Author Archives: Gandalfe

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About Gandalfe

Just an itinerant saxophonist trying to find life between the changes. I have retired from the Corps of Engineers and Microsoft. I am an admin on the Woodwind Forum, run the Pacifica Big Band (formerly the Microsoft Jumpin' Jive Orchestra) and participate in other ensembles. Mostly enjoy time with family and friends.

Witchy’s Christmas Cake Recipe Redux

Posted on December 8, 2009 by Gandalfe

Witchy shares this recipe for a cake that is sure to be special this holiday season.  :o)

Posted in Holiday | 1 Comment

Who needs land lines any more and other high tech musings

Posted on December 6, 2009 by Gandalfe

Suzy and I have noted with interest that neither of our kids or friends the age of our kids use land line telephones anymore. All they have is their cell phone. If/when the battery runs out or the phone is … Continue reading →

Posted in Television | 6 Comments

Saxophone, how high is high?

Posted on December 6, 2009 by Gandalfe

As I’ve mentioned in a lot of posts on different sax forums and in discussions with musicians, I’ve discovered the trick to playing the soprano sax well. Actually playing ‘well’ is a relative term as I am a hobbyist. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Leave a comment

US: Are You Unemployed? 17.4% Are as of Today

Posted on December 4, 2009 by Gandalfe

Sad but true video from mintlife.com at http://www.mint.com/blog/trends/unemployment-rate-video/ . Here’s the chart:

Posted in News and politics | Leave a comment

Addie the Musician

Posted on December 2, 2009 by Gandalfe

My son Aaron sent this to me and I, the proud grampa, just had to share: When I get home from work, after Addie eats dinner she wants to play Rock Band, and she’ll ask me “Rock?”, then the game … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | 4 Comments

The Queen starts on her own Color

Posted on December 1, 2009 by Gandalfe

My Dad asked me for the simple rules I use to teach my grandkids to play chess. So here are the Chess 101 rules: 1. White is right. Make sure that as you face your side of the board, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Hobbies | 4 Comments

‘Outliers’ and the 10,000 Hour Rule

Posted on November 30, 2009 by Gandalfe

I have been espousing the 10,000 hours to become a professional (in this case for music) for a while now and a friend of mine attributed that to the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. Wikipedia has a nice little blurb … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Leave a comment

Solar Power in Seattle? Not yet…

Posted on November 24, 2009 by Gandalfe

I took a look at solar power for residential use this year. The last time I did the analysis was in 2004 and the payback was over 15 years, best case. It is now down to 12 years best case. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Conservation, Everyday Science, Research, review, Seattle, Statistics, Theory | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

My Team at work is moving… again

Posted on November 18, 2009 by Gandalfe

It was announced this week that we are moving to another building on the same campus we are currently working at. So I grabbed my cell phone and took some pictures. The first picture is of the park north of our … Continue reading →

Posted in Health and wellness | 7 Comments

Artful Music Creations a la Musical Transformations

Posted on November 14, 2009 by Gandalfe

  Sometimes there is beauty in unexpected places. Musical Transformations is but one example of this. Click on the picture above for the blog.

Posted in Music | Leave a comment