I love Guitars (Les Paul Standard)

So this is my Gold Top. I absolutely LOVE this guitar. I don't know that I could have one that suits me better if I had it hand made at the Gibson factory as I watch over the luthier's shoulder. Back in 1997 I was playing CBGB in New York City and after the gig we were all to go eat with our A&R guy. We hurried to load our gear in the van so we would no miss our reservations. Somehow, somewhere along the line my guitars got left in the club, on the street, who knows but the bottom line was they got left behind. After a few days it seemed they were gone forever. I was left with no Les Paul so I had to go get a replacement. I had heard that Epiphone was making some very nice guitars after Gibson agreed to license the Les Paul and a few other models, and selling them for a reasonable price. So I went in and played a few and settled on this one. I didn't bother plugging it in when I tried it because I knew I would replace the Epiphone guts in favor of my own set up. (Dimarzio Super Distortion in the bridge and a Seymour Duncan Custom in the neck and Allpart pots w/ ceramic caps). What I was really interested in at the time was how it felt and how it sounded acoustically. I was looking for a warm but clear sound from the strings. This guitar had it in spades. I dunno, maybe I got the guy who did the final setup on a good day or who knows what, but the planets of the rock and roll universe aligned on this one. It just felt like an extension of my own hands. Since I added this guitar to my collection, I have added 2 more Epiphones and I love all 3. This one is still my favorite. I even prefer it to my "Genuine Gibson" Les Pauls. I have used it in countless live performances, studio and jam sessions. It stays in tune like no other, the tone is solid as a rock and it will go from zero to sixty in nothing flat. I have looked for others... Same make, model, paint, etc. but they just are not the same. This was truly a lucky find. Next up.... I have no idea, I'll figure out which one when I sit down to blog.

I love guitars

I understand that's not a very clever title but it is absolutely the best way to describe this post. I got my very first electric guitar when I was 6 years old. It was given to my by my cousin Greg who had just taught me how to play "House of the Rising Sun" by the Animals. He was in a band and I thought that was about the coolest thing ever, which of course it was. With that my lifelong love afair with guitars, music and rock and roll began. That first guitar was a no name, japanese made Fender-ish knock off. I'm sure is sounded like setting cats on fire but it was mine and I could make my own special brand of noise with it. My parents were always very supportive of my interest in music and never did anything but encourage me to practice and take it as far as I could. Thanks!

Over the years, I have owned many guitars but I didn't settle on "my guitar" until my mid twenties. My guitar is a Les Paul, named for the man who inspired its design for Gibson in the 1950s. Les Paul was and is a brilliant musician and inventor.  As a guitarist, he created many classic recordings with his partner Mary Ford. He also invented multitrack recording, the tape echo and a multitude of other devices that revolutionized electric music in all genres. That stuff is all great but he will always be associated with and remembered for that guitar.

I really became aware of the Les Paul as a teenager. All the guitartist I admired played them. Mailnly Ace Frehley, Jimmy Page and Joe Perry. As it turns out, all three of these guys would later be asked by Gibson to design a signature edition of the guitar they helped turn into a legend. But really, my biggest influence was Ace Frehley. I was a FANACTIC about KISS and Ace in particular. He played a Les Paul and I had to have one. His even smoked. As a teenager I could not really afford a real Les Paul but I had Kay copy and it sounded like shit but it LOOKED cool. I upgraded the pickups and learned how to work on guitars with that Kay. Sometimes I wish I had never sold it.

As I got older and started playing in working bands, I was able to buy better instruments and amplifiers. I have owned every size and shape of guitar but I always come back to the faithful Les Paul. An electric guitar can be as delicate as gossamer and as relentless as a freight train. It feels like a beautiful woman in your hands and can evoke the same range of emotions. No other guitar does that like a Les Paul for me.

The photo in this entry is my current "family". From left to right... 1998 Fender Tobacco Sunburst Telecaster Nashville, 1999 Epiphone custom shop Flame Kat, 2003 GIbson Honeyburst Les Paul Classic (3 Pickup), 2007 Epiphone Silverburst Les Paul Custom, 1989 Blue Metal flake Gibson Les Paul Studio and in front a 1997 Gold Top Epiphone Les Paul Standard.

Over the coming weeks, I will write about each one of them (in no particular order) because, I promise they each have a story....

The tale of the foot - epilogue

So it has been 6 weeks to the day since I injured my ankle. And just as the Doc said.. it's right as rain (more or less). The stability boot came off 2 weeks ago and I was in the harness for about another week. I still have a limp but it's mostly due to stiffness. The pain is gone. So I learned a few lessons in this process and I will commit them to memory. I'm just glad it's done. Thanks for watching. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

Episode III - Revenge of the splint.

The verdict is in. Broken jackass, broken... For those of you keeping track, the wedding was Sunday and it was a blast. I limped and favored my foot all day but apart from having to sit down half way through the ceremony, things went just fine. Thanks to Kurt, Greg, Steve, Les and of course Chris for all the assistance during the day. We got home around 10:30 PM and collapsed into bed. Before I fell asleep, I did notice that I had a voicemail. I listened and it was from the hospital stating that they needed to discuss my xrays. First thing Monday, I called and they verified that my ankle was indeed broken and that I needed to see an orthopedist ASAP. I STILL don't see the break in the xrays but, I'm not a doctor. So, today I went to see the ortho and he was great. Very nice man with a good bedside manner. The first thing he asked was... "Does that hurt?", pointing at the air splint that the hospital had provided. I said well, yeah it does. A lot actually. He said well, that's because it's not really the best solution for an injury of this type and he promptly removed it. As he was removing it, he told me that the device was revolutionary in sports medicine but just not the right choice in this case. Anyway, he wanted to get new xrays just to confirm the diagnosis. 4 photos and about 30 minutes later I was being fitted for an ankle brace and a stability boot. He told me that what had happened was that when my foot rolled over, the tendon was stronger than the bone and a piece of bone actually pulled away from my ankle. OUCH. On the drive home, the pain in my ankle was as bad as anything I have ever experienced but I assume that was just due to the fact that the Dr was manipulating it and checking range of motion. Now that I am home and had a chance to put it up, it feels MUCH better. The Vicodin helps too. I need to wear this contraption for 3 - 5 weeks and I should be back to normal.

Ow... my tibia! (Dumbass part 2)

Okay, I got up this am and could not put any weight on my foot. I went to the emergency room and had it looked at. The diagnosis was an over extension of the anterior ankle ligament (sprained or wrenched ankle) with a possible hairline fracture at the bottom of my tibia. I have attached the x-rays if you care to make your own diagnosis. They gave me an air cast and crutches to use until it stops hurting. The treatment is to keep it elevated when I'm sitting and put weight on it as much as I can stand. I was prescribed Percoset but I doubt I'll fill it. The more intense pain is gone now. This is good news as I will not need to be in a cast for the wedding on Sunday. And before you say it.... Yes I should have gone to the Doctor 2 days ago.

I'm Dumbass material, all the way!

So, it' 4 am and I'm trying to get out of the house to make the train for a meeting in Manhattan at 9. I had the foresight to lay out all my reservation paperwork and pack the night before. All I had to do was shower, dress, grab my bags and drive to the station. I even had my bags at top of the stairs, ready to go. Clearly, I am an experienced traveler. I made a point to bring extra comfy shoes as I was sure to be walking a lot in the city. Just as I was about to execute my perfect plan of grabbing my bags and heading out the door, our little dog Roxy showed up to see me off. I paused for a moment to pat her on the head and say good bye. After that, she padded off to crawl back into bed. She's not used to being up that early. With that I picked up my bags and and headed down the stairs. I looked down and OOOPS, holy crap, there was Roxy and I was about to step right on her. Startled, I tried to avoid her, lost my balance and missed the step. I tried to recover but ended up landing on the side of my foot and wrenching it sideways. A moment later, I find myself on the floor nauseated, dazed, in a cold sweat and my foot in searing pain. I pulled my self up and tried to stand by grabbing the banister. My my foot felt like it was on fire but I tried a few steps to see if it could support my weight and it did. I figured I'd just walk it off and that would be that. 

So I made my train and did my best to keep my foot elevated but the pain just intensified with each passing mile. I try to convince myself that it wasn't broken and I'd just ride it out. Upon arrival in NYC, I hobbled to the Duane Reade next to Penn Station and bought an Ace Bandage and a bottle of Motrin. Surely this would cure all that ailed me. Anyway, I made my way to my first meeting Downtown and promptly took off my shoe and applied the bandage. It did help to immobilize it but it still hurt like hell. The people I was there to meet could not have been more accommodating but I still felt like a rube for being the guy who disrupts everything with something like taking his shoes off in the board room. Yes, the comfy shoes for walking. This was not the first time I came off looking like a doofus during a trip to Manhattan. Who could forget the time left my brand new laptop in the cab. A classic. After my meetings were done. it actually felt better but once I walked out of the building and found a cab, it was screaming again. By the time I got to the hotel, I felt exhausted and went to bed.

So, it's the next day, the bruises are in full bloom and I'm still not sure if it's broken. It still hurts but not nearly as bad as yesterday. If the swelling has not improved by tomorrow, I'll go get it X-rayed. I really hope it's not broken. I am in a very dear friends wedding on Sunday and I'd hate to be in a cast. Oh well. I'm the dumbass who put the bags at the top of the stairs. Enjoy the photos. 

By the way... I don't blame the dog.

AppleTV upgrade

I was an early Apple user. I learned the basics of programming on and Apple ][ and bought a Machintosh 128 the day it came out in 1984.  Hell, I even had a Lisa. Over the years, Apple has had some ups and downs but always seemed to get back on track, better than ever. When Jobs left they certainly made some interesting decisions. The Clone Wars were a mess, OS 7 and 9 were stable but they didn't really do anything special. When Steve came back into the fold, he adopted an ever forward attitude, focused on innovation and even removed the "museum" of previous Macintosh models from the Cupertino campus. He took back control of the hardware manufacturing and the new operating system promised to bring more power to the user. Apple has since introduced many very successful new computers the ubiquitous iPod, tons of great software and many other wonderful innovations. Since the emergence of the new Apple, I have purchased several computers, phones, ipods, an AppleTV, gone to WWDC twice and even spoken at Apple events on podcasting and workflow. Life has been good.

Over the past few weeks though, Apple has hit a some rough spots. The Mobile Me debacle, the iPhone 3g activation issues, curious activity on the iTunes App store... and a few other bumps in the road have brought the naysayers and critics out in droves.  It's been very un-Apple like. My very first clue that something was amiss at Apple this time was when the first AppleTV was introduced. It seemed very cool and the idea of having iTunes as a source of video content was damn near thrilling. On the music front, iTunes had revolutionized an even revitalized the music world. Surely a revolution in home video was on the horizon. Not so much. I have had a 40GB Apple TV for a little over a year now and I was annoyed almost out of the gate over the interface and drive size. I felt like it had been rushed to market. The iTunes video library was barren, the interface was difficult to navigate and it just seemed silly to produce a device designed for video with such anemic storage capacity. Over time the iTunes store added more movies and TV shows, the new OS (Take 2) has YouTube, local streaming, Flickr and .mac gallery capability and the interface is much MUCH better. The drive size still bugged the crap out of me. Today, I finally did something about it. There have been some AppleTV drive upgrade hacks out there for a while and they all sorta work. My buddy, superbiff and I decided to try it with a shiny new 250 GB drive. We started with the most common approach found at endgadget but that was a wash. We also went down the path shown at appletvhacks, but that too failed. It seems these were older hacks that didn't fly with AppleTV 2.0 or later. We looked around and found this step by step guide for Take 2. It worked like a champ.

Before superbiff got here, I had started the process of opening up the unit and pulling the drive out. That was pretty uneventful apart from the small tear I made in the rubber base.  
Next came the creation of a drive image. That was easy enough using the dd unix command. Finally, creation of the partitions on the new drive and copying the image over to it. We installed it and my drive capacity is now a wonderful 228 GB.

So, I'm sure Apple will get over this current hump and restore credibility thier once proud, unofficial slogan of "It just works". Even in this little exercise I could not help but notice how beautifully designed the interior components of the AppleTV were. It was so easy to open it up, work on and reassemble without doing any damage to the case or the internal components. The only tools I needed were a #8 and a #10 torx drive. As we worked on the upgrade, I was googling with with my MacBook to find tips to assist with the upgrade, texting my wife on my iPhone as she visited her grandmother in the hospital. When all was said and done, we hooked up the Apple TV and watched a bunch of LEGO Mindstorm videos on YouTube while it started syncing up to my iTunes Library. At the end of the day, these recent bumps in the road have been pretty insignificant in the big picture. As for my newly expanded AppleTV, it just works.