Good evening my brethren. I do bid you a pleasant evening. This evening is none like the others — no, it is one of impeccable taste and unparalleled solitude.
I need to show you some things okay?
The Hoarder House Estate Sale
I went to an estate sale of a hoarder’s house and it was intense. It was 4 bedrooms, the kitchen, dining room, living room, and a 3-car garage all full of mostly audio equipment, 8-track tapes, records, and tools, which is my kind of sale. It was 8 minutes from my house so I figured it was my destiny. There were at least 50 record players and at least 100 8-track players, and thousands of records and tapes among hundreds of other items. Here is a picture of one of the rooms, from the Craigslist post:
To be for reals, I don’t want to be like “haha hoarding, so weird!” Hoarding disorder is a thing and hoarding is often accompanied by other series mental health challenges. Obviously it sucks that a passion can get to this point for someone. But there is also something so profound and unique about it. The level of deep, intense interest involved is still valid despite any disorder, and there is something relatable in the desire to surround oneself with things that one loves.
The guy running the sale was not the hoarder and he seemed pissed that he had to deal with all of it. He told me that they have been selling stuff for 4 months already! I got some really interesting stuff:
I have never seen a speaker like the Clarion from Japan on the left and I can only find it for sale on eBay in some European countries for around 200 euros (including the 8-track player unit). The use of metal as a material in a speaker enclosure generally leads to a more tinny sound which is not desirable. This is why wood is mostly used (sounds warmer), so this speaker probably sounds like shit and I can’t wait to find out. (Edit: I tried it and it sounds real bad! There are virtually no lows or highs, it is all midrange and does sound tinny.) The Panasonic amplifier (top) probably sounds nice and warm since it’s old, and it has some cool analog gauges on the front that light up when in use. The Bose speaker pictured still sells for like $300/pair, and all this stuff was only $30 at the sale. Sign me up !
The State of the Demented Inventor Sound Studio
It is true that I have been interested in audio technology since 2012. I’ve built a couple handfuls of amplifiers and audio effect units over the years. I have designed and built circuits, modified existing circuits, and built enclosures for circuits and speakers. I have bought vintage electronics and taken them apart to see how they work, and harvested the parts to make into new things. It is a fun and fascinating hobby!
Basically I like to design things that make instruments sound more interesting, particularly involving distortion. I would say that I am into it at certain times and not others, depending on how I’m feeling. Right now I am getting back into it in full force. I am so proud of this — here is what the Demented Inventor Sound Studio looked like before and after I got a new desk and reorganized this past week:
Wow! Right? I’m gonna make some recordings and will share them in a future newsletter. It is so nice to care about things again. Speaking of which:
I Care About Things Again
My mind has drastically morphed in the past couple weeks and I feel like it has a lot to do with my brain growing back and getting back into the swing of things after 2 months without alcohol or weed. I care about my hobbies again, I want to get back to projects I never finished and also start new ones, I have energy again, and I have positive thoughts without trying. Honestly this is so great?? I wish this for everyone. There are a couple other more personal contributing factors that I would be happy to talk more about with you if you’re interested. But basically this is so cool and I am carefully navigating and planning a bunch of things to do with this new swag I’m on without going too buckwild with it.
I find myself thinking more deeply about things. Some things I have been thinking deeply about today:
Is it still normal to say “Hello?” when answering the phone even when your caller ID says who it is? I would argue that this is a vestige of times past (before caller ID). I like to customize my greeting depending on the person who is calling. Friends seem to appreciate it, but businesses like doctor’s offices and stuff are usually taken aback
I think that people keep less secrets than we used to. I may be biased though because I keep really high-quality friends. Is there a way to measure the amount of secrets per person? There are surely “degrees” of secrets, i.e. I consider something a secret if no one else knows it, but not a secret if 10 people know. What city has the most secrets per capita? Why do we even want to know secrets? The answer “curiosity” is too easy.
Why do people want to live forever?
Hot Sauce Names Are Out of Control
Humans developed from a hunter-gatherer model of society and now we are here. Here are some hot sauce names/brand names that I really do not like:
The Monkey Ass
Ass Reaper
Butt Pucker XX
Ass Blaster
Big Daddy’s Ass Burn
Cat in Heat
Florida Man’s Lunacy
Pain 100%
Pain is Good
Cauterizer
See Dick Burn
Ass in the Tub
Hemorrhoid Helper
Ass in Hell
Ass in the E.R.
Here are some names that I do like:
Evil Cowboy Sacrifice
Secret Aardvark
Lethal Ingestion
Satan’s Blood
Befuddled Biden for President 2020
There are plenty more because hot sauce names have become a meme — not a funny internet one, but another thing to throw in the Amazon cart for soulless Gen Xers who have nothing fun left in their lives. That said, now I am curious and will likely try at least one of these the next time I go to a touristy novelty store.
My Thoughts On the Latest News Headlines
Here are some recent news articles accompanied by my first thoughts after reading the headlines.
Wow yeah that sounds really scary. I am so sorry.
I do not want to read this and I want to have a good day instead.
That seems fine? Also who is that again?
I think they should first consider what is going on here?? Sometimes you can see the air conditioning a little bit on a plane but ???
I think we all know this feel!
The Playlist
A good mix of things on this one! Also The Donnas’ old stuff is so great and I love them.
Cleo’s Corner
Cleo has been enjoying her life with vigor and aplomb and has been quite the rascal lately, getting into situations I would never find myself in. Here she is digesting her lunch on the couch.
And so insofar as this is the end, therefore I do bid you a hearty adieu.
ted this is such a great update!
love the hoarder house haul. and the demented inventor station makeover!!
lfg!
(gently touches cleos belly)
why DO people want to live forever
also I <3 Cleo's Corner