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Post by CAPT Issac R. Madden on Mar 7, 2014 0:44:16 GMT 1
I pulled a muscle in my back during basic and they gave me valium. That was some good shit, but for some reason the idiot who ran firewatch decided that me being hopped up on drugs was no reason for me to be pulled from the my nightly shift which ran from 0030-0230, giving me about 2 hours of sleep per night if I was lucky.
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Post by Tillian Panthesis on May 15, 2014 16:47:40 GMT 1
Two words:
Tony Abbott.
It's the worst time to be disabled, having a weak constitution and having plans to go back to do another degree in Australia. Look it up and if you want to discuss all the political mess, take it to the politics section. But I have to say I've never felt so depressed and feeling like shit in my entire life, until now. I'm surprised I'm still breathing at the moment, instead of ending myself up in the morgue the next day after jumping into the Yarra River.
Before you pointed out that in the States, you're used to being on your own, let me tell you this: I'll be dead already if my parents decided to migrate to the states instead of Australia a long time ago...
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Post by CAPT Issac R. Madden on Jul 17, 2014 22:30:14 GMT 1
I was allowed to exercise in the gym on my own today for the first time in a while. My instructions were to run 2.5 miles. I quit after 1.5. Not because I had to, but because I allowed myself to give in during a moment of weakness. Worse, one of my sergeants found out and I'm going to be in for it tomorrow.
What pisses me off is that I gave in rather than keeping going. If I'd kept running, I'd have made it. I'm so pissed and ashamed of myself it's not funny. Best thing I can do right now is to push myself harder tomorrow, refuse to quit until I literally can't do it any more. And refuse to give in ever again.
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Post by Clint Johnston on Jul 17, 2014 22:31:32 GMT 1
This is why I'm not in the Military... I may hate myself, but I just quit talking to me for a while and I get over it.
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Post by Lily Ariel Linders on Nov 2, 2014 13:34:24 GMT 1
This Horrible Thing happened not to me specifically, but to my brother (I'll call him K.J. for the purposes of this post).
A bit of context - my younger brother (he's just turned 30, so he's only a year younger than I am) and I were both adopted, both from different birth families. Within the last 10 years, we both managed to find our biological roots - he found his birth father and I found my birth mother. My brother and I are not related by birth.
Due to complicated circumstances, my brother and I have not been in contact much over the last 10 years - in fact, Christmas last year (2013) was the first time I'd seen K.J. in around 10 years, and I got to meet his fiancee, and we've been slowly reconnecting over the last year.
On to the point of this post - Linders and I were invited to a turkey dinner at my parents' house today, and K.J. and his fiancee were going to be there - they're expecting a baby due just before Christmas, and I was somewhat excited to see them today. I had a small gift for them and everything.
I spoke to Dad this morning to confirm what time we'd go over to the house, and he mentioned that Linders and I could come over whenever we're ready, but K.J and his fiancee won't be there... because K.J's grandfather (his birth father's father, who he'd apparently been rather close to since they reconnected ten years ago) passed away and he's going across the province to see that branch of his family.
I feel horrible for him, I'm actually weeping here - and I know it's odd for me to be so affected emotionally by this because I've never met his grandfather, and in fact am not related to him myself... but I know how it feels to lose someone precious (I was heartbroken when my grandmother died a few years ago - and actually still find myself sometimes crying over her loss now) and I know how heartbroken K.J. must be today.
I wish there was something I could do to help him or ease his pain somehow, but I don't know what I could do.
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Post by Mister Buch on Nov 10, 2014 3:38:04 GMT 1
This should go under a new thread called 'I Was a ****** Idiot Today' --
I just applied for a job as a proofreader - my dream job, and in my home town which made it absolutely ideal. I attached my CV in an email, wrote a long cover letter, was really pleased with how it turned out, clicked 'send' - and then realised I had spelled the very last word wrong. Proofreader, yeah.
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Post by Clint Johnston on Nov 10, 2014 6:23:52 GMT 1
Ouch! Maybe they won't notice, because they need to hire a proof-reader!
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Post by Mister Buch on Nov 10, 2014 20:19:59 GMT 1
Ha! I can't argue with that logic.
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Post by herrwozzeck on Nov 22, 2014 0:53:22 GMT 1
Well, I feel like shit today. I had one of the most humiliating goddamn viola lessons I've ever, ever had in my life. It was... I don't even know how to describe it.
Well, I guess it kind of ties into the fact that my teacher, bless her heart, is kind of new at this whole teaching business. So maybe it's that she just doesn't have the experience to really know how to instruct students. But at the same time, it's really frustrating to someone who constantly talks to you in a completely condescending manner every time you play. It's like she thinks I'm a fucking baby who doesn't know what the fuck he's doing, and it's so, so frustrating to deal with because I have to suck it up and stuff. And admittedly, I do get kind of sour about that and it shows, but I just try to truck through.
And then today, halfway through the goddamn lesson, she went in like "I don't want to hear the rest of what you're doing right now 'cause it's so bad, use this remaining half hour to practice, your attitude sucks, blah blah blah".
I'm seriously considering just not taking viola lessons next semester...
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Post by CAPT Issac R. Madden on Nov 22, 2014 1:22:27 GMT 1
That shit is what got me out of classical guitar and straight into metal. Between the asshat teachers I dealt with in learning classical (nearly identical experience to yours in your post) and morons who can't even make a coherent note on a guitar telling me I'm playing wrong, I got fed up.
Comparison: I do a high speed arpeggio run as a lick during a solo.
Classical crowd: "Mmm those notes were a fraction of a semitone off..."
Metal crowd: "FUCKIN-A MAN!!! DO IT AGAIN!!!"
Edited to add: also, the metal community is very tolerant of improvising when I forget the exact notes I'm supposed to be playing which works for me because my last classical critic said that listening to me play was "like trying to find order amongst the chaos". That comment really stuck with me for two reasons. First: critic didn't know what end of a trumpet to blow into. Second: I took the concept in that comment and decided to run with it for my original stuff and so far it's sounding good to those who hear me play it so I must be doing something right.
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Post by Lily Ariel Linders on Nov 22, 2014 1:23:35 GMT 1
Well, I feel like shit today. I had one of the most humiliating goddamn viola lessons I've ever, ever had in my life. It was... I don't even know how to describe it. Well, I guess it kind of ties into the fact that my teacher, bless her heart, is kind of new at this whole teaching business. So maybe it's that she just doesn't have the experience to really know how to instruct students. But at the same time, it's really frustrating to someone who constantly talks to you in a completely condescending manner every time you play. It's like she thinks I'm a fucking baby who doesn't know what the fuck he's doing, and it's so, so frustrating to deal with because I have to suck it up and stuff. And admittedly, I do get kind of sour about that and it shows, but I just try to truck through. And then today, halfway through the goddamn lesson, she went in like "I don't want to hear the rest of what you're doing right now 'cause it's so bad, use this remaining half hour to practice, your attitude sucks, blah blah blah". I'm seriously considering just not taking viola lessons next semester... Wow... that is definitely not the right way to teach. Sorry to hear that; maybe you should speak up and tell her that her attitude is condescending and is not appreciated? Tactfully, of course... But yeah, I know what you mean though - condescension is absolutely one of my biggest pet peeves, and nine times out of ten makes me want to smack the person who is being condescending to me.
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Post by herrwozzeck on Nov 22, 2014 1:25:48 GMT 1
The worst part about it is that this has never been my experience with any of the private teachers I've ever gotten throughout my whole life. It's just this one case. But it's still really demoralizing when it does happen, you know?
And I should be feeling better than this, 'cause we have Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally visiting my school right now, and they've had some really eye-opening things to say about opera as an art form and I've been drinking it all in 'cause I'm interested in that, but I can't even concentrate on Terrence McNally's awesome talk today because of this. It sucks.
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Post by Lily Ariel Linders on Nov 22, 2014 2:21:04 GMT 1
Maybe you can get a different teacher? Just don't give up, because if you love playing an instrument, and it's a musical outlet for you, you don't want to lose that.
I loved playing the piano, I played for years, took lessons from a few different tutors over the years - then stopped the lessons and simply played for my own enjoyment. But when I moved out of my parents' house, they ended up eventually selling the piano because I could never fit it into any of the apartments I lived in after I left their house... and they could not justify keeping the piano around when I was not there to play it. I miss my piano...
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Post by Clint Johnston on Nov 22, 2014 2:24:56 GMT 1
also, the metal community is very tolerant of improvising when I forget the exact notes I'm supposed to be playing which works for me That's because the Metal community has lost most of its hearing... Sorry, I couldn't resist. May you have better luck in future, Wozzeck!
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Post by Lily Ariel Linders on Nov 22, 2014 2:45:29 GMT 1
Metal is awesome. And might I add, my hearing is just fine.
And as Dream Theater can attest, improvising is oftentimes the key to fantastic music. As proven by John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess just having a blast with their guitars and keyboards.
Edit: Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater - Improvising his way into beautiful music.
Now, I'd mentioned that I loved playing the piano, but... I could never in a million years be as amazing as this piano genius.
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