tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-650160678722829210.post581964973745080841..comments2024-03-23T13:46:21.790-05:00Comments on Street Musician Daniel: Keeper Of The CalendarDaniel McKenna IIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04157964564856145960noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-650160678722829210.post-76382087849575402052016-10-13T21:35:42.579-05:002016-10-13T21:35:42.579-05:00I really thought that I had hit some kind of plate...I really thought that I had hit some kind of plateau and my biochemistry had completely normalized to where it would stay as long as I continued sober; but, the psychological benefit; of experiencing the care-free existence of one who doesn't chase the 2 dollars that the wind just blew out of his tip hat because they are like the first 2 beers of the day getting away from him; and the different attitudes about money i.e. It's OK to only have $1.38 in your pocket because you just acquired a CD player slash radio that you are going to enjoy for years to come. And you're not just going to be returning it in less than 7 days for a refund because a tropical storm is coming in and you are not going to be able to make any cash for at least the next 3 days....<br /><br />One of my favorite toys ever was the AM/FM "high performance" radio that I got from Radio Shack (on sale for $59.99, regularly $79.99) which had, along with a whip antenna that served most people's FM reception needs, given that FM stations rarely have ranges over say 90 miles, also had a jack for an external FM antenna and, yes TV antennas, while also being in the right sensitivity range, come in amplified versions; not necessarily greatly expanding the radius of stations that you can pick up, because FM is funny that way -clear and static free up to a certain distance from the signal where it is like the reception falls off a cliff- but making the fringe stations less prone to fade in and out.<br />And it had a jack for an AM loop antenna, a TUNE-ABLE loop antenna, which you would basically set to the same frequency as that on the radio's dial.<br />Tuning the thing, combined with re-positioning it, trying every height and angle; I was able to sit in Charlottesville, Va, on a quiet night and listen to a certain oldies show from a station in Buffalo, New York, or, if the Monday Night Football game isn't being carried by the big syndicate because it's just The Washington Redskins vs. the Kansas City Chiefs; no problem; I would just listen to it on the St. Louis station (770 AM?) or, if I wanted to hear the bias of the Washington D.C. announcers, there was 550 AM, WCAP...<br /><br />Yeah, I loved my radio; it's just that, with my apartment being almost in the basement of a building which sits like 3 feet above sea level; I wouldn't get the same enjoyment out of even a C Crane radio, which I'm well aware that I could buy for 3 easy payments of $39.99 right from Art Bell LOL Daniel McKenna IIIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04157964564856145960noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-650160678722829210.post-24666649254912366002016-10-11T20:57:57.874-05:002016-10-11T20:57:57.874-05:00Tipitina's reminds me of some places here that...Tipitina's reminds me of some places here that you basically can't find unless you know someone who goes to them, and follow that person when they go there. If you can record some CDs and put colorful cover art on them, tourists will buy them and you may find yourself making 2X-3X what you do now. <br /><br />As for drinking, my experiment with dabbling in it is over. I honestly can't understand what the allure was in the first place. It doesn't taste good or make me feel good. And it screws up my sleep! I remember decades ago noticing that even drinking one beer before bed would mess up my sleep, so this makes sense. I can't believe how *much* my body got acclimated to taking in, just to feel normal. When more recently one standard shot (30ml) was something I really felt. So yeah zero drinking is best. alex carterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12458022111793552536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-650160678722829210.post-85673355466226013542016-10-11T20:45:55.308-05:002016-10-11T20:45:55.308-05:00To receive AM well, you need to have a large ferri...To receive AM well, you need to have a large ferrite antenna, which is inside the radio; don't take your radio apart, you'll ruin it. What you want is to do some internet research and find out which radio is good for "AM DX" - "DX" stands for distance. The C. Crane CC Radio is a good one, but expensive. The most bang for the buck radio is the G.E. "Superradio". For FM, you got the best thing, a radio with an attachment for an external antenna. You can literally attach that to a TV antenna (the FM radio band sits between some of the lower VHF channels) so if your apartment has a TV antenna on the roof and a place on the wall to hook up to it, you can try that. <br /><br />alex carterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12458022111793552536noreply@blogger.com