This week's review is more about the person than the device. When I found my gear again in December of 22', memories came flooding back. The bus ride through the Algarve on the way to my race with the rest of the US Contingent in my favorite seat on top behind the big window right up front. My trusty E900 in my hand.
I decided I was happy that day, that life had went my way. Goals and dreams made at University about my future had been happening for sometime, and I hadn't recognized it. "Happiness Is Easy" by Talk Talk, as well as 'Life's What You Make It" and "Its My Life" had been my mantras since college. But, one thing was truly missing. The Choice to be happy. It was on that bus that the epiphany came.
I was living all of it again when I found the Wiki Discord rubbing elbows with other enthusiasts. I hadn't even been to the Wiki before jumping in and refused to try "The New Wares" creating discs like a madman with my original Windows 98 Laptop and SonicStage found with the gear. The N505 is a cantankerous Type R. My entire music system and my music library on portable USB drive. (Enourmous Chonk, I learned use of the word 'Chonk' on the Discord BTW!)
Having come from a particularly rough online forum in the 00's, I knew how to take the attitudes, and they found me. But, there was CoryW counterbalancing every RTFM and implied RTFM. He kept me in the game. It was a mere 6 months later I committed silently without notice to MDCon. I heard the "Wouldn't it be cool if?" "We could do this" My life experiences were at my disposal, I could make those things happen, alone for the most part.
CoryW would lend his knowledge and voice to the 2024 Commemorative Disc, given away free at the show if you showed up with gear. Funded out of pocket and recorded as a group effort by the Discord community. I could have hunkered down and recorded all the discs myself from archive, but I did not want that. They asked for the impossible, they should have the honor of taking part. It makes me emotional now.
Every show was planned relying only on my time, resourcefulness, and finances. I set them up as potlucks; if you can get here and take care of yourself, I WILL MAKE ROOM FOR YOU! I have never had all my gear out at a show. There was too much support. I always gave up space.
CoryW himself, a master of pulling through in the clutch, supported a show that I had 3 weeks notice for in Silicon Valley this year. I had to fly in and check gear under the plane. Another member who's privacy I will keep, paid the luggage fees.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE, and I'm the Village Idiot who pulled MDCon off - 10 shows, 3 International. A "Hold My Beer Moment", one of numerous ones in my 58 years. You want me to be World Team Manager for the Sport a full two decades younger than anyone else and lead the largest team by 300% than any before it? Sure, "Let's Do This" People, I made mistakes under fire, but no one died. And the winningest athlete in my sport got his 50th Gold Medal of his career and would go on 4 Years later transitioning to an Olympic Discipline of my Sport and collect the medals, you read that right Medals... Torino and SLC. I had to support him and the others who were there to win get medals and babysit and take care of EVERY need of the team. 75% of which were there to get drunk and copulate. 50% under the age of majority in the states. Some idiot put our hotel at the edge of the Red Light District. I've seen some situations. Staying up until 03:30am to keep the kids in the hotel only to have them go up the fire escape, jump to next building's roof and go down. I then had to get up by 7am.
Pull off a simple show and plan it so that if everyone else falls away and the show still happens, I got that. Thankfully, it never happened, someone was always at the show with me... Looking at you Hex.
CoryW cames through this time in the clutch again, 12 hours before my deadline with 24 hours notice. His review might not be polished, but it will be one of the ones I celebrate personally the most.
Enough of this...
(Holy wow, that was all extemporaneous typing (free-form). I just hit save. What an idiot I am composing online after 20+ years as Webmaster, I know better! I paused to get the link and realized what I had done, all that could have been lost. If it had, I would have viewed it as - 'better left unsaid' I did edit my mistakes in spelling on the revision where I added this bit.)
The MDCon MDS-JB940 Review
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