Musical inspirations and the results
I was playing my newest 2 synth piece to my bandmate tonight.
Bandmate: very jazz-ey!
Me: I know, and I don't even like jazz.
Bandmate: so, you listen to techno dude youtube music production lessons, hip hop music for inspiration, and end up composing jazz!
Me: I know, I am disappointed in myself.
* this is the 3rd time I have heard him referring to my (different) piano-synth compositions as "jazz-ey".
One day, one day
One day I'll write a poem about my distain towards the nature phenomenon called 'snow'. But it won't be today.
As I was just outside for about 3 minutes and all I can write atm is:
"I hate this fucking snow
I hate this fucking snow."
And that's not even my OC, that's me paraphrasing Tricky.
More seasonal stuff
My Neighbour dropped by last night for dinner and drinks. He asked if he needs to bring anything and I said no. Then he arrived and opened my fridge to get a couple of beers for us.
Me: oh, just like every year around Christmas time, I turn out to be good at hoarding alcohol.
Neighbour: never change that about yourself!
Reflections and no regrets
It's the end of the year and as it is customary, people tend to reflect on their lives. Over the last year and often even further past. I at times dabble in this practice, but I try not to go overboard with it.
However, a trail of thought today had lead me to remember how a woman once was genuinely surprised to find out that I had never been married. And at our age, too!
So, how did I manage this? Easy.
Principle one: "No" is a legitimate answer to a question when someone asks you do to something.
Will you change your shirt to something smarter? - No.
Will you dig out that tree? - No.
Will you marry me? - No.
I also have used another tactic. This one's a bit more elaborate and the steps to take can vary case by case basis, however when executed in a timely manner it is very effective. I have tested this out multiple times and all were successful. And it's goes like this: break up with them before the subject matter comes up.
Though, I should note that sometimes this tactic needs to be combined with the Principle of No.
So there, something simple and no regrets. Also, cheap (or so I've been told).
Domains and knees
Yesterday I bought a new domain. I had to specifically select just the domain option, no hosting plans. Then I had to explicitly confirm my understanding that buying a domain without adding hosting means that I won't be able to have a website on it.
I wish there was some setting on my user profile level to switch on that I already have a hosting plan elsewhere thankyouverymuch.
As for the knee rehab, that's still going on. These days I seem to be scheduled for my procedure on the same weekdays at the same time as a rather polite older punk dude. We are both usually a bit early. He has a convoluted last name.
Next week is my last week for this electro therapy thing. I am both relieved to be moving on to the next set of physiotherapy, but I'm also going to miss these 25 minutes twice a week being quiet with the punk guy listening to the hum on the clinic.
Today's battle was real
Things to realise on November the 10th - I have forgotten how to put my duvet in the cover.
I mean, I did win in the end, for a result, all that. However, I'm not entirely sure if this counts as remembering how to do this.
Only so many words per day
I know I've been a lazy blogger recently. But my excuse is that I've been writing lots of new stuff in my notebook.
But I'll tell you one thing though - knee rehab is exactly what I didn't imagine knee rehab to be. But as long as it helps
There are no ghosts
In regards to the local restaurant reopening, late last week the sign stated that it'll keep the previous name. Which feels like a weird choice to me personally, but I ain't no restauranteur.
But the more exhilarating news is that this evening I walked past there and I saw an actual human being inside. About 10 minutes later I walked past again (one needs the shops from time to time) and then there were two people in there! **gasp**
Also, I wonder how long it will take them to realise that for a nowhere near central neighbourhood restaurant opening hours until 5 PM on Sundays is just not going to work. (If they last that long, that is.)
The update you have all been waiting for
In the saga of the local restaurant that closed down, there is now Chapter 2.
At some point after the closing down of the establishment, it was noticeable that there are things happening in there. But never during a time when I'd walk past. At first this was just packing the place up. Which would be the expected behaviour.
During July, there were a couple of nights where the owner of the restaurant had parties with friends. Clearly as a thank you for helping to pack up, as stuff kept being in boxes and those boxes disappearing after these parties. (Nobody invited me to them!)
But then, end of August / start of September I started noticing new things placed in there. Which made me both suspicious and hopeful.
However I never saw anyone there. For a while there were no other observable changes. I decided that being hopeful was probably a waste of my energy.
Until early October, when I saw that the walls had been repainted and new pictures hang up. At this point, I was just suspicious.
Then a red carpet roll appeared.
Other bits and bobs looked different than before.
Once I saw the lights on in the restaurant, but I still didn't see any people in there.
Yesterday I saw the outdoor advert board being inside, near the door.
Today I walked past there, and the outdoor board was put outside, in front of the door stating: We will open on the 1st of November. We are looking forward to your visit! :)
I still don't really know what exactly is opening on the 1st, but I guess we'll find out next week. It's all just minor details, right :D
Additional note: I am now convinced that all the refurb was done by invisible people.
Tink tink pum tink
Kae: Soo, here we go. I haven't even finished the first composition, I already have an idea for another one!
Neighbour: Well, what did you think that you were going to be a one hit wonder?
Kae: It's not even a hit, it's an unfinished mess.
Neighbour: OK, one mess wonder?
Kae: But I'm not even close to finishing it. And now I have this idea that wouldn't be triad based. It would be la note based and go like tink, tink, tunk, then pumpum, tink.
Neighbour: Yeah, that's how I make my idea notes as well :D In my email or Bitwig or wherever :D
Phone shortcut to DND mode
Today's voice recording session.
I often enough practice sitting down, especially whilst figuring out what am I doing here with my voice. Kitto had just woken up, doing her afternoon little tasks. She likes to wake up, eat a bit, and do some kitto stuff, before going back to sleep before the evening.
As I stood up to record, kitto went under the bed.
When I stopped recording, she came back out. She's sitting here next to me and demanding attention. So, I'm going to do that now.
Perceptions
Kae: I cleaned the bathtub today! That's how I found I'm low on the cleaning product.
Neighbour: **looks at me for a bit** I presume there's a story there. It's not like you just wanted a cleaner bathtub.
Kae: Actually, it is just that, I just wanted a clean bathtub.
Neighbour: Oh. I thought you had showered one of your plants, or did something messy and chaotic again in the bathroom.
Kae: Nop, not this time!
This is more of a casual battle than sound
One thing that I keep coming back to in my mind during the past week, is the thought about how much I love working on concepts. Hands on, head first, dive in.
And when the concept is done, it has become a Real Thing, in a lot of situations I will immediately lose interest. This applies to my interest in technology, and a few other subjects I would generally refer to as things I like.
It is not the case with my writing. But it does explain in part why poetry, hehe. Poems, especially mine, can be seen as concepts of life situations with the "I" and the "you" as stand in examples of any humans. However, I never lose interest to keep working on them, writing new ones, stealing my own ideas from old shit poems to be turned into a shiny new poem (hopefully a better one).
As it happens, this week I have fallen ill. Which I find extremely frustrating, btw. And this time around, for reasons (yet) unknown to me, I can't seem to be able to sleep much. For reasons that are pretty clear, I am also not able to do much. This leads me to a lot of awake time I wasn't entirely sure what to do with.
Until, in between the moments when kitto has decided to be Helpful To Hooman by demanding my full attention, I went on a weird quest: Browsing Music Theory Videos on youtube.
My today's favourite is Why Ben Shapiro Is Wrong About Rap.
The 'Interesting Only Whilst Concept' thing seems to not apply to my fascination with music either. Even if I am not really going the music producer route, but instead focusing on playing my MIDI keyboard as a piano. Not too bothered about perfecting my ability to play other people's music, rather than trying out chords, melodies, progression, etc., all whilst mostly sticking to the instrument that Bitwig calls Grand Piano.
I don't know if I will ever want to produce whatever I might compose eventually (or not). All I know now, is that I can do my hobby lying down on the sofa, struggling with the health hazards of my flesh prison, and finding music more fascinating by each fact.
(If anyone out there reads my blog and for some reason happens to know good music theory youtube educators, please let me know in comments. I'm definitely interested.)
I need a holiday to spend with my piano
As a long time music listener, first time composer, I find myself going through stages of:
Ooohh, there's something there, fuck wtf was I thinking, ah, I'll just record this as a note to self, hmm, there's really something, but not it there, arrgh, no, just no, well, I'll give this idea a go.
All nicely balanced with the stubbornness that all I have to do is practice, practice, practice.
I knew I needed a new tag
Designer:
!
Do you still have your mic on 'n you're taking requests?
I need the sound of crumpling of paper, that's what I need here!
Something slow, well, not too slow, but not crumple and done. :D
Kae:
Yeah, sure. Do you want a process of this, or crumpling for a result.
Also, what kind of paper?
D:
Process that leads to a result, I guess? :D
And not too sure, maybe a newspaper could do.
K:
OK, let me try.
[10 mins later]
Will this do? Or should I adjust the mic settings to make it louder?
