Anything noteworthy happen to you today?

In LOTR I had the dvantage of having read the book first.

I had a lot of trouble with Schindler's List. Though I also read the book of that before I saw the movie. In general, black and white, and when people wear the same suit and have the same hair.

Ha, ok, I understand.

polydigm - 25-6-2018 at 23:52

Quote: Originally posted by punknaynowned

... I can't abide the bs on the zappa forum anymore ...

That's why I don't interact there much any more. It's good to hear from you again.

polydigm - 25-6-2018 at 23:59

... unfortunately I am a bit face blind...

My wife has that a little, but is in denial. When we watch new shows she's always saying that an actor is so and so when they aren't and I can tell straight away. I then have to look up their pictures on the internet and show her they're different.

BBP - 26-6-2018 at 16:07

There's more and more interest coming into this problem, partly owing to the faceblind Oliver Sacks who wrote a great article about it in The Mind's Eye. He related it to getting lost easily, which is something I also have troubles with.

BBP - 1-7-2018 at 15:31

It's so hot and dry the farmers are now banned from watering their crops...

polydigm - 1-7-2018 at 23:44

Water or food, which do you choose? Rock and a hard place.

BBP - 2-7-2018 at 20:50

Seems it'll be hot and dry for at least another week.

aquagoat - 3-7-2018 at 05:27

The heatwave has been pretty persistent here, which is a good thing. I hope it'll last, I need some sun after the crappy rainy winter we had. In a week, my skin passed from practically white to a nice golden brown, apart from certain areas that remain covered all the time, making me look a bit like a human version of this:

polydigm - 3-7-2018 at 23:28

Where's the happy medium?

BBP - 4-7-2018 at 06:28

Believe it or not, but the Cluedo game is still going, from mid April on. We're reaching the end phase, now that the weapon and room are known we're still looking for the suspect. There's one player whose answer we await, if he doesn't have this suspect it's game over and somebody else wins (which is logical since he had 2 turns more than me.)

aquagoat - 5-7-2018 at 05:18

Where's the happy medium?

I don't know, Poly, I don't know.

polydigm - 5-7-2018 at 05:45

Where's the happy medium?

I don't know, Poly, I don't know.

That makes two of us.

polydigm - 5-7-2018 at 05:52

... the Cluedo game is still going, from mid April ...

One evening after dinner, I can do it, but waiting a couple of months for a result? I wouldn't have the patience for that.

Quote:

... he had 2 turns more than me ...

How is that possible in Cluedo?

polydigm - 5-7-2018 at 05:55

I've been playing drums for more than three months now and really enjoying it. Talking about patience, I ordered a set of effects cymbals from eBay last week and the guy still hasn't shipped them. I'm really looking forward to using them. Come on!!

Caputh - 5-7-2018 at 18:25

It's a good film but unfortunately I am a bit face blind - this makes it hard for me to tell people apart. Unless the characters look sufficiently different I confuse the lot. I can tell Marlon Brando apart, but that guy who's at the wedding rehearsing his lines I can't tell apart from the guy who's dancing and remarks something along the lines of "who are you, the dance competition judge?". I remember the murder scene of the first and the fish being delivered, but because the other guy shows up after that I couldn't piece all the bits together until I read a summary afterwards.

Ah - great movie (my 19 year old son's favourite). I show it to my English classes as a view on American Dream/American Nightmare/capitalism/immigration/patronage at the end of term. Most of them love it. However, I do always draw a family tree on the whiteboard, including the rival families. When one dies, I cross the name off the board, which generally makes the pupils laugh, particularly towards the end. The 2nd one is as good as the first. I don't like the 3rd part, but my son swears its excellent, so I bow to his superior judgement.
How about a WWII thread here, btw?

Caputh - 5-7-2018 at 18:34

Quote: Originally posted by punknaynowned

I'm sorry I haven't been here for so long.
I'm sorry I haven't been a friend in these intervening years.
But I can't abide the bs on the zappa forum anymore.
Again.
I feel bad for Alex who's doing it all by himself.
I will check in from time to time and let you know I'm still alive.
I wish things were different. I wish a lot of things.

Things are actually a lot worse here than what you may see in the news.
But when good people like calvin say there's nothing to do about it...
he gives the fascists the space necessary to take over and then run our towns.
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
-Sad and disgusted.

One thing I always liked about Zappa was the ability to laugh at incredible political stupidity. If we keep laughing, they'll never get an entire grip IMHO. The danger is, that one might resort to their methods, of course i.e. personal attack, repetition, an inability to want to learn and to question. But I don't think we should get too depressed about the state of the world. Weirdly enough, the older I get, the more optimistic I become about the human race...

BTW, poly - fancy having our long delayed discussion about Lenin here? State your case if you feel so inclined and I'll attempt a reply.

aquagoat - 5-7-2018 at 21:39

I've been playing drums for more than three months now and really enjoying it. Talking about patience, I ordered a set of effects cymbals from eBay last week and the guy still hasn't shipped them. I'm really looking forward to using them. Come on!!

-I'd really like to play drums. I think it s an awesome instrument. I've got great respect for them drummers, especially death metal and jazz drummers, they make me feel like the guitar is such an easy instrument to play.

polydigm - 6-7-2018 at 01:48

Quote: Originally posted by Caputh

BTW, poly - fancy having our long delayed discussion about Lenin here? State your case if you feel so inclined and I'll attempt a reply.

I'll start a new thread. I'm calling it Saving the World - tongue in cheek.

polydigm - 6-7-2018 at 01:52

I know a drummer who tried to play the guitar once but gave up because it was too difficult.

Drums are like anything else, even you have a knack for playing them, they require consistent, concerted and ongoing effort to master.

aquagoat - 6-7-2018 at 05:29

I agree with you. Every discipline is a question of training, applying yourself to it and doing it.

I'm getting a bit tired of playing the guitar, at the moment, I'd really like to play a new instrument. i'm thinking about a keyboard or drums.Or maybe a saxophone.

BBP - 6-7-2018 at 06:40

... the Cluedo game is still going, from mid April ...

One evening after dinner, I can do it, but waiting a couple of months for a result? I wouldn't have the patience for that.

Quote:

... he had 2 turns more than me ...

How is that possible in Cluedo?

Well, my fellow players seem to be getting tired. We've picked up the pace in the sense we no longer wait 4 days for a person to respond before game master steps in, but there's now an iron rule of 24 hours - 24 hours to disprove or else game master does it for you, 24 hours to make a suggestion or lose a turn.

The person before me asked a suggestion, I couldn't disprove. The player after me said he couldn't disprove, but we later learned he could. As his punishment everybody got to see this card he should have shown. He asked if he got to go again, which game master allowed (I personally thought that was a bit much since that puts you at a great advantage provided you ask well, and this is a good player). So he has 1 extra turn.
And this is 2 turns more than me when he has asked and I haven't yet.

Good luck with the drums Poly!

BBP - 7-7-2018 at 06:49

My apologies for leaving the spammer out two days...

polydigm - 7-7-2018 at 17:42

BBP - 7-7-2018 at 20:20

No the person who asked for those cards got an extra move.

Caputh - 7-7-2018 at 21:13

You need to play against my older brother - he's useless at Cluedo. Mind you, he's very good at Monopoly. He has an amusing, but annoying habit of singing: "Riding along on the crest of a mortgage", when you're losing to him and have just mortgaged "Old Kent Road".

BBP - 8-7-2018 at 09:13

It's no fun playing against people who are useless at Cluedo.

Well I thought I had the winning suggestion but it's just been disproved...

polydigm - 8-7-2018 at 14:45

No the person who asked for those cards got an extra move.

That wasn't clear from how you explained it. The other guy should not get an extra turn as the information he asked for still came to light.

BBP - 8-7-2018 at 16:46

You're right, sorry about that...

polydigm - 10-7-2018 at 01:47

You're right, sorry about that...

Don't worry, no harm done.

polydigm - 10-7-2018 at 02:42

My effect cymbal pack arrived yesterday. I'm like a kid in a toy shop. I got my drum kit at the end of March. An old drummer friend found it online for me when I was considering buying a new set, which would have been expensive and limiting. I ended up with a second hand, PDP Concept Maple, seven piece drum kit with a Sabian XSR, six piece cymbal set plus all the appropriate hardware, and a bonus double bass pedal, all in very good condition for a ridiculously cheap price. I'm currently using the single pedal. There are plenty of very inspirational drummers out there using only a single bass drum pedal.

My new effects cymbals include an 8" china plus 9" splash stack, which you can see to the right of the hi-hats, which came with the extension arm hardware included. This is what inspired me to get this set in the first place. I was watching a video of Sarah Thawer, who is an amazing drummer, who uses a single bass pedal, demonstrating the use of Indian rhythms on a drum kit and she has a three cymbal stack to imitate a clapping effect. So I did some research and eventually came across this effects set by Rech Cymbals, a company created by this Australian guy who gets them made in China and also Turkey.

I really wanted to get a bell as well and this new set included a 6" Bell. It sounds fantastic. You can see it mounted above the 16" crash cymbal on an included mount, above left of the hi-hats. The third cymbal, that I was least excited about, is a 10" splash, because I already have one, but I was getting this new set for virtually half the price and as it turns out, it sounds very different to the other one and is already coming in very handy. This is mounted above the 18" crash, also on an included mount, in the top left corner of the picture. You can see my other splash, mounted on the bass drum, in between the two crash cymbals.

I started a new composition inspired by twiddling around on my classical guitar while watching that film called Denial yesterday. If you haven't seen it I can recommend it. Later on I got on the drum kit to work on the drum part which significantly features my new cymbals.

aquagoat - 10-7-2018 at 05:32

Hahaha, brilliant! Have fun with that new toy, Poly!!!

As for me, after a while feeling tired and stuck in a rut guitar-wise, I'm starting rbuild interest in the instrument thanks to the use of the tapping technique. I used to use this technique but quie simplistically. Now i'm training to try to use all my fingers, and it provides me with the possibility for interesting entertwined lines, counterpoints and stuff, or even for rhythm parts. The possibilities for wide intervals are quite appealing. It's refreshing.

BBP - 10-7-2018 at 07:42

Awesome Poly!!

My music is getting stuck in a rut now with work, but I'm so happy with work it's OK...

polydigm - 10-7-2018 at 12:46

Bonny, there's nothing wrong with having a job and earning money. It's an important fundamental. You'll find time for your music. Look at me, I'm 62. Have you seen that 103 year old French pianist who just released an album of her playing?

polydigm - 10-7-2018 at 13:09

Aqua, it's always good to have goals. I won't go into one of those self help type rants, about scheduling and focus and so on, because I don't have the personality to follow them myself. I need to follow my whims musically and most of what I do ends up helping in some manner or other in the long run and I rarely get bored with it. I am able to persist with various instrumental exercises for quite long periods of time and I think that's enough discipline for me.

But goals are definitely good. For example, I resurrected my classical guitar recently and have set a goal of eventually recording a performance of an arrangement of Echidna's Arf. I was already trying to play it recently on a steel string acoustic and an electric, which I've been doing on and off having transcribed it a long time ago, but have never ended up with an arrangement I was completely happy with. Now with the classical guitar, I've come up with a complete arrangement that's very satisfying, which sounds really cool on that instrument - pick style, not finger style - I just have to practice it now until I master it.

Then there's that new composition I started yesterday, so now I'm also driven to come up with a suitable drum part. Then when I'm tired of all that I play the piano for an hour or two and there are a couple of pieces on the piano that I'm getting ready for recording. So I have multiple goals, I can't work linearly, I have to have several on the go at a time and periodically one get's completed.

aquagoat - 11-7-2018 at 05:32

Yep, Poly, setting up goals is a very good thing, indeed. When I was unemployed, I started doing sports again cause I wanted to lose weight. And cooking my own food, to eat more healthily. I also decided to learn to play a song per day, in different style. Acheiving these simple goals really boostedmy self confidence and made mefeelbetter. It also forced me to have better self discipline, which is something I lack a lot.

I'dreally like to hear that classical arrangement of Echidna's Arf. Don't forget to share it wth us when it's recorded.

I have lots of compositions I'dlike to record. But I don'tknow yet how. I hesitate between going the old way using the semi professional equipment I still have, or using my computer and recording softwares, etc. I think i'll go the second route, since I live in a flat in town, and i can't really record a real drumset or guitar amp in my room. So other goals are set for the near future.

This, and going in Dordogne in a few weeks, to see old girlfriends I haven't seen for almost 30 years. Probably i'll check the roofing business down there, to determine my chances of success if I decide move back to this place.

aquagoat - 11-7-2018 at 05:37

Bonny, there's nothing wrong with having a job and earning money. It's an important fundamental. You'll find time for your music. Look at me, I'm 62. Have you seen that 103 year old French pianist who just released an album of her playing?

That's what I think too. I've got time, so no need to stress and beat myself upside the head cause I haven't done this or that. I still can do it tomorrow.

aquagoat - 11-7-2018 at 05:38

Awesome Poly!!

My music is getting stuck in a rut now with work, but I'm so happy with work it's OK...

I'm glad your job makes you feel that way Bonny, it's a good thing.

polydigm - 11-7-2018 at 15:56

... going in Dordogne in a few weeks ... i'll check the roofing business down there, to determine my chances of success if I decide move back to this place.

Moving closer to the equator. I imagine the weather is part of the attraction?

BBP - 11-7-2018 at 17:42

At the moment we have weather that's reminiscent of the south of France down my way - so dry we're not even allowed to wash cars.

Have fun in the Dordogne Aqua!

aquagoat - 11-7-2018 at 18:41

... going in Dordogne in a few weeks ... i'll check the roofing business down there, to determine my chances of success if I decide move back to this place.

Moving closer to the equator. I imagine the weather is part of the attraction?

It is. Much better weather, down there. Plus, it's the place I've always felt the most at home.

aquagoat - 11-7-2018 at 18:41

At the moment we have weather that's reminiscent of the south of France down my way - so dry we're not even allowed to wash cars.

Have fun in the Dordogne Aqua!

Thank you, Bonny.

BBP - 12-7-2018 at 21:01

Well... sometimes you make good turns at work... but today I had a bad one when I made a ridiculously tiny snafu. I had to rebook a person, so I made a new booking and then accidentally set the new booking to rebooking instead of the old one. Tiny mistake but takes time to fix, and while fixing the trafficker noticed I wasn't on the phone and opened my lines, and then I had an irate AirBNB customer on the line.

polydigm - 13-7-2018 at 00:12

Yep, Poly, setting up goals is a very good thing, indeed. When I was unemployed ...

Back in my twenties when I was unemployed for some extended periods of time is when I began an extensive study of music theory and composition. I ran a very tight budget and any spare money went into buying books relating to music and also science, philosophy and sociology.

polydigm - 13-7-2018 at 00:15

Bonny, I'm assuming the irate AirBNB customer wasn't your fault, just one of the hazards of doing your job.

BBP - 13-7-2018 at 06:31

True, but you have to deal with them...

BBP - 19-7-2018 at 17:32

Day off today, went to my temp agency and got a little present - a plastic waterbottle with a pen in it.

polydigm - 20-7-2018 at 00:52

Same old same old with me.

BBP - 20-7-2018 at 08:50

One of my videos on YT has been flagged, now I have a strike on my account.

polydigm - 21-7-2018 at 15:47

You'll have to explain what that means, Bonny.

BBP - 21-7-2018 at 21:28

Three strikes and you're out. The "offending" video has been removed.

polydigm - 22-7-2018 at 01:05

Yes, but flagged for what?

BBP - 22-7-2018 at 21:57

Adult or suggestive videos.

polydigm - 23-7-2018 at 16:06

Bonny, I'm shocked. (slightly joking)

So what is the flagging process and is there a human being at the end of it actually checking that the flag is not malicious?

BBP - 23-7-2018 at 16:18

They say they checked but I doubt that... I work in customer service and know all too well there's no time for checking.

polydigm - 24-7-2018 at 23:35

So what was actually supposed to be wrong with your video?

BBP - 25-7-2018 at 09:01

Adult situations I suppose...

polydigm - 28-7-2018 at 01:19

Adult situations? I'll leave it that.

So, I guess Aqua must be on the road.

aquagoat - 28-7-2018 at 06:12

Not yet, Poly, still one week before the holidays.But I was pretty busy with work this week, doing extra time, and with the heat, it's bit tough. But I've never had such a greaat tan. :-D

BBP - 28-7-2018 at 07:15

True... my vampiric tint has turned a nice toasty brown as well.

Work is my break time, since it has airconditioning that I value a lot at the moment. At home I can hardly sleep.
Weather's cooling down this weekend...

aquagoat - 29-7-2018 at 07:39

Yesterday, me and two of my workmates spent the whole day at some clients' house, in the country, for an axcellent barbecue. It was planned a few months ago, to celebrate the end of the renovation of their roof.

Most of the family members we'd met were there, plus a few neighbours we'd spent good times with. So we ate excellent food, drank excellent wine, laughed a lot, talked a lot about lots of different thing. And since the father has an old Porsche 944, we had a little ride on the country roads that was much fun.

To top it all off, both my colleagues and I received a thank you present, I had a boxset of Zacapa rum and a book with all the modes, scales and stuff, my older mate had 3 excellent bottles of wine, and the younger one had an acoustic guitar, thing he'd wanted for quite a long time.

So I guess we can say that was really a awesome day. We already lan to do again after the holidays.

aquagoat - 29-7-2018 at 07:44

Careful with the sun, Bonny.

Yeah, sleep was sometimes difficult, last week, especially thursday night, it was so hot I could barely sleep. But we had abig stormon friday evening, so now the temperatures have decreased to an acceptable level.I hope it stays that way till the end of the week, and then goes back to superhot and sunny for the holidays!!!

BBP - 29-7-2018 at 10:35

That's wonderful! Enjoy your book!

I sleep with a frozen bottle now...

aquagoat - 29-7-2018 at 14:46

I will, Bonny, I will. I've just had a look at it, and it seems to be a good book, with lots of concise but plain information. I'm pretty stoked, even though I more or less already know some of this stuff after 28 years of playing.

Frozen bottle, that's a good idea!

polydigm - 29-7-2018 at 22:55

I guess in the parts of the world you guys are in, air conditioners are about as common as central heating where I am.

aquagoat - 30-7-2018 at 17:36

Air conditioning is getting more and more common, noawdays, especially in public places, like townhalls, etc.

BBP - 31-7-2018 at 09:55

In public places, yeah, but in people's homes not so much.

polydigm - 1-8-2018 at 02:05

Reverse cycle air conditioners are the solution. It's what we have. The cooling is really necessary in summer, but the heating gets used quite a bit in winter. In a part of the world where air conditioners are common, the change to reverse cycle air conditioners is pretty straightforward. In parts of the world with central heating, scrapping that and changing to a reverse cycle air conditioner is a bit more of a pain.

BBP - 1-8-2018 at 19:33

Still looking to improve my French... found my old high-school text books. Was great...

BBP - 4-8-2018 at 07:12

How are you coping Aqua? Dad's reaching breaking point here...

aquagoat - 5-8-2018 at 07:53

I'm doing ok. I try to stay in my batcave as much as possible. :lol:

Seriously, I can't stand the sweat, otherwise it's ok.

BBP - 5-8-2018 at 21:54

We went to the funfair today - bad idea. The temperatures in the shade were very manageable but the sun was so intense we spent most time resting under trees.

BBP - 7-8-2018 at 20:44

It'll be cooling down today!

BBP - 8-8-2018 at 06:56

Rain!!!

aquagoat - 8-8-2018 at 08:01

BBP - 9-8-2018 at 17:34

Have fun!

Prepping myself for tomorrow... I won't be home for the weekend and won't bring my laptop, so I'll be off for a few days except for what I can do with my phone...

polydigm - 10-8-2018 at 00:36

BBP - 12-8-2018 at 23:10

Back from BF!
Played quite a few board games!

polydigm - 15-8-2018 at 23:19

Sounds like you had fun. How's the crazy weather going?

BBP - 16-8-2018 at 08:15

Rain! That's how I know my Dutch summers! :biggrin:

BBP - 16-8-2018 at 08:16

Game day at BF's was fun. We played a game called "Ticket to Ride" twice, not a bad game.

polydigm - 19-8-2018 at 23:24

I had not heard of that game before, so I looked it up. Which version do you play - Europe?

aquagoat - 20-8-2018 at 08:44

I'm back! After an intense, fun, emotional and sometimes dangerous week and a half of parties and interesting encounters.

BBP - 20-8-2018 at 11:12

We first played the American version - close call, I lost - and a day later the Dutch version without coins, which I lost by a much larger margin.

BBP - 20-8-2018 at 11:13

Great to have you back Aqua!

aquagoat - 21-8-2018 at 07:37

Thank you, Bonny.

BBP - 21-8-2018 at 19:56

I became a moderator at the Cluedo forum I frequent. Basically I chuck spam,

BBP - 23-8-2018 at 19:02

Chucked some more spam! Now that everybody has turned PHPBB, the spambots there have gotten so sophisticated they even send PMs...

aquagoat - 24-8-2018 at 06:37

You can't stop progress, I guess.

And congratulations for the moderation appointment, Bonny.

BBP - 24-8-2018 at 06:46

There's something satisfying about chucking spam on other people's forums. Like squeezing bubble wrap.

aquagoat - 25-8-2018 at 17:10

I think I get what you're saying, Bonny. Especially the bubble wrap squeezing thing.

My lovely young guadeloupian neighbour spent almost all the month ather parents' place in Guadeloupe. She just came back this morning. And she brought me a bottle of local production rum. Isn't she adorable?
Of course, I brought her some foie gras from my stay in Perigord , last week.

BBP - 25-8-2018 at 20:51

Lovely exchange!

Had a pretty tough week at work. Highlight was when I had a man on the phone who was looking for a place to stay with the family around New Year's, his three-year-old son was quite audible on the background. He said "The youngest one's three, but he's so tiny he can still sleep in a children's cot."
Kid yells: "I DON'T WANT TO SLEEP IN A CHILDREN'S COT!

BBP - 25-8-2018 at 21:13

aquagoat - 26-8-2018 at 07:18