Hello, again. I've been busy the last couple of weeks but tonight I have spare time and something I really want to write about.
Over the last year or so, I've put together a small but nice collection of vinyl records. All of them have been purchased from various sellers on Discogs. Almost all of the transactions have gone very smoothly. Most of the sellers I've dealt with have created invoices quickly, shipped items promptly once paid for, and have graded the records pretty accurately.
A lot of 45 R.P.M. singles can be had for less than what you'd spend on a cup of coffee. Last week I bought twelve singles from one seller, each of them for $1.50 apiece. Shipping was another $5, which is quite reasonable.
Of course, when you buy something sight unseen, you are taking a chance on it. One seller sent me the stereo mix of an album, when I bought the mono version. The shipping label had all of the information printed on it. So, someone somewhere made a conscious decision to just send me whatever they had laying around. I sent a very politely worded message informing the seller of this mistake.
His response was anything but polite. He stated that it was my fault for not reading the listing correctly and when I sent him a screen capture of the listing, that just made him even less pleasant to deal with. I offered to pay for the shipping cost to return the album but he said he didn't want to waste any more of his time. I won't ever buy from him again, that's for sure. He also said he'd refund the purchase price (but not the shipping fee), which he never did.
The really cool thing is that for a great many recordings, the mono mix is a dedicated mix, and is the version that was initially released so many years ago. Most of those mixes sound better than the stereo mix, which was quite often something done with less effort put into it. Also, there are a lot of promotional mixes and edits that were released only to radio stations, for air play. I've got a lot of those and they just sound so good. I have the radio only promo mix of "What'd I Say" that has never been released anywhere else. Was it expensive?
Yes, it was. But it's worth what I paid for it, to me, at least. As is the dedicated mono version of "Riders On The Storm" which had a very limited release as a Record Store Day exclusive in 2011.
It's the most expensive single in my collection at this time. It was listed as being in mint condition and that grading was accurate. I cleaned it very carefully and played it one time, to make a clean needle drop of it. The dynamics on the recording are just amazing.
In closing, I'd say that overall, about 90% of what I've bought has been worth the money I spent on it. I can live with that.
As always, dear reader, I wish you well.
Thursday, May 31, 2018
Saturday, May 12, 2018
It's Been Almost One Month Since My Last Post
I've been very busy, and haven't had time to post anything here. Also, I was off line for awhile because my modem stopped working and had to be repaired. I've been good, for the most part. Work has been good, though challenging at times.
The two weeks I worked with Lauren on the other side, learning as much as I could about food service for the day care program, went well. This young lady is very good at what she does, turning out restaurant quality food under less than ideal working conditions. Depending on what the meal is (breakfast, lunch or snack), there are either four or five rooms that get served. I've had the chance to taste almost everything Lauren cooks and every single thing has been delicious.
Once I was back on the cafe side, it took me a few days to get back into my routine. Mike and I make a good team. He handles most of the cooking, which is fine, because he's been doing it for forty years. I take the orders, cash people out, keep the tables clean, sweep the floor, and handle a few other things along the way as well. Mike does let me handle a few things in food prep. I've made cocktail sauce (for which Mike let me use my recipe and liked it enough to have me use it again). I've made honey mustard sauce people liked, and Thousand Island dressing that came out well. My spicy tartar sauce comes out well, also.
Friday was challenging because Mike had to fly out of state for a family emergency. I got the call that I needed to open and I was on my feet for almost eight and a half hours. I was under strict orders to keep the grill turned off. So, a lot of people were upset because that meant no eggs for breakfast, nor home fries. No burgers for lunch, either. One regular customer was so rude as to curse at me. Another decided to leave without paying and when I went after him, got on his bicycle and rode away.
If Mike's not back by Monday, I'll have to put in the full day again. I'm not 100% comfortable with the idea of that, but I'll show up on time and do my best, just as I did on Friday.
Lauren always helps me out whenever she can and I help her as well, when I can. Some times she gets really behind on dishes, so I hustle to get them caught up while she's on her lunch break. Or if someone orders a milk shake, she'll do make it for us and I'll take over what she's working on for a few minutes if she needs me to do that.
Six weeks in, I really have no complaints about the job. Plus, we got a perfect score on our inspection by the Health Department. I know that some of the really hard work I did cleaning things contributed to that and I feel good about it.
Wishing you well, dear reader.
The two weeks I worked with Lauren on the other side, learning as much as I could about food service for the day care program, went well. This young lady is very good at what she does, turning out restaurant quality food under less than ideal working conditions. Depending on what the meal is (breakfast, lunch or snack), there are either four or five rooms that get served. I've had the chance to taste almost everything Lauren cooks and every single thing has been delicious.
Once I was back on the cafe side, it took me a few days to get back into my routine. Mike and I make a good team. He handles most of the cooking, which is fine, because he's been doing it for forty years. I take the orders, cash people out, keep the tables clean, sweep the floor, and handle a few other things along the way as well. Mike does let me handle a few things in food prep. I've made cocktail sauce (for which Mike let me use my recipe and liked it enough to have me use it again). I've made honey mustard sauce people liked, and Thousand Island dressing that came out well. My spicy tartar sauce comes out well, also.
Friday was challenging because Mike had to fly out of state for a family emergency. I got the call that I needed to open and I was on my feet for almost eight and a half hours. I was under strict orders to keep the grill turned off. So, a lot of people were upset because that meant no eggs for breakfast, nor home fries. No burgers for lunch, either. One regular customer was so rude as to curse at me. Another decided to leave without paying and when I went after him, got on his bicycle and rode away.
If Mike's not back by Monday, I'll have to put in the full day again. I'm not 100% comfortable with the idea of that, but I'll show up on time and do my best, just as I did on Friday.
Lauren always helps me out whenever she can and I help her as well, when I can. Some times she gets really behind on dishes, so I hustle to get them caught up while she's on her lunch break. Or if someone orders a milk shake, she'll do make it for us and I'll take over what she's working on for a few minutes if she needs me to do that.
Six weeks in, I really have no complaints about the job. Plus, we got a perfect score on our inspection by the Health Department. I know that some of the really hard work I did cleaning things contributed to that and I feel good about it.
Wishing you well, dear reader.
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