Jack’s Old & Busted Blog

A special message from the President (QT video).

Had my first banjo lesson today from banjo guru Clarke Buehling. It’s been a while since I had to look at the “little black dots,” but it’s easier than I thought, at least with little tunes like “Buffalo Gals.”

I ws lucky to find a good teacher; I was also lucky to get an amazing deal on a Deering Goodtime Special banjo (janetdavismusic.com)!

(pcasacas.org): “From the outset of Groundhog Day it is evident that Phil Connors (Bill Murray), a prima-donna local television weatherman in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is–to use the apt words of a poem quoted in the film by his producer Rita (Andie MacDowell)–’a wretch, concentered all in self,’ well on his way toward the fate Sir Walter Scott predicted for his kind: ‘forfeit[ing] fair renown’ and, ‘doubly dying,’ both in his soul and in the world, returning ‘to the vile dust from whence he sprung, unwept, unhonored, and unsung.’

“Groundhog Day” is one of the few movies that I will watch all the way through when it shows up on cable.

(bluegrassbanjo.com): The stock market collapse of 1929 and the world wide depression that followed wiped out the banjo. To quote Robert Webb, ‘Demand for its bright happy sound disappeared almost overnight. Professional orchestras made a quick transition to the ‘arch-top’ guitar, developed in the 1920s by Gibson and others which provided a mellow and integral rhythm more in keeping with the subdued nature of the times.’

Economics, politics, and banjos!

(conferencebike.com): “It’s not just a bike. It’s a PARTY ON WHEELS!”

This has been making the rounds, but I just saw it. I wonder how it handles hills?

Captive Art
Originally uploaded by hyperlunk.

This sculpture on campus really grabbed me last May. This is yet another post from Flickr, which seems pretty cool so far (Photographed in ColliVision(tm)!).

Rainy shoot
Originally uploaded by hyperlunk.

This is from last night. The photo is for a brochure. I like the way the wet surfaces reflect the light. Got lucky with the jeep.