found_drama

Vermonters: you may have heard about the “sledder’s paradise” track in Hinesburg? Some friends of mine built that. Let me just say, it’s awesome:

I managed to get out there yesterday for a couple of runs in the afternoon.  Incredibly fun stuff.  We experimented with a few different styles of sleds…  It’s interesting how the shape, size, and materials can effect the speed and performance.  The track appears to be optimized for “the torpedo” sled style¹ but tons of different kinds get going remarkably fast.  Watch out for those turns though — if you don’t know how to steer, you’ll quickly find yourself flipped.  Too much fun to pass up though.  You can get going quite fast, let me assure you of that.

See more pictures on Flickr.

1. A small, narrow, plastic sled about three feet long.[↩]

I headed over to the mall because someone said that a new, “deluxe” music store had opened and that I would no doubt be able to find a new mixer there.  I’d been telling practically everyone about how my current Numark was on its last beat and also how difficult it has been to find a new one around here.  So I follow up on this tip and take a look around.

Unfortunately, this place is as bad (or worse) than every other music store I’ve visited in the past couple weeks.  Rows of guitars…  A display of drums and percussion equipments…  Basses, flutes, “pro audio”, keyboards, samplers…  Their display of DJ equipment is limited to a three by two foot desk where a couple of cables are piled on top of a fifteen year old belt-drive turntable.  Sure, they have a mixer all right but it’s this cheap 2-channel knock-off that doesn’t even have EQs.  I take heart when I notice a sign that says “more in the back!”

When I finally flag down a sales clerk, he pulls me aside to a cabinet and unlocks it.  He spouts off an impressive sounding brand name, indicating that their selection deepens to a significant degree.  But inside the cabinet is only this twenty year old four channel 19″ mixer that is covered in dust.  Previously enjoyed, he explains.  They won’t let me try it out and their return policy on used equipment is non-existent.  But it has on-board effects, he counters, just before adding that he can’t seem to find the manual for this model.