Oh yeah, it has happened! - Page 2

Hey KW the city has been changing alot in the 4 years I have been here! For the better mostly.

The ONE thing they need to do is get the damn drug addicts out of here. Substance abuse in general is just through the roof. I am sure it is like this in many parts of the country, but living where I live in the middle of downtown it seems like I am constantly approached by addicts who need cash... AND general alcohol consumption seems very high. People drink till they're sick around here, and they puke all over the place, you have to watch your step on the weekends. I once caught a girl pissing on our doorstep... The drunks are going to be out tonight actually.

I have NEVER been harassed so much by people wanting money on the street. Literally everyday, and it used to be much worse supposedly. I'm talking about edgy creepy looking people who were just talking to a pile of leaves.

Whats really helped the downtown area is my school. They have bulldozed lots of the abandoned buildings in favor of new school buildings. And they have bought lots of buildings and restored them. In fact most of the buildings that have real historical signfigance are owned by the college.

I live right near the beginning of whitaker street. If you are standing at the corner of Whitaker and Bay, I live to the left directly on river street. Out one window we have a nice view of the river and river street, out the other it's this fabulous view of a powerstation. I will never fully comprehend the idiocy of this city's planning. The Historical Commission is responsible for the lack of development in the downtown area. You aren't allowed to bulldoze anything built before a certain time... Combine that with the long term effects of acid rain from the pulp mills and you have some trully rundown looking areas in this town... Rarely do you walk in to home where you aren't greeted by creaking doors and floors.

When I lived in San Antonio they basically destroyed one of the worst neighborhoods in the city when they built the alamo dome. Seems like a good idea to me. They need to consider some of the same in this sludge bucket.

ai0 you get acid rain down there? I thought that only happened to us northerners?

We breathe acid as it pours from the pulp mills.

As I recall, it rained a lot when I lived there, and was often dreary looking, I can only imagine it now! Then there was Union Bag (we used to call it Union Gag) up river and up wind. Pretty constant odor from them...

Whittaker and Bay? Hmm... Park st was at one end of the park and Gaston at the other end...Where's Bay? Oh! Doh! Towards the river, yes... Chatham County Public Library is near there, yes?

I love heavy downpours, except when it's toxic.

Well, having moved to Western Oregon, I can't say I don't like rain, because I'm in the middle of the Silicon Rainforest here
At least it's not acid rain and we don't have Union Gag up wind!!
Cheers!

HI folks, I ran across another good paino recording today, and although it's not classical, its classic Brubeck...

"One Alone
Dave Brubeck
Solo Piano"

Telarc Jazz DSD CD-83510

I'm not nutz about the tonal quality of the pianos themselves (everything sounds thin after a Bosendorfer) but they're beautifully recorded from the sonic perspective of one standing at the end of the piano facing the performer. I've recorded some stuff from this perspective and also in the reverse so you hear things from the performer's perspective and I enjoy it very much. Very full rich sound, the felts of these pianos sounded like they were shaped perfectly and I only heard one note that was slightly flat. The recording is NEVER strident. Very nice indeed. Check it out!!

poll: recorded piano sound

I vote for the series of LPs that Ashkenazy did on London in the 70's. A complete (mostly) chronological Chopin cycle. This is big juicy Boesendoerfer piano sound--not as bright as Steinway. The mike sounds close, but there is not a lot of humming, bench-swishing, breathing, etc..
And they are wonderful performances. I don't know if they've been transferred to CD or not....