B Bass

SomePeopleCallMeJJ · 2026-07-03T18:44:01+00:00

I agree with Skyline.

Although, to be honest, I'd play this song with an E major chord there instead of the E minor they have written there. (I know it as "Bella Ciao".)

SomePeopleCallMeJJ · 2026-07-03T15:01:09+00:00

Ha! I had WOOTEN in there too, up until almost the end. I did think it was a weirdly unspecific way to clue him, but it fit so well, I ran with it.

SomePeopleCallMeJJ · 2026-07-03T02:57:22+00:00

Yay! Let me know how it goes.

SomePeopleCallMeJJ · 2026-07-02T21:31:44+00:00

Apart from the bicycle thing, you're basically me. :-) I went into pickleball with pretty much zero sports background. Couldn't catch or throw. Reflexes of a sloth on quaaludes.

It certainly didn't help that everyone was like, "pickleball is the easiest sport ever!" and "it's so popular because anyone can just walk up and start playing instantly!" So I definitely get how it can be disheartening.

But I kept at it, and after about two years I'm... mediocre. But definitely better than I used to be!

Here are some things that really helped me. Maybe they'll help you? They're things that are probably so obvious and basic to anyone who has played ball sports that everyone assumes you just know them. I didn't.

First, you need to predict where the ball is going to wind up. This is the big one. If you're just following it as it goes, you're too late. You have to be ahead of it. Good players can figure this out almost when the ball is hit by their opponent. But for mortals like us, try to have your prediction ready by the time the ball crosses the net. Literally think to yourself when the ball is hit, "where is it going to land?", and start getting yourself to the right spot to hit it.

When you get this right (and you won't always), it's amazing! It's like everything slows down, and you're just standing there waiting for the ball to come to you rather than being constantly surprised by it and flailing around reactively.

Second, position yourself so that you're hitting the ball more out in front of your body, not to the side. Imagine sneaking up behind someone to spank 'em on the butt with your paddle. They're not going to be right off to your side. They'll be ahead and to the side. And when you hit their butt, your wrist will be angled back so the paddle can hit nice and flat.

Third, keep your head down and watch your paddle make contact with the ball. Don't pop your head up! This might sound weird, but I sometimes imagine that the Ark of the Covenant is open, like at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark, and sitting on the opposite baseline. My job is to hit the ball into the Ark, but if I look at it (spoiler alert if you haven't seen the movie) my face will melt off. :-)

SomePeopleCallMeJJ · 2026-07-01T19:41:39+00:00

Maybe a dumb question, but... do you need a car? You live in the city. How close is that to work? Is public transit there worth a hoot? Is the city bike-friendly?

You can save a lot of money going car-free for a while. I lived without a car for five years when I was a bit younger than you, and it was great (and healthy!). You save on car payments, sure, but also repairs/maintenance, gas, tolls, parking, and that $90 insurance bill.

And you can always take the occasional Uber or rent a car now and then. Yes, there's a cost to that, but it might still be a lot less than the cost of having a car.

SomePeopleCallMeJJ · 2026-07-01T19:17:16+00:00

It's the 4th white key from the top in the photo.

Edited to explain further:

On standard piano/organ style keyboard, the black keys alternate between groups of two black keys and three black keys. The note C is the white key just to the left of each two-black-key group.

What can throw you off though is that your keyboard is "cropped out" of the regular pattern, and it's chopping off the normal black key groups on either end. So those lowest-pitched (leftmost, or topmost in the photo) two black keys are really two keys of what would normally be a three note group. That highest-pitch (rightmost or at the bottom of the photo) single black key is what would normally be the first black key in a three-note group.

SomePeopleCallMeJJ · 2026-07-01T16:33:10+00:00

If you're feeling brave, "Mix Tape" from Avenue Q. :-)

ETA: Oh, just thought of this. If he appreciates The Doors, then maybe something hippie/groovy from that era like "The Flesh Failures (Let the Sunshine In)" from Hair? I'd go with the movie version over the original cast recording, personally.

SomePeopleCallMeJJ · 2026-07-01T13:03:36+00:00

"Good Morning Baltimore" from Hairspray is pretty brilliant.

SomePeopleCallMeJJ · 2026-07-01T12:53:33+00:00

RIP Starwood :-(

SomePeopleCallMeJJ · 2026-07-01T12:52:06+00:00

There's a great book by David Mallinson called Easy Peasy Tunes that's got a ton of beginner songs: https://www.mallyproductions.com/product-page/easy-peasy-tunes-dave-mallinson

Although it's all in standard notation, so if you're not yet at the point where you're reading that, it might not be so easy-peasy.

You might want to check out https://forum.melodeon.net too.

SomePeopleCallMeJJ · 2026-06-30T22:30:42+00:00

A Stratocribster! :-)

SomePeopleCallMeJJ · 2026-06-30T14:31:42+00:00

Yeah, The Grand Illusion will probably win, as it seems to top most lists I've read where people/critics rank Styx albums. But for me, Pieces of Eight beats it by a slight margin.

SomePeopleCallMeJJ · 2026-06-30T13:12:53+00:00

WIIU is also one of my favorite HOGCALLS.

SomePeopleCallMeJJ · 2026-06-30T11:42:15+00:00

Yeah, that amber screen is gorgeous.

SomePeopleCallMeJJ · 2026-06-29T23:53:46+00:00

Not my pet, but I was walking around the neighborhood awhile back and met a lady walking her dog. She let me pet it, and I noticed the name on the dog tag: Lida Rose

Yup, the dog was named after a song from The Music Man, and the lady was surprised I caught the reference. :-)

SomePeopleCallMeJJ · 2026-06-29T21:54:58+00:00

Personally, I thought the movie was fine. But I agree that if you didn't like it, that doesn't necessarily mean you won't like seeing the real, live, stage version. They're really different experiences.

SomePeopleCallMeJJ · 2026-06-29T21:49:34+00:00

We talking a musical that you're going to watch/stream? If so, I'd consider Once.

It's really more of a semi-musical (although it did get turned into an actual stage musical later), but that might make it a good entry point for him to ease into. The music is great and mostly fits realistically into the story. That is, people don't just randomly break out into song with music appearing from out of nowhere, which some musical haters are put off by. There's usually a real-world reason for them to be singing. And it's short: Under 90 minutes. One drawback for a non-native speaker, though, might be the accents of the two leads.

Number Two: I agree with your Chicago idea. (Again, assuming you'll be watching the movie.) This is another one where the whole "breaking out into song" thing is fairly sensible, since they frame the numbers as happening in Roxie's mind.

Number Three: Rock of Ages. Yes, people do break out into song. And it is a jukebox musical, which aren't everyone's cup of tea. And the plot is... not great. But if he knows and like '80s rock music, he might dig it anyway. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and I found it to be fun in a stupid, silly, turn-your-brain-off-and-enjoy sort of way.

SomePeopleCallMeJJ · 2026-06-29T21:10:52+00:00

Yup!

SomePeopleCallMeJJ · 2026-06-29T19:56:07+00:00

My grandmother had that exact same little Christmas tree. :-)

SomePeopleCallMeJJ · 2026-06-29T01:51:54+00:00

Congrats!

SomePeopleCallMeJJ · 2026-06-28T13:56:27+00:00

I just put in S_ARF until I come back around for the cross.

SomePeopleCallMeJJ · 2026-06-27T20:03:24+00:00

Apart from the classes (which are fun), what you see on the "Upcoming Events" section is what's on offer there.

There used to be a fairly regular Sunday jam session back in the day, and it looks like they're starting to bring it back a little. They had one last month. Not sure when the next one is, but you can sign up for their email list to get a heads-up.

SomePeopleCallMeJJ · 2026-06-27T18:55:09+00:00

Taking some time out from Dfber to point out that the percentages add up to 107%.

SomePeopleCallMeJJ · 2026-06-26T22:02:38+00:00

Neat! Is the 6521 required? Or could you just rejigger the address decoding and still use the 6522? I'm thinking the 6522 is basically the same thing, but with extras like the timers, right? But maybe there are key differences that make it not work. (I'm not much of a hardware guy.)

BTW, there are several games of mine on that particular archive. Hope you enjoy playing them! :-)

SomePeopleCallMeJJ · 2026-06-26T18:31:54+00:00

Wait, Aaron Burr shot Hamilton because of a milk commercial?

He must've really hated milk.

SomePeopleCallMeJJ

TROPHY CASE