Too often I think people will approach some new skill or task from a very academic standpoint. We will start working out, learning an instrument, or learning a sport and get ourselves past the fundamentals, practice alone or hit the gym regularly, but never take it any further. True mastery won't happen in that vacuum chamber.
You must periodically break out of the normal routine.
I can practice guitar till my fingers fall off, pick my guitar sensei's brain for every bit of knowledge, and I can hit the river daily working on various tricks, but unfortunately that is only going to get me so far. Every once in a while we need to bring out our talents into the public eye. Even better, the competitive arena.
Bringing our passion out into the public eye changes the whole game. Playing on stage or at an art show, attending a martial arts or sports training clinic, and just having other witnesses in general can have a huge effect on our development because we will experience the thing we know and love so much but in a different context. Instead of focusing on challenging fingerwork or learning new moves, we must suddenly address psychological pressures and learn to rely on all of that practice as anxiety, unfamiliar surroundings, and distractions all add new elements to our experience. We have to allow our brains to accept the fact that the things we have studied are ingrained as knowledge and not just something we learned how to mimic or choreograph. There is a huge difference between being able to perform a task, such as play a passage of a piece or pull a sweet stunt, and actually understanding every component of that passage or trick to the point that it becomes knowledge.
Think of it this way: most people can do basic math in their head. You KNOW that 2 + 2 = 4 because it has become ingrained knowledge. The very process of basic mathmatics has been repeated so often and in so many places you know you can rely on it. Because of how ingrained it is and how often and frequently you have had to solve those types of problems, similar problems tossed at you out of the blue don't even phase you, even though you probably never actually tried to memorize and study those problems. For example, 200 + 200 = ?. Did you ever memorize 200 + 200? Probably not, but you immediately transferred your knowledge on the spot as soon as you read it. But were you able to do that as a child right after learning 2 + 2? Probably not. You probably had a feeling about what the answer was, but being put on the spot with new territory, going into the hundreds, added a bit of anxiety and stress to the situation. But after you got the hang of the new context, all of the old skills became somewhat more solidified.
Bringing it up to the next level
I am not a competitive person. At all. If someone wants to get it on and prove they are better, I'll let them waste the energy. That said, competition is good, even for people like me. Especially for people like me.
Competition will force you to evaluate your skills in a new light and outside of your own little vacuum bubble. It can be both humbling and elevating. When we don't do as well as we had hoped in a competition we must look back and analyze why the results came out the way they did. Was it because we were under-prepared? Over-confident? Did we under-estimate the competition? What did others do that we could work on to improve our own outcome?
Competitions can also be very invigoration. I recently did very well in a kayaking competition, much to my surprise. I actually expected to be dead last because it was my first time competing and I thought everyone would have been better. I actually did very well considering the pressure, the audience, and the fact that I was competing against some pretty serious guys. It was the ameteur division, but hey, these were serious amateurs! What happened after doing so well was that I found more energy to focus on improving even more. Doing well in a competition can really help us learn to build on our strengths.
As I write this I am getting ready for another competition up in Cody, WY. It will be an experience of many firsts for me. I will be on an unfamiliar river. It will be my first slolom race. I will be my first section of Class IV kayaking as a playboater. It will be the first time I record my kayaking adventures on video. It's going to be fun and I'm going to learn a lot, whether or not I win.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Friday, August 16, 2013
The Voice and the Balrog of Laziness
One of the problems I have had with my rekindled desire for massive self-improvement is over-extending myself. Here is how the cycle goes:
It starts off with a manic realization that I can do EVERYTHING! A huge amount of energy will build up in me to do productive things. I stop eating, forget to watch television, forget that I enjoy video games, and see only the things that I can accomplish in the world. I feel like I can easily stand toe to toe with the Greek gods of yore... if I put my mind to it.
Phase 2: Set Short Term Goals
I am a planner, so the first thing I do is I start making short term goals. Lists of things I will do today, tomorrow, and this week, and this month. But I might go a little overboard...
Yep, this is totally gonna work, for sure.
Step 2 is where it all goes wrong. I know this, but I do it anyways even though a little voice in my head is screaming HEY ASSHOLE! What in the FUCK are you doing? Don't you remember what happened last time? The Balrog of Laziness? You don't remember him? NO? Are you STUPID? Did you fall and hit your head and forget everything? This was just last week for christsakes!
No, this time will be different. I'm sure. I've got it all planned out.
Really? Whatever. Have fun. Tell me how this works out for you.
And I do it anyways without really listening to that frustrated voice in my head that knows better.
Every.
Single.
Time.
Phase 3: Tackle the Goals
At first, it goes well. I actually do do all of the things. I go home on my lunch hour to practice. I wake up at 5:00 and go kayaking at 6:00 before work. I go hiking, running, or kayaking after work. I go to the dojo and study karate with my sensei. I am teaching people to kayak and giving lessons on guitar. I practice guitar while I wait for dinner to cook. I get creative when I cook. I practice guitar until I go to bed.
I. Am. Amazing.
Phase 4: Sense of Accomplishment
Phase 4 and 3 are really the same phase, but phase 3 is activity while phase 4 is that awesome feeling I have at the end of the day that makes me realize how much I can do, how much I have accomplished, and that I can do this.
This phase is reinforced by others because they see me doing all these things they wish they had motivation to do. They want to do awesome things but they just can't bring themselves to do it. They aren't just impressed with how my fingers float across the guitar. They are impressed that I could buckle down and take the time to actually get good at it.
Hey, little voice in my head. You were wrong this time. Just like I said, I have this all planned out.
But then something happens....
Phase 5: Overwhelmed
About one or two weeks into the realm of pure awesomeness that I have ventured I realize that I over scheduled myself. Not just a little bit. A lot. Somewhere during Phase 2 I forgot that people need to do little maintenance things in their life to keep their home, work, and social lives all going smoothly.
I haven't left time for my chores. Dishes are piling up. Clothes are piling up. My roommate disappeared in an avalanche of bills and junk mail that I neglected. I have started ignoring friends and become a hermit. The car needs an oil change. I realize I haven't gotten a haircut in nearly three months. I have to go to the doctor. I haven't been eating properly because I've been too busy. I can't remember the last time I took a shower or shaved. I start to look like a crazed madman. My friends joke that this is how the Unibomber probably got his start.
And when I look at all the things I need to do but don't have time to do....
Phase 6: Give up
Do all of the things becomes...
Except play video games. Or boot up the computer to play video games and decide that I don't have the energy. Or sit with the dog and power-watch my way through three seasons of Arrested Development in two nights. Or just sit and stare at the ceiling.
I have awoken the Balrog of Laziness. He feeds on accomplishment and enjoys nothing more than destroying the sense of purpose we possess. And the Balrog of Laziness will stalk you quietly, slowly consuming your motivation to do anything. And he makes you say things like I'll do it after dinner or I'll do it tomorrow.
This phase invariably culminates with a listless, insomniac episode of some mindless video game until 3:00 a.m. on a work night and I wake up feeling like hell which leads immediately into...
Phase 7: Self-loathing
Because I did this to myself. I know it. I saw it coming. I knew I shouldn't do it but I did it. Again. Probably for the 50th time. A deep anger and hatred for myself rears its ugly head, like the fell beast that the dwarves discovered when they delved too deeply. I delved too deeply and too quickly into the Mines of Accomplishment and woke a terrifying beast that feeds only to motivation.
Luckily, that rude little asshole of a voice in my head pops up.
Sigh, let me guess... you pissed off the Balrog again, didn't you.
Yeah, I might have pissed off the the Balrog again.
Phase 8: Repeat
The Balrog of Laziness and the voice in my head do battle. The Voice might be a jerk, but one thing he can't stand is the Balrog. The voice can never actually kill the Balrog, but he always manages to banish it back to the depths whence it came, and banish it a little bit further each time. I take a day or two to recover from my malaise and then suddenly the Voice watches me look at my guitar and says Hey, you can do it....
And the cycle starts all over.
- Experience a massive wave of motivation and self-purpose
- Set short term goals.
- Tackle the goals
- Feel a sense of accomplishment
- Become overwhelmed
- Give up on everything
- Self-loathing
- Repeat
It starts off with a manic realization that I can do EVERYTHING! A huge amount of energy will build up in me to do productive things. I stop eating, forget to watch television, forget that I enjoy video games, and see only the things that I can accomplish in the world. I feel like I can easily stand toe to toe with the Greek gods of yore... if I put my mind to it.
Phase 2: Set Short Term Goals
I am a planner, so the first thing I do is I start making short term goals. Lists of things I will do today, tomorrow, and this week, and this month. But I might go a little overboard...
Yep, this is totally gonna work, for sure.
Step 2 is where it all goes wrong. I know this, but I do it anyways even though a little voice in my head is screaming HEY ASSHOLE! What in the FUCK are you doing? Don't you remember what happened last time? The Balrog of Laziness? You don't remember him? NO? Are you STUPID? Did you fall and hit your head and forget everything? This was just last week for christsakes!
No, this time will be different. I'm sure. I've got it all planned out.
Really? Whatever. Have fun. Tell me how this works out for you.
And I do it anyways without really listening to that frustrated voice in my head that knows better.
Every.
Single.
Time.
Phase 3: Tackle the Goals
At first, it goes well. I actually do do all of the things. I go home on my lunch hour to practice. I wake up at 5:00 and go kayaking at 6:00 before work. I go hiking, running, or kayaking after work. I go to the dojo and study karate with my sensei. I am teaching people to kayak and giving lessons on guitar. I practice guitar while I wait for dinner to cook. I get creative when I cook. I practice guitar until I go to bed.
I. Am. Amazing.
Phase 4: Sense of Accomplishment
Phase 4 and 3 are really the same phase, but phase 3 is activity while phase 4 is that awesome feeling I have at the end of the day that makes me realize how much I can do, how much I have accomplished, and that I can do this.
This phase is reinforced by others because they see me doing all these things they wish they had motivation to do. They want to do awesome things but they just can't bring themselves to do it. They aren't just impressed with how my fingers float across the guitar. They are impressed that I could buckle down and take the time to actually get good at it.
Hey, little voice in my head. You were wrong this time. Just like I said, I have this all planned out.
But then something happens....
Phase 5: Overwhelmed
About one or two weeks into the realm of pure awesomeness that I have ventured I realize that I over scheduled myself. Not just a little bit. A lot. Somewhere during Phase 2 I forgot that people need to do little maintenance things in their life to keep their home, work, and social lives all going smoothly.
I haven't left time for my chores. Dishes are piling up. Clothes are piling up. My roommate disappeared in an avalanche of bills and junk mail that I neglected. I have started ignoring friends and become a hermit. The car needs an oil change. I realize I haven't gotten a haircut in nearly three months. I have to go to the doctor. I haven't been eating properly because I've been too busy. I can't remember the last time I took a shower or shaved. I start to look like a crazed madman. My friends joke that this is how the Unibomber probably got his start.
And when I look at all the things I need to do but don't have time to do....
Phase 6: Give up
Do all of the things becomes...
Except play video games. Or boot up the computer to play video games and decide that I don't have the energy. Or sit with the dog and power-watch my way through three seasons of Arrested Development in two nights. Or just sit and stare at the ceiling.
I have awoken the Balrog of Laziness. He feeds on accomplishment and enjoys nothing more than destroying the sense of purpose we possess. And the Balrog of Laziness will stalk you quietly, slowly consuming your motivation to do anything. And he makes you say things like I'll do it after dinner or I'll do it tomorrow.
This phase invariably culminates with a listless, insomniac episode of some mindless video game until 3:00 a.m. on a work night and I wake up feeling like hell which leads immediately into...
Phase 7: Self-loathing
Because I did this to myself. I know it. I saw it coming. I knew I shouldn't do it but I did it. Again. Probably for the 50th time. A deep anger and hatred for myself rears its ugly head, like the fell beast that the dwarves discovered when they delved too deeply. I delved too deeply and too quickly into the Mines of Accomplishment and woke a terrifying beast that feeds only to motivation.
Luckily, that rude little asshole of a voice in my head pops up.
Sigh, let me guess... you pissed off the Balrog again, didn't you.
Yeah, I might have pissed off the the Balrog again.
Phase 8: Repeat
The Balrog of Laziness and the voice in my head do battle. The Voice might be a jerk, but one thing he can't stand is the Balrog. The voice can never actually kill the Balrog, but he always manages to banish it back to the depths whence it came, and banish it a little bit further each time. I take a day or two to recover from my malaise and then suddenly the Voice watches me look at my guitar and says Hey, you can do it....
And the cycle starts all over.
Friday, August 9, 2013
Returning from a long "break"
My blog, guitar, and sports and pretty much everything took a serious hit for the better part of a year. Illness combined with getting mired in an abusive relationship has a way of doing that, especially when you are dealing with vague and chronically painful illnesses. You feel like shit when you go to bed in pain, sleep terribly, wake up in pain, go to the office and suffer, go home and do it all over again. Instead of living, you start existing and looking for ways to ignore the pain. In the process, you tend to lose focus on the things that you care about.
That is the worst part: losing focus due to something that feels out of your control.
For the past two years I have been seeking treatment for constant pain. Know how you feel when you work out way too hard, pushed yourself too far and instead of having that pleasant "I worked out" pain you have "Oh, god, what have I done to myself pain"? That is how I feel 90% of the time. Maybe 95% of the time. My doctor and I don't know what is causing it, but something causes my immune system to attack my joints and connective tissues causing them to inflame and hurt like hell. Eventually it got so bad that I was literally starting to go a little insane and I finally broke down and talked to my doctor.
This has actually been going on for years and years, but I didn't seek help until it got really bad. Unbearably bad. Like most men regarding our health issues I decided I was going to tough it out. Why? Because my only symptoms were pain and inflammation and I didn't want to go to my doctor just to complain about hurting. The pain used to be a constant 2 out of 10, which was easy to ignore but over the years it gradually worked higher and higher until I was constantly at what I called 7 out of 10. At that level it literally felt like my muscles and tendons were peeling away from each other. Like most people, I can handle pain level 7 like a champ if I only have to deal with it for a day or two, but I can't handle it all the time. Pain like that just drains you when you always feel like that and eventually that pain becomes your life and puts your brain in a fog.
I wasn't going to go to the doctor and get treated for pain because that's what drug addicts do I would tell myself. I have a very important rule in my life: no addictive pain killers. I never want to become one of those people but eventually the pain was just so bad I was willing to become one of those people.
Diagnosis, Treatment, Recovery, Relapse
My doctor called for lots of tests and almost everything has come up blank. Right at first we identified a severe vitamin D deficiency, but after correcting that everything else we tested for came up negative. It is so frustrating to know something is very, very wrong but not be able to actually get a solid diagnosis. What we do know is that I have frequent and painful long-term inflammation flare ups that have no clear cause, do not respond to most anti-inflammatory treatments, and that my muscle strength and flexibility are not affected. In many respects, I am lucky because my body seems to be able to handle it. The problem is my brain just eventually overloads on pain and decides to stop caring about anything and everything I care about: sports, guitar, friends. At that point, the diagnosis was "some kind of autoimmune reaction." Fibromyalgia and Myofacial Pain Syndrome also came up but neither he or I were really willing to accept those diagnosis options as the cause. They might be part of the equation but we both think something else is going on but we just don't know what. Frustratingly vague but that's what we have to work with.
My doctor recommended I keep up with my active lifestyle, boost my vitamin intake, get regular massages, and take some powerful anti-inflammatory meds when things get really bad. He initially wanted to offer me some pain killers and sleep aids for my really bad days. Oxycontin and Ambien. My response, "absolutely not!" Those are addictive as hell and the side effects can be crazy. They are my absolute last resort, and my doctor respects that.
Things got better slowly and steadily, but unfortunately that worked only for about a year. Last November it went from simple pain to pain plus insane inflammation which resulted in immobilization of my shoulders and then a subsequent infection. I couldn't even lift my arms above my shoulders. Suddenly I couldn't play guitar comfortably, work out, snowboard, or do my karate. Even playing with my dog was difficult and she does most of the work. I was in so much pain that I couldn't even handle just sitting around hanging out with friends. Not being able to physically do anything that I loved triggered a terrible depression.
Recovery 2.0
Luckily a prolonged regimen of powerful antibiotics and some other meds got me back in working order over the course of six months. Even then, the impact on my psyche took an huge toll. Getting back to where I wanted to be took longer than I wanted but I'm glad that I am able to deal with this without ever having to resort to drugs like Oxycontin and Ambien, although I am having to take some meds I really wish I didn't have to take but they seem to be making a noticeable improvement.
At this point I am actually a couple of months into my second recovery, which is far stronger than my first recovery. It started with this summer and kayaking season. We had good water on the river this year and I was hellbent on learning at least a few tricks in the whitewater park. I spent a lot of time on the water practicing, sometimes getting on the river as early as 6:00 AM just so I could get some kayaking in before work. It has paid off. I won two 2nd place awards in the local kayaking competition and have gotten even better since then. I have been teaching three people to kayak and teaching my roommate some classical guitar. I even learned how to do stand up paddle boarding, because all I needed was one more sport to get involved in.
Most importantly, Sensei Masa has assigned me one of my bucket list pieces, an arrangement of La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin by Debussy. It feels good to tackle a life goal head on. Things are good and only getting better.
I'm finally back, and I did it without your help Ambien Walrus.
That is the worst part: losing focus due to something that feels out of your control.
For the past two years I have been seeking treatment for constant pain. Know how you feel when you work out way too hard, pushed yourself too far and instead of having that pleasant "I worked out" pain you have "Oh, god, what have I done to myself pain"? That is how I feel 90% of the time. Maybe 95% of the time. My doctor and I don't know what is causing it, but something causes my immune system to attack my joints and connective tissues causing them to inflame and hurt like hell. Eventually it got so bad that I was literally starting to go a little insane and I finally broke down and talked to my doctor.
This has actually been going on for years and years, but I didn't seek help until it got really bad. Unbearably bad. Like most men regarding our health issues I decided I was going to tough it out. Why? Because my only symptoms were pain and inflammation and I didn't want to go to my doctor just to complain about hurting. The pain used to be a constant 2 out of 10, which was easy to ignore but over the years it gradually worked higher and higher until I was constantly at what I called 7 out of 10. At that level it literally felt like my muscles and tendons were peeling away from each other. Like most people, I can handle pain level 7 like a champ if I only have to deal with it for a day or two, but I can't handle it all the time. Pain like that just drains you when you always feel like that and eventually that pain becomes your life and puts your brain in a fog.
I wasn't going to go to the doctor and get treated for pain because that's what drug addicts do I would tell myself. I have a very important rule in my life: no addictive pain killers. I never want to become one of those people but eventually the pain was just so bad I was willing to become one of those people.
Diagnosis, Treatment, Recovery, Relapse
My doctor called for lots of tests and almost everything has come up blank. Right at first we identified a severe vitamin D deficiency, but after correcting that everything else we tested for came up negative. It is so frustrating to know something is very, very wrong but not be able to actually get a solid diagnosis. What we do know is that I have frequent and painful long-term inflammation flare ups that have no clear cause, do not respond to most anti-inflammatory treatments, and that my muscle strength and flexibility are not affected. In many respects, I am lucky because my body seems to be able to handle it. The problem is my brain just eventually overloads on pain and decides to stop caring about anything and everything I care about: sports, guitar, friends. At that point, the diagnosis was "some kind of autoimmune reaction." Fibromyalgia and Myofacial Pain Syndrome also came up but neither he or I were really willing to accept those diagnosis options as the cause. They might be part of the equation but we both think something else is going on but we just don't know what. Frustratingly vague but that's what we have to work with.
My doctor recommended I keep up with my active lifestyle, boost my vitamin intake, get regular massages, and take some powerful anti-inflammatory meds when things get really bad. He initially wanted to offer me some pain killers and sleep aids for my really bad days. Oxycontin and Ambien. My response, "absolutely not!" Those are addictive as hell and the side effects can be crazy. They are my absolute last resort, and my doctor respects that.
Things got better slowly and steadily, but unfortunately that worked only for about a year. Last November it went from simple pain to pain plus insane inflammation which resulted in immobilization of my shoulders and then a subsequent infection. I couldn't even lift my arms above my shoulders. Suddenly I couldn't play guitar comfortably, work out, snowboard, or do my karate. Even playing with my dog was difficult and she does most of the work. I was in so much pain that I couldn't even handle just sitting around hanging out with friends. Not being able to physically do anything that I loved triggered a terrible depression.
Recovery 2.0
Luckily a prolonged regimen of powerful antibiotics and some other meds got me back in working order over the course of six months. Even then, the impact on my psyche took an huge toll. Getting back to where I wanted to be took longer than I wanted but I'm glad that I am able to deal with this without ever having to resort to drugs like Oxycontin and Ambien, although I am having to take some meds I really wish I didn't have to take but they seem to be making a noticeable improvement.
At this point I am actually a couple of months into my second recovery, which is far stronger than my first recovery. It started with this summer and kayaking season. We had good water on the river this year and I was hellbent on learning at least a few tricks in the whitewater park. I spent a lot of time on the water practicing, sometimes getting on the river as early as 6:00 AM just so I could get some kayaking in before work. It has paid off. I won two 2nd place awards in the local kayaking competition and have gotten even better since then. I have been teaching three people to kayak and teaching my roommate some classical guitar. I even learned how to do stand up paddle boarding, because all I needed was one more sport to get involved in.
Most importantly, Sensei Masa has assigned me one of my bucket list pieces, an arrangement of La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin by Debussy. It feels good to tackle a life goal head on. Things are good and only getting better.
I'm finally back, and I did it without your help Ambien Walrus.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Political Post: SOPA and PROTECT-IP Acts
Although I am generally a-political and rather cynical about politics, I periodically get worked up about a few issues that prompt me to actually attempt to interact with my overlords senators and representative. One of those things that always scares me is when I see laws that can cripple technical innovation or free speech. Frequently those laws go hand in hand.
Normally I won't post about political junk here, but I think these laws are directly related to this blog on so many levels that I felt the need to share. I basically touched on only the economic and 1st Amendment based complaints. These laws have the potential to shut down websites such as this blog and prevent people like me from sharing my love for music. The potential for appallingly disgusting levels of censorship against both creative works and political speech is staggering. I wanted to mention that I am also a musician, writer, and content creator but I have a feeling that mentioning any participation in the arts would be a bad strategy when speaking with Republican congressmen in today's day and age. In my opinion any Senator or Representative that chooses to support this legislation does not understand the basics of the constitution and does not deserve to be re-elected. Ever.
Back to being politically cynical, I am confident that none of my elected congressmen will give my letter a single second of thought. I voted for two of these people, but my letter probably won't even be read by any of them because my name isn't on their list of wealthy campaign donors. I might receive some automated response or generic "here's our position" reply from one of their aides. I expect near unanimous Republican support and only slightly less Democrat support for both of these laws. Their decisions were made a long time ago and the only way I'll be able to influence them is hoping others will join me if they need voted out of office.
Normally I won't post about political junk here, but I think these laws are directly related to this blog on so many levels that I felt the need to share. I basically touched on only the economic and 1st Amendment based complaints. These laws have the potential to shut down websites such as this blog and prevent people like me from sharing my love for music. The potential for appallingly disgusting levels of censorship against both creative works and political speech is staggering. I wanted to mention that I am also a musician, writer, and content creator but I have a feeling that mentioning any participation in the arts would be a bad strategy when speaking with Republican congressmen in today's day and age. In my opinion any Senator or Representative that chooses to support this legislation does not understand the basics of the constitution and does not deserve to be re-elected. Ever.
Rep. Cynthia Lummis
Sen. Mike Enzi
Sen. John Barrasso
I am writing as a registered Wyoming voter to express my concern about both the PROTECT-IP and SOPA legislation. I personally believe that both of these items are extremely bad for technological innovation, job creation, and most importantly the 1st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
As a computer programmer and database engineer in ________, Wyoming I have had the wonderful opportunity to be able to use my skills in one of the few job sectors that can be described as growing. I fear that both the PROTECT-IP and SOPA Acts will directly threaten the United States' ability to be truly competitive in the world of information technology. If either of these pass I expect that only the largest and richest content providers will be able to comply with the poorly defined technical requirements set forth. This has the very distinct potential of crippling innovation in the private sector by creating a climate with far too much legal risk for smaller entrepreneurial outfits to survive. Additionally the cost of implementing these new rules could simply strangle companies financially. While I recognize the importance of protecting the intellectual properties of American companies, this is not the right way to do it.
What concerns me even more than stifling job creation and innovation in the technology sector is the blatant threat to the 1st Amendment. Creating new powers to shut down websites without the ability to challenge a shutdown in court is unconscionable. This power will eventually be abused and it will be used to censor free speech. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act has already been repeatedly used to stifle the communication of competitors and some influential companies argue that its primary use has actually been abuse:
"In its submission, Google notes that more than half (57%) of the takedown notices it has received under the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act 1998, were sent by business targeting competitors and over one third (37%) of notices were not valid copyright claims."
Unfortunately I do not see any way that either the PROTECT-IP or SOPA legislation from preventing these types of abuses and possibly creates more opportunity for abuse. Any law that can be easily abused is a bad law. This isn't a Liberal law or a Conservative law; this is simply terribly short-sighted legislation that only benefits the largest companies and will hurt small companies and content providers. Please join other members of Congress, such as Representative Ron Paul, in opposing it.
Back to being politically cynical, I am confident that none of my elected congressmen will give my letter a single second of thought. I voted for two of these people, but my letter probably won't even be read by any of them because my name isn't on their list of wealthy campaign donors. I might receive some automated response or generic "here's our position" reply from one of their aides. I expect near unanimous Republican support and only slightly less Democrat support for both of these laws. Their decisions were made a long time ago and the only way I'll be able to influence them is hoping others will join me if they need voted out of office.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Project: Bach Prelude in D minor
My buddy John and I have been casually playing music together for about a year. Off and on we jam when we feel the motivation, but whenever we hang out our conversations immediately turn to music, video games, and women.
One of those conversations via text message had John mention Bach's Prelude in D minor. A quick search for some sheet music and a quick PDF download later and I had found my new project. I quickly discovered that the piece is much more difficult than I initially assumed, but I hope to be able to play it smoothly within a month. In about a week I have the first half down reasonably solid, but leave it to Bach to ensure the last half of the piece is immensely more difficult than any challenge presented by the start of the piece.
My goal is to have a recording ready to post on you tube before the end of the year. This is a pretty big milestone task for me so I am excited to see how this goes.
One of those conversations via text message had John mention Bach's Prelude in D minor. A quick search for some sheet music and a quick PDF download later and I had found my new project. I quickly discovered that the piece is much more difficult than I initially assumed, but I hope to be able to play it smoothly within a month. In about a week I have the first half down reasonably solid, but leave it to Bach to ensure the last half of the piece is immensely more difficult than any challenge presented by the start of the piece.
My goal is to have a recording ready to post on you tube before the end of the year. This is a pretty big milestone task for me so I am excited to see how this goes.
| Free sheet music |
|
MP3 (human interpretation) / MIDI
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
First post, writing about an obsession, and starting my 10,000 hours over again.
I had abandoned music in so many ways. I had plenty of excuses. No time. Unable to find reliable musicians to jam with. No Time. No money. No time. Arthritis. No time. Classically trained musicians are asshole prima donnas and painful to deal with. No time. Mostly I told myself I just didn't have time and I really did fall back on arthritis and painful hands as an excuse.
Last year the primary cause of my arthritis symptoms was eliminated. I didn't do anything with music beyond the occasional halfhearted attempt to jam with others. Rock, blues, indie... it didn't matter I just wouldn't commit. I would often wonder how I let something so important to me become so trivial.
Then I had a re-awakening just about 7 months ago. A friend of mine was playing guitar and working on some classical music at the coffee shop. It was just some simple stuff like a guitar voicing of Fur Elise, but something stirred in me. I suddenly remembered a piece by Isaac Albeniz, Asturias. Most people probably know it as Leyenda. In my mind it is one of the most definitive pieces of classical guitar music ever written. I suddenly remembered how much I loved classical guitar. I suddenly remembered how badly I wanted to be able to play Asturias.
I went home that night and remember not sleeping. I kept wondering where my Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) books from over a decade ago had disappeared. I struggled to remember the melody to Espanoleta, a piece I lovingly recalled being either the 2nd or 3rd piece in the 2nd RCM guitar volume. I never throw a book away so I had to have them. Somewhere. But I didn't. Tearing the garage apart and scrounging through each and everyone of my drawers and boxes I couldn't find them. I think I'm glad I couldn't find the books. I felt like I lost something important and suddenly I found myself on an obsessive mission to replace what I had lost. The next day after work I rushed to the only decent music store in town. I bought new nylon strings and the first two books of the newest RCM editions. I didn't realize it at the time, but that day a fever started in my brain and guitar became a nagging obsession.
My dog was suddenly going to learn what true neglect is. I had started my ten thousand hour journey.
Last year the primary cause of my arthritis symptoms was eliminated. I didn't do anything with music beyond the occasional halfhearted attempt to jam with others. Rock, blues, indie... it didn't matter I just wouldn't commit. I would often wonder how I let something so important to me become so trivial.
Then I had a re-awakening just about 7 months ago. A friend of mine was playing guitar and working on some classical music at the coffee shop. It was just some simple stuff like a guitar voicing of Fur Elise, but something stirred in me. I suddenly remembered a piece by Isaac Albeniz, Asturias. Most people probably know it as Leyenda. In my mind it is one of the most definitive pieces of classical guitar music ever written. I suddenly remembered how much I loved classical guitar. I suddenly remembered how badly I wanted to be able to play Asturias.
I went home that night and remember not sleeping. I kept wondering where my Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) books from over a decade ago had disappeared. I struggled to remember the melody to Espanoleta, a piece I lovingly recalled being either the 2nd or 3rd piece in the 2nd RCM guitar volume. I never throw a book away so I had to have them. Somewhere. But I didn't. Tearing the garage apart and scrounging through each and everyone of my drawers and boxes I couldn't find them. I think I'm glad I couldn't find the books. I felt like I lost something important and suddenly I found myself on an obsessive mission to replace what I had lost. The next day after work I rushed to the only decent music store in town. I bought new nylon strings and the first two books of the newest RCM editions. I didn't realize it at the time, but that day a fever started in my brain and guitar became a nagging obsession.
My dog was suddenly going to learn what true neglect is. I had started my ten thousand hour journey.
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