Solution from http://www.pcreview.co.uk/forums/thread-1871889.php:

Create a shortcut or use "Run" box:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL hotplug.dll

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Bobby and Kate, making do for a weather-delayed David, taught the quick-stop (swingout with outside turn hard anchored through 8).

- (3+4) Lead preps arm for outside turn
- (4-5-6) Lead turn Follows from body/right arm bringing left hand overhead, at which point Lead reconnects, anchors with body over left foot, and brings his left arm downward. Bobby indicated that it is possible to alter the timing of this after 5 to make it hit on 7 or some such.

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David covered a Texas Tommy, which has a rapid spin (5-6) for the follow with a "pronounced pop".

Important points:
- Lead must start the Follow moving before the turn "begins"
- It's important not to make hand movements too noisy. Keep hands steady and level.

Differences from standard swing-out:
- (1-4) are about the same with a left hand prep during 3-and-4 where lead positions the Follow's arm so that it is at her side for an easy throw from Lead's right hand to Lead's left.
- On (5), as Lead steps down-line, he also throws Follow's right arm straight down, and catching it in the next instant behind her back using his right hand. Follow will start spin clockwise.
- On (6-7), Follow should be spinning fast. Lead steps in place while passing Follow's right hand into his Left, using it to stop her spin.
- (7-and-8) triple step. Re-acquire counterbalance as usual.

Notes to self:
- Don't let the follow get to far away from you through 5 - otherwise you might miss the right hand catch.
- You can get a similar spin from the follow using a free-hand push-turn on 5.

Balboa class covered Triple Bal.

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In listening to the audiobook rendition of Harry Potter, I have come up with a small innovation that would save wizards a lot of trouble. Why not just add a wrist strap to their wands. They don't weigh that much and it would prevent the whole disarming bit. Maybe magic power makes one complacent.

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After 3 months of full-time retainer wear, I am now instructed to wear it 12 hours a day at night. I am most pleased with this.

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Just tested out Team Fortress 2 from The Orange Box. I kept getting an error message "Server is not responding" no matter what server I tried to connect to. Solved it with a simple firmware upgrade for my Netgear router.

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David covered lead's right-hand passes and turns.

Started with Lead's right to Follow's left (LRFL).

• The Lead steps back on 1 causing the Follow's right side to roll away from the Lead implying a snap/turn when the Follow steps on 2.
  
• For 2, Lead has 2 options: stepping left, or stepping right. In both options, David had the Leads turning clockwise (to the right), though stepping to the right looks more dramatic and allows the option of maintainting the LRFL hold through the turn.

Continued with similar turns for Lead's right to Follow's right (FRLR).

• FRLR passes require a bit more nuance. On 1, Lead pushes forward on the FRLR hold to effect a similar right side roll.
  
• By 1.5-2, Lead should have brought the follow forward and stepped to a side.
  
• Otherwise same deal.

  Balboa class people mentioned coverage of Crab Walks and "the Snake".
  

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So maybe people who have my RSS on their feed readers might see this and maybe no one will but since my buddy Mondo seems to be faithfully blogging again, I figure I can do so as well. Though I don't have any poker game highlights to share.

December was a month of recreational changes for me. I put my Netflix on hold on account of having too many movies and TV shows to watch, combined with too many games to play given new acquisitions of a Nintendo DS and a Nintendo Wii. Both are proving to be very time consuming with innovative games.

I played First Night Alexandria with my band, Jumping for Strangers. It was very nice. Lots of kids dancing and lots of new faces. We may have a self-recorded bootleg to post at some point soon.

Tonight, David Rehm's Level 3 Lindy and Balboa start up with the most swiss-cheesed schedule yet. One week on. One week off. One on, Two off. Three on. Stop.

You go, David!

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Hey Folks,

It's been a while since I've sent anything to this list and that would largely owe to being on my hiatus from things musical. But here I am, back with a new-to-me musical project, Jumping for Strangers, that I have been slowly getting to know over the past couple months. The band members are very nice and down-to-earth and so is the music.

Everyone seems to ask what kind of music it is when I mention that I've been playing with some new people and I haven't fully coalesced them into a concise genre-bending description yet. At this point, I can say that the music is largely comprised of Folk and Rock as a base, and is seasoned with smatterings of Reggae, Disco, Funk covering a very large tonal and rhythmic range. And all of a sudden, I have written lots of words that do very little to give a person an idea of what it all means.

But you can come out and hear what it sounds like for yourself. It'd be good to see you.

Saturday, March 31 -- 8:00pm - 10:00pm
2300 Mount Vernon Avenue
Alexandria, Virginia 22301
Phone: (703) 739 - 9268
http://www.stelmoscoffeepub.com/

-Franco

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My friend former bandmate, JP Corwyn, has released his band's new CD. It is available in print from CD Baby and you can listen to it online on his website, www.jpcorwyn.com. For those that are interested, the band can be seen locally (in the greater DC area) and they keep an up-to-date calendar at Myspace.com.

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I have entrusted Federal Express with delivering my fretless back to Jon Maghini to get some work done on it. (Godspeed) Hoping it will return soon, and in one piece.

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Sadie D'Alonzo
1990 (est) - Friday June 2, 2006

Gosh - I really did love her a lot. Suzanne and I had determined at somepoint that she was "my" cat - which is to say she just loved it when I gave her lots of attention. She liked having her bottom pat and would have whole conversations with me while said patting commenced. That was our special time together, along with all of the time she sat in my lap while I was at the computer.

Among her special quirks include her penchant for licking nylon straps on backpacks and luggage. I can't explain the nylon thing other than it must have felt good on her tongue. She also was the only cat in the house that would regularly hop up to the sink and drink from the faucet.

She earned distinction in our house enough to be nicknamed the "Barfer in Chief" because she would eat all of the dust bunnies around the house, and then, when they gummed up the works, she would let it all back out. I have been ambushed by her barf while walking around the house many a time.

I could vent about how it's unfair that she was the first to go and that I wasn't ready -- but I can't imagine a situation where I'd ever be ready to let her go no matter how many cats had passed before her. By our best guess, she lived 16 years, the last 8 with two people that really did love her very much. I hope that to her, it was a long enough and happy enough life. She was the best first cat bond I could ask for. I'm thankful for my time with her.

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So I registered myself for the Cleveland, All Balboa Weekend and it turns out I can't go because I have a wedding to attend that weekend. They don't do refunds but told me that I could transfer the registration and that I might want to try to sell my registration. So here it is -- I am selling:

$165 - the pre-sale price for the full-balboa weekend pass and lunch every day.

(the lunches cost 9 dollars each day but I am throwing them in for free -- I did not choose anything vegetarian so you have to eat turkey and beef to take advantage of the lunch thing)

------------------

If interested, please contact me via the contact page.

-Francis

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I went out dancing every day this weekend. Saturday at Glen Echo was packed unlike anything I'd ever seen. The DC Lindy Exchange yielded a number of faces I didn't recognize - and it was great to be able to dance with people from out of town. Most of the people visiting seemed to be from East Coast areas like New York and North Carolina but at least one of the lovely ladies I shared a dance with sported an Australian accent.

For most of the night - the dance floor was oppressivly crowded. Two bands traded sets and kept the music going almost all night: The Boilermaker Jazz band and George Gee's Jump Jive 'n Wailers played some hot and fast tunes. They even traded solos for their closer: Sing, Sing, Sing. When the drum solos hit - all of the dancers gathered around the stage and, all of a sudden, it was like being at a concert rather than at a dance event. Good musicianship - mos def.

I am running the risk of running on and on about this so I'll sum up: This was probably the best night of dancing I've experienced. Glad I made the time for it.

Sunday afternoon, I piled even more dancing on, meeting my friend Brittany at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. Many of the people whom were out last night were also present. Alas, no appearance by my Australian fancy. :) But I enjoyed myself all the same, because I got to share a good number of dances with people from the Exchange that I was very much hoping would show up.

My shoes are pretty well scuffed. They will need a good polish after this weekend.

-F

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Big congratulations to my Sensei on the bass, Anthony Wellington, for finally opening his own teaching studio. Seems like it's not that far from where he used to teach, at Hot Licks.

http://www.anthonywellington.com/lessons.html

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Laura sends out mail to the CG mailing list... Franco responds by posting his first update since forever ago. Yes - as she mentioned, I am about to head out to do some dancing to swing music tonight at the Dulles Hilton. Most of the dances I go to are hosted by Gotta Swing although a few of the dances at the Glen Echo Spanish Ballroom are hosted by other groups. If you've got broadband and you want to get a look at what some of this is like, there's a chiropractor in the area that regularly records some of the "jams" at these dance events and posts them on the 'net.

Gotta get going - much love to all.

-Franco

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I picked up the bass again this week. After a break of more than 2 months, I decided it was time to pick it back up and play. I'm glad I had some time away - I missed playing the bass. And there's still so much I want to learn and improve upon.

I intend to set aside 1 hour a day, two times a week for bass practice. I know it seems like a pathetically small amount of time but I figure that if I set my goals really small and make sure that I don't overdo it, I won't have any good reasons to avoid doing it. Besides, my interest in bass guitar competes for time with my interest in swing dance, hiking, and Warcraft III (or whatever computer game I'm currently up to mastering).

I am trying to be smart about this: distribute my time among many interests rather than focusing on one at the exclusion of others. Goodness. It's hard.

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I wrote this in response to a series of threads about benefit shows on arlingtonmusicscene.com:

I thought I'd put in my 2 cents about this because I really have some strong feelings on charitable giving and whether and why people should consider doing it. I'm not writing this to make people feel bad. I'm writing this because I believe that we have all seen all sorts of badness on the news recently as a result of this hurricane. And in response, some of us are flailing in helplessness and impotence, and deciding that we have to take some kind of knee-jerk action no matter how fruitless to make themselves feel less helpless.

Point 1: Personal Cash Donations are for people who have the means
By "means", I am talking about money. I have seen lots of comments to the effect of "I'm broke and the only thing I can give is my music". If that is the case, I think it's okay not to give of your own personal money for living. And you don't have to feel bad about not being able to give either!
The least that a human being can do is to take care of himself/herself and try to minimize burden on others. I don't think full-time musicians who are trying to make it should feel any guilt about not being able to contribute. I applaud your courage in eschewing a traditional career with insurance and a 401k and a desk and a computer. More power to you.

Point 2: Benefit shows are for artists/bands who have the means
By "means", I am talking about a large and generous following. When I see all of these annoucements for benefit shows from bands I've never heard of it really makes me wonder what exactly they think they will be able to raise for "the cause". (I know, I know, every cent counts).
A benefit show has much more impact when you've actually made it big and have a huge following. It has its greatest impact when you are turning a large series of for-profit transactions into a large series of non-profit/for-donation transactions -- for example, when the band sells lots of merchandise at sold-out arena concerts on a normal basis.
Most local artists I know have reasonably good followings and maybe they sell stickers and CDs at a show. Is that good enough? Sure - every cent counts. Is it worth it? Depends on how much you can raise. I'm just saying... if you can't raise that much money then you might as well be putting an American Flag sticker on your car in response to hurricane Katrina (because somehow that's helping someone).
Bottom line: We all can't be Dave Matthews Band but we don't have to be. If you can help, then help. Otherwise, bands/artists shouldn't feel a need to flail in guilt and helplessness and argue about benefit shows, and bringing their motives into question. Being a musician is hard enough without that.

Point 3: Is money the only way?
Largely, discussion of benefit concerts and charitable giving seem to have an inane focus on donating money to charities and what motives are acceptable.
What about donating time? Volunteering? For those who don't have the income to donate cash, maybe you can donate some time to an aid group by doing something as simple as sitting at a phone and taking donations for them on their hotline. What about donating time/money to people who need help ALL OF THE TIME rather than victims of the most recent flood/tsunami/hurricane?
Piper Cunningham just sent out a message about donating blood to the Red Cross. He has a point - it costs nothing. Much love to Piper for bringing this up.
A very important thing: Don't flaunt it. Whatever you do, any action you take to indicate that you have done your part will be taken as ostentatiousness and opportunism. There are aspects of charitable giving that I think should be public to raise awareness and spread the word. But when it comes to the question of who gave and how much did they give: shut your mouth, because you will only end up making yourself look bad no matter how you try to spin it.

In closing:
We all have ideas of what we are capable of sacrificing. If you can't afford to give, then don't worry and don't feel guilty about it. But think creatively, it's not just about money.
If you're a local band with a small following, do a benefit show if you must but pay attention to the humility with which you conduct this. Any whiff of opportunism or knee-jerk-bandwagonism will be questioned. (essentially, think carefully on whether the benefits outweigh the costs)

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Looks like Jon Maghini and his web dudes finally got the new website up and running at mbasses.com. It's looking good!

This is of particular interest to me because my fretless 5 is on the front page of the website. It's official. My fretless 5 has become an official model: "The M3 Custom 5-string Fretless". Isn't she lovely?

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I am humbled by the support of all of the people who came out to see off Cerulean Groove. The applause and praise from all were generous and I am enormously grateful for everyone's love and support. I'm glad that we played what felt like a very strong show to wrap things up. I'm still struggling to grasp exactly how I feel about all of this and what to do next, now that I am a musician without any bandmates.

I certainly intend to take things really slowly. There is no rush. And I am certainly not in want of more activities to fill my time since my schedule is still a large ball of fire hurdling through vast stretches of space that I cannot seem to slow.

For the near future, I have come up with a list of promising goals to work toward:
- The first, which I have already started, is to improve my standing as a talented member of the lindy-hop community in the larger DC area. This provides a reasonably good means of creative expression as well as a chance to experience music and improve my sense of rhythm.
- Next on the list but no less important - I am continuing to find more ways to commune with nature outdoors. Hiking, rafting, tubing, whatever it takes for me to get some excersize, keep cool, and understand what it means to be a part of this world.
- Also on my list - engage in vocal instruction - maybe learn to play keyboard too. This is an important step to becoming more well-rounded as a musician and perhaps to move into composition and solo performance.
- Finally on my list - write more. This is a return to my roots. My home. My most personal and beloved art form. You will likely not see my writing on this web page because some writing is just too darn personal for that. As for the rest - it'll probably be kicking around the internet somewhere.

Please wish me well as I try to find a sense of direction and momentum in these new venues that will help me to become a more complete artist, performer, writer, dancer, and member of the human species.

Much love,

-Franco

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So here I am, the one-and-only Franco, sending out e-mail to my one-and-only mailing list trying to figure out how to meaningfully say what it is I need to say.

So here it is: Cerulean Groove, which as you know is the name of my band, is coming to an end. We have one show left, and it shall be short and sweet. In this humble finale, we will be opening for Laura's new band, dissapear fear, which I understand is not to be capitalized in Title Case under any circumstances.

Of interest to the geekier people on this list, and if you are friends with me it is highly likely that you qualify as an exemplar true geek chic, this show will be unique in a couple ways: Most outstandingly, I will be playing the entire show on the fretless bass guitar, which is a new addition to my collection. Secondly, as Cerulean Groove is my only musical project, this will be my last live performance as a bass player for the conceivable future.

The venue for this inauspicious farewell hurrah will be Jammin' Java in Vienna, VA (www.jamminjava.com). The date for this: Saturday August 13th. Whereas Friday the 13th is a bad omen, Saturday the 13th is much less sinister. That being said, I do think it would be best for you to play it safe by taking shelter under the very sturdy roof of this venue, which is very hospitable to musicians and live-music-spectators alike. Jammin Java features good food, coffee, beer, and no smoking.

So, to put it in the words of a wedding invitation: Save the Date. The music starts at 9:00p -- if I find out otherwise, please expect another message that will set the record straight.

I will close with these thoughts on how I will remember Cerulean Groove. There is a quote by Oscar Levant where he states, "Happiness isn't something you experience; it's something you remember" and I believe these words will definitely hold true when I think back on the good times that consituted my short tenure as Cerulean Groove's big bottom. In short, I will remember it well and miss it very much.

Much love,

Franco

PS - If I am guilty of running at the mouth (or at the keyboard) I will apologize to you individually, but you must send a request in writing along with a self-addressed and stamped envelope to:

Definefunk.com
Attn: Peanut Gallery
1313 Mockingbird Way
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

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Friday I spent the day recovering from a nasty eye issue - a granule of "something" got in my eye Thursday night and was extremely uncomfortable whenever I closed my eyelids. After trying to extract it for an hour or so, I gave up and watched some TV. I got to sleep at around 3:30AM after my wife woke up and got me an ice pack (it's nice to be babied every now and then :).

Saturday - took the new fretless down to Waldorf for Bass Lessons. Showed the bass to a couple other Funky bass players. Came back to VA, and took a nature hike with my good friend, Chris Conlin. Showered and went to the Reston YMCA for some dancing. The floor is a bit grippy there so big thanks to whomever set out the baby powder for us fussy dancers.

Sunday - took it easy - tidied around the house and ran some errands. Hung out with Dave M in the evening. We discussed the virtues of air conditioning since it was a most humid day. In the end, I caved in and turned on the Air conditioner since I didn't want to be a completely sedentary slug for the next few hours (which is what I tend to be when it's hot). As expected, the wifey was not pleased about it but she understood. Watched Strictly Ballroom with the wife. Decent movie - I give it 3 stars (out of 5).

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Had a chance to try out the new Fretless last night at rehearsal with Cerulean Groove. My intonation was pretty much solid except for some of the two-hand-tapping stuff I usually do - naturally that would be a bit off. Got rave comments from the bandmates on both the looks and the tone of the bass. So I guess we can say last night was definitely an overall endorsement of the bass. Yay!!!

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My bass teacher, Anthony Wellington, turned 40 and got a heck of a birthday present given to him on stage (11 days late - but worth the wait).

Happy birthday, Ant.

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Friday night - went out for some Swing dance at the Dulles Hilton. The dancers there are not as good as the folks at Chevy Chase Ballroom in Bethesda but that's okay - it was fun anyway. There were a few exceptional dancers there, but one in particular, who was named Brittany, I was very much impressed with... along with the host/teacher Sue (of Sue and Gary - dunno their last names yet). Learned a couple of new things... Cha Cha basics and a variant on the lindy whip where you pass the woman's right arm behind her back to your right hand and she turns out. It was a good night.

Saturday - Went to Larry's BBQ party which also turned out to be a birthday party for his son, Willy. He probably called it a barbecue to avoid the whole gift thing. If so, he is a shrewd man. After that, went home and chilled some. Finished my current computer gaming effort, Evil Genius. It was a fun and time consuming game - definitely worth the $20 I paid for it.

Sunday - Kickball Party at Chris's. This was the weekend of parties I guess. Kickball involves a lot of running if you only have about 5 people on each team. I got grass stains from diving for a couple balls :). Every part of my body is aching right now. (Muscles I didn't even know I had). Much fun. After the party petered out a bit, Chris and I and a couple of his cow-orkers (yes, they ork cows together) played a netless version of koosh-badminton where we just try to volley the koosh as many times as possible. Chris and Fernando won with 41 total volleys. Ian and I had the lead at some point with about 30 but we were too tired to try and beat 41. Ended the night by making "peanut gallery" comments while watching a TV screening of Star Warts, Episode II -- Attack of the Clowns.

-F

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Went up to Terryville, CT to pick up the new bass this weekend. I got to see Jon's work shop. It's very, very clean. He must work really hard at making sure wood dust doesn't even have a chance to settle. I imagine that gets out of control easily. His place is clearly set up as a one man operation at this time though I'm sure he'd love the opportunity to expand if the business was there.

So how's the new bass, you ask? First of all, it looks fabulous. The wood work and details are gorgeous. The oil finish is very nice feeling and looking . There is a faint smell of the finish that I hope will clear out over time. Soundwise, it really sings. It has every bit of that "mwah" quality that people buying fretless basses are looking for. Feelwise, The wide string spacing, helps me to feel right at home and the playing ramp helps to make sure I don't dig in so much that my sound is all distorted.

I was concerned about not being able to find my way on the fretless fingerboard but the lines really help. After clocking some good time this weekend, I really think I could get used to it. It's different, obviously, than playing fretted so I feel a bit lost. When you're fingering a fretted bass it's kind of like you're putting your finger between frets (albeit, always toward the body). On the fretless you have to be right on top of where you want the string length to be. It looks and feels very different.

We set out on Saturday looking for a 2002 Accord EX with about 30k miles. We ended up getting a 2003 Accord EX with about 32k miles. Not as good a bargain as a 2002 would have been since it's a bit newer and has all the new funky features but I like the way it looks better. It's sandy colored and a very well mannered on the road.

I like these things about it: the in-dash CD player, tilt/telescoping steering wheel, the fact that you can drop all of the windows using the keyless entry. Performance is decent - again, it's well-mannered. Handling leaves a bit to be desired from someone who drives a Miata most of the time. Let's just say it doesn't corner "like it's on rails".

I have 2 criticisms of the new design: one, the rear view is obstructed by a very high trunk; two, the brakes can be a bit touchy (a light tap on the brakes does more braking than you expect it to... probably something I'll get used to).

Pictures will be coming soon. Meanwhile, here's the photo from the dealer website.

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Yay! We are all set to replace the wifey's automobile this weekend with something new (to us, that is). This is it, the implementation of all of the stuff I've been telling myself we have to do, which is: stop trying to buy "brand new" cars and wasting money on depreciation. It's really easy to get tempted to look at new cars but there are lots of good 2 or 3 year old used cars on the market and, by golly, we are getting one.

Net result? Less money spent on "depreciation". Less money spent on interest from car loans. Lower monthly payment. More chance of paying off the car well before its useful life is over. Less chance of spending the rest of your life paying off loan after loan (read: the modern day indentured servitude).

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Had a pretty busy and musical weekend. Played with Cerulean Groove on Saturday night at Ragtime. That was an interesting show, only in the sense that people were listening but were really doing so in a passive way. The remarks we got were all positive and we played pretty well so I was pleased with it.

Sunday night, I went out to see Dave's band, The Jet Age play at the Black Cat in DC. An unexpected bonus, we got to see a band called Crystal Skulls, who came on after TJA and I was pretty much captivated and hynotized for most of their set. I haven't gotten that kind of response from seeing a rock performance in a long, long while. They have mp3s posted on their site, so have a listen if you want to see what they sound like.

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E-mailed with Jon last night, the pickups are out being assembled, other than that, he reports that the only work remaining is the final setup. I will be heading up to CT to pick up the new baby in a week and a half. I am looking foward to this happy day. :)

(Click for full-size photos)

It sometimes feels as if I have little company when it comes to being idealistic about how society should work and function. This comes most recently from a friendly discussion with a co-worker where we compared notes on our thoughts on home value appreciation. He was generally happy because his home has gone up in value (along with everyone else's).

I guess I'm kind of down on this because I spent a bit too much time worrying about how hard it would be to buy our first home and it just seemed unfair. Chiefly, my criticism of the home market is that it is just another case of the haves and the have-nots. So it's kind of a social justice argument.

I am noticing that as soon as you start talking about social justice, People are perfectly happy to knock you off of that horse at any chance that they get. Maybe I deserve it. It is really hard to reconcile talking about social justice in one breath and then about eating out in the next. I never really thought of eating out as a luxury but I guess it is. Still.. I felt like I was being called a hypocrite and I didn't like it. I don't think you need to live like a pauper to care sincerely about people who have it rougher than you.

I have many reasons for not liking the housing racket:

• One - it's not liquid as an investment -- if I want to cash in on my equity I would have to sell the house and move into something smaller or move out of the area or rent.
• Two - it's too hard for too many of our brothers to get into the housing market.
• Three - appreciation seems to broaden inequality between homeowners and renters (assuming that those homeowners can find some way to cash in on their equity).

Everyone seems to go gaga over their home appreciation but in the end, I don't feel any richer for owning a home that has inflated in value since I bought it. (It's usually after a sentence like that that a person will nail me to the wall for talking about social justice and talking about being rich.) I don't want to be rich. I just want to be financially secure. I want this for all people.

Maybe I'm overanalyzing this. Maybe I should just do what everyone else does and say "this isn't a problem that I can solve - I'm just one person". But what would that accomplish? We would all still be in the middle ages under the rule of some despot if people never thought about how we could make things better. (Unfortunately, I've only gotten to the stage where I'm analysing problems with the current system. It's hard to move onward to the next step of postulating possible improvements).

As for how society currently works and functions, I find it patently absurd that human beings have to pay to live on earth. In the beginning it didn't belong to anyone. Maybe I am viewing this the wrong way... that capitalism is just a way of making sure that all human beings do our due part in terms of working to help society along so that we have adequate production of food and shelter.

But that doesn't explain why a small percentage of the population has so very much more than the rest. It is in that understanding that I consider the fact that I have to work almost all the years of my life to pay for a house to be a form of indentured servitude. I am pretty darn close to alone when it comes to this particular belief I think.

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Holy Cow! It's amazing what a difference the finish makes on the wood. This bass is looking SHARP!!! Jon is doing some really good work, no?

The contrast of the wood pickup covers is very striking. I think the knobs are going to be a similar color of wood as the pickup covers. (I honestly didn't think that I would care very much whether or not I had wooden pickup covers but now that I see it all together I'm delighted by how well everything goes together.)

Jon mentioned that he'll be finished within the next couple weeks. I can't wait!!! :)

(Click for full-sized photos)

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Hello All,

I have made some modifications to this website. Got rid of the movies and music lists because I got tired of updating those. I have replaced them with these interesting things:

• Blog Junk - These are questionaires of the sort that have become very popular on blog sites. They all form a million little cross-sections of your own self-perception. This has been here for quite a while.
• What If... - I occasionally have a random thought that turns out to be really amusing to me. Usually these are one-liners not worth a whole post on the front page. This shall be my catalog of these thoughts.
• Points of Interest - I come across links that have some value as being interesting but would not really be something you would want to add to your permanent links page. This will be my catalog of neat-o websites and articles that I come across in life. People who have been stopping in will note that this has been in place for a while

-F

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Expectorating is getting old. I'm tired of it. Time for a vacation from being sick I think. ugh.

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Looks like the neck is now bolted into the body. A few things to note... Note that Franco is written in the first pickup slot. Just like having my name written on my boxers. :)

Next, check out how clean Jon's shop looks. You wouldn't know that he works with wood at all. Finally, check out that lamp on his shop table that seems to be made of wood with the MBasses logo on it. How cool is that?

(Click for full-sized photos)

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Big thanks to Dan for being the band's technician on Saturday - making it all come together. It would not have worked without him.

-Franco

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It was a mad, mad, rush trying to get there in time for our Cherry Blossom festival gig but I'm glad we were able to get there and play. It's probably the largest number of people I've ever played for and I was glad to have the opportunity. Highlights of that gig included the little asian kid that had this little groovy jumping dance he was doing (personally, I think he was into our music).

Big thanks to S and L for being there. It was good to see you both. Lianna was also present and looking very very stylish with her shades and her beagle (at least, I think it was a beagle).

Lovely ladies out in their warm weather wear. Cherry Blossoms at peak bloom. A cool, sunny day. It's a shame we were in such a rush. Would have been nice to just hang for a bit.

-F

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...a critical hardware failure!!!

My work laptop can't find its hard drive which is really funny because I found it just fine. Oh well. I didn't feel like working today anyway.

-F

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Hey Folks,

If you're in Arling-town tomorrow night you can come to Whitlows and be serenaded by Laura.

At least it will feel that way... last time we played there everyone was over at the bar, which by the way is really far from the stage, and the people in front of the stage just kinda wanted to sit - not really caring whether a band was playing or not. But you can be there and feel special for it because we'll be playing just for you. And you'll see us for free, because there is no cover charge. (No excuses, Mr. McLaughlin :)

-Franco

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The way people are carrying on about this Schaivo news, you'd think that these people are fighting to oppose slavery or lack of economic equality.

Nope! I have just read about people whom, instead of doing something meaningful with their lives, are instead making show business of something that has nothing to do with them by trying to bring bread to a woman that can't eat.

http://slate.msn.com/default.aspx?id=2115123

Someone tell me why this is national news? Someone tell me why a personal life-death decision can become so politicized? It's none of our effing business, in my opinion. Republicans want to legislate morality. Democrats want to legislate equality. No one can find any ground to agree. I think I'm going to be sick.

Can we treat people as people rather than as political chess pieces?

-F

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JP Corwyn sent me some e-mail today. For those who don't know he was the singer in a band called Tandem, which I was also a part of during the 2002-2003 fall/winter stretch. He is still among the best of my friends.

JP, in his e-mail this morning, informs us (the people in his cadre) that reviews of his single, "I Will Wait" are pending publication and he is trying to get as much recognition for this tune as possible. If you want to have a listen to this tune (and I think you should) you can find it at Alternative Additiction's Top Ten Unknown Artists List where you can also submit a vote for it to indicate your interest in the track. If you have the time and the bandwidth, have a listen and vote. It's worth your time.

From: JP Corwyn [mailto:jpcorwyn@wowlink.com]
Sent: Monday, March 21, 2005 1:28 AM
To:
Subject: Update for the cadre!

Well now!

First off, happy pre-easter, and, cuz I'm a selfish bastard, happy pre-birthday to me! Yep, my egg day (the day I was hatched) is on Easter Sunday this year. There's some symbolism there that I'm just not gonna comment on...

I digress!

I'm writing to let you all know that "I Will Wait" has just reared its musical head at:
Alternative Additiction's Top Ten Unknown Artists List

So, run, don't walk, to the above link and VOTEVOTEVOTE! Tell all of your friends about the site! Take out billboard space! Paint it on the water tower, just above your Girlfriend's name! The more people know about this, the faster I Will Wait gets noticed!

Allright! I'll stop now!

Ringtones!
Both "I Will Wait" and "Too Much to Dream will be available for download to your favorite celular device within the next few months! More as details materialize!

REVIEWS:
Within the next few weeks reviews of the EP: "I Will Wait" will begin to flood in! Check www.jpcorwyn.com for updates and dates and locations in which the reviews appear.

Allright kids, that's it from the Corwyn-Front. More as I finalize it. Here's hoping that a tour is in the works for this summer. It's not out of the question, if enough of a buzz gets started.

Cheers
~JP

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Got in some photos from Jon Maghini. It looks like the bass is starting to take shape: (see all of the photos)

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So I forgot to give them my insurance card at the local CVS Pharmacy today when I went to fill a prescription for some antibiotics. They rang it up and it came out to $120 dollars. I had them re-process the Rx with my insurance and it comes out to $50 ($15 co-pay and the insurance pays $35).

What kind of BS is that? It would cost someone without insurance 240% of what it costs an insurance company for the same pills. If you subtract the 15-dollar co-pay, it costs 340% as much.

Anybody else pissed off about this?

-F

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So against my prior statement before of "no more pets until some of them die off" I have decided that the preservation of a very sweet dog's life is more important than maintaining control of the fur content in my house. We haven't formally signed adoption papers for this one yet but we're very close.

I present to you, Khaki:

This dog is pretty much in doggie love with Suzanne. And he's nice enough to me. Very sweet and mellow dog. I'm already very fond of him. His only flaw at this point: He barks his fool head off when he is left in his kennel and pretty much can't stand to be away from Suzanne. We're hoping that he may normalize over time.

Anyway... hurray for doggie love!

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...if instead of those mean Ten Commandments that people keep trying to idolize in our American court buildings, if they would instead post something as heartwarming as the elements of the Sermon on the Mount -- so said Vonnegut in an article he wrote in May of last year, 2004. Though there are certainly references to God and heaven, it's hard to find fault with it's message. Imagine the religious right doing something like that.

I found this article by way of a couple blogs:
- FromTheSalmon.com
- Jesus Politics

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
   For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
   For they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
   For they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
   For they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
   For they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
   For they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
   For they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
   For theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

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I heard a recording of Bush's speech today on the radio and I hear the way he is uninvitedly making grandiose statements about the march of freedom on behalf of the Lebanese opposition and saying that "America is on your side!". Contrast that with the pro-Syrian rally going on today which had placards that read, "America is the source of terrorism" and "All our disasters are from America".

So as I consider all of this I am tickled by a funny image in my mind: Images of the Lebanese opposition leadership saying, "No! No! Don't be on our side! We don't want you on our side! Why don't you play for the other team! Can't you invade Iran or something!!!!!"

:)

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I am looking forward to performing tomorrow. Haven't played Ragtime in a while and I have had enough good experiences playing there to look forward to it. The quality of the gig depends entirely on the people in the audience so hopefully there will be people there who know how to enjoy themselves in a live-music, bar-type setting. The last time we played there, there was some kind of post-wedding group that descended upon the place about halfway through the gig and it was fun and madness afterward. It was very cool! There were even people dancing. What more can a guy ask for? Nothing like affectionate and drunken wedding people to spice up the night.

Have a good weekend, my funky people.

-Franco

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Okay, so I found out recently that the name Miramax was created by those Weinstein people by combining the names of their parents, "Miriam" and "Max". And I thought to myself, "gee that's pretty cool... let's see how it would work with my parents' names."

My parents are named Phat and Hong. As I sit here and stare at those two names, I am slowly coming to the realization that a combination which most people would read as "Fat Thong" is not a really appealing name for anything. I'm thinking this formula doesn't really agree with asian names. However, imagine if my Mom's name were somehow "Lo". My company/band/whatever could be called "Lo Phat". How cool would that be? :)

-F

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Hello Funkateers! (This is my new name for people on my mailing list - it's kind of like the Mickey Mouse club but without the big ears :)

Just wanted to send out an e-mail to remind people that I will be playing a gig with my band, Cerulean Groove, on Saturday night in Arlington. We have been rehearsing extra hard to try and get our songs sounding as good as they can be and, more importantly, to learn each other's musical nuances so that we can do that communicating-without-talking thing that constitutes good musicianship (or as I refer to it, "Musician's ESP"). I am very excited with how things are coming along.

This is where you come in. We're really a bit too close to the material to really know how it sounds to someone who doesn't have to play the music all the time. So if you come out and have a listen, you can be a part of the band by doing us the crucial favor of letting us know how we are doing. (that would make you the eyes and ears of the band... which is way better than the armpits or the feet, I think :)

Our Ragtime shows usually start at about 9:30-ish Ragtime - See the Gig Calendar for details

I hope to see you there.

-Franco

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Sorry folks. I've been slacking on this website since I got sick. I guess I don't have very much to say when I'm sick but I probably should because since I've started getting over my cold, everything seems strangely fresh and somewhat nostalgic. Call it a strange frame of mind.

So what's new? I found out today that my friend William has gotten an employment contract. For those who don't know, he moved to Berlin quite a few months ago now with out having job lined up to try and make the connections to get employed. He certainly would have preferred to have a job waiting for him but it wasn't in the cards. This is something that William has wanted to move there for the better part of a decade and this employment contract marks a great success for him. Big congratulations!

What else? I talked to Jon Maghini today. He has had some mishaps with his computer recently and is unable to send me photos of the topwood. He gave me a breakdown of where the bass is currently and it sounds like he's really moving along. The neck is pretty much cut and routed for the truss rod and ready for the peghead veneers and the fingerboard. The fingerboard is slotted for the fret inlays. The topwood has been glued to the body. Things are moving along.

What else? Suzanne and I went out this weekend and bought stuff to paint some of our walls so it's just a matter of time before our house has some color.

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They are comfy and discreet.

MR Earplugs!
MR Not!
OSAR! CM EDBD Filters?
LIB, MR Earplugs!

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Looks like it's merger time again. I've got my fingers crossed that all will go well.

WashingtonPost.com - Verizon Announces MCI Acquisition

-F

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Ugh!

Just kidding. I got my ear canals molded for musician ear plugs today.

"I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species. I realized that you're not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment, but you humans do not. You move to an area, and you multiply, and multiply, until every natural resource is consumed. The only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet, you are a plague, and we are the cure."

-Agent Franco

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Just got these in. They both look really good. Looks like I have to make a choice. The images are below. Specs for the bass can be found here.

Update: I ended up going with the 2-pickup design after consulting some smart people. I kinda figured I'd go that route anyway.

A pair of pickups with extended fingerboard and a "Mike Pope" style ramp between pickups.

A single pickup with an extended fingerboard and a "Gary Willis" style ramp between.

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I would like to take a moment to thank my friends for coming out to see me, my band, and the other bands perform last night at the Old Town Theater. Bass players, like me, who haven't achieved the critical mass of fame don't so much have fans, rather we have the good grace instead to have friends. You are my sparkling riches. Thank you for your support and love.

Listen to me... I sound as if I'm accepting some award. ( ...and I'd like to thank the academy... :)

While I'm in an award speech kind of mood, let me also put in a good word for the Old Town Theater which is a very nice room to watch music (and movies too, I'm sure). It's really quite gorgeous on the inside. They are just getting started and trying to achieve some kind of momentum so that they can afford to stay in business. Best of luck to them. They have my support however I can give it.

-Franco

PS - If you'd like to become my first official fan, you can sign up for my mailing list and drop me an e-mail to let me know that you're on board. Fans and friends can co-exist beautifully, I assure you.

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My esteemed friend and colleague on the bass guitar, Larry Joseloff, has just informed me that he has just published his first literary-humor-slash-beer-review at Opium Magazine. What a pleasant surprise.

Read Larry's article on Seasonal Beers.

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I have been exchanging e-mails with Jon over at MBasses.com and we're going to build a one-of-a kind custom fretless. Haven't worked out all of the details just yet but it's getting pretty exciting.

• Bolt-on/Bolt-neck
• 5-string BEADG with 4-string equivalent spacing (19mm?)
• Roundwounds or Half-Rounds
• Oil Finish
• Hardware color - Black

• Ebony Fingerboard – Lined with Maple
• 5-piece maple (same as SHB – ebony stringers?)
• Dot Inlays - tiny and between strings – aligned toward the top – see below*
• Headstock Veneers – TBD by JM
• Scale Length – 35”
• Gotoh Style Tuners

• KC-series based design – waiting for sketches- TBD by JM
• Semi-hollow/Chambered
• Mahogany Core
• Playing Ramp – extended fingerboard maybe?
• Hipshot A Bridge
• Topwood – Need to choose one
  • Spalted Maple / Myrtle Burl / Maple Burl
• Backwood - TBD by JM

• 18v Bartolini Circuit (NTMB?)
• Pickups
  • Number - 2
  • Type - TBD by JM
  • Layout - TBD by JM
• Knob layout like MEJ

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I have been exchanging e-mails with Jon over at MBasses.com and we're going to build a one-of-a kind custom fretless. Haven't worked out all of the details just yet but it's getting pretty exciting.

• Bolt-on/Bolt-neck
• 5-string BEADG with 4-string equivalent spacing (19mm?)
• Roundwounds or Half-Rounds
• Oil Finish
• Hardware color - Black

• Ebony Fingerboard – Lined with Maple
• 5-piece maple (same as SHB – ebony stringers?)
• Dot Inlays - tiny and between strings – aligned toward the top – see below*
• Headstock Veneers – TBD by JM
• Scale Length – 35”
• Gotoh Style Tuners

• KC-series based design – waiting for sketches- TBD by JM
• Semi-hollow/Chambered
• Mahogany Core
• Playing Ramp – extended fingerboard maybe?
• Hipshot A Bridge
• Topwood – Need to choose one
  • Spalted Maple / Myrtle Burl / Maple Burl
• Backwood - TBD by JM

• 18v Bartolini Circuit (NTMB?)
• Pickups
  • Number - 2
  • Type - TBD by JM
  • Layout - TBD by JM
• Knob layout like MEJ

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So I just found out today that Ibanez is no longer producing the GWB1 Gary Willis Signature Fretless bass. I was going to buy this bass. I found, instead, that they are making some cheaped-out version of the bass that has an Ebanol fingerboard. Is that even wood?

Onelook.com which looks up definitions from quite a few dictionaries and encyclopedias produced this when I entered "Ebanol":

Sorry, no dictionaries indexed in the selected category contain the word ebanol.

Perhaps you meant: ebola (found in 7 dictionaries)

I think I'm going to be sick... Ebanol sounds like some kind of synthetic crap that they use for cheap basses. Heck, even Fender doesn't use ebanol (so far as I know). Ibanez has messed up big this time.

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Hello All,

It's been a while since I've sent one of these out but I figured it'd be a good time to dust off the old mailing list. Of course, there are a couple of reasons for doing so:

1. I've got some blogware installed on my website, www.definefunk.com, that has made it much easier for me to add updates and gig info so you can expect to see more frequent updates to the
website.

2. My band, Cerulean Groove, is playing a Gig tomorrow at Whitlow's. This is our first time playing there AND they'll be making a live recording for us so we're looking forward to it. You can always find up-to-date information on any gigs I am playing on my website, www.definefunk.com, but here are the details for this particular show:

Wednesday January 19th
Whitlow’s on Wilson
2854 Wilson Blvd.
Clarendon, VA 22201
703.276.9693
http://www.whitlows.com
music starts around 9pm

That's all for now. Hope your 2005 is going well and that you are staying warm in our sunny-but-cold weather.

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