Death, Grief, and Memorial: The Passing of Curtis Johnson in Three Parts

Death, Grief, and Memorial: The Passing of Curtis Johnson in Three Parts

Part 1: Death

I was ten years old working on math problems when something unexpected came up.  As a fifth grade student at Lassie C. Shaw Elementary I was used to routine.  It was always in this order: Language Arts, Lunch, Math, Science, and then go home.  The routine never changed.  

I was having a good day.  For some reason I had hit a groove.  I was knocking out math problems one after another like it was nothing.  But seemingly out of nowhere the entire 1986-1987 fifth grade classes were called to an assembly.  I saw the look of heartbreak on all the teacher's faces.  I immediately started looking for Curtis Johnson.

Curtis was a classmate of mine.  He had been battling childhood leukemia since he was two years old.  Curtis was not in attendance that day.  That's when I realized it before the teachers even said anything.  Curtis Johnson had passed away from cancer that morning.  

My teacher, Mr. Thomas Neal, had tears in his eyes as he made the announcement.  Some kids were in shock.  Others cried silently.  Others like Nichole Redman, who I had crush on ever since I met her, were balling their eyes out.  Her and a group of three girls around her completely broke down.  

Mr. Rotolo, a teacher who I have always had immense respect for, told all the students something profound.  He said, "Those you remember are never truly gone."  Mr. Rotolo taught like a college professor before I knew how college professor's taught.  He was a truly amazing teacher who honestly cared about students.  He came across like a father figure that day.  As you can tell I still appreciate him to this day. 

The fifth grade classes went back to their schoolwork that day, but not too much was expected.  Me?  I just stuck to my classwork.  It kept me from thinking too much about Curtis's passing.  Like all ten year old males I didn't want to cry in front of my classmates.  Although, I will say this.  Nothing was ever said about anyone who did cry at Curtis's passing.  

I always knew that there was a possibility of Curtis dying from cancer.  I had known he had battled it for a long time.  There were times he wouldn't come to school for a week or more.  On average, he would attend school two days a week.

He was the one student who was allowed to wear a hat.  As you can guess it was because he had no hair.  In fact, the entire time I knew him he never had hair.  Once, a substitute teacher asked why he was wearing a hat.  He explained his condition.  She understood, and was completely fine with him continuing to wear his hat.  

Part 2: Grief

I can't remember if it was the next day or a few days later, but Curtis's Mom Loretta came to visit our classroom.  Again, there were tears.  She was very calm and a pillar of strength for a bunch of ten/ eleven year old kids who needed someone to lean on.  

She explained that, "Curtis was no longer in pain.  He was in Heaven where the cancer couldn't ravage his body anymore."  Curtis had been in a pain a long time.  He was thin, and as you would expect, he had trouble eating.  He didn't have the energy to expend during Phys. Ed.  Seeing what cancer did to Curtis really taught me firsthand what a horrible thing cancer was/is.  

I was very thankful for Mrs. Johnson coming to our classroom that day.  I don't believe I said anything to her.  Honestly, I didn't know what to say.  She had a number of crying students holding onto her all at the same time.  I think it was the first time most of our class had to face death.  

I know as college students we are introduced to different philosophies of the world.  One of the major themes is death.  Death is such a complicated thing to think about for adults.  Can you imagine what it's like for ten and eleven year old children experiencing it for the first time?  It's like your head and heart were both simultaneously hit with a sledgehammer.  It's completely overwhelming.  So I thank Mrs. Johnson for helping my fifth grade class try to make sense out of a senseless death.  

Part 3: Memorial

After Curtis's funeral our fifth grade teachers decided that we should have a memorial for Curtis's family.  A few of Curtis's friends would speak, as well as, some of the teachers and administration.  We would then plant a tree in Curtis's memory.  The other thing that was decided was that the entire fifth grade class (about 150 of us) would sing Ray Steven's song, "Everything is Beautiful" at the memorial.  

My Mother happened to have Ray Steven's Greatest Hits on cassette tape.  So I bought it to school so our music teacher Mrs. Saws could teach it to all the kids.  Now, if you notice when you listen to "Everything is Beautiful" it starts off with the song, "Jesus Loves the Little Children."  However, we weren't going to sing that part.  When I asked Mrs. Saws about it she said it was a "copywrite issue."

Now that I'm older I know that's not true.  It's because it's not exactly a non denominational song in case you couldn't tell by the title.  Mrs. Saws was a hardcore Christian.  As in, she would spend half of music period ranting and raving about the bible.  

So I'm not really sure why she didn't tell me the truth.  I thought she would have been more than happy to give me her thoughts on the subject.  Looking back on it, I'm sure she had been given a good talking to from the administration about the song.  

So when the day of Curtis's memorial came, his entire extended family showed up.  From young cousins all the way up to elderly relatives in wheelchairs, everyone showed up.  I'll admit, it kind of caught me off guard.  I expected a few relatives.  I didn't expect about thirty or more.  Mrs. Johnson spoke at the memorial.  It's been so long that I can't remember what she said, but I remember her words being both kind and inspirational.  

Then one thing happened that the teachers didn't expect.  As the memorial went on and on a lot of kids began to cry.  I'm not shaming them for crying.  What was supposed to happen was at the end of the memorial all the fifth graders were supposed to sing, "Everything is Beautiful."  But now, over half of them were crying and couldn't sing at all.  

Also, when our collective classes practiced singing it was indoors.  The memorial was held outside because we were planting a tree in Curtis's memory.  So now you have half the class not singing because they are crying.  Those who are singing sound dreadful because they are trying to hold back tears.  And since we are outside the volume is not near as loud as it was inside.  

Honestly, it was terrible.  I tried to sing extra loud to make up for others not being able to sing, but I can't make up for 75 people not being able to sing.  It was the saddest, most heartbroken version of "Everything is Beautiful" that I will ever hear in my life.  I'm just sad that Curtis's family had to hear that.  I'm sure they understood.  However, what they heard at the memorial was nothing like what we did at practice.  We actually sounded pretty good practicing. 

I haven't been by Lassie C. Shaw Elementary School in a few years.  I wonder if Curtis's tree is still standing there?  It's been over thirty years now.  It was only about four feet tall when it was planted.  If it's still standing there it's probably over thirty feet tall by now.  

Honestly, I wonder if there's anyone there who knows the history of the tree?  I can't remember if a plaque was ever placed by the tree?  Again, it's been over thirty years.  In my heart I hope someone knows.  As Mr. Rotolo said, "A person is never truly gone as long as you remember them."

New Pedal Day: Tinkering With A Mouse So It Becomes A Rat!

I have written a number of blog posts about my favorite guitar pedal company Biyang.  They are a family company located in China that builds high quality guitar pedals for much less than other brands.

For those who don't know, Biyang also ghost-builds guitar pedals for other companies.  All the Guitar Fetish pedals?  Yep, those are built by Biyang.  The high end Akai pedals that go for $150?  Those are just rebranded Biyang pedals.  They have the exact same components and wiring that the original Biyang pedals do.  Only the Akai pedals cost three times as much.

Biyang also makes pedals for Cordovox.  In fact, they don't even change the look or model names for them.  They just put Cordovox instead of Biyang on the pedal.  So you can see my point, in that, Biyang is a dang good company, and you might be playing one of their pedals and not know it.

For the last year I had been reading up on the Rat Pro Co pedal.  It's famous for that 80's metal sound.  But it has many uses.  I mean, Blur's well known song, "Song 2" is a perfect example of the Rat Pro Co.  So it's not like the Rat is only designed for hair metal.

Biyang is known for using specs of other manufacturer's pedals, building with high end German parts, and coming out with a clone version of those pedals.  I was really interested in their version of the Rat.  Well, lo and behold, they have the "Biyang Mouse DS-8."

 
Unfortunately, unlike a lot of their other pedals, I hadn't heard good things about this one.  I guess it was so poorly liked, they took it off the market.  This made things a bit rough for me since I couldn't find one available in the states.  But then, I got to thinking.  Remember what I said about them building pedals for other manufactures?

Biyang made two versions of their pedals for themselves.  The Tonefancier series was encased in a chrome housing.  They would then make a second, more colorful version of that pedal.  So I started looking around.

I found a new-oldstock Biyang Distortion pedal on Reverb.com.  I thought to myself, "That's got to be the same pedal as the "Mouse."  I read up on the description, and it was the same as the Mouse.  So I pulled the trigger, and bought one.

But I also had a plan.  You see, in my research I came across a guitar forum user named "11 Gauge."  Note: That refers to a wire size, not a shotgun.  He talked about the Mouse, and how it was virtually the same as a Rat except for one thing.  They had installed a 56K ohm resistor where they should have installed a 560 ohm resistor.  Here's his photo:

So when my Biyang Distortion pedal arrived I tested I immediately tested it out.  I had to agree with the reviews.  It just wasn't that great sounding.

So I took it apart, and checked the circuit.  Guess what?  It was exactly the same as the Mouse.  Exactly.  Also, it had the same flaw as the Mouse.  It had that stupid 56K ohm resistor instead of a 560 ohm resistor.

Long story short, I bought a pack of 10 resistors so I could use one.  I took my sweet time, and changed out the incorrect resistor as per 11 Gauge's instructions.

I tested it out on the bench, and I have to say I noticed a few things.  First up, it had a lot more usable gain.  You could get that super crunchy gain if you wanted, but you could also get a slight breakup if that was the sound you were after.  The other thing I noticed was the three way switch was more effective.

It has three modes: (from top to bottom) Normal, Bright, Warm.  I always kept it on Bright.  The other two settings just cut the volume.  I didn't really notice any difference in sound on Normal or Warm.  Once I changed the resistor I did notice a bit of difference to the sound.  It still dropped the volume, but it wasn't as bad as it was.

I'll be honest, if I knew more about electronics I would just take the three way switch out.  I don't think it adds anything.  Honestly, I think it takes away more than it gives.  But that's just my thoughts.
I haven't had a chance to play around with it as much as I would like, but I was happy with the sound when I did play it.  I'm looking forward to hearing how it sounds with single coils, vintage humbuckers, hot pickups, and active pickups.  Again, like I tell other players, "Just have fun with it."  And that's what I'm going to do.  I'm going to have fun with it.

New Guitar Day: Agile Interceptor 725, My First Seven String Guitar

So it finally happened.  For those who know me, know I started my musical life in 1988.  That's when I picked up and learned to play the cello.  In 1998, I bought my first guitar, and started playing it.  But now, in the year 2019, I bought my first seven string guitar.

I had been wanting one for a while.  I mean, I don't play Korn or anything that would require a seven string, but I had been wanting one just so I could scratch that musical itch.  One thing that kept me from purchasing a seven string was the cost and availability.  There's just not that many manufacturers that make seven strings.  So the decently made seven string guitars on the market are a bit pricy.

The other thing I kept running into was that a lot of them had Floyd Rose tremolos.  And honestly, I didn't want to deal with that if I didn't have to.  Also, a lot of seven string guitars tend to be really pointy and 80's looking.  I wanted to avoid that as well.  So it's good that I know what I want, but I've really painted myself in a corner with what I want.

I was searching on Facebook Marketplace when I saw a seller offering an Agile 725 Interceptor seven string guitar.  We agreed to meet at Guitar Center so I could test it out.  Long story short, I was more than happy with it and bought it from him.  Here's the photos:

The 725 model refers to a 25.5 inch scale length.  The 727 model refers to a 27.5 inch scale length.  I know a lot of players would prefer the longer scale length, but I found the shorter/standard length to be just fine.

There were a few nice upgrades on this guitar when I bought it.  First up, someone had installed the Seymour Duncan AHB-3 Blackouts active pickup set.  The fret numbers are actually aftermarket stickers attached to the fretboard.

I personally love the blue/green color.  It's not a standard death metal color.  Remember when I talked about painting myself into a tiny little corner with what I wanted?  Well, this color is the perfect color for me.

I also changed the knobs to a green abalone set that I had sitting in my drawer for a few years.

They are a perfect match for this guitar.  Although technically, the chrome should be black to match the black hardware, but I'm not sweating it.

The guitar did need a set-up, but overall it was about 95% the way there.  The truss rod had never been set.  I only had to turn it a very small amount for it to be perfect.  I also moved the pickups closer to the strings.  It's very important to do that with active pickups.  Here's how I did that with direct mount pickups.

As you can see, the pickups are not as close as they should be to the strings.

So I took some foam padding, cut it into shape, and put it underneath the pickups.

Now let's take a look.

Yeah, that's much better.

I was aiming to fret-dress the guitar, but all notes are nicely playable.  Even with the strings being really close to the frets.  Heck, I haven't even changed the strings yet.  I have to say I love the sound.  Once I played it for the first time I just felt something come over me.  I immediately had to play angry music.  It feels like a new musical door opened for me.  I'm going to have to see what's through that door.

For those who are interested in Agile Guitars they can be ordered directly from the manufacturer.  Here's the link:

https://www.rondomusic.com/

New Amplifier Cabinet Day: The Sound of Rock N'Roll

Yes, it's true.  I've acquired more musical equipment.  I also have to say my title is a bit misleading.  It's not really been a new cabinet day since this acquisition took place over a few months.  But let me start at the beginning.

I was watching a YouTube video that was reviewing the best 2X12 cabinet on the market (for the money.)  It was a Harley Benton G212 Vintage cabinet that came stock with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers.  It's sold through Thomann Music for $205 plus shipping of $33 from Germany.  Here's the link:

https://www.thomannmusic.com/harley_benton_g212_vintage.htm

For any of my music gearheads, you know you can't even buy the Celestion speakers for that price, much less an equipped cabinet with speakers.  I had been wanting a 2X12 cabinet to pair with my Genz Benz El Diablo 100 amplifier.  This was the perfect cabinet so I ordered it.  It was on backorder so I had to wait a month to receive it.

Looks great, right?  However, there is something I forgot to mention.  I personally hate Celestion Vintage 30 speakers.  They sound unfocused, and have a weird high-mid spike.  I just can not for the life of me EQ an amp properly with them.  But I had a plan.

I took them out, and put up an ad on Craigslist.  I said I was aiming to trade the speakers more than I was to sell.  To be honest, musical instruments aren't selling on Craigslist right now so I didn't really have to worry about that.

However, there was one thing I ran into that I hadn't run into before.  Usually when I would receive trade offers they would be pretty fair.  This time around I was offered a whole lot of crap.  I mean, it was stuff that wasn't even close to being worth my time.  I won't go into details as it's pretty depressing, but I finally got the offer I had been looking for.

A musician up the road had what I really wanted.  A pair of Celestion G12T-75 speakers.  He agreed to come on over, and I tested out all the speakers.  We were both happy, so the trade worked out for everyone.

So I installed the G12T-75 speakers, and I have to say it sounds awesome.  To me the Celestion 75's are the sound of rock n' roll.  I recently purchased my first seven string guitar.  I have to say that the Genz Benz El Diablo 100 and the Celestion 75's are perfect for it.  Not to mention that it's a great set-up for all my guitars.

So I am really excited for this purchase.  Remember, I bought this new for $238 (U.S. dollars.)  To buy the equivalent of this set-up I would have to purchase a Marshall 1936 cabinet which is now $799 new from Sweetwater.  Here's the link:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/1936--marshall-1936-150-watt-2x12-inch-extension-cabinet

So yeah, this is by far a much better deal.  I haven't had a chance to turn her up really loud yet, but one of these days I may drag my set-up outside to see just what she can do at full blast.  If I turned the volume all the way up inside the house I'd probably kill the fish.  And I really don't want to do that.

I Have The Perfect Mascot For Gay Pride Events!

I tend to have the best ideas right as I'm falling asleep or have just woken up.  I've heard this happens to a lot of creative people whether they are artists, scientists, or somewhere in-between.  One night as I was drifting off to sleep I had a completely random thought.  My inner self/brain/whatever said, "I know the perfect mascot for all those gay pride events!"

As you know, the main symbol for gay pride has been the rainbow/pride flag.

But in my almost dreamlike state the thought occurred to me that the perfect mascot for Gay Pride events would be the Peacock Mantis Shrimp.

Now, I know a lot of you all are thinking, "Hey!  Didn't "The Oatmeal" do a comic strip about the mantis shrimp a while ago?"  Yes.  Yes they did.  So for reference, here is the link to that strip.

https://theoatmeal.com/comics/mantis_shrimp

I'll admit, I learned a great deal about the mantis shrimp from that comic.  What I found fascinating, is that, the mantis shrimp's eyes have sixteen color reception cones.  For reference, humans have three.  We know that the mantis shrimp has red, blue, and green cones, but we have no idea what the other thirteen are.

Here's something neat.  The Peacock Mantis Shrimp is able to see both far red, deep ultraviolet, and polarized light.  It may be able to see forms of light we know nothing about.

(Thank you Wikipedia.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantis_shrimp

So when it comes to seeing all colors of the rainbow, our rainbow flag is going to have to get a lot bigger to keep up with all the colors a mantis shrimp can see.

And just like the mantis shrimp's color spectrum, we have a lot of people who fall between in those in-between colors, both in skin tone and sexuality.

But there's another reason I believe the Peacock Mantis Shrimp should be the mascot of Gay Pride.  It is a formidable beast.  That's right.  A lot of people would think, "A shrimp?  Formidable?"  But yes.  It is the apex predator of the shrimp world.  You can't keep one in a fish tank.  It will kill and eat anything else in the tank.

The Peacock Mantis Shrimp is a powerful animal with an amazing tough outer shell.  Not to mention it's raptorial appendages are as powerful as a gunshot.  In fact, it strikes it's claws so fast that water boils around it.  Even if it misses its prey, the shockwave generated by it's claws can kill it.

The Peacock Mantis Shrimp is loud, proud, colorful, out there, and will not be messed with.  Could there be a more perfect mascot for Gay Pride?

There is one thing I have left out.  To be a mascot people need to be able to carry their Peacock Mantis Shrimp with them.  It's almost as if they need a... plushie.

Alright!  Now we're talking!  Thank you Adore Plush Company!!!

https://www.amazon.com/Harlequin-Peacock-Mantis-Plush-Stuffed/dp/B00VZGBWWI

I realize that my little blog may generate a few laughs.  And I'm okay with that.  I realize I may get some hate mail.  And I am okay with that too.  I just hope at the next Gay Pride Parade I may see a few Peacock Mantis Shrimp mascots and plushies.  And that, well, I'd love to see that.

Something's Been Wrecking My Birdhouse

Back in March I wrote a blog post about building and putting up new birdhouses.  We have so many birds around here it made sense to have plenty of birdhouses for them.  Here's the post:

The Birdhouse Community Apartments 

Like any woodworker/artist/bird enthusiast I take pride in my work.  This what the birdhouse looked like after I hung it up back in March.

I was taking a stroll past the birdhouse the other day, and became infuriated.  I looked at my birdhouse, and thought, "What am I looking at?"

So I took a closer look.

Closer....

Okay, now I'm mad.  I'm more than mad.  What you are looking at is the birdhouse's squirrel guard.  Something had destroyed the guard to enlarge the hole.  The reason I put the guard there was because squirrels like to climb into the birdhouses and eat the eggs or young chicks.

Right now, here are the suspects.

First up, a squirrel or squirrels.

I suspect this monstrosity was chipping away at the birdhouse to get to baby chicks.  They are a malevolent bunch.

Suspect #2:  Idiot woodpecker.

Okay, it's technically this is called a pileated woodpecker.  But they like going around putting holes in things.  Although it's really working against it's fellow birds' self interests by enlarging the squirrel guards.  We have dozens of trees around the property.  Why did this redheaded asshole decide to destroy my birdhouse?

So that's my story so far.  If the hole gets worse I may end up replacing the squirrel guard.  If it gets even worse than that, I will just replace the whole birdhouse.  The backyard should be on alert.  I'm keeping an eye on all the birdhouses.  Nature should know I'm not above employing underhanded techniques to protect my birdhouses.

My Pet Peeve: Small Water Bottles

It was a few years ago that I first saw them.  Small water bottles.  My first thought was, "What a waste of plastic."  My second thought was, "Why in the cold hell would anyone make a bottle of water that contains two swallows of water?"

If I want water, I was a whole pack of water dammit!  I don't want a thimble full of water.

Yeah, give me the jumbo size water.  I mean, it's not like it goes bad or anything.  I don't have to drink all of it right now.  I can save some for later.  That's the great thing about water bottles.

My third, and most hilarious, thought after seeing a tiny water bottle for the first time was, "They should have just left it on the vine.  It would be a lot bigger in just a few weeks."