"Patrick Turner" wrote in message
...
...

I'm taken by both - it's apples and oranges (duh...). People just have
too
many variables to be treated the same way as things - I know this seems
like
a silly thing to write, but there are two things that keep me from bein'
a
total social cripple. One is figgurin' out that peoplerespond to the
same
stuff that animals do, and I've been around dogs / cats /horses most of
my
life, and - jeesh, just don't take it the wrong way - like, with cats,
if
you think you're better than they are, or they see you as a competitor,
you're not going to get anywhere, that type o' thing...

Maybe you got the right sort of intuition.
Yo either have it, or you don't.


Oh, I forgot to mention the *second*, and, possibly, most important thing.
My ex GF said it to me and it really made my life simpler. What she said
was: "Think of people as if they're patients in a mental hospital, and in a
lot of pain". It sunk in slowly, and made me less ****ed off & maybe a bit
kinder. Just a bit. And i know i'm making someone barf by writing this...


...
Pat, the competition doesn't impress me much (in the guitah' amp field).

But its cheap, put together my mexicans or chinese in filthy factories
where
westerners wouldn't work. .


Ah, but that's were the "golden ear" gang becomes useful. The snob appeal
of a custom amp is ...

I
know it's my super-sized ego, but i look at all the boutique amps, and
smirk. As an ex-player, i know what's important, what's necessary, i
know
sounds people are looking for, and i can afford to voice an amp for
hours on
end - it's the only time a have a chance to play & not feel stupid about
just riffin' out... I have no idea how much I make on my one-off amps -
probably about 3 bucks an hour, but it sure breaks up the monotony of
doin'
work on the Nth fender or marsh...

Yup, I agree, and share the view, and OK, I make SFA from crafting audio
tube
gear,
but nobody calls me boy. Money ain't everything in life.

I personally call myself "janitor to the stars". They break stuff & make
demands, and I quietly clean up their messes. OTOH, i spend *way* too much
stuff on gear I like, without charging more, 'cos, in the end, that's why i
wanted to do this - get a chance to play with neat gear. The new amps are
tryin', though, to say the least... I'm still trying to convince people to
treat new amps as "dissposables"...

I got accused by a few sheilas of bein a minimalist.
I'd say what's so great about youse then?



I make a few bits of gear as I go, and I like the interest I have,
and I don't mind not having the driving ambitions of a 30 yr old.


Well, now that I have to play adult (2 kids), my ambition is to pull off
the
adult thing... So far so good. Lovin' it.
-dim

Small steps at a time is required.

Nobody wants me as a dad, grandad, lover, or any ****in thing,
but I do have a quite a few friends, and a few patient customers,
and that will have to do.


Jeesh, pat, get a dog, or, if ya're man enough, a *CAT*. (even toms act like
girls to the Nth - from manerisms to grudges...)
-dim
Patrick Turner.