Well, the Las Vegas experiment didn't last long, did it?
It did not, by any means. Three days after I arrived in Las Vegas, I had something happen that made me absolutely certain it was not where I should be at this time. I did like it enough that I would consider a second try under the right circumstances.
Having given up the room I had been renting meant that upon my return to this area, I needed something that was available and inexpensive. That led me back to the Y.M.C.A. where I am now, having paid rent for the remainder of April.
I can say that the bus trip back was something of a mixed bag, as it were. The first sixteen hours I sat next to someone who was inconsiderate in the extreme, keeping me awake all through the night. When we had a driver change in Denver, I quietly and calmly explained the situation and the new driver very graciously offered me the chance to sit in the first row where he could make sure I was reasonably comfortable.
So, from Denver to Columbus, Ohio, everything went just about as well as could be expected. I had good drivers that gave us reasonable amounts of time to get off and stretch a bit, and to eat.
In Columbus, however, another driver change didn't go so well. The driver allowed a lot of bad behavior from some younger children and when stepping off the bus for our first rest stop, I was pushed and fell on the pavement.
I tried to get up on my own. I was unable to. I remained where I was for about two or three minutes,
just hoping someone would offer to help me. No one did. The driver was too busy smoking her damned cigarette to even notice what had happened.
I called for help and am grateful that two young men helped me get back up and asked if I was all right.
I injured both of my knees badly enough to be in a fair amount of pain.
The driver never acknowledged what happened. I have reported her behavior to the appropriate
department. I received a truly genuine apology from the customer service agent I spoke to.
More on all this will be coming later today or sometime tomorrow.
Friday, April 14, 2017
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
A Long Trip Ended Yesterday
I am happy to be able to inform you that I made it to Las Vegas safely. I arrived at 4:40 local time yesterday afternoon.
I spent just a little less than fifty-six hours on the road. My two transfer points were Buffalo, New York and Columbus, Ohio. It was nice to be on the same bus most of the way. All of the drivers I had drove safely. Some of them were friendly and some were not.
I had a reasonable number of rest stops during which I could at least stretch my legs and get a little fresh air. Extended stops to eat came about every three to four hours, which I was grateful for.
Most of my fellow passengers looked to be good people. I sat next to three people at different times. Two were nice, and we had a few light conversations. The bus station that was the nicest was the one in Kansas City. The worst was the one in Indianapolis. That building looks like it hasn't been renovated in a very long time and when the Amtrak trains pull in, the whole building shakes. I did appreciate that food service was available even at the late hour of about three in the morning.
Travel by intercity bus is not the best way to travel. It is, however, the least expensive and relatively safe.
As always, dear reader, thank you for reading what I've written.
I spent just a little less than fifty-six hours on the road. My two transfer points were Buffalo, New York and Columbus, Ohio. It was nice to be on the same bus most of the way. All of the drivers I had drove safely. Some of them were friendly and some were not.
I had a reasonable number of rest stops during which I could at least stretch my legs and get a little fresh air. Extended stops to eat came about every three to four hours, which I was grateful for.
Most of my fellow passengers looked to be good people. I sat next to three people at different times. Two were nice, and we had a few light conversations. The bus station that was the nicest was the one in Kansas City. The worst was the one in Indianapolis. That building looks like it hasn't been renovated in a very long time and when the Amtrak trains pull in, the whole building shakes. I did appreciate that food service was available even at the late hour of about three in the morning.
Travel by intercity bus is not the best way to travel. It is, however, the least expensive and relatively safe.
As always, dear reader, thank you for reading what I've written.
Monday, March 27, 2017
Time To Move
I've made a decision to once again leave the Binghamton area. This was not an easy decision. I'll be leaving behind friends and family.
I'm excited, though, at the idea of exploring someplace new. I'm moving to Las Vegas. My trip is booked and paid for and my living arrangements are in place. I should be able to find a good job
in my field of work.
My bus leaves on Saturday morning.
I'm excited, though, at the idea of exploring someplace new. I'm moving to Las Vegas. My trip is booked and paid for and my living arrangements are in place. I should be able to find a good job
in my field of work.
My bus leaves on Saturday morning.
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Nothing Is Forever
A week ago, we had three feet of snow on the ground. Most of it is gone, now. Much of it was cleared off the sidewalks by the state Department of Transportation. A lot more of it melted in today's warm weather.
I'm old enough to have seen things that almost everyone never expected to disappear do just that.
Pay phones used to be everywhere. You would often see whole banks of them, with as many as a half dozen phones lined up in a row.
W.T. Grant stores are another thing long gone. When the company went out of business in the mid-1970s, its bankruptcy was the largest ever for an American corporation.
Radio Shack is just holding on, barely. The Binghamton area once had five stores, but the last one is now closing.
Burger Chef, once a very large chain of hamburger restaurants. They had good food at good prices but just kind of faded away in the late 1970s.
The point here, and I do have one, is that you should take very little for granted. Also, it's easy to say so, but we all should treasure the good things in life. Especially the little things. By themselves they don't matter all that much, but together, they combine to form a large part of our lives.
Wishing you the best, dear reader.
I'm old enough to have seen things that almost everyone never expected to disappear do just that.
Pay phones used to be everywhere. You would often see whole banks of them, with as many as a half dozen phones lined up in a row.
W.T. Grant stores are another thing long gone. When the company went out of business in the mid-1970s, its bankruptcy was the largest ever for an American corporation.
Radio Shack is just holding on, barely. The Binghamton area once had five stores, but the last one is now closing.
Burger Chef, once a very large chain of hamburger restaurants. They had good food at good prices but just kind of faded away in the late 1970s.
The point here, and I do have one, is that you should take very little for granted. Also, it's easy to say so, but we all should treasure the good things in life. Especially the little things. By themselves they don't matter all that much, but together, they combine to form a large part of our lives.
Wishing you the best, dear reader.
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
At The Mercy Of The Weather
As I write this, Broome County is under a state-wide state of emergency. Our County Executive has closed all roads to all travel. The snow is coming in bands of varying intensity. Where I am, we have about eighteen inches of snow right now. Just a mile and a half away, they have twenty-three inches. In the Glen Aubrey area where I lived as a teenager, they have just six inches.
By the time all this is over, where I am will have anywhere from two to three feet of snow. This is the worst snow storm the area has seen since 1993; I remember using a yard stick to measure the snow in my front yard. It was twenty-two inches deep.
I am well prepared for all this as I went to the nearest supermarket last night and bought a week's worth of just about everything I could need or want. The cashier apologized for the long wait in line and I told her it was fine, as they had every register open. They were doing the best they could.
And, using my store discount card, I got $60 worth of groceries for $45, so that was good.
If you are anywhere where this winter storm is hitting hard, please, just stay indoors where you're safe.
And, as always, thank you for reading.
By the time all this is over, where I am will have anywhere from two to three feet of snow. This is the worst snow storm the area has seen since 1993; I remember using a yard stick to measure the snow in my front yard. It was twenty-two inches deep.
I am well prepared for all this as I went to the nearest supermarket last night and bought a week's worth of just about everything I could need or want. The cashier apologized for the long wait in line and I told her it was fine, as they had every register open. They were doing the best they could.
And, using my store discount card, I got $60 worth of groceries for $45, so that was good.
If you are anywhere where this winter storm is hitting hard, please, just stay indoors where you're safe.
And, as always, thank you for reading.
Sunday, March 12, 2017
As Promised, A Link To The Show
The first show is now published. Here is the link. You may need to cut and paste into a web browser.
https://www.mixcloud.com/WCDC1610/
Also, I'm not sure if I made a mistake somewhere along the line or not, but I'm not seeing a complete track list. So, here it is.
1st Hour
Truckin' - The Grateful Dead
H.I.S. Slacks Radio Spot - Jay And The Americans
Let's Stay Together - Al Green
The Girl From Ipanema - Stan Getz (featuring Astrud Gilberto)
In The Year 2525 - Zager & Evans
Wasted Days, Wasted Nights - Sir Douglas Quintet
This Girl's In Love With You - Dionne Warwick
El Paso - Marty Robbins
Mind Games - John Lennon
Let's Spend The Night Together - The Rolling Stones
Come Alive - Pepsi
Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Diana Ross
Kentucky Rain - Elvis Presley
Hawaii Five-O Radio Spot - The Ventures
Papa Was A Rollin' Stone - The Temptations
2nd Hour
Big Ben Chimes Midnight - Tema Digital Media
Chances Are - Johnny Mathis
On The Beach (In The Summertime) - The 5th Dimension
Texaco Star Theme - Texaco
Cry To Me - Solomon Burke
Your Turn To Cry - Betty LaVette
When You're Hot, You're Hot - Jerry Reed
It's Got To Be A Miracle (This Thing Called Love) - Four Tops and The Supremes
H.I.S. Slacks Radio Spot - Jay And The Americans
For The Good Times - Ray Price
Midnight Confessions - The Grass Roots
Things Go Better With Coke (A Man And A Woman) - Otis Redding
Love Makes A Woman - Barbara Acklin
Just Like A Woman - Bob Dylan
Signs - Five Man Electrical Band
Mr. Businessman - Ray Stevens
Sometimes You Feel Like A Nut - Almond Joy And Mounds
Games People Play - Joe South
MacArthur Park (Parts 1 & 2) - Four Tops
https://www.mixcloud.com/WCDC1610/
Also, I'm not sure if I made a mistake somewhere along the line or not, but I'm not seeing a complete track list. So, here it is.
1st Hour
Truckin' - The Grateful Dead
H.I.S. Slacks Radio Spot - Jay And The Americans
Let's Stay Together - Al Green
The Girl From Ipanema - Stan Getz (featuring Astrud Gilberto)
In The Year 2525 - Zager & Evans
Wasted Days, Wasted Nights - Sir Douglas Quintet
This Girl's In Love With You - Dionne Warwick
El Paso - Marty Robbins
Mind Games - John Lennon
Let's Spend The Night Together - The Rolling Stones
Come Alive - Pepsi
Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Diana Ross
Kentucky Rain - Elvis Presley
Hawaii Five-O Radio Spot - The Ventures
Papa Was A Rollin' Stone - The Temptations
2nd Hour
Big Ben Chimes Midnight - Tema Digital Media
Chances Are - Johnny Mathis
On The Beach (In The Summertime) - The 5th Dimension
Texaco Star Theme - Texaco
Cry To Me - Solomon Burke
Your Turn To Cry - Betty LaVette
When You're Hot, You're Hot - Jerry Reed
It's Got To Be A Miracle (This Thing Called Love) - Four Tops and The Supremes
H.I.S. Slacks Radio Spot - Jay And The Americans
For The Good Times - Ray Price
Midnight Confessions - The Grass Roots
Things Go Better With Coke (A Man And A Woman) - Otis Redding
Love Makes A Woman - Barbara Acklin
Just Like A Woman - Bob Dylan
Signs - Five Man Electrical Band
Mr. Businessman - Ray Stevens
Sometimes You Feel Like A Nut - Almond Joy And Mounds
Games People Play - Joe South
MacArthur Park (Parts 1 & 2) - Four Tops
An Oldies Show For You To Enjoy
I haven't posted in over a week because I've been busy with a lot of different things. One of them is
doing the preparation for an oldies show I'm now going to be doing on a somewhat regular basis.
What makes my show any different from all the other ones? A few things, honestly.
I use professional audio processing, specifically, the "Big Iron" preset in Breakaway One. This preset is designed to make the music sound as though it's being played on an AM radio station in the late 1960s, and believe me, it works.
I take a lot of time to find the best mastering of each record. Every single record I play falls into one of four categories. It is the stock mono single that you would have found in a record store, or the promotional mono single sent to radio stations, or the stock album, or the promotional album. You will never hear me playing a stereo mix nor a mixed-down version of one.
In other words, as a general rule, I insist on total authenticity. If there is a difference between the U.S. and U.K. mixes of a record, I determine which sounds better, and which was more likely to have been played back in the day. There are some exceptions to this rule, mostly in the form of Beatles records, because many of the U.S. versions were remixed with way too much reverb. Also, there are some records where for the U.S. version, the U.S. mono mix isn't available on compact disc, whereas the U.K. mono version is available.
Do you get the feeling I spend a lot of money on music? Because, I surely do.
I use vintage jingles and commercials. I freely admit that I do use some modern public service announcements, because that's something an actual modern day oldies station generally does. I do live reads of commercials for local businesses that either are no longer in business, or are ones I've made up.
I've decided to post the shows to Mixcloud. That covers licensing, and also allows shows to be posted at a bit rate of 320 kilobytes per second. Most of the streaming services have limits of 128 kps. That rate is often referred to by such services as "CD quality", which is just so not true.
The first show is finished. I'll upload it later today and post a link to it here. I really don't want to post a full list of what records I played here, but Mixcloud does allow you to see such a list.
What I will do here is briefly talk about a few of the records in each show.
For this first show, I tried to have a good mix of records almost any oldies fan will recognize and some more obscure singles.
I played "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green, using the promo mono mix. It's a good mix.
I played "Wasted Days, Wasted Nights" by Sir Douglas Quintet. They cut this in 1972, so it was not an attempt to cash in on the success of Freddy Fender's hit version, which he cut in 1975. Rather, it's a resurrection of Fender's 1959 fairly obscure original recording. I like it!
I played "It's Got To Be A Miracle (This Thing Called Love)" by Four Tops and The Supremes. It's a nice record, but it's not very contemporary sounding at all for its time (it's also from 1972). The Supremes, of course, were down to one original member by that time (Mary Wilson) and two replacements (Cindy Birdsong and Jean Terrell).
I also played another Four Tops single, namely, their recording of "MacArthur Park". Sadly, the mono single version of this that's currently available is mastered much too loudly and is clipped as well. I was able to make it better sounding by running it through a good declipper effect and a vinyl record simulation, but even after all that, it's still a little rough sounding. Just letting you know, before hand.
As I say, I'll have the whole two hours uploaded later today and then I will post a link here on the blog. I hope you have a chance to listen, and that you like what I've done. I can, and will, do requests and dedications so, if you have one, shoot me an e-mail at wtba950@gmail.com and I will do my best. I currently have 2000 records in regular rotation, so there's only a very small chance I don't have the record you want to hear.
I had a lot of fun doing the show, and I think that shows.
doing the preparation for an oldies show I'm now going to be doing on a somewhat regular basis.
What makes my show any different from all the other ones? A few things, honestly.
I use professional audio processing, specifically, the "Big Iron" preset in Breakaway One. This preset is designed to make the music sound as though it's being played on an AM radio station in the late 1960s, and believe me, it works.
I take a lot of time to find the best mastering of each record. Every single record I play falls into one of four categories. It is the stock mono single that you would have found in a record store, or the promotional mono single sent to radio stations, or the stock album, or the promotional album. You will never hear me playing a stereo mix nor a mixed-down version of one.
In other words, as a general rule, I insist on total authenticity. If there is a difference between the U.S. and U.K. mixes of a record, I determine which sounds better, and which was more likely to have been played back in the day. There are some exceptions to this rule, mostly in the form of Beatles records, because many of the U.S. versions were remixed with way too much reverb. Also, there are some records where for the U.S. version, the U.S. mono mix isn't available on compact disc, whereas the U.K. mono version is available.
Do you get the feeling I spend a lot of money on music? Because, I surely do.
I use vintage jingles and commercials. I freely admit that I do use some modern public service announcements, because that's something an actual modern day oldies station generally does. I do live reads of commercials for local businesses that either are no longer in business, or are ones I've made up.
I've decided to post the shows to Mixcloud. That covers licensing, and also allows shows to be posted at a bit rate of 320 kilobytes per second. Most of the streaming services have limits of 128 kps. That rate is often referred to by such services as "CD quality", which is just so not true.
The first show is finished. I'll upload it later today and post a link to it here. I really don't want to post a full list of what records I played here, but Mixcloud does allow you to see such a list.
What I will do here is briefly talk about a few of the records in each show.
For this first show, I tried to have a good mix of records almost any oldies fan will recognize and some more obscure singles.
I played "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green, using the promo mono mix. It's a good mix.
I played "Wasted Days, Wasted Nights" by Sir Douglas Quintet. They cut this in 1972, so it was not an attempt to cash in on the success of Freddy Fender's hit version, which he cut in 1975. Rather, it's a resurrection of Fender's 1959 fairly obscure original recording. I like it!
I played "It's Got To Be A Miracle (This Thing Called Love)" by Four Tops and The Supremes. It's a nice record, but it's not very contemporary sounding at all for its time (it's also from 1972). The Supremes, of course, were down to one original member by that time (Mary Wilson) and two replacements (Cindy Birdsong and Jean Terrell).
I also played another Four Tops single, namely, their recording of "MacArthur Park". Sadly, the mono single version of this that's currently available is mastered much too loudly and is clipped as well. I was able to make it better sounding by running it through a good declipper effect and a vinyl record simulation, but even after all that, it's still a little rough sounding. Just letting you know, before hand.
As I say, I'll have the whole two hours uploaded later today and then I will post a link here on the blog. I hope you have a chance to listen, and that you like what I've done. I can, and will, do requests and dedications so, if you have one, shoot me an e-mail at wtba950@gmail.com and I will do my best. I currently have 2000 records in regular rotation, so there's only a very small chance I don't have the record you want to hear.
I had a lot of fun doing the show, and I think that shows.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)