Wmcmanus

I'm trying to imagine Larry singing the chorus of this song to the Cavalli... That's probably fair. We're just having a little fun. Don't take it personal. That's what we do here. By the way, I find all of the LCD-3 love to be quite encouraging. Can't wait to hear them myself.

Same guy is over at Head-Fi giving advice...

Not terribly good options, Shelly, but I agree with your logic in terms of having the issue fully addressed such that it won't be a lingering problem fo you. Sucks about the timing, but I hope you'll pursue this option eventually, even if not right away. This coming from someone who has been living with bad knees for several years now.

Happy birthday, Carl, my fellow white bearded friend. Glad you had a great day with Bonnie.

Happy birthday to you, Mr. Davis, sir!

Hears loud sucking sound emanating from somewhere near his wallet. Mutters, "Damn LCD-3 and Stax 009" to himself. Carries on, waiting for the next bit of exciting news from the headphone world. Reflects on Joseph Shumpeter's "creative destructionism" theory and wonders if he'll ever be able to truly enjoy his LCD-2 and Stax 007 again. But then flashes a quick smile, taking solace in the fact that he can still manage to enjoy his old hula hoop and his collection of Grados from time to time. Decides that anything is possible so long as he doesn't think too much about it, and just allows himself to get lost in the moment of the music. Yes, he still has his hula hoop, somewhere in his mom's attic probably. He's that old, and that sentimental.

Sounds like you had a good pre-birthday party in Denver. Hope you had a chance to stay an extra day or two to get in a couple of 14'ers!

You're not supposed to be jerking off when you're listening to headphones at meets. What you do at home is your own business...

Hey! We can all play!

Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!

Happy birthday, VIcki! You're 'good people' as they say, among the best of the best! Hope you get to do something fun and/or relaxing.

That made me laugh for some reason! Kind of like when you need to send a steak back because it was overcooked. "I'm sorry Big Guy Up In Sky, but I just wasn't happy with this birthday. No, no, nothing in particular. I just want a 'do over'... can I take a mulligan?" To which the BGUIS replies, "Ok, Al. I hear ya. Let's say next Tuesday. Does that work for you? Let's just reschedule it... and the dessert's on me this time." Anyway, happy belated, Al.

Ah, no need, man. This does, however, reflect well on you. You're anything but inconsiderate. (I sort of feel the same way for not responding with respect to Larry's ongoing struggles. It's hard to understand why some people have to continually battle serious health issues while others seem to have all of the luck in that department. Such a random existence, when you really think about it. Anyway, good thoughts your way, Larry.) Last night on campus, things were kind of weird. Everyone seemed to be "off" of their usual games. Some of the girls were taking it pretty rough. One got up in the middle of class to go outside to cry, and another one ran behind her to comfort her. That kind of thing. We all sat around and talked about him, but not in the story telling sense. People were just wondering what had happened, and why him, why now. I learned today from a direct conversation with one of the police officers who responded to the initial call that there were absolutely no signs of foul play, nor was there any evidence or even the slightest suggestion that his death was self inflicted. It's now just a matter of seeing what the autopsy says, and in the meantime everyone is doing what they can to cull the rumors the he hung himself and that type of nonsense that goes around so quickly in a small community like this. Thanks, everyone, for your condolences and well wishes. It's something that will stay with me for a while because he was such a likable guy who wouldn't hurt a fly even if you paid him to. We're trying to organize a memorial service for him on campus, but will wait until his funeral services have been arranged, such that our little deal will not occur until after his burial, and his family can see for themselves how much he meant to the students as well as the rest of us who were touched by his gentle soul. As I've said to myself many times these past couple of days, "Fuck!" (as I shake my head in disbelief). But life keeps marching on, as it must. It's funny, because it makes you assess your own existence and think about ways in which it might be possible to slow down here and there and smell the roses, so to speak.

A good friend of mine, both a former student and a former colleague, died the other night. Hank was about 40, give or take a year. There are all sorts of rumors flying around at this point as to whether his death was from natural causes, or not. I've heard that he died in his sleep from suffocation, but I've also heard that he hung himself. He was quite overweight (even much more so than I am) and I know that he suffered from an extreme case of sleep apnea (whereas my case is quite mild), but it definitely gives me pause. Hank was quite bright and had earned two master's degrees, yet for whatever reasons he couldn't ever seem to keep a job and was forever looking (in recent years, especially). His general disposition was kind of glum and at times he seemed almost expressionless; he didn't talk much and often seemed depressed about his physical appearance and lack of luck with women (which were things he did actually, and often, talk to me about). But he also had a masterful dry and sarcastic wit and an uncanny ability to express himself with very few words (think John Belushi with the eyebrows and devious grin followed by a cryptic comment but with no indication as to whether he was joking or not). The students at the College all loved him as a teacher and advisor, I guess because of his verbal economy in the classroom and the fact that he was such an intent listener and sort of an eerily others-oriented person. He wanted all of his students to succeed, not only in his classes, but in their lives as well. Oddly enough, he never seemed to be able to make his own life work, yet he helped so many others to make their lives work. He was the kind of person who seemed to know what everyone in the room was thinking, and could anticipate almost exactly, word for word, what they would say next. He watched people carefully. I remember one student telling me that one night just as she started to raise her hand in a class of about 30 people, Hank glanced up just for a split second and said, "We're on page 178, Lisa, problem 2." Then she went on to say, "I don't know how he does it. He was looking down at his book. He must have eyes on the top of his head, like flies do." When I asked Hank about it, he just said, "Whenever I sense movement in her general direction, I just assume that her brain has gone AWOL again." He didn't smile. I'll sure miss him; he was a good, albeit little understood, man.

I did the lawn mower search earlier this year. Wanted something that would last for a long time. Not because I have such a terribly large lot, but because it's really hard to get reliable and affordable service done on lawn movers here. So better to buy good quality and not have to replace it any day soon, or get killed on the servicing costs. Found this place: http://www.mowersdirect.com/ and had a good buying experience with them (best internet prices I could find because they specialize, cut out the middle man, etc). They sent the thing directly to my freight forwarder in Miami. I ended up getting a 42" Toro zero turn and now absolutely love cutting grass. Sometimes I go out there every 5 days or so to cut my yard, or if I have the time I'll wander through the neighborhood on a Sunday afternoon and cut several of my neighbors' yards! Just wear my UE10 Pro (since I lost my JH13 somehow) and listen to some Bob Marley on my iPod and I can be out there for hours...

Yes, very impressive.

Thanks for this, Knucks. I'm not exactly a fan either, but it was really cool of her to agree to do this. The most amazing part of it all, of course, was that these people were so stupid that they weren't able to make the connection on their own! Watching Karen tear it up all night in unbelievable fashion, a true "dead ringer" of a voice, and then the REAL Jewel for some unexplained reason shows up, and they still don't get it. The power of beer...

Man oh man, Salty, I have that same fear every time I pack up my camera bag(s) and head out on a flight somewhere. Not too long ago, I was convinced that I'd left my 70-200 at the security clearance area at the Tampa airport and had to wait 3 weeks before my next trip back, only to find it right where I left it in my motorhome. So I know the feeling... I sure hope this one turns out well for you.

Idea for next year... the ginger thing may just have some merit afterall, Colin! In an email exchange with one of my repeat Santa clients, a suggestion was made that I could do some "Son of Santa" events in October each year, either at schools or perhaps at Halloween events as well. I know, sounds a bit like "Son of Sam" but it's worth considering. The idea would be to wait until late October to do my first bleaching session, after which I'd be nice and orange. Then make special appearances at grade schools to talk with the kids about what it's like to live at the North Pole, and the pressures I faced growing up always having to be "nice" (with Santa as my dad), the pranks that the elves and I pulled over the years on Santa and Mrs. Claus, and of course to check in on the kids to make sure that their names still belonged on the nice list. This particular client is the principal of a large private grade school that I do Santa work for, and he was all excited about the possibility of a visit in the Fall. Of course, this kind of idea would only play with a very limited audience (maybe his school alone, unless I could arrange an Island-wide tour including the public grade schools as well), and it would only work if I shaved each year on Christmas day and then immediately restarted the process. Never discount the power of ginger.

Ha! For me, that was really freaky. Yes, conditioning like mad. Going to wait several days before hitting again for (hopefully) my last full round of bleaching for a while.

Happy birthday, Phil. Hope you enjoy some tube warmth and other things that make you smile.

First bleaching (repeated for reference): Second bleaching: Third bleaching: About that advice I got about waiting several days between bleachings... ya, I pretty much ignored that! Thankfully, I haven't given myself a chemical shave... at least not quite yet. Will give it several days rest this time, and hopefully the next round will get me close to where I want it to be. From there, it will be spot bleaching and daily toner sessions to get the rest of the yellow out. In an odd kind of way (given that you have to be rather odd to do this kind of thing to yourself), I'm kind of having fun with it.

Wow, so sad. Not much of a retirement. Enjoy it while you've still got it, my friends....

Way to go, Tom! Truly an event worth celebrating! Nice pic, Augsburger. That's actually a look that I'll need to work on quite soon. I've got several "Beach photos with Santa" events lined up already, and will be expected to wear Santa beach attire (red shorts, Christmas shirt of some kind, flip slops, etc). I've received some good advice from my fellow Santas that so long as my skin is not irritated from the first bleaching, I should be good to go for the second round at any time. Maybe later tonight after the baseball games. Looking forward to the buttered popcorn look, but will take a small clipping of the pumpkin hair from the back of my head for memento sake as well.