Next week it turns out the other two people in my guitar lesson can't be there. I offered to cancel rather than have GT teach just me. He figured we might as well go ahead.

So. Private lesson next week. Which means I can't hide behind someone else when I'm confused--and I confuse so easily.

I would feel--not better, but a different kind of bad--if my problem was that I didn't practice. I *do*. I'm actually fairly diligent. I just blow, is all.

However--the thing to do this week is work on my exercises, and also make sure I have an answer if GT asks, "So--what do you want to work on today?"


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I'm watching a rerun of Project Runway Canada, which I enjoyed first time around but missed some episodes. I'm enjoying it again, but I keep thinking about the final three episode(to be rerun next week.)

There were two designers in particular who did the full-on Mean Girls thing, especially toward this one other contestant who was a younger, heavy young woman. They really were hags to her.

And the target was in the final three, and they drew for one of the eliminated designers to be their helper (one each), and the target drew one of the Mean Girls.

Who we then saw diligently doing detail work, shopping for the finalist's fabric, and trying to get deals for her ("If you knew her, you would give her the extra fabric.")

And then there was a moment where they had A Talk. The MG explained, "Well, there was all this pressure--"

And I waited for excuses.

But she said, "--and I think I lost my damn mind. I am really ashamed of myself. I'm sorry."

I really hate those faux-pologies, where the person acts like stuff "just happened," or was the target's fault. No. This one owned up to being an arsehole, the former target accepted the apology, and all three of us felt better afterward.

I try to keep in mind that a genuine apology can be a powerful thing. This was a good illustration of that.

Post from mobile portal m.livejournal.com

I'n sitting on the couch watching Vlad and Bojo snuggling in the orange chair.
After fully two years of mutual hostility.

Snuggling.

Truly, anything is possible...

Post from mobile portal m.livejournal.com

Okay, now that I think about it...

Considering I think Paul and Linda McCartney are one of the great romantic couples I can think of...

It is probably no surprise I have no time for Bella and Edward, is it??

Well, of course I have the "in their own words" companion book. The words consist of interview excerpts arranged so as to provide a chronological narrative, and the Beatles (and assorted friends like George Martin) take turns contributing their bits.

However, the period up to the formation of the band is covered by an individual chapter each. In John's case it was cobbled together out of interviews. The others seem to have given extended interviews which were written up as a narrative.

I mention this merely to note that if you're ever writing a first-person narrator who is supposed to be likable, you could do worse than read and analyze Paul's chapter. I swear, if I had never heard of Paul McCartney I'd have liked him based on the chapter. It's full of friendly little asides about family members (his Uncle Ron was "lovely") and offhand confessions of sentimentality (he still has his first guitar--of course he does--which has been restored and is quite nice, really) and apologetic comments about things like talking down to George as kids ("that was a failing of mine right through the Beatles") because he was older or about teasing his mother about something and then wishing he hadn't.

I know Paul has his flaws, we all do, but he gives the impression he's really *trying*, and it's very endearing.

Also, I once said the luckiest celebrity musical instrument was Hank Williams' D28, because Neil Young has it and plays it. I was wrong. The luckiest are Paul McCartney' Hofner bass and Epiphone Texan, because he still has them and plays them regularly, and they probably know he will hang onto such old friends.

Anyway. I like McCartney, but do check out that chapter in the Anthology companion. It's really endearing.

I have no interest in seeing New Moon, but it's hard to avoid the trailers on TV.

Which is why I am familiar with the scene in which Bella gets a paper cut and Edward's place. (I also read the scene in the preview chapter of the first book.)

Okay, I have a question. When Bella cuts herself in the presence of vampires, I get that one of them suddenly gets hungry. And I get that Edward steps in front of Bella and chucks the other vamp into a piano.

What I do not get is, why does he also find it necessary to throw *Bella* halfway across the room?

I mean, I totally get the impulse, but isn't Edward supposed to *like* her??

Post from mobile portal m.livejournal.com

I've recently been hearing about a new Beatles documentary with new footage, and despite having the Anthology I kind of wanted to see it.

So I was checking the CTV Web site to see whether there was a Flashpoint rerun on tonight or next week. There isn't, but I found out the Beatles doc is on CTV next Friday at 10:00.

That'll console me.

This quote will be my email sig line at some point in the future:

"Writing is no trouble: you just jot down ideas as they occur to you. The jotting is simplicity itself - it is the occurring which is difficult."
Stephen Leacock

Link to the new Web site, also added to my sidebar.

Hey, I do what I can.

Found this on YouTube last night:



It's mostly bad puns on song titles (which I find hilarious because I have an undeveloped sense of humour) but at the very end we discover what The Edge keeps under his hat.

I followed a link off jongibbs's journal, then followed another, and found myself at the blog of one Livia Blackburne, a writer of YA novels who is also a graduate student in neuroscience.

This is particularly interesting because her knowledge of the brain naturally informs her writing. Take this nifty post on Using the Fundamental Attribution Error to Control Character Sympathy. Essentially, the fundamental attribution error tells us that the less we know about someone else's circumstances, the likelier we are to attribute their mistakes or misdeeds to character flaws. The more we know about the character's motivations, context, and the pressures on them, the likelier we are to feel sympathy.

Oh, does that sound familiar to you, too?

Now, in my case the context provided does not need to be desperately pitiful or filled with angst (after a certain point both of these tend to push my OFTLOG--"Oh, for the love of God!"--ejection button) (or the even stronger OFFS button--you can probably guess what the initialism stands for) but the point stands: the more I know about a character's motivations, the likelier I am to sympathize with them even if they're holding Ed at gunpoint.

(Not, mind you, that I am in any way cool with Ed getting held at gunpoint, but I have noticed he can generally handle it.)

Ahem.

There is a lot of very cool stuff on this blog, and a lot of food for thought. Since God knows I need to get writing seriously again, I hope to use some of it to give myself a little push-start.

Yeah, I meant to get to this days ago--my apologies to Halifax lurkers who wanted to see the setlist.

The nice thing about Flashpoint being on early Friday evenings is, I can watch the show and then go out afterward. Which depending on the storyline I sometimes really need to do.

( I've been looking forward to the release party for Gloryhound's new CD for a while now. )
I stopped at the merch table and picked up another copy of Leave It Alone, because my brother didn't have a copy yet. I'd already bought a couple of Stone Mary tracks on iTunes but I went ahead and bought their EP anyway, and spoke to Christina for a minute. She declared herself really happy to see chicks getting into guitar riffs. (coneycat's entire friendslist: "Oh, honey, you have no idea.") I am probably more an old bat than a chick, but I appreciated the sentiment.

And also the show.

And, because it turns out I got a few pictures that turned out--there will be one final entry on this subject. Hey, when I get started, I am very hard to stop.

Gloryhound released its new CD this past week, and it's taken me forever to get to the show post. Sorry.

But first--an article about the CD release, and the band's adventures at Nova Scotia Music Week in Yarmouth.

I don't get the Chronicle-Herald anymore so I missed that story entirely. The link is probably time-sensitive so ( I've ganked the content. )

The CD is available for purchase, download, or preview at CDBaby. It's not up on iTunes just yet but you can find the first CD, Gloryhound & the Skyhawks, there. The new record shows more punk influences than the first one.

The guitars are VERY loud.

You may get that I consider that a good thing.

The riff that opens "Cruel Little Tease" is particularly catchy, incidentally.

...it is now okay to post something Christmassy. So here's Bob Dylan singing "Must Be Santa."



No, REALLY.

As I remarked over on Facebook, I remember Christmas concerts that were just about this rowdy, although as far as I know the kids weren't this hammered.

I should have found It Might Get Loud daunting. Instead of thinking I should just quit, I went home wanting to practice more.

I keep talking about the smiles. You know something, I think the smiles are the main thing I took from that movie. I am not as talented as any of the three guitarists in the movie, or as creative, and I certainly don't have the time left to put as much work into it as, say, Page.

But fun, I can have. The movie is a terrific reminder that it is fun to play music. Even playing it badly, for no one but cats, is fun.

Hand me that blue guitar, someone, and stand back!

Good article and review #1

Good article #2

So last night I hauled out my copies of Rattle and Hum and U2 Go Home and had a small festival. Did not break out Live At Red Rocks because I specifically wanted to hear "Where the Streets Have No Name" in several variations, but that will come.

( A few points, cut because not everyone is interested in U2 or my thoughts thereon. )

...yeah, I know about the Air Guitar Championships. And no, Page does not look anywhere near that dorky.

Ooh, look--the vid in question at SPIN Magazine's site!

It's the grin that makes this clip wonderful.

Hey, you know me--I'll call practically anything progress. But last night while watching The Concert for Bangladesh last night I was at least able to play along to "Blowin' In the Wind" with Bob Dylan. Okay, I had the sheet music in a book, and okay, it's not exactly "Black Dog." But I did pretty well except when Bob went off on his own timing, which I could correct for if I ran through it a few more times.

Look, at this stage I will take what I can get!