Blackguard

That's true most of the time. I bought almost all my guitars used and always got a lot more value for money that way. We guitar players are known for suffering from GAS (Gear/Guitar Acquisition Syndrome) and there's many who shop for guitars more often than they do for groceries. If you're patient you can get many great deals when other players/collectors thin out the herd to make room for new toys or to save their marriage when their wives find out how much money they've invested. These guitars usually haven't seen a rehearsal room let alone a stage since they left the store and qualify as "preowned" rather than "used". My personal experience with "history": The Nocaster I'm playing in my avatar pic was previously owned by a very skilled jazz musician who used it as his main instrument for several years. I really think that's where some of its magic comes from as I've never played a new instrument that responds to subtle changes in picking dynamics like it. It's rare that a guitar sounds great no matter where you are on the fretboard. The fact that I got it for about half the street price makes the deal even better On the other hand, I once bought another used guitar that was also perfectly broken in.... in one key. D minor. Took me a long time to even out. Cheers, Blackguard

I made the switch to Ubuntu (13.10) and don't regret it. Keep in mind that it's for an ancient HP laptop that I only use for writing, surfing the web and doing statistics (with R - still trying to get SPSS to work). Like Thorn Wilde said it's a really sleek looking OS that runs a lot smoother than XP - as long as you can install all the programs you need which isn't that big a problem as there are many Open Source alternatives for almost anything. Also, there's a program/emulator called WINE for opening some .exe files. I see many Ubuntu users at my uni who run it on their little netbooks and are very happy with it. If being able to play a wide varity games is important to you, Ubuntu isn't the best choice, to be honest. On the other hand I was quite surprised to find so many modern indie games in my Steam library that are Linux compatible. Most require much better hardware than the average XP machine, though. Greets, Blackguard

Ohhhhh! Had I known there's a Jazz thread I'd have returned a few years sooner http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOm17yw__6U Really, I just love Wes Montgomery. One of the most tasteful guitar players (no, 'tasteful guitar player' is not always an oxymoron ) in history. His technique was of course 'wrong' by any standards but that's how he got his unique sound. It's a lot harder than it looks and once you think you've nailed it you realise you're making a fool of yourself. So What? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9A2bPzLHnU

Yeah, Winamp was a contstant for years on my computers - until they had some security issues back in... 2006, I think. If you just need a good media player you might like AIMP, which is pretty much a Russian Winamp clone that happens to take up much less resources than the original. It's perfect for my simple needs and offers some cool options I still need to look into. Still, it's sad to see one of the first programs I ever downloaded disappear and follow Lycos and AltaVista to the digital Orcus. Isn't it strange? When my Mum thinks back to her youth, she thinks of the last steam engine trains and Vietnam War protests while I think of Winamp and the original GameBoy. I guess even nostalgia ain't what it used to be

Umm... I've got a question for the Admins: A few weeks ago I signed up at a site called Gay Authors. It seems obvious that it's been transformed into Gay Models since then... Is membership still free or do I have to pay for looking at all those gorgeous people? Seriously, you're a great looking bunch! @Excuse: Jack Frost is right

Hi Jonathan, let's see I can come up with from the top of my head: Raise the roof by Carbon Leaf Up the ladder to the roof by The Supremes

Wow, thank you all for the nice welcome! I feel pretty silly now for not joining sooner. Thanks a lot! It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who likes "geezer red" (actually it's called Dakota Red by Fender). By the way: Did you choose your screen name as a homage to a certain rock band from Toronto? Thanks for the nice welcome! As for posting some clips of my playing: I'm a total klutz about anything digital and the results I got from fiddling around with Reaper and Audacity were awful at best. But I'm really trying to overcome my aversion to modern technology and maybe share a bit of my music one day. Just hope that I'll be out of my Bobby Lee Rodgers phase by then... Blackguard

Hi folks! Another newbie here. Actually, I've been lurking around occasionally for... umm... Well, let's just say, that I can remember With Trust being updated from time to time. I just read a post on the blogs that I absolutely had to reply to, so I thought I might as well stay around - if only to improve my bad English that has gotten more than a little rusty since I finished high school. Oh, that really is my guitar in the avatar pic and some of you might even have read about it

Happy belated birthday, kjames! Sorry being late, but as you see, I was quite "nonexistent" on GA until a few minutes ago. To make up for my inexcusable tardiness, I think I might have something for you: Is that the story you were looking for? Hopefully, you don't mind me not wrapping it up... Cheers, Blackguard

Hi Edward, getting such a diagnosis feels like you're floating in a nice little inflatable dinghy in the middle of a huge lake with not a single care in the world when you suddenly hear that dreaded "Pshhhhhh...." Looks like we're in the same boat. Figuratively speaking, that is. I myself have amassed a rather "impressive" collection of allergies over the last two decades and learned that not all are as bad as they look on paper. First of all, all my tests show a very strong allergic reaction to any kind of fish, fruit, milk, eggs and most vegetables. I once asked the doctor at the specialised clinic where I've been tested why I'm able to eat lots of things from that list without problems and others in moderation. He essentially told me that these tests are far from accurate in so far as they tend to show a lot of false or "unrealistic" positive results. By unrealistic I mean some like my fish allergy that would only become an issue if I had skin contact with raw fish (It's true, I need to scrub my hands very thoroughly after handling fish for cooking to avoid reactions, same with potatoes). Since I have no trouble falling asleep without cuddling my pet salmon, I'm not affected by that one. :wacko: Another one: I'm really extremely allergic to any kind of nut (peanuts being the worst, followed by hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts, etc.) but I can eat Nutella (I don't know if you have itin the US) that's supposed to be made of 13% hazelnuts. My guess is that the intense heat during the manufacturing process destroys some or even all allergens. My GP knows lots of similar cases. From what you've written, I'm guessing that you already suffer from allergies to pollen and some foods but now got that gargantuan list of new potential (!) threats that made you feel like your (culinary) life is over. I'd say that if it was that severe, you'd already have noticed. I know some really extreme cases such as a little boy that can't eat anything that made of fruit, eggs or any kind of grain (including all breads and pastries!). I've personally witnessed him developing eczema and a full blown asthma attack just from being in the same room with a bowl of fresh fruit (that he couldn't even see, ruling out that the reaction was part of a learned pattern). That was beyond scary! Believe it or not, he was still a happy child whose every smile was a lesson in humility for me. So basically, if you've had no trouble with most of these foods before, there's no need to panic. Those cross allergies almost always show up in the tests along with the matching pollen (which I'm guessing were the first allergies to make themselves known to you). Your doctor has to inform you about the risks and make sure you know that you should be on the lookout for reactions. Like I said, don't panic but be cautious around the foods on that list. Nevertheless, please be especially careful around fruit! The exotic ones are by far the riskiest! Mangoes and Kiwis are supposed to be the most extremes as far as allergens go - that comes from someone who almost died from tasting a tiny piece of mango... That's not an experience I'd like to repeat! Pesticides and other chemicals seem to make reactions much worse, by the way. For example, I can enjoy strawberries from our garden in moderation but even a single store bought one makes my throat swell shut. The same goes for apples and many vegetables such as broccoli or bell peppers. I hope you can make some sense of what I've written despite the long sentences and my overuse of parentheses. English is not my native language but reading your blog entry made me remember what I felt like when I was diagnosed with all these allergies so I felt I just had register at GA to share some of my experiences living with them for the past twenty-something years. I'm only scratching the surface here, so if you've got any questions, please ask! Take care, Blackguard (a fellow cook) PS: I've managed to lose some weight, too - despite the allergies. I guess you can say that I'm half the man I used to be...