The only thing I bought on Black Friday were these three packs of 30 AA batteries at Menards for $2.99 each.
I look forward to stocking up on AA and AAA batteries for the year. While these are a “cheap brand” I found they were actually pretty good! I bought them two years ago and they did a great job! So again, it was time to get a bunch.
I store them in the refrigerator. That is best to keep them fresh. But warm them up to room temperature before using them.
Measurement taken with my JAS knee brace on... 117 degrees. I measured 104 degrees without it. I would like to get back to at least 120 degrees without the brace. I had hit 115 degrees on my own in the past and 130 degrees when pushed hard by the physical therapist.
My second haircut from my wife was about two months after the first one that she did for me.
We decided to use the modified guard for the top, but nothing got cut because the top never grew to 1-7/8" of length yet. She then used a number 8 guard for the sides and back and then finally a number 6 for the lower portions. Finally, she used scissors to trim around the ears.
The back was cut a bit too rounded in our opinion. We can fix that next time. Because the Oster Fast Feed is not "Zero Gapped", you can really trim off all the small hairs below the edge or the cut. I am debating if I want to modify the Fast Feed to be a zero gap cutter. Doing so would mean that any accidental movement of the clippers without a guard could cut me! We'll see if I do it or not.
Overall, the cut is better than the first time. A bit longer is better I think. However, we thought that perhaps a number 4 at the very end of the hair would be even better. Next time!
Like many other people, with the Covid-19 lockdown, my hair was getting too long. Because of this, I decided to buy some clippers and scissors to have my wife cut my hair. I can't wait for my normal hair salon to open up and even if they do, I am not sure I want to go in! After all, they are in contact with a lot of people and so social distancing is going to be hard to do.
My wife cut my hair two weeks ago using the clippers and did a great job cutting the sides and back. But she didn't really cut the top much at all. She used scissors which many stylists do (she's not a hair stylist), but it was still too long and the top hairs would flop over to my parted area on my left side making for a rather distinct and noticeable separation from clipped hair and scissored hair.
I wanted the top shorter, but I also did not want to bother her in doing it again. In fact, after watching a bunch of YouTube videos on the topic, I felt that if I could only clipper cut the top as well as the sides myself, I wouldn't need to bother her going forward and would only to ask her to fine-tune my cuts by trimming around the ears and the back of the head. That would be minimal time for her going forward. Besides, there's something about being able to do the entire cut myself that appeals to me.
Well to try what I learned from the YouTube videos, I decided to cut the top hairs two weeks later myself with the clippers, but I only had a maximum of a one inch clipper guard (a number 8 guard). I searched all over the internet and while there is such a thing as a 2 inch guard, it was made for the Wahl brand but not Oster. I decided to go forward and just cut it one inch in length and hope for the best. By the way, the numbering system is based on an eighth inch system. 8/8 is 1 inch so that's a number 8 guard. 4/8th's is 1/2 inch, so that's a number 4 guard.
Well, because I have a rather high forehead, the short hair makes it look like my hairline is receding, which it is not! So, I now know, I need at least 2 inches on top. Thinking it over, I thought that if I could only stack two guards together, I could create the distance needed for a 2" guard. Hey! I had a 7/8" guard which I'll never use on its own (a number 7 guard) and I also had a 1" guard that we used to groom our pet Maltese dog when she was alive.
Taping the two together made for the distance needed to get a 1-7/8" equivalent guard! Based on the numbering system, 1-7/8" is really 15/8ths, so that's a number 15 guard.
I can't wait to grow my hair back so that I can try the newly constructed guard. It took one short cut to make me think through what I needed to do to fix the problem.
I'll post a final result after my hair grows back and I get to cut all of my hair on my own. It probably will take a while though! If this combination is too long, I'll just take a lower number guard and tape the 1" guard from our dog to it. I have options!
Edit Note: I finally got to try my contraption... it DOES NOT WORK! I was hoping it would, but it doesn't! I am going to make another version that will use the 1" as well as a 1/2" guard. Hope this one works.
Here is a 1" with a 1/2" guard. Hope this one works...
On Friday, Feb 21, 2020, I was able to get 114 Degrees of Flexion on my own and I matched the doctor's knee manipulation under anesthesia amount of 130 degrees when the physical therapist pushed me to major screaming levels!
I am shocked at the 130 degree flexion because I never thought I'd ever be able to get that far. It may be the one and only time I will get this since the pain was so great when he pushed me that far! Remember, the doctor was only able to get it when I was knocked out in the operating room.
Let's hope I am able to get that 114 degree number to at least 120 degrees. This only happens after the therapist has "prepped" me by pushing on my leg several times first. Each of those time are screaming times as well.
I'd say if I were just to try it on my own without any prep work, I probably can do only 90 to 95 degrees.
I still can't walk well though. I walk terribly still.
It's been a long time since my last post here on my blog. Where have I been?
Well, on September 19, 2019, I had a left knee replacement. It hasn't gone well. Recovery has been very long and as of this post, it's been almost 5 months of pain. I've gone through over 70 physical therapy sessions and each one is filled with pain from the PT pushing on my leg to get the knee to bend more.
With all this work, I am currently able to bend my knee as much as 112 degrees on my own and 124 degrees when the PT pushes me to the point of screaming in pain. I need to be able to do it to at least 115 to 120 degrees on my own and have enough leg strength to walk properly on my own.
The leg strength seems to be a big challenge for me. I know I still have a long way to go.
So, if you want to keep track of me, go to my YouTube channel called "Russ Is Right" and subscribe. I put most of my online efforts now on the YouTube channel over this blog. Be sure to subscribe and hit the bell icon so you will know when new videos come out. The subscription costs nothing to you, but make a huge difference for me.
My wife and I attended the Danny Seraphine & CTA concert with guests "Leonid & Friends" at the Arcada Theater in St. Charles, IL on July 12, 2019. You can see me circled in yellow in the last photo. I borrowed the image from Leonid & Friend's Facebook page. It was taken from the stage. My wife was sitting to my right but wasn't standing at the time the photo was taken.
Here's my review of the evening:
The Arcada Theater needs air conditioning! It was HOT in there! If the audience was hot, I can't imagine how hot it was up on stage! The theater is old and it's hard to believe it can pass code in my opinion. Only two urinals and one toilet in the mens room and my wife reported that there were only two toilets in the ladies room. Considering how many people were at the concert, how can that possibly be up to code? Tightly packed seats and narrow aisles too... yikes!
Anyway, Danny Seraphine (former drummer for the group "Chicago") took the stage with his group CTA (California Transit Authority). Danny always liked the name CTA when he was in Chicago, but the group had to change their name from Chicago Transit Authority to simply Chicago to avoid being sued. So of course, when he started his new band, he kept the name CTA changing the C from Chicago to California.
For a guy who is 70 years old, Danny can still play drums like he did when he was younger! I recall seeing him play with Chicago in 1976 and have always thought he was the best drummer I had ever seen (shy of Buddy Rich whom I saw when in high school). He's still got it as far as I'm concerned and last night proved it.
However, the theater had a bunch of problems making it nearly impossible to enjoy CTA's performance. The front of house sound was simply terrible. The keyboardist had to complain several times to the sound guys that his keyboard wasn't functioning properly. We could barely hear the horn section most of the time. The lead singer wasn't on pitch many times and I think that's probably because he couldn't hear a good mix of the other instruments playing. It's not that his range wasn't good because it was... he just couldn't hit the right pitch many times! Danny's drums was obviously featured, but because of this, he was way too loud compared to the rest of the group. The bass player's notes were not tight or distinct, leaving it mostly sounding muddy and boomy. The guitarist while talented, just didn't appeal to me when he played.
It was a pity because they played a number of old Chicago tunes that I had hoped would be good and of course, when Leonid and Friends came out to play later, they couldn't play them again since they were already covered by CTA. I found myself hoping the set would finish to take me out of the misery of hearing the band that others had said were great... but wasn't that evening.
Danny's drumming however, was awesome. He's got every bit of talent at 70 as he did when I heard him in 1976. I'm glad I got to hear him one more time after all these years. He had several drum solos within the songs and it really showed how good he was even at his current age. Between songs, he made fun of himself being old and losing his hair. He told a story of the time when he was still in Chicago and played with a toupee on only to have it being blown around during an outdoor event. Somehow, he was able to keep it on, but it was embarrassing and he couldn't wait to get off stage. He finally finished playing and rushed to get off the stage and the other guys from Chicago followed him. Shortly after they left, the storm had knocked down the light trussing directly over the drums. That bad toupee saved his life! Watch the video of him telling the story below.
After CTA finished their set, the stage crew re-set the stage with Leonid & Friends' equipment. They must have either had a better sound guy or fixed the issues with the sound because they came out sounding so much better than CTA's sound. This is a Russian cover band that copies nearly 100% accurately the songs from Chicago and the arrangements from the actual albums. They played "deep tracks" of songs I knew from some of the early Chicago albums that obviously Chicago never played live after recording them! It was amazing!
Now this group did not go on without their share of problems that evening. During one of the early numbers, the horn section came in earlier than they should have (it was during the song "I'm A Man"). One of the guys realized it and tried in vain to get the horns to stop and get back into the tune during the right time, but it was too late. Rather than explain later that they had made a mistake, they just simply laughed it off to each other during the number and then jumped in when it was correct. That's the professional thing to do. Don't draw more attention to the mistake by saying something about it. I learned this lesson early on from my music instructors. Never say a word and keep going.
Now I do believe they also couldn't hear themselves properly because when their lead singer sang several songs, he couldn't hear well enough to hit the right pitch either. I know he can do it though as you can hear his high tenor voice hit those notes easily on the studio recording videos they have on YouTube. Just look up "Leonid & Friends" on YouTube to see and hear all their great videos.
Still, overall, they sounded so good that I would have to agree with others that perhaps they sound better today than the actual group Chicago! Their musicianship was top notch. Everything was overall, very good. Tight clean bass from Leonid played through a Mark Bass amplifier that sounded like Peter Cetera was playing the lines. Copied nearly note for note accurately. The guitarist (who is also a great lead singer) played Terry Kath's solos nearly perfectly note for note too. The horn arrangement were spot on as well.
Now many musicians will tell you that copying arrangements note for note and not being original is not a good thing. Having your own arrangement of cover songs is the way to go. But in this case, since this is a "tribute" band covering songs by Chicago, doing a total "copy" is a good thing. You couldn't help doing a mental comparison of their sound to Chicago's sound back in the day. The current group Chicago has lost so many members that currently, only Robert Lamm (keyboards, vocals), James Pankow (trombone) and Lee Loughnane (Trumpet) remain in the group. Walter Parazaider (sax, flute) only joins them occasionally on albums now from what I understand, due to health issues. Because of this, could it be that this Russian tribute band, "Leonid & Friends" is the better way to hear those great old songs from Chicago? I'm beginning to think so.
There were a total of 11 members in the group. One major change from Chicago is the addition of Ksenia Buzina. Definitely a visual stunner, she added a lot to the upper vocals and gave the audience some nice change of visuals to look at rather than just a bunch of guys on the stage. The first time I saw her on the videos, I had to ask myself, "Is that REALLY what Chicago would have done? Add a woman to the group?" But over time, I got to thinking this was a very smart move on the Russian group's part. The original Chicago group wasn't really much to look at even when they played in the 60's and 70's. They just stood there and played their instruments and sang. Rather "boring" to watch... but you didn't care because the sound was so good. But with the Russian group, she added some change to all that. Plus, the antics from their horn section also kept you entertained! These guys just have a fun time on stage when performing!
Ksenia was a finalist on TV's "The Voice" and is popular in both Russia and China! But she's relatively unknown in the USA. Still, her presence adds to the group's appeal and that's a good thing in my opinion.
A nice bonus was the song, "September" from Earth, Wind & Fire! I was hoping they would also play "Spinning Wheel" from Blood, Sweat & Tears, but unfortunately, they did not. If you want to hear it though, just look them up on YouTube. They have a video of it and it's great!
Overall, I'd go see Leonid & Friends again if given the chance... as long as they are playing in a theater that has air conditioning and a better sound engineer or sound system! Be sure to go see them if you get a chance!
The encore had both groups playing together. Saturday In The Park and "25 or 6 to 4" finished the concert, cramming the stage with a lot of people! Afterwards, the groups did a selfie from the stage and you can see me in the photo above, circled in yellow! Photos were taken with my "point and shoot" camera, the Canon G7xMkII. No "pro" cameras with removable lenses were allowed in, although I did see a couple of people using them. Perhaps they were sanctioned by the groups to take those photos. Enjoy!
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The videos below are not mine, but I thought I'd embed them here since they are from the same concert I went to. Taken by another YouTuber.
I visited Old Joliet Prison in Joliet Illinois today. They have several tours including a 4 hour photo tour, but I decided to take the 1.5 hour historical tour instead.
The tour guide did a great job filling us in on the history of the prison and was able to answer our questions too. We got a good overview of the facility, but if you want to take the time to get lots of photos, I think the 4 hour "self guided" photo tour is the way to go. Still, I got some basic shots of the prison and spent most of my effort doing video. Check out my YouTube video on the "Russ Is Right" YouTube channel. It's entitled, "Old Joliet Prison - Is It Haunted?"
I don't believe in ghosts, but if you do, you might like visiting the prison. Still, I decided to make the video with an ominous vibe to it as I thought that was fun to do. I hope you like it.
I would consider coming back for a more in-depth self guided tour in the future. There is quite a bit of walking, so be sure to wear appropriate clothing and good shoes that are not open-toed. There's glass on the ground and other hazards to be aware of.
All photos were taken with the Nikon D850 camera and Nikon 14-24mm f2.8 ultra-wide angle lens.
The meats were purchased from Costco this time and I'd have to say that their meat tends to work best in my smokers. The local grocery store just doesn't seem to have the same quality!
If you like Nuts and Candy, you'll love the Fisher Nut Store in Elgin, IL!
Fisher Nuts is made out here, but also their outlet store has great prices if you want nuts and candy. We bought over $50 worth as you can see in our shopping cart! No, we aren't eating it all... it is for a party!
Not only do they have deals for people, they have deals for animals too! Large quantities of nuts are available for purchase to feed animals (not for human consumption). I asked about this and was told these items were not stale items, but packaged specifically for animal use. I am guessing here, but perhaps these are the nuts that have fallen and swept up from the production floor or some other reasons why people should not eat them, but may be perfectly fine for animals. At least it is not just wasted!
Go check out the store if you get a chance. You'll walk away with a bunch of nuts and candy at a great deal.
