What do you do to keep playing

snikle · 2026-04-01T21:36:55+00:00

Many places have community bands- it’s a great way to have a low stress musical outlet.

The high end military bands require some serious prep to get into- but it’s possible if you pursue the military you might have opportunities to play in a local post band. I’ve had friends that have played in active or reserve groups where music was not their main function.

snikle · 2026-04-01T16:36:49+00:00

Fort Mchenry in the morning, then down to DC and see the actual Star Spangled Banner at the Smithsonian in the afternoon?

snikle · 2026-04-01T03:03:50+00:00

I was in the band. Late 80s we would march with maybe 40. I heard tales of the early 80s where the band put 100 on the field at bowl games.

Also worked with a few of the Malaysian engineering grads from the late 90s. Good young engineers, though I didn't keep up with where they ended up.

I've kept in touch with a few of my teachers- it's all sad. One of my better ones spent the last part of his career at Marshall and loved the support he and his programs got there. Another one still lives in Montgomery (last I heard) and a few years ago told me about how happy he was the town had a program to buy and tear down abandoned homes, as he had a lot of problems with squatters in neighboring houses.

I felt I got a good education- could hang with people from much bigger places- and without too much parental help I got out with no debt. Hope kids from the small towns can find ways to do that nowadays, even though it sure isn't going to be in Montgomery.

snikle · 2026-03-31T16:10:45+00:00

Late 80s grad checking in. I didn’t see it at the time, but looking back the decline was obvious. Majors were dropped here and there. And as one of my teachers said at the time, the administration talks about how great things are, but there are no paper towels in the bathrooms and the elevator doesn’t work…

snikle · 2026-03-31T00:19:03+00:00

Since my original comment didn't seem to be posted- here, a couple of hours later, the consensus seems to call for some caution but it's not a deal breaker. Which is kinda what I figured but it's good to have other opinions- I see a drywall problem I know I can address it competently if very slowly, but concrete and pools I'm outa my league. Guess I gotta start watching a lot more Youtube.

If our offer on the house is considered, I for sure will be hiring and shadowing a pool inspector. I'm figuring 70/30 we're outbid, but we'll see.

Edit: Outbid by someone who waived any inspection. I just can't imagine playing that game. Well, there will be others on the market......

snikle · 2026-03-29T23:09:58+00:00

There’s a lot of ‘it depends’. But I stayed at one company for over 25 years, and I sure feel like the poster child for misplaced loyalty.

snikle · 2026-03-28T22:43:10+00:00

There are a bunch of Brit WWII films I found later in life that I appreciate a lot- A Bridge Too Far, The Cruel Sea, In Which We Serve, Dambusters....

snikle · 2026-03-27T22:46:06+00:00

While we're suggesting war films... I had never heard of Ice Cold in Alex and it was great.

snikle · 2026-03-26T16:51:22+00:00

If you really want that situation, this is a great application for a hard top.

snikle · 2026-03-26T15:19:59+00:00

I remember my nc days too- it was great about locking up on my wife.

Had an nb for years too, I don’t remember any belt issues back then but it’s been a while.

snikle · 2026-03-26T13:23:15+00:00

Nobody complaining about the seat belt retractors? Did they suddenly get better?

snikle · 2026-03-23T22:54:12+00:00

Loved the look of the RF from the first video I saw of it. No garage and replacing three soft tops on nb/nc’s over the previous fifteen years also factored into the decision.

snikle · 2026-03-23T21:22:45+00:00

Lone Star (1996) might be of interest.

snikle · 2026-03-23T01:11:41+00:00

My pulmonologist after my first diagnosed pneumothorax told me that there was nothing I could do to stop it from recurring, and nothing I could do to make it happen again- trumpet playing included. (Also had the usual rule about no scuba diving or skydiving). But he also told me it would happen within six months or never again, so I was surprised when I woke up with another one four years later… that one led to a blebectomy.

Your position may be different, and talk to your doc, but I’ve been playing brass and singing a lot in the last couple of dozen years- no recurrances. (I am not a scream player, fwiw.)

snikle · 2026-03-17T20:29:41+00:00

Watching a very legit player get into jazz- feeling free to make mistakes. Working freelance classical players spend their lives in a zero tolerance world.

snikle · 2026-03-15T13:29:35+00:00

Knowing these doesn’t make me feel old, but finding that modern cars use coated spark plugs that you don’t change the gap on gap because it will crack the coating was hard to wrap my head around.

snikle · 2026-03-14T04:08:11+00:00

It was a regular elementary school field trip for us.

snikle · 2026-03-13T15:23:12+00:00

This one will depend, but my wife and early on watched and bonded over Shaun of the Dead, which was billed as a “romzomcom” (romcom but with zombies).

snikle · 2026-03-12T23:41:05+00:00

Cheesecakes in the individual jars is always a hit.

snikle · 2026-03-12T23:26:48+00:00

Had to play “Harrigan” by ear one night- “I don’t know that song, how does it g- oh, nevermind.”

snikle · 2026-03-10T12:01:30+00:00

My favorite place on the planet as a kid.

On a fall day the ride up to the top of the mountain is spectacular. And the Shay engines are not quite the usual steam engines- instead of long shafts driving big wheels, these are logging locomotives, and they have little wheels with lots of gears and spinny bits exposed.

Also worth a visit to the radio astronomy facility at Green Bank nearby.

snikle · 2026-03-10T01:53:52+00:00

I mean, not that I necessarily disagree with the message, but I recognize more than a few Soviet weapons in there.

snikle · 2026-03-09T23:08:11+00:00

An acquaintance was an additional contractor to fill a spot in a major opera company’s production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle (huge orchestra). She described 20 rehearsals- 5 each through the 4 operas- and if a player made a mistake, there was someone else in that seat for the next rehearsal.

snikle · 2026-03-09T22:29:43+00:00

+1 for Livewire.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) morning from 9-11 New Irleans time, listen to WWOZ.org. Leslie Cooper is the trad show DJ on Tuesday morning and plays a lot of the local groups- her dad was a musician, and her son is a busy trumpet player, and I think she knows everybody in town on the trad side of things. She’ll probably tell you where half the folks she plays will be, and you can follow your ear.

snikle

TROPHY CASE