My right hip

Those of you who know what you are looking at will cringe.

Factory Conditions

OK, so I did a little searching on conditions at guitar factories around the world. I found nothing. I suspect that even if conditions are good, the logging practices for the wood is not. Of course, this is a problem in the States as well. Many woods used in instrument building are found in the rain forests. So that is another ball of wax there. You can get wood from certified sources that replant and use good practices. So I guess by the old stuff may be the best way to go. So I will have to get that '56 Strat I always wanted.

Ukulele

My parents gave me some money for my birthday. I ended up buying a ukulele. I have wanted one for some years but I could not fine that middle of the road uke between touristy piece of crap and ultra expensive koa pro model. It is not a bad ukulele, it does not have a solid top but for as much as I will play it that is OK. I have been having a lot of fun with it and I have been surprised at how you can get some pretty sounds out of it. It is more than a vaudevillian play toy. The uke I got was made in China and I wonder about that. I don't know how folks are treated in those factories. I hope well. I think if I ever buy a new one, I will get one made in Hawaii. Or go used. Used is a pretty guilt free option. I have only bought a couple of instruments new. German harmonicas, 2 US guitars and one Indonesian. The rest were all used. It would be interesting to look into how folks are treated in guitar factories around the world. Hopefully the fact that there is a lot of craft involved, will make the employees more valuable and thus treated better. Of course there is a lot of CNC and other automation in the biz these days so maybe skill workers are no longer as necessary as they were 20 years ago. Today is a wonderful time to get a cheap but really well made nice sounding guitar. I just wonder how much someone else has to suffer for it. I will have to look into this. I do not mind buying foreign goods as long as people are payed for their labor. Anyway, the ukulele is bought. I need to enjoy it and figure this out before I buy another foreign instrument.

Roy Smeck

This guy could play. Check out the uke spin he does.

Worst Blogger Ever

I can not believe that it has been this long since I have posted. I guess I don't have a lot to say. Either that or I am lazy. So I will catch you up. Since my last blog entry I have started a MAT program, gotten married, became an expectant father and quit my job to student teach. This has been the fastest paced year of my life. I regret that time that I have not been able to spend with my friends in the last year. There has been so much going on. I am looking forward to things slowing down somewhat next year. Of course, if things go well I will be starting a new teaching job. That will mean I will be busy. But hopefully not as busy.

My next batch of student teaching will be in a fifth grade classroom. These are kids from a wealthier area than I am used to. I absolutely loved working with the many migrant children at my last assignment. They were great kids and did not have that apathetic-entitled attitude that I have experienced with wealthier children. But, I will be able to do some things that I could not have before. I am going to be doing some research on incorporating wiki and podcasting into literacy. I was talking to some of my friends about this idea and one teacher friend had already done some of this. Here is something that she made as a demo. My wife got me a video camera for Christmas so that was perfect timing. It will be interesting to see what happens. I am not sure if this will be successful or not.

So here I am quietly click, clacking away. My wife is morning sick on the couch. She had a miserable night. I guess the holiday diet did no sit well even though she was not even close to over indulgence. This was the first Christmas I have spent away from my parents. That is a very strange experience. It was also my parents first time in 37 years that none of the kids were there. Kind of sad, but Mom needs rest from her surgery and the resulting Guillain-Barre nerve condition. I was glad to get the video camera so I could send her video of the kids opening her presents.

I will try to be more active on this blog so stay tuned.