New Guitar Day: Luna Apollo

I wasn't supposed to be having a new guitar day.  At least, not so soon.  You see, I have been trying to sell off five (yes five) guitars and one amp.  I did manage to sell the amp the other day.  But it has been hell trying to sell the guitars.

My plan was to sell off these guitars to pay for one guitar.  Namely, a USA made Guild Bluesbird or a Heritage H-150.  Both of those are Les Paul styled guitars.

However, there was always one guitar that was my, "guitar that got away."  Or rather, it was the guitar I never had, but always wanted.  That would be a Luna Apollo in Trans Flame Purple.

When I worked for Armadillo Enterprises, the parent company for Dean Guitars, Luna Guitars, D-Drum, and Nord Keyboards, Luna was just starting up.  I was able to play one of the Apollo series guitars, and loved it.  What made it odd was that, unlike other Luna guitars, it had a thick neck on it.  It was also a lot heavier than other Luna models.  

One thing that really stood out on this guitar was actually beneath the surface.  This guitar had a genuine 3/4 inch maple cap.  The other thing about this guitar was the price.  It cost $599 back in 2006.  I have to say, they really went all out on this guitar.  It was one of the first guitars that I had seen come with matte nickel hardware and pickup covers.  And believe it or not, it actually has a ebony fretboard.  

So, I had been looking all over the internet for one.  However, there weren't any to be found on Reverb.com.  I couldn't find any on Craigslist.com.  I checked E-Bay, and found one.  But my delight soon turned to anger.  The seller had his listed at $660.  I wrote him about what they cost new, and even made two offers for the guitar, but he never replied to me.  He still has it listed as a write this.

So I was doing a general search of guitars on Facebook Marketplace when I saw it.  Someone down in Bradenton had a Luna Apollo in Trans Flame Purple for sale.  I couldn't believe it.  It was in awesome shape, and was being sold for a fair market price of $300.  Long story short, since I didn't jerk the seller around he said he would come to me since he worked near me.  

I plugged it in and made sure it played fine.  It was perfect.  I quickly handed him the $300, and thanked him.  I told him there was no need for me to perform a 30 minute inspection or demo.  I could see that it had barely been played.  Heck, it still had the plastic on the pickup covers and backplate.  

I ended up taking the guitar out to the workshop, and performing a minor set-up plus changing the pickups and strings.  Here's what she looks like.

 

I decided to use the bladed pickups that I had originally installed in my Les Paul Custom.  Of course, I took the pickups out of the Les Paul when I decided to sell it.  I installed the Les Paul's original pickups, so now I had these pickups available for the Luna.  

The one thing I noticed was that the Luna balances extremely well when holding it.  I can throw the strap over my shoulder and the guitar just sits perfectly.  It doesn't have any neck dive to it at all.  

I know it sounds silly, but it feels like a part of me is complete.  I had wanted this guitar since 2006, and now was the right time to me to acquire one.  Honestly, it looks like it just came from the factory.  I've been playing it quite a bit, but I'm just going to play it some more.  Again, it's all about having fun.  And I'm having fun with it.  

My Big Black Pleco

In the year that I was born my father bought a 55 gallon fish tank.  He decided to raise guppies.  Along with the guppies he bought a very small Plecostomus, AKA a pleco.  It's also known as one of them "Sucker Fish" that gets rid of the algae on the side of your tank.  I ended up naming him, "Big Joe" as he was six inches long and much bigger than any of the guppies in the tank.

Big Joe lived to twelve years old.  That's not bad considering how much care was put into the tank.  Dad kind of gave up on it.  When I was old enough to really start taking care of the tank I cleaned it up, and changed the kind of fish we had in it.  That's when we bought, "Joe the 2nd."  We bought him at about two inches long.  He ended up growing to about six inches and then passed away.

Well, I'm a bit over forty years old now.  The last fourteen years (or more) we've had "Joe the 6th."  Honestly, I didn't expect that Joe would even make it in the tank.  The store employee didn't treat Joe all that gently.  First she didn't put in the a bag that was big enough.  You see, Joe was about six inches long when I bought him, and the bag she put him in wouldn't let him turn around.

So I said something to her about the bag not being big enough.  So she grabbed another bag, and went to put him in it.  Unfortunately, Joe fell out of the bag and into a small dish where they kept the brine shrimp.  The employee then grabbed Joe by the head, and chucked him into the much larger bag.  I thought to myself, "There's no way he's going to survive the night.  She had to of hurt him too much."

But the next morning I found him alive and well.  Joe the 6th actually grew to be my biggest pleco (of all the Joes.)  He was about seven inches.  That's when I read up on feeding him supplementary foods.  Even I figured there wasn't enough algae in the tank to feed him.  So I started adding shrimp pellets and algae wafers.  Everything in the tank loves the shrimp pellets so that worked out well.  Joe would end up snacking on the pellets and wafers.

 Little by little he started to grow.  But lately his growth has just taken off.  It seems he went from nine inches long to much larger.  One day he was hanging on the side of the tank.  I happened to have my tools with me for a project inside the house.  So I took my measuring tape out just to find how big he had gotten.

He had grown to exactly twelve inches.  That makes him the biggest pleco I've ever had by a whopping five inches.  Here is a photo of my giant angelfish Blackie Lawless (yes he's named after the lead singer of W.A.S.P.)

Here is a photo of Joe next to Blackie.

You can see just how big he has gotten.  The only real problem I've had is when Joe gets excited, swims too fast, and jumps out of the water.  He ends up hitting his head on the glass canopy.  I'll admit, it's scared the bejesus out of me a few times.

I've heard aquarium owners say they've had plecos live up to twenty years.  Now, Joe was already pretty big when I bought him.  I know he has to be around sixteen years of age at least.  I'll keep taking care of him as I want to him keep hanging around the tank.  I mean, look into those eyes.  He's kind of adorable, right?

All I Wanted Was The Recipe!!!

Lately, I have been trying to change it up while cooking.  I don't want to fix the same dishes again and again.  So I have been searching the internet for recipes.  However, I keep coming up with the same problem.  People keep wanting to tell me their life story, and not give me the damn recipe.  This is what happened.

For legal purposes, below is the link as my reference source:

https://www.melskitchencafe.com/skillet-zucchini-and-yellow-squash/

So I searched for, "yellow squash and zucchini recipe."  The link above had a great recipe, but here's what I was thinking as I was reading.

Website:  This skillet zucchini and yellow squash recipe is so easy, delicious, and healthy, it is bound to become a summer side dish staple.

Adrian:  "That's great!  I have an abundance of yellow squash and zucchini.  Let's see what ingredients I need to cook."

Website:  Considering this is the side dish we eat four or five times during the late summer months, I feel it's time to share my feelings about the gloriousness of sauteed zucchini and squash and then leave you to get on with your day and life.

Basically, it's easy (10-15 minutes max.)  It literally can be served with anything (and I mean anything.)

Adrian:  I don't need your life story.  I just need the damn recipe.  I don't want your feelings.  If your feelings are getting in the way of my day and life then skip them, and give me the recipe.

Website:  And it's so yummy, I can't be trusted alone with the skillet (no really, I'll eat the whole thing.)

Adrian:  It sounds like  you need to see a therapist or dietary specialist.  I'm not your shrink.  I just want the damn recipe.

Website:  It's my favorite summer side dish, and I love that there aren't any frills or secret ingredients or squash pretending to be gormet here.

Adrian:  You could have skipped that last part.  Can we just get to the recipe?  You are wasting my time with your blather.

Website: For those of you that have already been doing this for, like, 100 years already, I’m happy we’ve been on the same page for so long.

You know, great minds and all that.

But if you haven’t, you should definitely be hopping on board while the squash lasts.

Whatever you do, remember to let the skillet get piping hot before adding that squash.

The delicious brown caramelization on the tender outsides of the squash is exactly what you are going for. Flavor, flavor, flavor.

As noted in the recipe, I love the addition of a tiny smattering of freshly grated Parmesan cheese at the end.

It takes a rather simple (and terribly delicious) skillet zucchini and yellow squash number and gives it a little pizazz.

Adrian:  Okay, now you're starting to fucking piss me off.  None of that had anything to do with the recipe.  Who are you trying to sell to?  I don't need your fucking life story.  I just need the fucking recipe!

Website:  I love all of your comments on this recipe!

You’ve shared many variations on this simple side dish and each one sounds delicious!

If you are in need of further inspiration, read through the comments to see how to change this up a little bit here and there.

For instance, Michelle commented: This is one of our fav summer dishes too!! We usually add potatoes to it as well. On lazy summer days, I throw in some kielbasa and broil some garlic bread and call it dinner!

Others have you have added fresh corn kernels, diced tomatoes, potatoes, and of course, lots cheese.

Adrian:  You ain't gonna like my comments.  Where's the recipe?  So far it's just been you blathering about yourself and some nonsense.  Give me the god damn recipe or I will fucking cut you!

Website:

Simple Skillet Zucchini and Yellow Squash

Yield: 6 servings as a side dish

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 small zucchini, ends trimmed and diced
• 2 small to medium yellow crookneck squash, ends trimmed and diced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional but yummy)

Instructions

1. In a 10- or 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat until hot and rippling.
2. Add the zucchini and yellow squash in as even a layer as possible (it should sizzle as it hits the skillet) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let it sit without stirring or moving for 2-3 minutes so it can get nice and golden. Give it a good stir, add a touch more salt and pepper to taste if needed, and let it continue to cook, stirring only every now and then, until the squash is browning here and there and tender to your liking, about 5-7 more minutes.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste and top with freshly grated Parmesan, if desired. Serve immediately.

Notes

Infinitely adaptable, this dish can be dressed up with chopped tomatoes, fresh herbs, and a million other tasty ingredients so feel free to experiment and add-on wherever your heart leads. 99% of the time, I make it just like it's written and keep it quick and simple.

I prefer using the little zucchini but if you have some the size of baseball bats, they work fine, too. Halve them the long way and scoop out all the seeds/innards before dicing. Try to cut all the squash into similar-sized pieces for more even cooking. All in all, I usually use about 4-6 cups diced squash (combination of zucchini and yellow squash).

Adrian:  About fucking time.