Sunday, September 14, 2008

Weekend Shinola

Shazam! I've gone and done another video clip for you. This is in a canyon just east of Stockton. I really want to buy about ten acres of land out there and have a shitload of horses and live in a tepee. I don't ride horses, but I get a real big kick out of them. They'd just be fun to watch as I play my guitar and write stuff. Maybe I'll get myself an Afgahn hound and do some desert hunting, live off of the land. I don't know. Now that I've got my health back I just want to live off of the grid. Now I just need about $450,000 to buy that land and I'll be set.

Anyway, this canyon was very cool. Tons of old mines littered the area, as well as several "honey comb" smoke stack smelter ruins. I was up there with my big bother shooting skeet (clay pigeons/discs). (Warning: Boring gun content ahead. Proceed with feigned interest.) I've inherited my old man's Winchester 12 guage shotgun. He bought it in the early forties when he was just thirteen. The gun still needs some work done on it since it sometimes won't fully cock/pump up, then won't fire. The problem is that when you do pump down and back up to eject the one shell that it couldn't fire for the next, it fires. Talk about dangerous. Talk about shit your pants the first time it happens to you. But, since I always follow strict safety rules when handling firearms, I never have close calls. Unfortunately, there are plenty of goobers out there who don't. Back to the shotgun, it is a fixed full choke, so you have to use lead shot only, which is not allowed in certain hunts. But, I don't hunt, so no problem. Even though I was able to shoot with this gun, a complete teardown and cleaning is in order. Until then, my cheap-ass Remington 12 guage will suffice. Skeet, skeet, skeet!

As promised, here are shots of my guitar project in progress.
This is the body of the guitar, sanded, sanded after coats of sand sealer, color coats shot, and the first stage of clear coats done. I am waiting awhile for the clear to harden in order to wet sand and try to level out the finish a bit before final coats of clear, then final sanding/polishing is complete. I expect it to be done in a month. Here is another shot.I wanted to see what it would look like with some of the parts on it. Nothing is fastened, just laid into place temporarily. I think it looks pretty damn sharp. I got so mad that the finish didn't turn out like I wanted, even though it looks great, I am doing a Strat body in better wood (alder) to replace the one currently on my Stratocaster. Wheee! Someday I hope to really make a guitar from blanks of wood. Oh well, you've got to start somewhere.

Stupid silly joke of the day: What kind of centerpiece does David Copperfield have on his dinning table? A candelabracadabra! Honk! Snort! Teeheehee!!!

It's a wonder you guys/gals still visit me.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

The guitar is awesome - even if the finish isn't quite right. Just gives you an excuse to do another one! leigh

Julie Kwiatkowski Schuler said...

Nice to see another's work in progress. Kudos.

The Grunt said...

Leigh~ Exactly!

Julie~ Thanks! It isn't art, but it's something at least.

Christielli said...

Like the guitar. :) As for the gun content.... needless to say, I didn't really follow, although I would really really like to visit the Winchester Mystery House someday.

Jules said...

I was getting all excited at the gun talk... cock/pump... and then you mentioned shitting your pants and it all just fell apart! LMAO! Just kidding, of course, Grunty. You're looking well and I'd love to see video of you living in a teepee, off the land, playing your sweet music, watching the horses hump one another all day long.

The Grunt said...

Christielli~ Thanks for the feedback on the guitar. Thanks for still loving me after I spilled geek all over the place. That Winchester mansion is one of those places that I wished I lived in. I definitely want to see that place, too.

Jules~ So, you like a bit of the pump action, do ya? Dirty girl. The tepee was a bit of a fanciful joke, but I am serious about the land. I'd build a log cabin home or adobe. I could live in a trailer while I complete it. My mom wasn't kidding about the Native American blood in me.

Anonymous said...

Ohhhh... fancy guitar. I like! Although I am completely ignorant to everything guitar, but I think it's purdy.

Careful with those guns. You'll shoot your eye out.

Logophile said...

Dammit! Megatropolis used my line!
Oh well,
So year, careful where you point that thing, pilgrim.
I like the git-tar, looks good, the next one will be EVEN better.
No living off the land in a teepee and here is why, you have to keep your amps out of the weather and you need juice for your new guitar.
That beauty deserves to be on the grid, and generators are too loud, so don't even go there. :p

The Grunt said...

Meggypoo~ You keep telling me that you are pretty good at Guitar Hero. I am always careful with guns. I don't want to be pulling a "Jason Williams" on some poor limo driver.

Logo~ Well, like off the grid but not so much. Kind of like my brain. How does that sound?

Sun Follower said...

those guitar pics are making me feel very Elvis.

(I can't explain)