most of my life. Many of them are now in hearing aids. The sound box of the fiddle sits right by their ears.

Now a days there are hi-tech earplugs for musicians of all stripes -
https://fiddlershop.com/earasers-musicians-earplugs.html?search=earasers...

So listen how you like, but save your hearing!

Hope you all have a lovely spring day!

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

NCTim's picture

@Lookout I use these. Motorcycle wind noise is nasty. An electric guitar, through a tube amplifier, does not sound right until the sound pressure level reaches tactile levels. While exciting that high of SP will harden the pliable membranes that transduce sound for the brain.

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

mimi's picture

I could kill those who are responsible for your videos not being available at my location. I wished I could have listened to them.

Have a good Good Friday. I am gonna look for some fish to cook. May be that helps to get out of my mood.

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NCTim's picture

@mimi Mostly southern rock this morning. I have been fighting off the blues, also. I thought I was through the grieving process, but find myself retracing steps.

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

enhydra lutris's picture

re-organized in the big picture while also trying to get packed for an extended trip (a change of routine which is disorganizing) is an interesting process. We have a routine or routines and ours incorporates certain routine disruptions but we've had a spate of unplanned ones and I have forgotten what it's like dealing with that. Our fallback is to see them, like all else, as an adventure, which lessens the tendency to see them as a hassle. Some are also experiments. Example - is my tablet up to the task of doing OTs in limited spare time while on the road. Today, in part, I get to try to figure out if there are obvious tweaks I can make before we head out and make them while still doing all the normal pre-trip prep. Heh. Probably should get to it.

It finally really seems like spring here. (More work, but good, fun work).
Everybody have a good one.

PS:

Mostly southern rock this morning.

Heh. Some of us remember when This was southern rock:

(That's The Killer on the keys, BTW)

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

NCTim's picture

@enhydra lutris ... just a part of doing business. Obstacles are made to overcome. Where are you headed? I have been playing with maps and looking at population centers around the four corners area, just so I know what is out there, while I wander.

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

enhydra lutris's picture

@NCTim
west of the colorado and south of 40 except days in transit to & from said zone (central valley and central coast), some pavement & some badlands

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

earthling1's picture

@enhydra lutris
is highly recomended, especially this time of year before it gets really hot. Enormous park, take a big lunch. s/
You can dry camp for free just outside of Borrago Springs.

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Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

enhydra lutris's picture

@earthling1
every year, I've been going since I was a kid, but thanks.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

NCTim's picture

@enhydra lutris Mesa Verde, Million Dollar Highway, Canyon of the Ancients, Valley of the Gods, Monument Valley, North Rim, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyon Lands, Moab, Crested Butte, Independence Pass, Leadville, ...

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

enhydra lutris's picture

@NCTim
Bryce and Zion, and, of course, Arches and Natural bridges. If you're riding, HWY 261 from Natural Bridges down into Monument Valley at Mexican Hat will take you down the Moki Dugway, 11,000 feet elevation loss in 3 miles of near vertical switchbackery. Took it once in a long-bed half ton, spectacular.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

NCTim's picture

@enhydra lutris Good tip! I see that on the topo map. It looks like there should be some Valley of the Gods vistas from 261.

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

earthling1's picture

@NCTim
Go in spring though. Otherwise it gets to hot. I was in Mesa Verde mid June last year and it was 104 degrees.

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Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

NCTim's picture

@earthling1 Driest month in CO. I head out with an idea of where I want to go, then each evening look at weather reports, and maps, to figure out where to go the next day. Excessive heat, head for the hills. Rain, depending on the front either break on through to the other side or run out in ahead and let it pass over night. Last year, I ran ahead of a front about to deliver snow. When I pulled out of Estes Park it was 34F and when I arrived in Kearney, NE it was 100F.

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

earthling1's picture

@NCTim @NCTim

From the Natl Park Service called a "senior pass" for $80 that gets you into any NP for free, for life. Campgrounds in National Forrests are half price also. You have to be 62 to qualify.
We stayed at a campground on the La Sal mountain for $1.25. Heh.

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Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

earthling1's picture

It still gets down into the high thirties here at night so the garden is off limits. I've covered it with tarp to keep the rain from drenching the soil so it dries out sooner. Seedlings are chomping at the bit to get off from under the growlamp. Green beans are reaching for the ceiling.
Otherwise, cabin fever is bringing me down.
Thanks for the tunes, now I'm gonna drag out my Buffalo Springfield album.

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Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

NCTim's picture

@earthling1 @earthling1 We are probably done with frost.

..., now I'm gonna drag out my Buffalo Springfield album.

Sounds like a good idea.

1:24

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

earthling1's picture

@NCTim
And on video too!
Thanks for that, Tim.

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Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.