I'm not impressed with the Pearl snare on my kit, either. I tune my drums low and fat, but the snare just does not respond well there so I've had to tighten the lugs more than I want just to get a half decent sound out of it. I use Evans E-Rings on all the heads, as I've holed the bottom skins on all the toms to get that cardboard box sound that was big in the 70's. They work great on the toms but kill the bounce on the snare, but I have to leave it on there anyway or I get a lot of buzzing and ringing if I don't. The only way I'll get the sound I want is to get a different snare, but then I run into the budget wall so I'll just have to make do with what I've got.

The double bass pedal is a bit overdone these days, true, but it's something I've always wanted to try. The cheapest ones ring in around the $200 mark here and you get what you pay for with those, so it's another purchase that will stay on the wish list for a while yet. Plus, I'd need to get a high hat clutch, too, which is another $100 or so.

I started learning to read drum tabs a few years ago, but never kept at it and eventually lost interest. I'm too used to playing by ear and, like you, if there's a riff too difficult to figure out I just substitute my own fill. As for electronic drums, they do produce a nice sound, but... to me it's a lot like watching an electric fireplace; it looks real and it puts out heat, but it just isn't as good as the real thing and never will be, IMO.

It's very aromatic, with a strong and slightly bitter aftertaste, but very, very good. There's a specialty foods store in the city that carries it, along with several other organic fair trade blends. I never knew coffee could taste so good until the ex introduced me to it several years ago, now I'm hooked.

Money does NOT buy happiness. It does, however, allow you to live miserably in a much nicer part of town.

Man, you're like the Queen of redheaded memes. I like that.

And I like my coffee with one sugar. Preferably a dark roast, like a robust Kenyan or Guatemalan.

What am I, chopped liver?

So you can read music, then. That's one skill I never mastered, all my drumming is from memory because I can't read music.

So why did you give it up?

Awesome story, thanks for sharing that!

I'm not a brilliant drummer, either, as I've played on and off and never kept at it long enough to approach the level of John Bonham or Neil Peart. I had a few short lessons way back when I was a teenager, the rest of my experience is all self taught. I can lay down a solid and consistent beat, but there's no fancy twirling sticks or backup vocals or any cool stuff that the big time drummers do. I just enjoy playing.

A set of roto toms and a double bass pedal are on my wish list. I just have the Pearl 20" ride and "18" crash cymbals that came with the kit, although I did get an extra stand with a Z-Planet 16" crash/ride to compliment them. Some day I might upgrade them all to Paiste cymbals, but like you I am on a small budget. I also have a motorcycle and an SUV that require periodic bites out of my wallet, which doesn't help.

I've never been a fan of electronic drums and drum machines, it offends the Renaissance Man within me. My Uncle is a hard core drummer, he's been at it professionally for over 50yrs now and got rid of his drum kit long ago. He uses a combination of hand drums, bongos, Japanese Taiko drums, gongs, wood blocks, cowbells and all kinds of percussive instruments. Fascinating to listen to and watch him play.

Anybody?..... Bueller?....

Hey, if it helps any, just know that we men experience disasters from women, too. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back in the saddle. Use this experience to help you spot red flags in future encounters.

Good morning, fellow Grumble Bunnies. I wanted to start the day off with a rant, but I just got a call from Dispatch telling me all school buses are cancelled today because of the weather, so I'm actually in a pretty good mood right now... I get a paid day off!

I haven't bailed from the dating "race" yet, but lately I've been getting closer to making that decision. I'm too stubborn to give up on the belief that there is someone out there for me, but after two failed marriages and a couple of long term fiascoes I'm starting to think she won't find me/I won't find her.

Part of the problem is I have a pretty narrow focus on what traits I am seeking, specifically the requirement that she has her own motorcycle or at least completely understands the addiction I have to them. The other part of the problem is my heavyset body type (which I am working on changing, but a fact is a fact). Then there's my rural location, the fact that I'm semi-retired, over 50, etc, etc. There are simply not enough women close by to choose from and the various dating sites I've been on have been little more than meat markets for people with over-inflated opinions of themselves and unrealistic expectations of a potential match. It gets quite frustrating trying to find someone who has a profile that does not have red flags all through it and is truly written from the heart; even more so when I do find a profile like that and send them an introductory message only to be deleted and blocked with no reason given. I could go on, but then this would have to be moved to the "Profile Pet Peeves" thread.

Anyway. I've been on my own for two years now and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't beginning to feel okay to be single. I can do whatever I want whenever I want and don't have to answer to anyone but myself. I can keep the thermostat turned low at night, leave the toilet seat up, prepare the meals I want to eat, watch the movies I want to watch and if I want to lie on the couch in my track pants and scratch 'n sniff shirt all day Sunday, then that is what I'm going to do. And I'm going to have the dog curled up on the couch beside me the whole time.

I listen to my friends and acquaintances whine and complain incessantly about their spouses and I think; "Man, I don't miss that at all". I see the little mind games being played out in public and at restaurants by couples and I'm thankful I don't have to be a part of that. I look around my house, decorated my way for the first time in decades, and I feel thankful that all of my treasures accumulated over a lifetime don't have to be hidden downstairs in a basement because they don't match the drapes. And I giggle every time I walk into the bathroom and see a sink area free of clutter, then open the linen cabinet and see a full package of toilet paper sitting there. Really, my toilet paper budget has been cut in half, no, in quarter! since being on my own.

But there are occasions, more frequent than I care to admit, that I miss the soft caress of a woman, the tender kiss and the warmth of a hug from someone who truly loves me. I miss walking hand in hand through a town fair, dissing all the other people around us as we spend a day together in bliss and harmony. I miss waking up to laughing eyes and a playful smile, I miss sitting on the porch together watching the sunset. I miss the feeling of security and safety that comes from knowing I am loved with all my quirks and faults. So, I continue to play the dating game in the hopes that some day I'll find The One.

There has to be lines drawn somewhere when it comes to search parameters and age is a very common one used to help narrow down the results. So, yes, you might be "ruled out" next year, but the loss is theirs, not yours. I limit my search based on the female age group I tend to relate to best; 46 to 56. Any younger than that and it seems to be a generation gap, any older and it seems to be a different mindset than mine.

It's the same thing with women searching for men; the overwhelming majority of them (based on my experience, your results may vary) limit their parameters based on body type, amongst other factors. As I am honest about my body type, I do not show up on their results list. Again, the loss is theirs, not mine. Some people - men and women - have a long grocery list of "must haves", others - like me - tend to have a more realistic expectation and outlook and don't care about physical attributes, I (we) are more concerned about the elusive and hard to define "chemistry" that provides a much more solid foundation to build a relationship on.

Sisters With Voices, the American R&B trio?

Haaaaaaahahahah, I should be so lucky! I've felt like I've been living on borrowed time since I hit 30!

Just curious if anyone else drums as a hobby or professionally. Traditional drum kit or marching band drumline or bongos, it doesn't matter - if you were born with the ability to lay down a beat, you're a drummer.

I have a 5-piece Pearl Forum Series that helps me keep relatively sane during the long Canadian winter. I've been drumming on and off since I was 16 and have been in a few bands along the way.

Anyone else...?

Just one answer

BECAUSE.

No way no how would I ever lie about my age to anyone for any reason. I have earned all 54yrs worth of heartaches, scars, life lessons and happy moments. I'm amazed I've made it this far and I'm proud of that.

I've been asked many times to set up a FB page for my dog. I might just do that when the weather turns warmer and we get out on the bike again. Everywhere we go he gets swamped with attention and affection and everybody wants to know his story; he's probably the only goofy three-legged rescue English Bulldog in the world that rides around in a sidecar. He gets all the love and attention from the ladies... me, I'm just the fat schmuck that chauffeurs his hairy arse around.