Managing to not go crazy

Been waiting around for PCBs to arrive. They're four days overdue (four days!). When they do, I can see if they fit the prototype box I've had made - holes and everything... And if all's OK, I press the big box-making switch!

In the meantime I've been working on a distortion pedal that's clean for the initial strum of the guitar, the pick-hitting-string part, and immediately afterwards is distorted for the rest of the sound. Should lead to some interesting attack punch, something that's often lacking from boxes that squash the sound flat, and also the amp might like that clean hit.

Sometimes when people record guitar, they do experiments like mic'ing up the strings acoustically - to get the plectrum 'zing' - and mixing that into the sound. I did a session with major rock producer Michael Beinhorn back in the day, when we spent twelve hours just getting the guitar sound; no problems, but that's how long it took to position about twenty mics on the Marshall and Mesa stacks and my Twin Reverb, adjust the rack gear (JMP1, Sansamp) and his modular synth also mixed in. A whole row of faders pushed up to make one unstoppable sound!
He didn't mic the guitar itself though. I think he'd be up for hearing this pedal, mind; said he didn't like pedals - but then included my Tonebender/Fender Twin combination.

PCBs still not here.

I bought some Kevlar a while back - for J's valentine card (bulletproof!). It's mad stuff; looks like regular fabric, and then you get your scissors out to cut a bit... and there's something wrong... What's up with these scissors??!
It's weirdly strong. I was using big sharp scissors, and the bit I finally cut out looked like I'd done it with a penknife.

Hey - how about a new game!
... 'Stone, Kevlar, Scissors'
Kevlar beats stone and scissors.