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dv8
Editor
dv8
3 years ago

Good morning Wheelizens! We got up on Friday and went right out the door where we were in Flagstaff all day for medical stuff. I went shopping this time while Harper was getting her treatments.

I even managed to get to a Home Depot and bought plastic light diffuser squares for my kitchen light box. They were getting old and brittle. And… One day I threw a tube of mayonnaise through one of them when I was trying to shake the last remaining mayo down to the cap. It shattered into a million pieces. Then another one snapped in half when I was changing the fluorescent tubes a couple of months ago.

A buddy and I were gonna go down to Home Depot a couple of months ago and replace them. But then the pandemic thing happened-- Teh rest…. is history.

Sven:

I enjoyed the original Magnum PI with Tom Selleck from back in the early 90’s — the reboot out now, not so much. The description for tonight’s episode is just wrong. “A World of Trouble” — As their wedding day approaches, Magnum and Higgins help a modern-day Robin Hood who, thinking she was helping a school obtain needed supplies, unknowingly stole illicit drugs.”

I didn’t realize there was a reboot of Magnum PI I’m sure it won’t have that 80s flair not to mention the charm of the original actors, still, it might be enjoyable--who knows. I haven’t watched Network TV in 20 years or so, although I’ve seen some network shows “online.” Arrrrrrrrr!!!…..

Fatwa Arbuckle: Misanthropologist

Caturday Salutations, GN…and a hearty “heh!” at today’s thread pic!

Hi, dv8!

Hope the “medical stuff” results are positive. Glad you were able to acquire new diffusers for your kitchen. (Had some real fun a while back when I had to replace the ballast in out much-loathed kitchen fixture; was lucky I didn’t crack our diffuser while futzing with it.)

Never watched the original “Magnum P.I.”, but I suspect the reboot is “woke”…which seldom improves stuff.

Meanwhile there’s a lineup of furry noses waiting for me in the couch area.

TeX --

That reminded me of when a couple of Dad’s, erm, eccentric aunts used to visit us. 👿

BBL.

Just Sven
Editor
3 years ago

Just to clarify in the original Magnum, Higgins was a stuffy old Englishman -- in the reboot, Higgins is a bedable Englishwoman.

Fatwa Arbuckle: Misanthropologist
Reply to  Just Sven

Fun fact: John Hillerman, who played Higgins, was born in Denison,TX and was a USAF Staff Sergeant before his career as an actor.

dv8
Editor
dv8
3 years ago
Reply to  Just Sven

I think the original Higgins was such a beloved character that it might have been better switching him up rather than trying to duplicate him. I’m getting an “Emma Peele” vibe from your description, although I haven’t even seen a still of the show yet.

I feel like that could work.

I find myself musing that if the original Higgins had been, say, Avengers era Dianna Rigg, they might have had this aloof chemistry that might have turned into a Frenemy with Bennemy kind of a thing over time.

The original Magnum would have considered it a challenge.

X_LA_Native
Admin
Fatwa Arbuckle: Misanthropologist
Reply to  X_LA_Native

🙂 🙂 🙂

Hi, TeX!

dv8
Editor
dv8
3 years ago

While at Home depot, I noticed that you could now buy 2 foot square LED light panels meant to replace your diffusers. And just bypass your fluorescent lights altogether. They’re about $80 a piece though, so I’d need 4 of them. So I didn’t even think about it. Much.

Just Sven
Editor
3 years ago

Hi Dv8 and Fatwa -- good morning and happy weekend, GN! Prayers, X, for better outcomes and opportunities on the job hunt. And for Jerry to stay safely away from sharp things and for Dv8 to treat mayo with respect.

Time for a shower and a market run.

Just Sven
Editor
3 years ago
Reply to  Just Sven

Well that was fun; fresh meat now being limited to 2 per customer; rice limited to 1 per, but that’s the first time I’ve seen it on the shelves in 6 weeks. People getting cranky.

Just Sven
Editor
3 years ago
Reply to  Mac

Sniff. That’s about harsh, Mac! Sniff.

Just Sven
Editor
3 years ago
Reply to  Mac

Marble Falls -- that’s our (or at least mine) destination at this time. Not sure given the current “crisis” if we’ll be able to spend a week there this year looking it over, but maybe in the fall now.

X_LA_Native
Admin
3 years ago
Reply to  Mac

NW of us. Hill Country and very pretty. I think north of that is where we passed Harper, Texas.

X_LA_Native
Admin
3 years ago
Reply to  Just Sven

Yeah, but it was good! 🙂

X_LA_Native
Admin
3 years ago
Reply to  Just Sven

Good Afternoon/Evening EveryGerbillyBody!

Thanks for the prayers, Sven.

Yesterday’s interview was indeed a scam. By this morning I had an offer letter with an hourly rate set to make my eyes go all pinwheel … but there was one little twist in the second paragraph that had a whiff of phishing. When I asked, “What’s this mean?”, thus endth the interview.

Between last evening and this morning, it was a four-hour deal. Talk about playing the long game, sheesh! These are gonna be some interesting times.

Maybe I should get a sammich board and parade around the courthouse.
:: snicker ::

Other than that, it’s been your pretty standard Saturday -- since the restaurants are 25% open … I’m going to wait for the exuberance to ease a bit.

Barrett Wellman(tm)
Editor
3 years ago

Oh, hi everyone. Greetings from Navy & AF flyover Bountiful. I sure hope that y’all are having a wonderful day ’cause you just know I am.

Well, that was a more extended break than I anticipated. A little back story first. In October 2019, I finally finished the rebuild of the sunroom interior, and it turned out well beyond my expectations; it’s just beautiful.

I completely furnished it with new furniture and carpet. Looking out through 18 feet of glass windows, I was anticipating seeing snow and heavy rainstorms.

In January, we had a wonderful wind-driven downpour. I went out to the room to watch. As the storm continued, I thought I felt a fine mist on my shoulders but dismissed it; it continued, so I felt the back of the chair, and it was uniformly damp. A leak, a damnable leak! It was where the ceiling and chimney meet with little streams of water running down the wall.

I figured that the flashing was loose; brilliant that; during other rains since no water. So, this week we had a forecast for heavy winds and rain for Thursday. On Wednesday, I rushed to check and fix the roof flashing. No problem, so I thought. I’ll just climb out the second-story window overlooking the sunroom roof. And I did, in a pair of old shoes, sweat pants, sweatshirt, a caulking gun with bituminous caulk and a putty knife. What a thrill ride!

First, the shoes did not offer even the slightest grip. Second, the sweatpants offered a lot of grip against the shingles but none against my body. For every foot I would scoot up, I lost 8 inches, so a net of 3 to 4 inches each time, while the pants were working their way around my body. Oh, and the shingle grit was embedding itself in my pants and quickly sanding the skin off my knees and legs. Should I have stopped? Yes, but the name is Atrick, Jerry Atrick, and the answer is no. I finished the job and awaited the test on Thursday.

Do you remember in school worrying about a test, staying up late to study, thinking you are not fully prepared? And then the test comes, and it’s disappointingly easy. Yeah, that.

We had an inch and a half of rain over 24 hours and barely a breeze. And all I got for it was this:

20200501_113543.jpg
Barrett Wellman(tm)
Editor
3 years ago
Reply to  Mac

Mac, It was 9 feet at the eves, and 15 feet at the ridge. I heal fast, too fast, hence the prevalence of skin cancer. Although I think I sanded off any pre-cancers that might have been lurking in those areas.

How are you and Elena? Well, I hope.

Paddy O'Furnijur
Editor
3 years ago

Jerry, Jerry, Jerry! What are we going to do with you? Well, at least you didn’t fall ofF the roof!
Did the neighbors gather around to watch? Did they yell words of encouragement?

Barrett Wellman(tm)
Editor
3 years ago

Paddy, give me time re falling off the roof. Words of encouragement? Well, sort of.

Is all well in the O’Furnijur household?

Paddy O'Furnijur
Editor
3 years ago

Hi Jerry! Things are well, all things considered. Teh Younger is going a little stir-crazy since his place of employment was shut down. Unfortunately there aren’t a lot of job openings at the moment.

X_LA_Native
Admin
3 years ago

No, that’s what our neighbors do. Stop in the middle of the street, gawp and mutter to themselves, “What the sh¡t are they doing now?”

I think I had Mr. Tex up in the tractor bucket again. Which under normal circumstances would be fine, be we’ve upgraded the tractor and the new one has VERY twitchy bucket controls … I’m lucky I haven’t dumped him. o_0

Barrett Wellman(tm)
Editor
3 years ago

Wow, I was just looking at that picture. Am I dead? I know I’m white but am I also mortuary blue?

Fatwa Arbuckle: Misanthropologist

Hi, Jerry!

What a thrill ride!

The Pucker Declination…always an exciting experience.

I know I’m white but am I also mortuary blue?

“Mortuary Blue” is part of the dazzling new line of Behr Paints!

Glad you heal quickly; I’m somewhat acquainted with “roof rash” myself. 👿

Paddy O'Furnijur
Editor
3 years ago

Happy Caturday, Gerbil Nation!
Good morning/afternoon, dv8, Fatwa, Sven, TeX, Mac, and Jerry!

dv8 -- glad your trip was successful. Prayers for your lovely bride.

Barrett Wellman(tm)
Editor
3 years ago

On an unrelated note, last summer I got THE BEST GIFT EVER! I, of course, gave it to myself. I can’t tell you how much joy it has given me. I use it to annoy my wonderful and tolerant neighbors. Behold:

2020-05-02_14-06-17.jpg
Just Sven
Editor
3 years ago
Reply to  Mac

Probably tax deductible at least in CA. Good to see you, Jerry.

Paddy O'Furnijur
Editor
3 years ago

I can imagine what you have done with that -- and my imagination only touches the fringes of the reality.

dv8
Editor
dv8
3 years ago

OH! could we all have some fun with that!

dv8
Editor
dv8
3 years ago

So yesterday, I was talking to Harper about the dubious sound quality of my last piano video. Being as it was taken from a livestream, as I mentioned, it had real time compression turned on. Which is not the best thing for piano which has sharp attacks.

I would rather run without compression completely. I was just doing it to keep the volume up, as a sort of experiment.

I actually have a midi recording of the track, because (thanks to my correspondence with the original programmer) PianoTeq copies a feature of my own “MIDI Archiver” that I wrote in the early 2000s for Harper.

So I told her that I could probably load the midi into PianoTeq and render a perfect audio track on NASA level settings, perfectly normalized. I had to first load the midi into an editor and make sure the final event was long enough to ring out. because their Archiver does not have an adjustment for how many seconds of silence constitutes the end of a track. But that was easily done. In the future, I think I might be able to, say press and release the soft pedal on a final chord like that in order to create additional events to delay the end of the recording. I’ll have to see about that.

Anyway, I loaded it into PianoTeq, and rendered it out as a .flac file. I dropped it into OpenShot, and tried my best to sync it up, which the new, less laggy wave visualization feature made more easy. I wish you could sync clips by sound like you can in Adobe Premier.

Then we had a listen. Harper thought the piano sounded almost real with good dynamics. I haven’t uploaded it anywhere yet.
I’ll probably put it up on both platforms to see if it sounds better. BitChute usually has the worst quality, soundwise, but maybe it will sound better starting from a better file. Youtube is a more mature, albeit censorious, platform and will probably convey the improved sound much better.

If I post it tonight, I link it on the wheel tomorrow for comparison. It’s nice having a project or two to work on.