Still lurking around occasionally, commenting and approving/rejecting applicants. Here's what I've been up to lately. REAL ESTATE PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS The real estate photography thing is going a bit slower than I want. But I'm making progress. I 've completed two practice shoots; the second one turned out way better than the first. I started client acquisition, but I'm a bit behind on it. That's something I need to catch up with this week. I also need to learn and practice creating floor plans, 3D tours, and walkthrough videos. I'm planning to go to a nearby model home this week to do that... maybe drag my Dad with me. Attended a fun, information packed, two-day conference Friday and yesterday. Met some people face-to-face, including the owner of the coaching program I'm enrolled in, that I've met online during group coaching calls. Unfortunately, my personal coach wasn't able to attend. Life stuff has gotten in the way and slowed me down. DEATH IN THE FAMILY Last Monday morning, I got a call at 6 AM PST from my Dad, which was highly unusual. His sister, my aunt, passed away Monday morning. Cause of death is unknown, but a heart attack is suspected. We won't know the cause; no autopsy was performed. I flew out to Mississippi Wednesday morning, attended the funeral Thursday morning, and flew home Thursday night. The Friday portion of the conference was rough... I was so tired... it was difficult staying awake for the entire day. But I made it with some nudging from my wife who went with me. HALLOWEEN Halloween is my favorite holiday for outdoor decorations. This year I went over the top, including moving my rack system and PA speakers to my front balcony to play creepy music and sound effects on Halloween night. I'll post some videos on YouTube and link them here soon. BACKYARD PROJECTS [UPDATED] We bought some wood tiles to fill in a corner of our backyard on which we have a teak Bistro set to put on top. I also bought a turquoise, triangular shade sale from a local auction site for $12 to provide shade for the area. Need to buy poles to mount it on. This project is in progress. I need to level the tiles today or tomorrow so I can assemble and place the Bistro set before my parents arrive on Tuesday night. UPDATE: except for the shade sail, which isn't urgent, this project is DONE! I finished it yesterday,

You know it’s a bad day when you pick up your guitar 🎸 to take a break from the week and your e string pops, so you pick up your other guitar and then that e string snaps 😭 I am afraid to pick up another guitar now 😱

I upgraded and got my self a Focusrite 4i4 Gen 4 Audio Interface and setting it up right now. I’m excited to start using it in the next few days and beyond.

Bought a Gretsch Rancher Jr acoustic-Electric this evening. As stated in a previous post I was looking for something solid that I could gig with. Was pleased with how full bodied this thing sounds. The neck feels more like an electric. Big enough to make a huge sound but small enough not to be cumbersome. I love my ‘64 Epiphone Texan but it’s a big guitar. My case reminds me of a cello case. This is a lot easier to handle. Great sounding pickup. It has a Fishman preamp in it. Great looking and sounding guitar. From the Thumbnail markers, the stock locking strap buttons, triangular sound hole and steer logo. This thing is a sharp. Total eye catcher

My apologies for not being around as much lately. Here's why... The job search has been dragging out far too long. I was laid off on 12 March 2025 from my Quality Assurance Engineer role at ADT. Since then, I've submitted more than 100 resumes/applications for software test engineer, test automation engineer, quality assurance engineer, et al, roles. In response, I've gotten exactly one screening interview... that is, crickets. I've had a photography business since 2019 and was moderately successful at it, despite it being a tough niche, intimate portraiture, for male photographers. But it's been largely dormant due to illness, COVID-19, day job requirements, and lack of motivation, since late 2019. About a month ago, I decided it was time to make my own opportunity, rebuilding and rebranding my photography business. Around that same time, I saw an ad on Facebook Marketplace for a real estate photography webinar. I paid the $27 for the webinar -- the information disseminated during that webinar was worth far more than $27. As a result, I joined their coaching program and am working toward what could be a very lucrative real estate media company... Las Vegas Real Estate Media Solutions (LVREMS). I'm working fast to set everything up, renew business licenses, get additional business licenses, open a new business bank account, and learn the business processes and tools. It's now my full-time job (while still doing the minimum required by the State of Nevada to keep receiving my paltry weekly unemployment benefit until it runs out or I start making more through my business). I'm still around, reading everyone's posts, approving new members, writing new posts (when I think of something worthwhile), commenting on your posts, and, of course, playing guitar. I'm still around... just not as often. Thanks for reading... Stay Tuned... W I will have a few things to post soon... waiting on deliveries.