07-07-07 -- my lucky day?

[mdlbear]

Don't know, but it's going pretty well so far. After some recording, some editing (I'll post about those separately), a stack of mail that included the CD I ordered last week, some lunch, and a nice five-mile walk, the Bear went shopping. The main targets were a a cheap MP3 player (Fry's has several on sale this weekend) and a pennywhistle in A. I started with Guitar Showcase.

GS often has woodwinds in their consignment shop, but no whistles today. What they did have was an M-Audio Delta 1010, for $115. Since this has a list price of $500 and a street price of something like $400, and since I'd been thinking about buying a Delta 44 for a street price of around $150, I snapped it up without thinking twice.

Next stop was Fry's. They did indeed have cheap MP3 players, at prices all the way down to $15, but the one I ended up with was an LG UP3 for $60. It has a sharp-as-a-tack little OLED display, 2GB of flash, plays OGG as well as the more usual formats, and lists Linux on the box under supported systems. When I got it home (getting a little out of order here) I was a little puzzled by the lack of a USB cable until I discovered the knob that slides out the connector that makes it into a USB stick. I was also puzzled by the fact that my box wasn't seeing it, until I traced the USB extension cable back and discovered that it wasn't connected. Duh. Only thing missing is FM, but I can live without that. Especially in these days of ubiquitous podcasts.

The final stop was Starving Musician. They had whistles in C and D; but not A. I bought a cheap little Yamaha descant recorder instead -- I had one, but can't find it. Probably lent out to somebody's kid. For $8.25 I can afford another one.

So all-in-all it's been a pretty good day. Happy Bear.