I'm posting less frequently these days.
While that may be cause for celebration by some, it's not for lack of interest, really. I'm spending a lot of my time learning to play a new musical instrument, and am finding that much more interesting somehow than DU, just now. I'm making steady progress with that, and that's a rewarding sort of thing. It doesn't matter, really, but I hope to be able to join a local community band and add the voice of my newly-found euphonium to the group. That's still a way off, but I'll get there, if I stick to my regular practice schedule.
We're between elections right now, and there's not a lot going on. Nobody has announced as a Democratic presidential candidate, so discussions about all the things wrong with Hillary Clinton aren't that interesting to me at the moment. The potential candidate who seems to be getting a lot of support from some on DU keeps saying she isn't running, and the other popular figure still hasn't decided whether to become a Democrat.
I figure that will all sort itself out in a month or two, and the discussion will become more interesting again. By then, I'll be further along the path of learning the euphonium. By Spring, I should be ready to play with others. In the meantime, there's an election in 2015, and all of the city council members in St. Paul will be up for election. That will be interesting, but not to DU. The presidential election primary campaigns will begin, but there's time yet to work on that.
Meanwhile, my work is increasing, thank goodness, thanks to a growing economy and increased confidence by the small businesses I serve. I'm now on a retainer basis with my primary client, so I'll also be a little busier with work. My resolution for 2015 is to build that business up more and focus on earning a little more money. Between that and practicing so I can play well with whatever community band I join is going to keep taking up more time. So, DU is going to get a little less attention from me, since nothing here is really pressing. I'll keep reading DU, of course, and will add a reply to a thread or two, now and then, of course, but I may not be as visible for a while.
I'm rethinking my priorities a bit, and am opting for something that actually builds up my local social outlets and rewards me with some sense of achievement. I'm not getting any of that from DU. I'm weary of the daily infighting and posturing that seems to be the foundation of discussions here, so I'm opting to step back and let others carry that on.
Anyway, it's time for my afternoon practice session and scale exercises. I'll be back tomorrow, but not on the kind of regular basis I've been hanging around here. As 2016 approaches, I'll probably return more to do my usual calling for GOTV efforts, but that didn't really accomplish much in 2014, so maybe not so much as before. I'll see you all around from time to time. This afternoon, I'm working on the Db, Ab, and Eb scales. That's fun. Hard work, but fun.
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Heck yeah, it does. Been playing my oboe for the first time in a couple years. It's been wonderful fun, but man, it hurts. I can only play for 15 minutes at a time 
I know exactly what you mean about the french horn. I did the same thing when my brother learned to play one. I also thought that it was easy to pick up and get good tone from a bass clarinet, even though people always complained about the high register--maybe just better ability to adjust embouchure and airflow? I know oboe is far better suited to developing those skills, since it's unplayable without them.
Good luck if you go back to playing oboe again--that switch destroys your embouchure 
"and have figured out how to make the euphonium sound like a euphonium. That's a good thing."
That's basically how I learned to play my instruments 
I received a catalog last spring out of the blue. I can't remember ever ordering anything from them. Anyway there was this beautiful archtop electric/acoustic guitar that was affordable. I drooled over it for a while and actually threw the catalog away. My wife said, "Father's day is coming up so why don't you quit mooning over that thing with a crank and get it." She's a violinist and looks down on the guitar.
So anyway you are now an euphoniumist is that a euphemism for something? Here I'll do it for you--
Happy New Year MineralMan 
Happy New Year Rockdude.
