Folk Night. Friday June 13, 2008. I'll take Clark Johnson over Lyle Lovett any day.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
Goodbye Nalgenes
Since Thermo Fisher announced that their popular Nalgene Outdoor bottle contains BPA, I have felt a deep sense of loss. I have been a long time user of Nalgenes--I currently own 10. Those Nalgenes and I have been through a lot together: up to the Living Room, Big Cottonwood, Grand Canyon. I use them at work. They're more than just a means to carry liquid--they are friends, companions. We hike together, road trip together, share our experiences together. They have provided me life-giving waters. They have given me Gatorade. I've even used them to make chocolate pudding out on the trail. They're not just bottles--they are a part of me.
I'm less worried about the biological effects of the BPA I have consumed than the lifestyle change of using another bottle. It's like breaking up--you've been together so long, you don't know if you could ever be with someone else. And what do you do with all the pictures, the mementos? Just toss them? I'm not quite ready to do that. I'll just have to ease into a new path of life, a new social circle, a new outdoor bottle. Goodbye Nalgenes, I'll never forget our times together, and what you gave me!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
New Sheets
I wore out my second pair of sheets last week. Have you ever done that? I woke up and there was a big tear down the middle. I didn't know sheets could wear out like that. I thought, "Maybe I can just sew it up." The surrounding area was too worn out for that--anywhere I would pull to test the strength "rippp!" another tear.
I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond to look for a new set. Sheets are expensive! Eighty and 90 dollars a set! I found a set that was on sale for $62.99, still a lot money. "I wonder if I have any of those Bed, Bath and Beyond coupons that come in the mail," I thought. Do you get those? I checked the junk mail pile at home--nothing. I asked my parents. They had one but it had expired. Not to worry, two days later another one showed up.
So tonight I went to the store, armed with my 20% off coupon. I figured that with 20% off I could weigh the options and get something that I really liked. So I started pulling sets off the shelf to compare. My main criteria was color. I was leaning toward the greenish ones. I walked up and down the aisles looking for reasonably priced green ones (that is, less than $80 retail). And then I found the clearance section. Apparently, the Bed, Bath and Beyond brand is only $29.99 for a king set. But, they were on clearance for $19.97. Subtract 20%, and you get $15.98. $15.98! But they weren't my first choice of color. They were also on 250 thread count instead of 300. The 300 thread count was $64.99. I kept looking at the two: "this one is the color I like. . . but this one is only $15. But I like the color better on this one. . . but this one is only $15. Sixty-five dollars. . . or fifteen dollars." I deliberated for the better part of 40 minutes.
I bought the $15 set. I'm so proud of myself. They aren't wrinkle-free like the other ones, but they were only $15. I ironed the pillowcases so now there's only a hint of wrinkles on those, and I think after a few nights, I'll totally forget the other color. Good job, Spence. Way to live cheap.
I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond to look for a new set. Sheets are expensive! Eighty and 90 dollars a set! I found a set that was on sale for $62.99, still a lot money. "I wonder if I have any of those Bed, Bath and Beyond coupons that come in the mail," I thought. Do you get those? I checked the junk mail pile at home--nothing. I asked my parents. They had one but it had expired. Not to worry, two days later another one showed up.
So tonight I went to the store, armed with my 20% off coupon. I figured that with 20% off I could weigh the options and get something that I really liked. So I started pulling sets off the shelf to compare. My main criteria was color. I was leaning toward the greenish ones. I walked up and down the aisles looking for reasonably priced green ones (that is, less than $80 retail). And then I found the clearance section. Apparently, the Bed, Bath and Beyond brand is only $29.99 for a king set. But, they were on clearance for $19.97. Subtract 20%, and you get $15.98. $15.98! But they weren't my first choice of color. They were also on 250 thread count instead of 300. The 300 thread count was $64.99. I kept looking at the two: "this one is the color I like. . . but this one is only $15. But I like the color better on this one. . . but this one is only $15. Sixty-five dollars. . . or fifteen dollars." I deliberated for the better part of 40 minutes.
I bought the $15 set. I'm so proud of myself. They aren't wrinkle-free like the other ones, but they were only $15. I ironed the pillowcases so now there's only a hint of wrinkles on those, and I think after a few nights, I'll totally forget the other color. Good job, Spence. Way to live cheap.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Lonnie
My guitar is my favorite possession. Possession, however, isn't quite the right word. Really, it's a relationship, not a consumer/product arrangement, but rather a team of equals. We met in 2001. I was working as a guitar instructor and she was hanging beautifully on the wall.
She's a Larrivee L-05: solid wood mahogany back and sides, solid sitka spruce top. Appointments are classy, understated: abalone rosette, maple wood binding, ebony fingerboard, inlaid silver Larrivee headstock logo, and a clear pick-guard to let her beauty shine through.
I bought my first guitar back in high school. It's a Washburn dreadnaught style. It worked well for several years, until I started hanging out in the 'expensive guitar' section of the music shop. I spent hours playing and talking to Tom at Local Music.
One day Tom was being particularly helpful. He would hand me one guitar and then another. I would play a few minutes on each, sizing up the sound. Most of the guitars in the shop were upwards of $3,000, most decidedly out of my price range (which at the time was about $5). One of them was a Larrivee L-05. I kept wanting to play it again and again, and decided, when I have the money, that's the guitar I want.
While working as a guitar instructor at Summerhays music, they ordered two L-05's. I was so happy. Between lessons I would go out and pull one off the rack and play. I longed to buy one, but the sticker price was more than I could afford. Until I talked to the manager. He would give me 10% over cost. Still a lot of money, but I wouldn't get a better price. I bought one. Biggest check I'd ever written, and to this day not a twinge of regret.
Although Lonnie and I have only known each other six years, it seems much longer. Each time we are together we grow more fond of one another. There is no guitar but Lonnie for me. I've never met one with whom I feel as comfortable. She's heard my songs many times and always knows if I am excited, happy, sad, angry, or tired. Behind every great player there is an even greater guitar, and this is certainly true of our relationship.
Thanks, Lonnie, for your hard work, dedication, commitment, and love. Yours always,
Spencer
She's a Larrivee L-05: solid wood mahogany back and sides, solid sitka spruce top. Appointments are classy, understated: abalone rosette, maple wood binding, ebony fingerboard, inlaid silver Larrivee headstock logo, and a clear pick-guard to let her beauty shine through.
I bought my first guitar back in high school. It's a Washburn dreadnaught style. It worked well for several years, until I started hanging out in the 'expensive guitar' section of the music shop. I spent hours playing and talking to Tom at Local Music.
One day Tom was being particularly helpful. He would hand me one guitar and then another. I would play a few minutes on each, sizing up the sound. Most of the guitars in the shop were upwards of $3,000, most decidedly out of my price range (which at the time was about $5). One of them was a Larrivee L-05. I kept wanting to play it again and again, and decided, when I have the money, that's the guitar I want.
While working as a guitar instructor at Summerhays music, they ordered two L-05's. I was so happy. Between lessons I would go out and pull one off the rack and play. I longed to buy one, but the sticker price was more than I could afford. Until I talked to the manager. He would give me 10% over cost. Still a lot of money, but I wouldn't get a better price. I bought one. Biggest check I'd ever written, and to this day not a twinge of regret.
Although Lonnie and I have only known each other six years, it seems much longer. Each time we are together we grow more fond of one another. There is no guitar but Lonnie for me. I've never met one with whom I feel as comfortable. She's heard my songs many times and always knows if I am excited, happy, sad, angry, or tired. Behind every great player there is an even greater guitar, and this is certainly true of our relationship.
Thanks, Lonnie, for your hard work, dedication, commitment, and love. Yours always,
Spencer
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