Had to be done.

My guitar playing seems to come and go.   I guess it was kind of like the smoking.   Some days I could smoke my brains out,  and other days,  not so much.
There was a time there recently when I hardly picked up the guitar.  Mostly in the summer time when we had a string of visitors.
 No serenades,  sorry.
 Then I figured I'd better keep at it,  or I'll just always be pitiful.  I want to increase my skill from "pitiful"  to at least "horrid". 
One of the things that anyone who picks up a guitar needs to know how to do is change the strings.  Some folks change their strings every few weeks.  I think that's a little nuts,  but if you play every night in some club or other,  I guess you'd have to.
 Before we came over to Europe I would cheat.   By that I mean,  I'd leave the guitar where it had been purchased,  and for a mere Twenty Bucks,  they'd very skilfully change  my strings for me.   Such a deal!
And I know,  that's pretty damned lazy.   But c'mon!  Twenty Bucks!

 Unfortunately that's kind of like keeping the training wheels on your bike.  At some point you have to figure it out on your own.
I brought along a couple packs of strings,  but up to now I've been kinda putting it off.  Just....kinda chicken.
Got to the point that only open chords would be in tune.  Anything above the fifth fret wasn't sounding too hot.  I think the guitar was trying to tell me something.
 Thankfully,  there's the internet.   Not only can you find information on the subject,  but chances are pretty good there's someone out there who has put it on Youtube.  Mind you,  there's a lot of cr*p on Youtube,  but if you pick and choose (oh,  that would be a bit of a guitar pun)  you'd be amazed at the number of people who are willing to share what they know.  And... make a video of it!  




So...I took some pictures.



Old strings.

New strings.   Oh,  they're colour coded.

Then I realised I had to buy a "tool".   The little black thing is a string winder.  Never hurts to have one more tool....

Good time to do some dusting.

New strings.   Nice neat job.  I'm sure you care.

   And a surprising difference,  both in the feel of the instrument, and the fact that it will play in tune....
 
Pft!  Who knew?


 In other news,  Travelling Companion called not so long ago from the airport in Lucerne (um,  that would be in Switzerland for those of you who might be geographically challenged)  to tell me that her flight had been cancelled. 
 Never good when that happens.  I was supposed to be at the airport here in Wienerland just about now to pick her up.  (it's around six p.m.)  Good thing she always calls from the gate.
 She went off to Morges late yesterday since there was some sort of a pow-wow at one of the offices of the company that cannot be named.   Having the flight cancelled at the end of the visit just added to the fun of the whole experience. 
 Turns out they put her on a later flight,  which means she's due to arrive just before 10:00 p.m. 
Just the same,  I'll wait for the call from the gate.   Hanging around Vienna airport (which I tend to refer to as "the abortion")  for too long a time frame is not really one of my biggest ambitions.
 Tomorrow she has to do some training or other up in Shrems and has asked me to chauffeur,  so she can go over her stuff.  (Um,  she's the "trainer",  not the "trainee")

 I don't mind.   Too much.
Don't think I'll be slipping over to the Czech Republic to check out the ladies on the street though.  (I'm not kidding)

Again.  Not one of my biggest ambitions.

Besides,  if you saw any of these "ladies",  you'd quickly realise it's they who should be paying the customers.  Not the other way around.  Some of them have a few miles on the odometer.  I distinctly recall muttering to myself the first time I saw one of them waving to my car as I drove up the street, "How do you make any money?"
Yes,  they wave.  It can be a little disconcerting the first time.  They're right there at the curb.
 Gah!
 
 I'll just leave you with that thought.



Keep your sticks on the ice.


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