The View From The Drey

The Squirrel said:
Oh, I'm not done with the postmaster. In my area, we have the crappiest postal service in the world. And they all have terrible attitudes as well. Whenever I get the reciept after a visit to the PO, I always flame them. I look forward to DMV or a colonoscopy after dealing with the PO in my area.
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My postal folks are pretty decent, I guess working in suburbia has it's perks
Worst customer service lately is on a United plane, no reason to pay 2-5K vs coach

I get the hating bikes, I've felt that way for the past year or so. I've changed my fleet and it's not working.... Now I have too many bikes again and just bought another frame.
Spending money isn't filling the void.... 🙁
 
I should clarify that. When I get the reciept, they always circle the link for the survey. I flame them on the survey. It's like a lame volley now, I flame them, they shaft me, I flame them...But they screw everyone. My favorite is when you're home and then you notice that, on the door, there is that pink slip that says they tried to deliver, but you were there. So, I check the doorbell and it works and it's loud. I scratch my head. The next morning I go to the PO and the line is out the door with poeple with pink slips trying to get their packages. So basically, the person runs around tagging notices to doors, comes back with a full truck and calls it an early day. The counter person is going crazy trying cut down the line and the customers are ready to riot.

BTW, any single speed hardtails that you might want to get rid of? Medium? I'm getting the itch...the woods are calling me.
 
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maybe, 29 or 27.5, full rigid or soft front
woods are good for therapy, the road just reflects on my mundane life
 
so when i moved into my home in rural nj, my address was 60A rural route #2. while the speed limit was 45, there was hardly a car.
the mailbox is across the road. wasn't a big deal.

traffic is now "spirited" - 40mph limit, everyone does 50, and it is busier, because of the farm fill-in projects. my house number is now 2228. yeah, really.

i ask the postmaster how to arrange for my neighbor and I to move our mailbox to our side of the street. it is a double yellow line road.
The answer i got was that the computer can't do that. I kid you not. I know it is rural delivery, but the mailboxes are on the home side of the road around the corner!
even better, the postlady drops off my mail, and a couple houses past me, rolls through a parking lot, and comes right back in front of my house!!!!
No argument or reasoning would move him off his premise.

a bit of internet searching says it requires viral public shaming for them to address something like this.

i'm thinking it is a function of people that would actually do that job. you know, same thing everyday. they didn't call it going postal for nothing....
 
My cousin is the postal union rep in NYC. I tell him these stories. He says nothing. Just shakes his head and walks away. If you don't mind, I would like to share this one with him during the next family bowling tournament.

It's a good one.
 
The Squirrel said:
My cousin is the postal union rep in NYC. I tell him these stories. He says nothing. Just shakes his head and walks away. If you don't mind, I would like to share this one with him during the next family bowling tournament.

It's a good one.
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go for it !
i also started "over tipping" the delivery person - anything that does not fit in the mailbox ends up neatly on my back porch - with a rubber band around it to hold the envelopes 😉
 
was trying to find an apropos gif with hanks/castaway - but came across this.....too funny

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fidodie said:
go for it !
i also started "over tipping" the delivery person - anything that does not fit in the mailbox ends up neatly on my back porch - with a rubber band around it to hold the envelopes 😉
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Pat that is funny because she will cram everything she can into our box whether it fits or not. Reminds me of Newman on Seinfeld. "Crease, crumple, cram. You will do fine"
 
It's been a bit, so this recap might be long.

First, I want to thank everyone for their input on my other thread:

http://www.mtbnj.com/forum/threads/n-1-i-cant-make-up-my-mind.44029/page-3#post-770668

I just got back from picking up this:

http://www.mtbnj.com/forum/threads/07-gary-fisher-paragon-29er-17-5-350.43599/

I guess I caught the mtb cooties hanging out here too much.

You know, these wheels are like 29" tall! 700c feels like tiny wheels in comparison. Inches don't do it justice; I think the industry should move to a hands measurement, you know, like a horse. In this case, using traditional measuring, this bike is 7 3/4 hands tall. It only makes sense since when I straddled it I felt like Jean Cruguet on Seattle Slew.

I'm excited to get on this bike and hope to soon. My feeling is I'll head south to places like Allaire or 6MR while it's still set-up as a single speed and slowly build it up with gears for handling the more challenging terrain.

I'm thoroughly glad 2017 is over. My last posts spell out my issues which peaked with my Dr telling me he wanted me to dial back my cardio dramatically for one year. It seems my CAD reversal is not progressing at the tempo it should be or that he's used to seeing with someone who's as committed as I am. He feels it's because I'm hammering too much on the bike and running my HR too high. I didn't want to argue with him because he's always been so spot on, but the documented issues with exercise and heart health are all electrical (arrhythmic) and not plumbing (blockages). So, that killed my CX for the year. And next.

Since the early winter, I've been on an alternating regimen of yoga and heavy lifting, with the occasional short ride with a limited max HR. This will continue for a while longer because I've just lost my patience with the trainer. I've been enjoying this new routine.

As part of all my issues, I had a flaring sciatic nerve issue, which made sitting on my road bike a true pain in my ass. I decided to swap out my saddle, which I feel is helping. So, if anyone needs a Selle SMP Lite 209 in white, let me know. It's currently up on ebay. I'll take reasonable offers.

I have a few things to do now. Pretty much in this order, I need to:

1. Join JORBA
2. Ride on (dry) trails
3. Buy gears
4. Ride on more (dry) trails
5. Get me some mtbnj group rides
 
Crazy Union Studio Story

I've mentioned doing remote recordings more than once. They're always good for nutty stories. This is the story of what I like to call the Stagehand Bitch Slap.

There are a lot of balls to juggle when doing a live recording. Besides not wanting to be the guy who screws up the recording of a unique performance, there are a ton of logistical issues to deal with. Up to this point, I had been doing a lot of live work at Lincoln Center and I had a great relationship with the stagehands. Stagehands are union and their union is right up there with the Teamsters as being tough. There are rules, sometimes really crazy, but if you don't follow the rules, heavy $hit will ensue. At Lincoln Center, I always showed them a deep respect for what they did and they always treated me fairly.

So, on this night I'm waiting for the remote truck outside of Carnegie Hall. I am tasked with recording a famous Japanese composer/Jazz Pianist with a big band and traditional Japanese drummers/players. I am very nervous about this one because, well, it's Carnegie Hall. Second, it's a big set-up. Lastly, it's a big piece. I can do it, but I'm a wreck.

Before hitting record, I have to deal with Teamsters on the street and IATSE on the stage. The Teamsters were easy; as long as I didn't touch a case or piece of equipment there would be no issues. Once everything was on the stage, I had to coordinate the set-up of EVERYTHING with the IATSE crew, which included hanging many microphones from the ceiling. Things were going well and we were all getting along. The mic's, music stands, risers, instruments were mostly in place and they call a break. I have a sound check in 15 minutes. I ask if I can walk out on stage, which they grant me. Again, I'm nervous; so I'm looking at everything and I see one very valuable microphone about 3 inches off the floor. Instinctively, I readjust the mic stand so the mic won't get punted by a musician. I go down to the truck to relax for a moment and start listening to the mics and I hear absolutely nothing. I run up to the stage and it's absolutely empty. I mean there is nothing on the stage, bare, like when I first walked in. Well, I was just beside myself; I'm looking out into the hall and I couldn't breathe, I couldn't talk, I couldn't move and I had 20 some-odd musicians in like 5 minutes. One of the stagehands walks up to me and says "let's take a little walk". At this very moment, I realized I violated the cardinal rule; If you're not in the union, you DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING! He says "do you understand what happened here?"; of course, I'm apologizing while fighting back the urge to pee myself. I try to explain that I have a little leeway at Lincoln Center, which doesn't fly at all. So, I look him in the eyes, and I deliver my deepest heartfelt apology. He tells me to go back to the truck and everything will be fine.

I walk back to the truck, tail between my legs, thinking about how I'm going to word my resignation letter and by the time I get in the truck, everything is reset. I'm totally baffled; this was Houdini-$hit. Whatever, the musicians showed up and the soundcheck and show went off without a hitch.

Just typing this gave me agita.
 
most awesome story!!

amazing - i've done some trade shows over at the convention center. Setting up, you don't touch anything - breaking down. you want to leave, do it yourself....
 
fidodie said:
amazing - i've done some trade shows over at the convention center. Setting up, you don't touch anything - breaking down. you want to leave, do it yourself....
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Most likely, it's an overtime thing. Stuff usually loads out at convention centers on a Sunday, so depending on how many hours they accrued over that week it could go into triple time. That was my big mistake in life, I should have been a stagehand. Those guys at Lincoln Center were supposedly making good 6 figures in the mid 90's! They prayed for one more encore, which would then put them deep into overtime territory. The stage manager would beg the musicians not to go back out, but they always did, and the crew cheered like it was the winning touchdown in the Superbowl.

Don't get me wrong, I love those guys and they work hard, but overtime sent a show from profit to loss in one minute.

I'm union as well, which is odd in my line of work. But, I am not IATSE or Teamster. That held no water with them. They say the worst stage is Radio City. When my buddy worked there doing sound for the Christmas Spectacular, he said there were 4 different unions between the truck they were unloading and the stage. One to take the item out of the truck, one to move it across the sidewalk to the door, one to move it from the door to the wings of the stage and one to move it onto the stage. I just don't know how anything gets done.
 
First time I've seen this thread. Your a recording engineer?
I almost went that path until I realized it was a better hobby than career (at least in the last 15 years or so). I was the type that liked to play all the instruments myself when recording, and downloaded a cracked version of Cubase and got hooked. Then I found Tape Op and went even deeper. I think I got more into recording than playing for a while. When I moved out of my parents house my brother inherited most of my gear and got hooked himself. Now he has a modest but fully amenitized studio and does sound for a day job (well he just found out the venue he works for is closing, but that's another tangent).

I love the art of recording.
 
Started as a recording engineer then eventually transitioned into mastering (it's a longer story than that). I haven't tracked a record in over twenty years. The business has definitely changed since I started.

It can be addictive, I understand completely.

I'm a monthly subscriber to TapeOp. Mix has lost its luster over the past decade.

Good luck to your brother.
 
The Squirrel said:
Started as a recording engineer then eventually transitioned into mastering (it's a longer story than that). I haven't tracked a record in over twenty years. The business has definitely changed since I started.

It can be addictive, I understand completely.

I'm a monthly subscriber to TapeOp. Mix has lost its luster over the past decade.

Good luck to your brother.
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Ah, a mastering engineer, you must have them "golden ears"! I'm guessing your not joe lambert, and I suppose you could work at Sterling, but I'm guessing battery 😛 . Also your not exhibiting the ego manic personality that mastering engineers are know for.

In all seriousness, mastering and mixing is a skill that is very impressive, and I can't imagine the amount of hours that skill takes to be forged.
 
Jmann said:
Ah, a mastering engineer, you must have them "golden ears"! I'm guessing your not joe lambert, and I suppose you could work at Sterling, but I'm guessing battery 😛 . Also your not exhibiting the ego manic personality that mastering engineers are know for.

In all seriousness, mastering and mixing is a skill that is very impressive, and I can't imagine the amount of hours that skill takes to be forged.
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hint:
1518406149056.png1518406149056.png1518406149056.png1518406149056.png

😀

could be more, another year has passed!
 
Jmann said:
but I'm guessing battery 😛 .
In all seriousness, mastering and mixing is a skill that is very impressive, and I can't imagine the amount of hours that skill takes to be forged.
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Good guess. As far as the amount of hours...it's already been stated in another thread; I don't ride my bike enough.

fidodie said:
hint:
View attachment 63553View attachment 63553View attachment 63553View attachment 63553

😀 could be more, another year has passed!
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there are others.
 
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