Evolution of My Recorded Music

I never did get involved with the 8-track music because of the poor quality, and maybe it was a little before my time. :) My music collection started with 33 rpm and 78 rpm LP records, and over several years my music library became a nice collection of my favorite music. I also kept updating my equipment so I could get the best quality that was possible. It finally dawned on me that the newest and greatest music storage device was the cassette tape, which was probably several years after the cassette really became popular -- I normally am a little slow where new technology is concerned.

Now the evolution process begins with the transfer of my music from records to cassette tapes which takes a lot of money to update to the proper equipment and bunches of time to transfer the music.

I am now set for years of music enjoyment listening to all my favorite songs on the most modern of music storage devices. Then one day I happened to catch part of a conversation about "Music on a CD" which was Greek to me. After a couple of years I realized that the "CD" was really the way to go -- I told you earlier that I was slow.

Since there wasn't a way to transfer my cassette music to CD I just started purchasing music on CD, and after spending a lot of money on new equipment I am back in the music business again.

I just discovered that there was equipment available to transfer cassette music to my computer and then burn the music to a CD. After spending some money on this equipment I am now in the process of making CDs with all of my old cassette music on them. I also had been introduced to the MP3 player recently so I am putting some of this music on one of those also.

I will now have my music (or some of it) on cassette, CD , MP3 player, 3 different computers, USB storage devices and smart phone. I hope there is not anymore music storage devices on the market that I have not heard about or that may be in the development stages -- because I just don't have the room to store anymore music storage devices.

BUSY WEEK

This week sure has been a busy one so far. Somehow when I was off work for two weeks the paper work did not stop and that created a lot of catch up work along with my day to day chores. We have to take inventory twice a year (July and January) so that little project also created some extra work this week. It is hard to believe that a little frame shop can have 20K worth of inventory, but all the moulding, mats, glass, fastners, prints, and finished inventory adds up in a hurry. I guess I had better get busy selling some of the inventory.

I have to go by the hospital today when I get off work to see my good friend Bob Marshall who is having a heart procedure done this morning. Please pray for a sucessful procedure and a quick recovery. Bob and I call each other cousins because his birth mother was a Wells and lived in Canton, NC where I had a lot of kin people. It also seems at times that we are both full of bull!

Sometime this week I have to pick up my deer sausage and that is a 1 1/2 hour trip -- oh well maybe I should not have shot "Bambi".

Kathy's mother has been visiting with us since New Years Day and we will have to take her back to Hendersonville this coming Friday. I know that she will be glad to leave since I had a big list of chores for her to do while visiting -- I did not see any reason for her to just sit around and get bored. :)

One of our Grandsons (Tristan) will turn 8 this coming Saturday and we will be going to a birthday party that afternoon. -- WOW all the grands are growing up in a hurry!

Maybe on the 7th day I can rest like it was intended for man to do. That would be great!!

Year 2008 in Review

I lost my job early in November of 2007 and had complete knee replacement on November 27th, so 2008 started out with some physical therapy taking place on my knee and lots of questions concerning future employment. When I had my knee surgery the ulnar nerve in my left arm was damaged somehow so I had to have surgery on my elbow on February 9, 2008. They operated on my elbow, but for some reason I had one heck of a time with my wrist swelling and throbbing as if they had crushed it with a sledge hammer during the surgery.
Going into March I was getting around good with my new knee and my arm was doing OK, so Kathy decided that the inside of the house needed to be painted, and since I was not employed I got selected as the painter. While doing the painting I had a real mental lapse and thought that crown moulding would really set the new paint job off. I had never done anything like putting up crown moulding before and I have no intention of ever doing it again, but it does look good with the new paint job.
In April I made the decision to start drawing my social security and would look for some part time work later in the year. I got a call from one of my friends in late April wanting me to go to work for the S C Department of Corrections managing the Prison Industries Frame Shop. May 19th I began my new career and I look forward to going to work every day -- I love my job. What a blessing it is to like what you are doing -- It sure beats the heck out of selling construction equipment for a living - the pay is not as good, but money can't buy happiness.
When I turned my life over to God a few years ago my life has consistently improved each and every day since then. There have been several things that occurred over the last several years that I thought were not in my best interest, but each and every one of those occurrences have proven to be a blessing to me and my family.
2008 is coming to an end in a couple of days and what a ride it has been. I am excited about the new year and look forward to whatever God has planned for me and my family in 2009.

Papa Elf and all the Kentucky Elves

Momo Elf and all the Lexington Elves

"BAILOUT"

I have 7 (seven) words that I would like to say about Wall Street & the Auto Industry bailouts.

"Whatever happened to the free enterprise system"

"The Second Great Depression"

We have a customer (Warren Brussee) that we do framing for that has written a book entitled "The Second Great Depression" that was published in 2005. Mr. Brussee spent 33 years at GE as an engineer, plant manager, and engineering manager. His responsibilities included manufacturing plants in the USA, Hungary, and China. Keep in mind that this book was published in 2005.
This is a frightening book. It shows how massive consumer debt will trigger the next depression, starting about the year 2007 and ending in 2020.
The exuberance resulting from the overheated stock market of the 90s caused consumers to stop saving and go into debt. Then the dramatic drop in mortgage rates enable people to refinance their homes and go even further into debt. People are no longer living on what they can afford; instead they are living the lifestyle they think they deserve, costs be damned!
In this depression, the United States will be brought to its knees. But not unlike the mythical bird Phoenix that dies in flames and is then reborn out of its own ashes, the United States will also be reborn. However, it will be a poorer and less arrogant country that emerges from its own ashes.
I have read a little over half of this book and what Mr. Brussee predicted 4 to 5 years ago is all coming true, and if all of his predictions are correct we had better buckle our seat belts and get ready for a bumpy ride.
This book is available at most book stores.

Ater Christmas Dinner

WOW, I have never seen so much food eaten by so few people. The guys are now watching a movie, but I am not sure they will be able to stay awake after eating everything they ate. If you ever want your cooking appreciated, just cook a meal for inmates. Time is running short for me at the frame shop this year as I will be taking off for a couple of weeks beginning 12/18 and I will not return to work until 1/5/09. I just don't know where this year has gone, but there is not much left of 2008. I would bet that Kathy already has things lined up for me to do around the house.
Merry Christmas to everyone!!

Christmas Dinner

Tomorrow is a big day for the inmates that work for me here at the frame shop / computer refurbishing shop. They will get a big dinner tomorrow that is not prison food, and they are as excited as little kids. I am going to smoke a turkey tonight, Kathy is making a mashed potato casserole and baking some chocolate chip cookies -- we also have dressing left from Thanksgiving that has been in the freezer. The gentleman that we work with from the department of education is frying some cat fish, making a green bean casserole, boiling corn, and baking an apple pie. Wow, I am getting hungry just typing this. The inmates have also requested that they be allowed to watch a DVD after lunch and the movie they want to see is 300. I bought this DVD and watched part of it this weekend and I told them that it is a terrible movie, but they still want to see it. Tomorrow will be a GREAT DAY!!!

THANKFUL

Years ago I started out with nothing and I still have at least half of it, and I am learning every day to be thankful for all that I have including the half of nothing I still have. :) This morning I just got another reminder of how good God has been to me.
Once a year during the holiday season we are allowed to have a snack day for the inmates that work for us. I stopped at Bojangles this morning and loaded up on chicken and bo biscuits. I did not know that a little food could make a person so happy, but the inmates said, "that was the first real food they had tasted in a year" and I can tell you that they were very thankful for it. The inmates were also given a bunch of trail mix by Mrs.Cathy, and they were as excitied as little children in a toy store.
This Thursday is Thanksgiving and I know that each of us has an abundance of things to be thankful for, so let's just remember who the Great Provider is and take time to praise him for all that he has given us.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE!