Just fielded a call from the Audio Doctor, who complimented the turntable's suave manner and good looks and will be operating this weekend for a Monday pickup.
Nothing combats winter's chill like the Warmth of Vinyl(tm)!
12.18.2009
general update
Finally found the camera, the day after we started halfheartedly browsing around for a new one.
Brought home the new speakers and had a fabulous buying experience at Audio Ecstasy. It was the polar opposite of my nightmarish descent into the shark tank of the Apple store. where schools of ravenous youngsters in Apple motley circled and circled, preternaturally alert for the scent of customers in the water.
The two audio geeks manning the counter were more interested in talking shop than maneuvering me into an equipment upgrade. "Those are great speakers for the size", opined the tall one who had a more than passing physical & sartorial resemblance to the Gyro Captain from the Road Warrior. "Yeah," chimed in his friend, "the only ones that are better run $2,000." Instead of trying to push any of the expensive connection options in the glass case, they cut me off 20' of speaker wire from the back room for free.
It was far from the sort of hyper-efficient behavior smiled on by our consumer culture, which demands that the wallet of every customer unlucky enough to cross your threshold be flensed of every surplus shekel, but it is the sort of buying experience that appeals to misanthropic iconoclasts like myself.
We need a wall mount for the TV, a sale they just made by not forcing the issue. And I'll be picking up a few of those expensive connectors on my next visit. And when the time comes for speaker stands, I know where to go.
The turntable still isn't ready- apparently the Audio Doctor runs on analog time. As long as we've got it by Christmas, I won't kick. The longer he takes, the bigger the stack of new vinyl we'll have to feed it.
Brought home the new speakers and had a fabulous buying experience at Audio Ecstasy. It was the polar opposite of my nightmarish descent into the shark tank of the Apple store. where schools of ravenous youngsters in Apple motley circled and circled, preternaturally alert for the scent of customers in the water.
The two audio geeks manning the counter were more interested in talking shop than maneuvering me into an equipment upgrade. "Those are great speakers for the size", opined the tall one who had a more than passing physical & sartorial resemblance to the Gyro Captain from the Road Warrior. "Yeah," chimed in his friend, "the only ones that are better run $2,000." Instead of trying to push any of the expensive connection options in the glass case, they cut me off 20' of speaker wire from the back room for free.
It was far from the sort of hyper-efficient behavior smiled on by our consumer culture, which demands that the wallet of every customer unlucky enough to cross your threshold be flensed of every surplus shekel, but it is the sort of buying experience that appeals to misanthropic iconoclasts like myself.
We need a wall mount for the TV, a sale they just made by not forcing the issue. And I'll be picking up a few of those expensive connectors on my next visit. And when the time comes for speaker stands, I know where to go.
The turntable still isn't ready- apparently the Audio Doctor runs on analog time. As long as we've got it by Christmas, I won't kick. The longer he takes, the bigger the stack of new vinyl we'll have to feed it.
12.11.2009
it's beginning to look a lot like vinyl....
Took the turntable & new cartridge in to the Audio Doctor with instructions to make it like new. Thirty nine bucks down for a 'diagnostic fee', which he says should cover it, barring unforeseen disasters.
And what's there to do after you get the turntable lined up but hit Boo Boos for some vinyl?
Picked up Peter Gabriel's third & Innervisions used, Spoon, Elliott Smith & Brightblack Morning Light new. Miko recommended The New Possiblity by John Fahey for seasonal flava, and I never turn down a music rec from The Grandmaster.
I've also got our new speakers picked out. A logarithmic improvement over the decade old junkers we've been using at a price that won't break the budget, even with stands!
Exciting, exciting...
And what's there to do after you get the turntable lined up but hit Boo Boos for some vinyl?
Picked up Peter Gabriel's third & Innervisions used, Spoon, Elliott Smith & Brightblack Morning Light new. Miko recommended The New Possiblity by John Fahey for seasonal flava, and I never turn down a music rec from The Grandmaster.
I've also got our new speakers picked out. A logarithmic improvement over the decade old junkers we've been using at a price that won't break the budget, even with stands!
Exciting, exciting...
shifting realities
It's sorta sad how exciting it was to drink a couple of glasses of wine with dinner last night and stay up until midnight(!) after the wife offered to wrangle Fuss in the morning.
I got to sleep in until NINE!
Right as Meggsie was heading downstairs and we were going in to bed Fuss wandered down the hall, blinking and grinning beneath his mussed golden halo. Getting him back to sleep is always a challenge, but his overwhelming adorableness in those late night moments justifies the effort.
We finally got the stupid loan, after more than a year of ceaseless & constantly mutating battle with the powers that be. And by "we" I mean "the wife", who pursued it with bulldog tenacity and boundless optimism.
Our first official act was a family outing to the outlets resulting in a trunk full of winter duds for the Fuss. We haven't spent anything on clothes so far thanks to generous donations, but we're reaching the bottom of the pile and he needed more long sleeved shirts, sweaters & warm pants.
Carters is easy to resist, Oshkosh is dangerous but manageable if you keep your guard up and maintain focus, but Gymboree is the devil in strip mall guise.
I got to sleep in until NINE!
Right as Meggsie was heading downstairs and we were going in to bed Fuss wandered down the hall, blinking and grinning beneath his mussed golden halo. Getting him back to sleep is always a challenge, but his overwhelming adorableness in those late night moments justifies the effort.
We finally got the stupid loan, after more than a year of ceaseless & constantly mutating battle with the powers that be. And by "we" I mean "the wife", who pursued it with bulldog tenacity and boundless optimism.
Our first official act was a family outing to the outlets resulting in a trunk full of winter duds for the Fuss. We haven't spent anything on clothes so far thanks to generous donations, but we're reaching the bottom of the pile and he needed more long sleeved shirts, sweaters & warm pants.
Carters is easy to resist, Oshkosh is dangerous but manageable if you keep your guard up and maintain focus, but Gymboree is the devil in strip mall guise.
12.08.2009
true customer tales
gal, waving a biography of Sammy Davis Jr in my face: This would be good for a little kid, right?
me, in full retail salesperson mode: YOU BET!
Chalk up 4 bucks for the good guys!
me, in full retail salesperson mode: YOU BET!
Chalk up 4 bucks for the good guys!
Foodweek
The abscess may have thrown off my Tday plans, but I have managed to make some culinary hay over the last week or so.
The big winner was the Potato Leek Soup from Bittman's How to Cook Everything. Dirt simple and really delicious. I threw in half a cup of cream at the end and worked it over a little with the immersion blender, the result was about halfway between rustic & pureed. Next time I'm doing a double batch, the cup or so that was leftover tasted epic after resting in the fridge for a few days.
The other winner, which occasioned my first documented moment of culinary satori, was a simple chicken with roasted vegetables from Cook's Illustrated. I made a batch as directed (dice the veg, roast 15 minutes, top with chicken brushed with melted butter, roast another 30 or so minutes) and it was tasty enough, but I was a bit underwhelmed by the vegetables.
We've been watching the first couple of seasons of The F Word (thank you Netflix!) and a tiny Gordon Ramsey appeared on my shoulder, urging me to "brown the fucking things in a skillet before roasting, yes? Stop cooking like a twat!"
The next night I made a modified half batch, sauteing the mushrooms & potatoes until nicely browned before laying on the chicken and roasting them as directed.
MUCH better.
Slightly more work (one extra pan to clean, a bit more attention required), but a tremendous boost in flavor.
And last night we had a round of Cowgirl Creamery's Pierce Pt seasonal with a crusty loaf- heavenly. I'm still debating which of their 'gift' packs to pick up for our Christmas feast...
The big winner was the Potato Leek Soup from Bittman's How to Cook Everything. Dirt simple and really delicious. I threw in half a cup of cream at the end and worked it over a little with the immersion blender, the result was about halfway between rustic & pureed. Next time I'm doing a double batch, the cup or so that was leftover tasted epic after resting in the fridge for a few days.
The other winner, which occasioned my first documented moment of culinary satori, was a simple chicken with roasted vegetables from Cook's Illustrated. I made a batch as directed (dice the veg, roast 15 minutes, top with chicken brushed with melted butter, roast another 30 or so minutes) and it was tasty enough, but I was a bit underwhelmed by the vegetables.
We've been watching the first couple of seasons of The F Word (thank you Netflix!) and a tiny Gordon Ramsey appeared on my shoulder, urging me to "brown the fucking things in a skillet before roasting, yes? Stop cooking like a twat!"
The next night I made a modified half batch, sauteing the mushrooms & potatoes until nicely browned before laying on the chicken and roasting them as directed.
MUCH better.
Slightly more work (one extra pan to clean, a bit more attention required), but a tremendous boost in flavor.
And last night we had a round of Cowgirl Creamery's Pierce Pt seasonal with a crusty loaf- heavenly. I'm still debating which of their 'gift' packs to pick up for our Christmas feast...
12.06.2009
true customer tales
gal, describing an art book to her friend:
Originally I thought this was totally lame...but then, I was all this is completely awesome!
Originally I thought this was totally lame...but then, I was all this is completely awesome!
12.05.2009
fussdate
So this morning Fuss snuck out of bed ("sneaking" = forgoing his traditional morning greetings of hitting me in the face with a book or sitting on my head and bouncing). When I did awake he was standing by the end table, staring at me with a mouth full of...something, looking like a mischievous chipmunk.
"Urkg!" I grunted, blinking and clutching at him like a drunken aunt after a 5th of bourbon. It took a few swipes to get purchase, and some digging to extract a handful of brown nuggets followed by a quantity of black drool down the front of his sleeper.
I've always kept the habit of talking to him like a functioning adult, so I brandished my find at him and demanded "what did you eat?"
For the first time ever, I got an answer.
"Peanuts!" he declared.
!!!
A forensic investigation of the living room revealed their true identity- hazelnuts from a bar of chocolate.
But I won't dock a 16 month old for confusing the two.
"Urkg!" I grunted, blinking and clutching at him like a drunken aunt after a 5th of bourbon. It took a few swipes to get purchase, and some digging to extract a handful of brown nuggets followed by a quantity of black drool down the front of his sleeper.
I've always kept the habit of talking to him like a functioning adult, so I brandished my find at him and demanded "what did you eat?"
For the first time ever, I got an answer.
"Peanuts!" he declared.
!!!
A forensic investigation of the living room revealed their true identity- hazelnuts from a bar of chocolate.
But I won't dock a 16 month old for confusing the two.
Uh, yeah
I'm finally back from what we laughingly dubbed my TOOTH-CATION.
It was a bit like a vacation, but instead of relaxing poolside with a tray of umbrella drinks near at hand you mostly just lie in bed writhing in pain, cursing the fact that every dentist in the county heads to Lake Tahoe for a long Thanksgiving weekend. Silver lining? Rapid weight loss!
The final toll was two visits to Medstop (the second of which inspired the previously affect-free receptionist to gasp and ask if I could breathe and the jocular doctor to note that my appearance was "verging on the grotesque",) a handful of pills three times a day, a Monday tooth extraction by the dentist who caught the earliest flight back from Tahoe, and a Friday follow up delivering a mixed payload. While the ex-tooth was healing nicely, a Dentisterial flyover of my remaining oral landscape revealed approximately two thousand dollars worth of future trouble.
The adventures of the past week neuter the prospect of ignoring this expensive prognosis. On the plus side, the dentists office offers their own low interest credit card!
It was a bit like a vacation, but instead of relaxing poolside with a tray of umbrella drinks near at hand you mostly just lie in bed writhing in pain, cursing the fact that every dentist in the county heads to Lake Tahoe for a long Thanksgiving weekend. Silver lining? Rapid weight loss!
The final toll was two visits to Medstop (the second of which inspired the previously affect-free receptionist to gasp and ask if I could breathe and the jocular doctor to note that my appearance was "verging on the grotesque",) a handful of pills three times a day, a Monday tooth extraction by the dentist who caught the earliest flight back from Tahoe, and a Friday follow up delivering a mixed payload. While the ex-tooth was healing nicely, a Dentisterial flyover of my remaining oral landscape revealed approximately two thousand dollars worth of future trouble.
The adventures of the past week neuter the prospect of ignoring this expensive prognosis. On the plus side, the dentists office offers their own low interest credit card!
11.24.2009
true customer tales
mom & daughter consider a TWILIGHT calendar.
Mom: Do they have their shirts off?
Daughter, disappointed: No.
Mom: Awwwww! That wasn't in the movie!
/edit
they bought it anyway.
Mom: Do they have their shirts off?
Daughter, disappointed: No.
Mom: Awwwww! That wasn't in the movie!
/edit
they bought it anyway.
grading rant
Dedicated to my pal Adrian, who shortly after sending me a signed copy of Chabon's latest was hit by a car, landed on his face and ended up with a titanium plate & a wired jaw. Get well soon!
First, there's no such classification as "Very Fine".
Fine is the top of the range, there is nothing beyond it. Describing a pristine book as Very Fine is like describing a corpse as Very Dead. They are binary states, you either qualify or you do not. The book, or the comic, or the chair or whatever is being described cannot give 110% on the condition front- it is what it is.
Note that this reality does not preclude lily gilding.
You're fully entitled to express enthusiasm for the intrinsic Fine-ness of your item. I'm fond of the descriptors "glossy", "pretty" and "clean" to emphasize condition.
But not 'Very Fine', or the abominable FINE +, the bastard spawn of a thousand lobotomized Ebay merchants.
Unprofessional language implies that you aren't dealing with a professional. And when it comes to grading objects, this is an air raid siren red alert spinning siren warning of inevitable impending disaster. The running joke here is when a customer says they have books that are in "great" shape, you'll be lucky if they're suitable for lining a birdcage.
Consider this cautionary tale from earlier today:
A lady brings in a large old book which she'd assured me was in "nice" shape on the phone. When she arrives and removes it from a protective grocery bag, I suppressed a sigh. When she asked why I didn't want it, I noted that the hinges were basically detached from the spine and that it was shedding loose pages- it was more a dilapidated folder of ratty newsprint than a book.
"But can't you just sell the pages?" she whined.
Hope springs eternal!
First, there's no such classification as "Very Fine".
Fine is the top of the range, there is nothing beyond it. Describing a pristine book as Very Fine is like describing a corpse as Very Dead. They are binary states, you either qualify or you do not. The book, or the comic, or the chair or whatever is being described cannot give 110% on the condition front- it is what it is.
Note that this reality does not preclude lily gilding.
You're fully entitled to express enthusiasm for the intrinsic Fine-ness of your item. I'm fond of the descriptors "glossy", "pretty" and "clean" to emphasize condition.
But not 'Very Fine', or the abominable FINE +, the bastard spawn of a thousand lobotomized Ebay merchants.
Unprofessional language implies that you aren't dealing with a professional. And when it comes to grading objects, this is an air raid siren red alert spinning siren warning of inevitable impending disaster. The running joke here is when a customer says they have books that are in "great" shape, you'll be lucky if they're suitable for lining a birdcage.
Consider this cautionary tale from earlier today:
A lady brings in a large old book which she'd assured me was in "nice" shape on the phone. When she arrives and removes it from a protective grocery bag, I suppressed a sigh. When she asked why I didn't want it, I noted that the hinges were basically detached from the spine and that it was shedding loose pages- it was more a dilapidated folder of ratty newsprint than a book.
"But can't you just sell the pages?" she whined.
Hope springs eternal!
11.17.2009
lol
In light of our own recent history, I'm having trouble keeping a straight face during NPR's oh so serious report about those dastardly Chinese commies who allegedly kidnap malcontents off the street and store them in off the books detention facilities where they are treated badly and not allowed access to the courts.
I guess it's only a problem when other countries do it?
Or was their mistake not shipping them off to Turkey or Uzbeckistan for the dirty work?
I guess it's only a problem when other countries do it?
Or was their mistake not shipping them off to Turkey or Uzbeckistan for the dirty work?
11.16.2009
retro video: Soundgarden
File under tunes I loved, completely forgot about, rediscovered and was surprised to discover still kicked total ass
I scrounged up their first EP from the used bin at Boo Boo's, picked up Louder Than Love when it came out and then sort of lost track of them when they got popular. Some bands I track early and follow forever, but some lose too much glow if you have to share it with the world.
Anyway, this song is just as fantastic as I remember it being, and the nutty video catches them right as they're scrabbling over the top of the mountain, before they tumble down the other side into fame.
I scrounged up their first EP from the used bin at Boo Boo's, picked up Louder Than Love when it came out and then sort of lost track of them when they got popular. Some bands I track early and follow forever, but some lose too much glow if you have to share it with the world.
Anyway, this song is just as fantastic as I remember it being, and the nutty video catches them right as they're scrabbling over the top of the mountain, before they tumble down the other side into fame.
11.15.2009
True Customer Tales
Older couple come up with a stack of books that ring up to $17.94.
The wife comments
"1794...that sounds like the year something happened."
The wife comments
"1794...that sounds like the year something happened."
11.14.2009
True Customer Tales
young fella wearing pink short shorts with a red and black flannel & a blue ballcap:
Excuse me sir, I'm looking for Fitzcarraldo's Great Gatsby?
Excuse me sir, I'm looking for Fitzcarraldo's Great Gatsby?
True Customer Tales
older guy in ski cap:
I'm missing something...where's your non-fiction section?
me:
Well, pretty much the whole store is non-fiction. Everything except literature.
Guy: Oh!
me:
Are you looking for anything in particular?
Guy::
Yeah, Kerouac.
me:
.....well, he would actually belong in fiction.
I'm missing something...where's your non-fiction section?
me:
Well, pretty much the whole store is non-fiction. Everything except literature.
Guy: Oh!
me:
Are you looking for anything in particular?
Guy::
Yeah, Kerouac.
me:
.....well, he would actually belong in fiction.
11.12.2009
what kindle hath wrought
Our bookless future.
“When I look at books, I see an outdated technology, like scrolls before books,’’ said James Tracy, headmaster of Cushing and chief promoter of the bookless campus. “This isn’t ‘Fahrenheit 451’ [the 1953 Ray Bradbury novel in which books are banned]. We’re not discouraging students from reading. We see this as a natural way to shape emerging trends and optimize technology.’’
Anyone who's ever dealt with balky hardware and old data formats should be chucking to themselves right about now.
“When I look at books, I see an outdated technology, like scrolls before books,’’ said James Tracy, headmaster of Cushing and chief promoter of the bookless campus. “This isn’t ‘Fahrenheit 451’ [the 1953 Ray Bradbury novel in which books are banned]. We’re not discouraging students from reading. We see this as a natural way to shape emerging trends and optimize technology.’’
Anyone who's ever dealt with balky hardware and old data formats should be chucking to themselves right about now.
11.10.2009
true customer tales
Large nerd enters store with smaller beta nerd in tow, takes a theatrically deep breath and declares
"Aaaaaah...smells like KNOWLEDGE!"
Ten minutes later he dropped $20.00 on Star Trek: The Next Generation novelizations.
"Aaaaaah...smells like KNOWLEDGE!"
Ten minutes later he dropped $20.00 on Star Trek: The Next Generation novelizations.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)