(* SIDNA = Shit I don't need anymore)
In the words of Justin Wilson (the late Cajun chef, not the racer), "How y'all are? I'm so glad for to to see me some more…"
Here in the Greater Upper Midlands Co-Prosperity Sphere, we're in the last stages of preparation for the IPMS/USA Region 12 show coming up in Columbia (as an aside, I love the fact that I moved from a city who in the mid-1980's used the advertising slogan "Ft. Lauderdale…it makes me hot" to one that uses "Columbia, SC–Famously Hot". I guess I shouldn't complain about the oppressive summers, huh?). We've done all we can as a club to prepare for the show–we have the awards finished, we've made all the signage and table cards, the venue is ready, all we have left to do is set up on Friday, hold the show on Saturday, and then we can rest. My final act of vengeance will be to go through the stash and do some serious house cleaning. I've told you about The Stash, and how, like Great Stuff foam, it expanded to fit the available space. It does that from time to time–the last real serious Fleet Reduction and Rationalization exercise was about a dozen years ago, back when I lived in Ft. Lauderdale–I slashed my armor collection, along with a bunch of miscellany that I had amassed over the years, many of which I was working at the local plastics emporium for store credit. I had a minor SIDNA sale again in 2005, where I disposed of a great many of my 1/48 scale World War I airplanes. This time, it will be a major sell-off (but not sell-out) of kits that have been eclipsed by newer, better engineered kits, or kits I have multiples of, or kits that I will honestly never get around to building. That's one of those "older and wiser" things, by the way–I'm now in my late 40's, and given my current rate of production, I'll need to live to be 347.6 years old in order to build everything I have–and that's only if I stop buying kits right now and never buy another. Where's the fun in that? So, if you're at the show next week, you may be able to snag a bargain…or two…or three. And then, some years later, you'll wonder how your collection got to be so large. Then you'll ponder your own SIDNA sale. See? It self-perpetuates…
The thing that will make next week hectic is that once again, come Tuesday, I will be on an iron bird to The Big D, this time for a short training session. I wasn't going to go, but this will be my only chance for a while to get this training, which I really need to stay current in my profession. I told them I'd go on the condition that I absolutely, positively needed to be back in South Carolina by Friday morning–and if it meant they sent a company airplane for me, so be it. I'm hoping that American Airlines is still running smoothly, despite the recent turmoils there. So, out on Tuesday at noon, back in Columbia at 11:05PM Thursday, the Good Lord willing and the creek doesn't rise. A few hours at the shop early Friday to fill out expense reports and time cards, then Let The Show Begin!
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By now, all of you in the U.S. will have made your annual homage to the Tax Man. We got a late start, but everything got filed with a week to spare. I feel sorry for those who burned the midnight oil to get it all done by the 17th–but you had a few extra days, right? The best laid plans…
We usually gt a refund, and this year was no different–although the refund was smaller. I hold some degree of respect for people who are constantly re-filing their withholding forms so they break even at tax time–"I don't want to give the IRS an interest-free loan, and I don't want to owe, either!" Good on ya–but I can't see doing that. Nope, I'll stand pat and let the chips fall where they may…
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The music world lost a few this week. America's Teenager, Dick Clark, died on Tuesday at the age of 82. I was agnostic towards Dick Clark–I remember him more for his TV productions and his New Year's Rockin' Eve shows than I do for American Bandstand. And honestly, it was hard to watch him on New Year's Eve the past few years, after a stroke had slowed him down. I give him credit, though, he was bound and determined to do the show, and that he did. I suppose the mantle will be assumed by his sidekick, Ryan Seacrest. I can live with that.
Levon Helm died Thursday at 71 years old, after a long fight with the Big C. I knew of "The Band" and of Levon's work, but I wasn't a huge follower. Their collective contributions to music, though, were many. As the NPR report on his death said, at a time when most rock acts were trying new things (and new substances), Levon and The Band went almost retro, doing more country-blues based stuff than electric music. I was also glad to learn that he and Robbie Robertson spoke to each other before Levon passed.
And, finally, Greg Ham was found dead on Thursday. Children of the '80s know him as the flute and sax player for the Aussie group "Men At Work". His most notable moment came when he played the flute solo in the video for their song "Down Under".
If you believe in the theory of Threes, we should have a break. But the news about Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees isn't good…
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I'm off to sort the SIDNA. If you are going to the show next week, I hope you enjoy yourselves–we think it will be a great event. Shows like this take a lot of work to be successful, and we're hoping the hard work pans out for you.
In the meantime, thanks for reading. Be good to one another, and I bid you Peace.