woodman1200

[woodman1200]

Measurements and Scale

I needed another pair of Vise-Grips - a needle nosed pair. I don't use these pliers too often anymore, but they are a handy tool if your bench vise is too big. When I was a kid, this was the only tool you needed. I mangled plenty of nuts and bolts before I got proper wrenches. Everyone knows what vise-grips are, and those who don't are condemned to use channel-locks for all their days.

I ordered my vice-grips on Amazon. Amazon has quite a number of Chinese sellers that have poorly photoshopped pictures of their wares in natural settings. The items are often smaller than the picture shown, sometimes bigger, but almost never to scale. It takes some measuring and mental imaging to get an idea of the actual size.

But US sellers selling US products always get a pass. I've seen this stuff in real-life. I know how big or small it is, and I don't need to check...because, y'know, I know.

Imagine my surprise, expecting a pair of full-sized, locking needle nosed pliers, and receiving instead this cute little....pincer. Oh well, I'll still be able to get the job done.

Got a new audio analyzer!! Exciting because this analyzer is less than 10years old, it's working and does not need to be repaired (unlike my last three analyzers) and I could finally get some good data on my amplifier designs! Right off the bat, I found and corrected a design flaw that increased distortion and reduced power. I also found the source of a niggling problem with another amplifier. I can fully characterize a piece of audio gear and dive as  deeply into analysis as needed.

Also made some adapters to upgrade an old, but still popular amplifier. I haven't designed and tested a PCB in a long while. This is part of what I hope to be an upgrade kit for owners who want something different than the currently available mods from other shops.

Finally getting around to building a preamp that I gathered parts for 10 years ago. Had almost everything I needed but the time and the drive to actually get started. This preamp is built from scratch. I made the turret boards double sided to shorten some signal paths. I hope this will sound the way I anticipate.

Cannot overstate how much one's surroundings can affect their outlook on things. Even in the dead of winter, you can see through the trees and dig views that you can't see any other time of year. This view is from our front yard looking north across the ravine. 

"Let me get that for you"

Copyright 2021 James L Woodley

Installation using found objects. On loan from the Museum of Modern Art.

[woodman1200]

Slap-Cooked Chicken

I was entertained all weekend by this one question: How hard would you have to slap a chicken to cook it? Friction always creates heat, therefore, theoretically, the friction of a slap could generate enough heat to cook a chicken.

Now, the math indicates that slap-cooking a chicken is physically impossible, (a 3725.95mph slap?) but that question itself had me alternately giggling from the mental image of a rubber chicken being slapped, and seriously trying to understand some hypothetical details.

Some of my own questions (assuming the hand and the chicken did not disintegrate):

What would slap-cooked chicken look/feel/taste like? Would it be like boiled chicken, or pan-seared cutlets, or something else?

How long would the chicken take to cook? You can't make heat work for you without factoring in time. Would the chicken cook instantly or would you have to wait a minute for it to finish cooking after slapping it?

What would anything cooked instantly look/feel/taste like?

Where would you have to slap the chicken to cook it best? Obviously, slapping a chicken's face would be an inefficient way to cook it, and it would be a mean thing to do because the chicken wouldn't know what it did to deserve being slapped like that.

Breaded or battered? Battered, of course!

Do you need to pluck the feathers beforehand or do they just fall off when the chicken is slapped? Or do the feathers stay on? Wonder what that would smell like...

Is the slap delivered with the hand flat, cupped, or with fingers curled back a little? I've been hit with all of them, and I think the classic, flat-handed slap would be most appropriate for cooking a chicken.

One may also slap the chicken 23034 times to reach the desired temperature, but that would be much more time-consuming than a single slap. Even if someone could devise a chicken slapping machine that could slap multiple chickens harder and faster than manual laborers, it would still take too long. I also think this practice would be frowned upon by many.

Here’s a chicken you can hit and feel good about - the Puff-The-Rubber-Chicken bong. You don’t bake the chicken, the chicken bakes you!

[woodman1200]

The Value of Self-Forgiveness...

...is exactly zero to anyone who is not yourself. Anyone who has the audacity to forgive or pardon themself clearly is unaware of the impact of what they did.

If a person had done something so badly that they even feel the need to forgive themself, then it is quite likely that what they did is ultimately unforgivable.

My mother tried that shit some years ago after she sobered up: "I forgave myself." "For what?" I asked. "Everything I did before now. The drinking, how I lived, the way I raised you" she replied. "So what does that mean for me? What does that change or reconcile?" I implored. No answer... I still haven't forgiven her.

Can presidents pardon themselves? Why is there even a question about this? No, no one can pardon themself. It has no meaning outside of oneself. Forgiveness requires some objectivity before being granted, before acquiring value, and with one or two exceptions in the world, we are only able to look at ourselves subjectively.

Forgiveness can only be given, it can not be claimed.

[woodman1200]

The damage has been done. It's too late to repair. We needed to be Americans years ago, and we blew it. We needed to be Americans 15 hours ago and we blew that too. Let's not be Americans anymore because America stands for nothing. Let's just try to be people now, and see how that works out...

[woodman1200]

Forget 11, this one goes to 14!

I've been rotating tube preamps lately, looking for the one that I can live with. After being disappointed with (my 2nd) Audible Illusions Modulus L1, and a very weird sounding Audio Research LS2 mkII, I decided to buy a new Chinese made preamp (Dignity Audio PM201) that costs 40% of the used price for an LS2 mkII.

Man, this ChiFi stuff is amazing. This level of sound quality have never been available so cheaply and (almost) ubiquitously. I want everyone to know what good sound actually sounds like, even if they don't want to buy my classic, western made high-end gear. The people don't know...get in on this and hear how much better this stuff is than the black plastic poop you can get at Best Buy.

Sales have been brisk this year. I'm running out of stuff to sell but I have much more room now as I've shipped off most of the big things. I’m selling my Adcom 555 PRO of 25 years - longest I’ve owned a piece of gear.

I quit smoking four years ago today! I regret nothing. Cigarettes smell disgusting to me, though I have once or twice lingered in the wake of a cigar. The cool thing is that I never stopped smoking. I have always said that I enjoy smoking - doesn't have to be tobacco. Ich bin ein gross kiffer.

This is my clean, very clean grinder. I have used it most furiously this year and have yielded 2g of kief (Ya, Ich bin ein gross kiffer)!

Here is the pre-decarboxylated kief. If you know me, you’ll know I’m a big post-pre-decarboxylationaryanist (and ein gross kiffer).

And now we have special holiday brownies! Yum!

[woodman1200]

Up, Down, Way Down, and UP Again

I have to say that I'm really excited to see this VW ID Buzz! This is exactly the kind of vehicle I'm looking for these days. Since I had to switch to an automatic transmission, there has been little joy in driving. I like my jeep alright, and I like the places I can go with it, but the act driving now is...unfulfilling. So, if I accept that this is how it is, then I can move on and think about other things I might want in a vehicle. I like that this VW is an electric vehicle. It has an AWD option; that's cool. I won't have to keep my foot on the brake to fight the transmission because there is no transmission. It's a VW and I still consider myself a VW guy. I like that it looks open and airy inside - it's not a convertible, but it could be close enough. What I really like, though, is a concept that, only a few years ago, I felt was the beginning of the end - automated driving. This bus is expected to release with level 3 autonomy....yeah, fuck driving, I say. Steering and braking is a bore, so I'd be fine with letting the bus do it while I look out the windows :-)

I would name my bus "The Bus" in honor of my old 2003 BMW Boxer Cup Replika that I called "The Bus".

I live in a country where it is more expensive to get a double cheeseburger meal with a medium cup of water than it is to get one with a half-gallon cup of soda.

Rewired the grill A mouse chewed the igniter No burners would light

I followed the news for a few weeks before and after the election. I found myself doing the same damn thing that I did before recluding, which was looking for all the bits of news that validated my own opinions on the subject. In this case, I was looking for a post-election presidential meltdown. Surely the Orange In Chief will have super narcissistic grand-Mal tantrum - one that will disenfranchise even his most ardent followers, right? It's only a matter of time... But then I realized that too many of his followers would defend him even if he used a front-loader to drop a pile of live babies into the ocean - they might even offer up their own babies for the honor. This is scary stuff. It's always scary when you have to deal with "believers" because rational discourse does not work, nor irrefutable logic, and especially not facts or truth. I thought I might come out from under my rock again after these last four years, but the next four aren't looking very promising. There is a deep chasm that needs to be crossed with a bridge, but neither ideology has so much as a rope to throw to the other side to begin the construction.

I am, however, heartened that a woman has finally made it to the vice-presidency! A black/Asian woman too! This is an encouraging sign of change - the good-old networks and the old ways of doing government are fading away along with their progenitors. I still don't think the next four years are going to be much better than the last four, but if I am proven wrong, it will be because of this.

[woodman1200]

Musings and Trap Setting Tips

As non-social as I tend to be, I have been thinking about how I miss indoor parties and get-togethers. Rather, maybe it’s the idea of an indoor party that I miss. Call me crazy but I’m looking forward to the time when I can be with everyone in the same room and breathe the same air again. I want to enjoy some live classical music in a nice sounding space too. 

The other day I went out to do some domestic tasks. Along the way, I saw a woman who I know has a noticeable birth defect on her face. Like all of us, she was wearing a mask. The mask completely obscured it. I couldn't help but wonder how this made her feel. Possibly, for the first time in her life, she looked like everyone else. I'm fairly certain, that many folks with obvious physical differences must learn to tune out the looks and stares, however subtly they may be made by others. But now, that protection mechanism can take a rest for a while. What must that feel like? Is there joy in it or dread - or both?

For me, it might be like being able to eat all the foods I'm allergic to without consequence - but only for a limited time. Of course I would take advantage of all the pizza, General Tso's chicken, coffee, and red beans and rice as I could, but I would also dread the day when I have to stop and go back to my diet of only 5 foods. Having to go back to life the way it was before could have longer-term emotional consequences. A Cinderella at 1:00AM with a shattered glass slipper and no prince to come to the rescue kind of sad.

clear coat on fir planks Shellac is the best finish Wood glows like the moon

That same day, I saw a beautiful dark chocolate brown horse grazing in front of a barn. Just the perfect shade of brown, from mane to hoof. The setting was idyllic and the sun had briefly come out, placing a scrim of summer upon this rural landscape for a fleeting moment. What a good vibe - I love living here!

pellet stove fan clogged housing fully packed with ash fan blades could not move

Mousetrap tweaking

I don't take joy in killing mice (cave crickets, on the other hand...) and I often wish there was another way to deal with them. I learned long ago that the one you catch and let loose outside will eventually come back into your house - because that's where the warm/food/nest is. I do, however, enjoy tweaking, adjusting and optimizing mechanical things to extract the best performance out of them. Mouse traps are one of those classic machines whose genius lies in its very simplicity. It can be adjusted to perform very well too.

Recently, I've had failures with my preferred Victor mousetraps. I used to be able to set a hair trigger on these things, but now it doesn't work. Well, I figured out why:

I use these tried and true classic mousetraps made of wood and metal wire. They get the job done efficiently and are disposable. There is another version of this trap that uses a plastic trigger/paddle that you can count on to fail.

The trigger catch tab on the right is bent a little too far down. This makes it harder for the trigger to work because the clasp is "locked in" to the catch tab. The tip is this: Bend the trigger catch tab up so that it is 90 degrees with respect to the trigger. This will hold the clasp more loosely so that the slightest movement of the trigger will release it.

Bait the trap, then pull the spring back and then hold it down with your thumb. With your other hand, set the clasp in the catch. Slowly release your thumb from the spring to "test" if the clasp is held. If the clasp can easily be hooked on the first try, then the tab will need to be moved up a little more. It should be a bit difficult to get it to stay hooked.

Make sure your other fingers are out of the way of the spring before completely letting go of it. Keep your fingers out of the way when moving and placing the trap. Place the trap very carefully as the triger has been made more sensitive and the slightest bump could set it off.

We have mice every year, but it seems there are more mice this year than previous years. It's not even winter yet.

[woodman1200]

Rush, Alex Lifeson, the distant past and close to now

For some reason, I have been compelled to revisit some of the music I listened to before I learned to play. Rush is definitely one of those bands that meant a lot to me from age 12 to 17. I discovered FM radio not very long before I first heard Rush (Tom Sawyer), and not long after that, Signals was released. And so did I sit by the radio waiting for the station to play Subdivisions, a song in which I noted for the first time, the sound of cymbals! (brief aside: I grew up not hearing the high notes of familiar songs because my mom always turned down the treble and turned up the bass - a murky sound, to say the least. I did not notice treble until I got my own AM/FM clock radio. This was an important moment in my life; I discovered FM radio, music that I liked, cymbals and other delightful sounds in music that I hadn’t heard before).

The ride pattern in Subdivisions was a standout then as it is now - so distinctive, clear, articulate. It made me want to become a drummer. I got some Rush records, cassettes and 8-track tapes and became intimately familiar with their whole catalog up to Power Windows. Rush made exactly the kind of music I wanted when I was that age; complex, heady(ish) subject matter, intelligent near-metal rock virtuosity. It was my music...and I could hear it clearly.

I stopped listening to Rush sometime between when I started playing bass and when I landed in New Brunswick. Prog was out, Grunge was in and I wanted to find my own path as a bassist. When I was 23, I learned most of Freewill in an hour to randomly annoy a neighbor who was playing it poorly on his bass. After that, I had not listened to a Rush Album in well over 20 years.

So, recently, I got my faves Signals and Moving Pictures as high-resolution downloads (7digital.com), and listened to them both in "better than CD" quality. The audiophile in me enjoyed the sound, but the musician in me took notice of Alex Lifeson in particular. If you don't know who he is, he is the (decidedly) non-virtuostic guitar player in a power trio consisting of the oft-voted "Best Bassist" and Best Drummer" by various polls. Everyone who plays bass or drums knows Geddy Lee and Neil Peart, respectively. Everyone has tried to play a little or a lot of their music - it was a good gauge to see how (technically) good a player you were; a handy yardstick to measure ability. Alex Lifeson, on the other hand, is not as revered, in fact, I have even heard some disparaging things.

Here's what I think: If Alex Lifeson played like Geddy and Neil, then the band would have sounded like a hot mess. Their music would have become less musical and more technical. It would have been simply a case of too many chefs in the kitchen. Alex did exactly what was needed; playing for the music and not himself. He was the glue that held everyone together. He was in control of the color and much of the texture of their music...and he did a stunning job of it too! Musically, he comes from many different angles at one time, and it's really interesting to listen to where he takes you. His approach is multi-faceted in that he utilizes a huge palate of all kinds of music to make something cohesive and really unique. Listening to him makes me think of some abstract expressionist paintings. It takes skill, strength, and character to be able to do more with less, and he did it consistently.

And that’s all I have to say about that.

The last time I talked about Rush, it was with a workmate (or two) who were really big Rush fans. I remember thinking that it was a bit strange that 40-something year old non-musicians would still be into Rush. I always felt that Rush was primarily for bassists, drummers and adolescent boys. Apparently, it is for engineers of my generation as well. It makes total sense, psychologically, anyway.

I guess Devo is not engineer music after all.

[woodman1200]

Regarding Honesty + Random Pics

It is nice when people appreciate honesty, but at the same time, shouldn't we all expect it? I've had three ebay dealings with returns, refunds and payments recently, and in all three transactions, I had to make sure the seller got the money. One of them was a return of the payment I made for a piece of recording gear. I made the payment, got the tracking number, got the gear, and left good feedback - done deal. One month later, PayPal returns the money. Now I have the gear and this guy's money, and he had no idea. I had to call ebay to find out how to get this money back to the seller. The lady on the other end said "Wow, most people would have taken the money and ran". She praised me.

That seems so sad; like just not being a dick is worthy of praise. Maybe it's because I have enough things and dough to not worry about not having dough and things, but even when I dough-poor, the idea of being dishonest with money just seemed stupid. More work than it was worth for a payoff, and not very sustainable either. There was a time, however, when I did not know this...

I was taught to be honest (as I imagine most folks were) and have been for most of my life, but I remember the preteen/adolescent years when I was not honest with money and goods. I fell in with some bad kids who introduced me to shoplifting. Stealing was fun, and I got cool things. I did that for a little while until the little bastards broke into my apartment and stole a bunch of stuff from my mom. I got busted at Bradlees (?) for shoplifting, complete with department store detective. That was the 2nd to last time I shoplifted. The last time I did it, I became wracked with guilt and (anonymously) returned the item to the store. That was the last time.

I stole bicycles, but only a few as I mostly "processed" my friend's stolen bikes by swapping parts. I got busted with a stolen bike - a recognizable Special Edition Mongoose. The big and scary "don't mess with him" kid from school came to my apartment to get it. I was sure I was gonna shit my pants when I saw him at the door. The bike belonged to his cousin. Strangely, we became friends afterwards. But that was the last time I stole a bike.

I used to steal quarters for video-games from my mom's boyfriend's change jar until it was nearly empty...and still I sucked at Donkey-Kong, the game in which all of those quarters ended up.

The one theft I got the most out of was when I stole a $5 bill from a schoolmate's home. The next day when school let out, I was met by him and his older sister and her knife. She insisted I repay her five dollars immediately. She seemed fairly crazed, so I walked the 6 blocks back to my apartment at knife-point and returned her five dollars using the quarters from my mom's boyfriend's change jar. I got busted for that too. And that was the last time I stole money.

I took the courses and learned the lessons - dishonesty does not pay. No one likes you and you feel bad about yourself when you're dishonest. Why would anyone want that?

Rare characteristic or not, honesty is much more appreciated than dishonesty. It is an easy thing to do and people like it, even on ebay :)

[woodman1200]

Forgotten Blog

I keep forgetting to post about things and stuff, so here is an executive summary:

I got my palatal expander removed!    I can do tongue trills now!    Braces and a retainer from hence to the foreseeable future

I want to party and eat hot dogs with all my friends in celebration, but this virus puts a severe damper on things.

As well, I had hoped to have a full-sized BBQ near Memorial Day this year. Our house is finally close to where we had hoped it would be two years ago :)

Been having fun with designing amplifiers. I have seen, heard and learned much in the last month, and that makes me happy.

Finally getting some things done:

 Finished the deck with Ipe oil

Also rewired the trailer with marine wire. The original wire, literally, turned to powder.

Redid the stairs after several years of saying I would redo the stairs. Right now, carpeting professionals are covering 75% of this just-completed refinishing with a runner. It will look good on the sides.

Thoroughly enjoyed Canada Day, Day After Canada Day, Day Before Independence Day, Independence Day, and the Day After Independence Day with the holiday pipe. We also celebrated National Day of Prayer together.

Very happy the legalization question will be on the ballot this year. Very bummed that there STILL is no dispensary within an hour from my house while 3 more have opened up even father away. I'm guessing Hunterdon County will not get one until after marijuana is legalized for recreational use.

[woodman1200]

Back Down

Got to take my walker for a drive the other day! A couple of years ago, I picked one up at the local goodwill expressly for a situation where my back goes out and I can't stand. That situation happened yesterday. It's an okay walker. I think if I need to use it more, then I will need to install some nice leather wrapped grips to replace the spongy foam ones that came from the factory. Motorcycle handlebar grips will probably do the trick...vroom vroom.

Also figured out that when my back "goes out" it may actually be arthritis flare-ups. I know I've had osteoarthritis for a very long time, but I never really considered that it was the actual cause of the pain. This time, it happened without provocation - I was taking it easy. I can only surmise that lifting things, bending down, reaching over things just trigger the flare ups, and aren't the actual cause. I'm gonna go forward with this new realization and see if there are things I can do differently to make life a bit less hurty.

[woodman1200]

Shopping For Obscurity

I've been looking for a stylish mask with particular function that says something about me. I'm on Etsy and there are hundreds (and counting) of custom-made masks - I've found a couple I like so far... But, isn't this totally weird, looking at pictures of people wearing masks? This Covid situation sinks in more: "I need to get a mask, and all of these hundreds of pictures are of people wearing masks". This is freaking me out a bit.

These people, these faces are not complete. Their identities are concealed, and mine will be too. I will soon be 1/2 of myself in publc. The last time I felt this way was when I was 12 and wanted to belong - I did things I didn't even like just so I could be like all the other kids. Yesterday, my identity was fully formed, today it will be worn in a sling hung from the upper half of my face.

I'm trying to understand what this means going forward. Obviously, our interactions with other people will have to change, and it's already less physical and less present. But add to that, you only get to see part of someone's face, or to put it another way, determining someone's intent becomes very difficult in the age of PPE. It's easy to mis-read someone and or be confused by it. Is that person smiling a wry smile while saying something funny, or is that person stupid and being serious? How can this dude with the "happy eyes" be such a dick? Do I know this lady? Subtle and not so subtle interactions are all affected.

So much change... I really wonder how this change will change us? I had wait in line at Home Depot the other day (because it's frikin' impossible to shop from their website - that's another story) with a contractor who had his mask hanging around his neck while everyone else had theirs on. I couldn't help but feeling that is was intentionally rude, almost  sociopathic, as if to say "I don't care if you live or die". And maybe that was his point...

Maybe the subtle and not so subtle human interactions are still there, but they too have changed. Maybe they are still developing.

One hundred years ago, regular folk sought masks to protect them from a widely perceived chemical threat. I wonder if shopping for a mask then was as weird a process as it is to me now?

[woodman1200]

Late April Thrills

I've had a good couple of weeks. I feel like my brain function is returning. A medication that I was taking at too high a dose for the last two years had noticeably damped my critical thinking and intellectual pursuits. But the last few weeks have been filled with delightful thinky-things to ponder. I can do science again! I have learned a lot about electronics design, how to better use my simulation tools, and how to more extensively test/simulate the circuits I want to use. Man, I went apeshit!

The result of all this research was that I have accomplished a technical achievement that I have long wanted to accomplish: I designed and built a transistor output stage for a Counterpoint SA-100 Hybrid Power Amplifier. More specifically, I designed a standalone current gain stage that can be used as part of any amplifier. I know - sounds exciting, right?!?! What I have learned will benefit my own amplifier design, and very well might be the secret sauce.

This is likely the only SA-100 in the world with a BJT output stage. Most, if not all hybrid amplifiers use MOSFET power devices, which have different sonic characteristics than BJTs. I have more iterations to go.

I also just found a piece of test equipment that I never would have even dreamed of owning - a Rhode & Schwarz UPL audio analyzer. In 1997 I worked as a lab tech (Technical Associate) at Lucent Technologies. My team was setting up an audio test and development group and I was the one who ordered our $14,700 audio analyzer. I remember it being few hundred dollars more than the price of our brand new 1998 Honda Civic. Even 20 years later, these are not exactly cheap because they are still used in respectable laboratories. I got mine busted (as I get all my loot) so this was way cheaper than buying a working one.

I've also been hard at work adding pages of technical information, schematics, and pictures to my website woodman1200.com. I even used css style sheets for the the first time on the new pages and some of the old pages. Someday I will change the index page to something less basic, but I like the austere and direct look of it at the moment.

I have even gotten a few steps closer to completing my big bookcase project. I'm applying the base coats of 2lb cut clear shellac and sanding until most of the pores are filled. After sanding, this will get a minimum of 5 French polished coats of 3lb cut ruby shellac.

[woodman1200]

HAPPY 420!!

This year's 4/20 snuck up on me, but today I have selected my Sovereignty Queen Stemline Upgrid to be socially distanced from the other pipes. This pipe is the swankiest, and the most well made of my collection. Sovereignty (brand) Queen (size of chamber) Stemline (tube on top of the chamber) Upgrid (diffuser grid that faces up) means that it works really well and that I will not be getting much done today :)

[woodman1200]

Kinda prepared, but more concerned

I have a merit badge in Social Distancing, as I am sure many of my ilk do. Being part recluse, part misanthrope and part engineer, I am quite accustomed to staying at home for long periods of time. But now that everyone is doing it, I think it's helping me understand and especially sympathize with other people a little bit more.

Some folks are dealing with a lot more than I realized - those who are naturally social and enjoy being with people must be having a really hard time. I saw evidence of this when I risked going to the dispensary in Bergen County. There was a guy there who was obviously the kind of person who really needed to be around people (or couldn't stand to be alone). He kept taking off his mask to talk closely to anyone who would listen. He was so desperate for human contact. I felt bad for him, being deprived of a genuine need. But I was also afraid to know that he cared more about interacting than not spreading a highly contagious virus. I wonder how many people are doing the same thing? There are a lot of people out there who love people and are not able to connect.

I wish I could help. As an introvert, I wish there was some advice I could give to extroverts who are having difficulty. It’s not easy for anyone to teach what comes naturally to them, but I’m willing to try.

The other thing I did not realize (in fact, never even considered) is that some people's home environments are not safe. This is a really bad time for abused spouses and children. Imagine being cooped up in an abusive household with your tormentor for a couple of months.

It seems like a good part of the population simply cannot process the idea of a mortal threat that cannot be seen, touched, tasted or smelled. They don't know what to do and this really breaks up their routine. There are some who scoff at it and intentionally spread the virus by partying in closed quarters or licking things. There are yet others, like Hasidim for whom being social and community-minded is a integral part of life. The last time a government instructed them to do things, they were marched into concentration camps, so I can understand the hesitation.

It’s adapting to such a fundamental change in the way we live, whether it’s temporary or permanent change, that's the most difficult, IMO.

More hard times ahead as we need to continue being vigilant even after the peak number of cases. Viruses, like us, like all living things, will do what they must to do to survive.

These are unprecedented times we're living in. Things are bad, but maybe some good can come of this. I think we are, once again, becoming united in the face of a common foe. That's a good start. How easy it is to put aside the differences when sharing a frightening experience, even when deprived of interpersonal communication. Hope we can keep it going through the aftermath.

[woodman1200]

Laurie Anderson Staurie

I recently listened to an album that I got when I was 15: Laurie Anderson - Mister Heartbreak

I rarely take trips down memory lane when listening, even if it's music I've heard all my life. But this time, I went back to the beginning to see how it fits with the present. I'm surprised to find that I have likes, dislikes, habits and peculiarities that have lasted most of my life. When we grow up, we may think we have changed, but we have only learned to become a more refined version of ourselves. Unless brain damage or multiple personality disorder is involved, we remain, essentially, who we were when we were new in the world.

I first heard Laurie Anderson when I was 15. The exact circumstances were that I was in my room being punished. Staying confined to my room was punishment enough, but my stepfather took my stereo away too. As I think about it now, what cruel and stupid a punishment to deprive someone of intellectual stimulation and growth. The good thing was that then (as now) I had redundant stereo equipment all around my room (the house was bought from a retired radio engineer - I inherited a lot of audio gear). I had an extra receiver tucked away under my bed, and a big ass pair of Koss headphones. These were the kind of headphones that made small children look like they had three heads.

Often, at night in bed if I was not contemplating the best way to end myself (Roselle NJ 1980-86 was the worst time of my life), I was listening to newly discovered college radio stations like WKNJ (Kean College) and WSOU (Seaton Hall University). Kean played underground art-rock, avant garde, new wave, jazz fusion, and experimental music, while WSOU had the most Metal you could find at the time, with a smattering of hardcore, and straight up punk-rock. I discovered so much music, The Cure, New Order, The Hawaiian Pups, Butthole Surfers, Black Flag, Loudness, Slayer, DRI, Celtic Frost (art-metal); the list goes on.

In the darkness of my room, I would close my eyes and listen to whatever came on. I would let the sound take me to all the exotic places that can exist in imagination and real life (I have never stopped doing this). I went to a dessert island this time, created by Laurie Anderson and called Blue Lagoon. I'll never forget that feeling of hearing it for the first time - shimmering, contemplative, soft and warm, overlapping patterns and textures so completely different from music previously known to me. I scrounged up $8.00 and bought Mister Heartbreak on cassette within a few weeks of the album's release.

The rest of the album was just as exotic and intriguing as Blue Lagoon. I had found something really cool that I was totally unable to share with my few friends. This was too outre for them. I was already teased about liking music that "no one's ever heard of". After 4 years of listening to FM radio, I was already getting tired of classic rock, or AOR as it was called - Album Oriented Rock. I had heard (and hated) enough the Lynrd Skynrd and Steve Miller Band to last several lifetimes. I knew entire Beatles and Led Zepplin albums by heart; just from repetition on the radio. I knew other bands by heart (and Heart) too, whether I wanted to or not. I needed a litte more intellectual stimulation and growth, and Laurie Anderson was inviting me to step out of the circle.

Around this time I grew my hair out and suddenly changed from a repellent dirtbag to an attractive metalhead. I endeavored to look like a rock star, and consequently folks wanted to know me. This response weirded me out. I was not prepared. My underdeveloped social skills and lack of self-esteem were suddenly highlighted by the newfound attention. It still makes me smile that I would get notes from a friend of the author who was interested in...a date, I guess.

So I got a note, and met a girl, Kim, in her garage on the other side of town. We hung out and talked and listened to my Laurie Anderson tape. I think she dug it. As I recall, she was getting high, so this must have seemed really trippy to her. I was a "just say no" kid, so I didn't partake of her hash. I honestly don't remember how it went - I was freaked out (nervous) to be hanging out with a girl who was nice to me. But I do remember a really chill vibe and listening to this strange music. I think it was kinda dark in the garage - all the better to enjoy.

It was interesting to listen again, but in the daylight with eyes open and looking out over the yard, half reminiscing, and half comparing the pre-adult Jay Woodley to middle aged James Woodley. How does this particularly memorable few hours of my life fit into the the present? Questions, answers, realizations...

I've always admired those who knew what they wanted to be when they were a kid, and became that. They already started on the path. I had no idea that I did too, although it feels like it happened by accident. Yet I still have stereo equipment all over my room. I've always had stereo equipment all over my room. I have always been a gearhead, a hacker, a tinkerer of things. I can't help it. I'm so glad to have eventually made a successful career out of it.

I was, and have always been drawn to complex music. I wonder if it was because it made sense to me; more logic than emotion, or if it was a reaction to my mother's knuckle-dragging country and doo-wop (good grief; the shit I had to endure growing up). Of all the records and tapes I had when I was a teenager, this is an album I still have. Refined, deep, ethereal. This all means something, though I'm not sure exactly what that is.

I like to think I've changed, grown up, but I'm 51 and still laugh at the same golden-age Warner Brothers and MGM cartoons from childhood. I still do a lot of things that I did since I was a kid, and I never realized exactly how many habits/passions carried though the years. I guess that happens to everyone.

[woodman1200]

Random January

This year, I look forward to addressing some personal things that need attention. Besides having this medieval dental fixture removed from my mouth, I hope to be able to walk faster without too much pain. I am going to do my damnedest to make it so I can socialize and travel again.

It's the year 2020. This is the future, the future is now. I optimistically thought the future would be more technologically breathtaking, like hovering cars and universal translators. To be fair, we are getting damn close with sleek electric cars and various, freely available text translators. Still, I'm a bit underwhelmed. I feel like this future has been stunted. It's as if “the now” could/should have been much better for everyone, but was not allowed to be. I also thought we would (societally) have become more united with instant access to information, instead we have been crushed by it. Worse yet, that information is used to instigate, propagate ideologies, distort facts, and to create schisms between people. Whoda thought of that back in 1984?

I indulge in only two 4oz servings of egg nogg a year these days. I regard this as a liquid heart attack; delicious, but cumulatively deadly.

I'm also slowly making progress in my domestic projects. I have been getting more realistic about what jobs I should take on. Just because I can do something does not necessarily mean that I should spend the time and energy to do it. It has taken just about 6 months to rid one side of the garage of mold and mildew that started in summer 2018. I've got a couple of big woodworking items that I'll be able to get to now that I have room in the shop side of the garage.

I deal with winters so much better now. Winter used to be a cold, bleak and dead season when there were fewer trees to see - the gray dinginess made me unhappy. These days I deal with the cold much better, there is no bleak view in any direction here. Winter is a dormant time now, not a dead one.

Someday I will post some technical articles and info to woodman1200.com. I owe it to the 3 of 4 geeks out there who, like me, will search every nook and cranny of the internet looking for obscure information on obscure audio gear.