ChasUFarley

I'm probably going to be late and wearing blue jeans - is that okay? Oh... dang! I can't remember where I left my nametag... crap!

Dan -- I showed Hubby your pics and your guitar from the eBay auction - he mentioned that there's a guy named Dan Erlewine who's written books and columns on guitar repair - you might wanna check him out... http://www.danerlewine.com/

There is a company in NH - they do awesome work! http://www.yankeebarnhomes.com/photos/index.php We drive by their showroom on the way to VT - they're about an hour west of Manchester.

make her hitchhike to Gunnison and go LEAD... (at least she won't be driving...)

man... there's so much i'd like to say here, but just don't have the time... someday... some rainy day I'll post more here... anyhow... there's just 75 more days until Deathly Hallows is released!!

LOL! That's our favorite movie - The Incredibles - because we sorta look like that (but no Violet.) Andreas is certainly "Jack Jack" and Kristopher is certainly "Dash"!

I love it - at least he came clean about it! Gotta love that! ============= Hubby was working on the Porsche project today... We got a little project car - a 924S - and it needs a ton of work. "Kristopher, we're going to work on the white car today. You can help daddy jump it," my husband said in this warm tone that reeked of male bonding possibilities. Kristopher got wide-eyed, looked at me, and said, "But I'm too little and I can't jump that high. Can you jump the white car with daddy for me, Mommee?" (I explained how "jump" means using cables - not your legs! LOL!)

WRDSANDWRKS - my son, who's 5 years old, just went, "awwwwww!" when he saw your JRs! They are so handsome!

What an awesome experience that must have been! Thanks for the story - very interesting read! (And you're quite a character!) :)

I love it - Martin Luthier! (I'm going to save that for a dog name if I get a boy - that's awesome!)

Notta - if you spend anytime reading about dogs in rescue programs, meth isn't uncommon. I've seen several dogs in programs due to crack cocaine, pot, and other substances that some seriously wacked person thought it might be "funny" to share with their poor pooch. :(

Talk Shoe is the best thing since sliced bread! OMG - those of you who say you're technically impared - don't worry - this is super easy to download and install. It walks you thru the whole thing - you hardly have to wait or make any decisions. If you can download and install a game on your computer or anything else - this is easier than that - trust me. I am registered as ChasUFarley. Can't make any promises about 5pm on Sunday night because with kids.... well.... committments for anything that's just for me are a little hard to make. If I can, I'll be there. Promise.

I hear you.... Before I got into TWI and "committed", I had poetry and short stories published - I had won some awards. At the time, I thought I wanted to go to school for journalism. I was also into watercolor painting, photography, and played some instruments. All these things gathered dust over the 12-13 years I was in TWI. Of course I also got married and that put a bigger damper on my creative energy. I even got rid of my writings and many of my paintings on the advice of my husband (now ex-husband) because they weren't "on the Word" - go figure. I regret that - those were like my babies! When I left and divorced my first husband (about 10 years ago, now) and wasn't so into TWI, I re-discovered a lot of things about myself that I hadn't had the time for earlier. I was amazed at what I had given up - I hadn't really noticed. I left TWI about seven years ago now and those creative things have somewhat come back to me. I re-married, and when I did my husband and I came to a mutual understanding that we would respect each other's personal space when it came it hobbies and interests - that's one of the cool understandings we have. Of course, now we have two kids so there's not much time for hobbies and interests... but I now play bass guitar, sew (quilting), design web sites, and dabble with graphic design and photography. I've written a couple of short stories - nothing I'd try to publish - but still... The point is that it all takes time. It will get there. Get into what USED to inspire you. Maybe it was listening to certain music, going certain places, or doing things. Whatever got your imagination working for you then will work again. I like to go to places where there is art - a museum, a coffeeshop with live music, or maybe even just a school art show. I get inspired by some of the sights and sounds in those places that house creativity. You'll get there - start with what works for you and go... don't force it.... and relax. (That's the hardest thing sometimes, isn't it?)

Oh, there's a boo-hoo moment....

The China dog law varies from region to region. In Beijing, dogs are prohibited outside during the day, while the regulations are considerably looser in other parts of this huge country. In Beijing, you risk having your dog confiscated and euthanized if you do not keep it indoors during the day. Dogs are also prohibited from parks and grass 24/7 and you can not ride an elevator with your dog in Beijing. If a dog grows taller than knee-high, the it can be seized by the government and euthanized. To own a dog, the china dog law requires you to get a license. The license must then be renewed each year, at a considerable cost. The fee has however been decreased quite recently. In 2003, the Beijing Municipal People's Congress (BMPC) decided to lower the registration fee to 1,000 Yuan, which is roughly equivalent of 120 USD. According to the previous china dog law, the registration fee was 5,000 Yuan (over 600 USD) for the first year and 2,000 Yuan (over 240 USD) for every following year. As stated above, the new china dog law only requires you to pay 1,000 Yuan for the first year. After the initial year, the fee is lowered even further, down to 500 Yuan per year which is not more than 60 US annually. The Beijing Municipal People's Congress (BMPC) is the top legislative body for the Chinese capital. The china dog law for Beijing contains several exceptions. Dogs assisting blind or otherwise disabled persons are for instance exempt from registration fees. If you are a senior widow or widower, you will also be allowed to keep a dog without paying any registration fee. To promote spaying and neutering of dogs, the Beijing Municipal People's Congress (BMPC) has also decided to lift the fee requirements from all dogs that have been spayed or neutered. If you want to own a dog in China without having to pay the registrations fees, the easiest way is therefore to take your dog to the vet and have it spayed or neutered. The old china dog law for Beijing had its focus on limiting who owned dogs and how many dogs each person could own, while the new china dog law for Beijing instead emphasizes "strict management and combining restrictions with management". One of the reasons behind the reduced fees is to encourage dog registration. Before the Beijing china dog law was altered, many dogs were never registered since their owners wished to refrain from having to pay the high fees, even though it was not legal to keep unregistered dogs. According to the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Public Security, approximately 1.4 million dogs were living in Beijing in 2002, but less than 150,000 dogs were registered.

I like chops best grilled: Fresh garlic and lots of fresh oregano. Rub with a good grilling spice and those fresh ingredients until it's almost like a crust. Grill until they're med-rare. Serve with a spring salad, asparagus, and bakers - and a good pinot grig.

It will go away. That mantra was very popular when I was in - I can't tell you how frozen in fear I was the night I called the BC to say, "I'm done here!" Then, whenever anything would go wrong - like the car got a flat - then I'd wonder if that would have happened if I had been in the household still. But when things were right - gee, why did that happen? <_< I finally got it that being in the household wasn't a magical Karma meter for why things went right or wrong in the world. Crap still happened. Good things still happened. And there was no real difference in the equasion other than what I was thinking about in my own head about the household. God wasn't going to change because I was no longer with TWI... so why did I assume he was suddenly out to get me because I wasn't with a money squandering cult in OH that sowed fear in people's hearts? Yes, God wants to pee in your cornflakes because you're no longer with The Way. Personally, the longer I was out of TWI, I believe I saw more good things happen in life because I was able to make decisions on my own and not worry about how someone could call me up at anytime to scream at me about something that didn't amount to a rat's anus. I was more confident in myself and happier - why would that be a sin? Far from it. You just need time to decompress.

The vaccine for rabies isn't anything as bad as it used to be - it used to be several shots - now I think it's maybe three - it's been a while since I've had to think about it so I might be foggy there... but it used to be a long series of shots in the abdomen - OUCH! I don't think it's anywhere as bad as that now.... But I digress... Anyhow, although I totally agree that this was horrific and never should have happened, I admit that at the same time I am wondering how they could have stopped a possible pandemic as quickly and effectively as this? What were the other options? Yes, it's easy for us to say they could have euthanized dogs or vaccinated them. Considering most Chinese children and babies get very few of the vaccines they need - many still die of simple childhood diseases we don't even hear about in this country anymore - I can't see how China could have possibly began a vaccination or humane euthanization campaign that would have effectively halted this problem of rabies, considering that pets were illegal in the first place. Since the pets were contraband, you can bet your sweet bippy they had no medical care when they became ill; no vaccines to prevent illness; nor were they ever spayed/neutered. Although I may take a flogging for this - Since dogs were not supposed to be owned in the first place, had people followed the rules they would not have seen little Spot beaten to death in the streets. The owners were not good owners - it's like the college kid who gets a puppy in the dorm and never trains it properly or cares for it, but then leaves it behind when the school year is up because they weren't supposed to have pets either. (And shame on the pet shop or breeder who sold this pup to the student without a through background check!) This is certainly on a grander scale than the example I used but considering the tight living conditions in China, poor infrastructure of the country, and sanitation issues just with the people, I can't imagine adding pet excretion to the mix - never mind a pet with an illness, such as Parvo. (If you've ever been around a dog infected with Parvo it's a horrible virus - the dogs basically dehydrate due to excessive vomiting and diarrhea - and there's a smell that goes with the virus - you'll always recognize it.) The problem isn't the animals in China - it's all the people. They are grossly over populated and although there are controls on their population now (which aren't all that humane either, but that's another thread, isn't it?) then drastic measures have to be taken to control disease outbreaks. Don't get me wrong - I am NOT saying this was okay, okay? I am saying - considering the conditions, what else could they have done as quickly and effectively? (On a side note, it wasn't that long ago in this country where shelter animals were euthanized not by an injection, but by CO2 - yes, emissions from a car in a closed box.) We're so lucky to live in the country we do and have the freedoms that we do. Hearing stories like this make me more thankful for what I have. I can't imagine having to live like that and look forward to getting my own dog soon.

Parson Jack Russells - aka Jack Russel Terriorists - are awesome little dogs! And it sounds like George was extra special!

JavaJane - love the handle - welcome! Personally, I felt that if God was, in fact, the Father we were taught that he was, then I should be able to talk to him like I did my own dad. God knows the hairs on your head, so why wouldn't he accept who you were in your prayers, warts and all? TWI got hung up on the mechanics and not on the heart - heart is what makes you... you. It's what makes us tick. We're all going to be different. Why not just let you hair down and TALK to God - have a conversation with him. Try it. Yeah, I sound kooky for suggesting it, I'm sure, but what do you have to lose? He wants you to come freely to him - so why not do it?

Dan - he's got a few tools. He's better at cleaning up a schmutzy guitar, changing strings, tweaking a neck or a bridge, etc. He's great at changing tubes on amps and troubleshooting problems with amps tho - basic meat & potatoes fix-it stuff. I've considered getting him a gift certificate for luthier workshops in the area - there's generally something in the Boston area for that. I guess simple restoration is more his thing than building or serious repairs.

I'd put money on the over-tightening of the truss rod. I know that when you store or ship a guitar - and especially a bass - you're supposed to slack the strings so that they don't bend the neck. I would think that there would be a lot of tension on a baritone guitar's neck that would cause some bending and perhaps the previous owner over compensated this by tweaking the trussrod too much. It also could have been stored on pegs on a wall and could have dried out - I can't remember if it was a hallowbody or even a neck-thru-body... nice looking piece. Are you a hobby luthier? (Hubby is considering something like that for a retirement career... )

goop is good... there's marine goop which works well in bathrooms and other wet areas... by the way... since you're so fond of these rocks, why not find a nice bowl or something you can stick them to and make a soap dish out of them - like a mosequic (sp?) type of thing? Just a thought...

Danny - How neat! I see the seller is from Nashville - any ideas of the history of it? I love baritone guitars - great sound~

that's uh... sorta old, innit? :unsure: (i think both of them are idiots, but anyhow... )