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May 2005
Posts: 486
Location: North Carolina | Guitars and books. That's pretty much it. I do like to get my favorite authors in hardcover because I'm too impatient to wait for the paperback.
Some guys are into booze, drugs, gambling, women, clothes, cars and who knows what other expensive or destructive pastimes.
Mr. Excitement I am not, but I like being boring. All in all, I'd say my wife's got a pretty good deal.
So when GAS strikes, infrequently as it does, she's pretty understanding. |
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May 2007
Posts: 166
Location: Veedersburg, Indiana | I have to agree with you. My wife and I both love to read and we are into books big time. She is also a horse person (currently with 3, plus 1 donkey) and of course has to have the saddles and tack to go with them (currently 7 saddles). So she is definitely understanding and so far I haven't spent a large amount on any one guitar purchase (currently 6). Isn't it nice to have an understanding wife! |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | I'm right there with ya.
We have a check & balance thing going to make sure the "happy card" (aka: VISA), doesn't get out of hand and that's a good thing.
At first Pam wondered why in the world I would want to tour the Ovation factory a second time. Now, after seeing the pics & videos she "gets it".
Books??? I love good sci-fi. I have at least 150 books within reach and a hundred more stashed in the attic. The sad thing is that they just aren't writing good science fiction anymore. I'm much more likely to re-read something from my own bookshelf than from the local bookstore.
Some guys are into booze, drugs, gambling, women, clothes, cars and who knows what other expensive or destructive pastimes.
My mid-life crisis involved a promise to myself to ski more often and a couple nice guitars. Maybe not as thrilling as a couple vettes and a 23 year old bimbo, but I got past it.
Alan... In my book 3 horses ($$$$ :eek: ) and a donkey would balance out to at least an OFC guitar, a DiMeola Custom Legend, a custom finish VXT, and because of the donkey.... a uke. |
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May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | I don't have any vices and I can resist anything except temptation. You guys are obviously just weak. :p
OK, guitars, bicycles, fly fishing, amateur radio, digital photography, more technotoys than I care to list, radio control {cars,airplanes}. Then we get into the books, magazines and CDs (now digital audio). And just this week I stumbled across a BMW R1100RT-P for sale locally. But, my wife says I don't need a motorcycle and I *really* don't need the police version of any motorcycle. I'm not so sure about that, though. (No, I'm not going to buy it, but it's fun to torment her a little. Sometimes.) |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Ladies & Gentleman... may I present...
Mr. John (Cruster) Hillman... Multi-Tasker Extrodinaire!!! |
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Joined:
May 2005
Posts: 486
Location: North Carolina | Originally posted by Slipkid:
The sad thing is that they just aren't writing good science fiction anymore. My problem with Sci-fi is the first of those books I read were Asimov. After that, nothing ever measured up. |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Oh I've come across many hidden tresures over the years. I wish I could steer you toward them. To bad they have all been out of print for many, many years. |
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December 2003
Posts: 1889
Location: Central Massachusetts | Brad, try me. I live a few miles from one of the best used book stores on the planet, Powell\'s Books . |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Thanks... maybe I'll shop there a bit.
There are a few out of print books where I made the mistake of loaning them out. |
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Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | Originally posted by Slipkid:
Ladies & Gentleman... may I present...
Mr. John (Cruster) Hillman... Multi-Tasker Extrodinaire!!! More like...AADHD sufferer. It's all a matter of perspective. My wife's is that I have too many "hobbies." |
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July 2005
Posts: 3408
Location: GA USA | Any good used book store will have Arthur C. Clarke. Start with Rendezvous With Rama.
And The Sands Of Mars had a cool description of a "futuristic device" (book was written in 1948, I think). Pretty much exactly a fax machine. |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Got that one. And the rest of the sequals, too. |
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January 2005
Posts: 4903
Location: Phoenix AZ | Vices ???
Well of course the obvious one is collecting guitars. Other than that I live a pretty frugal life. I'm into bicycling, running, the occasional round of golf, and of course internet pornography.
Dave |
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April 2006
Posts: 1017
Location: Budd Lake, NJ | Vices? Hmmmmmm........well, if I have to call them that:
First, the granddaughters: Ava, 3, and Laney, almost 2. Then the guitars--and after Jewel, Gertrude, and Jazzey, mysteries. 3. Love a good mystery. Favorite is Dorothy L. Sayers, whose command of the English language was phenomenal. I enjoy quite a few other authors, both American and British, but she is the standard I measure the others by. 4. There's this on-line club about funny-shaped guitars that I frequent....... ;)
--Karen |
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May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | Originally posted by Tupperware:
...and of course internet pornography.
Dave You can play those old vinyl records across the internet? Who would've known?! :D |
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March 2002
Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | Porn can be accessed on the internet??? Jeez, what will they think of next? |
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January 2005
Posts: 4903
Location: Phoenix AZ | Actually I just saw a VERY cool turntable. Has A/D conversion built right into it and outputs via USB right into your computer. You have to "record" on the computer in real time (no high speed dubbing) but how cool is THAT ???
Dave |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan |  |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Man I like that vice! |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Four-and-one-half inches! WOW!
Mine is only three-and-a-half inches, and red. But since I live in studio apartment, I have no where to mount it.
I figger my Landlord might get pissed if I bolt it onto my kitchen counter...
But I'm considering it. :p
[Next to a sink, and GFI outlet for power-tools! Perfect!] |
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July 2005
Posts: 3408
Location: GA USA |  |
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July 2005
Posts: 3408
Location: GA USA | Yep, that one killed it. |
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March 2005
Posts: 12750
Location: Boise, Idaho | Ovations, Porsches (actually only one at a time), a cabin in the woods, 3 boats (the new one is an 85) golf and this damn OFC board. |
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August 2005
Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | Originally posted by Mark in Boise:
......and this damn OFC board. I think you just nailed it for a couple of hundred people all over this big blue orb. |
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Joined:
June 2006
Posts: 7307
Location: South of most, North of few | Originally posted by Tupperware:
Actually I just saw a VERY cool turntable. Has A/D conversion built right into it and outputs via USB right into your computer. You have to "record" on the computer in real time (no high speed dubbing) but how cool is THAT ???
Dave Dave, I just sold on of those on ebay. It comes with Audacity recording software. It works well, but is slow as hell, and you have to manually put breaks in between songs before you transfer them to cd's or you end up with one long song. Kind of cool though. |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 1132
Location: Parrish, FL | To the Sci-Fi addicts:
Greg Bear and Gragory Benford both write a pretty good story.
Blues
(First Alternate- I started with Asimov too and it was largely downhill from there, but Pournelle, Nivin, Farmer, Bear, Benford, Macaffery, and many others have filled the gap)
Blues |
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February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | ... and Card, Vinge, Pohl and Crichton. |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 1132
Location: Parrish, FL | and Card, Vinge, Pohl and Crichton.
Of coarse!
Blues |
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Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | Just came across this link in another, unrelated corner of the web:
Free Books Online . Allegedly it has a focus on sci-fi, but I haven't taken the time to look through it. |
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Joined:
May 2005
Posts: 120
Location: Gardnerville, NV | I've read a couple Neil Gaiman books recently, probably more fantasy than SF but very interesting. Also if you can wade through lots of verbiage, Neal Stephenson is very good. Again not traditional SF, but very imaginative. |
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My Vices