Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

i am of the opinion that dogs should come with a 'shed guideline' as well as a 'size' , 'activity level', and 'drool factor' in the dog guidebooks. these are things you need to KNOW.

"I mean how many people buy a Jack Russel terrier without understanding that it is, in fact, a 80lb dog that has been compressed into the 25 pound frame? its the spring tension that accounts for all the 'sproing' of a Jack Russel...."

-- fabricdragon, 2007-07-06

i am of the opinion that dogs should come with a 'shed guideline' as well as a 'size' , 'activity level', and 'drool factor' in the dog guidebooks. these are things you need to KNOW.

"I mean how many people buy a Jack Russel terrier without understanding that it is, in fact, a 80lb dog that has been compressed into the 25 pound frame? its the spring tension that accounts for all the 'sproing' of a Jack Russel...."

-- fabricdragon, 2007-07-06

I am very tired. I'd like to try to do something more productive/interesting/fun than just trying to make sure I'm somewhat rested up by tomorrow afternoon, but I'd better not push.

I started the day pretty tired, and felt various kinds of crappy at several points during the day, but not constantly and I managed to get through my day without getting to the turn-grey-and-fall-over stage or having to bail on anything early. (I felt pretty close during part of the ride home.)

So, since my body only threatened to interfere but didn't monkey-wrench things, and only made me somewhat distractingly uncomfortable rather than can't-think-straight miserable, I got to enjoy stuff -- the supposed-to-be-fun things were mostly fun. That makes it a good day however fragile I feel now, at the end of it. And the pain didn't exceed the "can cope using Ultram" range, another good-day marker.

I found a ride to the monthly meeting of the recorder club (which needs a web site) up in Towson this afternoon, which ride wound up also being a ride from there to Emory's afterward, where I met up with justgus37 to ride to our HCB gig in Columbia, where we were made to feel quite appreciated and I got, as usual, very very sweaty.

There was some interesting music at the recorder group, and although I still don't sight-read anywhere near as well as I'd like to (and didn't read as well today as I have at the times when I'm most in practice), I did a lot better than I was afraid I would. I did, of course, miss many fewer notes the third and fourth times we played each piece. I started off on alto for an all-altos-and-sopranos round ("Souldier take off thy wine", by Henry Purcell), and switched to bass for the rest of the afternoon shortly thereafter. A few of us got into discussion of early-music stuff (notation, hexachords, cantus firmus, and so on), which I rather enjoyed -- and which is kind of appropriate given that the name of the group is the Society for Early Music (I think there's an "of Central Maryland" or something tacked on as well), but I'm afraid I'm one of the people who got a bit carried away and contributed to the non-early-music-geeks' eyes glazing over. Uh, I should try to be more careful of that.

Pleasant weather, a vehicle blasting chilled air at me when I needed it most, playing nifty new-to-me music, playing familiar, well-liked music, playing recorder better than I thought I would (even if still not in the same league as a number of other people in the room[*]), conversation with cool people, appreciative audience, no SNAFUs or technical glitches, I didn't hit the fall-over stage until I got home, and the pain never got quite bad enough to warrant codeine. Yup, gotta label that a good day.

The plan for tomorrow will feel a lot more like work, but it should be fun work. (Brainstorming arrangements of tunes for a not-very-distant performance, and polishing and practicing, on electric instruments.) I just need to make sure I get a useful amount of sleep tonight ... or tomorrow morning, just "between now and tomorrow afternoon".

[*] Hearing one of the other players on my part across the room, and thinking, "okay, we both hit all the notes, but damn, their tone is a lot better than mine; it's a better instrument than mine, but that sounds more like different-amount-of-practice than more-expensive-instrument, from here," does reinforce the whole Need To Make Time To Practice Other Than At Group Rehearsals idea.

Note that I have heard a better instrument make a shocking amount of difference -- I once tried a $300 wooden Yamaha soprano that made me sound like someone you'd assign melody parts to ... but it still didn't make me sound as good as its owner did playing either of our recorders.

I am very tired. I'd like to try to do something more productive/interesting/fun than just trying to make sure I'm somewhat rested up by tomorrow afternoon, but I'd better not push.

I started the day pretty tired, and felt various kinds of crappy at several points during the day, but not constantly and I managed to get through my day without getting to the turn-grey-and-fall-over stage or having to bail on anything early. (I felt pretty close during part of the ride home.)

So, since my body only threatened to interfere but didn't monkey-wrench things, and only made me somewhat distractingly uncomfortable rather than can't-think-straight miserable, I got to enjoy stuff -- the supposed-to-be-fun things were mostly fun. That makes it a good day however fragile I feel now, at the end of it. And the pain didn't exceed the "can cope using Ultram" range, another good-day marker.

I found a ride to the monthly meeting of the recorder club (which needs a web site) up in Towson this afternoon, which ride wound up also being a ride from there to Emory's afterward, where I met up with justgus37 to ride to our HCB gig in Columbia, where we were made to feel quite appreciated and I got, as usual, very very sweaty.

There was some interesting music at the recorder group, and although I still don't sight-read anywhere near as well as I'd like to (and didn't read as well today as I have at the times when I'm most in practice), I did a lot better than I was afraid I would. I did, of course, miss many fewer notes the third and fourth times we played each piece. I started off on alto for an all-altos-and-sopranos round ("Souldier take off thy wine", by Henry Purcell), and switched to bass for the rest of the afternoon shortly thereafter. A few of us got into discussion of early-music stuff (notation, hexachords, cantus firmus, and so on), which I rather enjoyed -- and which is kind of appropriate given that the name of the group is the Society for Early Music (I think there's an "of Central Maryland" or something tacked on as well), but I'm afraid I'm one of the people who got a bit carried away and contributed to the non-early-music-geeks' eyes glazing over. Uh, I should try to be more careful of that.

Pleasant weather, a vehicle blasting chilled air at me when I needed it most, playing nifty new-to-me music, playing familiar, well-liked music, playing recorder better than I thought I would (even if still not in the same league as a number of other people in the room[*]), conversation with cool people, appreciative audience, no SNAFUs or technical glitches, I didn't hit the fall-over stage until I got home, and the pain never got quite bad enough to warrant codeine. Yup, gotta label that a good day.

The plan for tomorrow will feel a lot more like work, but it should be fun work. (Brainstorming arrangements of tunes for a not-very-distant performance, and polishing and practicing, on electric instruments.) I just need to make sure I get a useful amount of sleep tonight ... or tomorrow morning, just "between now and tomorrow afternoon".

[*] Hearing one of the other players on my part across the room, and thinking, "okay, we both hit all the notes, but damn, their tone is a lot better than mine; it's a better instrument than mine, but that sounds more like different-amount-of-practice than more-expensive-instrument, from here," does reinforce the whole Need To Make Time To Practice Other Than At Group Rehearsals idea.

Note that I have heard a better instrument make a shocking amount of difference -- I once tried a $300 wooden Yamaha soprano that made me sound like someone you'd assign melody parts to ... but it still didn't make me sound as good as its owner did playing either of our recorders.