Re: When you get old and retire...........

I don't know about you, but I retired six months ago at age 50 after
31 years in my profession. I have had no problem at all keeping busy
and in fact, I am doing so many things, I wonder how I found the time
to work before. I recently bought myself a guitar and am learning to
play it. I take a half hour lesson once a week and then spend time
practising and have completed 4 lessons so far. I've put in over 34
hours in practice time and can notice a drastic improvement in what I
did on the first lesson. I videotaped myself after lesson 1 and after
lesson 3. Even when I get frustrated, when I look back at the tape, I
realize that there has been improvement. Now, I am certainly not Eric
Clapton or even remotely good, but, I am sure having fun.

Tom



On Tue, 04 Apr 2006 16:24:34 GMT, Pt <can.not.be@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Do you buy a place in Arizona and waste away by the pool?
I moved from Chicago to a rural hick town in the middle of nowhere.
I don't even have a pool to waste away by.
Retired life can be boring....but not for me.

My life revolves almost totally around music.
With entering the new band (now called "Mixed Nuts") I met new people
who introduced me to more new people.
All musicians, sound people, club owners, recording techs etc.
The music scene out here is a different game than it is in Chicago.
Clubs dig old rock music and jazz and.....
I helped a sound guy out Saturday and the band played mostly 60's and
70's rock.
Plus Take 5, Peter Gunn, Pink Panther etc.
The audience was every age.
They sang along, a couple chicks went on the stage, dance floor was
full.
You couldn't ask for a better gig.
They played Boot Scootin Boogie and I cringed.
Will the audience walk out?
Hell on!
They were out there line dancing.
The music people out here in the boonies are a clique.
You got to be in with the in crowd.
Yesterday I got a call from a guy to go to his place and work on
songs.
I did that and I got a phone call there.
Nobody even knew I was there.
It was the sound guy from Saturday night.
He wants me to go to his place to see his new PA gear.
All Mackie.
1,000 watts, powered 15 inch speakers with sub woofers.
Plus a rack full of stuff.
I met a pedal steel player the other day.
I never met one of those guys before.
Every day it's something new.
The female bass player in my band just bought a EUB (electric upright
bass).
We will probably get together soon.
The drummer had me go to his place to see his 1968 Ludwig?s.
Worth over $10,000.
One guy gave me a NOS 1960's Mullard 12AX7 that I immediately put in
the first preamp stage on my Marshall.
Wow!
What a difference.
Tomorrow I'm going to Rockford with some guys to see Dan the tube guy.
This guy is 80 years old and totally cool.
He rebuilds old cars (mostly hot rods) and digs rock music.
Last time I went there he was listening to Albert King.
His cars have been in Hot Rod magazine.
In his garage is a 1941 Studebaker.
With a 650 housepower 427 Chevy engine.
This goes on and on.
I am always doing something along musical lines.
With the exception of a few people everyone is over 50.
I have been out here in no mans land for almost 4 years and I'm just
getting in to the music scene.
I had to laugh the other day when I was driving to rehearsal.
Here I am on a gravel road in the middle of nowhere going to Kelly's
farm.
Once inside the farm house everything is state of the art.
All outlets and lights are computerized.
He has the biggest TV I ever saw and he always has the latest Cream
concert playing on it.
The basement is a recording studio with the best of everything.
Sometimes I wonder if I died and went to heaven.
Even though I don't have much money I don't need much.
Every place I go someone wants to feed me.
Surprisingly hardly anyone I have met drinks.
The drummer likes his dark imports.
One chick backup singer likes a few lights but she gets wasted on 3 of
them.
I guess good things come to those who wait.
I'm getting old but if this keeps up I will go out in a blaze of
glory.
My house looks like a bomb hit it.
I just don't have much time these days.

Pt
.

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