Welcome back everyone.

Probably like some of you I got sent home in March of 2020 from a tour that had just started. I'm lucky to be in the UK and had my taxes right so have been pretty well taken care of in the way of grants and Universal Credit for the past year. I know it's been tough for everyone outside the north, I've got some tours booked from July through the end of the year so hopefully we are all back to work soon.

The time off finally gave me the opportunity to figure out this astrophotography thing. It had been something I wanted to do for a while and with some of the more recent advances in the amateur market it felt a little more feasible so I picked up a small wide field telescope, dedicated astro cam and a motorized equatorial mount.

I'm in a heavily light polluted area and still trying to figure out the processing software so they are amatuer at best.

It's been nice getting away from music. I had been on the road constantly for about 6yrs after the divorce. Think I've found a bit of mental calm in a new hobby.

Got a kitten. Built a fence in my backyard. Did lots of gardening. Started lifting weights. Read fewer books and played less music than I wanted to. Worked way more than I wanted to. Got vaccinated. Did lots of cooking. Changed my username to what I wanted back in 2006 but was already taken. This is jimmy two hands by the way.

I started my first band in 10 years.

Fell apart because of COVID. We had only be working on stuff for 9 months and when lockdown happened, no one wanted to pay for the rental space, drummer and bass player got in a fight over it.

So that was a bummer. But, bought some fun new gear: An EGC Acrylic Chessie, a 1973 Orange 4x12, 1983 JCM 800 2204 (was a combo but made into a head), HI-Tone 4x12.

I twiddled my thumbs for about 6 months, gave up hope the PRF would return and slunk into the "Steve Hoffman Music Forums."

A whole other world over there, to say the least...heh.

Glad to be back.

Went through a lot of jobs
Published a story in a PenRF #1
Working on a new story idea
Getting a new therapist
Loving the job I have
Fighting off the ladies after joining the fbook Singles group
-dou__lee

AstroRoadie wrote: Sun May 02, 2021 8:46 pm Welcome back everyone.

Probably like some of you I got sent home in March of 2020 from a tour that had just started. I'm lucky to be in the UK and had my taxes right so have been pretty well taken care of in the way of grants and Universal Credit for the past year. I know it's been tough for everyone outside the north, I've got some tours booked from July through the end of the year so hopefully we are all back to work soon.

The time off finally gave me the opportunity to figure out this astrophotography thing. It had been something I wanted to do for a while and with some of the more recent advances in the amateur market it felt a little more feasible so I picked up a small wide field telescope, dedicated astro cam and a motorized equatorial mount.

I'm in a heavily light polluted area and still trying to figure out the processing software so they are amatuer at best.

It's been nice getting away from music. I had been on the road constantly for about 6yrs after the divorce. Think I've found a bit of mental calm in a new hobby.

IMG_1799.jpeg

California Nebula SHO 3.jpeg

IMG_1500.jpeg

Can I ask what kind of telescope you picked up? I got back into astronomy in the past year as well, and I've been having fun with my Celestron Firstscope guy, but I'm low-key looking for something that will allow me to see more deep sky objects.

DrAwkward wrote: Sun May 02, 2021 9:57 pm Can I ask what kind of telescope you picked up? I got back into astronomy in the past year as well, and I've been having fun with my Celestron Firstscope guy, but I'm low-key looking for something that will allow me to see more deep sky objects.

i'll join in on this one. just started looking around for a good one for city folk.

AstroRoadie wrote: Sun May 02, 2021 8:46 pm I know it's been tough for everyone outside the north...

It's hardly been a walk in the park up north either.

Like some folks, I lost my job in the middle of May 2020. Our elementary school-aged daughter was in the middle of spring break and would only return to school for 4 weeks in June so I looked after her during the week while my wife continued to work via Zoom. We went to a lot of parks (Vancouver has loads of parks). I did all the cooking for the next 6 months which I enjoyed very much. Once the outdoor swimming pools reopened by appointment only, I went every other day. I built a shed to store things that were once in the garage. Once I got back to work at the beginning of November, there wasn’t much time for anything else as work days average 14 hour/day. That job wrapped up a few weeks ago so I am now playing catch-up with many neglected tasks, household, financial and other. We have been a bit behind in our vaccinations here but today brought the exciting news that I could book my shot AND check out the revived PRF!

Spent an unhealthy amount of time in my own house. Like, more than once, many times during winter, I realized the only time I walked outside my door for a week was to take out garbage or get the mail.

Kept periodically buying nice clothes because I frequently found good deals on nice durable clothes, despite the fact that I so rarely leave my house and when I do, nobody at Costco gives a shit about my nice clothes.

Got into NA beer to avoid spiraling too far down the covid alcoholism path. Not enough to totally stop drinking A beer. But enough to take the edge off and scratch the itch when I need to not scratch it too hard. There are some great NA beers.

Got enough out of shape by a couple months into the pandemic that I finally started making myself do serious regular exercise, 6 to 7 days a week. For the first time since I sat the bench on the high school basketball team. I endure a fair amount of horrible music in a fitness trainer app, even. I may buy weights and get fuckin jacked as shit. Just doing stationary bike, treadmill, and bodyweight stuff for now tho.

Bought a focusrite scarlette with the intention of making a shitload of music on my computer a year ago and since then I have made like a fraction of 5 songs that I haven't touched in 6 months.

Somehow managed to not completely lose my shit too often with my daughter that turned 3 right before the pandemic lockdown started.

Other than those things I feel like I have been in one long, painful Microsoft Teams meeting, I think.