Entries Tagged 'Fun and Play' ↓

This castle is for sale. I don’t know where it’s located, but I don’t really care. I want it.

I didn’t know people built castles, but I stumbled onto this company, Castle Magic.

They’re experienced in architecture, physics, woodworking, stone masonry, but they don’t know crap about building a clean coded website. No matter. Take a gander at their work. Be amazed. Be very amazed.

Here’s the details of the castle that’s for sale.

Built in 1999 as a snowy mountain retreat, the two foot thick stone castle walls were built by laying up double walls of split ashlar rock to create a permanent formwork for the hidden steel reinforced concrete core and layers of waterproof insulation. Hydronic floor heat hidden in the stone and hardwood floors throughout the castle keep the interior toasty warm in addition to two stone fireplaces. Stone arched handcrafted walnut windows,stained glass, torches, and hand forged light fixtures. Includes 4-car garage, indoor pool, 3 towers, and real stone & carved hardwoods. You can ski in & out to the chairlifts from the castle.

They’re asking $1,632,000. I’m a little bit short. If I sell everything I own except a few changes of clothes, I figure I only need somewhere around $1,617,450.

My subtle desire to learn to play the guitar goes back to my youth. I never acted on it though. When I was still in my 20’s I did somehow end up with a nice little Martin guitar. Good intentions to learn to play never materialized, and I sold it to a friend who did play. It was a rather expensive guitar and I remember hating myself for parting with it. I think I hated myself more for failing to give learning to play a go.

About 3 years ago I began saving my money $5 at a time. I’d stash away a little bit here and little bit there. Never anything more than $5 and usually doing it a dollar at a time. My objective? To purchase a guitar and learn to play. I had no idea what guitar I wanted or needed. I had no amount of money in mind, but I figured it might require about $500 or so.

My failures of the past were due, in part, to my inability to properly fret a guitar. The action (the height of the strings off the fretboard) of acoustic guitars seemed awkward and difficult for me. I could fret an electric guitar easily. But I didn’t want an electric guitar. Amps and all that stuff? No thanks. Not that I wouldn’t love it, but it’s just not practical for me. Even so, I was often tempted to go that route because electric guitars typically have a lower action than acoustics.

I kept saving my money. I stumbled onto Zager Guitars.

“EZ-Play” Guitars are modified by Master Guitar Luthier Denny Zager to play easier than any other guitar made. The EZ-Play modification process involves: Lowering the strings closer to the fret board so you no longer have to press hard to form a chord. Adjusting the string spacing so there is more room for your fingers which enhances speed and reduces buzzes and rattles. Modifying the bracing, bridge, and saddle in harmony to amplify the tone and resonance. The result is a guitar that is 50% easier to play with a sound that compares to guitars costing 5 times the price

First, I must brag about their customer service. I’m a customer service fanatic. These folks perform extraordinarily well. And they make a fine guitar that is admittedly easier to play (fret) than any acoustic guitar I’ve held, and I’ve held Taylors, Martins and many great ones.

Well, I’ve had the guitar since November 2007. I even got 6 months of Zager’s online guitar instruction. I’d love to tell you that I’m strumming away with great success, but I’m not. I tried to follow the instruction, but after a month I become incredibly discouraged and stopped. No, I wasn’t even able to get my money’s worth from the 6 months of online instruction.

I don’t blame the instruction though. A number of things sabotaged me. One, the instruction was online and if you don’t have constant hi-speed Internet access, then you don’t have access to the lessons. To just sit and noodle (practice) away from a computer is practically impossible. Two, I struggled to get into it. I take full responsibility for that. I just couldn’t seem to make progress. Day after day I would try to practice for 30 minutes so I could chord more comfortably and apply what few things I was learning. Truth is, I got very bored. Three, my boredom won. And I surrendered. But not completely.

Enter my next phase. I began to talk to people and ask lots of questions. I began to research taking lessons. I began to research other instructional programs. While almost everybody said personal lessons would be beneficial, they also indicated that the instructor made all the difference. Well, I suspected that. So I began to ask around about various instructors. For every recommendation I got, I got a handful of people who suggested somebody else. Then other questions began, “What style do you want to learn?” Style? Are you kidding me? I don’t have a style. I suspect I won’t live long enough to have a style. Blues? Rock? Gospel? My answer: Yes. It was all becoming so complex.

Time and again the Internet was recommended as a great source. Like I didn’t already know that. So I continued my search. This all began in earnest around March. In the meantime, I was barely taking the guitar out of the case. I had little idea what to do. Correction, I had NO idea what to do. I did, however, reach a few conclusions. I knew I needed help. I knew I needed somebody who could show me what to do. I also knew I needed somebody who wouldn’t just teach me how to chord a song. My quest to learn the guitar was sparked because I really wanted to learn music. It seems lots of people taught how to parrot. I wasn’t so interested in that, even though I wanted to see myself able to play real songs. And I also concluded that I needed something not tethered to being online. I wanted video or in-person. And I wanted some written material to boot. I also knew I needed a community of other people - guitar players - where I could ask questions without looking as stupid as I really am.

After months of doing more research on learning to play the guitar than practicing or actual learning - I finally made a purchase. I’ve not received the program yet, but I’m anxious to get it. I’ll keep you updated on my progress. It’s a highly touted program, but it may be all hat and no cattle. I’ll find out if I can at last get the inspiration to keep after the goal.

For starters, I intend to practice at least 15 minutes a day. I can find that much time every single day. And I hope to increase it to 30 minutes after the first few weeks. If I find myself enjoying the process (and making progress) then I’m liable to sit for much longer practicing. It’s more important to start out with a lower expectation. After all, when you consider all the drug-addicts capable of playing the guitar (and other musical instruments), surely I’m able to learn it. Or, maybe I’m too sober to ever learn!

I’ll post a weekly update. Look for me on YouTube in about a year.

Play systems. I had never heard that phrase before. When I was young we called them swing sets, jungle gyms and forts. Swing sets were what you might have in your own backyard. Jungle gyms were only found in public parks or on the school playgrounds. Forts were what we built ourselves. Ah, but that was back in the Stone Age when the earth was young and fire was new. Today, play systems are what every child must have - in the backyard.

My kids had a swing set. One of those under-$100 cheap things that took too long to construct and far less time to destroy. The kids used it until it gave out. I think it gave out. Maybe they gave out first. I’m not sure. I’m so old I forget.

But my grand-kids - an entirely different story! My grand-kids shall have a PLAY SYSTEM.

A foolish expense you say? Well, let’s take a closer look.

First, a word about assets versus liabilities. An asset has value that exceeds the investment. A liability is something of diminishing value. A play system for my grand-kids will be an asset. The value of having my grand-kids playing in my yard far exceeds the substantial investment required of a play system.

Besides, I plan to spend countless hours in the fort dreaming of being something I’m not. And watching clouds to see what animals I can find floating in the sky. My wife and I will likely spend many breathless moments using that slide, too. The laughter of my grandchildren will only be overshadowed by my own heavy breathing as I climb the rope ladder.

Second, my house needs to be a place where my grand-kids are excited, entertained, educated, thrilled and dazzled. Why not? I remember dreading to go see “old folks” who had nothing to play with, nothing to do, no bikes to rides, no nothing! Not at my house. My house is going to be the larger than life play station - literally.

Third, their parents can deal with all the negatives. That’s not my job. If they are spoiled, like most grandchildren, that’s not my problem. If they are left with an unreal sense of expectation - again, not my problem. If they suffer from the need to be constantly entertained (like their parents) - not my problem.

These little creatures are going to be their parents’ problem, not mine. I’m the clown in the circus. I entertain. I enjoy the laughter and good times. When the circus is over the kids go home. Life shall always be good under my big top! My house and their house is like Vegas. What happens there, stays there.

So there you have it. I’m rolling quarters as we speak. These things aren’t cheap! Not if you get a good one. Shall I invest in a cheap play system? Not on your life. My grandchildren will not be relegated to play on a cheap swing set like their parents did. Look at how they were permanently damaged by having to play on a cheap swing set because it’s all dad could afford.

A Rainbow Play System is in my future. These are quite elaborate. You can add onto them. They can be as large as your entire backyard if you like. You can have climbing walls, rope ladders, forts, slides, swings and more.

Monkey bars and jungle gyms? I scoff at such petty entertainment. These are not SYSTEMS. I shall have a play SYSTEM. Let that sink in and tell me you’re not jealous!

My grandchildren shall love coming to my house to play on the play system, swim in pool, watch the HDTV and play with the dogs. Perhaps there’s also a Wii in my future. Imagine that?