Many years later, when my guitar passion had mysteriously faded away (probably disillusionment, but that’s a topic for a separate post), bicycling took over. I was completely in love with the idea of bicycles and bicycle touring. I rode my bike EVERYWHERE, rain or shine. (I lived in Sweden at the time, so it was mostly rain, very little shine.) I ended up riding solo from southern Sweden to northern Norway and back, camping in my tent along the way. I did that two summers in a row, on a bike whose wheels I had built myself. I’ve always liked cycling, but it was reading Josie Dew’s first book that turned it into a passion. My lifestyle doesn’t permit me to indulge my bike touring passion anymore, but to this day I have a hard time throwing away plastic bags (a touring cyclist’s BEST FRIEND) and my heart jumps a little when I see touring cyclists on the road.

In the 46 years I’ve been on this planet, interests have come and gone, which is what I meant the self-indulgent babbling above to illustrate. What I REALLY want to talk about is my latest obsession. It’s dogs. Lately I’m all about dogs. Seriously. Dogs and dog training are pretty much all I can think about. Why dogs? I’m not really sure. I’ve always liked dogs (and most animals) but not like THIS.

To back up a bit, I spent the better part of this past autumn in yet another bout of depression. I won’t overshare with the gory details, all you need to know is that one of the fun things that come along with depression is something called anhedonia: basically, even the things you normally enjoy give you no pleasure. Nothing is interesting, nothing is fun.

Through the years I’ve learned that one sure sign that a depressive episode is passing is that when I least expect it, something becomes INTERESTING again. There is nothing like an all-consuming new interest to get your thoughts off yourself (and everything that is WRONG with you) and onto something else.

This time, it was the video below that did it.

And it wasn’t just that it’s the cutest thing ever…I was immediately struck by the amount of time and effort that must have gone into training Jesse to perform all of those behaviors, and how willingly he seemed to approach his tasks. This couldn’t be a dog being trained with choke chains and the other aversive methods I remember reading about back in the 1980s.

Reading the information on Jesse’s Youtube channel introduced me to the idea of training based on “positive reinforcement.” Before I knew it I was ravenous to learn more about it. That led me to two amazing Youtube channels run by positive-based dog trainers who freely share their knowledge with the public via their videos. I don’t often get girl-crushes, but I’m totally SMITTEN If you have a dog and are interested in positive methods, trust me: you want to get to know the women I’m about to show you below.

Here is my favorite clip of dog trainer Emily Larlham (known as kikopup on Youtube) having fun with her border collie Splash:

Emily had hundreds of instructional videos on her channel, covering everything from tricks to basic doggy manners to “how to’s” for solving common behavior problems using positive methods. Here’s a particularly useful one in which she demonstrates how to use positive methods to encourage dogs learn loose leash walking:

As it turns out, Emily is friends with another trainer in her area – Pamela Johnson, who goes by Pamelamarxsen on Youtube. Like Emily, Pamela also has hundreds of instructional videos on her channel demonstrating positive-based training solutions to common dog behavior problems, as well as tutorials about how to teach agility, tricks, frisbee, and other fun things you can do with your dog. The video below, which covers teaching your dog how to be calm and quiet when the doorbell rings instead of going crazy and barking its head off, is a stand out:

To sum up, I have to thank whomever originally sent my partner the video of “useful dog tricks.” It was my partner who showed it to me and (unintentionally) sparked this new interest. It’s been many years since I had an interest that did not involve needing to spend hours on end in solitary practice (like guitar) or involved staring at glowing rectangles. I don’t have a dog of my own (yet, haha!) but have realized that co-operative interaction with other living creatures, out in the fresh air, can only be a good thing! Additionally, seeing how Emily and Pamela generously make use of their Youtube channels to educate others was inspiring. I hope they can inspire you as well

[Edit: Other awesome trainers who share their knowledge: Katie Buvala of 3LostDogs.com, she’s 3LostDogs in Youtube — she’s awesome! Another one I’ve found notable is the guy from Trainingpositive.com, who goes by Tab289 on Youtube (I couldn’t find his real name anywhere). These are just a few — I’m discovering new ones every day!

I’ve trained at home for the past few months (for reasons that deserve their own post), but not by choice: the best place to strength train is at a properly equipped gym. However, when you are a woman training at a commercial gym full of typical man-type creatures, you need to have laser focus on why you’re there and what you’re doing. Otherwise the desire to pour hot lead in your eyes to avoid seeing the man things loudly engaging in UTTER STUPIDITY can be an unwelcome distraction from your own workout.

The video below makes my Best Of list for this year because a perfect illustration of what I’ve observed so many times in the gym. Watch and RELISH Christine’s hundred-percent unbridled girl power OWNAGE. Note: Both she and the guy are squatting THE SAME WEIGHT:

It wouldn’t surprise me if the group of man creatures subsequently came over to the squat rack and asked Christine if they could work in with her for a few sets of lame-ass biceps curls. At least they didn’t come over to OFFER HER UNSOLICITED ADVICE (another topic worth its own entire post) and tell her that she’s going to HURT HER KNEES if she keeps squatting like that.

Yes, I’m totally generalizing. Not all men in the gym are hapless fucktards who are there to “really blast those bis and tris” and flex in the mirrors. But my empirical experience gathered from training in gyms around the world suggests that the average woman — once she’s had some qualified guidance and realized that getting off the elliptical and into the squat rack is where the magic happens — tends to work out much smarter and with vastly better form than the average guy.

It’s New Year’s resolution time and I’m aware that many people’s resolutions involve vowing to get more exercise. So for any female readers out there with fitness-related resolutions — whether you’re starting from square one or are already exercising but want to venture away from the cardio equipment and into the weight room — Christine’s site is a nice place to start. She also plays guitar and likes metal — what a shame we’re not neighbors!

This video is about a year old, but as of today it’s had fewer than 10 000 views (It SO deserves more), thus I’m betting that many readers here haven’t seen it yet. It’s not safe for work, though, so unless you have a cool boss (i.e., one who understands the difference between using profanity because you’re too lazy to think up a better word and using it you think it’s the best way to make your point) you’d better wait until you get home:

When times have gotten hard over the past year, when I’ve been faced with scary or odious tasks that — even though I TOTALLY don’t feel like it — still have to be done, I think of Colleen’s boulder song and it helps me. Seriously. Then I just set my timer for a 10-20 minute “get started” interval and hop to it, rather than expending valuable mental energy worrying endlessly about how the heck I’m EVER going to manage. I have a permanent entry on my Astrid to-do list, just to remind me if I forget.

The boulder is always on my to-do list

The Boulder song was my gateway into Colleen’s world. Her newsletter and RSS feed are two of the few things that have survived the Great Media Cleanout of 2010. Two strategies I’ve learned from her have been part of my regular self-motivational repertoire over the past few months:

Annual goals daily

Colleen’s not-so-stupid Stupid Reading Hack

Now that I “get” the concept of just pushing the confounded boulder, one of the most important questions I’ve been trying to answer for myself recently is this: out of the universe of possible boulders, which ones are ACTUALLY WORTH PUSHING? Admittedly, I don’t really find the concept of “New Year’s Resolutions” particularly useful. But even so, at this time of year it feels natural to review and assess the past year, and look forward to the year to come.

In the next “best of” post I’ll be presenting one of my totally-not-guitar-related boulders for 2011.

The Gymboss 2009 dual timer is my most recent source of consumer joy. It’s designed for use in the gym (duh), to help you keep track of intervals, rest periods, metabolic circuits, or whatever special timing your workout involves. But the dual timer function is also useful for reminding you to do other repetitive tasks. Even with the best of intentions, it can be tough to remember to do certain things regularly throughout the day. Here are some off-the-top-of-my-head examples:

Avoiding desk fatigue with scheduled mini breaks (this is a big one for me):
Timer 1: 45 minutes (work time)
Timer 2: 2-5 minutes (get up, stretch, rehab exercises)
Repeats: 2-3 (then take a proper break)

Tracking billable freelance hours:
Timer 1: 15 minutes (time spent doing billable work)
Timer 2: 15-30 seconds (short break to note down billable period on time sheet)
Repeats: 3-4 (then take a proper break before you get back to your billable work)

Guitar Practice:
Timer 1: 2 minutes (practicing a particular exercise)
Timer 2: 60 seconds (rest, stretch, setup next exercise).
Repeats: Say, 10 for a 30-minute practice session.

Kicking procrastination’s ass a la Merlin Mann’s 10+2*5 method
Timer 1: 10 minutes (doing productive work)
Timer 2: 2 minutes (dicking around as a reward for doing productive work)
Repeats: 5. Congratulations, you’ve just worked a productive 50 minutes!

The Gymboss is easy to learn to use, and offers the following useful options:

- 1 or 2 timers
- Manual or automatic repeats (either infinite or a set number of repeats)
- Alarms: High beep, Low beep, Vibrate, High beep + Vibrate, Low beep + vibrate

I bought my Gymboss solely for use in the gym a couple of months ago, and by now I don’t know how I ever managed without it. What I didn’t expect is that this clever little timer would make it so satisfying (in a geeky kind of way) to program my “intervals” for other everyday activities. When something is more fun and satisfying as opposed to just “good for you,” you’re more likely to actually do it.
And in case you’re wondering, yes, it comes in PINK.

Gymboss on Amazon (aff link)

http://www.globaldomination.se/reviews/guilt-machine-on-this-perfect-day

Beginnings
Rachel started begging her parents for a violin at the tender age of three, after having been entranced by the sight of “older girls in beautiful dresses who were playing violin at church.” But after setting bow to strings for the first time, it was no longer just about the dresses: “Initially, it was the sound of it I loved,” she says. “Its voice spoke to me as if this were preordained somehow. By age five, I knew this is what my life would be about: I was already defining myself by my instrument.”

Imagine having such clarity of purpose by the age of five!

Formative years
Rachel’s family opted to home school her, giving her enough time to do schoolwork, practice eight hours a day, and still have a social life. Her family struggled to make ends meet, but their choice to let Rachel pursue music paid off: by the time she was 14 her her violin playing was responsible for the lion’s share of the family’s income.

I was responsible for the mortgage, the utilities, the groceries, and there was so much pressure, growing up like that. … When I was 17 or 18, even if I had gotten a full scholarship, I certainly wouldn’t have been able to be in school and continue to work enough to … support the family.

Rachel first performed as a soloist at age seven, and by age 10 she had appeared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Her teen years saw her win loads of prestigious international competitions. For example, at 17 she was the youngest person (and first American) to win a gold medal in the J.S. Bach International Competition in Leipzig, Germany in 1992. Since then she has enjoyed a successful career as a concert soloist and recording artist, playing one of the world’s most important violins, the 1742 “ex-Soldat” made by Guarneri del Gesu.

Overcoming setbacks
Rachel is also an inspiration for the way she bounced back after “the Metra incident.” As she was exiting a Metra commuter train one day in early 1995, the train’s doors closed on the strap of her violin case. Remotely controlled and lacking safety sensors, the doors remained firmly closed. Clutching her violin — a 400-year-old Amati valued at about a half-million dollars — Rachel was dragged 366 feet before she was pulled under and run over. The accident severed one leg above the knee and severely injured the other.

But did this stop her? No way. After taking two years off to recover from her injuries, Rachel successfully resumed her professional career. In 1999 she took Metra to court. Metra’s defense argued that it was her own choice to not let go of her valuable violin, so her injuries were mainly her own fault. However, the jury didn’t buy it, and awarded her $29 million in damages. (Metra subsequently changed the door mechanism on its trains and revised its conductor safety procedures.)

Recommended recordings
Rachel has recorded numerous CDs, but there are two that may be of particular interest to P.L.A.G. readers:

Stringendo: Storming the Citadel contains Rachel’s original arrangements of rock and metal classics, including Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and Metallica’s “One.” Rachel’s notes on this recording include the following observations:

The rock world is not as far removed from the classical world as many people assume…Many rock artists were trained classically, and classical heavily influences their compositional style. Marty Friedman, Kirk Hammett, and Slash, among others, listen often to classical music. (Marty told me that his favorite instrument is the violin!)

Many metal musicians (Van Halen, Man O’War, King Diamond, Rainbow, Judas Priest, Accept, etc.) include actual classical quotes in their compositions…The harmonic influences come from sources including blues and classical, and the structures of tunes like “The Spirit of the Radio” and “One” are quite sophisticated, much more so than in a typical pop tune.

My favorite rock bands always fully express the emotions they are portraying with their music and try to share those feelings with the audience. These musicians inspire me to reach for that level of communication in my performances of classical music, with its more varied emotional palette.

Instrument of the Devil is a classical follow-up to “Stringendo,” featured a collection of diabolically dark pieces for solo violin, such as The Mephisto Waltz, The Devil’s Trill, and Danse Macabre. On her website, Rachel explains that “The album’s liner notes tell the fantastic stories behind each piece and describe the violin’s centuries-old associations with the macabre. It was said that Paganini must have sold his soul to the devil to gain the ability to play all of those fast notes. But don’t worry, I just practiced a lot!”

You can learn more about Rachel Barton Pine by visiting her website, her Myspace, and her Youtube channel. Make sure to check out the photos of Rachel and her rock idols in her photo album.

What you might not know is that the articles initiated a series of events behind the scenes here at P.L.A.G.

Not long after I’d published the articles, the artistic designer and conceptual director of Luna Guitars, Yvonne DeVilliers, got in touch with me to invite me to become a Luna artist. She generously offered to send me a Luna Andromeda Floyd Grape to try, encouraging me to send candid feedback and suggestions for any improvements I might find. [Given that I'm never short of things to say when it comes to guitars, I think she may have got more than she bargained for! ]

Of course it’s a great honor to have a company offer to send you a complementary guitar, but I want to make it clear that didn’t accept Yvonne’s kind offer just to score some new gear. Far from it. Luna’s positive and empowering message had charmed me from the beginning, but the more I learned about the company, the more confident I became that it was a company I wished to support. Had Yvonne not approached me first, I would definitely have initiated contact myself (as soon as I got up my nerve!).

A player’s relationship to her instrument is not limited to practical and technical design issues; it also involves highly personal, emotional aspects. Luna Guitars understands this, and it’s part of what makes them so refreshing. On the Luna website you won’t find long-fingernail-sporting porn stars pouting seductively with guitars that they obviously don’t have a clue about how to play, the misogynist subtext being “Guitar is a boys’ club — we only allow girls whose first priority is being attractive to men.” No no no. The Luna site offers words of affirmation and encouragement to women and men alike, wrapped in a beautiful design aesthetic inspired by flora and fauna, exotic henna patterns, mythical beasts such as the dragon and phoenix, and classic works of art.

In short, Luna Guitars is a company that walks the talk of its promotional copy, aiming to create instruments that “fire your imagination, inspire your creativity and offer you the perfect guitar for expressing that special music inside that only you can hear.” That’s a message I can stand behind, but it was some words of Yvonne’s, found on the inside cover of the Luna 2007 catalog, that really hit me:

Luna Guitars’ namesake is the moon that shines by reflecting the constant light of the sun. Like the moon, we wax and wane. Sometimes we feel bright and clear, and sometimes we find ourselves in darkness. But the source of light is always there. I encourage you to remember that always…especially in dark and challenging times.

That message profoundly resonated with me, and I decided then and there to accept their generous invitation to become a Luna artist before I’d even played one of their guitars.

It didn’t take too long before the FedEx guy rapped on my door, heralding the delivery of my new Andromeda Grape. Upon unpacking it I was surprised to see that in real life the guitar is even sleeker and more elegant than it appears in the photos. When I’d tuned up and plugged in, it played and sounded great as well.

Andromeda Grape Floyd Review

After having a few months to evaluate the Andromeda (she’s currently my main guitar) I can offer the following observations. One could of course argue that my opinion is biased, but I’ve done my best to provide a balanced and objective view of the Andromeda’s strengths as well as its weaknesses.

THINGS I LOVE

• Slim neck profile (good for my small hands)
• Excellent sustain (Much better than my HMs)
• Smooth trem action (VASTLY better than the Kahler Spyders I’m used to)
• Light weight (you can play standing up without killing your back)
• Comfortable shape
• Killer rhythm sound (note: my Andromeda is fitted with EMGs)
• Great overall sound and feel
• Attractive design: I hate to admit it because I’m normally a total form-over-function kinda girl, but I feel so much cooler playing a guitar that looks good! (HM Strats are not generally admired for their aesthetics.) I even get the warm fuzzies when I look at the Andromeda sitting on its stand.

THINGS I’D CHANGE
Here comes my “That’s nitpicking, isn’t it?” Nigel Tufnel section :

• For playing live, I would need to move the pickup selector switch to a position that is easier to access. This is something that I believe Luna plans to address on forthcoming models.
• The Andromeda is a standard 25.5″ scale length. My own preference is 25″ or even Gibson scale, to lower string tension and increase the reach available for my little girlie hands.

Admittedly, to keep the Andromeda as affordable as possible, some sacrifices have been made. For example, the trem is a licensed Floyd rather than an original. But as I see it, this is actually a good thing. The low price makes the Luna Andromeda an eminently affordable guitar for new players who have not yet discovered their own quirky preferences. If a player outgrows the stock Andromeda components — pickups, trem, etc. — they can easily change them to suit their personal preferences. The Andromeda is so affordable that those who eventually wish to switch out the components can easily do so, and have the exact components that they prefer on a neck and body that ROCK.

Final verdict: at 339 USD on Amazon, the Andromeda Floyd Grape is a bargain.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR LUNA?
Luna Guitars is a company that is extremely interested in and responsive to suggestions from their players. For example, the new line of Andromedas will feature a round of changes suggested by Luna players. There are also plans in the works for a Pro Artist line, an exciting prospect that you can bet I will monitor with great interest!

Keep your eyes open for Luna’s forthcoming “Lighten Up” campaign, which will highlight the Andromeda as well as their other electrics. Additionally, Luna will be adding many new acoustic and electric guitars for 2008, guitars that designer Yvonne assures “will carry forth the Luna vibe and commitment to creating inspired instruments that are physically comfortable, visually appealing and spiritually nourishing.”

Thanks to Yvonne and Derek and all at Luna!

Visit Luna Guitars on Myspace

If (like me) you think chain letters embody all that is repugnant about western culture, Dave’s got the perfect solution for breaking those suckers with a clear conscience. Now you can trash ‘em without worry, and merrily heave a pie in the face of any potential supernatural repercussions.

Just download, print and sign the brilliantly worded Certificate of Chain Letter Nullification (a free pdf).

It rocks so hard I can hardly stand it…

Beer drinkers who are interested in a quick’n'dirty strap lock system for your guitar are in luck. Get two bottles of Grolsch and use the red rubber gaskets as strap locks. The advantage of using the rubber gaskets is that they are small enough to fit through most straps, but still do a good job holding the strap firmly in place. The soft rubber doesn’t damage or scratch your guitar. You also get a valid excuse to drink two bottles of imported beer.

I learned about this trick during the last SoP tour. I was in the rather precarious state of having no strap locks, but our guitar tech Hans heroically located two Grolsch gaskets and deftly installed them on my pink guitar. (I am not sure if drinking was actually involved.) These DIY strap locks kept my guitar safely around my neck, where it belongs. When I got home to Sweden and got out my guitar, I was happily surprised to find the strap locks attached; they are still serving me well today!

Luna Andromeda Phoenix (sans trem, but can you imagine it with one? Yowza!)

I’ve not had the opportunity to try one of these, but my curiosity is definitely piqued! Based on looks alone the only thing I’d change would be the positioning of the controls. You want to be able to do the pinkie-volume-swell thing and to switch pickups with a flick of the wrist. Fender got the position of controls totally right on their original Strats.

Ideally, I’d also reduce the scale length from 25 1/2″ to 25″ (like my Fender HM Strats) or even 24 3/4″ (Gibson). And if allowed to nitpick, I’d pay extra to get a custom version with a stylized abalone DOLPHIN and the best trem and pickups I could find. But that’s all gravy. If they sound and play great, I’d be stoked about playing this guitar as-is. Because they’re beautiful, for GIRLS, and different!

It’s strange, but I’d have a lot more confidence in the quality of these guitars if they cost several hundred dollars more than they do. You know, that “you get what you pay for” mentality. Luna’s low prices seem too good to be true for real quality instruments.

But all of that is just me nitpicking: what I’m so excited about when it comes Luna is the company’s positive view of female players that I infer from their products and marketing. Just the fact that they even make a girl’s guitar that looks shred worthy says a lot — it says that they believe that there are women out there who want to play aggressive rock or metal lead guitar, and who need a good instrument built for that. It’s one of the most refreshing things I’ve seen all year.

If the Luna guitars sound and play as good as they look, I’d feel totally COOL playing one. But when it comes to some of those other “toy guitars for girls,” no matter how they sounded, if I even touched one I’d feel I needed an industrial disinfection team to scrub my entire body with wire brushes to rid it of every last molecule of vapid pink, glittery odiousness (and this is coming from someone who LIKES pink guitars). The view of female players that they embody is just so….LAME.

At the end of the day, no matter what type of music play, and no matter if you’re into pink flowery glitter, beat-up DIY Frankenstein guitars, stock vintage Gibsons, pointy superstrats — whatever — you want a guitar that plays great, sounds great, and that makes you feel capable, inspired, ready to rock, and COOL.