I'll File It Under "H" … for "Toy"

The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.

– Oscar Wilde

David was telling me about a program he watched on the Marriott hotel chain, where the founder was saying that he spent 100% of his time thinking about the business. That pretty much seems to jive with my experience, as rarely a moment goes by that I’m not thinking about OpenNMS.

I don’t think this is healthy, so I am trying to find some sort of hobby to occupy my mind that doesn’t involve computers. In the summer I raise vegetables but I wanted something for the winter as well.

I have a mental “bucket list” of things I want to do before I die, and I’ve accomplished several of them. I’ve jumped out of an airplane, gone trout fishing in New Zealand, had sushi in Tokyo, etc. but one thing stood out as a good choice for a hobby.

Learn to play the guitar.

In fact, I have always wanted to play a particular brand of guitar. Many years ago (I’m an old guy, remember) there was a short-lived television show called “Key West” with Fisher Stevens (who played the Indian character in the Short Circuit movies and the bad guy in Hackers). In “Key West” he ran a bar, and in one scene the camera pans across the bandstand and I saw the most amazing guitar. I described it to friend of mine who knows such things and they identified it as an Ovation Adamas.

After many years of wanting one, through the power of eBay and a bad economy, I finally own one. It’s a 2000 Millenium CB edition, one of only 75 made, and while my wife doesn’t like it at all, I think it’s beautiful.

It also has the most unusual artwork on the fret board, featuring all nine planets (remember, in 2000 Pluto was still a planet).

I’m carving out an evening each week for lessons, so perhaps at the next users conference we can all get together and play a little music.

5 thoughts on “I'll File It Under "H" … for "Toy"

  1. Tarus, I´m honest and envy you for this blue beauty.

    Believe me, if you have some experience, it´s not just a toy 😉

  2. @lovelace – Yup – it sounds great, although I haven’t hooked it up to an amp yet.

    It did come with the original strings (the guy I bought it from treated it as a collectors item) so the D string broke as I was tuning it, but I put a fresh set on and I like what I here so far.

    @indigo – the “toy” reference in the subject is from a popular geek movie.

  3. I have the movie Hackers as old school VHS and DVD, but I´ve never seen this movie in english. Damn it, lost in translation 😉

    My job this night is very clear 🙂

  4. The movie in question is called “Real Genius”. It is required viewing for all OpenNMS employees.

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