What Manly Things Did You Do Today?

I had to reorganize some gizmos. So I put a rolling cart together.

 

Rollin' rollin' rollin' keep them gizmos rollin'.

 

I just finished a repair or a not so high end Newcomb EDT 15C. Built like a tank to survive the school kids of the 70's and 80's. We still take it to the cabin and enjoy records when we're away from home.

 

A little over a year ago I picked up a box of tools and in the collection was a 3lb #750 ATHA Striking or Drilling hammer. They were produced prior to the end of WWII. Well the one I receive in the box was mounted on the incorrect handle and badly angled. I cleaned up the head installed a new hickory handle.



It's ready to work another 75+ years.

 

Shot my Ruger Mark IV 75th Anniversary model at 7 yards, one-handed.

 

Last night I rehearsed with a band that I am filling in on drums for a gig next weekend. I'm still getting back into it but have been playing pretty consistently, but still not enough practicing (lazy), for the past 5 years. So I felt up to accepting the assignment. The three hour rehearsal started off rough as one of the first tunes we worked on was posing a challenge for both me and the bass player. But we finally nailed it and moved on. And I'd say the second half of the rehearsal went well with everyone pleased with how it went. And tonight I rehearse with one of the other two bands I am a permanent member of. So, I'm a permanent member of two bands and I'm also a permanent member of a local jam session that I've been doing since before COVID. No intention to play out with that one. Just a get together every 2 to 4 weeks for fun. And now I'm filling in for this gig next weekend. I don't expect to become a permanent member of that band but hope it might lead to other fill in opportunities. Who knows? Maybe I can rise to become a "session guy".

 

Yesterday, I fixed our water cooler/water heater. Recently, it had been freezing up, rendering it useless. I've fixed similar issues on a refrigerator, and a large True Beverage Cooler we have, several years ago. I ordered a Temperature Sensor Probe. $10 for a pack of 5, and I only needed one.
It was a pain in the neck to replace, and I sliced my finger open good. But, it now works as good as new. At least I saved $300 and made the wife and daughter happy. The wife said it was worth me slicing my finger open. Hmmmm. So, I asked her if she would be willing to sacrifice a large slice on her finger to save $300? She said Noooo!!!! Further discussions with her are in the works, over this.

 

I'm currently spending a couple days in St Maarten on the Dutch side and had to report that I gave two of Mike's (@macaronus) countrymen near heart attacks today by switching two waiters over to speaking to me in Dutch... Largely out of frustration that everyone here assumes that everyone is American or French and approaches you in English first. So I would say that I've done my share for international relations by demonstrating that not all Americans are loud and monolingual. I will admit that the cocktail during appetizer time was very helpful toward this end. sadly, the food here is all very touristy except for some high-end French restaurants.

(Btw, nativespeed Dutch is very tough to understand and I probably got only every third word or so. But I guess enough to make some educated guesses.)

 

Excellent! Let no one tell you penguins aren't smart!

 

I posted on Thursday about rehearsing with a band I was filling in on drums. Well, after only two rehearsals we had our gig today. It was for a Mardi Gras festival in Phillipsburg, NJ. This gig forced me to step outside my comfort zone to play stuff that is definitely not my strong suit, or at least that was what I thought. It was by no means perfect but it went off extremely well. The entire band (they've been together for a number of years now) was really pleased. And I got to play some really cool music and expand my capabilities. So, such tunes as Cissy Strut and Hey Pokey Way by the Meters, Big Chief and Iko Iko by Dr. John, Dixie Chicken by Little Feat, and stuff I had never heard before by bands such as The Flying Neutrinos, Clifton Chenier as well as some New Orleans influenced tunes by Elvis Presley. Heavy syncopated groove type music. The best part of it all, it was a blast. We had a lot of fun both just hanging out with the guys as well as on stage. For me this was all significant because it was my first real gig since 2005. I only got back into playing just before COVID hit. Tonight I proved to myself that I could not only play the instrument but also play it well. Through two sets of music people were dancing the entire time. So, after a very difficult several years, I'm now feeling good about where I'm at and looking forward to future gigs.

 

Good to hear you had a great time! Keep it up!

 

@MntnMan62 nice work!

This week I got a new bow, set it up & got to shoot it! It’s a honey!

 

Had a little more time with the bow. One of the things I like about it is that a lot of adjustments came be made with nothing more than a hex key; no need to visit an archery shop.

 

I unstuck my paper shredder with a nail file & a wrench.

 

So do you bill that as a manicure or a plumbing job?

 

Yes

 

Good one!

 

This;

 

That poor target didn't even stand a chance.

 

This week, I took a class in drawing from a holster. It was quite interesting.