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Serious question for the luthiers here ....
- Thread starter Dark Horse
- Start date
I can't offer you any advise here, but I can offer you my prayers and best wishes. I can only speak from the point of view of standing by and feeling helpless at not being able to help. It sucks from there. I cannot even imagine what you must be feeling. Just know you will be on our prayer list at church before noon tomorrow. And that you can count on mine. Have a blessed evening.my friend.
Cheers,
Jerry
Today was extremely rough. I’m feeling reasonably OK right now, but most of the day I felt in pain and a little queasy. Not like I was going to vomit, just unsettled. Enough so that I really couldn’t get anything done. This is disappointing to me. I’ve been through a lot of pain in my life, everything from broken necks to so many different broken bones and surgeries. I fully expected to have another couple weeks before the chemo/radiation effects Would start to wear me down. So much so that I had ordered parts for some of these builds that I’m working on, fully expecting to be able to make good progress. After today, I don’t know if that’s gonna happen. I’m hopeful that tomorrow is a better day. Then Monday I’m back to radiation and chemo. Going to keep pushing forward, and I know I will get back to this stuff, I was just hoping to have more time to work on some of these projects before being struck down like I was today. I guess if I can’t get into the shop, which I hope I can, I will just have to plan and dream. Maybe I can plan out some cool jigs and things to make things easier.
I appreciate all your thoughts and prayers, more so than you can imagine.
I appreciate all your thoughts and prayers, more so than you can imagine.
It's so hard to "like" your posts.
I'm sorry to read that you didn't feel well today.
I'm sorry to read that you didn't feel well today.
That sounds like a great idea! If you conjure up something, please do share.
I’m sorry to hear about your day... praying for rest and strength for you tonight.
Thanks guys
I’ll get through.... just some days are tougher than others.
Thanks for letting me vent a little ...
I’ll get through.... just some days are tougher than others.
Thanks for letting me vent a little ...
Plan and dream, keep your mind on those things that make your brain waves flow, it's what helps me find sleep when Ibuprofen won't carry me there.
It's probably good that you have so much experience with pain and recovery, you're familiar with the enemy.
I am sorry that today was sh!te, and I hope tomorrow will be better.
It's probably good that you have so much experience with pain and recovery, you're familiar with the enemy.
I am sorry that today was sh!te, and I hope tomorrow will be better.
If you don't feel like working, that's okay. But go out in the shop and sit and handle the parts and think. Be in there for a while, and enjoy being there. Even if you are just sitting and thinking. Don't get into a mode where you don't want to go in there, because you are afraid you'll be frustrated at not feeling well enough to run machines. Sitting in there and thinking about your projects is good productive time too.
I've done that during the times I've been sick. Just sit out there in the chair at my main workbench, stare at at all my thousands of tools. Putter around sorting stuff piled up on the bench, clean up a few tools that I'd forgotten I have. Take it easy and enjoy my time there in my shop. That's good therapy.
I've done that during the times I've been sick. Just sit out there in the chair at my main workbench, stare at at all my thousands of tools. Putter around sorting stuff piled up on the bench, clean up a few tools that I'd forgotten I have. Take it easy and enjoy my time there in my shop. That's good therapy.
There's a ebb & flow to the days after treatment. You'll learn when to push and when to rest.
Bruce provides great advice. Getting your mind around your projects, even if that doesn't include your hands right now, can provide the needed distractions.
All the best, my friend.
...so, what are you listening to? Or did you forget about that thing that we make basses for doing, and how it can help us get through stuff sometimes? That's OK, there's a lot going on to keep you off-base right now. But here's a reminder to slap on the headphones at the hospital and shake the walls (within "not annoying the neighbors too much" levels) at home.
When sitting in the shop per Bruce, be sure to warm up that shop stereo.
Music - it's there for you.
About shop music:
Yes, having music playing in the background is an essential part of my enjoyment of working in my shop. It feels weird trying to work when it's quiet. I mostly listen to bluegrass, acoustic Southern rock, cowboy music, dirty brass jazz, and sometimes venturing into prog rock. I can put on Rush, Yes, Steppenwolf or Queensryche continuously for a whole day. It all depends on my attitude that day.
In the last few months, I've really gotten into Home Free, the A Capella group. I often listen to them all day. Tim Foust is an amazing bass singer. In my own hobby musical career, I've been playing bass and singing bass for about 30 years. Tim is my Idol. Some years back, I got a chance to talk to him backstage at a big public gig where our bands were both playing. I can sing most of the bass range that he does, with the exception of the deepest sub-harmonic chest growls. Although not with his control and power!
I just wanted to point out that listening to Home Free has given me a better appreciation of how bass lines fit into songs. When they do an arrangement of a classic song, Tim sings the bass line, simple and clean. The real essence of what the bass line needs to be to work with the song. Sparingly, precise, and accurately timed with the other parts. When I go back and listen to the original instrumental version of the song, it sounds like the bassist is filling up the low end with too many notes.
Try listening to some A Capella groups for for fun.
Yes, having music playing in the background is an essential part of my enjoyment of working in my shop. It feels weird trying to work when it's quiet. I mostly listen to bluegrass, acoustic Southern rock, cowboy music, dirty brass jazz, and sometimes venturing into prog rock. I can put on Rush, Yes, Steppenwolf or Queensryche continuously for a whole day. It all depends on my attitude that day.
In the last few months, I've really gotten into Home Free, the A Capella group. I often listen to them all day. Tim Foust is an amazing bass singer. In my own hobby musical career, I've been playing bass and singing bass for about 30 years. Tim is my Idol. Some years back, I got a chance to talk to him backstage at a big public gig where our bands were both playing. I can sing most of the bass range that he does, with the exception of the deepest sub-harmonic chest growls. Although not with his control and power!
I just wanted to point out that listening to Home Free has given me a better appreciation of how bass lines fit into songs. When they do an arrangement of a classic song, Tim sings the bass line, simple and clean. The real essence of what the bass line needs to be to work with the song. Sparingly, precise, and accurately timed with the other parts. When I go back and listen to the original instrumental version of the song, it sounds like the bassist is filling up the low end with too many notes.
Try listening to some A Capella groups for for fun.
Music... yep, the reason we do the things we do. One thing I would add to Bruce’s excellent advice: Listen to music that takes you somewhere you want to be in your mind/heart/spirit/however-you-would-describe-it...
I’ll be the first guy to admit that sometimes music that is a little dark is exactly the right thing, but I think that during this time, you’re gonna need something that takes you to your “happy place”
Just my $0.02 for today but we’re still pullin’ and prayin’ for you, my friend.
I’ll be the first guy to admit that sometimes music that is a little dark is exactly the right thing, but I think that during this time, you’re gonna need something that takes you to your “happy place”
Just my $0.02 for today but we’re still pullin’ and prayin’ for you, my friend.
Into week 3 of treatment ... so far so good. Energy levels suck though. Planned to get home from radiation, hang our bedroom tv on the wall, then spend some time in the shop. Well... got the tv hung, which took way longer, way more effort and frustration than it should have. I could probably still make my way into the shop but I’m honestly just frustrated right now. Thinking I should wait till tomorrow after radiation... tomorrow’s a new day.
sorry to whine.
sorry to whine.
You’re doing something though and, I hope, keeping your spirits up and mind active even when your body can’t be. That’s something. A good something.
I've been watching what you've produced in the last week, you're not slackin' if you NetFlix and chill tonight.
Thanks guys. That honestly helps. I’ve been frustrated and a little depressed today, but you guys reminding me that I’ve been making steady progress, and to keep focused on the good stuff definitely helps.
Watching Chopped, Which is probably a form of torture since my taste buds are already starting to change, and I may not have ability to taste food in the next few weeks, but I love the show anyway. While I was doing that I drew a quick single cut body style that I think I would like to make some time. I’m not a single cut fan typically , but I think doing one like this as a fretless would be pretty neat. Need to do a better drawing, this is just a rough sketch... basically a violin single cut
It's tough to watch here man, but of course much worse to go through it. Cancer runs in my family and I've long been worried about it. So much so that I didn't think about the heart disease that also runs in my family until I had a big one when I was 43. The physical recovery from a heart attack was just a couple of months til I was working again, but I've never been my old self since. To this day I move a little slower and more cautiously, and I plan everything before doing it. I take a pile of pills every day, which also changed how things taste and smell, somewhat permanently I guess. It took some time to adjust to living differently, but I pretty much still do everything except teach self defense. It just became too hard on me to keep up, and problematic to teach without participatory examples.
To this day, I still catch myself whining and being introspective about it, which is itself a liitle odd for me. I've been a psychotherapist for 25 years, lol. Oh well, time changes everything.
Hang in there man, keep talking it out, feel what you feel, and give yourself permission to do what you need to. It's so easy to arbitrarily hold ourselves accountable to expectations that don't necessarily align with our needs and wants. Much harder to honour ourselves when we need to.
To this day, I still catch myself whining and being introspective about it, which is itself a liitle odd for me. I've been a psychotherapist for 25 years, lol. Oh well, time changes everything.
Hang in there man, keep talking it out, feel what you feel, and give yourself permission to do what you need to. It's so easy to arbitrarily hold ourselves accountable to expectations that don't necessarily align with our needs and wants. Much harder to honour ourselves when we need to.
It's tough to watch here man, but of course much worse to go through it. Cancer runs in my family and I've long been worried about it. So much so that I didn't think about the heart disease that also runs in my family until I had a big one when I was 43. The physical recovery from a heart attack was just a couple of months til I was working again, but I've never been my old self since. To this day I move a little slower and more cautiously, and I plan everything before doing it. I take a pile of pills every day, which also changed how things taste and smell, somewhat permanently I guess. It took some time to adjust to living differently, but I pretty much still do everything except teach self defense. It just became too hard on me to keep up, and problematic to teach without participatory examples.
To this day, I still catch myself whining and being introspective about it, which is itself a liitle odd for me. I've been a psychotherapist for 25 years, lol. Oh well, time changes everything.
Hang in there man, keep talking it out, feel what you feel, and give yourself permission to do what you need to. It's so easy to arbitrarily hold ourselves accountable to expectations that don't necessarily align with our needs and wants. Much harder to honour ourselves when we need to.
Thanks, my friend. I definitely take what you’re saying to heart.
