May 15th 2013 Lunch Report

After yesterday's 21-hours of continuous intense activity, I was tired to the point of intoxication for most of the day even after sit-ups, and lots of coffee and green tea. In spite of the effort to walk and talk consistently, I managed to finish my work for the day.

Highlights of today included some quality time with my four-year old in the park, and getting a new iPhone5. In between those events, I had a plate of my wife's tomato pasta with red peppers and basil at home. That was lunch. No picture again, today. Sorry. Following those events, I made a run to the local music store for strings, so when I got back it was time to play. Unfortunately I just could not find the energy to do this, like I was able to earlier in the day at work. That is the most frustrating thing: knowing that somewhere inside there are hidden reserves of energy locked away, if you could only find the key to unlock them.

What do you do when you're exhausted, and need to motivate yourself? What do you say/do to yourself to unlock that hidden energy of the spirit?

For today's G&L topic, I'd like to know if people with tremolo equipped guitars leave the rear cover on or off? Mine has been OFF for years, after reading that Hendrix liked to mess with them as a sound effect. Recently, I've been thinking of restoring it though. I DON'T like the sound it makes when the springs rub up against my belt-buckle or button on my jeans.

I always leave the trem cavity plate on. You can get dirt and lint in there and have problems.

Motivation....sometimes I can just push through it mentally. When my body is aching I may need some tylenol, and some B vitamins can help boost my energy. And sometimes I just have to walk away and take a nap. A short nap can do wonders.

Bill

GB, I had my usual Chicken Noodle soup for lunch today. Ginny has reminded me that there is a lot of salt in it. Today I read a report in the paper that they are not convinced that a very low salt diet is beneficial. When I was a kid my father would eat salt tables and drink a lot of water when he was haying.

My motivation is being retired. If I am exhausted, I take a nap on the couch. When I was working, i used to put in some all nighters and do not miss them a bit. The only all nighters I have now is after we have a gig and we stay up and talk smart.

I keep the trem covers on. I have one guitar that doesn't have a trem cover, a John Mayer Strat. It doesn't have holes for the cover. I have really become fond of guitars with no pickguards. I would like to see that become the norm. Hope you get some rest! It's 5 o'clock somewhere!-- Darwin

My motivation is being retired. If I am exhausted, I take a nap on the couch.

No clue, I just do things when I want, motivation be damned.

As far as trem cavities, depends on the guitar. Floyds tend to live with them off, other trems not so much. I don't have the slightest care what any famous guitarist did though. It is all about ease of maintenance. I actually think the one for my floyd is lost too.

Today I read a report in the paper that they are not convinced that a very low salt diet is beneficial. When I was a kid my father would eat salt tables and drink a lot of water when he was haying.

My motivation is being retired. If I am exhausted, I take a nap on the couch. When I was working, i used to put in some all nighters and do not miss them a bit. The only all nighters I have now is after we have a gig and we stay up and talk smart.

Low-salt definitely seems to be the conventional wisdom. My mother and other members of her family suffered from high blood pressure, so my mother NEVER cooked with salt. As a result her food tended to be a bit bland. Maybe as a result of this I always seem to crave and enjoy salty foods. Although I've never been officially diagnosed as having low-blood pressure, it does tend to be on the low-side, and I tend to feel lethargic and headachy unless I get liberal amount of salt.

As for sleep, we are on the same page! I find that 20 minute naps are an extremely effective way of recharging my batteries.

I have had to remove the backplate to on a couple of Strat style guitars . Because the plastic shrunk and you can't push the strings through . It becomes a hassle every time you change strings . I love strings like Elixir that keep their newness for longer

^^^

If you can get over the dullness and really slick feel (that I hate) of elixirs, they do last a long time. Certainly not long enough for me to use them though.