The Steel Guitar Forum

i plays da musics

Nothing and I am very good at it.

i'm a professional couch hippy!

Was a professional engineer and business development specialist for industry ... retired in my late 30s to run a grain farm and cattle ranch.... my knees are getting bad enough that I may need another career change soon.

Retired computer engineer...................active challenge square dance caller (traveling the world from Europe to Tokyo with many North America points in between).

To Ernest Bovine,

Here you go, about my RC flying reptile.

My Ramphorynchus is really impressive and it draws attention.

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... s&start=25

At my age, just staying alive and upright is a job. (:-) (:-) (:-)

I own/operate a pest control business.🐜🐝🐛🐞🐍

I own/operate a pest control business.🐜🐝🐛🐞🐍

machinist / tool & die maker 43 years,now retired Jim Schatz

In the past I directed cars where to park at the Greek Theater in Griffith Park. I was fortunate to work the VIP/Press/Performers gate and met many famous and non-famous musicians and artists. Worked in a Radio Station (KGBS-FM, no longer in business) for about a year, then at the original Schecter Guitar Research for about two years. Ended up becoming an operator for Pacific Telephone (PT&T division of AT&T, after the breakup of the Bell System it became Pacific Bell, then Pacific Telesis, then SBC, then the new at&t [lower-case]). Also I drove a taxi off and on during the first five years of those jobs. Took a buy-out from the phone co. after 28 1/2 years, bought a 15-foot bobtail truck from Penske and transported musical instruments between Tacoma and Dallas, as well as roadie/tech/crew work for various pro and semi-pro musicians. This until the money ran out. My truck's transmission gave up the ghost in Texas (Hi Richard!) and after I towed it home I ended up selling it. Now I am once again driving a taxicab on the night shift, plus working in a guitar store a couple days a week. I still do the roadie/tech/cartage gigs when I am offered them, and drive truck to the TX Guitar Shows twice a year. I ran cameras and crew for the Deke Dickerson Guitar Geek Festival for nine of the ten years that Deke put it on (Will some corporate sponsor please contact Deke and provide the financial support to allow him to produce Geekfests again!). Also I do historical research on guitars. I play guitar, non-pedal steel or bass as required when solicited, and try to remember to play for my own enjoyment once in a while!

I'm driving around from house to house from 7 to 12am, taking care of old and disabled people. It's not a fulltime job, but it's enough to pay the bills. Peter Huggins, it souds a little like danger what you have to do for a living.

Been working with wood most of my working life...
Head Saw Filer at a sawmill where we cut sounding board for Steinway, Baldwin when there were still in business, Martin and Gibson guitars and other specialty types of wood products... I take care of Large Bandsaws from 30 to over 50 feet long, up to 12 inches wide with teeth on both edges... get cut more times then I can count, but have been blessed to still having ALL my fingers.

This is a really interesting thread. I've been a freelance technical and marketing writer for the last 7 or 8 years but have recently taken more time to work my fiction writing.

A few weeks ago I started a blog up to give my most recent story a home. It's a serialized account in the True Crime/Mystery genre with new posts every week or so. My webpage is called Blood Ledger and you can take a gander at it here:

http://www.bloodledger.com/

Thanks.

~Dan

Daniel that is really a cool story! Keep it going.


George

You call this living?

Good PI story, Daniel, from a professional.
I call myself a writer, but it's not a living.
Your blog gives me ideas. The toughest thing to deal with, whether in fiction or memoir, is the self-conscious first-person narrator.

Charlie McDonald wrote:You call this living?

Good PI story, Daniel, from a professional.
I call myself a writer, but it's not a living.
Your blog gives me ideas. The toughest thing to deal with, whether in fiction or memoir, is the self-conscious first-person narrator.

Thanks for the feedback, Charlie.
Yeah, if sitting at a desk 4-10 hours a day is living...
I think writing is maybe the one profession that pays less than steel guitar.

George, much appreciated. I painted myself into a corner by putting this out as a serial, so now I got to see it through. If you want to keep reading, I'll keep writing it.

Thanks for taking a look guys.

FLY and regulate. Mostly DC-3, DC-3TP..have done B-17, Howard 500, Ford Trimotor, P2-V Neptune checks also.

Hey Daniel,
I know what you mean by painting yourself into a corner. Time is the one thing that holds many of us back. I know how much time I spend practicing steel and Dobro. And I know how much time it takes to type that many words in a blog. You may want to keep the basic ideas going and accumulate them through the years. Who knows how they may gel later in your life when you may have the time to actually write the novels that you're dreaming about now. You're a good writer! I like your style.

George

I'm retired now, but from 1980 to 2008 I was a police officer. I had to retire in 2008 at 61 because of health issues, but I spend a lot of time playing my steel for my own enjoyment and spending time with my family. Grandchildren are great!

Daniel Policarpo wrote: Yeah, if sitting at a desk 4-10 hours a day is living...

In a conversation with Jamie Oldaker, who's writing his memoirs, he said of the task that it's 'an unending chore.'
--------------
For those not familiar with the name, he's the drummer on 'I Shot The Sheriff,' toured with Clapton, and laid down tracks for the Beegees' disco albums. So he has a lot of career to write.

Undoubtedly, one of his stories will be of those sessions. Called to LA for his impeccable time, he laid his best tracks, which the engineers
spent countless hours after making the time even more perfect. Go figure. Nowadays, I understand they have electronic mapping to do that.
I don't know which of those jobs is a harder living, writing, drumming, or engineering. No wonder we retire and play steel guitar.

George Buechley wrote:Hey Daniel,
I know what you mean by painting yourself into a corner. Time is the one thing that holds many of us back. I know how much time I spend practicing steel and Dobro. And I know how much time it takes to type that many words in a blog. You may want to keep the basic ideas going and accumulate them through the years.

Thanks for the kind words, George. I think I am going to give this story about 6 weeks. I got a novel I am working on, a couple plays, and other much shorter stories I'd like to find avenues for possible publication. I thought this PI pulp story would lend itself using the Serialized format that newspapers used to run in older times. Baiting a new hook after each installment is part of the thing for the True Crime/ mystery genre. But it's a different culture. People power-watch entire seasons of tv series over a weekend or a single day now. They don't like to wait week to week for new developments.

Charlie, I bet Jamie Oldaker has some great stories. That would be a hell of a vantage point to explore. I'd like to read Cal Sharpe's fictional work. If I recall correctly, I believe he also used the murder mystery format?

Thanks again!

~Dan

Retired military helicopter pilot...21 years. Then another 15 or so landscaping and farming...operating tractors and backhoes is like flying a helicopter - in two dimensions

Love playing lap steel, picked it up after 55 yrs, now play lots of open mic's and benefit shows. In the Air Force six years during Vietnam, trained gaming and barrel horses, volunteer Firefighter and EMT for 20 yrs. Worked auctions for 17 years penning cattle, bid spotter, and clerk aside of auctioneer. Still raise a few beef cattle and sell eggs. It's a challenging instrument, and I still have lots to learn about the lady! Reading all of your stories only makes me want to keep playing!

reading you story makes me want steak and eggs!