The Burlingames

Chronicling the adventures of the B's
September 19, 2008

MXR El Grande Bass Fuzz

by Dave

I recently bought this pedal to try it out (and subsequently sold it). It’s not that I’m unhappy with the Little Big Muff; I just like to try new gear. MXR claims they based the circuit on a “classic 70’s fuzz circuit” and tweaked it for bass. Looking at the knob layout and considering various famous fuzz pedals, I guessed it would be very similar to a Big Muff. Overall, it was very similar.

The pedal had a wide variety of tones, including some fairly vintage-sounding Muff tones. One strength is it’s versatility; it can go from fairly smooth to buzzsaw, with the ability to land just about anywhere in the bassy/trebley spectrum that you might want. However, if you’re looking for that classic, creamy fuzz that the Big Muff is so famous for, this isn’t quite it.

All in all, it’s a very worthy pedal. I’m just too attached to the sound of the Big Muff to change.

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September 19, 2008

Update on Baby Rupert…

by Dave

Today was a good day. We meet with the cardiologist and yet again, another perinatal doctor. * For those of you who might be confused – my OB doctor has been the same the entire pregnancy, the cardiologist has been the same, but with each ultrasound we have meet with a different perinatal doctor.*

Anyway, we have a busy boy who still doesn’t like ultrasounds. He was head down and back out, so getting images of his heart were not exactly easy but they did see it. There wasn’t too much change in his heart size BUT the cardiologist said the valve on the left side of his heart was moving. He also said he doesn’t remember that moving at the last cardio visit 2 months ago. So, praise God!!! There is change happening and it’s good change. Baby Rupert still has 8 weeks to grow and develop. He also weighs 4 pounds and 4 ounces which puts him in the 65th percentile. Dave told me I’m on my way to having a 10 pound baby, then he laughed – such a wonderful husband! The doctors are very encouraged by the fact that he is growing and everything else is completely healthy and normal.

We were also informed that we will be able to deliver at United in St. Paul and if they need to do surgery they can also do that at Children’s in St. Paul (attached to United). We had been told before we probably wouldn’t be able to hold him once he was born, that he would be taken immediately to the NICU. Today we were told that we most likely would be able to hold him for a little while before he would need to be taken to the NICU. Praise God!!

All in all I was very encouraged by the visit today. I feel like we were able to get questions answered and some miscommunications cleared up. Thank you so much for your prayers, support, encouragement and love! We truly appreciate all it and we love all of you!! We still covet your prayers for the next 8 weeks and once he is born as well.

Also – today is Dave’s 28th birthday!! Yay for birthdays!!

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September 19, 2008

Why I Like Matthew Berry

by Dave

In a few short years, I’ve become a fantasy football addict. I’m not to the point of playing in 13 leagues at the same time, but I do invest a few hours every week doing research and making my team better (in addition to the nine hours of “research” I do every Sunday watching three games in a row). I just love football.

One of the many people I keep track of in the fantasy football world is Matthew Berry, aka the Talented Mr. Roto, who works for ESPN. I like him because he has good information, but also because he’s a bit strange. Here’s an excerpt from a recent article; it’s just one of the many random things that gets mixed into football talk.

When I first got to ESPN, I was told I could subscribe to three magazines the company would pay for. I chose US Weekly and People as two of them. They were like … uh, really? And I was like … yeah. Absolutely. And they said … most people order, like, sports magazines and stuff. And I said, “Yeah, here’s the deal. I know sports. But pop culture — that takes research, baby!” I had to justifty to my employer, in writing, why I wanted a bunch of chick mags. Today, I feel completly justified.

The rest of the article can be found here. Perhaps this is what you get from years of staring at and analyzing statistics.

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