Hello guys & gals,

Just thought I'd check-in to see what you all have cookin' for Christmas. I thought I'd see Christmas wish lists full of new musical electronic gadgets. Instead, I see that we're now tackling the bigger issues (race, politics, etc.) here on Synthzone. My, oh my, what tangled webs ... (you know).

Just in case controversy is now an expectation at SZ, I will make one religious argument - Merry CHRISTMAS! Yep, I said it, and you can quote me. I recently heard that a store fired a woman for saying "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays". The world has certainly changed over the last 5 or 6 decades.


I want to know why a Tyros 5 with 1200+ voices is better than a Tyros 4 with 1800+ voices?

Maybe Fran can shed some light on this because it confuses the heck out of me. I mean, I thought we had all agreed that MORE is BETTER? I know things change, but is less better now?

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On a personal note, I'm still playing my tried but true Yamaha 9000PRO (76 keys aren't as good as 88, but it's a holl of a lot better than 61, and they all still work just fine.

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PS. Is Uncle Dave still alive? I mean, he was old when I was last on SZ, and he's older now ... I hope.

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Nigel, I commend you for holding down the fort all these years. You're job just gets harder with every passing year. If the Pope hasn't got you marked down for Sainthood, then nobody else should be there either. BTW, can animals be made saints? My dog, Stanley, makes a noise that sounds like he's sort of singing. Well, it's not actually singing ... it's more like he's humming ... " Silent Night, Holy Night"... His second verse gets me every time. It's the sweetest thing you've ever heard ... and that soulful, saint-like look on his face ... well, it just brings tears to my eyes (sorry, got side-tracked). Merry Christmas, Nigel.

Still here ... yup, older and guess what? I have a 9000pro now too! I missed mine, and found a clean one that I couldn't resist.
Glad to see you again!

Wow - talk about old farts - How ya doin? Unfortunately, Uncle Dave is one of the youngsters here - he just looks old as dirt. Hell, he's 10 years younger than me.

Welcome back Steve,

Gary

Stevizard, nice to hear from you. I've often thought about you and what you were doing. Yes, some of us old f__ts are still around. I'd like to say we are just older and wiser, Budweiser that is. Merry Christmas. You still playing that old Yamaha? Please tell us what you have been doing.

Stevizard ... welcome back ... just one question - do you REALLY Wanna-be-in OHIO ?!?

Merry Christmas Steve, it great to see you posting again.

So, you're back to the 9000PRO. That's a surprise. You had one for such a short time that I figured you didn't like it at all.

Aging is unavoidable. I don't mind getting older, I just hate to see the plumbing wear out (and everything else).

I hope your life and your music career are going well. I was never able to make my living with my music, but I make a decent living through my writing. It will never win a Nobel prize, but it puts food on the table.

Merry Christmas old friend.

Hi Gary,

I'm glad to see you're still "traveling easy". Life isn't always so comfortable.

Medical problems have plagued me during the last 7 years. This means a LOT of medical bills for doctors, hospitals, surgeons, treatments, and medication. My prescription cost over $1000 per month alone. The bad part is that I currently have the worst medical insurance I've ever had. It pays almost nothing and doesn't help with prescription costs at all.

But I'm still alive, I breathe in and out. Each morning I open my eyes and thank God for His grace toward me. You know, He kind of "spoils" me in a lot of ways. He gives me much more than I deserve.

If you're 10 years older than U.D., then you probably knew General Custer ... ?

Merry Christmas.

Hey Tom,

It's nice that we've got pictures on the forum so I can see what you all look like. Sorry, you're stuff looking at my picture too. Yeah, I still plunk on my old Yammie. It looks as good as the day I bought it (not a scratch).

I've been so busy during the last few years that I haven't had much time to devote to tickling the keys but I'm planning to move my keyboard into my home office where it will be more convenient.

What have I been doing? Mostly, technical writing. That is, I write software manuals, user guides, plus policies and procedures for various corporations. It's an ugly job, but somebody has to write it and it might as well be me. I've worked for Diebold, Thomson Electronics (RCA), Eli Lilly, Ohio Dept of Education, SafeAuto, Nationwide Insurance and others. My job requires me to move around so I've been all over the U.S. (not bragging, I hate to move). Looks like I'll be moving again (probably next year). So, I think I could rightly use the "Traveling Wilbury" moniker.

Merry Christams to you and yours.

Hi Tony,

Doesn't everybody wish they lived in Ohio? Where else can you see Lake Piedmont, the Cuyahoga River, or the NFL Hall of Fame? What place (other than Cleveland) can fill a giant stadium to capacity week after week without ever winning a football game?

Can any other state boast about a river catching fire? Nope. Not one. Only in Ohio does the seemingly impossible not only happen, but happen routinely. It's the state where up is down, and bad is good. It's the former home of Dorothy Fuldhiem, Ghoulardi (Ernie Anderson), Dean Martin (Steubenville), and John Glen. If only Elvis and Michael Jackson had been born in Ohio, we'd have it all. So you ask, do I like living in Ohio? Hell, no. I've lived a lot of places and so far only PA is worse (Sorry U.D.). But if I spend my remaining years in Ohio, I'd consider myself blessed.

Merry Christmas and yes, I wannbeanywhere but Ohio.

Hello Nigel,

Yes, I'm glad to be back. I've got fond memories of this forum and I'm happy to see that all the changes that have taken place on the Internet over the past decade have left this forum unspoiled (and that's thanks to you).

I'll try to make your job easier by avoiding controversial and unimportant topics, avoiding personal attacks, and hopefully bringing a little humor with me from time to time.

BTW, my doctor took out one of my kidneys a few years back but I don't think I lost a pound. What's with that? If I told you how he did it, you wouldn't believe me.

He used a procedure that was in use prior to the civil war. It's absolutely true. I couldn't sue because the same procedure is used today in countries where they have no hospitals. So, it is still an accepted medical procedure (although antiquated, and incredibly invasive). But I'm not crying about it ... well, not anymore, that is.

I hope you and yours are all heathy, wealthy, and wise. Merry Christmas.

Good to see you again Stevizard! We're all a little older and most of us are fatter!
Merry Christmas!

Hi Don,

Gee, I was hoping to avoid the weight issue. Yeah, I think I've gained some weight too. Oh well, there's always room for another New Year's resolution. The problem is that the older I get, the harder it is to work out, and the less it seems to accomplish. Where's Jack LaLaine when you need him? Oh yeah, he's dead. I guess all those jumping jacks didn't work out for him after all.

God bless & Merry Christmas.

Yeah, but I'll bet he looked great in the casket!

Gary

While I was on my sailing trip to the Florida Keys I lost a ton, got down to 177, which is ideal for a guy that stands 5'-11" tall. The only problem I had is all the clothes I brought along to wear were made for a guy who tipped the scales at 210. Some of the shirts looked like I was wearing a tent. And, I must admit, since returning home last April, I'm back to 210. Guess I need to make another voyage. Wanna go Steve?

Gary

Oh, I'm not "back to it" in any way ... it just sits at home for me to trigger cool Rhodes sounds when I need midi or to access the Roland sounds in my JV1010 module. It's a relic, for sure, but it's at home with other such relics ...

Sounds like we should both go and stay there for good. I'm 6'1" and am tipping the scales at 245 (all muscle, of course).

Any plans to pick up a Tyros-5?

Nah! I'm I'm sticking with the S950 probably until I'm too old to do this anymore. Keep in mind that I used the 3000 for more than a decade, it survived the trip to Florida and back aboard my boat, survived heat, cold, humidity, and still looks and plays as good as it did the day it came out of the box. Couldn't ask for more than that. Hope the S-950 does as well, but just in case, I still have one of the 3000s here in the office for a backup.

My wife said I need a much larger boat before she will make the trip to Florida with me - of course, she wasn't thinking clearly when she made that statement. I would love a much larger boat, but that means I have to work even more than I currently am in order to save enough money to buy something in the 40 to 50 foot category. Not out of the question, though. I know of a couple 51-foot Morgan Out Island sailboats for sale in Florida. Just dreamin'!

Gary