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?

-------------------------

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.

-------------------------

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

-------------------------

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.