Leinninger.com

From the field...

For What It's Worth...

December 12th, 2003:
Looking California, Feeling Minnesota.

We opened for a national act (Lennon) last night. Her band is a 3.5 piece. That extra .5 is for the computer that sequenced everything and replaced the bassist. They had a tour bus, sound guy, manager, and lots of production. She sounded great and we were honored to play with them.

We weren’t intimidated by them, as I thought we would be… We put on a great show and were invited back to headline mid-January. Check out Rogerbox.net for the latest updates. I’ll have some photos up soon.

- Duane

December 10th, 2003:
Archived System Update

It’s nice to be surprised… like finding a dollar in your pocket… or the doggie bag from your favorite restaurant in the fridge the next morning. I forgot that during the holidays, the Etcetera logo and background get a special treatment. Cool.

- Duane

December 8th, 2003:
3 Weeks, 3 Rental Cars.

I rant about American-built (more specifically, Union-built) cars often. A lot of people are sick of it. Too bad. Gina’s car was rear-ended a month ago. Her insurance allows for her to have a rental car while her Subaru is repaired.

The first sh*tbox was a 1-year-old Taurus. It leaked oil all over our driveway. She traded that one for a brand new never-before-rented Grand Prix GT Widetrack. The thing had a lot of useless features… and nothing else. Poor acceleration, poor comfort, poor handling. Yesterday, I noticed it buzzing. Yes, “buzzing.” It sounded like the fuel pump was on, even though the car had been parked for a day. Gina dismissed this as my normal pessimistic paranoia. However, this morning, as she attempted to rush to work, she found the car unable to start. Blah-blah rental car blah. Bullsh*t. It’s brand new. It’s a crappy-made union heap of non-innovative crap. The rental company apologized and replaced it within 15 minutes. That’s great. However, they replaced it with another Taurus. I’ve asked that it not be parked in our driveway. Let it leak oil in the street.

I own 2 American cars. I love them. They’re both F-bodies. But, I wouldn’t want to have to rely on either of them daily. You’re welcome to your opinion. However, in my experience, U.S. auto manufacturers can’t do much to sway me. My parents last reliable car was a 78 Olds. Ever since then, they’ve gone through transmissions, electronics, and interior components like they were recycleable. Feh.

- Duane

December 5th, 2003:
Grosse Pointe Blank

Last Saturday was my 10-year high school reunion. Nothing too surprising. Nobody has really changed. Some hair was a little more thin and some waistlines were less thin. I was going to write a whole article about it, but there’s not really enough material. I did learn that my favorite teacher (Mr. John Wargelin) was still doing well. I credit him with getting me started in electronic art and design. In any event, Gina and I grew tired of the crowd and left early, so we could catch the late performance at The Second City. It’s a great show. I recommend it to anyone in the Metro Detroit Area.

- Duane

December 3rd, 2003:
Tools and Watch Batteries.

Apparently, the only tools to be found at the “jewelry centers” in popular mega stores are the ones standing behind the counter. I simply want a battery for my cheap, waterproof Casio watch. But, you need some mystical tool to open it. I found said tool for $6 online. As soon as I get it, I’ll be going to one of the aforementioned megastores to ask for a battery. When they say, “We don’t have the tool for that!”, I’ll whip out the magic watch tool, open the watch, then exclaim “HOW ABOUT NOW?!”

I’m just tired of the runaround every time I want a $3 lithium battery. Seriously.

- Duane

Devtroit