Star Wars Poster

My lovely wife recently got this poster framed for me and as I was putting it up, I decided to Google it to see what others have said about this poster. It didn’t appear there was much information or an accurate picture of the poster so I am posting it here. It’s difficult to see due to the framing, but there is actually about a 1/2 inch border of silver all along the edges. You’ll also notice that the logo is a previous version from the one they finally settled on.

Goin’ down to Cripple Creek

Yes, I know it has been a while since I last posted here. Recently I’ve actually found Twitter to be a more convenient way to comment on my life online. Requires less time, and fits into my daily routines.
But I’ve recently embarked on a new musical journey that I thought I would share with you all. I’ve been playing music most of my life, starting with woodwinds like the clarinet and saxophone, and moving on to guitar. I’ve played everything from classical to jazz, funk, fusion, rock, and even a little folk. But I’ve never ventured into country or other American genres such as bluegrass, until now. I’m not exactly sure what inspired me, but I’ve had a desire to learn how to play banjo and last weekend I went out and acquired one to start learning. I love the casual nature of the music you play on it – you almost always associate the instrument with celebration and having a good time, and almost never with formality or pretentiousness. It’s an instrument that requires skill but relies on repetition of patterns and a keen sense of rhythm, both of which I felt were my musical strong suits.
So after a couple of days, what are my first impressions? I really love it. I love the sound and feeling of the instrument, and have already learned a couple of songs and am pouring through all the various styles to determine which direction to go in: bluegrass, Irish, etc? If you’re a guitar player it takes getting used to as the tuning is different and that 5th high G string can really throw you off. But so far I’m enjoying the challenge and will be taking some lessons at the local Blue Ridge Pickin’ Parlor soon.
So what did I buy? After extensive research and trying various models I settled on the Deering Goodtime 2 banjo. Not the bottom of the line, but you can spend a whole lot more. I don’t know anything about banjos, but so far I love the tone, response, and feel. I highly recommend for a beginner.

Don’t worry. I’ll be posting a recording or two of my learning to play soon.
Here’s pic of the banjo I bought.

And oh, by the way – apparently playing the banjo is like one of the most un-cool things a dad can do to his tween aged daughters. My oldest has no so subtly posted a sign on her bedroom door “NO Banjo Zone.”

I’ll try anything once

I’m participating in an experiment/taste test of the new Celsius engergy enhancing drink which claims to actually burn calories and boost metabolism. The other adventurous soul is Embiggen. You can read about and track our experiment here.

This illustration from their site pretty much tells you how you’re gonna feel after drinking one of these things. It will start with a warm (won’t say burning) sensation in your stomach which will slowly turn into an all-over body buzz, probably similar to a RedBull (although I can’t drink that stuff, I expect its similar).

Wikipedia Meme

I have been tasked by Mr. Cruft to supply the following information based on what is provided in Wikipedia related to the date of my birth, May 7th.

Here are the instructions:
1. Go to Wikipedia.
2. In the Search box, type your birth month and day (but not year).
3. List three events that happened on your birthday.
4. List two important birthdays and one interesting death.
5. List any holidays
6. Post it.

May 7th – Three Events
1429 – Joan of Arc ends the Siege of Orléans, pulling an arrow from her own shoulder and returning wounded to lead the final charge. The victory marks a turning point in the Hundred Years’ War.
1847 – In Philadelphia, the American Medical Association (AMA) is founded.
1998 – Mercedes-Benz buys Chrysler for US$40 billion and forms DaimlerChrysler in the largest industrial merger in history.

May 7th – Two Births, One Death
(b)1968 – Traci Lords, American actress
(b)1975 – Nicole Sheridan, American porn star
(d)2006 – Lillian Gertrud Asplund, RMS Titanic survivor (b. 1907)

May 7th – Holidays
Russia – Radio Day (commemorating the work of Alexander Popov)
Bulgaria – Radio and Television Day (see above)

No more glasses

It’s only been about 20 hours since my Lasik eye surgery, and the change is dramatic. The proceedure was pain free, and I only felt some mild discomfort through the proceedure. Since then the only mild side effect is some increased sensitivity to light. Otherwise, I went in for my post-op appointment this morning just 17 hours after the surgery and I was seeing 20/20.