Aaron's Blog

Parabolic Dome Buckling in Strand7

2010-12-24T13:27:00.003Z

Hello all. I haven't really made much reference to my work on this blog. I work for a company called Strand7. We develop finite element analysis software. I was creating an example of nonlinear buckling analysis for one of our users. I just made up the shape from the equation of an elliptic paraboloid. The mesh was generated manually (but fairly quickly) in Strand7.

I applied a pressure load at the tip and kept increasing the load until the structure buckles.

John Etheridge and the Zappatistas

2010-07-20T12:02:00.003+01:00

Last Wednesday, I made a trip down to London to watch John Etheridge and the Zappatistas. My good friend Adair put Zappa music in my radar a while back when we were playing music together at Cranfield University. I had heard of Frank Zappa and knew something about what to expect but I never had what I would call a proper appreciation of the experience that is Zappa.

For those of you who do not know Zappa, it is worth giving it a try. You have to stick with it because there is so much material that there is bound to be something that will just amaze you when you hear it. Frank Zappa was a prolific artist throughout the late sixties, seventies and eighties and was known for surrounding himself with the best musicians. It could best be described as jazz/rock/blues fusion and it NOT the easiest music to cover.

John Etheridge is an amazing guitarist in his own right having performed with Stephane Grappelli (knows as the violinist who played with Django Rheinhardt). It was through my interest in John Etheridge that I came to hear of this Zappatista gig. John Etheridge is a versatile guitarist who is equally comfortable with an acoustic guitar as with an electric.

The gig itself was great. The venue was Pizza Express Jazz Club Soho which I would recommend going to as it has a good atmosphere for small performances. John Etheridge and his Zappatistas definitely caught the spirit of Zappa in their performance with a display of excellent musicianship.

If you would like to check out John Etheridge, you can visit his website: www.johnetheridge.com

In particular, he has a page that describes the Zappatistas: www.johnetheridge.com/zappa.

Back in the UK

2010-05-19T21:31:00.003+01:00

Well, I enjoyed my visit to Oklahoma. On the way over, we stopped in New York City for a good wander. We managed to get ourselves out of the UK just before the flight disruptions from the Icelandic volcano and stayed away long enough not to have been delayed for our return.

While in Oklahoma, we visited the Wichita Mountains, the Arbuckle Mountains and the Washita Mountains in a three day road trip. We saw magnificent scenery, flourishing wild life and our fair share of oil derricks. On the whole it was a really excellent road trip with a sprinkling of hiking thrown in.

It was good to meet up with friends and family as always. We managed to be there for a few birthdays; My granddad turned 89 while we were there and my nephew Jake turned 7. And of course Debbie (my brother's sister-in-law) had a birthday too. Let's just say that there was a good amount of cake being eaten.

I got my top-up of barbecue from Fish's in Tahlequah and my "set-up" from Katfish Kitchen.

On the Illinois River, I saw a Herron catch and eat a water snake. Not something you see every day even if you live in Oklahoma. Nicola managed to get some photographs which I will try to post when I get a chance.

On our return, we stopped off at New York City again for another wander. I have been traveling since my return for work so have not really had a chance to settle. I was in Scotland (Glasgow) last week and I am in Telford this week. Things will start to get back to normal next week.

Oklahoma visit

2010-04-13T10:30:00.002+01:00

I will be leaving for the USA tomorrow morning. We will be going through Newark with a 7 hour layover so it makes sense to go into New York City for a few hours.

I will be staying at my parents' house in Tahlequah. They are in the phone book if anyone wants to get in touch while I am there.

We will be making at least one road trip while I am there but the destination is yet to be decided. Therefore, if anyone has any suggestions, I am open to them. I am currently looking at going to the Wichita Mountains in southwestern Oklahoma for some hiking and to take some landscape photos.

The dates that I will be there are: 15 April - 4 May.

Diana Krall

2009-11-02T23:12:00.003Z

I got to see Diana Krall in concert last Thursday in London at the Royal Albert Hall. It was an impressive venue. I was very pleased to see that the guitarist, Anthony Wilson was touring with her.

Diana was on good form, playing excellently and with such a smooth voice. The balance between piano and guitar was just right. Anthony Wilson was as amazing as ever. If you like jazz, this is a great tour to try to catch.

Links:
Anthony Wilson's Website
Diana Krall's Website
Royal Albert Hall

Evan Christopher and Django a la Creole

2009-08-07T12:28:00.001+01:00

I just discovered these guys. I love the clarinet. It is good to hear it in this style of music.

Back from Oklahoma

2009-08-07T12:20:00.003+01:00

I am back in the UK. I spent most of my time in Oklahoma with my family. I managed to get some good BBQ, catfish, brown beans and cornbread, hamburgers and iced tea!

We went jet skiing thanks to my uncle Ron and spent a lot of time at the lake (Tenkiller). We went to the Illinois River and hiked up Sparrowhawk mountain. We went to the safari park in Gentry, Arkansas. We also went for a boat ride on Lake Ft. Gibson with my grandad.

I didn't get to meet with many of the people that I had meant to get in touch with so will have to catch up on the next trip.

Wimbledon 2009

2009-07-02T11:11:00.002+01:00

Wimbledon 2009
Originally uploaded by jalatty.

I got to go to Wimbledon last Saturday. It was the first time for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Incredible atmosphere.

Bobby McFarrin is not dead

2009-06-14T23:29:00.004+01:00

A number of years ago, I fell for the false rumor that Bobby McFarrin, the composer and song-writer who famously wrote and performed "Don't Worry Be Happy" had committed suicide. Well, I didn't find out until today that he is alive and well and this rumor was spread falsely.

He is even in concert this week in London!

I suggest looking him up on You Tube. He does some amazing things with his voice.

Visit to Oklahoma

2009-06-10T17:16:00.001+01:00

I will be making my pilgrimage to Oklahoma a the end of July. Anybody going to be around between the 23rd of July and the 4th of August?

Rape Field (near Raunds)

2009-05-11T22:08:00.002+01:00

Rape Field (near Raunds)
Originally uploaded by jalatty.

I took this photo last Sunday. This is about a 5 minute walk from my house.

Reading Half Marathon 2

2009-03-29T23:19:00.002+01:00

Today, I ran in the Reading Half Marathon. The estimated number of runners in this race was 18,700 and it is one of the largest road races in the UK.

Preparation
Previously, the longest distance that I had run was about 7 miles many, many years ago. I had only decided to run in this race in December so I had a big challenge in front of me. I had good intentions and plans to prepare well for this race but some unforeseen events interrupted my training significantly. One of these was a series of snow storms that made running treacherous because of the resulting ice on the sidewalks. This was followed by me getting a terrible cold combined with a week of traveling for business. Suffice as to say that I managed to do several two-mile and three-mile runs and a couple of five-mile runs but not with the right kind of frequency. Also, the training programs for half-marathons recommend getting several longer-distance runs as preparation so I was very deficient in my training.

The Day
I stayed in a hotel in Reading, the Crown Plaza which was very comfortable. The weather was very favorable for running. No wind. Full sunshine. It was somewhat cold which isn't too bad if you can hold a good pace for the distance but, in my case, it got a little too cold.

Support for the event was great. They offered a free shuttle service for the runners and the marshals were helpful. Because of the number of runners, there was probably nearly a mile extra to my distance though!

Spectators from Reading were on the streets to cheer us on. Some of them were playing music. The motivational song of choice was “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor. This was followed by “We are the Champions” by Queen. One group of pub patrons were outside in the center with the theme song to Chariots of Fire playing. The song that I heard most, though was “Disco Inferno” by The Trammps which was being played by one of the local radio stations at the stadium where the race start and finish was.

During the run, I managed to run very well for the first six miles. I kept a steady and comfortable pace and made sure I took in fluids. After mile six, it started to get difficult. I started walking up some of the hills but tried to keep the walking to a minimum. I had a burst of energy somewhere after mile seven which lasted until around mile nine where it started to get very difficult. I kept is going with a higher proportion of walking to running though the walking was very quick. By mile eleven, I was really hurting. I was starting to get leg cramps which forced me to increase my walking proportions.

I did manage to muster a semblance of a run by the time I reached the finish line but I had really given everything by then. It was an amazing relief to get to that finish.

After the Race
There was a rather long line for the shuttle busses which was somewhat torturous after such a long race. I had donned my warm-up sweats but they were not enough to really get me warm. I had been drinking water after the race but I didn't really take in very much glucose. By the time we got to the bus, my legs were starting to cramp as well as a few other choice muscles.

As soon as I stepped onto the bus, my left leg decided to cramp severely. It happened as soon as I took my weight off of it after bringing my right foot onto the step. Of course, my right leg decided to join in and I went down in agony. I had not actually been in the situation of having both of my calves cramp up so badly before. There were two South African guys behind me. They immediately tried to help but one of the marshals was nearby and quickly identified what was wrong. He grabbed my left foot and pushed my toes upward which forced my calf muscle to relax but because my other calf muscle was cramping as well, it kept causing me to tense my left muscles so things were not really getting better for me.

I turned over and put my feet on the ground and pushed myself to put weight on my toes which had the same effect as what the marshal had done but to both of my legs. They then assisted me off the bus and called for some medics to assist. In the end, I guess I had got dehydrated and my muscles were depleted of energy.

The quick-thinking of that marshal saved me a considerable amount of pain for which I am very grateful. He came by before we left to check to make sure I was OK. On the whole, considering that I did not get nearly enough preparation for this race, I am quite pleased that I was able to finish it.

Reading Half Marathon

2009-03-28T19:54:00.003Z

Tomorrow, I will be running in the Reading Half Marathon among 18,000 other runners. I have been doing my best to prepare since December. It looks like the weather will be good tomorrow at least.

Take Five

2009-03-26T19:17:00.002Z

This is one of the coolest songs composed by Paul Desmond of the Dave Brubeck Quartet.

We've got snow!

2009-02-05T13:00:00.001Z

This is my car this morning after a few inches of snow that fell over night.

Building a guitar

2009-01-29T11:01:00.001Z

I have decided to assemble an electric guitar. I am going for a Stratocaster set-up. I have already got a solid ash body. I did buy a neck but I am not sure it matches. The neck is made from maple and it looks like the fretboard is integral with the rest of the neck so it has what they call a "skunk stripe" on the back of the neck which is a darker color wood that covers where they inserted the truss rod.

I need to examine the two together in more detail before deciding whether to use this neck/body combination. Maybe I will make two guitars!

I need to get the electronics and other parts as well. I will try to post some pictures when I get a chance.

Superhero Personality Quiz

2008-11-30T15:25:00.000Z

You are Superman

Superman		75%
Spider-Man		75%
Iron Man		75%
The Flash		65%
Robin		60%
Green Lantern		55%
Supergirl		45%
Wonder Woman		40%
Hulk		40%
Batman		30%
Catwoman		25%

You are mild-mannered, good,
strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

Buddy Whittington

2008-11-24T22:14:00.005Z

I had the pleasure of seeing Buddy Whittington in concert last Friday. What can I say? The man can play guitar! He's a pretty decent singer too. His style is a perfect mix of jazz, blues and country with the heaviest portion being blues.

Buddy was the guitarist for John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers until very recently. He is currently touring the UK. His myspace page is the most useful in terms of his upcoming gigs and sample music but his official homepage is at: http://www.buddywhittington.com/

Thanks to Stephen Chown for letting me use these two great photos from last Friday's performance.

Back in the UK

2008-10-19T23:24:00.002+01:00

I've had a hectic few weeks with the two weeks in Australia for the new job followed by a fairly high work load and generally getting used to my new duties.

With all of this, I am still keeping my music going. My band is playing this Friday in Northampton at the Derngate. I can't make this time unfortunately but maybe I'll make it to the next one.

New Job

2008-09-17T22:30:00.002+01:00

I will be starting a new job next week. I am excited because it is a good opportunity for me. My last day at my current employer is this Friday. I won't get to take a break between jobs. I will be really busy for the next couple of weeks with training on finite element analysis software and a bit of a refresher on structural mechanics.

MapMyRun.com

2008-07-21T20:19:00.003+01:00

I have been using this website to track my running progress and some of my other training activities: http://www.mapmyrun.com/

It is fairly easy to use and allows you to enter your routes for a distance calculation. You can save these routes and call them up when you want to enter your time. It is good to see when you have been training over the last month or so and it is good that it is so easy to enter the information.

Matt Schofield

2008-06-30T11:04:00.001+01:00

We saw an excellent blues trio yesterday at the Malt Shovel in Northampton. The format was guitar, drums and organ. It was a mix of traditional, Chicago-style blues with a good dose of New Orleans funk. Matt Schofield was on guitar and he was excellent. I had heard a recording of him before but I really wasn't prepared for how good he was live.

http://www.mattschofield.com/

Sydney Operal House

2008-05-27T23:48:00.001+01:00

I am back from Australia. As always, my flickr page has some photos from my travels. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jalatty

Here is one of them:

In the nick of time

2008-04-21T23:50:00.004+01:00

And it sounds GOOOOOOD!

I just put the speaker in this evening. Power sink would be useful for playing in a small room but the tone is still good at low volumes. Changing the pots so that you don't get all or nothing might be a good idea too. I need to change the speaker lead for a shorter and cooler looking one but I am very happy with it. I can't wait to put it to use at a session or a gig.

But I won't get to play with it for three weeks while I am in Australia.

Chitlins con Carne

2008-04-02T13:07:00.001+01:00

I am always looking for good covers of this song. This is a nice one that I ran across:

Man Cold

2008-03-30T15:18:00.001+01:00

Yes, that's right. I have managed to get a "Man Cold". I have been feeling pretty sorry for myself since Wednesday. This video sums it up really:

1957 Fender Deluxe

2008-03-28T16:33:00.004Z

Over the last few weeks, I have been building a replica of a 1957 Fender Deluxe Amplifier. I bought a kit that contained the electronic components and chassis and I commissioned my neighbor to build a cabinet for me out of ash. It took three weekends to build the amp itself. I am still waiting for the cabinet to be completed. It should be finished by next week.

The photo shows me playing a stratocaster through my amp which is connected to a friend's speaker and cabinet. This is the other amp that we built and is essentially what mine will look like except for the finish.

I can't wait to get my amp into its cabinet and put the thing to use.

Aynsley Lister

2008-03-10T16:06:00.003Z

I went to see the Aynsley Lister Band last night at the Stables in Wavendon. They were very good as usual. The warm-up performer was Jon Amor. He performed on his own mainly with an acoustic. He used a loop box on a few songs and even managed to back himself on an electric guitar lead.

Aynsley Lister was a amazing as ever with complete command of the guitar neck. The last time I saw this band, the drummer had only just joined them and the bass guitarist was still new to the band so they were a bit rough around the edges. This time, they really rocked. The drummer is just a crazy man. He managed some very good backup vocals. The bass guitarist sang backup as well on some songs and came up with some very nice bass runs.

Aynsley Lister's official web site can be found here.

Jon Amor's official web site can be found here.

My Jazz Playlist

2008-02-22T09:29:00.001Z

I have come up with a short playlist for the jazz songs that I want to concentrate on.

All the things you are
Chitlins con carne
Summertime
Autumn Leaves
The girl from Ipanema
Blue Bossa

That should keep me busy. I am hoping that I can get fluid with all of these. I can already play the progressions for Chitlins con carne, Autumn Leaves and The girl from Ipanema. Also, I can also improvise over these three to varying degrees of success but it is good to have some focus.

Blues at the Picturedrome

2008-02-21T15:24:00.001Z

Last night, I played with my blues group at the Picturedrome in Northampton. When we started, there were only a few people but midway through our set, there were probably 20 to 30 in the main room. The fact that they remained is a good sign! Songs that we played include:

Someday Baby
Hoochie Coochie Man
Life by the Drop
Crossroads
Little Red Rooster
Black Rat Swing
Love in Vain
Black Magic Woman
Redhouse
Corrina
Come on in my Kitchen
Terraplane Blues
Texas Strut
Can't Be Satisfied
Honky Tonk Woman
Help Me
Route 66
Talk to Me Baby

That's jazz, man!

2008-02-20T09:37:00.001Z

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to go to a jazz jam session held in Blisworth, Northamptonshire. I realize that the best way to improve my jazz playing is to play with other jazz musicians and to put some pressure on myself to practice. That session was OK but because of sound problems with the P.A. and my own limitations with regard to knowledge of the songs and progressions, I couldn't really participate at a good level.

I am slowly building up a number of songs that I can get all the way through. One of these is "The Girl from Ipanema" by Stan Getz. They played this at that session and I struggled to keep up with the changes. I also had a hard time with the solo. Well, I took this as a challenge. In the last two weeks, I went through "The Girl from Ipanema" a few times to get comfortable with the chord changes and I recorded the progression so that I could do some solos.

I returned to the session last night and saw good improvement. I used my own amp which helped a great deal. I managed to participate at a better level than the previous session. I also got to play "Chitlin's Con Carne" by Kenny Burrell and it sounded pretty good. Unfortunately, I chose an awkward key for the sax players present. One of the guys stepped up though and did some solos which was good.

On the whole, I am glad that I went and I hope to keep it up.

Busy Day

2008-02-17T23:43:00.004Z

Today turned out to be reasonably busy. The first thing was to apply wax to some strips of mahogany that I had my neighbor shape for me. I will use these to hang my electric guitars on the wall. The wood was scavenged from a demolished building by my neighbor some years ago. It could very well be older than me! It has a rich color and looks good with the wax buffed into the grains.

After this, we went to Harringworth for a hike to Seaton and back around the viaduct. I have been here many times. It is a really good hike and there is a good pub in Seaton which makes for a nice place to stop for a rest and if you time it right, some food.

The weather was perfect for hiking and I managed to get some photos.

In the evening, we went to Wavendon near Milton Keynes for a concert. The venue was The Stables. We saw Courtney Pine in a sextet. Courtney played the bass clarinet, the alto flute and, of course, the soprano sax as he was paying tribute to the great Sidney Bechet. He was accompanied by Alex Wilson on piano, Omar Puente on electric violin, Robert Fordjour on drums, Cameron Pierre on guitar and Darren Taylor on bass.

It was an excellent concert. I would definitely recommend seeing them on this tour.

Kinder Scout

2008-02-12T22:45:00.000Z

Here is one of the photographs from the Kinder Scout hike mentioned in an earlier post. Clicking the photo links to my flickr pages where I have placed many more phots from the hike.

Jazz Jam Session at Blisworth

2008-02-06T08:20:00.001Z

Though I wasn't planning it, I ended up going to the Walnut Tree Inn in Blisworth where they host a jazz jam session every first and third Tuesday of the month. I did bring my guitar and I did play. I am not sure if I kept up adequately though! It was good practice and makes for good incentive to practice my jazz so I will probably go back on the 19th of Feb.

Hiking on Kinder Scout

2008-02-05T14:05:00.001Z

Last Saturday, a friend and I went hiking in the Peak District. We set off near a place called Hagg Farm where we left the car. I have placed photos on my flickr pages: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jalatty

Jazz at the Picturedrome

2008-01-24T21:34:00.001Z

Last night, I went to see a band playing jazz at the Picturedrome in Northampton. I took some photos. This is the best one. Unfortunately, I didn't get his name. I am in contact with the other band members though so will try to follow it up later.

The set was really good. They had not been playing with each other prior to this evening so it was a little rough for the first few songs but they brought it together very well by mid-way through. The overall sound was really good. They played some Herbie Hancock songs and a number of jazz standards.

Lunar Rainbow

2008-01-21T22:51:00.001Z

This evening, on my way home from work, I saw a rainbow caused by moonlight. I was very surprised when I realized what it was. Surely, this must be a rare occurrence. I did a quick Internet search and found this link. What a cool thing!

Has anyone out there seen a lunar rainbow?

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

2008-01-15T23:39:00.000Z

It may not sound like a great accomplishment but I finally finished reading 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. I started this book back in April!! Actually, my memory is fuzzy enough that I am not sure if I didn't start it earlier than that. It is one of those books that has a good story but is crammed full of descriptive detail that doesn't really add to the plot. It simply didn't keep my attention though I have been quite busy lately that reading isn't highest on my list of priorities.

Captain Nemo rocks though and that submarine is pretty cool. I am moving on to Ringworld by Larry Niven. It is a sci-fi book written back in 1970.

Chitlins con Carne

2007-11-20T22:08:00.000Z

I have been somewhat obsessed lately with the song, "Chitlins con Carne". It was written by Kenny Burrell in 1963 though my first experience of the song was on The Sky is Crying album by Stevie Ray Vaughan released posthumously.

I found a few YouTube videos of other covers but decided to splash out and buy a Kenny Burrell album. I ended up getting Midnight Blue. The version on this album uses conga drums in addition to the regular drum set. On the whole, it is an excellent album though.

Recording the Blues

2007-11-04T22:02:00.000Z

I recorded some music last week. Here is my attempt to put it on my blog:

It is just a 12-barre blues. Comments are welcome!

Blues

2007-10-22T22:15:00.001+01:00

For quite a while now, I have been playing once a month at a blues jam session in Blisworth near Northampton. A core number of us have become regulars at the Walnut Tree Inn. We will be playing this coming Wednesday at the Picturedrome in Northampton which should be a cool experience. Just to get some practice we had a practice session at the house of one of the musicians last Friday where I took my laptop and recording interface and captured a number of songs. I had to edit the songs somewhat to reduce the bass and enhance the high-mid frequencies for the singer. The result actually isn't too bad considering they are mostly first takes. The sound quality is fairly good at any rate. We definitely need some more practice. But don't let that discourage anyone from going to the Picturedrome this Wednesday night!

Bob Dylan

2007-10-15T22:17:00.000+01:00

Today, I splurged. I am such an impulse buyer. I went into the supermarket for a few items. I came out with four CDs. Two of them were by Stevie Ray Vaughan, "Texas Flood" and "Couldn't Stand the Weather". The other two were Bob Dylan's "Time Out of Mind" and "Love and Theft". So far, I have only listened to "Time Out of Mind". It is really good. I have been remiss in not accumulating more Bob Dylan. I have made a step in the right direction today!

Jazz School (18 August)

2007-10-14T20:59:00.000+01:00

From 18 August.

Day four of the jazz guitar festival and Summer school.

This morning's tutorial session was with Mimi Fox. I was in way over my head as she jumped straight into some heavy jazz theory. It was still an informative class though. If anything, it was good to hear another expert guitarist explain her angle on things.

The lunchtime concert was with Mimi Fox and Louis Stewart. Harvey Swartz was on bass and Dave Hassell was on drums. The room was full. They played really well together much like they did last night. They were joined by Louis Stewart for a few songs. I think he was drunk. His playing certainly indicated it. Despite this, the other three made for a very good concert.

After the lunchtime concert, there was a gypsy jazz concert that did not turn out to be so good. I think that individually, they were good but I got the sense that they weren't used to playing together. We left early and jammed a little on our own back at the accommodation. We practiced solos over 2-5-1 progressions and also played Autumn Leaves in Em. It was good to finally play some jazz.

Later on, I met up with a couple of friends that I met over the week for dinner in the town center. It was a good start to the evening that was followed by a trip to Llay (pronounced "Clay" or nearly) where they held the student and instructor jam. When we arrived, Mundell Lowe was playing with Martin Taylor. Later on, we heard Andreus Olberg with Gary Potter and then Louis Stewart and Gene Bertocini. Louis was less drunk than earlier. They played a song called Con Alba which was really an amazing samba piece. The bass player was Jim Fergusson. He did a great job as well.

Jazz School (17 August)

2007-08-26T10:49:00.000+01:00

From 17 August

Day three of the jazz guitar festival in North Wales.

Today's tutorial session was with Trefor Owen, based in the Manchester area. In many ways, we tried to cover too much material for a three hour session. But what we covered was very useful. Trefor gave us a great deal of printed material that seems like it will be useful for self-study. I will say that I have learned a good amount today. Trefor does know his stuff though I would say he leans more towards application rather than theory. There is something to be said for leaning in that direction as it allows the student to start enjoying playing earlier.

The lunchtime concert at the Yale Cafe Bar was a group of six young men probably ranging in age from 17 to 20. They had two guitars, drums, bass, a sax and a trumpet. I was well impressed by their playing. I am not certain but I believe that both of the guitarists are students of Trefor Owen. Certainly one of them (Andy Hume) is.

The master class in the afternoon was with Mundell Lowe, Betty Bennett and Jim Fergusson. Mundell concentrated on accompaniment of singers. Jim and Betty are both accomplished singers. Jim is an exceptional bass player and an amazing vocalist. He is based in Nashville, Tennessee. Betty Bennett is Mundell Lowe's wife and has had a long career singing for the likes of Benny Goodman and many other big bands.

The evening concert was: The Flying Pisanos with Gene Bertocini, Martin Taylor (solo guitar) and Mimi Fox (guitar), Harvey Swartz (Bass) and David Hassell (Drums). The concert was very good. It was perhaps slow at a few points but the musicianship was at a very high level. Jeanne Pisano has a beautiful voice. Martin Taylor is an amazing guitarist adapting fingerstyle styles from his classical training but playing bluesy and jazzy numbers. Mime Fox played straight ahead jazz and was amazing. She had a very good rapport with the bass player, Harvey S as he likes to be called. Harvey was a superb bass player and David Hassell supported them very well.

Jazz School (16 August)

2007-08-19T22:20:00.000+01:00

From 16 August.

Day two of the jazz guitar festival and summer school.

We started off with a tutorial session with Andreas Olberg. Andreas is a great player. Sometimes he is a bit too flashy for my taste but still an incredible guitarist. It was a privilege to get instruction from him.

We went through the standard, Autumn Leaves, analyzed it and played through it. The session was three hours which is actually a long time to get bombarded with theory but at the same time, it didn't seem long enough.

For lunch, we went to Yale Cafe Bar where a small jazz group were playing. The members were: Chris Walker and Luis D'Agostino on guitars, Mike Hall on saxophone and Pete Smith on drums. They were a good group with a great sound.

We returned to NEWI in the afternoon for a master class with John and Jeanne Pisano. John is a great guitarist who has worked with a number of artists. His wife, Jeanne is a singer with a beautiful voice. The theme of the class was accompaniment of singers.

After the master class, we split into two jam sessions. One was for intermediate players and the other for advanced players. They put the advanced players upstairs in one of the gallery rooms and the intermediate players on the ground floor in the bar. I watched the intermediate group which was led by the bassist, Bill Coleman. I even plucked up enough courage to join in the jam for two songs. One was just a 12-barre blues and the other was Autumn Leaves.

The evening concert was great. It featured: John and Jeanne Pisano, Mundell Lowe, Jim Fergusson (bass and vocals), Gene Bertocini and Danny moss (saxophone). I was most impressed with Gene Bertocini with his somewhat classical approach using mainly fingerstyle. Notably impressive also were Mundell Lowe and John Pisano.

Jazz School (15 August)

2007-08-19T21:56:00.000+01:00

From 15 August:

Today, I drove from Raunds, Northamptonshire to Wrexham in north Wales. Two years ago, I attended the North Wales International Jazz Guitar Festival and Summer School. It was fantastic then but they decided not to organize one last year. This year promises to be a good one as well so I decided to attend despite the pressures of the PhD at the moment.

It was a three hour drive which included a few detours. One was between Shrewsbury and Wrexham and the other was in and around Wrexham as I managed to get turned around as I arrived. I am usually better at getting my bearings when I have been to a place before but I got there in the end.

Shortly after my arrival, I attended a master class with Robin and Kevin Nolan, both from the gypsy jazz scene. They are brothers from the UK. Robin, at least, is based in the Netherlands, possibly having some contact with the Rosenberg Trio?? (Not sure about that but it makes sense really.) It was an interesting class if not overly informative in terms of technique.

They covered different "feels" used in gypsy jazz. This included Bossa Nova, Samba, Bollero, Ballads and Tango. Gypsy jazz also uses the Waltz but they didn't really talk about it.

The two brothers played extremely well together. Robin tended to play lead while Kevin stuck with rhythm guitar. Both were accomplished players and got a really good sound. I was particularly impressed with Kevin's rhythm guitar. He handled complicated rhythms very easily and used some good chord movements.

After the master class, thee was a gypsy jazz jam session in the bar. This was very good as well. It was comprised mostly of students from the course though Robin and Kevin Nolan did sit in for many of the songs. Bill Coleman played double bass for the session.

In the evening, there was a concert featuring gypsy jazz with Robin and Kevin Nolan, Gary Potter and Andreas Olberg on guitar, Billy Thompson on violin and Bill Coleman on double bass. It was a smashing concert. All of the players were on top form. One observation that I would make is that Olberg and Potter were amazingly fast and had great technique but they got just a bit too showy. There is a point when you have pull back from showing off to make the whole groups sound good. I think that this is where Potter and Olberg fall down. Robin Nolan was not as flashy but he wasn't detracting from the rest of the performance like the other two.

After saying that, I was still impressed with Olberg's playing and Potters. One good thing about the concert is that they varied the set to try to keep it down to no more than two guitars. The over flashy stuff was really only a problem when there were more guitars on the stage.

Billy Thompson was a really good violinist and was a good showman. Gary Potter was as entertaining as ever and Bill Coleman was very good on bass.

If you have never heard gypsy jazz, I highly recommend checking it out. For the definitive sound, find recordings of Django Reinhardt.

North Wales International Jazz Guitar Festival and Summer School

2007-08-15T08:56:00.000+01:00

I am going to attend a jazz summer school and festival this week. It starts today and finishes on Sunday. It is held in Wrexham which is in north Wales. I attended two years ago and found it to be fantastic so my expectations are very high.

Shuttleworth Airshow

2007-07-25T21:15:00.000+01:00

Here are some of the airplanes that we saw at the Shuttleworth airshow. It was a fairly laid back affair. We were very fortunate with the weather considering how much rainfall we have had throughout June and July this year. It is a great venue for seeing vintage airplanes though I will have to say that the admission was a little steep at £20 per person.

Photos from Nutstock

2007-06-25T00:07:00.000+01:00

Last weekend, I played with my blues jam group on stage (Nutstock) at the Walnut Tree Inn in Blisworth, southwest of Northampton. One of the guys made up this poster:

Tree Freeze Line

2007-05-17T13:34:00.001+01:00

Tree Freeze Line
Originally uploaded by Aaronautic.

I made a trip to Oklahoma last month. It was mainly a visit to family and friends. In fact, it was solely a visit to family and friends though I did manage to get a few hikes in while I was there. I even did some running. In April, Oklahoma had a late freeze that killed off the leaves on the trees below a certain elevation. If you look to the top, you can see where the green meets the brown. This was all over the northeast region of Oklahoma.

Frappr Map

2007-04-16T11:10:00.000+01:00

Image Mosaic Generator

2007-03-23T14:52:00.000Z

I generated this image mosaic using an online generator. This is supposed to be Jimi Hendrix.

Donavon Frankenreither

2007-03-19T17:32:00.000Z

Last Friday, I went to a Donavon Frankenreiter concert. If you are not familiar with his music, I recommend giving him a listen. He is one of Jack Johnson's contemporaries and you can definitely hear some similarities but he play more funk and blues as his style.

You can visit his homepage: http://www.donavonf.com/.

The concert was great. All of the band members were top musicians. The concert was held at The Junction in Cambridge which was a good venue that was easy to travel to and find parking.

Rock Climbing

2007-03-15T11:56:00.000Z

OK, there were no actual rocks involved but I went climbing yesterday for the first time ever at an indoor climbing facility with artificial walls. I have climbed trees before and I suppose that there are similarities but this was on an entirely different level. The use of the specialized climbing shoes for example does make you feet much more important in the task than tree climbing. I would say that the main difference is that you have no extending branches to distribute your weight onto so it does not lend itself to lingering for very long at the risk of tiring yourself out.

I suppose I didn't quite get the knack of using my feet enough so in the end, I didn't last very long. In total, I made it for 45 minutes with a couple of rests between climbs. I thoroughly enjoyed the activity and I can see it as a good way of getting fit. It is a reasonably low-impact exercise as well so not bad for your joints.

It is the first day after and I am mostly sore in my arms. I am feeling my legs a bit more than usual as well and I am dreading what it will be like tomorrow morning!

Snow Shark

2007-02-14T14:16:00.000Z

Last week, we had some snow. It was ideal for building a snow man or in our case a swimming snow man being chased by a snow shark. Our efforts were rewarded by winning first place in the snow man building competition for artistic merit. The best feature of course is the shark for which all credit goes to Adair pictured on the right. The snow man actually does have a carrot for a nose. I think that he can be forgiven for not having a scarf or hat since he is swimming.

The Cook Trio

2007-02-07T16:26:00.001Z

I just stumbled upon this group. Check them out. It is always good to see this style being played. If you are not familiar with this style of music, check out the music of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli.

Gypsy Jazz Rhythm Tracks

2007-02-07T13:41:00.000Z

Here is a nice selection of rhythm tracks for Gypsy Jazz. The artist is Stephane Wrembal and is a really excellent guitarist. These tracks are very well done but they are definitely at pace so if you want to improvise over them, you might try using some audio editing software to slow the tempo without affecting the pitch. They are useful to develop your rhythm playing as well.

When playing jazz or probably most music for that matter, there is a priority for the different elements of music. I personally believe that the most important aspect is the rhythm. This is then probably followed by the melody with harmony coming in quite close behind the melody.

Why is rhythm most important? It is what keeps everyone playing together. It is the glue that binds and without it, you just have chaos.

Why is melody more important than the harmony? The melody is the essence of the song. It directs where the music is going and dictates the mood. The melody IS the song and the harmony must support it.

I place harmony after melody because it will take care of itself if the melody is done well. However, it is a close third because it is what gives a song that finished quality. Good harmony helps keep the person playing the melody oriented in the song.

Music is all about communication which means listening. Any player has to be listening to what the other musicians are doing and respond accordingly..... and all of this started with a useful link to some rhythm tracks!

Like it was yesterday

2007-01-16T17:37:00.000Z

I have been missing one of my guitar leads for over two months now. The strange thing is that I remember clearly the evening that I last used it and that I had taken it with me. I have been unable to find it until just now. It was one of those situations where I was being creative when I put it away and consequently completely forgot afterwards. The weird thing is that I needed the lead and what did I do? I went directly to that creative place that I placed it two months ago as if I had only placed it there yesterday.

I don't want anyone to get the impression that I am organized. Pehaps this proves it!

Snowball

2007-01-09T14:48:00.000Z

'Snowball'

I made myself a snowball
As perfect as could be.
I thought I'd keep it as a pet
And let it sleep with me.
I made it some pajamas
And a pillow for its head.
Then last night it ran away,
But first it wet the bed.

-- Shel Silverstein

SRV plays Voodoo Chile in Austin, Texas

2007-01-08T16:30:00.000Z

I ran across this on YouTube. I remember seeing this on Austin City Limits a long time ago. Great live cover. SRV was one of the greats. A nice first post for the new year!

States I have visited in the USA

2006-12-21T16:30:00.000Z

create your own visited states map

Here is another one for just the United States. I am not sure if I should really count Idaho and Utah. We drove through there but didn't really stop. Yes, it was a long journey from Oklahoma to Washington.

Countries that I have visited

2006-12-21T16:17:00.000Z

create your own visited countries map

What might be cool is to find one of these that places actual pins or markers on a map to the specific places you have been. Still, an interesting little script.

Long Exposure

2006-12-18T12:32:00.000Z

I was playing around with my digital camera on Saturday. This is one of the shots I came up with. I used a tripod and set the camera so that it kept the shutter open for 15 seconds. This is looking west above the A14 between Kettering and Thrapston. I am not certain, but the glow at the horizon may very well be Raunds.

Telemarketer Prank

2006-12-13T15:19:00.000Z

This is absolutely hilarious. Maybe the best cure for telemarketing calls ever.

http://howtoprankatelemarketer.ytmnd.com/

Sunset over Lake Fort Gibson

2006-12-05T12:19:00.001Z

DSC_0599
Originally uploaded by julio rodriguez.

I ran across this on flickr. It is a nice sunset. This is about 25 miles from where I grew up.

Blues Guitarist

2006-11-23T22:13:00.000Z

If you are into blues, I recommend that you listen to this guy and see him if possible. I have seen him live twice and really enjoyed the shows. He has that quality of being completely relaxed in his playing. He makes it look effortless.

More from California

2006-11-16T22:17:00.000Z

Here are a few more photos from California. These were both taken at the north end of the Nappa Valley. The first one is of an old faithful geyser. This particular one erupts every 40 minutes or so. It was fairly impressive. The pool that the geyser was in had a red color to it and there were red dragonflies darting about.

The weather while we were there was incredibly nice. It did not rain once and the temperature was mostly fairly comfortable. It was milder by the coast and near the bay area and seemed to warm up as we traveled further inland.

The second photo is of an agave plant in full bloom. I have a couple of these as house plants. They are large spiky plants. One variety is used to make Tequila from. This one seemed to be the same kind that I have which is the agave americana veriegata. The flower spike is at least 25 feet (8 meters) in height. Of course, mine will never flower like this one. If it did, the ceiling would stop it for one. I believe that once these plants finish flowering, they die. So I suppose this one is nearing the end. Of course, I don't know how long they flower, so it may have a good stretch left in it.

KMOD - Tulsa's Rock Station

2006-11-15T10:49:00.000Z

I learn that finally KMOD is streaming their content so that you can listen to them on the Internet but they restrict it so that you cannot listen from outside the USA. That is cruel man!!!!!!! If you are in the military based outside the U.S., you can apply to have access though.....

Well, those of you that are actually living in the USA and can't pick up the station on the radio waves, I can recommend them. Real shame about the restrictions though.

Yosemite

2006-11-08T13:37:00.000Z

Here is another photo from our trip to California last August. This is the Captain or El Capitan if you prefer. It is the largest monolith in North America. Certainly, I was impressed.

We spent a day in Yosemite but I am sure we could have explored the place for a week. The scenery is simply amazing. Certainly if you find yourself in California, it is worth a visit.

Just a note about the photos that I am posting. I only have just realized that the photos that I have been posting are quite large. The photo blogging site that I am using has an option for selecting the image size which I took to mean that a smaller image was created that would link to the larger one. But it turns out that they just reduce its scale and the page is still loading the large image which for slower Internet connections might cause the page to load slowly. I will try to reduce the size in the future to keep the page from taking too long to load. Certainly if anyone has had any problems loading the page, please don't hesitate to let me know.

Below the old river bridge

2006-11-06T22:01:00.000Z

I am only posting things as I get a chance. I did take many photos while I was in Oklahoma. On the same day that we went to Sparrowhawk Mountain, we also went down below the old river bridge crossing the Illinois river just east of Tahlequah. While we were there, we saw a bald eagle fishing not from from where this photo was taken. In fact, it was just about where the camera is pointing where we saw it swooping down with its talons outstretched. It was the first time that I had seen one in this area though I have seen many other birds of prey.

Oklahoma - Illinois River

2006-11-01T21:24:00.000Z

OK. I have been posting photographs from places that I have been visiting recently. It would seem that I tend to travel a great deal. This year was fairly heavy for me. I had postponed my yearly pilgrimage back to Oklahoma from October until March of this year. We then made a trip to San Francisco for the 2006 FINA World Master's Swimming Championships. After returning back to England, I received an wedding invitation from a friend of mine that I have known for over twenty years. It was all the excuse I needed to make another trip in October and so I did.

While I was there, I went on a hike with my grandfather, my uncle and one of my nephews to an overlook of the Illinois River on Sparrowhawk Mountain. Four generations were represented! This trail is only about 1.5 miles to the lookout. It would be nice if a trail could be opened up such that you could make a loop rather than just going up and back on the same path, but the view is still quite spectacular.

I have been up Sparrowhawk Mountain several times. It is one of my favorite places in Cherokee County. It offers perhaps the best view of the Illinois River Valley in that area. My photographs are just snapshots. For professional quality picture of this area visit Kim Baker's Oklahoma Photography. The Illinois River is featured in the Oklahoma Rivers section. But the best thing is to go there yourself!

New York City

2006-10-31T21:12:00.000Z

The last time that I went to New York City was December 2004. I was traveling back from one of my visits to Oklahoma through Newark and I found myself with a six hour layover.

Not one to miss an opportunity for adventure, I made haste to the air train that would transport me to the rail station where I could gain passage into The Big Apple. This was fairly painless and not terribly expensive.

The train trip took about 50 minutes as I recall. I arrived at New York Pennsylvania station which is situationed in the same building as Madison Square Garden. I was a bustling place and I was already thoroughly enjoying my escapade.

Now, let me explain that during this return trip, I had in my backpack a bottle of genuine Oklahoma wine bottled in Stroud, a Canon SLR camera with zoom lense and detachable flash, a sketch pad, a pocket book, a puzzle book and enough other things that made me wish that I had packed more into my checked luggage.

It was a frigid day and I was dressed for being inside an airplane rather than walking the streets of New York. Such is the reality when you let spontaneity get the better of you. But, I was excited by the prospect of being able to explore the city and I had at my disposal the best form of transportation for that part of the city, my feet.

The details of my little journey are fading in my mind, but what I can recall clearly is that I was COLD and HUNGRY by this point. And of course, I was carrying what seemed like a third of my weight in my little leather backpack. I still enjoyed my walk but I missed some details that I might have liked to have seen. For example, I missed the little map that gave you brief directions to famous landmarks. Had I seen this, I might have thought to glance to the right to get a glimpse of the Empire State Building! That's right, I was right there in 2004 and walked right by it.

To be fair, I was in quite a hurry (2 hours being my time budget for ensuring I was back at the airport on time) and was cold and was hungry and, in all honesty, was completely being overwhelmed with the experience of being there, with the bustle of people and the character that makes New York such a distinctive place to visit.

So, for that trip, I managed to miss all recognizable landmarks except for Madison Square Garden but I did manage to get something to eat. I stopped and bought an authentic New York bagel with cream cheese and man was that good! Things probably do taste better when you are famished but so much the better! I also didn't stop to take one photograph which upon my return to England, people were quite surprised with. The light just was not right that day and I was really keen to take in what I could see. Or in this case miss would I could see.

I made up for it though. I just returned from another trip to Oklahoma and found myself in a similar situation with better weather conditions and a few more hours to spare for exploration. The top, left picture is the elusive Empire State Building that I missed on the first trip. The bottom, right picture is just an interesting building that I was walking past. Perhaps for the next trip through, I will get to see Central Park! I will post more later.

Transamerica Pyramid

2006-10-30T23:11:00.000Z

Somewhere near North Beach looking towards the Transamerica Pyramid. It was a really nice day. Note the little (by comparison) Victorian building with the accute angle at one of the cross streets. You see these all over London. It is not as common for cities build using a rectilinear grid system.

Pacific Coast

2006-10-30T22:17:00.000Z

Here is a shot of the Pacific coast. This was taken near Half Moon Bay. There was a good amount of chop and off in the distance, you could see seals splashing around near some rocks. Again, this was during our trip to California in August.

San Francisco

2006-10-30T21:20:00.000Z

In August, we went to San Francisco. I have been meaning to post some of the photographs for a while now. This is a shot of the Golden Gate looking towards San Francisco. We were on our way to Sausalito and Tiburon.

Quote from Anatole France

2006-10-30T13:24:00.000Z

"If fifty million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing."

Roots Music

2006-10-09T12:45:00.000+01:00

I ran across this site. They present music from Canadian artists. If you are into bluegrass, check out Chris Stevens "These ole' Blues".

To the USA again.

2006-10-09T00:51:00.000+01:00

I am making another trip to the USA. I will be arriving on the evening of the 11th and departing on the 25th. I will be going to a wedding and visiting family and friends.

Diplomacy

2006-07-28T10:10:00.000+01:00

"Diplomacy is the art of saying "Nice doggie" until you can find a rock." -- Will Rogers

Pigeon Mk 1

2006-06-26T14:53:00.000+01:00

Last week, I had the privilege of attending a short course on aircraft conceptual design. This was presented by my supervisor at Cranfield University where I am studying for a PhD. The end result was a design for an advanced jet trainer/fighter that our team affectionately named the Pigeon. Here is the 3-view drawing sketch as produced by our master design draftsman and all around useful guy to have around, Graham. I was fortunate to be part of a team of aerospace engineers with unique backgrounds from which different experiences and skills could be brought to bear. On the whole, it was a very interesting class.

The Pigeon is an advanced trainer designed to outperform the Hawk. It is designed to be slightly unstable aerodynamically which is controlled by flight control software capable of emulating other aircraft of a similar class. The idea would be to market the airplane as a suitalble trainer for pilots learning to fly for example, the F-35, F-16 or Typhoon.

Kneeboarding

2006-06-19T20:04:00.000+01:00

Last Friday, I went kneeboarding in Milton Keynes. I managed to fall off four times in a row before managing to stay on for any length of time to go around the circuit. They used a cable system rather than a boat to get the person up and planing. It was great fun and only moderately painful. I am in more pain today than I was on the day.

Wookieepedia

2006-06-13T08:48:00.000+01:00

I just ran accross the Wookieepedia where you can find everything you ever wanted to know about Star Wars. As with any WiKi forum, it is only as good as the administrators but in this case they have done their job well.

Passport Photos

2006-06-01T17:08:00.000+01:00

This afternoon, I went to Kettering (Northamptonshire, England) to get my passport photos taken. This July, my passport expires after ten years of reliable service. I am planning to travel to the USA this August. The procedure was painless but I am afraid that because of my extremely short hair, I look somewhat criminal-like. I am sure that this won't matter at international border crossings.

For the fellow expatriates from the United States of America living in England, the most helpful information on renewing your passport while living abroad can be found from the web site of the US Embassy in London.

64-bit Fedora

2006-05-30T11:06:00.000+01:00

I have installed Fedora Core 5 64-bit version on my laptop with an AMD Athlon64 processor. It is giving me no end of headaches. Java plug-ins do not work for my browser. Many X applications don't work because (I believe) they can't find the 32-bit libraries. It is like a halfway house that really cripples the functionality of the computer.

I am regretting not just installing the 32-bit version. It sort of rankles me that the capability is there.....sort of. Perhaps one day, they will have things ironed out. I suppose I am learning more about getting my system functioning against the odds. It reminds me of the Redhat 7, 8 and 9 days when I was spending more time learning how to administer the system than using it.

I have Fedora Core 5 on a 32-bit Intel machine at work. It really works very well. They have sorted out many usability issues. I was impressed enough that I went for the 64-bit version on my laptop. I am not sure if it is worth it.

Well, you live and you learn.

Matlab at last

2006-05-27T14:36:00.000+01:00

I finally got matlab working on my laptop. What an ordeal! My laptop has an AMD Athlon 64-bit processor so I decided to use the 64-bit version of Fedora Core 5. That creates a number of headaches straight away.

After buying the student version of matlab, I find out that they don't send the 64-bit binaries for it even though the order page says that it is supported. I think I either missed something or they are not very clear. Either way, it shouldn't be a problem in theory because you are supposed to be able to run 32-bit applications on a 64-bit platform.

It turns out that the folks at Fedora haven't made 64-bit OS high on their priority list. They don't include symbolic links to the 32-bit library files which makes matlab a real pest to install. I had to manually create symbolic links from the 32-bit library location to where they are installed on the computer after painstakingly finding out which ones...

Anyway, I have it going now. Hopefully, it will run without crashing.....

New Toy

2006-05-21T21:54:00.000+01:00

I bought a Boss RC 20XL Loop Station at an auction last weekend. This is really cool. It allows me to record loops and overdub music on top. I have only started to get an idea of how it works. The specs are found from the Boss web site here.

Cow Abductions

2006-05-21T11:49:00.000+01:00

Hoax or tragic reality? Read the story and decide for yourself.

www.cowabduction.com

Cranfield Sunset

2006-05-21T00:52:00.000+01:00

I was just playing around with photoshop. I had taken a picture of a sunset with our Canon SLR. The original didn't look that good so I made some adjustments. I cropped it and adjusted the colors. This was taken just outside Cranfield Village in Bedfordshire not far from Milton Keynes.

Uprooted

2006-05-04T13:50:00.000+01:00

I took this photo while I was in Oklahoma on my last visit. Tornadoes had swept across the midwest causing incredible damage. This is near a place called Teresita in the northwest corner of the state, not far from the Arkansas border.

This storm system made its way from Oklahoma, through Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois destroying houses and disrupting air traffic. Of course, while we were traveling, we didn't know anything until we landed in Chicago to await our flight to Tulsa.

Black Hole Collision Simulation

2006-04-21T14:13:00.000+01:00

Wicked cool man!! The guys at NASA are getting their heads around tensor calculus and can make cool videos too. Check it out here. Jerome, buddy, this one's for you.

Back from Oklahoma

2006-04-02T01:23:00.000+01:00

We just returned from Oklahoma. We were away for two and a half weeks. We spent most of that time in Tahlequah where my family live. We made a trip to Branson, Missouri and Eureka Springs, Arkansas, several trips to Tulsa and one to Oklahoma City.

It was a good trip. We flew with United Airlines from Heathrow in London in a Boeing 777 to Chicago O'Hare. From Chicago, we flew directly to Tulsa on a Canadair CRJ-700. It seems that we had only just missed heavy storms across the Midwest hitting Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois which disrupted air traffic. We had no problems or delays though. Total travel time: 21 hours including getting from Northamptonshire to Heathrow, a two hour layover in Chicago and getting from Tulsa to Tahlequah.

Tahlequah is in the midst of an economic boom. Houses are going up all over the place. My parents live about 4.5 miles north of Tahlequah. For years, there was one housing addition across and up the road from their property with scattered houses being added here and there. In the last three years they have added one large housing addition and seem to be adding two more. The whole area is growing very fast. It is probably a good place to invest in land.

Even more pronounced growth can be seen in the Tulsa and Fayetteville/Bentonville/Springdale/Rogers areas. The larger cities receive larger investment and develop commercial areas at a much faster rate. It is incredible to see how much it has grown over the last ten years.

The return trip went well also with few delays and a reasonably smooth ride. It was good to seem my family and friends and good to get a break from this PhD.

Hand Guns

2006-02-01T14:11:00.000Z

"Hand guns are made for killin’
Ain’t no good for nothin’ else."
-Saturday Night Special by Lynyrd Skynyrd

Winter...

2005-12-22T14:19:00.000Z

"Winter is here again oh Lord,
Haven’t been home in a year or more"
--Wheel in the Sky by Journey

Simon & Patrick

2005-12-22T12:14:00.000Z

The photo links to the Simon and Patrick web site. They are a Canadian guitar manufacturer. The photo shown here is the same style as my guitar. Mine has a solid cedar top and has a really nice sound. I highly recommend this guitar if you want a good quality instrument but don't want to spend too much. I think it was very good value for money. I have owned mine now for 4 years.