"CONTINUING ON......"

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Hello, and thanks for the Explorer install tips Dave!! I know that if it were the typical used 1998 Explorer, I'd have no reservations in drilling holes here and there and ripping out consoles for the right radio mounts, but I got this from my brother and he kept it...well...almost "As New". Naturally there's a bunch of miles on it, but at the moment it doesn't get much action do to lack of employment. Nonetheless, I still want to get it S.O.W.ized for any road trip that may come up in the future!

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This is one way an Explorer owner did it, but because the rack isn't really grounded, he used this mount which requires a "No Ground" antenna. If I were just starting out, I might consider it, but I have several used antennas which I scavenged off the old SOW to use.

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I settled on this K400C mount from Diamond Antenna (I've used their products for many years). This one has the UHF mount which all of my antenna's are geared for. An example photo they use is on a Jeep (shown in the picture below-left) and I hope to use this on the back door of the Explorer, which according to another site I visited, should work just fine. So if one works, then a second will, but for now, I'll be happy with just one mount grounded properly. I have to budget antenna mount purchases with what items I can sell that I bought with my legal half of a 2008 bonus (if that makes any sense).

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With clarification to a previous post: The ex is selling my stuff, and as I explained, she has no knowledge of the things she is selling. If I remember a certain piece as being bad, I'll point it out, but towards the end of this doomed marriage, I was getting things in faster than could ever be tested. As a rule, if it didn't have a power cord, it was never checked out. Many items were bought because I already owned an "Ugly" version that worked and just needed something that looked good to merge the two together.

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This never happened, and while the CB GAZETTE name is in the ad, there is no real connection between what is sold and the good name I've established with the CB Gazette, and, CB Gazette Website. I'm NOT saying "Don't Buy", just if you do...go into it with your eyes open, as many years ago we split off the ebay sales where collectmenots was for her beads and other things while the radio stuff was sold under "TheStonerGuy" moniker on Ebay.

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This past Sunday we (Robin and I) finally got to get with my Dad and Brother to celebrate "Bro's" 50th birthday. I was able to lure them into the shade for this quick photo:

I guess I should 'fess up that it's really not hard to lure someone into the shade in Houston....in fact, it's safe to say that most of us here dive for the cover of shade like vampires caught in the glare of the sun.

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Well, keep those mobile install tips coming, and I'm always interested in seeing how someone else solved their space dilemma.

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73

Woody

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FOR EXAMPLE

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While I can't keep track of every broken or non-tested piece of equipment I have, this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Courier-Centurion-40D-AM-SSB-Transceiver_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a10Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318Q7c301Q3a1Q7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3911Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem518a117634QQitemZ350208751156QQptZLHQ5fDefaultDomainQ5f0QQsalenotsupported

just got put up, and if you want something that DOESN'T work, this rig is for you! Chalk it up to an ex who doesn't know a thing about radio stuff!!
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IT HAD TO HAPPEN

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The soon-2-be ex has realized that belly dancing alone won't make ends meet, and in a blatant snubbing of the temporary divorce orders is selling off my stuff.
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A word to the wise: BE CAREFUL!!! The almost-ex had virtually no knowledge of radios, much less what did or didn't work (no matter how pretty it looked).
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If you are a bidder, be sure to ask: Does it come with the AC or DC cords? (if not, consider it D.O.A.), but there's more:

• If it has the cords (and are the correct ones), was it powered up and tested? (answer: No. She doesn't know a Dummy Load from a linear amp)
• If it receives, does it transmit? (See my reply above)
• If it has no cords, how can it be in excellent condition??
• Does it come with a microphone? (If not, how was it tested)
• Is it missing tubes or other parts (only I know that)
• Just because it "Smells new" doesn't mean it will work
• If it's a microphone, was it tested? If so, what is it wired for?
• If it's Am/SSB, did she test AM/LSB/USB (see my first reply)
• If it's a meter or other test equipment, has it been tested to verify it works??
• Does it come with a manual?

Basically, she's thrown out a bunch of equipment that she doesn't know if it works, if it's missing parts or tubes, or even has a pwr cord or microphone. And to be honest with you - many of these are project radios, either D.O.A. or with problems, that I planned to fix when I retired...vs. making a fast buck on the unaware.

BEWARE!!!

73

WOODY

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HAPPY EASTER TO ONE AND ALL

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Hope some of you are getting tomorrow off. I'm still in the field of un-employment, with dimmer prospects of anything jumping out there in this crazy economy in Houston...which should mean I could be blogging more, but haven't felt like posting something lately. I think this weekend will be a wet one in Gulf Coast and indeed, the wind has been pretty gusty from the Gulf.
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73

-

Woody

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"UGH, FUN WITH...............UN-EMPLOYMENT"

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Ya gotta love the irony. It's been over a month now, and I checked on my status for un-employment, and I when I log in I see "We have deposited your first payment on the 12th (yesterday) to your debit card, issued to you on the 19th of March". Only on a Friday the 13th could it happen - to me.
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I can only say this: Go see "The Watchmen". Great Flick. It'll take your mind off of what ails ya...
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73

Woody

-
- UPDATE: When checking the mail on Saturday, I received a letter saying they had not determined if I was worthy of unemployment. I think I will believe I'm getting something, if and when something arrives.

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"DEAR READERS, FORGIVE ME..FOR IT'S BEEN 8 DAY SINCE MY LAST POST"

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Yes, hard to believe how fast time has gone by, but I've been busy trying to beat the clock on every doctor appt I could get, which led to new medications I would need, etc. It wouldn't be so bad if they were in a 2 block area and when your appt. is at 3, they see you at three, but the extended waiting, maneuvering in traffic, and avoiding the people coughing and sneezing just feet away in the waiting room was enough to drive me crazy!
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I think I've managed to apply for unemployment insurance, and will find out March 6th when I go back to the website. While it would help, it's limited help. Back to the doc's - I found out that I had scoliosis, and the beginning of osteoporosis (it's on the back). My blood work came out looking good, except I have less than desirable cholesterol again. About 7 years ago I had really bad cholesterol, couldn't find a medicine that I could handle (no matter what I took, my joints, especially the elbows) hurt so bad it was hard to keep working. Eventually I gave up trying meds. Two years later, blood tests revealed excellent results, and yet I hadn't changed a thing; so I'm going to take the same approach as before (do nothing).
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Finally, late yesterday after a lengthy appointment the eye doc said "You have the early stages of glaucoma". So ended my appointments (I missed two) and by 6pm when we left the eye doc, I was beat (and blinded by those drops they put in your eyes). Two weeks of pushing the mule (me) to the doctors, or just trying to get from one to another was enough to bring a smile to face- It was Saturday, it was over. I'm sure more than one person may have thought I was job hunting or just relaxing and trying to take it all in, but no - not yet, today starts the reflecting and plans for the future. I'm leaning towards a different path, which may require school, but I'm pretty sure I can find some jobs that will fit the class schedules.
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Naturally, at 9a.m. on Saturday morning, I'm listening to "Click and Clack" the guys on "Car talk". It's funny, and they're pretty good on fixing a car over the phone. I'll bet some of you have caught them more than half a dozen times a year; if not, find NPR on Saturday mornings or (I'm checking their website right now) it looks like you can listen to it via the web here:http://www.cartalk.com/ct/review/index.jsp try it, ya might like it. Hmm, their show is available on I-POD's too, good, I can catch up on some that I missed.
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I was driving into the apartment complex when I saw a Truck that said "Moving Truck", and after watching it for 20 minutes I realized - it wasn't. Besides Car Talk Saturday, it's time to look at my meager bank balance, then go watch "The Replacement killers" or "Shoot'em Up" to get that out of my system, and maybe take some pictures or something else relaxing, 'cause Monday it's stop at the community college, see if I like something, then start applying for jobs in the immediate area.
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The last email I read (awhile back) was curious what the soon-to-be-ex looked like, so I went through a bunch of photo's and could only dig up this one. I guess I lost the creative urge to take pictures after I got married, or maybe the CB GAZETTE sapped it outta me, but this is the only one found - but there ya go! Anyone who has sent an email to me within that last few weeks, if I have got back to ya, it's just 'cause I haven't be around much to read email's. Don't worry, I did scan briefly each day and mark the radio related one.
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AND THAT'S ALL FOLKS!! FOR THIS EXCITING CATCH-UP

UNTIL THE NEXT ONE

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73/'Nuff Said

Woody

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"DAY, KLATU-KARAIMI-MrrrrrrrFRA"

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YES, that the hint for all of you lame asses out there who either didn't drive hundreds of miles to meet the "King" or hundreds of miles to one of the few theatres it was shown at last year, but mind you, if you call yourself a Bruce Campbell fan, you must, as the LEAST buy his video!! Yup, "My Name Is Bruce" is finally (ed. - and that's a LONG finally folks. I remember talking to Armando about this movie coming out at least 3 or 4 years ago, 'Nuff Said).

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Sure, Bruce is older, so don't expect some young "Ash" to be busting through the screen. This film was made where he lives, much of it on his property, using local actors and makes fun of himself and/or some of your typical hollywood types in a manner that can't help but make ya admire the guy while you're laughing your ass off. Robin and I saw it at the Alamo theatre in Austin. (oh look it up, I think it's on an older blogpost). The DVD came out last week, but I was self obsessed most of last week, and realized I'd forgot to mention the release.
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That's is for this posting

(wadda want? War'n Peace?)

73 & 'Nuff Said

Woody

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"VALENTINES DAY WEEKEND - PT2"

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Before anyone starts chidding in about the cheap e-card, I also gave her some flowers, and they smelled great - and yes, Robin liked them. Plans for the movie didn't work out as she didn't get here 'til later, but she did bring one of those pizza-pizza $5 pizzas and that can last up to 3, maybe 4 days.

- Robin waiting for the opera...

Sunday when we got together, we went to see a comedy, knowing Friday-the-13th would still be lurking in theatres for at least another week, and being the BIG spender I am, we stopped by McDonalds for a couple crispy chicken bacon ranch salads (If you haven't tried on yet, it might be worth it 'cause they taste great).

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And of course, no apparent DX. I think I'll have to check that antenna connection again, in between going through the boxes of my stuff from work that (many) were packed like crap (I had pictures everywhere). Then there's looking into un-employment insurance, a doctors appointment, calling the the front office about that garbage disposal unit again, oh my gosh, more work than an unemployed fellow can handle!!

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Until the next post -

73

Woody

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"VALENTINES DAY (weekend), 2009"

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Valentines Day weekend was very nice this year, making 2 wonderful years celebrating Valentine's Day (something I could not seem to do previously). Friday night was a night out at the Opera, and my mood swings were there as well. I did enjoy the second half of the opera though, and of course, the company of Robin.

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Rising up from the underground parking garage, the skies were suddenly filled with hundreds of birds, but by the time I could get a shot, only one swarm was visible.

Having to save funds for Valentines day, there wasn't much spending, but Robin is so creative, when she stopped by on Saturday I received the most fantastic gift I have ever received. It was a small scrap book that she put together for me and each time I read it, I find something new and/or funny (she has a great sense of humor).

I could tell that she spent many hours on this task, which made it that much more special. My e-mailed valentine card paled in comparison to this special book, that I will be sure to read, many times over. I've included a few pictures of some of the pages to give you an idea how much work she put into the project, along with a picture of a rose she gave me, like her, and her book, the rose was perfect!

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WHAT A FANTASTIC ROSE!!!!!

END PART ONE

WOODY

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"FRIDAY THE 13th - THE ONE WEEK ANNIVERSARY"

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It seems strange as I write this, one week after losing my job, and finding it's Friday the 13th. I don't believe in things like that, or old wives tails like hang a dead snake over a fence and it will bring rain (Bet ya never heard that one). I have heard "It's raining frog's", but that was on the show the X-files (then again, maybe they were toads).
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I've had a few emails, some wanting to know about the anger there must be in being fired from a job I started in August of 1997, but when droopy came aboard last year, I figured my days were numbered, so what's to be angry about if you know it's coming? One friend of mine got me laughing pretty good about the latest picture of me that I'd posted. I don't remember his exact words, but it was something like "Damn, did you get that picture taken in the bar from the movie "Death Proof"??
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I'm still chuckling at that one. The only bad thing that happened, i guess, is that the guy didn't come and replace the garbage disposal. I will try again, and again, and so forth. Over all, the day/night was mixed. I flipped on the rig once or twice (ed.- no skip), and yeah, I'm going to see the new "Friday the 13th" movie sometime soon.
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So as short as this may be, well, 'Nuff said

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73

-

WOODY

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"DAY SIX...."

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Well, here we are, at DAY 6. I spent most of the day home (had a power adapter fry, and tore the radio room apart unsuccessfully finding it). But I did take my 7pm break to watch "EARL". -
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And, I've yet to be able to tell any of my story: Which I hope will come out sooner than later. No one seems interested in my side as well as, no one seems too interested I have no income now. During the 2007 fall period until the end of the year (2008)I've paid my temporary Alimony- in fact, I didn't have to pay the month of December, but I did. My Doctor found a lot a problems with my health (which others had missed - GO SOX DOC!!), and I've made some recovery, but without a job and great insurance (which I had), I suspect a slow decline once again.

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Well, I suppose I should go back to finding that burned out adapter as I've lost all 5 USB ports, then clean up the mess I made trying to find another one, and perhaps, in one-two-three or more months? this will end with a homeless Woody....
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73

Woody

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"DAY FIVE....."

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Well fearless fans, the day of the Divorce came yesterday. And no, there was no divorce. Because of my untimely release from work, the opposition seemed to suspect I quit my job to avoid child, oops! I mean alimony.
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I found that kinda amusing as I've been paying alimony all along since 2007, so why would I give up a well paying job, with excellent benefits to avoid it? My body is not producing a variety of things necessary for an normal life, heck just one prescription alone is almost $600 so I don't see the logic in my terminating my employment myself. Here we go back to a bunch of "lawyers in buses plunging over cliff" jokes, but you've heard 'em all at one time or the other. I felt a tremor in the force and glanced back to find my 1st ex-wife sitting there, somewhat "Stocky"(courtrooms should charge someone like that for 2 seats, much like some airlines do, and I guess someone drove her up from Houston, because as far I know, at age 52, she still doens't own a driving license (any doctors in the house?).
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But because the other lawyer almost teared up over the fact I'm unemployed and how it will effect future alimony, I have to give him credit for a good acting job (not quite an oscar, but I suppose actors and lawyers aren't all that different). I did find out some interesting details which of course I'm not allowed to discuss, much like Michele, her mom, and Robin's soon-to-be ex, but I suspect they have their little network regardless of the what the Judge says (did I ever mention that her lawyer is Robins husbands lawyers as well??). So as it stands, I'm looking on ways to pay next months rent, while she sits in a house that I paid off with money I made while she slept until noon or so.

It is slightly puzzling that at the end of this kinda-trial, Michele's Lawyer was telling her what to pack where, etc. while he talked to the judge, almost like an employee or lap dog. I can't recall my attorney asking the same of me.
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By the time we got back into Houston it was around 2 and so we made a trip to my doc's for whatever free samples he had on hand for stuff like acid-flux. Neither Robin or I were in the best of moods until rush hour traffic time, and as a picture in an art gallery can mean one thing to one person and something entirely different to another no one should jump to any conclusions as to what the picture means, if anything at all, except; that it's a picture - ART
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As for finding a new job.....I'm taking as long a break I can before returning to the work force (unless some great job drops in my lap), but I haven't had a real (R-E-A-L) vacation since 1997 when I was first hired there, so I this is my chance for some time off, not having to worry about what is happening at work without me (it was just me) and unwind (provided I can pay my rent, electricity, and cable). I'm sure there are many of you have had similar lack of vacations, so you'll agree some time-off and mental cleansing is long due. However, unlike the one-day-to-be ex, I will seek employment.
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So now, I am I told "To wait" (easy for someone making money to say), but in the meantime, there are a lot of things and places Robin (who looked FANTASTIC yesterday) and I have wanted to go to or visit around town and what better time to spend waiting, eh?
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Until my next crappy posting -

73

Woody

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"DAY 3 AND 4...."

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I missed yesterday's post, so I thought I'd combine the two days together (who would have thought that not being employed keeps you pretty busy). Yesterday was like the previous 2, like a sine-wave. Someone did offer to get me out of the apt. and go see a movie, and while I was partially inclined to just molt in the radio room, I went anyways. I saw "Fan Boys", which was playing at only one theatre of all Houston.
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It was pretty funny even in a sine-wave kinda mood, reminding me of "Free Enterprise" to a certain degree. It was very entertaining and if you've seen Star Wars fans, and or Star Trek fans (or are one or both), you'll enjoy it even more. Several cameo's and a good storyline executed well makes this something you'll either drive to the one theatre to see, or buy the DVD.
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Between that, and a stop of at a favorite Ale establishment pretty much killed the day.
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TODAY

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Today was mostly wrestling with getting the taxes done for tomorrows divorce, and a followup doctors visit. Which leave me where we're at now, 2 Ales down and a blog post almost completed. I heard from a good (yet never met) friend Dave, and his e-mail about my current situation. Much appreciated Dave - Thanks!.
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So that's where I end this posting (gotta get in that final divorce trial mode) and I'll let ya know how that ends up tomorrow. At least we can expect no more free rides for the Ex, as I'm in the same unemployed boat she is....
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73

Woody

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"DAY TWO...."

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Well, I'm into day two of unemployment, and must say it's a lot worse than yesterday (guess I was just "numb") and so the fear factor sets in, the reality of getting a job at my age, at an equal (or close to salary). Not to mention not having a phone and having to rely on e-mails or IM to contact people.
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The place I worked at was great as far as benefits go, and I'll miss those, and perhaps a few people there too; Hey, it was great only living about 5 miles from work. As you know, I've been through a ton of medical tests to find out reasons why things weren't working and without those benefits, it would have been hard to do. The irony of it all is that they had found most of the stuff wrong with me and taking the appropriate medications and the ton of certain vitamins, I was actually feeling more like my old self in the recent months.
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You never realize how much crap you have to change when something like this occurs, and I've been working on changing addresses, etc. Unfortunately, it'll be tough paying for this place w/o a job, but all I can do is believe that things will workout. On a brighter note, for all of those "I wish I had the time to complete this" items, can be done, once I'm outta this funk.
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Resumes. This will take quite a bit of thought as the last resume I had was from around 1991 and if it still exists, it's currently in someone Else's possession. I'll work on it amongst other things, but still the first item on the list is the Divorce on Tuesday. Once this long/extended ordeal is over, I can breathe a sigh of relief and that'll clear up a big spot in the brain so I can work on other things. The worst part is, after working there since 1997, I've come to consider some of the end users as friends, and hope that their future projects will still go as planned, in my absence.
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CB or HAM radio stuff is temporarily off limits and I'll probably have to sell a few items to meet next months rent. Don't get me wrong - I'm not writing this for self-pity, but for the other 598,000 jobless folks in the US as of January (maybe that makes me the 598,001 jobless person eh?). There's no way I can afford to fix the Lumina, so I have time to clean it out and perhaps donate it, depending on the divorce finalization. It was a good radio car, but with some grounding issues I could never resolve. The only thing that worked well was my VHF/UHF rig (that was until something electrical blew it out), and I never had great HF performance, but it was halfway decent performance.
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In the meantime, I have plenty of things to change (regarding shipping addresses, phone numbers, etc.) and it sure would be nice to have a little DX to perk up 'ol Woody, but the sunspot numbers just aren't there. So someone send me an email about this D-Star I've been hearing about. I'd like to read something from an everyday ham vs. Manufacturer propaganda. As well, is there anything that excites you on the radio market? (ed. - yeah, I still haven't taken that AES catalog out of the plastic).
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It's a shame I had to get rid of the TS-850 (my favorite recent rig) and it would be nice for the manufacturers to drop prices due to the economic situation the world is going through. I was listening to NPR and they were saying the un-employed level is equal to or worse than 1974 (coincidentally the same day my services were no longer required.) If it weren't for the rebuilding of an old PC I wouldn't be typing this now, and it doesn't really require much oompf; this Pentium one is doing just fine only I have to return the monitor to the former job, which I'll do sometime next week. With the price of LCD's spiralling downward, I should be able to pick up a fairly good deal.
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So, until I find some employment, I'll probably have time to drop daily posts (day2, 3, 4, etc.). Hope ya have some DX in your area!! Mine is dead -
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73

Woody

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"THE GOOD NEWS IS......"

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I'm alive. The bad news is, the Stonerguy got canned from work today. Yup, I'm typing to you today without office, card key, or income (well, it was payday today, so I guess that's better than it not being payday). If I were to trace back in time, today's event partially comes from the bitter rantings of someone, that festered for a year or two. No matter how dark things can seem at times there is always a bright side; Mine? I can't pay alimony if I'm not working. True, the judge can say she gets 10% of Zero, but...I don't think so.
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As well, because the soon-to-be-ex and lawyer always refused to settle, I'll get a percentage of the sale of the homestead and land, as well as a good share of it's contents. I just paid my Internet bill and rent, so I have that [pardon me while I digress, but I was paying the bill in person, the guy in front of me sees my shirt which features Bruce Campbell in "The Man With the Screaming Brain" and before you know it, I'm in a 3-way conversation with that guy and the one behind me in the line, about the great actors of horror - Lon Chaney Jr., Boris Karloff, etc. and I'm thinking "This is pretty freaking weird" just being axed and having a good conversation with some guys I don't even know. Surreal - that's what it was], and a Big Smooch to Robin for having the foresight in giving me a pad of paper for passwords (or else I might not be writing this blogs post today). I'm not planning anything farther than getting divorced next week, and that's the way it outta be...I have great beer plans for the near future (well, "Ale" to be technical).
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So while I pursue those goals, until the next post

73

Woody

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".....SERVERS - MEANT TO SERVE YOU DATA AND SERVE YOU PROBLEMS"

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Man, what a crappy 1.5 weeks!!! Servers can be your best friend, or worst enemy, and currently one server in particular is my worst enemy. I'm running here and there in our building, skipping lunch, etc. But once everything settles down, I have plenty of other stuff sitting here waiting to be done (ed. - Such is the life of an IT Monkey).

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When payday hits next week the first thing I'm doing is getting my old SOW (Shack On Wheels) towed to a faraway parking spot at work. I'd been counting on getting it over 300k but I guess I'll have to settle around 240k miles. Too bad, good spots to plant rigs, and I liked it, but after getting an estimate I had to say "Adios". GM makes a good engine, but that GM Antifreeze is like a computer virus. My advice, get your system flushed out until nothing remains of that stuff and put good old Mr. Green in as your coolant or else you'll be in the spot I was.-

And while we're (I'm) on the subject of cars, why do people have to get a new car/truck every couple years? I get around 250k to 350k before looking for something else. Once that first scratch or ding happens, it's keep it 'til it dies. My favorite SOW was a Maroon Van. It had the deluxe chairs, room to mount radios on the floor, and I bought a shelf that extended across the width of the windshield. Not a lot of height up there, but the vhf/UHF stuff fit nicely. I was going to Belton twice a year and I remember one particular year where I bought an old tube receiver that was big, and took 3 of us to get it in the van. Good times....Good times.

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I received a new AES catalog earlier this month, but it's still in the wrapper along with the last couple of unread QST's. There doesn't seem to be time to do much except go home, watch a 1/2 hour of TV or spend 1/2 hour surfing the web, eat, get the next days work clothes ready, and hit the sack. Sometimes I'll stop by the local Walmart to see what DVD's they've added to the $5 bin, and it's amazing how cheap they keep going. Of course Blue-Ray is perhaps pushing the pricing down, but they're already working on B.Ray's replacement - it's almost worse (I said "almost" ) than Microsoft. DVD's are the best bargain around, and with the up conversion, they look great. Maybe when this Divorce is over I can replace some of the movies I paid $16.99 for, at a much lower price range $3-$5.

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Speaking of USB Storage sticks (which I wasn't) I found a great little bugger by Transcend. It's so small, it looks like a joke or fake memory stick but it works great. They come in 2GB (black) and 4(GB) sizes, and for me, it's great to have clipped on a loop around my neck and It has most applications I would have to run back to my office for. Being so light of weight, I don't even notice it. If you have one of those small picture screens that shows off pictures, with this tiny stick you can't see it sticking out of the frame. Of course I have a great state-of-the-art cubicle as you can see! My trusty robot guards over me should an end user's requests exceed the budget, or if they threaten me with a paper cut. He's small but on the server at the right side of the desk you can barely make out my pet rat, "Ben". Hmmm, guess I'd better cut this post short as auto-save is failing. Anyways, until next time -
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73

Woody

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"WHAT'S THAT I HEAR...........SKIP?"

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Damn!! There's some SKIP out there today!! not loud, not strong, but they're trying. I'm hearing Georgia and Florida mostly, and apparently, they are catching the West Coast and not Texas, but nonetheless, it's great to hear something other than static.
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Speaking of dropping me an e-mail, I did get one from another "Brian". Here's his report -

We are getting sporadic skip into TampaBay from the North East, and Texas. I think we must have a hardwire to Texas, as it is almost at will in the afternoon hours, into early evening

Enjoy reading your Blogs, hope everything works out for the better. I especially like your trips down memory lane, talking about your early days, and the different radios you have had/used….reminds me of me.

Fwiw…I have a fairly nice collection of stuff also…….

In the Shack:
2 Cobra 2000’s, a Magnum S9, a Magnum 257 (50 watt), a Siltronix 1011D with matching freq counter, a Kenwood TS-440SAT with the PS-50 power supply and the MC-60 mic & a Heathkit SB-220, a very nice Cherokee AH-100 with all of the optional extras, half a dozen Turner Plus 3’s, and 2 Plus 3B’s

In the mobile I have the Magnum S9 with a mint condition Turner Road King 76 (I also have 4 or 5 extra RK 76’s in very nice condition, all working, I collect these if you know of any)

On the shelf in the garage I have 10 GE 35979 40 channel walkie talkies, all kinds of assorted meters, speakers, and mics, a real nice Palomar TX-75, and a very, very nice (almost mint) Maverick 250, a KRIS Mach 3B, a Johnson 223, a Johnson 352, and a few Uniden 510’s and 520’s , also all kinds of different mobile antennas. There is also a spare NIB IMAX 2000, and a never opened but the box is ratty, Moonraker IV, for when I retire (5-7 years) and move to where I can put up a tower.

Keep it up and 73’s
Brian, Tampa FL
American Radio 205
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Hey Brian, thanks for the e-mail! Sounds like you have a nice collection, a doorway to Texas (which unfortunately I can't open), and by the sounds of it, we're in the same general age range. I sure did love that E.F.J 352, but I hated the microphone connection on the back end. Also, appreciate the good wishes - for every door that closes, another opens and as long as I'm working where I'm at, I guess I'll be a cave dweller rather than a home owner. Five minutes home and then five minutes back makes a big difference. BTW- your state is now really loud, but be that front that is slowly moving through the area. 73, Woody
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It's always nice to hear from everyone, wherever you are, and it's good to get back into the groove of the blog, although like anything there are up's and down's. And it's 3:35 Central time and the skip is still rolling - sometimes hard to hear, and others blasting my speaker. But if you ever get a doorway to Texas, 27.385 is it, and I'm just the 202 portable!
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73

Woody

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"Divorce, women, and attorney's"

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Man, I guess the-soon-2-be-ex listens to her attorney with glazed eyes. In the beginning things that they listed as $20,000 are now $2,000. Antique furniture paid hundreds for, $50-$100. I'm not sure what kind of strategy this is, but if I had to name it, it would be the "Backwards Principle". But (ed.- "fingers crossed" 'Nuff Said) Feb. 10th is THE day.

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I peeked into Ebay recently, but nothing exciting. I did pick up quite a few photography books, as I'm not expecting to get the ones I had (pre-marriage) back (along with some photo gear). I guess because digital camera's are all the rage, older photo books are selling dirt cheap (like 49 cents for a lot of books). What they fail to realize is that what applied 20 or 30 years ago, still applies today even if it is digital. Dummies. Ask a digiphite what "Depth of Field" is, or "F-Stops" and you'll see what I mean.

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Much of my days of collecting are over now......after building a nice collection over a 15 year period, it seems pointless to start over again. Robin, has managed to get me out of the packrat style of life I was leading, and she truly is marvelous, so thanks Robin, you've made me a better person,and I hope I've been able to add something to you as well! By instinct, I still come home and flip on the HF rig, but usually nothing is happening, or when the Lumina was working (may it rest in peace) I'd hear some DX, but by the time I got home - nada.
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EBay is a great example of the recession, shipping prices are still high (weird, 'cause gas is a lot less) but the final sale price is not what it used to be because I've seen some rigs go for a lot (LOT) less than 2 or 3 years before. Sometimes it's kinda funny in an amusing sort of way. I bid .49 cents for something (thar goes the memory lads), and was quite surprised to find out that I won it. So I paid my .49 cents and about $7 to ship it. If you were wealthy, and had plenty of storage (climate controlled) and waited it out, maybe prices would increase....but then, I lost my ass when the Tech Bubble burst 9 years ago. Nothing like seeing a .0000001 per share price eh? It was a good lesson and I've stayed away from playing around with stocks ever since.
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Back to EBay. This is a great place to find something you've been looking for, or just remembered the item and found it after a quick search. EBay is for buyers. Selling is another matter. There are fee's for listing, fee's to have your ad in bold, and on, and on. If you should sell the item, they take a percentage of that too.....and most of us buyers use Paypal (which just happens to be owned by EBay) and the seller is whacked for another 4%. I don't know how sellers make money, much less break-even, but if you have the hots for a new rig and want to sell yours pronto, there is no larger audience to be found. I heard on NPR yesterday that EBay posted a loss, and I'm not surprised, but I fear the amount of companies posting losses will become many, increasing every quarter until we're out of this mess.
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And that's my jot for the day (actually I started it last night around 11pm while I was at work doing a restore of a folder on a server. Hope yer weekend goes well, and yep, I'll be around!
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73

WOODY

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A REPORT FROM THE STREETS OF DIVORCE TORN SEALY!!

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Where was I in my last post.....oh yes, we'd gone to a mediator (me and my lawyer in one room, her and her lawyer in the other). The mediator is actually a lawyer as well. I won't go into the details, but at least the mediator shook our hands and said he admired us for ability to try and meet middle ground. Next stop - Divorce Court. I'm looking forward to this because I'll come out better than any of the options we had previously proposed, and it will be "The End" (FEB.10)
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After the end, I'm not sure what direction I'll go in. Right now, it's tough being a Ham operator and no sunspots. While I never did get my most recent license from the old homestead, I managed to get my license renewed complete with address change. I'm afraid the SOW I'd been driving has seen it's last day with multiple issues making it not worth it to repair, not even mentioning the weird electrical problems that I'd been battling since last summer (and bumming rides doesn't win any friends either). But the under 5 miles trek to work is great - man, I was so tired of driving 100miles a day for about 15 years that there's no traffic to get stressed over, or, excessive miles put on any given vehicle. It would happen so fast, get another vehicle and before I new it, I'd passed the 100K mark, then 200k, and in a couple vehicles 300k,maybe 400k in one instance.
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No more wild radio collecting (there's only so much you can fit in an apartment), so moderation is the mode I'll function in. I only need 2 or 3 on display somewhere to remind me of the good 'ol days of radio, and an HF rig, which really, has done nothing but pick up static. That leaves Vhf/Uhf, and I can get by with that for now. Are any of you getting any DX where you live? If so, drop me an e-mail so that I know someone is talking somewhere. The rest of the stuff I get I'll put in storage somewhere. There are many rigs that have to be repaired and I was, and still am, looking forward to doing it - when time allows. I would have started something sooner, but my requests for my Variac and Tube Tester fell on deaf ears.
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I did pick up some cheap 35mm film camera's from days gone by to display on a wall shelf. It starts with the 1st SLR I owned to the last. But people are dumping these at almost giveaway prices, I guess because digital cameras have become the defacto standard now. Oh, another question for you: What is the smallest vhf/uhf mobile on the market? Going further, even the used market. I seem to recall a very small Yaesu or Icom that came out about 10 years ago. If you know of any, drop me an e-mail and I'll check it out (it can even be UHF only as well).
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I still check Ebay out every once and awhile and sometimes plunk down the lowest bid possible. To my surprise, I've won several things, and I guess this is an indication of our countries economic problems - people need jobs, people need money, and it's an amazing correlation.
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Health? I'm still working on it. Besides a TON of different vitamins, along with injections and medication, I'm making an improvement. I guess if you've been missing something vital for 7-10 years, you can't expect a quick recovery. I have other things that help in retraining parts of my brain, and if it'll do it, I'm all for it - when you get into neural pathways problems, it's best not to set a timeframe, and just go with the flow.
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And now.....what can you expect from the blog this year????

• More frequent postings



• Different subjects



• Less gaps in the blog where nothing is written for months at a time



• New pictures



• More Video's



• I'll answer reader mail (provided I get any)



• And that's just the start!

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So there ya go.....but wait! We had an invasion of ducks since the fall. They float around the pond, and depend on us to feed them. They have a great internal clock for lunchtime and it's funny how 2 ducks waddle towards the water and swim across to be fed by the company on that side, while two stay here. There are some other kind of ducks (dark brown), maybe twenty of 'em or so that don't even come near a human. They seemed to have split into two groups. One stays on this side,while the other has moved to the other side of the pond. The funny part is that they just stand at the edge, wing-to-wing like a military lineup and stare at each other. No quacks, no sounds, just the staring. The picture I've added is of one of the human friendly ducks.

So ends my first posting of the year (I think). Expect more, and enjoy life!!

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Woody

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"AND THE BATTLE RAGES ON....."

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Yes fervent fans, the Divorce will continue into the next year!! (glad we didn't have kids - I'd be saying next century). On the bright side, going to court will sell and split everything, so in reality, I'll get more than I thought I would and she'll have to find a place to live. I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed living closer to work, and filling my gas tank once a month or so. But with enjoyment comes compromise - I'm in an apartment, not a house, so no outdoor antenna's, thus I'm an HF listener and a VHF-UHF talker!
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Unfortunately, I had to sell off all my HT's, but if (BIG "IF") we get a bonus this year, I'll pick up another. I do like my Kenwood TS-480s so I can listen to 11m and 80m, but without many (or any) sunspots, all I get is static, so I spend less time on the radio. Fortunately, as a man, I have more hobbies than I can either deal with or afford, and some of these work fine in an apartment! Which reminds me, "Why is it, that men have a/or more hobbies than women?" I don't know how many women I've asked "So what hobbies do you have?" and get a "Why would I want a hobby" look back at me.
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I still look occasionally on e-bay for some pristine transceiver or receiver (but it has to be "as new", but being a collector, and having to shrink down what I collect, I'll p/u and occasional cw key, I'm going to try to get one of every camera I've owned (35mm), and a few walkie-talkies. None of these take up much room so onward I go.
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If you are a regular reader of my blog, well, you'll never know what to expect, but there will be radio entries as well - Oh, I almost forgot! I collect "Doc Savage" paperbacks, and back to the TS-480s, while it's a nice rig, I may move that out for something that will p/u HF-UHF (maybe another FT-817nb?). I really liked that rig, but had to sell it to make ends meet this year. As well, I have my yearly car maintenance to take care of, and other things not so fun (lawyer fee's, repayment of money borrowed, etc.).
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As for the Doctor report - not all of the tests have come back yet. The last, and final test was a week before Thanksgiving and they said usually it takes ten days to get the results back, but because of turkey-day, maybe 15............and here we are knocking on Christmas Eve.
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So, if this is my only December post, I wish you all a Merry Christmas!! And if I sneak another one in after Christmas, your mission is to email me with any cool ham gear you may have received (and of course, your opinion of it/them).
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'Nuff Said

Woody

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"Back To Cameras Again"

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An electronic problem ended my love affair with my Minolta XK, but I still had the others. The year was 1989, and once again I found myself drooling at all the goodies locked up in the brightly lit glass cases.

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It was like radio heaven, only for cameras. They had [have] new, used,rentals, accessories, and a very knowledgeable staff. My problem was that I was always looking for exotic lenses [used, of course] - especially wide angle lenses.

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One day I happened to ask about some Minolta lens and of course the sales guy said "Nope, nothing used, but I can order a new one for you". The blood draining from my face, must have been the clue, 'cause as he stared at my bloodless, pasty white face, he said:"I know you've been in here year after year, only to walk out empty handed, so it's time you changed brands"

(SOMEHOW i KNEW THIS WOULD BE EXPENSIVE)

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He went on to tell me about Nikon's, and how I could walk into practically any camera store in the world, and find a used lens, in the Focal Length I wanted. Not only that, there were bunch-O-bodies of various price ranges that these lenses would fit on. That was the day I became a 35mm Nikon man! I bought a beat up looking but perfectly functional F3, with a 43-86 zoom....."A good start", I thought.

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It wasn't long after that the "fever" hit me. I love wide-angle for the outdoors, so my next purchase was a Nikkor 20mm 3.5 lens, and I probably shot 75% of my photo's with it. Next came "Normal" lens (much cheaper), and that kept me happy for awhile and I developed an itch for a 105mm f2.5 semi-telephoto, but razor sharp when it came to pictures!!

THE 105mm 2.5 Lens

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I suppose next to my F3, the FE's were my next-in-line-favorites. I also owned an FM, and FM2, but the guy was right - I could walk into any camera store in whatever state I happened to be in, and fine what I wanted, "used".
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Woody
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"AS I WAS SAYING....."

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Whew! tack on one more cat scan, and the unexpected loss of my left hand (death to two-handed typer's around the globe). It wasn't a stroke, and the last set of tests came back ok, so the neurologist just said "Lets wait six weeks and see if it's any better then". So I've been working on the index finger, and got it to uncurl, so I'm two finger typing now.

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I haven't been putting off a new post because of the [weeeeeeell maybe a little], just busy, both at work and play. Work seems pissed off because they want some kinda date when I'll be 100%, and with light duty, I have to ask for help on 1 outta 3 calls -as least I'm not doing that 100mi. round trip drive from the old QTH and where I reside now.

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PLAY?? I saw Cheech and Chong, live, here in Houston on Halloween night. A few weeks ago, I met THE man, when it comes to sci-fi, humor, and monsters! Any guesses? Geez, if chins could kill, my guess is there are quite a few dead guessers out there. Yes, here's a shot of yours truly with Bruce Campbell - and yes, I saw his newest movie making the rounds: "My Name is Bruce", and it goes without saying it was great. if you don't recognize the shirt I'm wearing, it's from a movie he wrote and directed - "The Man with the Screaming Brain"

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Sold most of what I bought with my bonus money [rigs], and it was easy to see that people are putting food b4 radios this fall, which explains about our economy to me more than anything else - especially at the give-a-way prices I saw, and had to experience when selling.

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Yep BC likes to do Q &A's with his fans

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Divorce coming to a conclusion......makes me wonder what i'll end up with. Still waiting on items, books, camera lenses and bodies I owned pre-marriage, and once again - that's all I have to say about it.........

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So, not so bad for limited typing, eh?

Regards, Woody

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