Some good news - always welcome.

I was a little late for my appointment at the cancer center this afternoon, because I stopped along the way at Commercial Electronics, to get a new cartridge for my old Technics turntable, and we got talking among 2 or 3 customers and the staff, about vinyl versus compact discs, and the verdict is that vinyl still rules - it's all in the mixing, they tell me. 


I was also pleased to see they've still got a few very good turntables for sale, and these are good quality, in the $400 to $550 range. And pickups these days start around $50 for the 'cheap & nasty' low end model, up to around $150 for the best quality Grado. I settled on the next-best Grado, at $79 plus tax. It has a nice set of specs, and sounds very good. (I think I'll keep it.)

While sorting out spare parts for the stereo equipment yesterday, I found a new unused pickup for this turntable (P-mount type) and it had a price sticker on the box saying $45, so I had a spare all along and didn't remember it. But the one I got today is supposed to be better than that and better than a Shure M92E, which itself is pretty hard to beat. The Shure is the one I've been using until now on the turntable. This replacement is said to be one step up from that. And the guys at Commercial Electronics still had me in the computer, from 1993. I felt right at home.


I got to the cancer center about ten minutes late, but luckily, the doctor was running a bit behind today too, so it all worked out very well. And the news is good. Looks like my prostate cancer is history. My PSA is down to 1.8, and that's better than most guys my age, and a huge improvement over its 15 from back before the brachytherapy in April. There are angels of mercy in the world, and I was lucky enough to meet one, Thank God.