Update Update

[Eric B]

Unless you own a motorboat, gun, or golf clubs, there's not much to do here. Thankfully I have TubeNet.

Fore!.... I mean, Pull.

That cracked me up!

[TubaRay]

UPDATE:

I just got back from the Austin(Tx.) TubaChristmas. I had lunch with a couple of TubeNet guys. The "Update Update" was mentioned during our conversation.

You have been updated(Mike & Ken can vouch for this).

[windshieldbug]

Unless you own a motorboat, gun, or golf clubs, there's not much to do here. Thankfully I have TubeNet.

Fore!.... I mean, Pull.

Avast!... I man Pull!... I mean, Fore!

[elimia]

Update: After using Mantel test to reduce autocorrelated variables, I re-ran the reduced set and further reduced the matrix to things with a correlation coefficient < 0.6. After overlaying spp x sites matrix against variables (log 10 transformed, of course), HUC 12 % mix forest cover and drainage area came out with the strongest patterns against family clusters. The drainage area relationship simply reinforces the hypothesis of Brown et al (1998) while the HUC 12 relationship seems to also be possibly correlated, as % forest cover could relate to area. I should rerun Spearmans test again to test for any cross-correlations I missed. Or hell, the HUC 12 could actually be a real signal and not just ecological noise. The easiest thing would be to just run a 2-way ANOVA against spp richness to see if they work on a univariate level. I should have done that first, that would also address the moderately unstable 2-dimensional solution I keep seeing in Nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling despite aggressive data reduction and rarity removal (which truncates the outlier set). Of course, Canonical Correspondance Analysis would be a stronger test if I could make greater assumptions of linearity. It goes without saying that there is a greater risk of a Type I error with that test given the nature of the data.

[lgb&dtuba]

Unless you own a motorboat, gun, or golf clubs, there's not much to do here. Thankfully I have TubeNet.

Fore!.... I mean, Pull.

Avast!... I man Pull!... I mean, Fore!

Good one!

[k001k47]

Update: After using Mantel test to reduce autocorrelated variables, I re-ran the reduced set and further reduced the matrix to things with a correlation coefficient < 0.6. After overlaying spp x sites matrix against variables (log 10 transformed, of course), HUC 12 % mix forest cover and drainage area came out with the strongest patterns against family clusters. The drainage area relationship simply reinforces the hypothesis of Brown et al (1998) while the HUC 12 relationship seems to also be possibly correlated, as % forest cover could relate to area. I should rerun Spearmans test again to test for any cross-correlations I missed. Or hell, the HUC 12 could actually be a real signal and not just ecological noise. The easiest thing would be to just run a 2-way ANOVA against spp richness to see if they work on a univariate level. I should have done that first, that would also address the moderately unstable 2-dimensional solution I keep seeing in Nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling despite aggressive data reduction and rarity removal (which truncates the outlier set). Of course, Canonical Correspondance Analysis would be a stronger test if I could make greater assumptions of linearity. It goes without saying that there is a greater risk of a Type I error with that test given the nature of the data.

YOU ARE QUITE OFF TOPIC...

...in the off topic section.

You may resume being off topic

[tubatooter1940]

This morning we played a Christmas music concert for a group of four and five-year-olds at a Montessori school near here. The kids are so sweet at that age. They sang along with great gusto to the carols they new.
I noticed that the group was much smaller than last year. A teacher told us half the school was out sick with a stomach virus.
I was talking to the teacher with my tuba resting on my toe. What I didn't notice right away while talking was several kids easing up behind me and slobbering on my tuba mouthpiece trying to blow it.
I avoided touching my mouthpiece until I got home and boiled it. When I told my wife she wanted to boil me.
Monday, we play for the kids at Women's and Children's Hospital in Mobile, Alabama. This concert can be a real heart-breaker. The kids with bald heads and tubes coming out of them are still so excited about Christmas that we are able to maintain and keep the jokes and Christmas spirit flowing.

[MaryAnn]

Successfully played the Brass Caroling Roving Trio Gig with a modified stool for playing standing up. Mustached partner-in-crime took on the task since he is ever-so-much-more into perfection of details than Moi. It worked well and we'll save the PVC leg-extenders for next year. Stool rode in the back with the stands and the tuba got the front passenger seat floor space, with pillows protecting its tender body. We got back at about 9:15 p.m. and it was actually starting to get chilly outside.

MA

[The Jackson]

UPDATE:

My ratio of "correct notes played" to "notes played" has increased from 12.3% to 12.6%.

That is all.

[rocksanddirt]

Successfully played the Brass Caroling Roving Trio Gig with a modified stool for playing standing up. Mustached partner-in-crime took on the task since he is ever-so-much-more into perfection of details than Moi. It worked well and we'll save the PVC leg-extenders for next year. Stool rode in the back with the stands and the tuba got the front passenger seat floor space, with pillows protecting its tender body. We got back at about 9:15 p.m. and it was actually starting to get chilly outside.

MA

glad you were able to figure out the stand issue! was it stable enough without extending the legs?

[MaryAnn]

Successfully played the Brass Caroling Roving Trio Gig with a modified stool for playing standing up. Mustached partner-in-crime took on the task since he is ever-so-much-more into perfection of details than Moi. It worked well and we'll save the PVC leg-extenders for next year. Stool rode in the back with the stands and the tuba got the front passenger seat floor space, with pillows protecting its tender body. We got back at about 9:15 p.m. and it was actually starting to get chilly outside.

MA

glad you were able to figure out the stand issue! was it stable enough without extending the legs?

Um....don't understand the question. Stable enough without extending the legs? Whose legs? Its or mine? !! We extended the legs with PVC and yup it was stable. I think three legs (instead of the four the stool had to start with) might not have been quite as stable. It wasn't "pretty" but since it was dark out I don't think anybody cared. And the leg extenders are now in the shed in storage, which about guarantees that I'll play something else next year. Never know who is going to fink out / come through for this night-rider gig, and I have played everything...2nd tpt, horn, euph, and tuba, for it.

MA

[Kevin Hendrick]

After a 10-minute scientific study, it has been determined that underwriting insurance policies is twice as boring as eating chinese food.

Have to wonder if overwriting them would be any less boring ...

[TubaRay]

UPDATE:
I have now completed my Christmas tuba concert tour. In addition to our own(San Antonio's) TubaMeister Christmas, I made it to Austin, Ft. Worth, and Dallas for TubaChristmas performances. I got a chance to see a number of my friends and acquaintances, as well as a chance to hear many high school(and others) students using the two universal keys for performing Christmas music. For those interested those would be two flats and three flats. This seems to work so very well in performing TubaChristmas music that I may have to give a try next time. Let's see. Jingle Bells in two flats. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear in three flats. No. Wait. Something isn't right, here.

I found it interesting, to say the least, how some of those connected with the organization of an event believe it acceptable to yell(I mean tone of voice more than I do volume) at the ensemble when the ensemble does not respond as the leadership would like. Thanksgiving Square in Dallas is a really nice venue for a concert, but the rehearsal facilities are pretty seriously not up to the task. The Texas Capital steps are very picturesque, also, but it is really difficult to see the conductor when he is below the level of the ensemble and you are in the back. On the other hand, their rehearsal facility was very nice. Fort Worth's convention center may not be all that beautiful, but they put on a well-organized and cordial event.

Oh, well. It was free, anyway. No, wait. It only cost $5. No wait. There was parking to be paid. All of that was worth it, though. I can't quite defend the sousaphone mafia, however. Let me be clear. Not all of those who played sousaphones were part of the mafia.

My thanks go to all those who were involved in making our tuba concerts possible across the USA and the rest of the world. It is nice to see our instrument(s) portrayed in such a favorable light. I know it's a lot of work, but it is very appreciated by, well, me(and many others, too).

[Mojo workin']

If Harvey Phillips is "The Paganini of the Tuba" and Roger Bobo is "The Heifetz of the Tuba", who is "The Leonard Nimoy of the Tuba"...??...

Heiko Treibener had the pointiest ears I have seen of all tubists.

The more important question would be who is the "Jack Benny of the Tuba"? I would vote for Bobo.

[OldsRecording]

If Harvey Phillips is "The Paganini of the Tuba" and Roger Bobo is "The Heifetz of the Tuba", who is "The Leonard Nimoy of the Tuba"...??...

Heiko Treibener had the pointiest ears I have seen of all tubists.

The more important question would be who is the "Jack Benny of the Tuba"? I would vote for Bobo.

...which leads to my big question- If Roger Bobo it the 'Heifetz of the Tuba', then who is the 'Roger Bobo of the Violin'?

[Kevin Hendrick]

... If Roger Bobo it the 'Heifetz of the Tuba', then who is the 'Roger Bobo of the Violin'?

Hmmm ... seems to me that "if A = B, then B = A" applies to this one ...

[tubatooter1940]

Christmas eve I grew a huge red zit on the end of my nose. I transformed from a dignified and most gracious host into "Poppy the Red Nosed Redneck".
Had the grandson and all his wonderful but slightly suicidal skateboard buddies for 6 1/2 fun-filled days. He left at 2 P.M. Christmas day and the quiet that descended over our house was disquieting.
Today, I am on my own and since the temperature is supposed to rise to 75 degrees with a 20% rain chance and a 15 knot offshore breeze, a sailing adventure is the plan.

[The Jackson]

The Dinner of Champions

[SplatterTone]

A room, that we use for storage, never had a door. So we hung a up a curtain to keep it somewhat unheated and un-air-conditioned. At long last, I got around to the project of hanging a proper door. The opening is not a standard size, so no pre-hung door will fit. Rather, the construction, truing, and hand chiseling of the door frame, along with some sawing on the door. I got the hinge side of the frame completed and the door mounted. It is true and it swings very well. I think the rest of the frame will be easier.

And the wife's car was stolen. Parked right next to the new convention center that was part of the downtown "revitalization" ... which, like most of these "revitalization" projects, siphon money away from more important things like an adequate justice system in order to fatten the riches of property developers and bankers. Well, even though Tulsa has the worst crime rates in the state, people aren't leaving it to the extent that people are bailing out of Cleveland, OH. But, we're working on it. Our welfare moms are churning out the babies, and a new, completely not needed, 60 million dollar ballpark is on the way ... about four miles from the existing ballpark (which, by the way, is bigger than the new one will be).

[rocksanddirt]

Those of us who look back to a better time and hold fond memories of sane functional cities are morally obligated to abandon cities (particularly those of us raising children) when they no longer serve our needs and when those who now rule these cities are completely and criminally unresponsive to our complaints. Those who stay behind and continue to contribute their monetary tolls are (except in a much more destructive way) likening themselves to those who will hand a few dollars (trying to convince themselves that the person will use it to purchase food/clothing) to the desperate who live under the overpasses and devote their lives to their next drink or their next hit on the crack-pipe.

The story that you tell is nearly the identical story that I read about most any American city with a population of 1/2 million or more, and even quite a few that are smaller in size than that.

Regarding Memphis, about this I am proud: The productive and the law-abiding have left and are continuing to leave by the hundreds of thousands, and businesses where these evacuees work are in the process of moving to where the evacuees have relocated. Places like this (if a majority of citizens continues to allow criminals to rein) need to collapse in on themselves sooner, rather than later.

While I don't totally agree with Bloke, I will say that the best thing to happen to city government in California was the Giants building a state of the art, really nice ball park with NO public money. There had to be a referendum to change some zoning, otherwise it was totally their nickel, and now, in CA you cannot build a stadium using money that the voters have to approve. because they won't.

So in order to attract development to your city, you have to make it a nice city (there are failures and successes for sure).