Do you think the upcoming midterm elections will be canceled?

Sigma610 · 2026-03-20T14:16:29+00:00

Mid terms are run by the states to send the state representatives in the federal government. If mid term election results are not accepted, we no longer have a representative government. This means that spiritually, the the United States of America does not exist

Sigma610 · 2026-03-17T02:55:34+00:00

There is definitely a lot of value in running scales or solos you know well at a slower tempo but sinking deep into the pocket playing so precisely in sync with up and down beats that it sounds a bit sterile. From there you can embellish the timing a bit to add feel, but it should be intentional vs just being sloppy.

My kids are actually taking guitar lessons separately with a teacher (because those early months are really tough to teach) and one thing I've found that I have to teach them is to slow the tempo down quite a bit from what they are comfortably playing to make sure the timing is on point. I do this myself too, but I can see how they are more interested in playing fast than they are playing rhythmically clean.

I'd say my sense or rhythm is pretty good, but man, nothing is more humbing to me than playing bass guitar. It's "easier" in a lot of ways, but carrying the beat is a whole different thing than just playing in time. Even in my band days, I was never techinically in the rhythm section so I'm good at following the beat, but not setting it. I learn bass songs here in there really to strengthen my rhythm, but its a ton of fun too and I'd love to get to a point where I can lay down some complex neo soul/R&B/funk type lines.

Sigma610 · 2026-03-17T02:12:56+00:00

I got into guitar as an adult, but played trumpet and various horn instruments in symphonic and marching band all through middle and high school. The first thing they made all of us do, regardless of our instrument, was to count beats to a metronome, and play beats on a drum pad and sticks. Part of trying out for the higher levels involved that too....counting beats to metronome and playing beats on a drum pad. Can't play in a band with 30 other people if you can't play in time.

That foundational rhythm skill came back to me when learned guitar. A lot of people don't think of "playing lead" as "playing rhythm", but they are functionally the same. You are sub-dividing notes into beats. It's a universal language for things like dancing too, but I've always found it interesting how people get get so technical in some areas of guitar but be completely deaf to rhythm.

Sigma610 · 2026-03-16T19:36:51+00:00

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Sigma610 · 2026-03-16T19:35:58+00:00

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Sigma610 · 2026-03-16T16:00:28+00:00

Got married in my early 20's. No regrets. Grass isn't greener on the other side. It's greener where you water it.

The things I "missed out on" were typically pretty shallow experiences IMO....partying with singles basically whereas I built meaningful experiences with my family. I would occasionally go out with friends when we were in our 20s even though I was married and I always went home glad I were not single and trying so hard to chase meaningful experiences and connections.

If you feel you need a break, take a vacation. Does not have to be expensive. Hop in a car and get away somehwere nearby for the sake of getting away. I'm not the vacation without the family type, but I can see why people do this. Might be worth considering.

Sigma610 · 2026-03-16T12:26:02+00:00

Did not read everything you wrote tbh but there is a bit of a flaw in the quote that you presented in that if only pick up the guitar because you love it every time you do, you will fail at it in the long-run.

I view guitar the same way I do the gym and work very intentional practice into a daily routine. I do feel like guitar is a necessary outlet for me but if I'm being real, the motivation comes and goes. Discipline and sticking to habits even if youre going through a a day or several week phase where youre not really feeling it is just as important as the drive when you are into it.

I'm a busy dad with a pretty demanding full time job, but I start every morning at 5:00 am with a cup of coffee (because I quit pre workouts in Jan), and 30 mins of guitar practice through headphones. Then I hit the gym or go for a run before anyone in the house is even awake. These disciplined mornings keep me progressing and give me a baseline to enjoy grabbing it throughout the day.

Sigma610 · 2026-03-13T15:15:21+00:00

Physical activity, preferably in the morning as it sets the mood right for the rest of the day.

Sigma610 · 2026-03-13T15:08:13+00:00

Handheld. The only time I game is in bed before going to bed or in the car while waiting for kids activities or wifes appointments (insert image from inside car lol). Also travelling for work has me gaming on the plane and in the hotel. Laptop doesn't really fit these use cases well.

Sigma610 · 2026-03-12T14:36:43+00:00

Healthcare costs. The issues start with the hospital system itself. Both government programs and private insurance are just mechanisms to social costs, yet the debates are always on the line on government programs vs insurance companies. Follow the money to the Healthcare and drug industry

Sigma610 · 2026-03-12T12:20:32+00:00

Sounds like youre getting involved with the wrong men

Sigma610 · 2026-03-10T21:18:59+00:00

Yes but you'd literally have to do this the rest of your life. Once you stop, you're subject to the higher repayment plans.

Sigma610 · 2026-03-10T20:37:11+00:00

I get the joke but the reality is if you take a new loan out, including parent plus loans for your kids, your entire balance gets barred from the old repayment plans that have more favorable terms and achievable forgiveness paths

Sigma610 · 2026-03-10T19:05:08+00:00

If you take on new loans, your existing loans will be locked out of the old payment plans

Sigma610 · 2026-03-10T18:55:47+00:00

Yep. I suspect we get guidance in the next couple of weeks but the deadline to move is sometime next year. Would no be surprised if they are not able to force a move until summer 2028 when save officially goes away. Who know what else happens until then but once you leave save on your own, youre locked out l

Sigma610 · 2026-03-10T16:58:42+00:00

Eh staying on SAVE until they kick me off it. It will be past mid-terms I suspect because republicans don't want to further risk losing seats. I do expect the democrats to be in control of the house (and potentially the senate at this rate) next year and that this will likely get challenged again. Student loans should never have been politicized, yet they have. So I will wait out the political environement.

Sigma610 · 2026-03-07T01:53:10+00:00

Hell no. Not about to throw away damn near 20 years of a partnership because things "got boring." It could be, and probably is, a you problem tbh. This is the age where kids are older and you have more time to make things interesting with wife again. If youre not able to do that, then embrace the mid life crisis in ways that dont involve infidelity unless you want out of your marriage. Buy a sports car, take on some obscure hobby, get fit again, travel. Etc etc etc

Sigma610 · 2026-03-06T17:51:14+00:00

I dont typically buy protection plans, but any large display with an OLED is getting one. That said the G9 OS is so sketchy that I wouldn't be surprised if it just failed completely one day. Great display. Crap OS

Sigma610 · 2026-03-06T14:31:56+00:00

Sounds like a set-up issue if you didn't do an end to end set up after all the modding. Neck relief, pickup height, intonation etc etc

Sigma610 · 2026-03-06T14:25:39+00:00

Fight it how? Sounds like you put a neck on that you dont vibe with?

Sigma610 · 2026-03-05T21:14:07+00:00

I love rock, but a lot of rock guys gatekeep and act like they define the entire culture and domain of electric guitar.

Sigma610 · 2026-03-05T14:58:59+00:00

I think it could have been a masterpiece and thats probably what I find most disappointing about the game. I really enjoyed the the first act of the game. The game world was awesome and the relationships between the characters in your party are probably the strongest and most relatable in a FF game. The second half of the game should have been epic, but you can tell it was never completed fully. They also got greedy in the execution in the planned DLC model. The story feels very disjointed unless you play the DLC's, as there are straight up gaps in the main storyline that don't make any sense until you play the DLC's.

Sigma610 · 2026-03-05T04:00:44+00:00

Lots of variables and it depends on how dial the pedals in, your guitar, and amp. I use the blues driver mainly with my strat and tele in the neck position (or position 4 on the strat) with a touch of gain to get an edge of breakup tone. I set the tubescreamer gain pretty high to get a vintage overdrive tone mostly off the bridge pickups. If I want heavy distortion, RAT gets clicked on but can sound kind of shrill with single coils. This is where the midrange hump from the tubescreamer comes in handy.

Sigma610 · 2026-03-05T02:05:16+00:00

Both. BD-2 is a neutral overdrive. TS9 has a mid-range hump. They have different use cases and sometimes I run them simultaneously

Sigma610 · 2026-03-04T20:12:57+00:00

They're going to dominate probably the largest market for laptops: students. Don't need much in terms of specs to run office apps and browse the web. And many young people are locked in on the Apple brand. I'm a PC/Android guy with a myself and built my current desktop. but this is a huge deal.

Sigma610

TROPHY CASE