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Apr. 26th, 2010 10:27 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snoweeSo, I was about to respond to a friend's post, then realize I have way too much to say.
Laptops in music
I am disappointed by the course live music has taken. Laptops shouldn't be on stage, okay? I know you're not checking email up there, but if you need it to do the work for you, then you're not really performing, are you? I suppose it depends on the use, though, but I think people rely on them too much.
My friend has a band she's been trying to promote. They are extremely mediocre (if mediocrity can be extreme). We've seen them 3 times and Tiff swears their original music is really good, but they refuse to play it! They're convinced people only want to hear songs they recognize, cover songs, and will not ber persuaded otherwise. 70s and 80s songs might be okay if they were willing to play anything I like, but Journey, The Eagles, Robert Palmer, and 80s Top 40 never have been, never will be "my scene". The part that really depresses me? The singer/lead guitar pulls up the lyrics and occasionally the guitar tabs on a laptop so that he can play the songs he "knows". GAH!
At least my nephew's band is all old school. They play metal which isn't something I listen to on a regular basis, but if you pick them apart by talent rather than personal taste, they are REALLY good so at least I can respect them. (Got 99 cents to see if you agree? Check out Distraction by Disforia on iTunes) Yes, that was shameless, but the kid is barely 20.
April's "thing"
It begins with my bike story.
When I was 12, I was riding my bike, a cool lime green hand-me-down ('cool' is so loaded with sarcasm it should hurt a bit) 10 speed down a steep hill near my house. Now, it wasn't San Francisco steep, but it has a pretty steep grade and everyone in our neighbourhood knew you didn't ride your bike down that hill, you walked it. Two years before I had walked my friend and her bike home because she tried going down it, tried braking, lost control, and rolled.
Yet, I thought I could manage it. I mean, it was always about braking, "they" said so I figured if I didn't brake, I'd be okay. I'd just roll down it, then "gently" turn that 90 degree corner, right? Well... BAM! I went too fast and couldn't turn the full angle so I steered straight into the gutter, went ass over teakettle over the handlebars, and skidded on my stomach across the driveway of the person who lives in that corner house.
Couldn't move. Couldn't do anything I was so stunned. The homeowner attended our church and recognized me so he helped me up, gave me a ride home. I had ridden with a friend (coincidentally, the one I had helped home a couple years before) and she brought my bike home, I guess. I was so out of it I never did think to find out. Anyway, slight concussion, road burns all down my face and chest. My favourite shirt shredded, dammit, and Mom made me throw it out! She didn't take me to hospital, but partly because I told her I didn't think I needed to go. I just remember being unable to think for the next two days. After that I remember picking two pieces of gravel out of my eyebrow that had embedded so deeply that one was on top of the other. (The deeper one took a week to pick out). I think we cleaned out most of the gravel the first day because I just remember the raw scabs other than the eyebrow.
I didn't really feel like riding a bike right after that, of course, but I had totalled the bike. The next summer I wanted to, but my parents couldn't afford to buy me a new one so I haven't ridden one in 23 years.
Until yesterday. I bought a bike. Yes, I bought a bike - committing myself to riding it. Guess what? It's not true what they say. You can forget how to ride a bike. I was so wobbly I couldn't turn corners. My daughter and I went out together, though, which was fun. I'm sure my neighbours had great entertainment watching my huge ass have so much trouble getting going and unable to turn corners or navigate cars parked across the sidewalk. LOL ('cause you gotta laugh). Anyway, I'm going to attempt getting better and increasing stamina so that I can bike a little more, drive a little less. Exercise, plus "green". That's big enough for the month, right?
I think I will have to summarize at end of year. For once I feel like I've been living life instead of it living me.
Additional notes to self: Sprained ankle end of March because of damned pothole. I swear it jumped out from under my bumper. Painful! Kept saying it was just hurt, twisted, whatever, but I think it was more serious now because here we are a month later and when I sit crosslegged on the floor, I have to stick one foot out because if my ankle is touching the floor, it really hurts.
Last week we completely redid park strip. About 100 square feet dug up (with help of niece), then recovered with weedcloth, paving sand, paver stones, and loose stones. After the initial digging up, I was 90% on my own. It took two days, got first sunburn of the year, and looks much better than the weeded nest it had become. HARD work like I have rarely done since I went to work with my dad building houses. Well, not building, but doing the work that the pros didn't want do like hefting pieces of garbage that were bigger than I and holding sheetrock at one end so Dad could secure it at the other. I was the strongest chuddy teen you ever saw...
Laptops in music
I am disappointed by the course live music has taken. Laptops shouldn't be on stage, okay? I know you're not checking email up there, but if you need it to do the work for you, then you're not really performing, are you? I suppose it depends on the use, though, but I think people rely on them too much.
My friend has a band she's been trying to promote. They are extremely mediocre (if mediocrity can be extreme). We've seen them 3 times and Tiff swears their original music is really good, but they refuse to play it! They're convinced people only want to hear songs they recognize, cover songs, and will not ber persuaded otherwise. 70s and 80s songs might be okay if they were willing to play anything I like, but Journey, The Eagles, Robert Palmer, and 80s Top 40 never have been, never will be "my scene". The part that really depresses me? The singer/lead guitar pulls up the lyrics and occasionally the guitar tabs on a laptop so that he can play the songs he "knows". GAH!
At least my nephew's band is all old school. They play metal which isn't something I listen to on a regular basis, but if you pick them apart by talent rather than personal taste, they are REALLY good so at least I can respect them. (Got 99 cents to see if you agree? Check out Distraction by Disforia on iTunes) Yes, that was shameless, but the kid is barely 20.
April's "thing"
It begins with my bike story.
When I was 12, I was riding my bike, a cool lime green hand-me-down ('cool' is so loaded with sarcasm it should hurt a bit) 10 speed down a steep hill near my house. Now, it wasn't San Francisco steep, but it has a pretty steep grade and everyone in our neighbourhood knew you didn't ride your bike down that hill, you walked it. Two years before I had walked my friend and her bike home because she tried going down it, tried braking, lost control, and rolled.
Yet, I thought I could manage it. I mean, it was always about braking, "they" said so I figured if I didn't brake, I'd be okay. I'd just roll down it, then "gently" turn that 90 degree corner, right? Well... BAM! I went too fast and couldn't turn the full angle so I steered straight into the gutter, went ass over teakettle over the handlebars, and skidded on my stomach across the driveway of the person who lives in that corner house.
Couldn't move. Couldn't do anything I was so stunned. The homeowner attended our church and recognized me so he helped me up, gave me a ride home. I had ridden with a friend (coincidentally, the one I had helped home a couple years before) and she brought my bike home, I guess. I was so out of it I never did think to find out. Anyway, slight concussion, road burns all down my face and chest. My favourite shirt shredded, dammit, and Mom made me throw it out! She didn't take me to hospital, but partly because I told her I didn't think I needed to go. I just remember being unable to think for the next two days. After that I remember picking two pieces of gravel out of my eyebrow that had embedded so deeply that one was on top of the other. (The deeper one took a week to pick out). I think we cleaned out most of the gravel the first day because I just remember the raw scabs other than the eyebrow.
I didn't really feel like riding a bike right after that, of course, but I had totalled the bike. The next summer I wanted to, but my parents couldn't afford to buy me a new one so I haven't ridden one in 23 years.
Until yesterday. I bought a bike. Yes, I bought a bike - committing myself to riding it. Guess what? It's not true what they say. You can forget how to ride a bike. I was so wobbly I couldn't turn corners. My daughter and I went out together, though, which was fun. I'm sure my neighbours had great entertainment watching my huge ass have so much trouble getting going and unable to turn corners or navigate cars parked across the sidewalk. LOL ('cause you gotta laugh). Anyway, I'm going to attempt getting better and increasing stamina so that I can bike a little more, drive a little less. Exercise, plus "green". That's big enough for the month, right?
I think I will have to summarize at end of year. For once I feel like I've been living life instead of it living me.
Additional notes to self: Sprained ankle end of March because of damned pothole. I swear it jumped out from under my bumper. Painful! Kept saying it was just hurt, twisted, whatever, but I think it was more serious now because here we are a month later and when I sit crosslegged on the floor, I have to stick one foot out because if my ankle is touching the floor, it really hurts.
Last week we completely redid park strip. About 100 square feet dug up (with help of niece), then recovered with weedcloth, paving sand, paver stones, and loose stones. After the initial digging up, I was 90% on my own. It took two days, got first sunburn of the year, and looks much better than the weeded nest it had become. HARD work like I have rarely done since I went to work with my dad building houses. Well, not building, but doing the work that the pros didn't want do like hefting pieces of garbage that were bigger than I and holding sheetrock at one end so Dad could secure it at the other. I was the strongest chuddy teen you ever saw...