Drenched by a Wave of Nostalgia

Once upon a time, in the century past, I was forced to sell some personal items of value in order to pay my rent. Two vintage electric guitars and several dozen valuable comics.

-sigh-

Yesterday, I found this on eBay.

This is a 2007 release of my main guitar in my rocker days! It's an exact replica of the was my old SG Jr. looked when it was new. It wasn't new when I bought it for $200, but it had been treated nicely. It was the first real guitar I owned, and I made some changes that made it better. I replaced the stock trapeeze bridge with a Leo Quan Badass tunable bridge, and the old soap-bar pickup was replaced with a DiMarzio soap-bar humbucker in creme, and the old knobs gave way to gold barrel knobs.

The original tuning machines on my SG had been the open-gear, ultra cheapo ones Gibson used to offer, so I replaced them with nice chrome Schallers. I also replaced the strap pegs with Jim Dunlop Straplocks.

I bought mine when I was still in my late teens, in my first band Achilles. It was my main guitar in White Harlem, although I had bought a Stratocaster by that time, the SG was my main instrument. It was so light and easy to play. The 24.75" scale was perfect for my small hands and the mahogany neck and body had such a nice warm tone. I wish I had never sold it.

But now this one appears on eBay for $790 plus shipping!

I want it. I really want it. Even though I have a perfectly wonderful Carvin AE185 already, I still want it.

AIn't she pretty? Sweet, versatile and just about perfect. With all the pickup tonal options, Gina is all the guitar I should ever need.

But that's one of the curses of the guitar player. You always want more. I guess it's no different than anything else people geek about. You always want to collect more of the things you love. So the reasonable side of me says to be grateful for what I have. But the irrational side still wants to recapture that magic of my youth. Financially, I could swing it, but it would be a pretty hard hit and I just can't justify a luxury such as this right now.

But I really, really want this guitar.

A Very Welcome Early Spring.

It's Springtime here in the Twin Cities. It's an early one, too. An unusual one, since we had no blizzards at all during the state high school boys hockey tournament. For the first time in my memory, we had no, not one snowflake at all during the tournament last month. Or at all in March.

You can't tell me there's nothing to this global climate change.

However... we do have a nice spring at a time of year when other, warmer, states traditionally have a spring. We don't have to wait until May. The snow is all gone, I have been serenaded by cardinals every step of my daily walk to work. I have already seen two Blue Herons, on the same day, only minutes apart. The geese are back (stupid birds) and the ducks, seeking nesting spaces in our garden center again this year.

The weather is nice. I have a little cash in the bank account, thanks to our President's tax cuts for those of us making modest wages and my totally uncharacteristic filing of my taxes in early February.

I'm not running out of money before the next paycheck right now! This hasn't happened for too long a time. I ain't exactly flush, but I can eat better now. At least for awhile. I also really need to buy some shoes.

I encountered a sweet older couple, out for a walk one afternoon last week. As they got closer to me, I stepped off the sidewalk to let them have it to themselves, and the gentleman called out to me,
"Is that my favorite hardware store man?" Then he offered to shake my hand as we passed, which I gladly took. We wished each other happy afternoon and I walked the rest of the way home about six inches above the sidewalk. It feels so nice to be both recognized and appreciated.

Then yesterday, I met a new face at work. He was a big, blond guy (in Minnesota, imagine that!) named Don. It's not too surprising. We have been hiring quite a few new people for help with the garden center business boom coming our way. Nice guy, no big deal, just a new guy.

He was impressed at my customer service, I guess, because he made a point of out mentioning it to me, twice. When he said "I should take you with me." I guessed he must be a manager form another store, or a new manager in training. I quipped 'Where we goin'?"

He followed up quickly "I'd never take you from here." To which, I replied in my comfortable smartass mode "Oh, it would cost the owners a lot to get me to leave this store." Cause I don't have a car and I'm not riding the bus  for sub-par wages again, if I can help it. Not to be an assistant manager for what I know is too low a wage for the effort involved. Mm-mm, no-way.

The punchline is; Don is the District Manager. My boss' boss.

And I guess he was pretty damn impressed with me.

Wow. It's turning into a pretty good spring.  Early warmth, a little money in the bank and a job where I'm appreciated and middle-level management is impressed with me. Things are looking up.

And I have made a little more progress on the story. More on that later, when there's something worth posting.

I hope your spring is shaping up even better than mine. Thanks for reading.