Ron Paul - Phoenix

I just got back from the Phoenix Ron Paul rally. Roughly 700 people there (there were 600 seats and it was standing room only) Dr. Paul spoke for about 45 minutes. Biggest standing ovation of the day was when he said we have to get rid of the Federal Reserve. Nice quip about how some folks think the gold standard is nuts, "well paper isn't working so well either is it?"

Best line of the night: when you make a program that is just big enough to prevent people from falling through the cracks, the cracks get bigger and trap more people.

Paper Armor

The Law Dog is in fine form. Would that I could write half as well.

Paper Armor

ASU Strikes Again

So, I was trying to navigate ASU's new incomprehensible on line system. Seriously, it took me 20 minutes to find my grades. I need my grades because I can not get my reimbursement check without them. While doing so I discovered that the department has signed me up for a course where I am supposed to take one of the two research papers I have written and expand it to 20 pages in preparation for the oral comprehensive exam.

Only one problem, I was admitted to the Ph.D. program over winter break, so I have only done one research rotation. Apparently this has upset their standard schedule. So, now I either have to expand my single paper or remind them that, no, I wasn't admitted to the piled higher and deeper program until winter.

Proof that one can be brilliant in ones chosen field, but have no clue when it comes to running a program.

LepreCon

Two concerts plus open filking equals fingers hurt. I went to zero panels as I was just too busy trying to get decent recordings done.

We managed to get decent recordings of most songs, but we need to redo the following:

Under Purple Fractal Trees
The Right Question
Cannon of the Lord

We do have a good copy of Jen singing "Lightyears up the line" so if I can get permissions for that I might swap it for Cannon.

We also need to do a lot of mixing.

30 strings - 3 guitars

I just changed the strings on both 12 string guitars and one of the 6 strings.
the Guild D-4-12 is wearing new Martin silk & steels
the Larrivee D-03R-12 is wearing new Martin posphor bronze lights.

The Larrivee OM-o3RE now has Marin Marquis Phosphor bronze. The Marquis are silk wrapped at the base. I think they sound a bit more muted. Not certain.

Anyone else use the Marquis?

Mesa Gun show this weekend. Attended Saturday with a friend from work. The Termark Gun shows are now being run by the Crossroads of the West. As a result, there were a handful of new vendors that do not normally make the show, and a corresponding increase in the admission price.

Lots of people were buying. I could practically hear someone on horseback yelling "The Democrats are coming, the Democrats are coming." One vendor had primers, for reasonable $22-25 prices. Reasonable being defined as better than any of the local shops at any rate.

Picked up a nice old charter Bulldog for 3 bills. it's the old style, with the taper barrel. Not sure of the age, but Charter has been in and out of business 3-4 times since then.





I ended up working on my term paper all day long. It's mostly finished. Hopefully I can finish it off tomorrow, and that's it for the semester.

Damn but it takes a long time to get a Ph.D 6 units at a time.

Stat Mech

Final was today. Five questions, 2 hours. The first 3 questions were not to bad. The last two were pure evil. I probably got some credit though as I managed to write down something.

The good new is I only needed 56% on the exam to keep my A.