Friday Check In

Happy Birthday GB

Best regards
Art

Space I am hoping you get that cruiser. I ride with the mindset that EVERYONE is trying to kill me. My days of speeding on motorbikes are long gone. I still trail ride enduro like a crazy Irish fool. But thats me against trees. On road we are no match for a van or car. I ride for enjoyment not to get anywhere that helps as I can drive the back roads and if necessary bale into the grassy ditches. My jacket and pants are armoured so I am good to go. Always wear the right boots and the right gear and you got a chance of surviving a spill.

Happy Birthday GB glad to here the docs gave you a top to bottom "All's Clear"

Weather has been nice so the old routine is much better in the warm sun. Still no vaccine yet but still waiting.

Stay safe my friends and enjoy May the 4th be with you.

A belated Happy Birthday to GB. Well, since I'm doing Friday Check-in on Saturday, I guess everything's belated.

Another week with nothing significant to report. Everything is all set for the big trip in a couple of weeks. The last thing I had to dig up, was a fire proof bag for my lipo batteries. Now I can carry my drone as a carry-on, along with the rest of the personal electronics I drag around everywhere with me. Being a self described retired nerd, I'm traveling pretty tech light this trip. Just my phone, my drone and a Surface tablet that I call the Road Warrior.

Boss, I still have plans to add a bike to my toy collection at some point. My son and I have some tentative plans for a cruise down as much of old Route 66 as still exists. As well as the Pacific Coast Highway. But that's still very tentative.

Have fun and be well my friends.

Space

Space I have done both routes on Motorcycles and classic cars. Had a grand time each visit. Took the right amount of time off so we could just cruise carefree. One time on a 74 Norton Commando (never do that again) and last time on fully cruise kitted Indian Chief. Now the Commando was a pick up as I bought it and thought let's have a grand old time. Great short haul bike but the vibration on long haul was killer. The Indian was awesome. Heated seats and handlebars with heated jacket that plugged into bike. So if you get a cruiser get an Indian and get all the bells and whistles boy does that pay off. Makes your rides so comfortable. Plus my Indian has ride stability basically a giro keeps everything balanced. Amazing sound system, GPS and engine control with ride modes for rain. Yeah it's all the high tech you will love. Stuffed into that classic look. That's my go to cruise bike all my other stuff is sort trips like maybe 100 mile round as limit over that a classic bike will shake your junk to much to be considered fun at our age

Some great bike on the road books were written by Neil Peart the drummer for Rush. Before he died he must have rode a million miles. I have been riding since I was a kid so I got the miles but now got the wisdom LOL. Like packing the right gear if you don't have a quality rain suit you are going to suffer. I rode around Europe with a friend who did not bring a rain suit. Two days of rain in France and he was out buying a rain suit LOL he look like drowned rat every night. No one wants to ride in wet clothes and underwear you freeze to death even in summer. There's me all hooked up in wet wear and heated this that and other, getting off bike as fresh as a daisy.

Ah the joys of biking. You will love both route 66 and Pacific Highway(my fave). I rode coast to coast in Canada and US and you marvel at how big the countries are.

Friday already? Yesterday I thought I'd get the Suspense post all set and ready to go, and ended up in a fascinating story about the author, Jules Maitland, and his prison time, relationship with a convicted murderer, and the criminal Caryl Chessman. He used all of that information to create radio scripts, contribute to a highly regarded Playhouse 90 broadcast, a film documentary, and a play! At the end of his career he became a eulogist for hire, writing last words about the deceased when others could or would not. If you haven't seen it, go to https://cobaltclubannex.forumotion.com/t403p800-suspense-upgrades#17910

The Playhouse 90 is at YouTube, and the link is in the post.

Mothers Day weekend is upon us, and Mrs GB said she'll request something I can make that's within my skills. Last year I made this https://www.mrfood.com/One-Pots/farmhouse-tortellini-skillet that came out really well, but made way too much. So if anyone tries it, do your best to cut it in half. We froze the remainder and had it a few weeks later, still delicious. Nice combination of sweetness from the pineapple. We'll be a little less ambitious this year, which means I'm grilling something.

Done with the Suspense transfers from the reels, now I have about 90 min of final cleanup processing for the files. There will be Suspense upgrades into September.

The Kelez-Falk reels group is having a video conference next week. I hope that it goes so well we might consider a Cobaltian Confab by video at some point.

Best to everyone, and to all the Moms and pleasant thoughts about all who have left us.

Great post GB. Thanks for keeping us up to date with the show transfers I always find that interesting.

Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers in our lives in our hearts as they keep the world spinning.

Same old routine but got my vaccine appointment finally so mega excited about that. I will be going in with my sleeve already rolled up. Plus more importantly I got me a hair appointment as barbers open up next week. My hair looks like I am a member of a 70's rock band.

Stay safe and happy my friends...

Been a long time but thought I would drop in to say hi. Haven't been active with OTR much for a bunch of years but have gotten into New Old Time Radio. My favorites are done by Decoder Theater group out of Canada and the Everything Icebox group out of Minnesota. Both groups do multiple story lines and are available as Podcasts.

Life has been good and getting back to normal since I'm fully vaccinated.

PS: I found a place that has RC Cola on tap.

Hey Jim, Decoder Ring Theatre are well know here. Red Panda aka Greg Taylor was a long time member here. I had dinner with Greg in Toronto years back. Great guy very creative.

Glad to see you stopping in. Try and make that a regular thing. We love to hear from members. All it takes is a few lines.

Bravo on the vaccination my appt is coming up very excited.

Seamus

Happy Fri... umm... Saturday. Same old story here. Excited about the big trip. Finally happening this week. All preps are completed and we're just deciding what to pack. That means I have to decide which irreverent tee shirts I wanna take. I'm resisting the urge to take any of my Aloha shirts. I'm thinking just the Space Cadet shirt.

Jim, it's great to hear from you. I'm glad to see that life seems to be getting to a level of normal for you. I know Decoder Ring Theater well. And it'd great if Red Panda could find his way here. I may even go looking for him after the adventure. It'd be great if you could find the time to drop by once in a while. But I completely understand how life moves along. Please accept my wish for all the best, for you and yours.

GB, I always look forward to your updates. The work you do is important to the OTR community. And deserves to be recognized. I wonder how many OTR fans even think about the work a dedicated few do, so that they can enjoy their hobby?

Folk's, I'm gonna veg out tomorrow and just read Manga for most of the day. And maybe consume a bunch of tasty empty calories with a lot of too strong coffee. All on the front porch swing with a classic rock play list cranked to the max.

Be well and be happy my friends.

Space

Already it's Friday? Didn't we just have one of these 7 days ago? This weekend the folks working on the Kelez-Falk processing group are getting together for one big video call on Google Meet. That should be great fun.

The weather's now turning consistently marvelous, so Spring as displayed here is coming to an end and the tug of war between last gasp Winter and inklings of Summer is finally getting over to the preferred side.

Tomorrow I get to observe black belt tests and it's a reminder that black belt is like being able to go to high school where you only know the very basics and not much else. It's interesting you your perspective changes on the other side of black belt where I've been for a almost decade now. Unfortunately the two kids will be leaving us, one because his family is moving to Ohio for a very good career move for a parent and another is about to be consumed with another stage of high school that demands more time. The dojo is rented space when we need it. Students have been hard to recruit in the Covidian Containment so it's about to drop down to my Sensei, me, and a young ex-Army man who has studied martial arts with great seriousness since he was 10, but whose knees have been gnarled by parachuting, and three pre-teens of which two are very "pre-". We're hoping that once school schedules start flowing again after the summer that more folks will join us. Seems like summer will be a lot of solo practice for me.

Starting to make plans for the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention in August as run by Martin Grams. Will there be a Cobaltian Contingent? Please let me know!

GB great update. I remember getting my black belt at 20 I had been in JuJitsu since I was a kid. So I am a long time BB and even after testing through to 6th Dan black I still feel like I don't have a handle on it all. I was lucky to train with John Therien who is an amazing nerve strike specialist. After his training I thought okay now I think I am getting it. Still so much more to learn. And having to change training techniques as I age. I can't take 2 hours of being slapped into the mats anymore you get smarter or you get hurt.

In other news tomorrow I get my first jab of Pfizer very excited for that. Also lots of new books arrived this week. Have slowed down on vinyl as I am rounding out the collection now.

Weather has been gorgeous lately so really enjoying the walks with the doggo on the beach.

Stay safe my friends...

I missed a Friday in here somehow, but was glad to see Gentleman Jim Bollman and his bear knocking back the RCs under the moose head in the Whale Room. Good memories.

Now fully vaccinated, we're told we can live without masks. I'm going to still wear mine for a time just to be extra cautious. Who would have thought that wearing gloves and a mask would have made Michael Jackson the poster boy for these times, eh?

Life rumbles by, but the alternative is lacking some charm. I've been editing old videos of vintage TV shows, re-inserting the original commercials for my own amusement on DVDs. Sometimes those ads are the best part of the show.

Stay safe and sane and be blessed, my friends.
Jeff

Happy Friday from sunny Hawaii. We had a couple of easy flights getting here. But they did give me a greater appreciation for what cattle go through. 15 hours of air time, that's a Helluva punt. The weather is warm and breezy. The mountains are covered in clouds, so we haven't seen them yet. And the traffic getting from the airport to accommodations was insane. The clouds should clear from the mountains today, and that's where we'll be headed this afternoon. I can't wait to get the drone up, in the 50% of the island which isn't a no fly zone.

Boss, it's great to hear that you got your first shot. Here's hoping your world gets back to some level of normal. You wouldn't believe the number of hoops we've had to jump through, to avoid getting locked up by the germ police on this trip.

Jeff, we've completed our wait period after our second shots and are theoretically fully safe to rejoin "normal" society. But with my wife's damaged immune system and COPD, we still wear masks as an extra precaution. We also disinfect everything we bring in from shopping.

GB, I can't commit this early, but I'm seriously considering going to the convention. It's a long shot at best. But I'll keep you informed if all works out to make it possible. I'll be the weirdo with shoulder length hair and wearing a black shirt covered in astronauts.

Be well, be safe and be happy,
Space

Seamus you are lucky to have started so young. I did not start until I was 45 -- and even then it was just as a goof to get a morning out. I did not take it seriously -- but suddenly, all kinds of medical annoyances started to disappear! That's when I started to take it seriously. I told my first Sensei -- "I should have started when I was around 15... but you were only 7 then"

GB I went with a friend he ended up quitting because the training was too hard. I really liked how hard it was gave me focus. I began weight lifting to supplement my training. All took off from there. I was lucky I was young I got to fight in tons of tournaments they were contact tournaments so you had to be on your toes plus young people take a hit and get up

I was lucky to get smarter as I aged I sought out Sensei that were older and could teach me how to keep training as I aged. Now I expend a 10th of the energy but get the job done. In my youth I would be attempting the fanciest moves. Now I have a set of go to faves that get the job done quickly. No more showboating LOL.

No more entering a room and turning on the lights with my feet. Those were the days. I loved training, kept me out of trouble, spent 7 days a week in the dojo. So missed all the youthful partying. Don't regret a second of it. Resilience and perseverance are the two lessons that have carried me through life. You can't teach that enough to people.

I was trying to remember the phrase I heard at a seminar about 7 years ago and all I remember was it meant "old man kata" --- I found the notes! "Kojin kata" is not a derogatory term, but relates to how our kata and techniques are adapted for our body over time and become more efficient and effective (without a lot of flourish) from years of practice and pain. So there you go, Seamus, you do "old man kata"!! And I hope to do so to!

GB nothing is better than life long learning and hopefully getting smarter as we go.

Space I am excited for your updates on your adventure. I know you are probably running down a perp in the street with Dog Bounty Hunter. I know you are just crazy enough to be doing this. Hope you are relaxing on the beach.

Its been torrential rain here this week so blah but I do enjoy the zen of the sound of rain on the roof. Same old routine but now I am first dose vax I feel way better about summer as we are opening up the country again.

Stay safe and healthy my friends...

Get those Vaxs done....

Aloha, from sunny Hawaii. We're just over half way through the adventure and I'm exhausted. We've done most of the flagrantly touristy things and have begun the part that I truly enjoy, the history and culture part of the journey. We visited The National Cemetary of the Pacific yesterday. It was both moving and humbling. I'll link a few pix at some point, probably in the adventures thread.

That's all for now.

Be safe, be well and be happy.

Space

I subscribe to a eMail service (eReaderIQ) that tells me when Amazon lowers the price or gives Kindle books away free, often for very short times. You can pick titles or authors you want it to track in addition to their normal daily summary in the your areas of interest. This is the build up to a book I got free a couple of weeks ago and started reading and am about half way through and though some of you would enjoy it. Unfortunately it has went to it's normal $10 price. I would have never bought it at $10 but I am enjoying the book and would rate it at a good $2-$3 book. Anyway this is the book if anyone wants to spring for the bucks or watch till it goes on sale.

Radio - As It Was!: A Brief History of the Radio Broadcasting Business from the 1950's through its Demise in the 1990's - Robert J. Hensler

I thought it would be dry facts and figures read and that I would skip around to parts I was interested in. It is actually an autobiography of a retired DJ and short stories about his career bouncing all over the country working in radio. Doesn't follow a straight path but jumps back and forth in his career as he remembers things. Anyway since I stumbled on to this thread a few weeks ago I thought I would drop in and tell you about this book.

Went back to the place that serves RC last night and had a pizza and some wings with a large glass of RC to wash it down. To bad they don't have a moose head on the wall. Maybe I will suggest it to the owner, it would fit the decor.

Later

PS Edit: Thought I should add a last thought on the book since I finished it last night and this morning when I couldn't sleep. I was closer to done that I though since the last 30% or so of the book was just definitions of radio terms, most I already knew, that I skimmed through. I guess I would downgrade my recommendation to a good free to $1 read. Was disappointed that it was suppose to cover to the 90s but had very little or no content in the 70s-90s mostly 50s and 60s. Was also a long list of all the stations he worked at. Amazing how many cross country moves he made.

Thanks Jim, great post hope you come back every Friday and share any books and stories with the Friday Night Crew.

Space you better have a suitcase empty for the the Hawaii swag you are bringing back. I expect at least 23 Tiki themed items. And that's the bare minimum I will accept. Of course hotel towels and such LOL

Great updates everyone...

Boss, we plan to ship the souvenirs home. Except of course, the tacky Aloha shirt I'll be wearing on the flight home. And yes, I was careful in making sure to pick up a dancing hula girl for the dash of the car.

Space

The Hula girl for the dash is a 100% must. Get more than one.

Happy Friday everyone. Another lovely week of good weather here so I have been out more now I got the vax I feel better. My super powers have not emerged yet. Can anyone tell me when those will kick in?

Moving into the summer routine of being out most of the day. Work is fine and walks and exercising are on point. Read lots of books played lots of vinyl so my same old MO.

Hope everyone is enjoying the spring.

Stay safe my friends....

We're safely home from Hawaii. No sleep for the last 36 hours. More later.

Be well, be happy and be safe.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...

Space great news you are home safe and sound. I sure a great time was had by all. And you better have stories of running down perps on the mean streets of Honolulu with McGarrett. Five O all the way.

It's been a beautiful week here weather wise I have been out every day. Things are opening up here vaccine program is running along nicely so getting back to some semblance of normal.

I am listening to Sheps ollie hopnoodle's haven of bliss...Who doesn't remember the family piling into a stationwagon and zooming along way too fast to parts unknown. A whole family in there, hot and angry LOL... so many memories of those days

Stay safe and enjoy the summer my friends.