Kris and I were the only ones to show at band practice today. We decided to spend the day doing equipment maintenance. For me, that meant replacing power supplies and cleaning potentiometers ("knobs"). Replacing the power supply for the Sidstation meant a trip to Radio Shack, purveyors of cheap electronics. I could pick up cleaning solution at the same place. Off to northgate we go!

Pot cleaner is amazingly toxic stuff that comes in an aerosol can. It's tetrafluoroethyl (or something spelled around like that), so it's pretty much death on a stick as far as the environment is concerned. You just spray it on your controls and twist the knobs. The cleaner somehow knows how to get in there and clean the wipers and contacts. I was a little doubtful that the spray would be powerful enough to get into the innards of my preamp until my first trial spray in midair, which created a 4 foot plume of cleaner. Then I was a believer.

The power supply seems like it might not present many opportunities for storytelling, but when I told the salesperson that a multifunction supply was NOT acceptable, that even a brief trip to 3v or 9v can permanently scramble a sidstation's nonvolatile memory, it set in a motion a quest that shall outlive time! Actually, his exact words were "We don't have any like that." "I'm sure you do, because I'm actually here to replace a Radio Shack power supply." was my riposte. Glancing at the shelf, he found the pricetag for the particular model I sought. "Oh. We're all out." "hmmm," I hummed. Then: revelation. "I think we might have one somewhere..." he volunteered, tentatively. He then disappeared.

10 minutes later my salesman came back holding a giant crate. "Well, we do have some on hand!" he puffed. Dropping the box, which was completely full of one type of AC adaptor, he exclaimed, "93, to be exact.". Apparently they will all be sold to one guy, who comes in and buys only that model of adaptor every few weeks. I decided not to pursue this anomaly any further. Even on a large scale, 6v 800mA is not going to be very dangerous.

I went to subway for dinner. I'm sure television would have warned me of this, but since I last visited, they have made astounding advances in sandwich technology. You can now choose to have one of three dressings poured all over your sandwich, bread options have increased from white/wheat to four different kinds, some with crunchy-looking bits sprinkled on them, and they even slice the sandwich differently now, a new technique known as a "hinge cut" (though you can get an old fashioned "U gouge" if you request it.). (Blech. "Gouge" is not an appetizing word.)