Well, it did say weird bass guitars . . .
I'm just not sure why this particular model of bass guitar pops up while I'm searching once again for bass guitars with the Pittsburgh Steelers logo on them. Instead, I get this 5-string piranha-shaped lucite model. It's a striking bass visually, to be sure, and I'm sure I could draw a metaphor between the referenced animal and the swarming doom represented by the Steelers defense, but somehow it's just not the same.
By the way, the new dog slept through the entire game, even the exciting interception return for a TD and all of the jarring tackles and blocks. On one hand, I think he should have been awake for it. On the other hand, he didn't want to be walked or let out the entire time the game was on, either. So I'll call it a small victory, and we'll move on to the Super Bowl from there. Nice work, Marty.
Sunday is going to be a big day
We found out last week that we're going to be taking in a rescue bulldog named Marty this Sunday. He's a four-year-old healthy male, and he was quite exuberant when we first met him. I'm going to have to keep him calm while we watch Sunday evening's Steelers/Ravens matchup. He has to learn early, after all.
It was also supposed to be the first rehearsal for the upcoming ACT gospel show, but we've been pushed back a week. It's good in a way, 'cause I'll have a little more time at home to get Marty acclimated. And to see how he reacts to loud, bass-oriented noises. We never had to worry about it with Sadie - a deaf dog is sometimes a musician's best friend.
Finally, the new IMN podcast is up. Download it here or listen at the site or WFYI.
Random Weekend Summary Notes
- The Genius function on my iPhone failed to create any playlists off of any songs currently loaded. I'm chalking it up to the fact that my entire library isn't on the phone (far too much memory), so I only sync unhead podcasts and songs to it.
- Apple's refusal to stock the Podcaster app in the Apps store is a bit disconcerting, to say the least. Getting podcast subscriptions on the go would be a helpful tool, and the answer as to why they refused it doesn't seem quite logical. Given the amount of blogosphere outcry on the situation, I'm not sure how long this app stays off the market.
- Best Buy purchasing the now-DRM-free Napster and MySpace readying an ad-driven portion of their music service hopefully signals a quicker end to DRM in all services.
- Steelers start 2-0. This makes me happy.
- So does "Evil Dead: The Musical."
A Wellspring of Black and Gold Hope
Training camp is a magical time for the hardcore football fan, as the first inklings of the season waft through media sources and alight on the seekers wanting to know how the team will fare this year. No matter what team is being considered, the air is heavy with potential and speculation, hints and promises, expectations and dreams.
And we're only two days in - there hasn't even been a real scrimmage yet.
Nevertheless, the universe is once again coming back to that blessed time, and I'm taking the carefully folded Terrible Towels out of storage and readying them for this year's campaign. With no games played yet, it remains a perfect enigma, waiting to be played out.
Things Learned From The Weekend
1. Unbolted tires should move away from a car very easily. When they do not, call a friend with a large metal hammer.
2. Truss rod adjustments are miracles and should never be taken for granted. It's like I have a new bass.
3. Wireless networking (and the gadgets that make it happen) are nice to use but horribly annoying to install.
4. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has posted a countdown clock for training camp, and it depresses me every time I look at it.
Too Much Iron City For Steely?
I'm sure quite a few Steelers fans have wanted to reach for a drink while contemplating the team's new mascot. Evidently, it's a sentiment shared by said mascot, who was arrested for DUI and stripped of his ceremonial duties.
Never fear, though. It evidently takes two people to shoulder the weight of this incredibly lame icon, so there's a spare. Maybe he'll see the error of Steely's ways and we can put all of this behind us. I can see a "Steely Curse" coming a mile away, and it needs to be avoided right now.
New podcast is up - download it here or listen on the site.
Myron Cope, R.I.P.
I only managed to hear him on the Internet simulcast of a Pittsburgh radio station's Steelers coverage, but the stellar journalist who popularized both the Terrible Towel and the phrase "Immaculate Reception" passed away earlier this week. He was an oasis of personality in a drab, projected-from-the-diaphragm world.
Good Weekend All Around
I'm still recovering from both the schadenfreude of watching the Patriots lose yesterday and the chili contest that accompanied said viewing - an excellent cap for the weekend. All is right with the football world (minus a Steelers Super Bowl win), and life can continue on a positive course. Since the Pro Bowl means nothing, that'll be the end of football talk for a bit.
The new hard drive is in my system, and I've got both an OS X and a Vista partition running without incident. The only hassle so far has been reloading data (not major, as I could just copy data over from the old drive) and programs (slightly more, 'cause I have to hunt down old serial numbers from upgrades). The upshot of it is that I now have more space on the Mac side for music projects, and the Vista side is ready for work on my upcoming laptop book.
I saw the U2 3-D movie over the weekend, and it was an interesting experience. The music was overall decent to this casual listener (aside from a seemingly flat section in "Beautiful Day"), and there were no overwhelming "COMING RIGHT AT YOU!" moments (again, aside from an obligatory Bono reaching out towards the camera - what did you expect?). The drum set stood out particularly well, as did some of the crowd shots, and there were some drawn-in and composited special effects that were interesting as well. It did carry a "layered" look to it - the effects at times appeared on very flat panes that seemed stacked on each other. Still, a decent spectacle.
The Bass Geek’s Twitter
- Free official remix of Meshell Ndegeocello's Petit Mort, great way to start a holiday weekend - bit.ly/KovHLb 6 hours ago
- Last night's rehearsal proved it beyond a doubt - I need one of them there smaller amps . . . 8 hours ago
- Seriously - this Memorial Day weekend will be too hot to do anything. At all. I wanna be this guy. youtu.be/K5JSWZXaKQA 8 hours ago
- New blog post: Fountain Square Music This Weekend thebassgeek.net/2012/05/25/fou… 12 hours ago
- Lightning session at #stc12, then back home - thanks for everything, it was a great conference! 2 days ago
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