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[LuvTooGolf]

Smoking allowed in the House again:

https://halfwheel.com/smoking-now-allowed-in-house-side-of-congress/417944/?fbclid=IwAR3yP7V49FNzdmn6LfvlGeEmOC_eltLueQCyknx15LkiD6oQnO_Lcrv_YLM

And apparently so is carrying firearms as metal detectors have been removed.
Now all we need is an open bar and the House can be REALLY interesting.

I'm sure they all have a flask in a drawer somewhere. I sure as hell would.

[LuvTooGolf]

Hazzuh!

[razgueado]

I started reading a really fascinating book last night, "The Second World Wars: How the First Global War was Fought and Won" by Victor Davis Hanson. He sets out to deconstruct the mythos of the monolithic "Second World War" into its various components - regional conflicts in the eyes of the Axis powers that interconnected in the eyes of the Allies into a global effort that the Axis powers completely misunderstood and for which they were hopelessly ill-prepared.

It's really a different view on WWII, and I'm enjoying it immensely.

What he seems to be laying out is that leaders in the US and Great Britain saw the various battlegrounds in global terms while the Axis powers, and Russia, approached it as Theater Warfare, and simply lacked the historical perspective to think of it globally. Britain being an imperial power, and the US being a former colony and by then a colonial power in its own right, both had the necessary perspective. The Axis, lacking that perspective, therefore couldn't see that their intentions were ultimately futile.  So they stumbled blindly into the first global war lacking the necessary means to win it, because they couldn't think holistically.

Really, really fascinating, and I'm not even a third of the way into it.

I'm a little confused...is it about the first, second or both World Wars?

Just WWII. The plural in the title references the notion that what we call WWII was actually a network of campaigns fought in different places under different conditions and with different motivations and stakes.

[bluecollar]

It seems ABs have been replaced by La Perlas today.

Looks like a real Menace

[bluecollar]

Is it Friday yet?

[bluecollar]

Raz is not going to be happy this morning.  Jeff Beck is dead at 78.

I posted it on the banter last night. Spent the evening blasting "Truth," "Blow By Blow", and "Emotion and Commotion."

I am NOT happy. This one hurts more than others. All my guitarist friends express the same sentiment, and we don't really know why it hurts more.

Maybe it's because after an uneven career and a deserved reputation as a perfectionist dick in the first half of his career, he'd settled down and found focus and humor in the second half.

Maybe it's just that we aren't inundated with the weight of catalog like we are with Page or Clapton.

Maybe it's because despite being the earliest of the British guitar heroes, he never achieved the fame that the others did, and that speaks to devoted plodders like me.

Or maybe it's this: among devoted students of the electric guitar, there's a suspicion, even a cognitive dissonance around the idea that Jeff Beck might be the best. Better than Hendrix, better than Van Halen. Hendrix, Page, Clapton, Townshend, and Van Halen all established a certain sound and style and then pretty much stuck to that thing.

But with each album, Beck was different. He kept evolving, building on what he was discovering, until by the early 90s he had developed this utterly unique voice on the guitar that was all in his empty hands. It was unmistakable, and to really get the majesty of it, you have to be a guitarist. Non-players don't get the complexity of the mechanical and cognitive process of playing like Beck. There are millions of hacks who can play like EVH, but the very most expert guitarists will tell you that imitating Beck is nearly impossible to do.

And no one is doing anything remotely compareable. It isn't about speed, or two-handed tapping, or expert wielding of a slide. It's about texture, how the notes emerge from the speaker. With Beck, each note had its own texture, and he did that with just this hands. No pick, no big pedalboard, no fancy effects processors, just his hands, especially his right hand, simultaneously plucking the notes, controlling the volume knob, and working the vibrato bar. It's a miraculous display of dexterity and brains. And Beck made the guitar sound like it was human.

Maybe it is the loss of this that hurts so much.

I feel your pain but am I wrong to be not as sad because he was 78 and lived a good life?

[bluecollar]

Happy birthday T? I'm trying to pay attention. Does the Chief have a Birthday today?

[razgueado]

Raz is not going to be happy this morning.  Jeff Beck is dead at 78.

I posted it on the banter last night. Spent the evening blasting "Truth," "Blow By Blow", and "Emotion and Commotion."

I am NOT happy. This one hurts more than others. All my guitarist friends express the same sentiment, and we don't really know why it hurts more.

Maybe it's because after an uneven career and a deserved reputation as a perfectionist dick in the first half of his career, he'd settled down and found focus and humor in the second half.

Maybe it's just that we aren't inundated with the weight of catalog like we are with Page or Clapton.

Maybe it's because despite being the earliest of the British guitar heroes, he never achieved the fame that the others did, and that speaks to devoted plodders like me.

Or maybe it's this: among devoted students of the electric guitar, there's a suspicion, even a cognitive dissonance around the idea that Jeff Beck might be the best. Better than Hendrix, better than Van Halen. Hendrix, Page, Clapton, Townshend, and Van Halen all established a certain sound and style and then pretty much stuck to that thing.

But with each album, Beck was different. He kept evolving, building on what he was discovering, until by the early 90s he had developed this utterly unique voice on the guitar that was all in his empty hands. It was unmistakable, and to really get the majesty of it, you have to be a guitarist. Non-players don't get the complexity of the mechanical and cognitive process of playing like Beck. There are millions of hacks who can play like EVH, but the very most expert guitarists will tell you that imitating Beck is nearly impossible to do.

And no one is doing anything remotely compareable. It isn't about speed, or two-handed tapping, or expert wielding of a slide. It's about texture, how the notes emerge from the speaker. With Beck, each note had its own texture, and he did that with just this hands. No pick, no big pedalboard, no fancy effects processors, just his hands, especially his right hand, simultaneously plucking the notes, controlling the volume knob, and working the vibrato bar. It's a miraculous display of dexterity and brains. And Beck made the guitar sound like it was human.

Maybe it is the loss of this that hurts so much.

I feel your pain but am I wrong to be not as sad because he was 78 and lived a good life?

No, but we never grieve for the dead, do we? They're dead, and beyond caring. We grieve, rather, for ourselves, for the loss of them.

[bluecollar]

Raz is not going to be happy this morning.  Jeff Beck is dead at 78.

I posted it on the banter last night. Spent the evening blasting "Truth," "Blow By Blow", and "Emotion and Commotion."

I am NOT happy. This one hurts more than others. All my guitarist friends express the same sentiment, and we don't really know why it hurts more.

Maybe it's because after an uneven career and a deserved reputation as a perfectionist dick in the first half of his career, he'd settled down and found focus and humor in the second half.

Maybe it's just that we aren't inundated with the weight of catalog like we are with Page or Clapton.

Maybe it's because despite being the earliest of the British guitar heroes, he never achieved the fame that the others did, and that speaks to devoted plodders like me.

Or maybe it's this: among devoted students of the electric guitar, there's a suspicion, even a cognitive dissonance around the idea that Jeff Beck might be the best. Better than Hendrix, better than Van Halen. Hendrix, Page, Clapton, Townshend, and Van Halen all established a certain sound and style and then pretty much stuck to that thing.

But with each album, Beck was different. He kept evolving, building on what he was discovering, until by the early 90s he had developed this utterly unique voice on the guitar that was all in his empty hands. It was unmistakable, and to really get the majesty of it, you have to be a guitarist. Non-players don't get the complexity of the mechanical and cognitive process of playing like Beck. There are millions of hacks who can play like EVH, but the very most expert guitarists will tell you that imitating Beck is nearly impossible to do.

And no one is doing anything remotely compareable. It isn't about speed, or two-handed tapping, or expert wielding of a slide. It's about texture, how the notes emerge from the speaker. With Beck, each note had its own texture, and he did that with just this hands. No pick, no big pedalboard, no fancy effects processors, just his hands, especially his right hand, simultaneously plucking the notes, controlling the volume knob, and working the vibrato bar. It's a miraculous display of dexterity and brains. And Beck made the guitar sound like it was human.

Maybe it is the loss of this that hurts so much.

I feel your pain but am I wrong to be not as sad because he was 78 and lived a good life?

No, but we never grieve for the dead, do we? They're dead, and beyond caring. We grieve, rather, for ourselves, for the loss of them.

I understand

[LuvTooGolf]

What a day this turned out to be. Going to pick up the kids and suddenly, my car sounds like an airplane taxiing to the runway. Must've busted something on the muffler. So when we got home, I dropped it off at a nearby repair shop so they can look at it in the morning. And since the wife is at work, that means I had to walk home. And nearby is a relative term in the wind and rain. 1.8 miles, to be specific. Made it home in 30 minutes and now about 20 minutes later, I can finally feel my feet again. Sheesh.

[A Friend of Charlie]

Raz is not going to be happy this morning.  Jeff Beck is dead at 78.

I posted it on the banter last night. Spent the evening blasting "Truth," "Blow By Blow", and "Emotion and Commotion."

I am NOT happy. This one hurts more than others. All my guitarist friends express the same sentiment, and we don't really know why it hurts more.

Maybe it's because after an uneven career and a deserved reputation as a perfectionist dick in the first half of his career, he'd settled down and found focus and humor in the second half.

Maybe it's just that we aren't inundated with the weight of catalog like we are with Page or Clapton.

Maybe it's because despite being the earliest of the British guitar heroes, he never achieved the fame that the others did, and that speaks to devoted plodders like me.

Or maybe it's this: among devoted students of the electric guitar, there's a suspicion, even a cognitive dissonance around the idea that Jeff Beck might be the best. Better than Hendrix, better than Van Halen. Hendrix, Page, Clapton, Townshend, and Van Halen all established a certain sound and style and then pretty much stuck to that thing.

But with each album, Beck was different. He kept evolving, building on what he was discovering, until by the early 90s he had developed this utterly unique voice on the guitar that was all in his empty hands. It was unmistakable, and to really get the majesty of it, you have to be a guitarist. Non-players don't get the complexity of the mechanical and cognitive process of playing like Beck. There are millions of hacks who can play like EVH, but the very most expert guitarists will tell you that imitating Beck is nearly impossible to do.

And no one is doing anything remotely compareable. It isn't about speed, or two-handed tapping, or expert wielding of a slide. It's about texture, how the notes emerge from the speaker. With Beck, each note had its own texture, and he did that with just this hands. No pick, no big pedalboard, no fancy effects processors, just his hands, especially his right hand, simultaneously plucking the notes, controlling the volume knob, and working the vibrato bar. It's a miraculous display of dexterity and brains. And Beck made the guitar sound like it was human.

Maybe it is the loss of this that hurts so much.

That's very well articulated. Indeed, a terrible loss.

Jimmy Page tweeted:

The six stringed Warrior is no longer here for us to admire the spell he could weave around our mortal emotions. Jeff could channel music from the ethereal.

His technique unique. His imaginations apparently limitless. Jeff I will miss you along with your millions of fans. Jeff Beck Rest in Peace.

[A Friend of Charlie]

Happy birthday T? I'm trying to pay attention. Does the Chief have a Birthday today?

Yes sir. Thank you.

[A Friend of Charlie]

What a day this turned out to be. Going to pick up the kids and suddenly, my car sounds like an airplane taxiing to the runway. Must've busted something on the muffler. So when we got home, I dropped it off at a nearby repair shop so they can look at it in the morning. And since the wife is at work, that means I had to walk home. And nearby is a relative term in the wind and rain. 1.8 miles, to be specific. Made it home in 30 minutes and now about 20 minutes later, I can finally feel my feet again. Sheesh.

I definitely would have walked on a nice day. Might even have lit a cigar. Today, I would have Uber'd.

[Travellin Dave]

What a day this turned out to be. Going to pick up the kids and suddenly, my car sounds like an airplane taxiing to the runway. Must've busted something on the muffler. So when we got home, I dropped it off at a nearby repair shop so they can look at it in the morning. And since the wife is at work, that means I had to walk home. And nearby is a relative term in the wind and rain. 1.8 miles, to be specific. Made it home in 30 minutes and now about 20 minutes later, I can finally feel my feet again. Sheesh.

I definitely would have walked on a nice day. Might even have lit a cigar. Today, I would have Uber'd.

Yes, LTG, get with the times or quit your bellyaching.

[razgueado]

Raz is not going to be happy this morning.  Jeff Beck is dead at 78.

I posted it on the banter last night. Spent the evening blasting "Truth," "Blow By Blow", and "Emotion and Commotion."

I am NOT happy. This one hurts more than others. All my guitarist friends express the same sentiment, and we don't really know why it hurts more.

Maybe it's because after an uneven career and a deserved reputation as a perfectionist dick in the first half of his career, he'd settled down and found focus and humor in the second half.

Maybe it's just that we aren't inundated with the weight of catalog like we are with Page or Clapton.

Maybe it's because despite being the earliest of the British guitar heroes, he never achieved the fame that the others did, and that speaks to devoted plodders like me.

Or maybe it's this: among devoted students of the electric guitar, there's a suspicion, even a cognitive dissonance around the idea that Jeff Beck might be the best. Better than Hendrix, better than Van Halen. Hendrix, Page, Clapton, Townshend, and Van Halen all established a certain sound and style and then pretty much stuck to that thing.

But with each album, Beck was different. He kept evolving, building on what he was discovering, until by the early 90s he had developed this utterly unique voice on the guitar that was all in his empty hands. It was unmistakable, and to really get the majesty of it, you have to be a guitarist. Non-players don't get the complexity of the mechanical and cognitive process of playing like Beck. There are millions of hacks who can play like EVH, but the very most expert guitarists will tell you that imitating Beck is nearly impossible to do.

And no one is doing anything remotely compareable. It isn't about speed, or two-handed tapping, or expert wielding of a slide. It's about texture, how the notes emerge from the speaker. With Beck, each note had its own texture, and he did that with just this hands. No pick, no big pedalboard, no fancy effects processors, just his hands, especially his right hand, simultaneously plucking the notes, controlling the volume knob, and working the vibrato bar. It's a miraculous display of dexterity and brains. And Beck made the guitar sound like it was human.

Maybe it is the loss of this that hurts so much.

That's very well articulated. Indeed, a terrible loss.

Jimmy Page tweeted:

The six stringed Warrior is no longer here for us to admire the spell he could weave around our mortal emotions. Jeff could channel music from the ethereal.

His technique unique. His imaginations apparently limitless. Jeff I will miss you along with your millions of fans. Jeff Beck Rest in Peace.

Jimmy gets it.