aside from a small bit of paperwork I need to finish tomorrow, I am now on holiday for 5 weeks or so
thank fuck...I am mentally and physically exhuasted. I really am I just want to vegitate for a few weeks not, sleeping without and alarm and getting drunk......I know its not good for you but thats just how I feel right now
This has been a hard few months and I need turn myself off and on again to coing an ICT phrase.
Though I am going to start with a trip to IKEA on Friday or Sat to buy some new furniture and re-organise the house to my tastes.
I managed to clear off my share of the joint credit at last, so now I just have to get my credit card down to 0 ASAP and then I can switch the mortgage..
That in itself is annoying since I am alrady paying he mortgage and my cc and my share of teh joint credit comfortably, but the only way they will transfer the mortgage is to take away my credit line ....silly banks.
Had the end of year meeting today which was nice in a way, I decided not to go to the BBQ though I just wasn't in the mood to part or get drunk around freinds....that rest really is needed 1st.
Anyway....time to refresh, regroup and renew...3 R's to focus on the future.
oh diet went a bit out the window today, and not weeighed myself...will get back on the wagon soon.
Ahthankyew
Friday, 13 July 2012
Wednesday, 11 July 2012
Sunday, 8 July 2012
88.7 few side effects
I honestly thought I would have put more on that that after a week of 3 meals a day and booze, but I suspect the trip there and back burned off 10,000 calories each time.
Back on the diet today, and the hunger pangs are strong with this one!!! But no eating till 5/6pm and then only high protien and a bit of rice.
Trip back was not as bad as the trip there, it has to be said, I packed a bit more carefully this time, taking some things on my guitar bag on my back and carrying the amp which was the heaviest thing, but pushed it on the case when I could. I did drop it a couple of times, when the wheels got stuck, and it got totally soaked coming home...not plugged it in to see if it still works.
A few minor war wounds from the week/trip, got mossie bites on arms and legs that are bloody painful. and will take a few more days to heal, in the meantime itching like crazy.
Pulled a muscle under my rib too I think...or its from my guitar rubbing under my ribs for 6 -7 hours a day..not sure, but its painful...no guitars on straps for a few days.
Pulled the instep on my left foot, aooohhhhhwwww that is sore, and needs a bit of a gentle rubbing.
Of course the dodgy old right knee packed up as well, so that'll need to be treated gently for a bit.
Strangest thing is the balls of both my big toes ache...like chilblanes, but it can't be that since the weather was rainy rather than cold....but hurts/itches with no noticible sign of swelling or bites...
ahh just have to be honest with myself, I'm getting old and broken down and pushing my body to strange unusual limits is just not such a good idea any more....next time I plan a long trip with baggage, rent a car. I'm sorting out my dutch license next week in anticipaton of that.
After negotiating the multiple stairs at Breda station which was in the midst of a 40days of rain for the flood (but I managed to get some milk from the late night AH) I found myself limping back into the house, sodden wet and in pain.
It was strange to walk into what is now a home for one. Bina had taken some furiture and a lot of the cupboard provisions, which I suspected. but the house felt totally different, despite also feeling familiar.
It was odd walking round the rooms to see what was gone and not...Jodies room has been cleared out totally....so guess she won't be visiting anytime soon....:( Kinda thought that from the lack of contact.
Upstairs the piano had gone, wasn't really expecting that, though I had bought it as a present for Jodie, I never really considered she would take it, not the least reason being the sheer weight of it, which almost killed me when it arrived. Left the old TV on the wall too.
Office is also cleared out...I think I'll continue to use it as an office and seperate my work computer activities from the fun computer activities.
Most telling was the bedroom of course...the 2 long standing frame wardrobes where her clothes used to be have gone, and a pile of old junk left on the chest of draws..including the photo of us both that was on the top of the landing...that was kinda upsetting. Don't quite see why it had to be taken down and put on a junk pile....I put it back on the wall, for now anyway.
It dosen't feel much like home at the moment...I guess I need a few days to take stock, buy a few things and make it feel like "my" home rather than the broken home it is now.
As much as I knew all this was happening, it still feels strange.....
Bina seems to be hell bent on painting me as some kind of weird control freak, posting on facebook that she's looking forward to not being taken for granted and being allowed to believe what she wants and only clearing up after herself
Very odd, and very unpleasent thing to post, I told her so, and got defriended...well it certainly sounds like she's been living with some ignorant slob of a control freak...
Strange that I never met him, but I guess telling the world that she decided to leave because we had a row over her wanting to put an earthing sheet in our bed and that I was so angry about her absolute faith in utterly innefective alternative medicines that I actually shouted at her...Is kinda hard to get people to understand, as a cause to destroy a stable 12 year relationship! Easier to suggest that I'm a monster!
Ah well....I'm genuinely not going to get into blaming and name calling after this, I was surprised and hurt she made those comments, but it does make me realise even more that splitting was 100% the right thing to do.
I'm moving on, life is too short, the strangeness will pass, my friends are still there and new friends, new times and new experiences await.
Once I have the house the way I want it and get some time to adust to things, I will get on with enjoying my life..MY way...something I've not had the chance to do for quite some time....surprisingly.
Theres a minor complication or 2 in the mortgage transfer, some legal crap to do, and annoyingly I have to pay off all my current credit, including my card before the transfer can be done, so its going to be a few months before we can conclude the last of the legal stuff...just have to knuckle down and keep the drink, drugs and debauchery costs to a minimum for a few months till its sorted.....At least I'm not wasting a fortune on takeaway every day, something to thank the diet for.
Ahthankyew
Back on the diet today, and the hunger pangs are strong with this one!!! But no eating till 5/6pm and then only high protien and a bit of rice.
Trip back was not as bad as the trip there, it has to be said, I packed a bit more carefully this time, taking some things on my guitar bag on my back and carrying the amp which was the heaviest thing, but pushed it on the case when I could. I did drop it a couple of times, when the wheels got stuck, and it got totally soaked coming home...not plugged it in to see if it still works.
A few minor war wounds from the week/trip, got mossie bites on arms and legs that are bloody painful. and will take a few more days to heal, in the meantime itching like crazy.
Pulled a muscle under my rib too I think...or its from my guitar rubbing under my ribs for 6 -7 hours a day..not sure, but its painful...no guitars on straps for a few days.
Pulled the instep on my left foot, aooohhhhhwwww that is sore, and needs a bit of a gentle rubbing.
Of course the dodgy old right knee packed up as well, so that'll need to be treated gently for a bit.
Strangest thing is the balls of both my big toes ache...like chilblanes, but it can't be that since the weather was rainy rather than cold....but hurts/itches with no noticible sign of swelling or bites...
ahh just have to be honest with myself, I'm getting old and broken down and pushing my body to strange unusual limits is just not such a good idea any more....next time I plan a long trip with baggage, rent a car. I'm sorting out my dutch license next week in anticipaton of that.
After negotiating the multiple stairs at Breda station which was in the midst of a 40days of rain for the flood (but I managed to get some milk from the late night AH) I found myself limping back into the house, sodden wet and in pain.
It was strange to walk into what is now a home for one. Bina had taken some furiture and a lot of the cupboard provisions, which I suspected. but the house felt totally different, despite also feeling familiar.
It was odd walking round the rooms to see what was gone and not...Jodies room has been cleared out totally....so guess she won't be visiting anytime soon....:( Kinda thought that from the lack of contact.
Upstairs the piano had gone, wasn't really expecting that, though I had bought it as a present for Jodie, I never really considered she would take it, not the least reason being the sheer weight of it, which almost killed me when it arrived. Left the old TV on the wall too.
Office is also cleared out...I think I'll continue to use it as an office and seperate my work computer activities from the fun computer activities.
Most telling was the bedroom of course...the 2 long standing frame wardrobes where her clothes used to be have gone, and a pile of old junk left on the chest of draws..including the photo of us both that was on the top of the landing...that was kinda upsetting. Don't quite see why it had to be taken down and put on a junk pile....I put it back on the wall, for now anyway.
It dosen't feel much like home at the moment...I guess I need a few days to take stock, buy a few things and make it feel like "my" home rather than the broken home it is now.
As much as I knew all this was happening, it still feels strange.....
Bina seems to be hell bent on painting me as some kind of weird control freak, posting on facebook that she's looking forward to not being taken for granted and being allowed to believe what she wants and only clearing up after herself
"Thanks everyone for your kind concern - I am looking forward to a new life...my own .place, my own space, freedom to be who I want to be, think and believe what I want to believe, not to be taken for granted and only be responsible for cleaning up my mess! Its a big change but I am a strong individual and am excited at new possibilities :-)"
Very odd, and very unpleasent thing to post, I told her so, and got defriended...well it certainly sounds like she's been living with some ignorant slob of a control freak...
Strange that I never met him, but I guess telling the world that she decided to leave because we had a row over her wanting to put an earthing sheet in our bed and that I was so angry about her absolute faith in utterly innefective alternative medicines that I actually shouted at her...Is kinda hard to get people to understand, as a cause to destroy a stable 12 year relationship! Easier to suggest that I'm a monster!
Ah well....I'm genuinely not going to get into blaming and name calling after this, I was surprised and hurt she made those comments, but it does make me realise even more that splitting was 100% the right thing to do.
I'm moving on, life is too short, the strangeness will pass, my friends are still there and new friends, new times and new experiences await.
Once I have the house the way I want it and get some time to adust to things, I will get on with enjoying my life..MY way...something I've not had the chance to do for quite some time....surprisingly.
Theres a minor complication or 2 in the mortgage transfer, some legal crap to do, and annoyingly I have to pay off all my current credit, including my card before the transfer can be done, so its going to be a few months before we can conclude the last of the legal stuff...just have to knuckle down and keep the drink, drugs and debauchery costs to a minimum for a few months till its sorted.....At least I'm not wasting a fortune on takeaway every day, something to thank the diet for.
Ahthankyew
Saturday, 7 July 2012
On the road again....
They give you free Internet on the Thalys train from Paris to rotterdam, only it's utter rubbish, takes 10mins to log in and then entering any page is a case of press and wait 30secs before pressing and waiting again before you know your link has been activated. Still it at least let me read my mails, nothing new thankfully.
I enjoyed the week away though could have done without the long marking sessions which meant missing out on a couple of nice events in cognac and drinks in the village. Jams were also kept to a minimum in an effort to finally get all the igad and coding student assignments done in time for the ridiculously short deadline. But think I just made it apart from a few stragglers.
Will have a short marking session when I get home to deal with tho then turn attention to the admin for next week.....fun fun fun
Ahthankyew
Monday, 2 July 2012
Daaayh Tooo in da Big Brother house
Had a really nice relaxing Sunday, getting to know people, doing some marking, eating and drinking a bit too much, which resulted in my usual reflux problems, fortunately I bought some pepcids from a chemist in Montparnasse but didn't stop me having a disturbed uncomfortable night....need to keep the bread and wine quantities down.
This morning, very bright and unnaturally early I got up at 6 since sleeping with the indigestion was not an option, and went for a nice long 45 min walk...that'll burn a few cals.
Todays plan is simple, guitar lessons, OSIRIS updates, marking, guitar lessons, marking...eat/drink, marking.
Today is also my first full official day as a singleton again....since if everything went to plan Bina moved her stuff out of the house yesterday...Which of course is a sad thing,I will be heading home to an empty house.. I still don't really want to discuss the ins and outs of things here..just marking the timeline.
Still debating the update of my FB page, it seems she's already changed hers to "seperated"...I think "single" is more accurate, no point trying to hang on to failed relationships.
Ahthankyew
This morning, very bright and unnaturally early I got up at 6 since sleeping with the indigestion was not an option, and went for a nice long 45 min walk...that'll burn a few cals.
Todays plan is simple, guitar lessons, OSIRIS updates, marking, guitar lessons, marking...eat/drink, marking.
Today is also my first full official day as a singleton again....since if everything went to plan Bina moved her stuff out of the house yesterday...Which of course is a sad thing,I will be heading home to an empty house.. I still don't really want to discuss the ins and outs of things here..just marking the timeline.
Still debating the update of my FB page, it seems she's already changed hers to "seperated"...I think "single" is more accurate, no point trying to hang on to failed relationships.
Ahthankyew
Sunday, 1 July 2012
owwww!!
Well I arrived safely eventually, but with a clear view that despite seeming like a more relaxed way to travel, and do a bit of work while doing it, travelling on very busy high speed trains choc full of mostly Belgians heading to the south for their holidays is not a fun way to travel.
I had bought a mega suitcase the other day to carry all my crap, I figured its easier to pull 1 big case than 1 large case and a couple of bags...So I went shopping and brought back a large but cheap mega case, which is easily big enough to hold a small atomic dirty bomb, or several illegal immigrants.
Everything fitted in just fine, amp, pedals, stands, some clothes... all good. Of course the day started badly before I even got out the front door, with one part of my mega suitcase pull handle coming away...undeterred I pulled on the still attached side and chuntered down the road for the half mile or so walk to the station. Big case behind, laptop bag in hand and Libby in a softcase with a few extras on my back...we're off.
The wheels were ok, though bits of plastic and metal feel off every couple of hundred years and then the remaining handle contact cracked and decided to stay on just at a strange angle, making it no longer a viable way to pull..so then pulled on the top handle of the case...leverage being reduced the weight of the dirty bomb started to really tell on my arm and shoulder.
A few more hundred yards and a few more bits dropped off...then the handle started to give way..Commited now beyond the point of no return, I tackled the stairs at the station.....I failed..needed a passing gent to help me up, at which case the side handle I was hauling it up with started to give away... Eventually at the top of the stairs.......I realised the horror of what was next...I now had to go down a set of steps.... to get to the tunnel to lead to my platform.. I pulled on the case....and heard the horrible telltale scraping noise the indicated the wheels had come off....sure enough, the handle breaks and metal and plastic discarded on the way were the support system for the wheels which were now off their mounts... I did manage to push them back on, and taking care to keep pressure at the right angle to ensure the wheels were forced into their mounts I pulled and got movement.
oh it gets worse!
I managed 1 bag at a time to get the assorted dead weights down the stairs...I just knew at this point that the escalator to platform 4 was going to be down.....it wasn't..yeahhhh. And onto the platform to note on the display my train was 20+ mins delayed...since I only had 15min window to get on my researved seat this was kinda problematic.
Lucky for me the 20+ reduced to 10+ then 5+ but it still meant a bit of a rush at Rotterdam, a station thats been undergoing major rework for the whole 4 years I've been here.. Again someone helped me get the bag on the train, more ripping noises as the handles increased their commitment to seperation but not quite yet.
Rotterdam...ok, well it wasn't to bad there were elevators, though my wheels kept popping off I did manage to get to the platform and on the train...though storing the luggage was another matter, I leaned it (its stabalising stand being one of the bits of plastic/metal that had fallen away) up against the luggage and sat down, sweat dripping off my brow.
I may be off the diet this week but I sure as hell did some exercise. Paris Nord is massive.. but I had 90odd mins to get to Montparnasse so there was no need for me to rush through, and fortunatly the site of a huffing puffing fat bloke hauling a large possible dirty bomb though Paris's biggest station did not attract the police random stop and search at the end of the platform..they seemed more interested in people with arab scarfs or black skin who were running (to catch a train I assume)...bit odd I thought, my slow progress allowed me to see them do this 4 or 5 times and it was kind obvious who they were stopping.
And now the metro...an underground system to rival London's any day..its big, its fast, its effective, it has no elevators!!! Nope not one, at least that I and several other weary travellers from Netherlands and Belgium could see...people were crying I mean literally cying at the top of massive stairs with their pull bags half the size of mine. I manned up...heaved on the dirty bomb and got down 1 flight of steps...considered crying..but manned up again and got down the 2nd....to the gates.
The very, narrow gates the very narrow gates that had normal people sized people walking through I had a dirtybomb sized suitcase. It was wider than me. Fortunatly there was a wide gate, but no one manning it, so I scanned around for anyone in a peaked cap.....nope.
Eventually someone spotted me and a lady in sort of uniform ushered me though...and there was more stairs..... oh god! Manning up...and semi walking falling down the stairs past more crying nederlanders.
I got to the bottom and put it on its wheels which came off again...arrghh but then I saw it...a mirage in a sea of despair.
Until now I've never understood why there are so many small luggage shops in airports and railway stations....now I do, they are there to offer hope and comfort and expensive luggage to those in desperate need.
99 euros later I have a more solid and secure but slightly smaller red abs case and leave the now totally destroyed dirty bomb case with the seller...who will probably patch it up and sell it on to some other mug I had to take my pedal bag out and my stands since they were too big but the amp, clothes and assorted cables went in ok, I was mobile again.
Wheels..on the bottom as well as the edge of a heavy case are amazing I only had to push this bad boy around to get to the next ...set of stairs..up this time.
Basically that was the metro for me, very very crowded trains, and lots of stairs and the maddest station at Montparnasse I have ever seen with exits at right angles to entrances and the flows of human traffic mostly tear stained and pushing cases trying to negotiate a path through...madness.
But finally onto the train to La Rochelle stopping at Niorts. Crowded...hell yeah but again sweat dripping of me I was gratefull for my reserved seat and tried to recover from the metro gym workout.
Half way into the trip, I went to the loo and forgot where I was sitting, and panicked the I could not locate my ticket when challenged by 2 attractve but angry French ladies, worse I couold not see my laptop bag above me in the seat I found myself in...oops. It was 2 seats back...Profuse apologies didn't get me their numbers though...I suspect they were lesbians, or I was too old and sweaty...probably lesbians.
An announcment a little way into the travel, in French which I just understood said they were running 15 mins late...since I had 7 minutes window for my train that was going to be a big problem..but I can get the next one. I'm in no rush I have to wait an hour at the final destination for my lift.
I get there,and sure enough the train had gone, but no worries I already resolved to get the next one, as I go to buy the ticket only to be told their computers were down and they could not sell me one, but I could get on one on the train. Splendid, a break in the evening sunshine as I wait for the next train was just about perfect....I asked the station guard in my best french when is the next train...he had no clue what I said, so I resorted to Franglish,
"le Train, pour Saintes...when??"
I wasn't quite prepared for the Gallic shrug that followed with the stereotypical nasal grunt and
"c'est Departe"....
"Qui, je compries, ...When...next..one"
"Demain."
Now its been a while since I did French but I realised that Demain didn't mee, soon, or now, or anything resembling a time....then it hit me...tomorrow??
"Tomorrow...Dimanche?????"
"Oui" (pronounced wheeeh)
Merde!! (I'm better at French than I thought.)
But now rather pissed off I point out in angry english that I need to get to Saintes and its not my bloody fault they can't get their trains to run on time.... At which point the cashier with no computer but some english ability pipes up, having now realised that I wanted to get to Saintes today with my masses of luggage....
"Eeet has already gone seeer, eet waited 5 minootes for zee express"
Not much good when it was 15 minutes late...but having got tired of the guards gallic shrugs I went to appeal to the clearly much more helpful cashier... Eventually using good old paper timetables she worked out I could get a train to Saintes from La Rochelle (remember I got off the express to La Rochelle)
I sent texts to Chris my host at creativevacance.com but no replies, I tried calling but got a french answerphone...odd since Chris is english and probably speaks very good French but with an accent...anyway...no response so I had to take the advice of the cashier.
Cutting a very long story and a long blog post short I finally got on a train, the guard making sure I got on the right train to get me of his station...and got to La Rochelle....no elevators again....down 1 flight of stairs to change platform, up another....more workout.
Text to Chris letting him know I was still going to be in Saintes around the correct time, give or take a few mins...and head off
But I got on the train..I arrived..
I waited outside for a bit expecting Chris to drive up, only to see him walk over from the other side of the street...asking why I was late...I texted....this number.....oohh no my number is.... a pair of digits were transposed.
arrghhhhh...apologies to the french bloke getting daft texts for desperate english speaking dutch/scotsman..
I put my stuff in the van, got in, and Chris brought me to La Morau.
I ate, drank and collapsed into bed.
This morning, after the day long workout I can barely move without pain....and I forgot to pack shampoo and toothpaste... It can only get better.
Ahthankyew
I had bought a mega suitcase the other day to carry all my crap, I figured its easier to pull 1 big case than 1 large case and a couple of bags...So I went shopping and brought back a large but cheap mega case, which is easily big enough to hold a small atomic dirty bomb, or several illegal immigrants.
Everything fitted in just fine, amp, pedals, stands, some clothes... all good. Of course the day started badly before I even got out the front door, with one part of my mega suitcase pull handle coming away...undeterred I pulled on the still attached side and chuntered down the road for the half mile or so walk to the station. Big case behind, laptop bag in hand and Libby in a softcase with a few extras on my back...we're off.
The wheels were ok, though bits of plastic and metal feel off every couple of hundred years and then the remaining handle contact cracked and decided to stay on just at a strange angle, making it no longer a viable way to pull..so then pulled on the top handle of the case...leverage being reduced the weight of the dirty bomb started to really tell on my arm and shoulder.
A few more hundred yards and a few more bits dropped off...then the handle started to give way..Commited now beyond the point of no return, I tackled the stairs at the station.....I failed..needed a passing gent to help me up, at which case the side handle I was hauling it up with started to give away... Eventually at the top of the stairs.......I realised the horror of what was next...I now had to go down a set of steps.... to get to the tunnel to lead to my platform.. I pulled on the case....and heard the horrible telltale scraping noise the indicated the wheels had come off....sure enough, the handle breaks and metal and plastic discarded on the way were the support system for the wheels which were now off their mounts... I did manage to push them back on, and taking care to keep pressure at the right angle to ensure the wheels were forced into their mounts I pulled and got movement.
oh it gets worse!
I managed 1 bag at a time to get the assorted dead weights down the stairs...I just knew at this point that the escalator to platform 4 was going to be down.....it wasn't..yeahhhh. And onto the platform to note on the display my train was 20+ mins delayed...since I only had 15min window to get on my researved seat this was kinda problematic.
Lucky for me the 20+ reduced to 10+ then 5+ but it still meant a bit of a rush at Rotterdam, a station thats been undergoing major rework for the whole 4 years I've been here.. Again someone helped me get the bag on the train, more ripping noises as the handles increased their commitment to seperation but not quite yet.
Rotterdam...ok, well it wasn't to bad there were elevators, though my wheels kept popping off I did manage to get to the platform and on the train...though storing the luggage was another matter, I leaned it (its stabalising stand being one of the bits of plastic/metal that had fallen away) up against the luggage and sat down, sweat dripping off my brow.
I may be off the diet this week but I sure as hell did some exercise. Paris Nord is massive.. but I had 90odd mins to get to Montparnasse so there was no need for me to rush through, and fortunatly the site of a huffing puffing fat bloke hauling a large possible dirty bomb though Paris's biggest station did not attract the police random stop and search at the end of the platform..they seemed more interested in people with arab scarfs or black skin who were running (to catch a train I assume)...bit odd I thought, my slow progress allowed me to see them do this 4 or 5 times and it was kind obvious who they were stopping.
And now the metro...an underground system to rival London's any day..its big, its fast, its effective, it has no elevators!!! Nope not one, at least that I and several other weary travellers from Netherlands and Belgium could see...people were crying I mean literally cying at the top of massive stairs with their pull bags half the size of mine. I manned up...heaved on the dirty bomb and got down 1 flight of steps...considered crying..but manned up again and got down the 2nd....to the gates.
The very, narrow gates the very narrow gates that had normal people sized people walking through I had a dirtybomb sized suitcase. It was wider than me. Fortunatly there was a wide gate, but no one manning it, so I scanned around for anyone in a peaked cap.....nope.
Eventually someone spotted me and a lady in sort of uniform ushered me though...and there was more stairs..... oh god! Manning up...and semi walking falling down the stairs past more crying nederlanders.
I got to the bottom and put it on its wheels which came off again...arrghh but then I saw it...a mirage in a sea of despair.
Until now I've never understood why there are so many small luggage shops in airports and railway stations....now I do, they are there to offer hope and comfort and expensive luggage to those in desperate need.
99 euros later I have a more solid and secure but slightly smaller red abs case and leave the now totally destroyed dirty bomb case with the seller...who will probably patch it up and sell it on to some other mug I had to take my pedal bag out and my stands since they were too big but the amp, clothes and assorted cables went in ok, I was mobile again.
Wheels..on the bottom as well as the edge of a heavy case are amazing I only had to push this bad boy around to get to the next ...set of stairs..up this time.
Basically that was the metro for me, very very crowded trains, and lots of stairs and the maddest station at Montparnasse I have ever seen with exits at right angles to entrances and the flows of human traffic mostly tear stained and pushing cases trying to negotiate a path through...madness.
But finally onto the train to La Rochelle stopping at Niorts. Crowded...hell yeah but again sweat dripping of me I was gratefull for my reserved seat and tried to recover from the metro gym workout.
Half way into the trip, I went to the loo and forgot where I was sitting, and panicked the I could not locate my ticket when challenged by 2 attractve but angry French ladies, worse I couold not see my laptop bag above me in the seat I found myself in...oops. It was 2 seats back...Profuse apologies didn't get me their numbers though...I suspect they were lesbians, or I was too old and sweaty...probably lesbians.
An announcment a little way into the travel, in French which I just understood said they were running 15 mins late...since I had 7 minutes window for my train that was going to be a big problem..but I can get the next one. I'm in no rush I have to wait an hour at the final destination for my lift.
I get there,and sure enough the train had gone, but no worries I already resolved to get the next one, as I go to buy the ticket only to be told their computers were down and they could not sell me one, but I could get on one on the train. Splendid, a break in the evening sunshine as I wait for the next train was just about perfect....I asked the station guard in my best french when is the next train...he had no clue what I said, so I resorted to Franglish,
"le Train, pour Saintes...when??"
I wasn't quite prepared for the Gallic shrug that followed with the stereotypical nasal grunt and
"c'est Departe"....
"Qui, je compries, ...When...next..one"
"Demain."
Now its been a while since I did French but I realised that Demain didn't mee, soon, or now, or anything resembling a time....then it hit me...tomorrow??
"Tomorrow...Dimanche?????"
"Oui" (pronounced wheeeh)
Merde!! (I'm better at French than I thought.)
But now rather pissed off I point out in angry english that I need to get to Saintes and its not my bloody fault they can't get their trains to run on time.... At which point the cashier with no computer but some english ability pipes up, having now realised that I wanted to get to Saintes today with my masses of luggage....
"Eeet has already gone seeer, eet waited 5 minootes for zee express"
Not much good when it was 15 minutes late...but having got tired of the guards gallic shrugs I went to appeal to the clearly much more helpful cashier... Eventually using good old paper timetables she worked out I could get a train to Saintes from La Rochelle (remember I got off the express to La Rochelle)
I sent texts to Chris my host at creativevacance.com but no replies, I tried calling but got a french answerphone...odd since Chris is english and probably speaks very good French but with an accent...anyway...no response so I had to take the advice of the cashier.
Cutting a very long story and a long blog post short I finally got on a train, the guard making sure I got on the right train to get me of his station...and got to La Rochelle....no elevators again....down 1 flight of stairs to change platform, up another....more workout.
Text to Chris letting him know I was still going to be in Saintes around the correct time, give or take a few mins...and head off
But I got on the train..I arrived..
I waited outside for a bit expecting Chris to drive up, only to see him walk over from the other side of the street...asking why I was late...I texted....this number.....oohh no my number is.... a pair of digits were transposed.
arrghhhhh...apologies to the french bloke getting daft texts for desperate english speaking dutch/scotsman..
I put my stuff in the van, got in, and Chris brought me to La Morau.
I ate, drank and collapsed into bed.
This morning, after the day long workout I can barely move without pain....and I forgot to pack shampoo and toothpaste... It can only get better.
Ahthankyew
Saturday, 30 June 2012
Transmission resumed maybe
Am on the train to Paris using a diabolically bad Internet service on the train....they have a nerve calling this access...can only get it on my iPad and then with effort.
The day has not started well, with my newly purchased mega case containing all my gear and clothes for the week literally disintegrate on the half mile walk to the station...not helped by the need to climb multiple stairs at the station which is undergoing a major revamp.
The case has got me on the train but with the wheels literally coming off I will have to try and find a luggage shop in Paris nord since I doubt this piece of crap will survive the trip across town on the metro.
On the pluses side, lugging around the weight of a small dead adult up and down stairs is shedding pounds, in sweat if nothing else..
Might as ll relax and enjoy the trip, while I can....it can only get more and more comedic.
Ahthankyew
87.7 wow. big drop...And a break in transmission
Again eat what you like Friday (home made turkey curry) results in a spot of the trots and anotehr big weight loss....cool.
Am off to France for my week of guitarrrrrrering at creative vacance so weighing will have to stop, as indeed with the diet, though the food is heathy and unlikly to put much weight on there will also be massi....I mean some wine available all week so will almost certainly put a bit on...we'll see. I will still avoid snacks and keep myself on small portions and try to maintain the diet.
Ahthankyew
Am off to France for my week of guitarrrrrrering at creative vacance so weighing will have to stop, as indeed with the diet, though the food is heathy and unlikly to put much weight on there will also be massi....I mean some wine available all week so will almost certainly put a bit on...we'll see. I will still avoid snacks and keep myself on small portions and try to maintain the diet.
Ahthankyew
Friday, 29 June 2012
Time to change the facebook status?
Strange modern world we live in, now we announce our marital status via facebook..I guess its time to set mine to single, its never been single since I joined a few years back.
Then wait for the hoards of nubile young ladies coming after my lynx scented body, or Axe as they call it here....or more likely the door will be broken down by fellow middle aged singletons down the pub wanting fresh money for a new round.
right now pub seems a good idea..but got packing and marking to do....pub soon though...soon.
Ahthankyew
Then wait for the hoards of nubile young ladies coming after my lynx scented body, or Axe as they call it here....or more likely the door will be broken down by fellow middle aged singletons down the pub wanting fresh money for a new round.
right now pub seems a good idea..but got packing and marking to do....pub soon though...soon.
Ahthankyew
88.2 and Disaster
My difficult IGD CT3 course has finally been graded...14% pass out of 61....oh dear
I have their retakes since it was clear most had failed so hopefully we'll see some improvement there, and their final course of the year CT4 is so far looking 100000% better so hopefully they finally got it in the last block. Hoping to complete the grading tonight...or die trying.
Ahthankyew
I have their retakes since it was clear most had failed so hopefully we'll see some improvement there, and their final course of the year CT4 is so far looking 100000% better so hopefully they finally got it in the last block. Hoping to complete the grading tonight...or die trying.
Ahthankyew
Thursday, 28 June 2012
88.6 last push??
Weigth loss has slowed quite a bit now as my body is getting used the the restricted diet I suspect...But its still dropping so all is well, I'll have to up the amount of walking and cycling and start doing some of the dreaded pushups and crunches now to tone up the flabby bits and break a bit more of a sweat.
I had to buy some pushup bars since it seems my wrists have bumps in them and were painfull when I tried to do my inital extreme workout of 3 pushups....I'll aim for 5 ;) but next time am at Docs I'll ask about the bumpy bits on my wrist, I think its jsut Ganglion masses, like I have on the base of my middle finger left hand...nothing to worry about but worth checking in case its arthritis or worse starting to kick in.
ahhh that would be my typical luck, just as I'm getting good enough on guitar to be musical I'll end up being unable to play for medical reasons!!!
Meh!
I'm hoping today will see the end of the marking hill so I can enjoy a day off marking before my trip....we'll have to see. Time for a coffee to kick start me and get on with it...definitly no guitarring today, though I've enjoyed the 2 Eurythmics numbers so much and found them so quick and easy to do that I have decided the next is also going to be one of theres...though it will be more of a singing challenge...gulp.
Ahthankyew
I had to buy some pushup bars since it seems my wrists have bumps in them and were painfull when I tried to do my inital extreme workout of 3 pushups....I'll aim for 5 ;) but next time am at Docs I'll ask about the bumpy bits on my wrist, I think its jsut Ganglion masses, like I have on the base of my middle finger left hand...nothing to worry about but worth checking in case its arthritis or worse starting to kick in.
ahhh that would be my typical luck, just as I'm getting good enough on guitar to be musical I'll end up being unable to play for medical reasons!!!
Meh!
I'm hoping today will see the end of the marking hill so I can enjoy a day off marking before my trip....we'll have to see. Time for a coffee to kick start me and get on with it...definitly no guitarring today, though I've enjoyed the 2 Eurythmics numbers so much and found them so quick and easy to do that I have decided the next is also going to be one of theres...though it will be more of a singing challenge...gulp.
Ahthankyew
Wednesday, 27 June 2012
Getting experimental
I've been staring at grade assignments for 11 hours..needed to get the guitar out
amazingly I seemed to have a bit of a flow going and knocked this up in less than an hour, with 20 mins or production...there's a minor bum note in the 2nd solo and the vocals are generally crappy but I think its quite cool..something to expand and improve on in the summer
now back to marking...2am finish should see the last of the CT's then an all day tomorrow for the PR's and I should be done.
gulp
Ahthankyew
amazingly I seemed to have a bit of a flow going and knocked this up in less than an hour, with 20 mins or production...there's a minor bum note in the 2nd solo and the vocals are generally crappy but I think its quite cool..something to expand and improve on in the summer
now back to marking...2am finish should see the last of the CT's then an all day tomorrow for the PR's and I should be done.
gulp
Ahthankyew
88.7 last few days of hell
I suggested to someone that marking at this time of year for me is like climbing a hill, a very very big hill, I push on upwards knowing that when I get to the top theres a great big downward slide to lookforward to.
The hill is big, but I think I can just about see the top of it now, all the high priority grades are done, one more big days push should finally see the end of it.
no guitarrrrrring today.......maybe later..if I finish
Ahthankyew
The hill is big, but I think I can just about see the top of it now, all the high priority grades are done, one more big days push should finally see the end of it.
no guitarrrrrring today.......maybe later..if I finish
Ahthankyew
Monday, 25 June 2012
Here comes the loop again
Another quick 1 hour noodle, only did 4 or 5 takes but needed a break from the marking, will probably fix the solo error and slight breath control problem, another time..but overall I thought this came out really nice.
Ahthankyew
Ahthankyew
88.9 After the morning coffee
Amazingly, despite gorging myself on food while over in the UK, not much extra weight as been added...Am back on the diet again now though, however I will have to break it ever so slightly due to the fact there are 2 pork pies with my name on them courtesy of my Beloved Leader at work who must have been in the UK when I was...
I never thought to bring back any food, since I'm not eating much, it never occured.
So while I must damn his googly eyes for bringing them back I will also thank him for the kind thought...and maybe have 1 for tomorrow's lunch.
And the other for dessert! :D
Ahthankyew
I never thought to bring back any food, since I'm not eating much, it never occured.
So while I must damn his googly eyes for bringing them back I will also thank him for the kind thought...and maybe have 1 for tomorrow's lunch.
And the other for dessert! :D
Ahthankyew
Sunday, 24 June 2012
London.....And Denmark Street
London was busy as always, and the weather was on/off rain, hot, muggy, but it was a nice weekend, we'll have to see what comes of it.
Took the eurostar which was a surprisingly easy if little cramped due to being so busy. Took about 4 hours from Breda, with 2 transfers and slight waits, but nothing too stressful unlike planes...If I have to go to london again, I'll probably do that.
What was totally bizzare on the train back from Brussels though, I had a pervert sit across from me on the other side of the train, rubbing himself up and nodding invitingly in the direction of his groin whenever I glanced his way....wtf...I know I'm cute and getting cuter with the diet but thats seriously fucked up..I was in two minds to go over and grab his nuts or just speak very very loudly and tell him to stop playing with himself...but of course I did neither, I just looked out my window with my ipod playing some nice sounds.
This trip, I finally got a chance to go down Denmark Street, the famous music capital in London, with 8 or 9 guitar shops open on a Sunday...It was soooo much smaller than I thought it was, but every shop was a music shop, most of them guitars, and it was guitar heaven for me.
I twiddled and teased and twanged and got to play a range of really nice expensive and cheap guitars. Including an awesome Taylor in a posh shop where they called me sir...:D It was nice but can't honestly say its better than my Breedlove. I tried out several things I'd never seen and overall my impression was that my collection still has every thing I want as far as electrics are concerned. I wanted to try a Jagstang out since I've never played a short scale, but none on offer.
I didn't entierely resist the temptations on offer, but I did resist the very serious urge to buy a very nice Fender Mustang I was given a good price on, its a short scale like the Jagstang so was a good test to see if I liked the shorter scale...I most certainly did...but I'll hold out for a Jagstang, which I will probably swap for something. I don't really have the spare cash for it, cos there are bills to be paid, but the credit card, now paid in fixed monthy amounts quivered for a bit in fear of being abused.
I did however buy a Guitar Banjo...at first I thought I got a good deal on it, getting 20quid knocked off and a few freebies chucked in, but once home a scan on ebay shows the same one 50 quid cheaper....ahhh... though most at the price I paid, oh well not to worry. I got to try before I bought and slightly high action aside, it has a very nice interesting sound I want to use in a recording experiment. I was going to get a Uke for that sound but trying several out I realised they are not for me, so the guitar tuned 6 string banjo gives me a (similar but different) sound I want. Results will be posted in the holidays as its going to be one of my recording projects.
Ahthankyew
Took the eurostar which was a surprisingly easy if little cramped due to being so busy. Took about 4 hours from Breda, with 2 transfers and slight waits, but nothing too stressful unlike planes...If I have to go to london again, I'll probably do that.
What was totally bizzare on the train back from Brussels though, I had a pervert sit across from me on the other side of the train, rubbing himself up and nodding invitingly in the direction of his groin whenever I glanced his way....wtf...I know I'm cute and getting cuter with the diet but thats seriously fucked up..I was in two minds to go over and grab his nuts or just speak very very loudly and tell him to stop playing with himself...but of course I did neither, I just looked out my window with my ipod playing some nice sounds.
This trip, I finally got a chance to go down Denmark Street, the famous music capital in London, with 8 or 9 guitar shops open on a Sunday...It was soooo much smaller than I thought it was, but every shop was a music shop, most of them guitars, and it was guitar heaven for me.
I twiddled and teased and twanged and got to play a range of really nice expensive and cheap guitars. Including an awesome Taylor in a posh shop where they called me sir...:D It was nice but can't honestly say its better than my Breedlove. I tried out several things I'd never seen and overall my impression was that my collection still has every thing I want as far as electrics are concerned. I wanted to try a Jagstang out since I've never played a short scale, but none on offer.
I didn't entierely resist the temptations on offer, but I did resist the very serious urge to buy a very nice Fender Mustang I was given a good price on, its a short scale like the Jagstang so was a good test to see if I liked the shorter scale...I most certainly did...but I'll hold out for a Jagstang, which I will probably swap for something. I don't really have the spare cash for it, cos there are bills to be paid, but the credit card, now paid in fixed monthy amounts quivered for a bit in fear of being abused.
I did however buy a Guitar Banjo...at first I thought I got a good deal on it, getting 20quid knocked off and a few freebies chucked in, but once home a scan on ebay shows the same one 50 quid cheaper....ahhh... though most at the price I paid, oh well not to worry. I got to try before I bought and slightly high action aside, it has a very nice interesting sound I want to use in a recording experiment. I was going to get a Uke for that sound but trying several out I realised they are not for me, so the guitar tuned 6 string banjo gives me a (similar but different) sound I want. Results will be posted in the holidays as its going to be one of my recording projects.
Ahthankyew
Friday, 22 June 2012
Friday off..nope...saturday
Friday is supposed to be Ribs night, that amzing diet food I discovered last week, but I have to pop to London tomorrow and expect to have a nice expensive dinner while I am there...and probably nando's and fish and chips...nom nom, so tomorrow will be my free day..
Weight loss is proceeding steady, around 3-400g a day so thats not bad, the high protien diet means I don't get too hungry, but when I do around 5 I really need o eat..I'm enjoying the spiced meats with small portions of rice a lot. So not too unhappy with the food.
I don't see much improvement in the mirror, moobs are a bit smaller, but Large T's are now fitting better than they were so its having an effect.
Most importantly, the main reason for diet, the reflux causing chest pains, have not materialised since I started it..I did have a bit of chilli related indigestion but a Rennie took care of that, not had to use a Zantac for 10 days now...a record.
So, it seems to be working, around 5Kg lost so far, in 12 days, so half way point reached and not too many slips on the way. The Protien content keeps me from feeling constantly starving and the occasional bowl of bran keeps things moving....
I do think I will stop when I hit the suggested 10kg though, as much as I like the food I'm making I do hate having my diet restricted.
and 2 or 3 weeks and we should hit it.....then maybe make some changes, perhaps have a day on day off kind of thing for a slower loss.
Ahthankyew
Weight loss is proceeding steady, around 3-400g a day so thats not bad, the high protien diet means I don't get too hungry, but when I do around 5 I really need o eat..I'm enjoying the spiced meats with small portions of rice a lot. So not too unhappy with the food.
I don't see much improvement in the mirror, moobs are a bit smaller, but Large T's are now fitting better than they were so its having an effect.
Most importantly, the main reason for diet, the reflux causing chest pains, have not materialised since I started it..I did have a bit of chilli related indigestion but a Rennie took care of that, not had to use a Zantac for 10 days now...a record.
So, it seems to be working, around 5Kg lost so far, in 12 days, so half way point reached and not too many slips on the way. The Protien content keeps me from feeling constantly starving and the occasional bowl of bran keeps things moving....
I do think I will stop when I hit the suggested 10kg though, as much as I like the food I'm making I do hate having my diet restricted.
and 2 or 3 weeks and we should hit it.....then maybe make some changes, perhaps have a day on day off kind of thing for a slower loss.
Ahthankyew
88.4 - still employed
Assesment went well, only one area of concern which is my ability to read advanced research material, which I've always had a problem with if I can't put it into actual use...The subject of a Masters again cropped up but wasn't pushed...phew. Going to reduce my workload a bit next year too which will help as I've felt quite swamped at times.
Very pleased with standard of student work coming in so far...hope that after such a hard slog I might see some good results, and so far so go.
Ahthankyew
Very pleased with standard of student work coming in so far...hope that after such a hard slog I might see some good results, and so far so go.
Ahthankyew
Thursday, 21 June 2012
88.8 - Marking sucks
broke 89 :D probably pop up again but still it feels good, and some of my "tight" tshirts don't feel quite so tight so the loss is finally starting to feel tangible.
Have been locked in the attic that last few days marking/grading projects,with the odd break for plinky plonk time, and answering student help requests and getting it all out of order...but hey ho.
There's some urgent grades I need to try to finish today, for 2nd year students who need it for their P, but then I can continue with my other grades.
I'm very happy to say that despite stress and enforced hair removal over the block my IGD students are on the whole producing some very nice projects.
Having spent most of the block expalaining how to set up a particle engine with emitters, their task was to come up with 4 unique particle types and impliment them into the engine...most have gone for really safe obvious things but at least they've done them, and a few have been quite clever and impressive...it seems a lot of click moments occurred this block making me a happy man.
Got my yearly appraisal today, not sure its going to be a good one, my admin this year has been shocking, mainly due to workload, with so many students and all project work its been hard...I will have to take whatever comes with a smile...and try to plan better for next year during the holidays.
Mainly its becuase I do assignments for them all, and with over 140 students at one point this year that was a LOT of assignments to go through, I never managed to keep on top of it, and have not really come up with a solution to make my life easier...something to ponder over during the holidays.
Ahthankyew
Have been locked in the attic that last few days marking/grading projects,with the odd break for plinky plonk time, and answering student help requests and getting it all out of order...but hey ho.
There's some urgent grades I need to try to finish today, for 2nd year students who need it for their P, but then I can continue with my other grades.
I'm very happy to say that despite stress and enforced hair removal over the block my IGD students are on the whole producing some very nice projects.
Having spent most of the block expalaining how to set up a particle engine with emitters, their task was to come up with 4 unique particle types and impliment them into the engine...most have gone for really safe obvious things but at least they've done them, and a few have been quite clever and impressive...it seems a lot of click moments occurred this block making me a happy man.
Got my yearly appraisal today, not sure its going to be a good one, my admin this year has been shocking, mainly due to workload, with so many students and all project work its been hard...I will have to take whatever comes with a smile...and try to plan better for next year during the holidays.
Mainly its becuase I do assignments for them all, and with over 140 students at one point this year that was a LOT of assignments to go through, I never managed to keep on top of it, and have not really come up with a solution to make my life easier...something to ponder over during the holidays.
Ahthankyew
Wednesday, 20 June 2012
There's more to life than marking...
Well not if your a student waiting for a delayed grade...but I was getting blind reading particle code and and retakes...so stopped for an hour and did this
since it was rushed its slighly mistimed on the entry to the loop and there's a beat near the end where it went silent, a tech issue on my cable I suspect so probably won't do any more on this for now..but liked the feel of it, I was going for better dynamics on the solo...I'm starting to see a style in my playing, its ok but its a bit locked into a few standard tricks and twiddles so will hopefully improve that during my week away.
Ahthankyew
since it was rushed its slighly mistimed on the entry to the loop and there's a beat near the end where it went silent, a tech issue on my cable I suspect so probably won't do any more on this for now..but liked the feel of it, I was going for better dynamics on the solo...I'm starting to see a style in my playing, its ok but its a bit locked into a few standard tricks and twiddles so will hopefully improve that during my week away.
Ahthankyew
89.5 :D
Even with yesterdays sandwich still inside :D down to 89.5 clothed (88.2 neekid!)
Going well, hopefully dipping below 89 in the next few days.
Ahthankyew
Tuesday, 19 June 2012
Forgot, but nice things said!
forgot to weigh myself this morning as I was in a bit of a rush to get to work...which was a bit of a chore and I had a sandwich to get me through...nothing else though so tomorrow should see a nice drop.
had a couple of very nice compliments from people on my version of Only You I posted a few weeks back...don't get many of those, made me feel really inspired. But try as I might I simply can't get myself to sound like Ray Lamontange and do his amazing "Burn" song....might try another of his thats a bit less emotionally intense, oh wait they're all emotionally intense, thats why i like him... will see what I can come up with over the coming weeks.
Ahthankyew
had a couple of very nice compliments from people on my version of Only You I posted a few weeks back...don't get many of those, made me feel really inspired. But try as I might I simply can't get myself to sound like Ray Lamontange and do his amazing "Burn" song....might try another of his thats a bit less emotionally intense, oh wait they're all emotionally intense, thats why i like him... will see what I can come up with over the coming weeks.
Ahthankyew
Monday, 18 June 2012
89.6, return of marking hell
back down below 90...I strongly suspect that weight fluctuates a lot depending on how full you are bladder and bowels...Friday's little dose of the trots probably cleaned me out, and yesterday I had a drink of water before the weigh in....I must not get too stressed out over a few hundred grams here and there...the overall pattern is down..so all is good.
Exam week at work, so execting dozens of submissions this week...must try to keep on top of them, since block D has its retake week at the end of the block, rather than next block so they need their resutls much faster than I usually deliver them.
going to be hectic.
Ahthankyew
Exam week at work, so execting dozens of submissions this week...must try to keep on top of them, since block D has its retake week at the end of the block, rather than next block so they need their resutls much faster than I usually deliver them.
going to be hectic.
Ahthankyew
Sunday, 17 June 2012
90.1 losing seems to be a habit
not surpised at popping back over 90, had nibbles galore at Peter and Liz's during poker, (I lost again quite quickly but declinded a buy in), but enjoyed the evening as always...So maybe I'll have to have 2 normal days :D
Back to fish and rice for tea tonight, but I will take mums advice and get some all bran to improve the fibre content.
Clearing up the last of my marking in anticipation of the deluge which is due this week.
Bina's things seem to be accumulating in various areas of the house as she packs them up ready to ship out, its all very tense as we studiously avoid each other beyond discusion of essential details.
I hate this situation but its something that has to be done. Next month at least there's the summer holidays which will give me a chance to mope about and take stock of things and get the place in order for me on my own. Hoping Danni will pop over too (hint hint)
Transferring the mortgage next week as well other issues with the council and tax, so hopefully there will be no massive finanical shocks apart from the clear and obvious con that is the Notaris fees, essentially a type of dutch lawyer who specialises in contracts and house conveyencing..they charge a fortune for the most minor of details but thats just the way things are done here.
One good thing is I'm not going to be here when this mass of boxes and bags finally ships out, I'll be in France, hopefully keeping my mind on the guitar lessons.
I've avoided saying much about the break up on here....mainly because I don't want to deal with any more hassle. I will try to maintain that...Its not the time to be blaming and looking back, its time to look forward.
Ahthankyew
Back to fish and rice for tea tonight, but I will take mums advice and get some all bran to improve the fibre content.
Clearing up the last of my marking in anticipation of the deluge which is due this week.
Bina's things seem to be accumulating in various areas of the house as she packs them up ready to ship out, its all very tense as we studiously avoid each other beyond discusion of essential details.
I hate this situation but its something that has to be done. Next month at least there's the summer holidays which will give me a chance to mope about and take stock of things and get the place in order for me on my own. Hoping Danni will pop over too (hint hint)
Transferring the mortgage next week as well other issues with the council and tax, so hopefully there will be no massive finanical shocks apart from the clear and obvious con that is the Notaris fees, essentially a type of dutch lawyer who specialises in contracts and house conveyencing..they charge a fortune for the most minor of details but thats just the way things are done here.
One good thing is I'm not going to be here when this mass of boxes and bags finally ships out, I'll be in France, hopefully keeping my mind on the guitar lessons.
I've avoided saying much about the break up on here....mainly because I don't want to deal with any more hassle. I will try to maintain that...Its not the time to be blaming and looking back, its time to look forward.
Ahthankyew
Saturday, 16 June 2012
89.0 Ribs are apparently....a diet food
I decided to take advice from a collegue and not starve myself all week, he said he lost a tonne of weight on a similar restrictive diet but made a point of eating normal 1 day a week...My day is Friday, I had Ribs...They were "amazing" as was the creamy gratin potatoes that came with them...and then I got the trots...lol
But on the plus side todays clothes on weight was a big drop, a bit of extra cycling yesterday and the trots which clearly removed the weeks lack of movement...ahem...has had a good effect.
Off to play poker with my dutch friends tonight to celebrate Peters son passing his Havo, which basically means he's graduated high school...good lad.
Lets hope I don't lose...getting a bit fed up losing things just now :D
Ahthankyew
But on the plus side todays clothes on weight was a big drop, a bit of extra cycling yesterday and the trots which clearly removed the weeks lack of movement...ahem...has had a good effect.
Off to play poker with my dutch friends tonight to celebrate Peters son passing his Havo, which basically means he's graduated high school...good lad.
Lets hope I don't lose...getting a bit fed up losing things just now :D
Ahthankyew
Friday, 15 June 2012
I shoved!!
A sandwich in, todays hunger was too much, besides I really need the roughage the weight might be dropping but not in nice sold lumps if you get my drift.
Really crappy rainy weather permitting I will burn it off with a bit of extra cycling on the way home tonight.
Ahthankyew
89.9 (yeah) Last day of School...kinda
Broke the 90kg mark, with clothes...thats excellent, I must resist the temptation to shove cake in my hole to celebrate. 9.9kg to go
Probably due to the hair cut :D
Today's the last "teaching" day at work, my final Gamelab of the year so I'll be spending it watching presentations from my gamelab students...should be fun.
Ahthankyew
Probably due to the hair cut :D
Today's the last "teaching" day at work, my final Gamelab of the year so I'll be spending it watching presentations from my gamelab students...should be fun.
Ahthankyew
Thursday, 14 June 2012
But I do have IE9
I wish I knew why blogger and youtube keep banging on about my IE no longer being supported, I had a look at how to uninstall it which was a pain but its not worth doing...will have to try and do some kind of repair of bite a bullet Ive been avoiding and switch to Chrome..which is probably why its doing this.
Will have to give it a chance to fix itself.
Ahthankyew
90.2 oh and even more upsetting
well I had a bit of a splurge last night after work, I went and had a sushi feast...nearly all protein so not such a big hit....am sure it will drop again tomorrow...still under 90 in the buff
But that did lead to another shock...looking down at the scales I noticed my 1st ever Grey pube sharing that moment with Billy Connolly;
I'm now officially old.
well at least my 1st arrived in my late 40's. so I'm still ageing slowly.
edit...since I was cycling past the barbers on the way back from the bank to try to sort out my messed up cards, I went in for my semi annual haircut...I tend to leave it till I am blowing it away from my nose...we reached that point a few weeks ago... And yet another sign of old age came to be.
As the haircut came to an end, without any conversation due to his lack of English making the process even more boring than usual, but happly free of innane holiday banter. He asked, via his collegue who spoke english, if I wanted my eyebrows trimmed........I said yes.....they were getting bushy....thats also a 1st.. next time I fully expect the ear and nose hair to also need some barbers attention.
The offending pube has been plucked...didn't half make my eyes water...
Ahthankyew
But that did lead to another shock...looking down at the scales I noticed my 1st ever Grey pube sharing that moment with Billy Connolly;
I'm now officially old.
well at least my 1st arrived in my late 40's. so I'm still ageing slowly.
edit...since I was cycling past the barbers on the way back from the bank to try to sort out my messed up cards, I went in for my semi annual haircut...I tend to leave it till I am blowing it away from my nose...we reached that point a few weeks ago... And yet another sign of old age came to be.
As the haircut came to an end, without any conversation due to his lack of English making the process even more boring than usual, but happly free of innane holiday banter. He asked, via his collegue who spoke english, if I wanted my eyebrows trimmed........I said yes.....they were getting bushy....thats also a 1st.. next time I fully expect the ear and nose hair to also need some barbers attention.
The offending pube has been plucked...didn't half make my eyes water...
Ahthankyew
Wednesday, 13 June 2012
90.0
90.0 dead...though as I say with clothes so there's a variable bit on...I checked au natural and yeah I've broke 90 A small step for Brian a giant leap for his digestive system.
There's a couple of pounds will hopefully come off today, since I've not been to the bloody loo for a 4 days....all this high protien/low carb does not do a lot for one's bowls it has to be said. But I cheated a bit last night and had toast and cream cheese so that'll give it some roughage to work on.
Hunger is reasonsable easy to control, just drink lots of water....and keep busy with student work.
Lets hope tomorrow I smash into the 80's with clothes and then aim for the 70's
Ahthankyew
There's a couple of pounds will hopefully come off today, since I've not been to the bloody loo for a 4 days....all this high protien/low carb does not do a lot for one's bowls it has to be said. But I cheated a bit last night and had toast and cream cheese so that'll give it some roughage to work on.
Hunger is reasonsable easy to control, just drink lots of water....and keep busy with student work.
Lets hope tomorrow I smash into the 80's with clothes and then aim for the 70's
Ahthankyew
Tuesday, 12 June 2012
90.3 - getting hungry
had 1 minor relapse with a spare rib muffin, but back on track, though yesterdays chicken and rice was a larger than I expected portion. I was good boy though I left some of the rice in the pan
Hoping tomorrow I break the 90 point.
Ahthankyew
Hoping tomorrow I break the 90 point.
Ahthankyew
Sunday, 10 June 2012
Oh....balls, it's diet time
Don't panic mum!!
I've been having a bit of an issue with minor chest pains...but its not my heart, went to the docs and its its usual low steady calm self.
But my long standing and probably chronic reflux issues are getting out of control. Not helped I'm sorry to say by stress in recent weeks, but more to do with the weight I am now.
I don't mind being heavy, in fact quite like it after spending the 1st 3/4 of my life as a skeletal freak, but I don't like the constant popping daily of Ranatatine and now the chest pains. So..diet time has arrived.
I've got to lose 10kgs quickly then see if that helps, and ideally lose another 10 over a reasonable time
Since I abhor excersise and even more so Gyms, (its the whole banging music shit I detest) I'm going to have to resort to diet and a bit more cycling and walking..no more snacks, and cut down on the meals, numbers and sizes.
I'm on the flavoured chicken/fish and rice diet now...One meal a day, modest portion, jsut chicker or fish, but flavoured anyway I want.
start weight was 93.1kg
today after 4 days 90.6kg
though thats with clothes on so not entierly accurate.
1st target is 80kg, might as well head for a round number, then we'll see if the reflux improves before I decide if I want to lose more or no.
I'll post updates here so I can see progress.
Ahthankyew
I've been having a bit of an issue with minor chest pains...but its not my heart, went to the docs and its its usual low steady calm self.
But my long standing and probably chronic reflux issues are getting out of control. Not helped I'm sorry to say by stress in recent weeks, but more to do with the weight I am now.
I don't mind being heavy, in fact quite like it after spending the 1st 3/4 of my life as a skeletal freak, but I don't like the constant popping daily of Ranatatine and now the chest pains. So..diet time has arrived.
I've got to lose 10kgs quickly then see if that helps, and ideally lose another 10 over a reasonable time
Since I abhor excersise and even more so Gyms, (its the whole banging music shit I detest) I'm going to have to resort to diet and a bit more cycling and walking..no more snacks, and cut down on the meals, numbers and sizes.
I'm on the flavoured chicken/fish and rice diet now...One meal a day, modest portion, jsut chicker or fish, but flavoured anyway I want.
start weight was 93.1kg
today after 4 days 90.6kg
though thats with clothes on so not entierly accurate.
1st target is 80kg, might as well head for a round number, then we'll see if the reflux improves before I decide if I want to lose more or no.
I'll post updates here so I can see progress.
Ahthankyew
Wow, what a Bargain!!
Even though my GAS is now pretty much under control, and forsight of upcoming seperation expenses means it will be for a while, I can't resist checking out the odd sale at some of the guitar stores in the area and on line.
But I've noticed something, these sales are nearly always total shams, claims for items like Gibson Les Pauls was 2999 now 1999 are in fact entierely false. Its true the 2999 is Gibsons normal RRP but nowhere I know actually ever sells at the RRP usualy its 1K or more less. So in fact these "sales" are nothing of the kind
A sale is when you knock down the price you would have charged! So if the RRP is 2999 and you sell at 1999 then a sale price of 999 is indeed a bargain of 1000 off.
It seems to me to be quite a cynical and indeed very common sales trick, convince someone that they are saving big on something and they will feel the need to buy quick before the offer is revoked. Its only when you're a sad bugger like me who buys these things often that you realise that in fact no saving at all has been offered.
the moral...always check the price against what other stores/ebay are offering. if there's no great saving invovled dont' bother.
One thing I have discovered though, especialy here in the netherlands though it might be as relevent to music stores worldwide is that they will haggle. Stores like these need to keep a lare inventory f expensive items so shifting them quickly is of utmost importance so they can be quite open to a discussion about discount, especially if you through in a few other items.
Still I think its pretty low to bang on about great savings and 1 time only sales when in fact they're not really doing anything but conning people who may only ever buy 1 item from such a store.
Us regulars need to let the world know!!!
Ahthankyew
But I've noticed something, these sales are nearly always total shams, claims for items like Gibson Les Pauls was 2999 now 1999 are in fact entierely false. Its true the 2999 is Gibsons normal RRP but nowhere I know actually ever sells at the RRP usualy its 1K or more less. So in fact these "sales" are nothing of the kind
A sale is when you knock down the price you would have charged! So if the RRP is 2999 and you sell at 1999 then a sale price of 999 is indeed a bargain of 1000 off.
It seems to me to be quite a cynical and indeed very common sales trick, convince someone that they are saving big on something and they will feel the need to buy quick before the offer is revoked. Its only when you're a sad bugger like me who buys these things often that you realise that in fact no saving at all has been offered.
the moral...always check the price against what other stores/ebay are offering. if there's no great saving invovled dont' bother.
One thing I have discovered though, especialy here in the netherlands though it might be as relevent to music stores worldwide is that they will haggle. Stores like these need to keep a lare inventory f expensive items so shifting them quickly is of utmost importance so they can be quite open to a discussion about discount, especially if you through in a few other items.
Still I think its pretty low to bang on about great savings and 1 time only sales when in fact they're not really doing anything but conning people who may only ever buy 1 item from such a store.
Us regulars need to let the world know!!!
Ahthankyew
Thursday, 7 June 2012
Fath in all its forms
Facebook is a fun thing for getting in touch with old friends, but sometimes those old friends are not how you remember them..
A few have recently been added to my list and wow...they've changed. And guess what...God rears his head again.
Yup they add me to facebook, have a quick troll around my pages spot an anti god comment and boom! I'm getting messages banging on about how I should not post things like that and how I am wrong and that God still loves me blah!!! She's got a funny way of showing it, to paraphrase an old gag.
Why...I mean really, why do god botheres feel the need, to push on about how wrong I am?
I don't post much in the way of anti god stuff, a few choice quotes from Dawkins and other notibles that highlight the hypocracy and idoicy of irrational faith but not really my thing to post things like;
THERE IS NO GOD!! YOU'RE ALL IDIOTIC MORONS WHO NEED TO STOP LOOKING FOR OTHERS TO BLAME FOR YOUR FUCKED UP LIVES.
Its not really my thing...even though for the most part I agree with the statement.
No, I make it clear to anyone who wants to find out or ask me that I am an athiest and thats the full total extent of my "agenda". I'm not converting anyone I'm not standing on street corners, I'm not even getting involved in discussions with Father O'Flanagan about it...its my view, its personal I hold it to be true based on facts, and rational logical thought processes. When you of fath, apply the same processes to your thinking...we'll be capable of a debate.
But here's a funny thing that god botheres do..they have to attack anyone who does not hold their viewpoint and challenge them to recant.
Why?
I don't go hunting all my friends pages to see if they've posted anything in support of god then write massive long messages telling them how wrong there are...which of course I could...I generally honestly avoid arguments or debates about religion, since I am fully aware that such debates are utterly pointless, if faith could be overcome by debate we'd all be living in a Utopian scientific society now...
Faith is what it is, I don't really care if you believe in god, I don't really care if you believe in flying spaghetti monsters I won't really get upset or excited about your faith, it its not part of my life.
If you want to abandon rational , reason, logic and responsibility to ignore the realites of how the world/universe works thats fine...
But don't go on about how wrong I am, until you can actually give me proof that you're right...
I think the reason for the attacks is simple, faith cannot tolorate dissent, it must therefore be attacked, and silenced so that faith is no longer questioned. But if faith cannot tolorate a dissenting view it surely has a problem, no matter what the faith is in, if you find yourself irrationally attacking someone with overwhelming force, even to the extreme of damaging yourself, so that you can silence or remove someone who holds an opposing viewpoint there's something very wrong!
Faith in all its forms, is irrational and idiotic.
Lets stop being idiots?
Ahthankyew
A few have recently been added to my list and wow...they've changed. And guess what...God rears his head again.
Yup they add me to facebook, have a quick troll around my pages spot an anti god comment and boom! I'm getting messages banging on about how I should not post things like that and how I am wrong and that God still loves me blah!!! She's got a funny way of showing it, to paraphrase an old gag.
Why...I mean really, why do god botheres feel the need, to push on about how wrong I am?
I don't post much in the way of anti god stuff, a few choice quotes from Dawkins and other notibles that highlight the hypocracy and idoicy of irrational faith but not really my thing to post things like;
THERE IS NO GOD!! YOU'RE ALL IDIOTIC MORONS WHO NEED TO STOP LOOKING FOR OTHERS TO BLAME FOR YOUR FUCKED UP LIVES.
Its not really my thing...even though for the most part I agree with the statement.
No, I make it clear to anyone who wants to find out or ask me that I am an athiest and thats the full total extent of my "agenda". I'm not converting anyone I'm not standing on street corners, I'm not even getting involved in discussions with Father O'Flanagan about it...its my view, its personal I hold it to be true based on facts, and rational logical thought processes. When you of fath, apply the same processes to your thinking...we'll be capable of a debate.
But here's a funny thing that god botheres do..they have to attack anyone who does not hold their viewpoint and challenge them to recant.
Why?
I don't go hunting all my friends pages to see if they've posted anything in support of god then write massive long messages telling them how wrong there are...which of course I could...I generally honestly avoid arguments or debates about religion, since I am fully aware that such debates are utterly pointless, if faith could be overcome by debate we'd all be living in a Utopian scientific society now...
Faith is what it is, I don't really care if you believe in god, I don't really care if you believe in flying spaghetti monsters I won't really get upset or excited about your faith, it its not part of my life.
If you want to abandon rational , reason, logic and responsibility to ignore the realites of how the world/universe works thats fine...
But don't go on about how wrong I am, until you can actually give me proof that you're right...
I think the reason for the attacks is simple, faith cannot tolorate dissent, it must therefore be attacked, and silenced so that faith is no longer questioned. But if faith cannot tolorate a dissenting view it surely has a problem, no matter what the faith is in, if you find yourself irrationally attacking someone with overwhelming force, even to the extreme of damaging yourself, so that you can silence or remove someone who holds an opposing viewpoint there's something very wrong!
Faith in all its forms, is irrational and idiotic.
Lets stop being idiots?
Ahthankyew
Friday, 1 June 2012
Creeping over the line
I must admit its been a hard academic year, teaching non programming IGD students to program has proved to be a very hard task.
They are finally starting to get it, but the progress I usually hope to achieve is just not there. So many of them simply don't enjoy it and its hard to stay motivated when you know so many just want the class to be over so they can forget about it for a week...Which of course makes the problem worse, since all languages even coding need practice and repetition to allow for that wonderful "click" moment to occur.
This final block they have a task that I think is fun and interesting and they are starting to see some of the joy of programming as things begin to make sense but I must confess the usual end of year euphoria of a job well done is not there this year.
I am really just hoping to limp to the holidays, take stock of things, recharge and come at it again with a better work plan next year. Something simpler for the IGD students which they can enthuse about much earlier and hopefully start to feel some of the joy I get from coding.
There's still 2 weeks of teaching though, who knows perhaps the partical assignment they are doing will get more of them interested...I hope so, they don't know what they are missing.
Ahthankyew
They are finally starting to get it, but the progress I usually hope to achieve is just not there. So many of them simply don't enjoy it and its hard to stay motivated when you know so many just want the class to be over so they can forget about it for a week...Which of course makes the problem worse, since all languages even coding need practice and repetition to allow for that wonderful "click" moment to occur.
This final block they have a task that I think is fun and interesting and they are starting to see some of the joy of programming as things begin to make sense but I must confess the usual end of year euphoria of a job well done is not there this year.
I am really just hoping to limp to the holidays, take stock of things, recharge and come at it again with a better work plan next year. Something simpler for the IGD students which they can enthuse about much earlier and hopefully start to feel some of the joy I get from coding.
There's still 2 weeks of teaching though, who knows perhaps the partical assignment they are doing will get more of them interested...I hope so, they don't know what they are missing.
Ahthankyew
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
hmmm there are ways
Sometimes the old blogger editor comes up...no complaints....very strange
Hot sticky night here in Breda, very uncomfortable, but time to get to bed, got a class and a meeting to attend.
Ahthankyew
Hot sticky night here in Breda, very uncomfortable, but time to get to bed, got a class and a meeting to attend.
Ahthankyew
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
on advice recieved
I made some changes since I can't sleep anyway, Martin said the noodles were overpowering, so thought I might as well play with production...this annoyingly is better without the noodles...hey ho.
OnlyYou2
Ahthankyew
OnlyYou2
Ahthankyew
Monday, 28 May 2012
hello hun
Danni has said she checks out my blog from time to time, which is nice, though I doubt she checks it that often, c'mon leavde a message.
she did tell me today that mum makes her listen to my recorded warbles when she visits...Mum..really if you want her to continue to visit I don't think its fair the poor child has to listen to her dad's terrible musical musings.
Get on Facebook Danni, then nana and I can all keep track of you and you can tell nana that you already heard whichever cringing sining thing she wants you to listen to.
xx
Ahthankyew
she did tell me today that mum makes her listen to my recorded warbles when she visits...Mum..really if you want her to continue to visit I don't think its fair the poor child has to listen to her dad's terrible musical musings.
Get on Facebook Danni, then nana and I can all keep track of you and you can tell nana that you already heard whichever cringing sining thing she wants you to listen to.
xx
Ahthankyew
bloody pc, but double wages and Utrecht jollies.
Since I am able to post on my laptop which also has IE9 I haved to conclude the problem seems to be my copy of IE9, I tried to do an update but it said I had the latest version and refused.
Yet Youtube also bitched that it was using IE7 and thats no longer being supported..I suspect there is some issue with the registration...maybe I'll remove it and re-install.
Anyway..had a fun time in Utrecht window shopping in a windowless guitar shop, I was hoping they'd make me a decent offer on my Ovation but they didn't..never mind I got to play a lot of axes and had a small impromptu jam with other customers...which was a lot of fun, then on to a blues bar where I saw a very strange act ...still not quite sure if it worked or not....not probably but...who knows.
Shame its so far away, Utrecht, but there's a new blues bar opened in Breda, only problem is like a lot of smaller pubs here they allow smoking inside which I really would rather not have to put up with....I'll watch that space though..not sure if they're going to have bands on or not..we'll see.
Been scorching hot today as summer finally hits Breda, and of course with the change in seasons I seem to have a new cold to deal with, sore throat and cough already started...bahhh..
I had totally forgotton about our summer holiday bonus, which came in this months pay packet, in my head it was due in June or July but boom there it was this Month of May. This basically is one of the real perks of my job, twice a year I get double wages...
This time it really could not come at a better time, Bina's leaving is going to mean a lot of financial restructuring which is bound to cost a fortune along the line, new mortgage, seperating our credit account, new insurance policies and so on, these things will probably involve some legal stuff too, so its' going to cost. So despite the tempation to go buy a Les Paul Custom, I'll hang on to the cash.
It was going into the joint credit account which we'd used to buy the holiday in Croatia we had planned, but thats all off now too, at least with me, she's taking Jodie.
So best hang on to the reserve and see what expenses come round. We'll split the credit account based on usage and Ill see about killing it when all expenses are done..
I really don't like being in debt these days. Ever since my company failed and I was banktupted in 2003 I've been quite good about not having debt I could not pay back with a months wages, but the credit account keeps creeping up with holidays and other expenses. I'm not likely to want to go on quite so many holidays on my own so it can get cut back and used for its true emergency or very large purchase purpose.
I am having a holiday by myself anyway this year, another guitar break in sunny France, this time for electric so its not as if I'm not going to get any holidays this year....still...bit dissapointing. If possible I might book a last minute deal to the canaries or something.....though tbh holidays on my own are not much fun...probably best to do a bit of expoloring round holland...this could be the point where my mid life Harley makes an appearence....or maybe just get the pushbike services again...whatever's cheapest.
Of course things would be a lot easier if my cash card for my own account had not got broken
somehow, no cash machines can read it, yet the scrambler for internet seems quite happy. Added to that I got a new credit card sent to me a few months back, but I forgot to activate it, and now my old card has been stopped and the new one can't be acticated...grrrr...I use that for most of my larger purchases and pay it off each month so this is a bit of a pain...1 more thing to sort out at the bank I suppose.
Long weekend this week too, which is nice, I like a quiet Monday, though I do have to get a lecture ready and finish a shit load of marking still I'll try to clear it all tomorrow and get that sorted ASAP.
onward and upward
Ahthankyew
Yet Youtube also bitched that it was using IE7 and thats no longer being supported..I suspect there is some issue with the registration...maybe I'll remove it and re-install.
Anyway..had a fun time in Utrecht window shopping in a windowless guitar shop, I was hoping they'd make me a decent offer on my Ovation but they didn't..never mind I got to play a lot of axes and had a small impromptu jam with other customers...which was a lot of fun, then on to a blues bar where I saw a very strange act ...still not quite sure if it worked or not....not probably but...who knows.
Shame its so far away, Utrecht, but there's a new blues bar opened in Breda, only problem is like a lot of smaller pubs here they allow smoking inside which I really would rather not have to put up with....I'll watch that space though..not sure if they're going to have bands on or not..we'll see.
Been scorching hot today as summer finally hits Breda, and of course with the change in seasons I seem to have a new cold to deal with, sore throat and cough already started...bahhh..
I had totally forgotton about our summer holiday bonus, which came in this months pay packet, in my head it was due in June or July but boom there it was this Month of May. This basically is one of the real perks of my job, twice a year I get double wages...
This time it really could not come at a better time, Bina's leaving is going to mean a lot of financial restructuring which is bound to cost a fortune along the line, new mortgage, seperating our credit account, new insurance policies and so on, these things will probably involve some legal stuff too, so its' going to cost. So despite the tempation to go buy a Les Paul Custom, I'll hang on to the cash.
It was going into the joint credit account which we'd used to buy the holiday in Croatia we had planned, but thats all off now too, at least with me, she's taking Jodie.
So best hang on to the reserve and see what expenses come round. We'll split the credit account based on usage and Ill see about killing it when all expenses are done..
I really don't like being in debt these days. Ever since my company failed and I was banktupted in 2003 I've been quite good about not having debt I could not pay back with a months wages, but the credit account keeps creeping up with holidays and other expenses. I'm not likely to want to go on quite so many holidays on my own so it can get cut back and used for its true emergency or very large purchase purpose.
I am having a holiday by myself anyway this year, another guitar break in sunny France, this time for electric so its not as if I'm not going to get any holidays this year....still...bit dissapointing. If possible I might book a last minute deal to the canaries or something.....though tbh holidays on my own are not much fun...probably best to do a bit of expoloring round holland...this could be the point where my mid life Harley makes an appearence....or maybe just get the pushbike services again...whatever's cheapest.
Of course things would be a lot easier if my cash card for my own account had not got broken
somehow, no cash machines can read it, yet the scrambler for internet seems quite happy. Added to that I got a new credit card sent to me a few months back, but I forgot to activate it, and now my old card has been stopped and the new one can't be acticated...grrrr...I use that for most of my larger purchases and pay it off each month so this is a bit of a pain...1 more thing to sort out at the bank I suppose.
Long weekend this week too, which is nice, I like a quiet Monday, though I do have to get a lecture ready and finish a shit load of marking still I'll try to clear it all tomorrow and get that sorted ASAP.
onward and upward
Ahthankyew
Sunday, 27 May 2012
wtf???
What the hell has google done to Blogger... I have IE9 on my pc and today as I was going to put up a post it refused, saying my browser was no longer supported...I mean really...is this a bug or have google lost their mind and gone all "use my software or else.."
I certainly hope not...I don't doubt that chrome and firefox are fine browsers but I rather like my IE and don't want to be forced to change it...I may instead look for another home for my blog...or use it less often with my MAC
Google...get it fixed!!
Ahthankyew
I certainly hope not...I don't doubt that chrome and firefox are fine browsers but I rather like my IE and don't want to be forced to change it...I may instead look for another home for my blog...or use it less often with my MAC
Google...get it fixed!!
Ahthankyew
Wednesday, 23 May 2012
And thats that then
New starts and new horizons, but being older, might take a bit longer to get to the end of it all.
I hope there is still the remotest possiblity that I can find someone out there who actually wants to be with me...not enhanced me, or changed me, or optimised just me.
Probably not.
We'll have to wait a while, think I'd rather be on my own for a bit.
Ahthankyew
Monday, 21 May 2012
Bugger
Well it seems my comments below on Complimentary Alternative Medicine (CAM) have been taken as personal attacks...let me be clear, they are not personal.
I have no doubt the people involved in CAM, especially in my family circle, utterly and sincerely believe in holistic medicine
I do not.
Belief is not proof. Belief is faith and faith is based on denial of proof.
I can prove it does not work
You can not prove it does.
Does that not say something that even remotely makes you pause for thought?
Believers in CAM do not...faith is something which needs to resist concepts like proof and most importantly to remove opposing viewpoints from earshot but refusing to take that time to pause for thought.
I've taken a lot of time over the years to research CAM, mainly because my partner Bina is so overwhelmingly in favour if it, and time and again I've found the evidence is overwhelming in its condemnation.
My conclusion and that of the people conducting trials on these therapies is still the same, its fake! A persons faith in something is not proof of its efficacy and the very very simple fact is there is not one jot of independent proof that it works is something any logical thinking person needs to take on board.
There needs to be a pause for thought.
In any scientific research, when attempts to prove a theory or hypothesis consistently fail, the theory is abandoned and shown publicly to be wrong. Science does not invent new conditions that may then work but can't be replicated, science does not rely on ignoring the facts because it wants the theory to work.
If it is shown to fail it fails
Every single clinical trial on alternative medicine has failed...every single one.
Again, does that not even remotely make you pause for thought, even for a second...
Its not the people I'm attacking, simply the belief, and indeed that's all it is a belief there's no science involved in homoeopathy, or crystal therapy, or various massage practises, or spiritual/energy balance therapies and there's many more..all delusions based on a desire make healing some kind of personal journey.
WE ALL feel better when someone is paying us physical attention, physical contact is a powerful aid to healing. Anyone who's ever had a foot massage when they are feeling down, or their forehead gently stroked when they have a headache, is fully aware of the way it makes you feel better, albeit for a short time.
If your medicine revolves around unproven concepts of energy, chi, humours, altered blood flow, toxins or imbalances of any kind you need to take a step back and ask where is the proof that any of this exists outside of the community of people who practise it.
Consider a tangible example of false belief we can see in practice.
Chinese medicine extols the healing properties of powdered Rhino horn, not as many in the west believe as an aphrodisiac, but as a "cure" for fever and convulsions. It is still unfortunately widely used as a premium medicine with guaranteed effects
Its true that people given this wonder drug recover, its also true that people not given this wonder drug, also recover...in fact most people suffering from fevers and convulsions if they are fit and healthy recover....some don't...even when given Rhino horn...
So does it work or not....nope...clinical trials show no effect whatsoever beyond placebo...fake horn given without patient or practitioner knowledge (double blind) had exactly the same efficacy.
In other words, it does not work......Clinical trials prove it....Science proves it.
In the west we can accept that proof quite easily, even many CAM believers will scoff at the idea that horn can do anything for a sick person. We in the west are not culturally exposed to this idea, and therefore there is no Communal re-inforcement of this thinking here in the west...We will examine this claim of a cure for fever with a rational and clear mind and almost all of us will conclude that the trials are accurate and correct.
But nearly 1Billion Chinese who use traditional medicines (TCM) are adamant it cures fevers and convulsions because when they or someone they know (usually) was given it and their fever was cured.......no thought given to the fact it may just have run its course, as indeed all fevers do.
They all think it works so they take it as fact..and resist or ignore any facts or trial that proves otherwise..Communal re-inforcement at work.
In fact they just got better, perhaps with a little bit of a mental boost because someone was looking after them and they were getting the best medicine for their condition (and money)....at least they thought that.
So for the sake of provable 0(zero) medicinal benefits, Rhino's have been hunted to near extinction...and despite proof of its lack of effectiveness its still used......though thankfully due to scarceness and conservation attempts, many are using now substitute versions of Kerotine( thats hair for anyone interested...what Rhino horn is entirely made off)...while moaning about the reduced efficacy.
Sad thing is...Asprin (derived from the bark of a willow originally) is actually considerably and measurable more effective and widely available....more so than Rhino horn (well thats not hard!).
Willow bark is a prescribed budget TCM cure for. guess. what!!! yup, fever, pain and rheumatics...the same thing we give asprin for
Of course SOME Chinese medicines have benefits, herbal medicines are the very basis of current pharmacological science...those that did have an effect were turned into medicines...those that didn't still get "prescribed" by Trad Chinese "doctors"...including powdered Rhino horn
1Billion people can't be wrong though can they? Of course they can...the choice you have to make though is to tell them..how many will listen. Are you then a heretic for explaining the "facts" to them? Should you be cast out of the family for voicing what is a clearly accurate and factual statement.
Alternative medicine is the same, only unlike a small portion of TCM it has absolutely 0 efficacy, 200 years of tests and trials have shown that.
2000+ years of tests on TCM show that some herbs have effects...those herbs have been examined distilled purified and turned into
DRUGS.
Which of course gives rise to the saying.
Q.What do they call Alternative medicine that is proven to work.
A.Medicine!!!
A clearly accurate and provable factual statement that goes against belief is not an opinion...its is in fact a statement of fact.
An opinion is formed without fact..so dismissing information you don't want to hear as opinion is once again, denial of proof....and we're back to belief and the human desire to protect our beliefs against all attack.
There's no harm in believing it though is there......tell that to the Rhino's?
CAM is harmless mostly, and a deep massage on a painful joint or muscle can be a welcome respite from mild short term problems which can help promote the placebo effect to heal..this is when belief has merit...prayer has the same effect....
Its provably ineffective, yet there's always claims of miracle cures. Lets ignore the fact that all cultures with various gods and even lack of gods can lay claim to "miracle" cures...the real miracle is the human ability to recover from seemingly deathly diseases....its just not a very high percentage..hence why they are considered miracles.
CAM also makes claims for cures....at about the same percentages as the miracles....go figure (or at least take time to pause for thought)
But when CAM really becomes something you put all your faith into you're essentially placing your health in the hands of people who have absolutely 0 ability to do anything beyond make you feel like you've been treated.
If you want to know how far that faith can be badly misplaced you only need to read this tragic and deluded woman's letter to her "therapist".
http://www.abc.net.au/austory/content/2011/s3260776.htm
And there are many other horror stories.
There is great harm in accepting as fact something which is provably false, when your faith overwhelms your rational ability to make the best choice for your health care you risk causing yourself terrible harm. Regardless of the genuinely well intentioned beliefs of the practitioners involved.
I'm sorry if people I know are offended, as I say its not personal, and I know they hold these views dearly and unshakably, but its nonsense! CAM is a modern day snake oil, and the sincerity of the people who be live in it does not sway the cold hard undeniable fact that its bunkum.
I'm not retracting my comments ...unless of course someone cares to post a link to an independently conducted double blind trial that shows that any alternative therapy works. Just 1?
Feel free...hit the button down there, I'll print a full retraction and run up and down the high street naked so I can be arrested as a nutter for having the slightest doubt in CAM.
Just remember that independently conducted double blind trail...the kind science uses to prove something works or does not.
To help here's a useful site that will give some info on how Homoeopath works
http://www.howdoeshomeopathywork.com/
Two final thoughts for those who suggest that the efficacy of Homoeopathy et al is hidden by big Pharma and industry to increase profit...can you imagine how much more profit they would make if they only ever sold sugar pills...
Big Pharma pumps billions of $ into research...suger pills need $0
Big Pharma pumps millions into trials... sugar pills need $0 their effects is already documented
Big Pharma pumps millions into production. Sugar pills are cheap and easy to make
Big Pharma makes limited returns on drugs.. Sugar pills are a blank check for profits.
Don't you think if they could make absurdly cheap homoeopathic "drugs", at practically 0 cost and massive profit.. they would?
In the meantime, James Randi, the well known skeptic has several videos on the subject of homoeopathy, his dismissive tone will not impress the believers but the reality of his factual statistics and explanation of the actual thinking behind homoeopathy is enlightening...though of course it will take more than pesky facts to alter some minds.
Ahthankyew
I have no doubt the people involved in CAM, especially in my family circle, utterly and sincerely believe in holistic medicine
I do not.
Belief is not proof. Belief is faith and faith is based on denial of proof.
I can prove it does not work
You can not prove it does.
Does that not say something that even remotely makes you pause for thought?
If I am wrong, and someone tells me I'm wrong, I take time,
usually, to pause for thought and consider my viewpoint...if the person telling
me I'm wrong is someone I trust I will take more pause. If the person can in
fact prove I'm wrong I will listen and if the proof is great enough I will
change my viewpoint often taking the time to study my view and theirs to reach
a conclusion...every single time. And
I'm apparently quite a difficult know all type of person with lots of
"opinions" on many things but I'm always open to hear evidence which
will change those "opinons"
. Believers in CAM do not...faith is something which needs to resist concepts like proof and most importantly to remove opposing viewpoints from earshot but refusing to take that time to pause for thought.
I've taken a lot of time over the years to research CAM, mainly because my partner Bina is so overwhelmingly in favour if it, and time and again I've found the evidence is overwhelming in its condemnation.
My conclusion and that of the people conducting trials on these therapies is still the same, its fake! A persons faith in something is not proof of its efficacy and the very very simple fact is there is not one jot of independent proof that it works is something any logical thinking person needs to take on board.
There needs to be a pause for thought.
In any scientific research, when attempts to prove a theory or hypothesis consistently fail, the theory is abandoned and shown publicly to be wrong. Science does not invent new conditions that may then work but can't be replicated, science does not rely on ignoring the facts because it wants the theory to work.
If it is shown to fail it fails
Every single clinical trial on alternative medicine has failed...every single one.
Again, does that not even remotely make you pause for thought, even for a second...
Its not the people I'm attacking, simply the belief, and indeed that's all it is a belief there's no science involved in homoeopathy, or crystal therapy, or various massage practises, or spiritual/energy balance therapies and there's many more..all delusions based on a desire make healing some kind of personal journey.
Acupuncture has an interesting effect on pain relief
according to various trials, but its not due to chi or other energy flow such
alternative pseudo science idea.
In fact...note that word FACT, trials have shown sticking
needles in someone without benefit of any formal training or understanding of
acupuncture and telling the patient they are getting treatment has exactly the
same effect......eh? So the acupuncture
part is actually irrelevant...it's nothing more than simple hands on
stimulation of placebo effect.WE ALL feel better when someone is paying us physical attention, physical contact is a powerful aid to healing. Anyone who's ever had a foot massage when they are feeling down, or their forehead gently stroked when they have a headache, is fully aware of the way it makes you feel better, albeit for a short time.
If your medicine revolves around unproven concepts of energy, chi, humours, altered blood flow, toxins or imbalances of any kind you need to take a step back and ask where is the proof that any of this exists outside of the community of people who practise it.
Consider a tangible example of false belief we can see in practice.
Chinese medicine extols the healing properties of powdered Rhino horn, not as many in the west believe as an aphrodisiac, but as a "cure" for fever and convulsions. It is still unfortunately widely used as a premium medicine with guaranteed effects
Its true that people given this wonder drug recover, its also true that people not given this wonder drug, also recover...in fact most people suffering from fevers and convulsions if they are fit and healthy recover....some don't...even when given Rhino horn...
So does it work or not....nope...clinical trials show no effect whatsoever beyond placebo...fake horn given without patient or practitioner knowledge (double blind) had exactly the same efficacy.
In other words, it does not work......Clinical trials prove it....Science proves it.
In the west we can accept that proof quite easily, even many CAM believers will scoff at the idea that horn can do anything for a sick person. We in the west are not culturally exposed to this idea, and therefore there is no Communal re-inforcement of this thinking here in the west...We will examine this claim of a cure for fever with a rational and clear mind and almost all of us will conclude that the trials are accurate and correct.
But nearly 1Billion Chinese who use traditional medicines (TCM) are adamant it cures fevers and convulsions because when they or someone they know (usually) was given it and their fever was cured.......no thought given to the fact it may just have run its course, as indeed all fevers do.
They all think it works so they take it as fact..and resist or ignore any facts or trial that proves otherwise..Communal re-inforcement at work.
In fact they just got better, perhaps with a little bit of a mental boost because someone was looking after them and they were getting the best medicine for their condition (and money)....at least they thought that.
So for the sake of provable 0(zero) medicinal benefits, Rhino's have been hunted to near extinction...and despite proof of its lack of effectiveness its still used......though thankfully due to scarceness and conservation attempts, many are using now substitute versions of Kerotine( thats hair for anyone interested...what Rhino horn is entirely made off)...while moaning about the reduced efficacy.
Sad thing is...Asprin (derived from the bark of a willow originally) is actually considerably and measurable more effective and widely available....more so than Rhino horn (well thats not hard!).
Willow bark is a prescribed budget TCM cure for. guess. what!!! yup, fever, pain and rheumatics...the same thing we give asprin for
Of course SOME Chinese medicines have benefits, herbal medicines are the very basis of current pharmacological science...those that did have an effect were turned into medicines...those that didn't still get "prescribed" by Trad Chinese "doctors"...including powdered Rhino horn
1Billion people can't be wrong though can they? Of course they can...the choice you have to make though is to tell them..how many will listen. Are you then a heretic for explaining the "facts" to them? Should you be cast out of the family for voicing what is a clearly accurate and factual statement.
Alternative medicine is the same, only unlike a small portion of TCM it has absolutely 0 efficacy, 200 years of tests and trials have shown that.
2000+ years of tests on TCM show that some herbs have effects...those herbs have been examined distilled purified and turned into
DRUGS.
Which of course gives rise to the saying.
Q.What do they call Alternative medicine that is proven to work.
A.Medicine!!!
"Thats just your opinion though"..is a phrase
thats been fired at me a lot this last week....somewhat infuriatingly and inaccurately.
A clearly accurate and provable factual statement that goes against belief is not an opinion...its is in fact a statement of fact.
An opinion is formed without fact..so dismissing information you don't want to hear as opinion is once again, denial of proof....and we're back to belief and the human desire to protect our beliefs against all attack.
There's no harm in believing it though is there......tell that to the Rhino's?
CAM is harmless mostly, and a deep massage on a painful joint or muscle can be a welcome respite from mild short term problems which can help promote the placebo effect to heal..this is when belief has merit...prayer has the same effect....
Its provably ineffective, yet there's always claims of miracle cures. Lets ignore the fact that all cultures with various gods and even lack of gods can lay claim to "miracle" cures...the real miracle is the human ability to recover from seemingly deathly diseases....its just not a very high percentage..hence why they are considered miracles.
CAM also makes claims for cures....at about the same percentages as the miracles....go figure (or at least take time to pause for thought)
But when CAM really becomes something you put all your faith into you're essentially placing your health in the hands of people who have absolutely 0 ability to do anything beyond make you feel like you've been treated.
If you want to know how far that faith can be badly misplaced you only need to read this tragic and deluded woman's letter to her "therapist".
http://www.abc.net.au/austory/content/2011/s3260776.htm
And there are many other horror stories.
There is great harm in accepting as fact something which is provably false, when your faith overwhelms your rational ability to make the best choice for your health care you risk causing yourself terrible harm. Regardless of the genuinely well intentioned beliefs of the practitioners involved.
I'm sorry if people I know are offended, as I say its not personal, and I know they hold these views dearly and unshakably, but its nonsense! CAM is a modern day snake oil, and the sincerity of the people who be live in it does not sway the cold hard undeniable fact that its bunkum.
I'm not retracting my comments ...unless of course someone cares to post a link to an independently conducted double blind trial that shows that any alternative therapy works. Just 1?
Feel free...hit the button down there, I'll print a full retraction and run up and down the high street naked so I can be arrested as a nutter for having the slightest doubt in CAM.
Just remember that independently conducted double blind trail...the kind science uses to prove something works or does not.
To help here's a useful site that will give some info on how Homoeopath works
http://www.howdoeshomeopathywork.com/
Two final thoughts for those who suggest that the efficacy of Homoeopathy et al is hidden by big Pharma and industry to increase profit...can you imagine how much more profit they would make if they only ever sold sugar pills...
Big Pharma pumps billions of $ into research...suger pills need $0
Big Pharma pumps millions into trials... sugar pills need $0 their effects is already documented
Big Pharma pumps millions into production. Sugar pills are cheap and easy to make
Big Pharma makes limited returns on drugs.. Sugar pills are a blank check for profits.
Don't you think if they could make absurdly cheap homoeopathic "drugs", at practically 0 cost and massive profit.. they would?
2nd thought... who do you think actually makes the
homoeopathic drugs? look into it. They may not be BIG Pharam, but they're
certainly making big profits.
In the meantime, James Randi, the well known skeptic has several videos on the subject of homoeopathy, his dismissive tone will not impress the believers but the reality of his factual statistics and explanation of the actual thinking behind homoeopathy is enlightening...though of course it will take more than pesky facts to alter some minds.
Ahthankyew
Sunday, 20 May 2012
Irrational
ir·ra·tion·al
(
-r
sh
-nl)
I'm sick to fucking death of irattional people making irrational descions that affect my life.
Ahthankyew
-rsh-nl)
adj.
1.
a. Not endowed with reason.
b. Affected by loss of usual or normal mental
clarity; incoherent, as from shock.
c. Marked by a lack of accord with reason or sound
judgment: an irrational dislike.
I'm sick to fucking death of irattional people making irrational descions that affect my life.
Ahthankyew
Last one
Could not get to sleep, so came up to do a bit more work on this recording. I redid everything except the guitar scratch which is on the RC300
I used the R24's built in mics to do a holding vocal track, no effects or tuning...and its better than I did all day so left it.
I have to say the results are very very good, I mixed it to the R24 itself, adding a little reverb to the vocal track as it mixed (at least I think I did...can't really hear it..) and that was it...it came out brilliantly, and when I hooked up the Mac to teh R24 there it was ready to upload.
Brilliant result I think....I was going to put in some thunder crashes and howling wind, but nahh...finally tied now so will head to bed.
Ahthankyew
I used the R24's built in mics to do a holding vocal track, no effects or tuning...and its better than I did all day so left it.
I have to say the results are very very good, I mixed it to the R24 itself, adding a little reverb to the vocal track as it mixed (at least I think I did...can't really hear it..) and that was it...it came out brilliantly, and when I hooked up the Mac to teh R24 there it was ready to upload.
Brilliant result I think....I was going to put in some thunder crashes and howling wind, but nahh...finally tied now so will head to bed.
Ahthankyew
Saturday, 19 May 2012
The recording part is easy...
Its the bloody singing that I can't get right...though I also am not too happy with this mix, which was pumped into GB then mastered...but it has the vocals way to up front for my liking (and indeed any music lover)
I know the timing is odd, I kinda wanted that...its running with a loop as the percussion rhythm so some changes to timings were needed..my lack of vocal expression doesn't really bring out what I wanted to do...but hey ho its just a learning track.
So mixing down is a bit problematic, mainly cos I'm still doing in GB, I really should be sending the tracks individually to CuBase or something which the R24 can talk to and using the mixers to control pan as well as volume..Still, a good learning curve, I got 3 inputs into my R24 and kept everything nice and separate so the recording and track re-takes were easy to do...though I have yet to work out how to do the vtracks on the R24...which allows short phrase retakes.
Ah I found the panning features...doh! was a button.....oh well, I messed about and this time sent it clean to GB and mastered with minimum processsing....seems a lot better also trying it on Soundcloud this time for a change...seems easier to handle than soundclick at least while its free.
Ahthankyew
I know the timing is odd, I kinda wanted that...its running with a loop as the percussion rhythm so some changes to timings were needed..my lack of vocal expression doesn't really bring out what I wanted to do...but hey ho its just a learning track.
So mixing down is a bit problematic, mainly cos I'm still doing in GB, I really should be sending the tracks individually to CuBase or something which the R24 can talk to and using the mixers to control pan as well as volume..Still, a good learning curve, I got 3 inputs into my R24 and kept everything nice and separate so the recording and track re-takes were easy to do...though I have yet to work out how to do the vtracks on the R24...which allows short phrase retakes.
Ah I found the panning features...doh! was a button.....oh well, I messed about and this time sent it clean to GB and mastered with minimum processsing....seems a lot better also trying it on Soundcloud this time for a change...seems easier to handle than soundclick at least while its free.
Ahthankyew
Friday, 18 May 2012
hmm lost out on that
All ebay items are away, though I almost screwed up the postage, I put the wrong labels on the packet to Italy and Belfast...only spotted it at the last minute as I was paying for the 49euro postage (for 3 packages)
phew.
so all told I ended up paying near 150 in postage and 20-30 on ebay and paypal fees....on items that made below expectations and sold only at base price....so I lost a packet effectively...not going to make that mistake again...Buy it now prices and buyer arranges postage in future..I think ebay from NL simply isn't worth the finanaical risk.
But since the bank balance has been a little light the last few months, the cash injection is welcome.
Anyway, great jazz festival on in Breda this weekend, losts of bands, not all jazz, some soul, funk and blues bands taking to free stages around the city. The weather today was good but its gone a bit cloudy so I've stayed in execting it to piss down...it didn't so I'm missing out but will certainly be going for some blues tomorrow/sunday
Poker tonight, seems its my turn to host, better go shopping and get some snackes. Hpefully I'll recoup some of those ebay losses tonight.....not likely though given my last several efforts to win, which but some strange kind of voodoo turned out to be losess...hmmm
Ahthankyew
phew.
so all told I ended up paying near 150 in postage and 20-30 on ebay and paypal fees....on items that made below expectations and sold only at base price....so I lost a packet effectively...not going to make that mistake again...Buy it now prices and buyer arranges postage in future..I think ebay from NL simply isn't worth the finanaical risk.
But since the bank balance has been a little light the last few months, the cash injection is welcome.
Anyway, great jazz festival on in Breda this weekend, losts of bands, not all jazz, some soul, funk and blues bands taking to free stages around the city. The weather today was good but its gone a bit cloudy so I've stayed in execting it to piss down...it didn't so I'm missing out but will certainly be going for some blues tomorrow/sunday
Poker tonight, seems its my turn to host, better go shopping and get some snackes. Hpefully I'll recoup some of those ebay losses tonight.....not likely though given my last several efforts to win, which but some strange kind of voodoo turned out to be losess...hmmm
Ahthankyew
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
Ebay fail
I took the guitars off the sale, afraid of the possible postage cost, but still no sale on my 100quid base MRS-8. These go for 150quid on average and though it had wtchers, there was no bidders...
Oh well it will get some use as a portable recording unit for the band when we use the Mezz. I'll set up the R24 at home as a semi perm work station.
I suspect the Netherlands location is putting people off....even with free postage!! Which as I pointed out before hurts me more than I realised. When people are happy to buy it now for 150 and 10quid postage but not willing to bid 100quid and free postage on the same item you need to examine the differences...and location is the biggie.
So the great cull ends in moderate dissapointment, 1 guitar , 1 old rarely used pedal and 2 great pedals gone and a fraction of their value realised after fees and postage.
I'll have to find a better way to sell things, time to check out ebay.nl and Marktplaats.nl
Ebay.co.uk as a selling medium is dead to me now.
Ahthankyew
Oh well it will get some use as a portable recording unit for the band when we use the Mezz. I'll set up the R24 at home as a semi perm work station.
I suspect the Netherlands location is putting people off....even with free postage!! Which as I pointed out before hurts me more than I realised. When people are happy to buy it now for 150 and 10quid postage but not willing to bid 100quid and free postage on the same item you need to examine the differences...and location is the biggie.
So the great cull ends in moderate dissapointment, 1 guitar , 1 old rarely used pedal and 2 great pedals gone and a fraction of their value realised after fees and postage.
I'll have to find a better way to sell things, time to check out ebay.nl and Marktplaats.nl
Ebay.co.uk as a selling medium is dead to me now.
Ahthankyew
ouch but yeah, but hmm
Ouch, my clever ploy...hey wait a minute...whats going on with blogger, they've reverted back to the old style editor....Anyway....
My clever ploy to provide free P&P on the guitars sold on ebay has backfired somewhat on finding out that shipping a guitar in case and boxed up cost me the best part of 95euros..I would'nt mind if I'd made a decent price on it, but with all the last minute 1 pound bids it only made 225quid...I'm well down on the price I paid.. So I've pulled the other guitars from ebay, I mean if the Roberts sold for its base price I'd make less than 50quid on it.
I can't understand why its possible to ship a guitar from the UK to Holland for 30-40 but the other way is double that...even using the same parcel2go.com agent.
I'll try listing the Ovation and Roberts on Marktplats or ebay.nl and buyer collects or arranges pickup...95 x3 would be too big a hit I'm afraid.
Yeah :D... is due to me getting the R24 hooked up to my Jamhub and then into my mac giving me a way to record up to 8 inputs and stillbe able to play silently with headphones for each band member, though we lose a bit of individual mixing ability while recording...and also doing 1 takes to GB..or reworking nearly perfect takes by overdubbing the faulty bits... A proper recording system in the attic.
Hmmm is more serious, had a big row with Bina over her unrelenting and blind acceptance of holistic "medicine"...I use that term lightly.,..
It have no time for it, none whatsoever mainly due to the single simple provable fact that it does not actually work beyond promoting a sense of well being in the recipiant. You might as well wave your hands over a person lying down and hum at them to get them better...oh wait...they do that, isn't that Rieki or aura clensing, or chakra unclogging or some other rubbish...it has the same outcome, though I understand its MUCH more effective if you use the right crystals as well to drain the negative energy man!!
Some of Bina's family are all deeply into various forms of holistic medicine, fair enough, each to their own, but its normally something I ignore and avoid conflict and let them get on with it but its come up in several conversations again recently.
Jodie needs some medical treatment for Scoliosis, a condition she'll have to cope with for life which may eventually result in surgery (though thats extreme).. But the family are promoting a range of idiotic therapies to treat her..
No..sorry, believe all the bollox you want for yourself, but when the kids need to have a calm and measured response to provide care with a view to long term relief, lets keep the hokum out of it. I've made it clear I'm not paying for any unproven holistic medicine and I'm sticking to that.
Bina does not approve...not surprising.. my "opinion" that its nonsense is just my opinion! Easy to ignore and defend against by sticking your metaphorical fingers in your ears and going blah blah blah
But its not an opinion, there have been hundreds of clinical trials run to try to show it is effective, independant, proper trials, some funded by goverments looking for new treatments some by holistic and homepathich bodies looking for confirmation of their claims.
Hundreds... but not one has shown a provable positive result. It clearly and provabley does not work...thats not opinion, that fact!
Its sad that someone I love, care for and deeply respect and know to be a smart intelligent person is so utterly blind to simple rational facts...It does not work, its bunk, its snake oil, and the proof....as I said, there is not one clinical trial that proves that any holistic/homepathic therapy works.
Even though they wanted it ...Sure there's case studies and "interpretations" of the trials which are carefully worded to suggest that the trials were flawed or that the wrong type of patient was used.
All these trials prove conclusively that holistic therapies provide no benefit beyond placebo effect... ie if we think we're getting treated we improve our healing response a little...
Ahhhhh but thats becuase....and the arguements about no evidence is not proof of effectiveness, big pharma conspiracies and so on start.....
Christ, this really really fucking amazes me, it really does, how can anyone genuinely believe that healing is about balancing energies in your body, or removing toxins, or taking pills so diluted that you might as well throw an asprin in the sea and cure everyones headache due to the power of water memory....or or...the list is endless, with hair brained concepts of health and energy...
The latest nonsense here at home is grounding...it seems its a good idea to sleep with a mat under you plugged into the power system to ensure your excess enery is allowed to escape your normally rubber insulted body to earth and promote better blood flow.. I mean...seriously....SERIOUSLY
HOW CAN ANYONE FALL FOR THIS BULLSHIT!!! Oh there's proof...hmm Thermal imaging of a group of patients who all wanted to cure various compalins and needed to protect themselves from EMF
oh ffs....Bad science is bad science, its easy to disprove...if you are willing to listen.
But its easier to just stick your fingers in your ears and go blah blah
Amazingly science can even explain why people believe this and other incredible bits of nonsense...its a psychological phenomena called Collective Reinforcement...ie if enough people say its true then a belief becomes fact regardless of any facts to the contrary...
Easy to demonstrate this in action, easy to understand, and we're all of us prone to it in some form...its the root of our ability to form social groups of like minded people, but it can be dangerous, especially when allied to another phenomena called Confirmation bias...where you only see confirmation of your belief from those who share them.
Sound familiar at all? Religion, cults, stereotyping, bigotry, fanatasicim, conspiracy theories, covens, cliques, closed minds and holistic medicine.....all examples of beliefs becoming fact by the power of others...
And heres' another fact
The Misconception: When your beliefs are challenged with facts, you alter
your opinions and incorporate the new information into your thinking.
The Truth: When your deepest convictions are challenged by contradictory
evidence, your beliefs get stronger.
And thats what's happening here...my "opinion" is a direct challenge to her indoor's beliefs..
Normally I'd laugh all this off as just a simple case of some daft ideas Bina has in her head...as we all do from time to time, we all love our partners and family members little ways....Im sure I drive her nuts with my serial obsessions, life is like that.
But no, enough, its too close to reality now...this isn't just harmless ideas that are worth a try, this is belief in the absurd, the unprovable , the rediculous and worst of all its a belief thats so steeped in confirmation bias that its apparently enough to threaten end our reltionship for challenging these views.
Really?? I mean....really?
I'm not buying it...our relationship is stronger than that.
I will change my opinion, happily and willingly, when someone can show me clinical trials that prove the efficacy of any holistic practice.....just 1.
Until then, I would honestly suggest any one with a rational mind questions anyone who says they have found something amazing to lifes ills, thats so powerful it can't actually be proven to work, but others are trying to hide the truth and that they should only ever listen to those who share the same belief.
Its a rocky road...all it takes for this nonsense ot take hold is to say nothing...I've said nothing for too long.
I'll quote a fantastic section from Tim Minchins amazing comedy poem Storm
Science adjusts its beliefs based on what's observed
Faith is the denial of observation so that Belief can be preserved.
If you show me that, say, homeopathy works. Then I will change my mind
I'll spin on a fucking dime I'll be embarrassed as hell. But I will run through the
streets yelling It's a miracle!
streets yelling It's a miracle!
Take physics and bin it! Water has memory!
And while it's memory of a long lost drop of onion juice is infinite
It somehow forgets all the poo it's had in it!
Also this is brilliant
Ahthankyew
Saturday, 12 May 2012
Learning Curves
The ZoomR24 arrived today and am delighted to say despite being a refurb and 150quid cheaper than new, it arrived in pristine,complete and apparent unused condition. Brilliant
But it is a complex bit of kit, and has taken many hours of manual reading to get some drums playing while recording, discovered one or 2 minor issues (can't have different fx on different tracks but not a problem for the purpose I have in mind where tracks will have fx before going in)
It also has a problem I've had many times before with EU two prong power systems...ground noise. It goes give out a fair bit of hum unless you are grounding the signal by touching something metal in the chain, or as I did plugging in a unused cable and holding it with my toes so I act as the ground.
Not really a huge issue just a bit annoying as long as one of the inputs is grounded it'll be fine, and of course I'll ensure that happens when its set up to run. I'll try and find my 3 prong uk power unit and use that which should eliminate the hum.
Its good though records clean and clear and once i work out all the features will be a great band asset as a decent budget method of getting all band members to plug in and record their individual tracks as we play together, ...while also plumming it into a PC and the Jamhub so that everone gets headphones (though the jammans mixing functions will be bypassed when recording) and a chance to rework their tracks if everyone else is going well.
Hopefully this will resolve some of the sound mixing/balancing issues I've been having with the jamhub output to the mixer/ We either get Brittas voice buiried in bass and guitar or its all mushed together preventing us from doing anything with the samples. Essentially we only get 1 chance to set levels before the signal goes to the pc, hard to be sure while also playing. The R24 however stores all inputs and allows me to change the balances after playing and when doing a final mix to the master track or PC.
if it all works, its a cool way to get a way to monitor and record tracks on a busdget well below the many thousands a proper recording desk would cost.
I will try this out next time we get together.
Ahthankyew
But it is a complex bit of kit, and has taken many hours of manual reading to get some drums playing while recording, discovered one or 2 minor issues (can't have different fx on different tracks but not a problem for the purpose I have in mind where tracks will have fx before going in)
It also has a problem I've had many times before with EU two prong power systems...ground noise. It goes give out a fair bit of hum unless you are grounding the signal by touching something metal in the chain, or as I did plugging in a unused cable and holding it with my toes so I act as the ground.
Not really a huge issue just a bit annoying as long as one of the inputs is grounded it'll be fine, and of course I'll ensure that happens when its set up to run. I'll try and find my 3 prong uk power unit and use that which should eliminate the hum.
Its good though records clean and clear and once i work out all the features will be a great band asset as a decent budget method of getting all band members to plug in and record their individual tracks as we play together, ...while also plumming it into a PC and the Jamhub so that everone gets headphones (though the jammans mixing functions will be bypassed when recording) and a chance to rework their tracks if everyone else is going well.
Hopefully this will resolve some of the sound mixing/balancing issues I've been having with the jamhub output to the mixer/ We either get Brittas voice buiried in bass and guitar or its all mushed together preventing us from doing anything with the samples. Essentially we only get 1 chance to set levels before the signal goes to the pc, hard to be sure while also playing. The R24 however stores all inputs and allows me to change the balances after playing and when doing a final mix to the master track or PC.
if it all works, its a cool way to get a way to monitor and record tracks on a busdget well below the many thousands a proper recording desk would cost.
I will try this out next time we get together.
Ahthankyew
Friday, 11 May 2012
Slow starters?
Still not a lot of bids, with only a few hours gone only 2 items are going so far, the loopers, have a total of 4 bids, LOTS of interest in the Les paul but eveyrone is waiting till the death to bid..I hate sniping, especially like this when lack of healthy bidding will result in a compressed and incomplete bidding frenzy that won't really get the best return.
oh well....only 2 hours to go....
Still think the LP will go, just hoping some of the other stuff goes too but not at base prices, otherwise I might as well bin things.
edit
well the Ovation didn't go despite 2 watchers
the Les Paul has gone but only on the strength of 2 last minute bids which raised its price a whole £5, neither of the bidders where the ones who asked for extra pics, there were 24 watchers
Roberts Skeleton, no sale...5 watchers...tbh, not to upset, I am rather attached to the odd beast.
MRS-8...wow..no sale...amazing, these things have been flying out of ebay steadily for a couple of months...mine was below the usual 150 price and free postage, 3 watchers, maybe the lack of PSU put people off, I'll see if I can find its PSU, I know I still have it, just not sure where, then will relist.
JamMan went for 137, 10 bids, so that went for the expected amount, though agian all bidding in the last few minutes
The RC3 has 1 bid and 10 mins left so it will go but hoping the price will rise if the 17 watchers convert to bidders.
Oh man!! Only 2 quid added to the start price on the RC3 2 bids, the final one being a last minute snipe
Exe OD10 overdrive has got a bid in the last few mins so its going...gone for its base price thought its been bought by an Italian bidder, which is a problem since I stated I would only accept bank transfers from italians...since there's a lot of postage scams that occur on things sent to italy..will see what he says, he has goodd 700+ feedback so maybe I'll risk it for 20quid.
So..with only the old Zoom 607 and 6 guitar stand to go, with no watchers I'm not expecting them to sell. I've found the whole sellinge experience, something I've not done for a very long time, to be quite frustrating...last minute bidding resulting in base level prices....oh well, its sill space and cash to pay for new toys in future.
Ahthankyew
oh well....only 2 hours to go....
Still think the LP will go, just hoping some of the other stuff goes too but not at base prices, otherwise I might as well bin things.
edit
well the Ovation didn't go despite 2 watchers
the Les Paul has gone but only on the strength of 2 last minute bids which raised its price a whole £5, neither of the bidders where the ones who asked for extra pics, there were 24 watchers
Roberts Skeleton, no sale...5 watchers...tbh, not to upset, I am rather attached to the odd beast.
MRS-8...wow..no sale...amazing, these things have been flying out of ebay steadily for a couple of months...mine was below the usual 150 price and free postage, 3 watchers, maybe the lack of PSU put people off, I'll see if I can find its PSU, I know I still have it, just not sure where, then will relist.
JamMan went for 137, 10 bids, so that went for the expected amount, though agian all bidding in the last few minutes
The RC3 has 1 bid and 10 mins left so it will go but hoping the price will rise if the 17 watchers convert to bidders.
Oh man!! Only 2 quid added to the start price on the RC3 2 bids, the final one being a last minute snipe
Exe OD10 overdrive has got a bid in the last few mins so its going...gone for its base price thought its been bought by an Italian bidder, which is a problem since I stated I would only accept bank transfers from italians...since there's a lot of postage scams that occur on things sent to italy..will see what he says, he has goodd 700+ feedback so maybe I'll risk it for 20quid.
So..with only the old Zoom 607 and 6 guitar stand to go, with no watchers I'm not expecting them to sell. I've found the whole sellinge experience, something I've not done for a very long time, to be quite frustrating...last minute bidding resulting in base level prices....oh well, its sill space and cash to pay for new toys in future.
Ahthankyew
The Suspense
I'm not entierely sure what the point of 5 or 7 day listings is on ebay...you certainly gather a few watchers but of my 9 items currently listed only 1 has an actual bid...hmmm lots of watchers on them all though, over 70 so far and quite a few questions.
Mostly regarding the JamMan which has the bid, and people asking for closeups of the Les Paul copy,, which is also garnering a good number of watchers, but so far no bids. I wonder how many will think they may have stumbled on a real Custom and a stupid seller who does not know what he's got...lol I do..its a genuine fake :D. Unlike others though I am clearly stating that and pointing out the clues so no one gets any ideas about it. Its just a really nice chinese made Les Paul copy that wants to be a real gibson so bad it grew an inlay on its headstock.
Today is last day, when they will finally start appearing on the 1st or 2nd page of the search list, that should finally start them bidding so they'll either be sold or not and relisted till they do sell.
Oh wait, another bid, this time on the RC3...cool. That means the R24 cost is almost covered, though ebay/paypal and postage will take a chunk, at least it lessens the damage. I fully expect the Les Paul to go though which will certainly cover my costs and put a few bob in the bank to pay for July's guitar workshop among other frivolities due to be paid for.
Ahthankyew
Mostly regarding the JamMan which has the bid, and people asking for closeups of the Les Paul copy,, which is also garnering a good number of watchers, but so far no bids. I wonder how many will think they may have stumbled on a real Custom and a stupid seller who does not know what he's got...lol I do..its a genuine fake :D. Unlike others though I am clearly stating that and pointing out the clues so no one gets any ideas about it. Its just a really nice chinese made Les Paul copy that wants to be a real gibson so bad it grew an inlay on its headstock.
Today is last day, when they will finally start appearing on the 1st or 2nd page of the search list, that should finally start them bidding so they'll either be sold or not and relisted till they do sell.
Oh wait, another bid, this time on the RC3...cool. That means the R24 cost is almost covered, though ebay/paypal and postage will take a chunk, at least it lessens the damage. I fully expect the Les Paul to go though which will certainly cover my costs and put a few bob in the bank to pay for July's guitar workshop among other frivolities due to be paid for.
Ahthankyew
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