Vinyl of the Month – Van Halen by Van Halen

Posted on November 1, 2023 by Just Chuck

Van Halen by Van Halen was released on February 10, 1978. At that time I was just getting back into playing guitar, having learned basic chords in a summer school class in 1973. I met my buddy Dennis in Spring 1977 in the back of a Geometry class in high school and he was new to guitar and we both learned how to play barre chords and basic songs that first year. We both bought our electric guitars from the local pawn shop and started jamming together and with others that we found at a local Music Center. The Music Center was a place where you could rent gear and practice in sound proof booths. We spent every weekend we could at the Music Center playing with all kinds of people.

So in 1978 when Van Halen released their debut album, we were not following them. There was no internet or decent guitar magazines or anything along those lines. We were into Montrose and Robin Trower and Frank Marino and Led Zeppelin. A new band like Van Halen held no interest to us.

But word spread and when we first heard Eruption it was like seeing an alien. We couldn’t figure out what the hell this guy was doing. And we had never heard anyone use the whammy bar to dive bomb like this and then the actual lead…. what the hell? How was he doing that? Who was this? It was Eddie Van Halen, a new guitar hero soon to be Guitar God.

Besides Eddie’s Eruption solo, the songs were pretty damn good. We gravitated to the Kink’s remake of You Really Got Me as it was pretty easy to play the rhythm to. Every song on this album is good. My favorite is Runnin’ with the Devil with Jamie’s Cryin’ a close second. The image of David Lee Roth, with the leather pants and shirt open, to me was the epitome of a rock singer. The band just had this overall dangerous image to go along with the music.

Sadly I never saw Van Halen in concert and now with Eddie gone…. I do like the Sammy Hagar era of Van Halen as well but that is a completely different image than what they started with. We all wanted to be Eddie Van Halen or David Lee Roth.

For introducing great music and reviving the art of guitar playing I present Van Halen by Van Halen as the Vinyl of the Month.

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Happy Halloween Eve

Posted on October 30, 2023 by Just Chuck

I love Halloween.  Always have.  It’s my favorite holiday of the four celebrations that have made the 4th quarter my favorite. 

The first celebration is of course my birthday.  That was on the 10th of October.  As a kid my birthday party always had a Halloween theme.  Every year my mother would pull out the small plastic pumpkin cups to go with the orange colored frosting on the cupcakes.  Every child received a trick or treat bag full of candy as a thanks for attending.  I was a happy kid and I had a happy childhood.  Thanks Mom.

The second celebration of the quarter is Halloween.  The holiday would arrive just about the time the high from my birthday party would be winding down.  It would ramp the excitement back up.  Halloween meant wearing your costume to school and excitedly comparing them while planning the evenings neighborhood trick or treat attack plan with friends.  6:00 could not come soon enough. 

At 6:00 we were off.  No parents shadowing us around the neighborhood.  No checking of candy for drugs or razor blades.  This was a time when people were people and even though we practiced duck and cover drills in school (those evil Russians), you could trust your fellow American to be kind and caring to each other.  I recall one year going trick or treating as a baseball player, hitting all the houses in the neighborhood, and then returning home and changing into a football uniform with helmet and hitting the neighborhood a second time.  That was the best haul ever.  Let’s face it, we didn’t get candy except on birthdays and halloween, so you had to make the best of it.

The third celebration comes one month later, Thanksgiving.  I can recall always gathering as a family and eating Turkey and dressing made by Mom.  She would start the cooking the night before and then get up early the morning of Thanksgiving and complete the ensemble in time for us to eat around noon. Then it was time for football.  As a kid we would watch the first half of a football game and then all the kids would go out and play touch football in the backyard.  That tradition has altered somewhat.  Now we all loosen our belts, sit in front of the TV to watch the annual football game and fall asleep by half time. 

The fourth celebration is of course is Christmas.  Christmas excitement really started with the Sears Wishbook catalog.  That trigger would arrive sometime in October and add to the excitement (or maybe it was the Halloween sugar high) that made this time of year my favorite.   The time leading up to Christmas entailed making lists for Mom and occasionally sneaking into the parent’s closet looking for any new bags or packages.  The Christmas tree usually went up the weekend after Thanksgiving and every day we would check for any new gifts under the tree. 

A family tradition, I’m not sure why, was for us to open our gifts on Christmas Eve.  As long as I can remember this has always been the case.  I’ve never really asked why.  For my own family of boys and grandson, we open gifts that are given by family members on Christmas Eve and save the ones from Santa Claus for Christmas Morning.  That is the family tradition my wife and I follow.  By noon Christmas Day the excitement is over and by the following week the toys are either worn out or have become boring.  Such is life and we learn this early.

So Happy Halloween Eve!  Don’t be a Scrooge, hand out candy.  May your own candy bucket be overflowing.

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Countdown to Retirement

Posted on October 23, 2023 by Just Chuck

10 more weeks, 69 more days, 42 work days left to go until I step out of the rat race and start working for myself and enjoying my hobbies.  I turned 62 two weeks ago, social security eligible, and I’ve run the numbers in spreadsheets many times and even bought a subscription with a really good retirement tool – New Retirement – that gives me additional piece of mind.  I recommend this tool to anyone planning to retire soon or really anyone who just wants to track their future monies and see when they could retire.  It’s all online.

Over the next two months I will be signing up for social security payments to start in January and Annuity payments to start in January. Did you know that your social security payout date is based on your birth date?  I did not until I started looking into the process.  Since my birthday is on the 10th I fall into the 2nd Wednesday of the month.  Dates 1-10 get paid on the 2nd Wednesday of the month, 11-20 the 3rd and 21-31  the 4th Wednesday of the month.   This is good to know if you are expecting that money to pay your rent or mortgage.  Crucial information for anyone on a budget.  I had to adjust my budget planning.

So what will I be doing on Tuesday,  January 2, 2024, the first workday of 2024?  Nothing.  I won’t be worrying about having to drive at least 30 minutes across the Dallas Metroplex so I can sit in a dark yellow office  I won’t be worrying about a work task that needs to get done or face the disapproval of  a boss.  My anxiety and stress should drop to level 1 (where Level 5 is wanting to crawl in a hole and disappear).  

I will be doing one of my hobbies – photography or recording music or perhaps just reading a book.  I’ve got no plans at this point.  I must admit, after doing it for 39 years, it will be weird to not get up and drive into an office.   My doctor did recommend the I start an exercise regiment in the morning, stretching and walking, to keep my weight and health in good shape.  So the plan is to have somewhat of a schedule for the days.  I don’t want to end up sitting in front of a TV.

Regardless I’m looking forward to relaxing and starting a new phase of life.

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Oops I did it again

Posted on October 17, 2023 by Just Chuck

I missed my weekly Monday post again.  Pretend it’s still Monday and this is my post.  I have been half incapacitated for the past two days.  You see, I played golf on Sunday and that evening I was in such intense back pain that I had to use an ice pack and pop ibuprofen.  That pain started about halfway through 18 holes of a pitiful display of golf.  I blame the back for my score.  I should’ve stopped once the back started to complain but I kept going and I’ve strained every muscle I think I have. And tested my resolve to continue to own golf clubs.

I went to work on Monday.  I was able to shuffle around for most of the day.  Last night I moved to a heating pad. Most of my sleepless night I was in pain.  A slight roll onto my side caused excruciating pain and then I would be wide awake.  This morning I could barely stand up. 

After popping some ibuprofen and a hot shower I could shuffle around the house.  But there was no way I was going to drive into work, I messaged my boss, it is a WFH (work from home) day.  So here I am with heating pad on back and answering emails.  I messaged the Doc and begged for some muscle relaxers and he called in a prescription.  Waiting for that to be filled.

This sucks.

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Wish me Happy Birthday

Posted on October 9, 2023 by Just Chuck

Tomorrow is my birthday.  I’ll be 62.  Here in the U.S. I will be eligible for social security payments.  I’ve been paying into social security since my first job as a busboy at Luther’s BBQ in Killeen Texas.  I was 16 years old.  So you better believe I’m ready to cash in on that pile of money.  I’ll be setting it up to start in January. 

If you read last Monday’s post (go read it, I’ll wait) you will know that I announced my retirement at my workplace on Friday, September 29.  I gave 3 month notice. My career in telecom engineering started on February 11, 1985.  My last day of work in that career will be Friday, December 30, 2023. 

Things I won’t miss after retirement

  1. The shitty drive into work every morning.  Dallas traffic sucks ass
  2. Sitting in a piss yellow office with a desk from the 1990’s for 6 hours or more
  3. Performing boring meaningless tasks
  4. The shitty drive home every afternoon, again, Dallas traffic sucks ass

Things I will miss

  1. The paycheck, I won’t lie, I make a lot of money, but its not longer worth the headaches this job gives me
  2. health benefits paid for by the company, its going to be the biggest expense for me until I reach 65

I’m ready to do things that I enjoy. 

I’m looking forward to being creative, but these things may also become a side hustle to make some spending cash.  I’ll probably start an eBay store or marketplace where I can sell off toys and comic books and other stuff I no longer want or collect.  The plan would be do downsize over the next 3 years so when I turn 65 we sell this big two story house for a nice hefty equity profit and buy something more one story manageable and away from the Dallas Metroplex (see Dallas traffic sucks ass comment above).  Can you say lake barndominium? Moving to my home state of Mississippi is always an option as well. Texas has been home since I was 14 years old and I consider myself a Texan, but Mississippi is where my heritage and family roots are.

Just 12 more weeks of working this job are left.

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 I Officially Gave Notice

Posted on October 2, 2023 by Just Chuck

On September 29, 2023 I officially gave notice of my pending retirement on December 31, 2023.

I sent notice Friday morning before lunch to my direct boss (no one else copied on email) as a courtesy since last year we had a guy retire and he completely bypassed the boss and sent an email straight to H.R. and this pissed off the boss somewhat.  I wanted to deliver things in person but my boss had just gone through hip replacement surgery and so he was working remotely.  So I thought I would let him know first.  He never responded to my email.  Nothing.  No thanks or please don’t go or anything.  Complete silent treatment.  I gave my boss until 4:00 PM that afternoon and finally said “screw it” and sent my email to H.R. making if official and I copied him on the email.

H.R. responded within 15 minutes, even though she was out of the office on vacation.  So go figure.  “Hated to see me go but understood the desire to retire”, blah blah blah.  She does want to meet with me this week while she is in town so we can finalize stuff and discuss the next steps in the process.  

Meanwhile I am counting down the days (90 as of today) until I am done with this job.  I’ve been in telecom for 38 years and 8 months as of this posting.  Put a fork in me, I am done.  I want to work on my hobbies.  You know, the things you should’ve done when you were first getting started, instead you got a career in a technology area that would pay you good money because you are a pretty logical thinking guy and can figure shit out.  Now it’s time to let the creative side out full time.  We all know the creative side doesn’t pay as well as the logical side.

So what am I going to do?  Maybe start a freelance photography business doing portrait and engagement photography work.  Write and produce music in my recording studio.  Write that Sci Fi book I’ve been bragging about.  Go see America.  The wife and I have already agreed we want to get on an Amtrak train and circle the U.S.  I’ve seen more places in Europe than I have in the U.S.  Grand Canyon?  Haven’t seen.  Mount Rushmore?  Nope not that either.  Any of the federal parks like Yellowstone?  Nope.  So you see, the wife and I have a lot to see just in the U.S.  Hell, there is a lot to see just here in Texas where we live.  I’ve never seen the Texas coast and I’ve lived in this state since 1976.  So lot’s of stuff to do and very little time to do it.

Of course I will continue to post here what’s going on with things in my life.  I plan to announce the existence of this blog on my Facebook account.  That will really set things off.  No one who actually knows me (family and friends) knows about this blog.  But on my birthday, October 10, I will announce the existence and provide the URL.  Ought to be interesting.  

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Vinyl of the Month – The Tubes by The Tubes

Posted on October 1, 2023 by Just Chuck

Have you ever heard of The Tubes?  If you were a teen in the 70’s reading CREEM magazine you would have first been introduced to them.  Like KISS, who I also learned about through CREEM magazine, The Tubes were featured in an article complete with pictures of their stage show.  I was intrigued.  I wanted to know what they sounded like but there were no Tubes albums at the PX (post exchange) on Ft. Buchanan in Puerto Rico.  I had to wait until we returned to the states on vacation in 1975 and walk into a K-Mart in Natchez Mississippi to luckily find the album and then beg my Mom into buying it for me.  I was 13 at the time.

The album, The Tubes, was released in June 1975 and in hindsight it was just pure coincidence and luck that it was sitting in a record bin in a K-Mart in Natchez Mississippi.  It could be considered fate?  Since getting that album I’ve been a life-long Tubes fan but have never seen them live.

The Tubes are a band from San Francisco that formed in 1972.  They made big news with their cabaret style show that acted out their songs.  They were made for MTV before there was MTV.  Two of my favorite Tubes songs off their first album include White Punks on Dope and Mondo Bondage.  Both prominently visualized through their stage show.  Imagine a character in 10 inch platform boots dressed in a glitter costume named Quay Lude singing White Punks on Dope.  Fee Waybill, lead singer for the band, had a vivid imagination.

Most folks know The Tubes from their later songs She’s a Beauty and Talk to Ya Later, both from the early 80s and the MTV era, but I say their best stuff is on their first three albums – The Tubes, Young and Rich, and Now.

Like many of my Vinyl of the Month’s, this one brought back many memories of that vacation during the summer of 1975.  Not just the album purchase.  For that I chose The Tubes by The Tubes to be this month’s Vinyl of the Month.

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I Got Nothing

Posted on September 25, 2023 by Just Chuck

Would you believe I got nothing prepared for today’s weekly Monday post? I don’t. I let it slip my mind and here I am scrambling to come up with something so I can meet my New Year’s resolution of posting once a week. Not that anyone reads this crap anyway.

Why am I not prepared this week? I’ve been busy running numbers and watching YouTube videos. By numbers I mean I’ve been running my retirement numbers and seeing if it is feasible to retire comfortably and live to about 85 years old. By YouTube videos I mean I’ve been watching every retirement guru out there hoping one of them will point at me and tell me it’s safe to retire and enjoy life work free.

I am happy to say that the numbers add up. I can live to 85 years old. Why 85? I don’t have any illusions that I will live past that year. Just look around and tell me of someone male you know that has lived past 85. The percentages just aren’t there. My Dad passed at 82, My Mom is 84 and will probably live to 90 but that’s a female trait. I expect my wife to live to 90 so there is money to cover that.

I’ve watched many a YouTube retirement guy and they all say retire as soon as you can so you can enjoy your money in the “go-go” years, before you get to the “no-do” years. Don’t say “Just one more year.” I had a work friend that said “just one more year” and he passed from cancer within two months of diagnosis. That was last November. So I am not going to work another year so I can have enough money to live til 90 or even 100. It’s time. After 38 years and 11 months of work (not counting pre-career work), it’s time to call it quits on this career job.

I turn 62 in October and I am announcing my retirement this coming Friday to my boss – that is September 29, 2023 for anyone reading this in the future. That gives my company 90 days, 3 months, to find a replacement so I can provide transition training. We will see what my boss says. A couple of people think I’ll be offered the opportunity to stay on the job but work remotely. Something I’ve been wanting to do this past year but was never given the choice. Tempting working from home, but I don’t want to be bossed around anymore. I’ll miss the money. I make a lot of money. But I won’t miss some of the personalities at this job that are downright mean and talk down to you simply because they are higher in the org chart. I’m done with that. Life it too short for that kind of environment.

I’m retiring from this job but I’m sure I’ll find a part time job doing something more meaningful and fulfilling. Substitute teaching, or restart my recording studio business. Anything but what I’m doing now. A job where if I don’t feel like working that day, I don’t have to. Know what I mean?

I guess I did have something to say this week. I threw this together quickly so please excuse the typos and grammar. I’ll update with how things go this coming Friday with my formal announcement to my boss and HR.

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Peerless

Posted on September 18, 2023 by Just Chuck

When it comes to non-work related activities, I have a hard time relating to my peers at work.  Perhaps the better statement is “they have a hard time relating to me”. Except for a couple of friends that I met at work with similar hobbies in music (we formed a band), it is extremely rare to find anyone who enjoys the same hobbies, music, books or even movies that I do.

I’ve found that my management peers (I am a Director that answers to a V.P. of Engineering) don’t understand my hobbies and interest.  None of my peers:

  • order, read and collect comic books on a monthly basis.  
  • buy toys with the prospect of collecting and photographing them.
  • own a DSLR camera and enjoy taking photos of stuff.  
  • collect, currently rebuilding, their vinyl record collection.  I don’t think any of them have ever owned a vinyl record.
  • Play an instrument (except for previously mentioned two friends)
  • have ever been in band or played live music
  • write and record their own music
  • like KISS (who doesn’t like KISS??)

When my peers find out about any of the above, they wonder why?  Why waste the money on comics or toys?  I’m sure if my job did not pay as well as it does, I probably would not be buying comics, vinyl records or toys regularly.  Their hobbies are investing or attending and discussing professional sporting events.  That sounds boring to me.  And I played Texas High School football as a starter.

I have stated this many times over, I’m an 18-year-old Nerd trapped in an old person’s body.  

I work with some serious people who take their roles in the company very seriously.  Don’t get me wrong, I am not a slacker, I am a Director because of my experience, common sense, and hard work.  I’m fairly smart and logical.  I’ve paid my dues, traveling to many places in the U.S. as well as Europe for the company, but I’m tired of that and it doesn’t excite me.  Lunch discussions with my work peers usually revolve around work.  I don’t participate unless asked a direct question.  I hate talking about work outside work.  It has come to the point that I just don’t go out and eat lunch with them.  This has had the welcoming affect of saving me money (because lunch has risen to $15-$20 lately) and I am able to stay on my low carb, low sugar diet (see resolution post).

I guess, to summarize, I am tired of working for others.  I want to do something for myself or something meaningful.  I’ve even looked at volunteer activities or even teaching when I retire.  Write a book?  Eventually.  Start back up a recording studio?  Would love to do this again.  Become a YouTube or blog influencer?  Not likely.

I look forward to retirement.

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O.B.L.

Posted on September 11, 2023 by Just Chuck
copyright US News Sky News

On September 11, 2001, the world changed.  Innocence was lost.  Life for all of us took a sharp turn down a darker street.  That day, of course, was the day terrorist took advantage of America’s naivety and brought down two columns and attacked our military establishment.  It was a call to patriotism.  This disastrous sneak attack triggered a need to express myself and I did that by writing a song in the shower.

Two days after the attack on America, and learning of the perpetrators of this attack, I was busy preparing for work, soaping down my body in a hot shower, when the words came to me.  I was so proud of my lyrics and how easy they had come to me in the shower.  The song practically wrote itself.  The name of the song was O.B.L.  which, if you haven’t guessed, is the initials for Osama Bin Laden.  

The lyrics revolved around the fact that OBL had pissed off the great nation of America and we were going to hunt him down and there would be hell to pay.  With lyrics in hand, I fired up my old desktop computer that was running a basic recording software called Cakewalk, plugged in my Takamine acoustic guitar and a cheap Shure microphone into my Aardvark audio interface and played and sang my song while the software captured my performance.  I had captured my song for all the world to hear and enjoy and tell me how witty my lyrics were and how catchy it was.  I even went so far as to join the song writing association BMI and register my song in their archive in case a famous country music artist would want to take it, re-record it and make it a top country hit.  Resulting it royalty money for the rest of my life.

Of course, no one has actually heard the song.  I was too insecure to post it for anyone to listen to.  I do that now.  This is the only file left from that recording twenty-two years ago (at the time of this confession).  I have no idea what happened to the original Cakewalk track files.  I moved on to better software products and, I’d like to think, better songwriting.  I’m sure if you search BMI you may find my song listed in their database.

Below is a secret link to the song. You are getting special access to the song. Enjoy.

O.B.L.

https://on.soundcloud.com/DeQAdL1pLWJJD4it7
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