Just finishing soundcheck - should be good to go.

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

We may have a new guitarist and also a new keyboardist, who also plays horns. We'll see what happens. I say may, because we've historically have had issues with people flaking out on us.

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I'm going in to get a waffle ice cream cone. Why not.

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"Electric Lady"

Spent a great evening going out for steak dinner with our best friends. Came home and had pistachio cake with pistachio ice cream. German beer and good wine added to the fun on our patio under a clear sky and moderately cool evening. I only hope the festivities will be kind to us in the morning.

FSB

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Hello, big guitar. Meet my little fingers.

My wife, daughter, and myself, got some Panera Bread breakfast sandwiches. A lazy Sunday morning here, no one wanted to cook breakfast.

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"Electric Lady"

How is that place? I've been thinking about trying it out. My girlfriend's grandmother seems to like it from what she said.

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I made some angel hair pasta and meat sauce tonight after I went shopping and for a walk. It's actually been a long time since I cooked that or any pasta dish. That's one thing I can cook well, if I can impress an Italian with it.

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A quick lunch here then headed to Lowes to get peeved looking for something small common and impossible to find even w/ the help of several workers and the intercom system.

I know what you mean about locating that hard to find item, at times, with the limited staffed big box hardware outlets.

I appreciate the Mom and Pop hardware stores when I can find one. They seem to be knowledgable and know every nook and crannie. Often there's a vintage collection of goodies waiting to be dusted off and looking for a home. Some years back I found some once popular classic Varaflame lighters with fishing flies in the clear fluid receptacles. I bought a red and a black Varaflame emptying the antiquated many lighters display rack (only to have them stolen on a trip back home). Still, the adventure was worth the trip to that small town hardware store.
FSB
I gave up smoking many years ago, so the lighters are not missed as much as they were at the time.

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Hello, big guitar. Meet my little fingers.

I know what you mean, as well. The Home Depot around here is massive. It seems like it takes you a 1/2 hour to go to the aisle you think you know where you're looking for is, much less than trying to find the item itself. We also have an Ace, which is a lot easier to get around and usually have what you need. There's another local hardware store, which I'm not sure if it's affiliated with Ace or not (I think it might be) that's pretty cool. It's wedged in a corner of an old building with a couple of cafes and when you look at the front of the building, it looks like it's really small, but when you walk in, there's a smallish area when you walk in filled with stuff, but then make a slight right around that area and it's really big (not Home Depot big, though.) It goes way back with all kinds of stuff. Basically, narrow but long. Very old school style, too. It's probably been there going back to the 50's or so. Maybe older.

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The US Women's Gymnastics Team has won a Gold Medal

Women's Team Final

Biles,Douglas,Hernandez,Kocian,Raisman
Gold

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

I'm going into my second week of my diet and all is well. I'm certainly feeling and seeing some results. I walk close to 2 miles a day and just keep track of the calories. It's pretty easy once you get the hang of writing everything down and figure how much is what.

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That's easy peasy for you to say. Actually, way to go, Paul. I'm thinking of going to the local piercing establishment and having my lips stapled shut. On second thought, bring on the munchies, nummies, and suckies. Every band needs a fat dude to make the other skinny cats look buff, and usually the drummer is a reliable participant in this department. No wonder guitar players get the girls.
FSB
I gotta shred some pounds and sling the Strat more often.

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Hello, big guitar. Meet my little fingers.

The thing is I eat anything I want, but I don't go over a certain amount of calories and I walk at least a mile and 1/2 everyday. I even just had a Little Debby Nutty Bar, which two in a pack, which are 310 calories. I split one with my girlfriend and that costs me only 155 calories. I burned 226 calories tonight walking (I use a walking calories burned calculator) and it was like I didn't eat that at all. Soup is great for breakfast, too. A can of Progresso Turkey Noodle is something like 140 calories and that fills me up pretty good with that. Hell, I could eat 10 cans of those and still be 600 calories under 2000. 10 cans is a lot of soup. Those aren't wimpy cans. What is really is with me, once I really commit myself to something, I don't give up. I'm a hard headed Russian pain in the arse, that's why.

In 2004, I quit cigarettes cold turkey with no patches or anything like that. I was a bastard for about a week, then once the nicotine got under control, I was fine. Do I miss it? Sometimes, I do, but I know those will do me more harm than good. What also got me to do it was I got really sick which effected my respiratory and I couldn't really smoke at the time, anyhow. Plus, I decided I didn't want to be a slave to something, which you are in a way. I got sick again with heat exhaustion a couple weeks ago, which really knocked me on my $@!. It was that and my dad having a stroke a few months ago that really got me thinking about getting in better shape. He wasn't a big dude, either. He just worked himself too much, doing lawn service in Florida at 84 years old and not hydrating enough. How many dudes in their 80's you know that do stuff like that, especially in a hot, humid environment. That kicked my $@! in my 20's doing that kind of work.

I just reached a point where I got sick of carrying that weight around and that's it. I wasn't doing that badly before (not gaining any,) but I wasn't losing weight, either. I needed to kick it in gear once and for all. I don't want to have a heart attack when I'm 50 or worse. My dad could have died, so I guess that hit home, because he wasn't in bad shape, physically. He did have prostrate issue before and things like that, but he was never really a large guy. I am a few inches taller than him, though. That's probably from my mother's side, which is Russian and Ukrainian. He's probably 5' 10" or 11". I'm like 6' 3" maybe 6' 2" 1/2 without my boots on. He's also small framed, kind of lanky in a way. I guess the whole thing really got me to take a look in the mirror, considering I'm going to be 45 this December. Plus, that would be cool to buy some groovy rock and roll clothes for stage.

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Here's a tip that works for me, Paul. Stock up on low cal snacks (and don't fall for the definitive low fat myth) ahead of time so you don't have a desire to grab something in a rush. Also, stock up on spices and low cal sauces, beverages, and condiments. Once you have these dieting is more agreeable. It is this area that is often prone to failure. IMHO.

Cheers!
FSB

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Hello, big guitar. Meet my little fingers.