So regarding my recording hangup I posted about before; inspiration has struck and I've committed to making a mini concept album about the russian sex lizard satellite. Two tracks are well underway and I have many ideas/clips floating around for the other stuff. It's gonna be a mix of guitar/bass and synths. I need to get some beats together though: sequencing percussion is new territory for me. I don't know if there's gonna be any lyrics, and I'm pretty sure I won't be doing any signing, but I'm still brainstorming ideas for it: * formation of an orbital lizard communist micro-utopia * 1m5f lizzard love hexagon side story * Stalin reference * something about fruitflies So lyrics are coming along pretty solid I guess. At the very least I think I want some Russian radio chatter. I already have a Russian countdown to blastoff, but I couldn't find any stock narration about lizards in space in Russian. Anyone speak Russian?
I have a Russian coworker, she's a dear friend of mine. Expect to hear back from me on this, and if you don't, harass me until I send the lossless .wav of her translation of the ~1 minute long script I write concerning out-of-control orbital russian lizard sex satellites.
Well... bad news, my friend. Went to lunch with her today, she told me that she doesn't feel comfortable doing it, and that it's too "political", since the West's relationship with Russia has been steadily deteriorating ever since the Ukraine fiasco. She's always been very hush-hush about her Russian background (moved here when she 13), and shies away from identifying as Russian. I told her there would be no way to trace the audio recording back to her, but she still refused. I find her explanations nothing short of paranoia, but we're dead in the water. Sorry man. :( I would recommend posting somewhere on another forum with a larger userbase. Prepare a little news piece, or even just ask that they translate an existing one about the story. It really is a simple request and shouldn't take any native Russian speaker longer than 5 minutes.
"vee hav herd yor browdkast, komrad. yu vil plae vor Puttin tunigh'it"
Hey pubski, I'm sipping a Bailey's on ice and watching the CBC news on TV w/ my houseguests. Like galen "homework" is taking a long time. I have 40 students in one of my classes. They just handed in amazing one-page essays. 40. What's time consuming is figuring out how to respond to their content with positive comments and mention some of the style issues in a way that will motivate them rather than drive them away. I send them all personal emails in response to their assignments. Sometimes my email is longer than their essays. -- I have to stop that.
Lil, you're the illest. That's amazing. What grade do you teach, if you don't mind me asking?I send them all personal emails in response to their assignments. Sometimes my email is longer than their essays.
I have secured two ESL teaching jobs and I work Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a 1-1 student (for another week) from 1:40-2:30 p.m. I also work Monday to Wednesday from 6-9 p.m at the YMCA. This would give me a nice break, but the train I have to take to my house takes 45 minutes, so 45 minutes home, an hour or so to walk the dog and chill, then back downtown to teach in the evenings. A bit punishing, but I make rent and have some money to play. This week I am teaching a group of Italians for two classes and today during the the beginning of a class, I was going around and asking students how their day was yesterday and all that introductory, warm-up jazz. This absolutely gorgeous 18 year old girl looks me dead in the eyes and says, "yesterday I went to Victoria's Secret" and the whole time I had to think about how my orientation for that school skipped over all the boilerplate shit and went straight to the sexual harassment policy, which they asked me to read very carefully. Oh dio . . . The YMCA had me read skim the boilerplate but then made sure to carefully read the "I am not a child molester" portion, so between that and my other job, I don't know what vibes I am throwing off. In all seriousness though, I don't think that they (either "they") think I am a deviant, but obviously they have had problems of that nature in the past. I need to find time to work out regularly and some time to meet some girls. The dog helps, as does wearing professional clothes, but I am a results driven dude. Been trying to get back in touch with people and get involved with friends who are productive and not just getting fucked up all the time. It's going pretty good, but to be honest, all I really want to do is ride motorcycles and bone. I am applying to grad schools though (and do shit like get my driver's license converted and whatever) and so I find myself very busy, but in good ways.
Yeah, this comes with anything to do with working with kids. Never be left in a room alone with a child, gets told at primary education jobs, too.The YMCA had me read skim the boilerplate but then made sure to carefully read the "I am not a child molester" portion, so between that and my other job, I don't know what vibes I am throwing off. In all seriousness though, I don't think that they (either "they") think I am a deviant, but obviously they have had problems of that nature in the past.
I feel.All I want to do is ride motorcycles and bone.
I've been in Good 'Ol Canada for exactly a week now. This Friday there's an introduction for International students and an event so I hope I'll meet people that way. Liking my courses pretty much. Two Philosophy courses (one about ethics and another about the philosophy of science), two Geography (learning to program Python and one about the environment) and one Urban Studies course. Did some more grocery shopping today, and holy balls I miss my cheap Lidl / Aldi store. Especially healthy food, sadly. Seven items - $25. I know Safeway isn't the cheapest but the Superstore isn't much cheaper (and I need a car for that).
Yeah, but depending how you shop it might be worth it -- that refers to a family and I'm not sure how the numbers hold up when you're shopping solo. Plenty of stuff can be bought in bulk and stored, though.
I'm tired of living with bees. When I first moved into the apartment on my property (the pool house), there was a hive in the wall facing the pool. Apparently it had been there for close to a year. I didn't really mind it. It was weird hearing a hum through the walls, but I figured that because it was behind the plastic shower/bath combo I didn't have anything to worry about. And because it didn't pose a direct threat to my clients, my company didn't really care to address it. Then half of the hive broke off and colonized the space between the ceiling and the old shingles. I started seeing one or two inside my apartment every night, probably following the light. So I taped up the wall heater, which is beneath the portion of the ceiling they had swarmed to, and I taped up most of the outlets they could have access to. I begged my company to take care of it. I called a bee guy to get a quote, and he tried to start a web design company with me -- the bee removal industry is 100% SEO and salesmanship and he mastered them. But my company wouldn't pay to have the bees removed. Finally, I begged the woman who owns the property we lease. She called a friend of hers who has a small bee farm. He was an old decrepit Romanian dude who didn't speak a lick of English, but a few days later he had it all taken care of. I'm not sure how he transported the box that had them all, because he drives a van. I didn't even see him leave with them. A few weeks later, another swarm appeared above my front porch and inhabited a crack under the roof paneling. The hive has continually grown the past few weeks, and I've had no traction with the property owner or my company to have them removed. It's grown to the point that there are bee icicles hanging down from their entrance point. Not all of them can fit in there, so they cling to one another on the outside at night. My front door is a sliding glass door that lets a lot of light out at night. For the past few weeks, 1-3 bees have been finding their way inside by crawling through the spaces between the slider trough and promptly start flying into my ceiling light like nocturnal insects. I try to kill them before my cat gets a hold of them and eats them. If they don't crawl through the bottom of the door, they sit on the outside of it or right at the point where the door closes and fly in whenever I open it. I've walked outside barefoot for a cigarette and been stung on the bottom of my foot from stepping on a bee twice. I didn't learn my lesson the first time. So now I spend my nights in near darkness. I've been forced to candlelight. I don't want to hang out in my bathroom or closet all night just for electrical lighting. Bees have effectively pushed my lifestyle 100 years into the past.
So I found out one of my good friends' engagements broke up because the girl was an alcoholic coke addict who, while we were all supposed to be writing letters to the judge about how we never see her drink, was in fact getting black-out drunk on a semi-daily basis. Makes me glad I didn't say anything about never seeing her drink, and gladder that the wedding is off. And today I had to pay $44 for this: So that I could have both a right-hand mirror and a front brake. And of course, the thread for the mirror is wrong, which meant I had to tap it for the mirror, which of course is 10mmx1.25, which is so fucking impossible to find that there aren't any in Los Angeles, which led me to believe that I'd have to Amazon that shit like my bolts (FUCK Los Angeles), which would push runtime off by another week, but then I discovered that there's a MOTHER LODE of bolts about 4 miles away masquerading as an Ace True Value and they had EVRITHANG including an M10x1.25 tap. And the fact that I don't have the right size tap wrench and needed to kludge a rig together involving an allen wrench and a 1/4" socket didn't even matter 'cuz it fits, goddamn it. And you know what? I'm glad that my wife is too busy to go to San Diego tomorrow because that means I have an excuse to try and get my motorcycle running instead of humping 2 1/2hrs down and 2 1/2hrs back with a toddler and a 7am call the next day just so that my absentee mother can see her granddaughter for the first time. The kid's pushing 2, ma. And you didn't schedule shit. And we'll make time but goddamn it, some of us aren't retired. And yeah, it'd be great to catch you on an up cycle but you can wait a few days.
I just returned from a 2-month trip around europe. It is the first time I feel something like a traveling burnout. The last 2 weeks of the trip I lost my motivation to explore and preferred to chill and spend time with the friends I was visiting. After traveling for the past 5 months (2.5 months in Israel before that) I am back at the point I was before travels and have similar feelings to what ButterflyEffect mentioned in his recent post. I feel like I am lost, without any "plan". My aunt said that she feels that I am some kind of flying ghost who has many ideas and thoughts but can't set his mind on one thing. And that I need a partner to "earth" me, whatever that means... But its true, I have no clue what I want to do and where I want to do it. I want to do a PhD, because I want to continue learning. But I don't know which subject its going to be. Around 1.5 years ago I got interested in psychedelic substances. How they look like, where they bind, what they cause, why we see the effects of each substance etc. This could also be an interesting research subject. But I am afraid to do a PhD in this subject as it is my hobby and it has a bad reputation in the field. Additionally, my parents would probably freak out :D Additionally, I have a feeling that I am alone. Not lonely, but alone. I have many friends, but no one to really be on my side. Doesn't have to be a girlfriend, just a partner, or somebody I could go through life with. I used to have that feeling with the friends I had in Israel, the ones that I grew up with. Before university, I only had those 2 friends, and were very close. Now, I have many friends, but I don't feel as close to any of them... Anyone else had this feeling? Oh, I am not alone with the bartender? forgot that...
Thanks for reminding me of that. It's easy to get carried away with thinking that I need someone else to make things better. What do you mean little project? Get a raspberry pi and set up a media center? Read all the publications on MDMA/LSD/psilocybin? Something like this?
Despite living on different continents we seem to have a lot in common. One of my roommates and another close friend have been harping on that same thing. I completely agree with what mk said about that. I have the same exact feelings as you with the whole alone thing. Realized that I've had maybe two or three people that I would consider a "best friend" over the course of my life, but there's not a single person I would put in that category right now. Lots of good friends, acquaintances, etc. but nobody that I would consider as being extremely close.And that I need a partner to "earth" me, whatever that means...
I visited friends all around, this was my route: Montpellier -> Zaragoza -> Barcelona -> Freiburg -> Ulm (I studied there) -> S.U.N. Festival (not far from Budapest) -> Zagreb -> a camp close to Makarska in Croatia -> Maribor -> Wrocław -> kottbus -> Berlin -> Amsterdam -> Antwerp Was planning to do Paris and London, bit it didn't work out
I did visit Barcelona about 2 years ago with my parents. I can see how it is a cool city but I didn't get to experience the nightlife so I can't really judge properly. We mostly did the weird touristy stuff :P On the other hand, the first time I went to Berlin was with my parents too but I knew right away that I HAD to come back alone because I just knew how amazing it would be. Did you eat Mustafa's kebabs in Berlin? Best kebab of my life.
I didn't eat that kebab, but as I have been living here for a while, I am very picky about my kebab (my fav. is in Ulm) What I did enjoy though were the Falafel in Neu-Kölln. You have to know, good Falafel outside of Israel/Middle East are hard to find. In Berlin its as good as in Tel Aviv and even cheaper! I liked how open (or rather "non-strict") the city handles the use and selling of marijuana. Big plus!
Every night my daughter asks either my wife or myself to lay down with her while she's falling asleep. This can take anywhere between 10 minutes and 30 minutes. I was excited to get on Hubski tonight and spend some time reading articles etc. Tonight she asked me to lay down with her and I did so, but fell asleep. That was at 8pm. It's now 1:30am. I feel like I just lost 5 hours of constructive time, but damn it feels good to get some sleep. I saw some good friends today and they asked if they could park an Airstream in my driveway and live there for a while. We love them very much, two of our dearest friends and we have decided that it would be an awesome thing. I hope it works out. I'm now mid way through my 3rd week of Focus T-25 and I'm getting stronger, and feeling better. Anyone know how to cure a dog of leash aggression? My dog has a bad case of it these days.
That's awesome you're letting your friends park their Airstream at your place. Are they travelling around the country, staying wherever they can crash for a few weeks? That's something I've always wanted to do.
As for the leash aggression, check out /r/dogtraining on reddit. I've gotten the most information from there.
I'm kinda starting to love Physics, is that weird? My physics teacher is a portly little ball of Greek love and sunshine, and my class is burning through our textbook at twice our scheduled speed at the moment. It's fun, it changes perspective a little too. I might major in it, going into finance later on as a career, the demand is there certainly and a degree in physics is highly applicable. The girl I'm with is becoming more of a girlfriend but I still don't want to call her that, even though she basically kinda really is and has been ummmm i should talk to her about that. She's got a great taste in art and she's encouraging me to hit up galleries and exhibitions instead of the other way around, where I have to drag my friends and watch them groan for hours like they're my toddlers. It's really nice being able to enjoy things with people who enjoy it too, the way you do. Nice people are nice, and they make you feel nice, which is... neat. I guess that's what's in my life this week. Pubski is nice too, by the way.
Not really sure how you're figuring these two overlap, shy of working somewhere bureaucratic like the NSF, and even then it usually takes decades of experience in the field to climb up to the ranks of scientific budgetary oversight. Unless the climate of science has a drastic turnaround in the near future, you're better off going into finance/business, especially if you're solely motivated by earning power and/or job security. If you're pursuing knowledge, physics is about as "pure" as science gets (biased bachelor's degree of physics checking in here), but statistics say you can expect a lifetime of begging for scarce funding ahead. I make 55k/year, which is a LOT in Texas, and I'm weighing the utility of obtaining a PhD. Mostly, I'm doing engineering work, including shittons of paperwork that I find myself having a hard time giving two shits about. Still, I have some very exciting tasks sprinkled in. But I don't want to live here anymore, and grad school is a surefire ticket out of the Bible belt. Can't figure out if I'm happy enough with my hobbies and life outside of work to consider settling down here or if I want to "contribute in the most meaningful way to the knowledge-base of mankind" and obtain a PhD. And everyone will tell you that a PhD physics degree is the ONLY physics degree that gets you a job... I just got lucky with getting my foot in the door during an internship. Best of luck, I'll be around if you ever need to pick my brain.I might major in it, going into finance later on as a career, the demand is there certainly and a degree in physics is highly applicable.
I just have a B.S. Depends on the school, but more than likely I'll skip the master's and hop on the PhD track. Some schools route you through a master's, but most let you shoot for a PhD right away.
It was originally because I just moved and am without most kitchen supplies. Still being drained, but I don't mind it. I'm not a snob about much, but I'll also re-use the dregs in the french press when I'm feeling extra lazy, so I wouldn't advise anyone else to mimic my food habits.
Homework is taking a lot longer than usual this year. I guess they're getting me ready for college or some shit. It's just annoying because I got used to having a ton of free time and even got productive with that free time during the summer, and now I have very little free time, so I can't be productive on the things I want to be, like writing/recording music (sorry mhr, might be a while longer). Anyone else feel like this? E: I've also gotten kinda banged up over the past few days. I have like 4 new scratches/scrapes on my hands and a papercut, and I skinned both my knees. Can't tell if I'm getting clumsy, or it's just been a bad stretch.
Still applying for jobs. Still dealing with things. Wishing I had time to do things like go for a run or write music. Patiently waiting for cider and donut season.
mk has suggested to start a small project you were planning to do. Reminded me of the last time I lost orientation (3 years ago) and I decided I want to run a 10km race under 60 minutes (finished with 51 :D) It was a goal I knew how to achieve, so I went for it. Somehow it gave me a clear head and the feeling that I could accomplish a lot if I just try hard enough. Maybe we need something like this now
It's an extension of Apple's new main attractor - convenience. After their initial innovations in computing/mobile tech were out there, there were only two directions left for them to go: make their tech faster, or more convenient. In a sense, they're two sides of the same coin; speed is just a form of convenience. So especially since Steve Jobs died, it seems like the new features and devices introduced have focused on making things easier for the consumer. Whether it's the iWatch, Apple Pay, or even the design of Mac OS, everything Apple does is built around convenience and ease of use. To a certain extent, that was always their strength (hence their mobile innovations), but it seems like they're focusing even more on pure convenience these days.
I agree that convenience is the angle. I heard that the presentation showed video of people fumbling for their credit cards. :) I don't mind convenience. However, I do mind moving my transactions into Apple's garden. No doubt they have added yet another fee between me and the merchant, and no doubt they are looking to sell my spending behavior. I'll fumble for my credit card to avoid that. Convenience would be an open protocol playing field that any processor could compete upon.
I'm tired I didn't get home till 9 PM today. I worked a lot. I didn't get any time to myself or for Hubski today. But that's okay because I'm pretty content because I'm productive. Tomorrow will be more for me. We started a Smash Bros. Club. Nerdy people in Boulder. Yay. Hubski Chapter 20: Part 1 comes out tomorrow. I'll explain why it's in parts tomorrow too. Gooooodnight everybody.
I have been experimenting with altering my body (in societally acceptable ways - isn - in ways that are not considered negative) this past week. It has been empowering. I often feel disconnected from my body. I think that altering it in visible physical fashion (for instance, tattoos) may give me a greater sense of ownership over my body and connection with it. I have been thinking, therefore, a lot about body modifications, body acceptance, and such. A friend said to me that she thinks extreme bodybuilders are just as much body mod-ders as those who get tattoos or piercings. Maybe. I'm not sure on that one. It is also empowering because, although I am currently living at my parents', my actions are not ones my parents would approve of (they do not like my tattoos or facial piercings) but you know what, I don't fucking care, I want to do what makes me happy with me and my body. I think I am finally at the point where I am doing that, I am choosing to alter my body so I feel comfortable in it (AGAIN, this is not in any non-tattoo/pierced-societal-accepted way) and so that I feel it truly is mine, as opposed to just this shell I happen to inhabit and don't feel connected with. (Also, nothing drastic like surgery guys.) I think this is somewhat a releasing of the belief I will live up to certain white upper-middle-class societal expectations for myself as well. I have had a long conversation with a new friend about the choice to be child-free. It was nice to talk to someone who agreed with me on many points. It is nice to commiserate with those who understand how you feel about things. It has been a good, if weird, week. It has been empowering. I have been brave and strong. :) Now I move onward: to better time management! Better time management, ahoy!
I would argue that bodybuilders are actually more extreme than someone with almost every square inch of their body tatted, and every possible piercing. How much time can you really spend in a tattoo parlor before you're out of real estate? If the answer is under 1500 hours (and it probably is), then you lose. In 5 years (far less than the amount of time required to be a "serious" bodybuilder), at only 1 hour a day (again, less than the "serious" amount of time), you're well over 1500 hours. The argument on money expenditure is similar, though slightly more debatable, IMHO: cost of ink vs. cost of protein and caloric intake. And they're not in it for the health benefits. Once you can bench more than ~200% of your bodyweight, and squat more than ~300% of your bodyweight, things just start to get ridiculous. Mainly 'cuz you can't even wipe your own ass anymore, you're so musclebound. Oh, and... 'roids. Anyways, stay healthy, ref!A friend said to me that she thinks extreme bodybuilders are just as much body mod-ders as those who get tattoos or piercings.