We're still here. The truck wasn't ready yesterday (a big surprise for Ray, I imagine). I think they repaired the EGR cooler, and then discovered that they needed to replace the fuel pump (which, of course, was not in stock). Either way, it's supposed to be finish today. Ray claims that he's going to route us by Tunnel Hill to get a new truck, and said that he would remind Ken Haynes that we need a Volvo. I hope you'll excuse me if I'm considering this with a healthy dose of skepticism. Ray may get us by Tunnel Hill, but at this point I'm of the opinion that the only people getting Volvos at U.S. Xpress are those who are quite talented at kissing ass or making a lot of noise. It doesn't seem like you can earn anything at U.S.X., because they just don't care.

In other news, I did something rash early yesterday morning. I bid on a Fostex Model-80 8-track recorder on e-Bay. This is the model I need to re-mix Roller's master tape. It'll also make a nice addition to the studio I'm still planning to put together. The seller (Sound Beach Music in Miller Place, NY) says that the switching circuits for the meters are not functional. I don't know how much of a problem this will be repair, but I'm kind of hoping that I can use the 8-track without the meters (just in case I can't get them repaired). I won it for $152, so I won't mind the cost of repairs. Sound Beach Music is supposed to write us with shipping costs, but haven't so far (the auction closed last night at 8pm). They have good feedback. I hope they're not thinking twice about it because of the price. People on e-Bay are just not going to pay anything for something that has to be repaired.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting the machine. To my knowledge, no one has a copy of Roller's 1981 recordings. We have the multi-track tape and the master tape, but the master was recorded on a 1/4 inch 8-track tape machine (which is hard to find these days; Loyd has looked around through the years). Guess what size tape this Fostex Model-80 uses? So, yes. I'm a little excited. Not just because of the Roller tape, but because of all the things I can use this for. My plan is to use this machine in conjunction with a computer. It's a win/win situation (assuming Sound Beach Music ships it).