Hi loyal readers!

Yes, I’m still alive. There is much to write about but I haven’t taken the time. I’ve posted to Twitter from time to time, but not much substance. Let’s see if we can fill in some blanks:

1. I sold my XBox and all of its games. Yes it’s true. I’ve been a gamer for many years and I’m sure that I’ll come back to it in time. Just not right now. I traded everything in at my local GameStop when I got enough to (almost) buy an iPad. Sure, it’s a second generation unit, 16GB and WiFi only but it is still great. It is something I should have done long ago. I’m writing this blog post on it now and even touch typing is a breeze.

2. I’ve been traveling a lot for work. For me traveling is fun, but my last trip to St. Louis was the best. Tammy got to go along and we were able to meet up with friends on two on the nights. Good times indeed. I have a rare job that allows me to mix work and fun so I try to take advantage of it when I can.

3. Vintage audio again has made it in to my house. This time it’s a blast from the mid-80’s–a Dual CS-505-2 turntable and two components from NAD. The NAD amp is a simple 3320PE with a companion AM/FM tuner as a separate unit. The speakers that were included in this combo were some truly amazing Merlin 1B’s from 1986. There is much more to that story so I won’t spoil it by giving away too many details. Look for a full update in a few months. The Dual is heading north with me to meet up with Bob from Fix My Dual in Des Moines. He will take it apart and give it an overhaul then we can make it our primary turntable.