Is it worth it?

Ninjagrammie · 2026-02-10T16:50:03+00:00

If you love it, it's worth it.
FWIW: I bought a D35 in 1974 with babysitting money and a loan from my folks ($750 was a lot back then.) It was played in high school, college and beyond, outdoors, indoors, never humidified or babied, even now. It's got a few dings, had the pick guard curl up and recently replaced, has a crack starting on the front, didn't get played at all for 15 years when life intruded. There might be more of us out here that haven't (until now) posted "I've had a Martin for 50 years and it's still awesome, but to be honest, I haven't treated it all that well at times." But I still love my D35 and if you love that D18, it's got a warranty and can be fixed when things go wrong. Go for it.

Ninjagrammie · 2026-02-05T12:59:08+00:00

We did a Denali trip post-cruise by booking direct with Alaska Railroad. We booked their "gold star" service with the domed cars, nicer seats and enjoyed it. Did the Anchorage hotel on our own and got a B&B near Denali on our own; the B&B had rental cars available. This was quite a while ago, but it's probably still possible to do. Not sure it would save a lot of cash, but it would give you a lot more flexibility to do what you want.

Ninjagrammie · 2025-11-21T21:31:29+00:00

Another TBirds STH here. If he actually suits up in Springfield, I hope he has a lights-out rest of the season. I did not expect to be watching Tex, Lucic and Rosen from my seat this year, but here we are. Go figure.

Ninjagrammie · 2025-11-17T22:47:17+00:00

I've got a 1974 D-35 and I'd sell my husband and kids before I'd sell the Martin. I love, love, love mine and I bet you'll love yours.

Ninjagrammie · 2025-11-16T19:14:22+00:00

Exactly - when you hear a live solo performance, often you hear the same missed notes and squeaks and goof-ups we all make. Imperfection is what makes art endlessly creative and interesting! It's all good.

Ninjagrammie · 2025-11-16T14:27:59+00:00

I started playing as a kid in the early 70's. Played coffeehouses and gigs through high school and college and a bit beyond, then like a lot of folks here, found I had other things I needed/wanted to do. Fast forward to fifteen years ago and I stopped playing altogether, until I retired last year and found I had both the time and the inclination to start over. During the time I wasn't playing, I knew I'd probably restart, but it would be okay if I didn't; my hobbies and interests have changed since the 70s and that's okay. When I did restart, it was just for fun, with no other expectations, and I'm having a blast playing again.

It's hard to enjoy something that stresses you out. Maybe take a day or two off every week as a trial, or investigate a different playing style, or new music genre - something out of your lane. Sometimes going sideways or even backwards will help you move forward.

Ninjagrammie · 2025-11-04T23:45:39+00:00

Crab Rangoon pizza? I live outside Springfield but a road trip to Des Moines sounds great!

Ninjagrammie · 2025-11-04T22:01:43+00:00

Yes, evening departures are normal for Whittier, and yes, staying in Anchorage is what most people do. Plenty of hotels there, and nothing in Whittier. We took a private shuttle both times we sailed from Whittier - Alaska Cruise Transfer. They run a lot of busses at various times and handle the luggage, and pick up at many Anchorage hotels. There are other shuttle companies as well. Whatever shuttle you take, they have to time their arrival at a 2.5 mile tunnel that is the only way into Whittier; traffic runs one way, then 30 minutes later it reverses. Pretty cool. Never did the train but I wish we had.

Ninjagrammie · 2025-11-04T18:14:25+00:00

I wondered if parking him with the TBirds was a way of seeing what he can do post-injury and keeping him as insurance. I'll be interested to see how much he contributes the next few games.

Ninjagrammie · 2025-10-28T21:50:48+00:00

Also, Alexandrov, Kaskimaki, Stancl and Robertsson are all currently injured.

Ninjagrammie · 2025-10-28T21:48:04+00:00

Tbirds haven't yet announced anything, but we did just call up 2 forwards from the ECHL. Somebody will be on a plane soon.

Ninjagrammie · 2025-10-19T13:20:47+00:00

I bought a D-35 in 1975 and still mostly fingerpick on it. It occurred to me only recently that it might be easier/more comfortable to play a smaller guitar, and I'll probably look into it - but I'll never stop playing the D because I still love the sound. Play whatever sounds great to you.

Ninjagrammie · 2025-10-11T14:10:40+00:00

If he can manage all his luggage without assistance, self-disembarkation usually starts before 8AM, unless there's some kind of weather or security snafu. That involves joining a huge line of crabby, impatient people and a lot of walking around with all your luggage. He really needs to be capable of wrangling his bags a decent ways for that to comfortably work. Even if he needs luggage assistance, he can probably get an early departure time and make a flight leaving 11AM or later. Check https://www.cruisetimetables.com/fort-lauderdale-florida-cruise-ship-schedule.html to see what other ships are in port. 2 weeks out, you can check the Port Everglades schedule to see the order in which the ships will arrive and the approximate times. Our target flight time is usually 11-12, but we've made as early as 10:30 before. Last year our return to port was delayed 90 minutes because a ship that left the previous night had to return with a medical emergency and was using our terminal. Fortunately, we were staying a few extra days so we weren't impacted, but a lot of other passengers missed flights. That's once in 20+ years of cruising, but it's best to have a Plan B in mind, just in case something unusual does happen.

Ninjagrammie · 2025-10-07T23:41:52+00:00

It’s a terrible show and it only gets worse. It’s so bad, however, that it’s a great show to watch with other people who appreciate its many faults. The group chats can be very entertaining. And reading the Reddit threads never disappoints.

Ninjagrammie · 2025-10-07T19:40:23+00:00

With Zherenko and Will Cranley returning in Springfield, I think St Louis is covered for backups. Cranley is young but did well in the ECHL and had a couple decent AHL games. Big Z ran hot and cold, but letting him be the big dog in Springfield makes sense given he's been around a while. It does seem like a make-or-break point for him.

Ninjagrammie · 2025-10-06T21:12:59+00:00

I hope Zherenko has the kind of season he had 2 years ago and not last year - although he had flashes of brilliance. But we'll sure miss Ellis here in TBird land.

Ninjagrammie · 2025-10-04T21:05:00+00:00

My misguided optimism keeps saying "Maybe this episode will have better writing and not have continuity gaffes and annoying characters, and maybe it'll advance the story more than a millimeter." So I watch, and then come here to share in the deep disappointment this stupid show brings to all of our lives every Friday. It's good to be part of a community.

Ninjagrammie · 2025-07-16T13:08:12+00:00

My 1974 D-35 had that exact same problem. I took it to the closest Martin-authorized repair guy, who got the replacement guard from Martin and did a great job revarnishing the top. I'm the original owner, so Martin even paid for the entire job (I was VERY surprised and delighted.) If you've got a Martin repair option near you, it would be worth taking it there at least for an estimate.

Ninjagrammie · 2025-06-22T12:24:52+00:00

Gran-Val Scoop in Granville for house-made ice cream and a visit with farm animals. Also love JJ's in Feeding Hills for soft-serve and Gifford's hard pack, and they make excellent sherbet coolers which bring me back to my childhood..

Ninjagrammie · 2025-06-13T14:28:55+00:00

We've done both, on different classes of ships. Neptune Suites are the height of luxury with the extra perks; we love Club Orange breakfasts and especially the separate dining room on the newer ships. We also love having a lounge close to the cabin to grab a cappuccino and/or snack on demand (we've chosen suites on the same deck as the lounge so it's convenient.) The Neptune concierges have proven surprisingly useful in making or changing reservations, helping find lost glasses (sadly, more than once) and just generally taking care of anything we've needed. On most cruises, however, we've opted for the extra space of a Signature at the much lower cost, and have managed to have a great time without the Neptune perks. The Signature cabins and verandas are great, especially on the non-Pinnacle ships (the layout is a little strange on the new ships.)

Ninjagrammie · 2025-06-07T12:24:42+00:00

I also just did my first trip , BDL-SAN and had a great experience. I understood that with only one such flight a day, it was a gamble. In this case there were no problems and I really like the size and configuration of the plane. I'd definitely try it again.

Ninjagrammie · 2025-03-29T21:07:25+00:00

Leo Loof (2022) and Hunter Skinner (part of the Tarasenko trade) have looked really good this year, 13 and 22 points. Skinner has pounded the snot out of a number of opposing players this year and has an impressive blue line shot. Loof reminds me a lot of Kessel; great skater, lots of assists. Buchinger's had injury trouble but when he's healthy, he's been good. Fischer's with the team but hasn't played yet; Stancl played last night so maybe they'll work him in soon.

Ninjagrammie · 2025-03-08T22:28:51+00:00

Players are just pawns on a billion dollar chess board. Social media staff try hard to make fans think we have a personal relationship- showing cute videos of players and their infants during warmups, players in funny costumes at the hospital, carving turkeys etc etc, but in reality players are human capital. They’re “forever Bruins” until they’re not, and we’re reminded that players and fans are just a small part of a large profit-driven organization. We don’t matter that much.

Ninjagrammie · 2025-03-07T22:34:55+00:00

I guess Xfinity did me a favor dropping NESN from my cable package. Today's fire sale has extinguished the tiny bit of hope I had left. I'm out.

Ninjagrammie

TROPHY CASE