On the musical side, I’ve been playing the bass again. I gave it up many years ago after playing in a band for a while, but I picked up a pawn shop junker a bit ago and am building my skills back up. I’ve gotten a real cheap multi-effects pedal, and I’ve gotta say, it’s pretty impressive!
It’s called the Zoom B1X, and it has a tuner, volume, flanger, chorus, wah, distortion, you name it. There’s a ton of patches simulating many different bass players or song styles. Cool echo effects, turning single notes into a chorus of sounds, fretless simulation, etc. It also has a drum machine built in for rhythm and everything can be activated with a tap of your foot.
I need to work more on reading music. I’ve got an online course I picked up a while back that I need to start studying when I can, but I’ve found I’m really enjoying the music again. I’ve gotten to play with my friends Charlie and Chris a few times, and my wife Trish and I are planning some duo work.