COVID-19 - How's everyone doing? Anyone playing more music?

I'm sick of this go bigor go home attitude everywhere... I like quietly plugging along doing my thing my way

I know what you mean. Sadly, one must play within the rules of the platform they're using to get anywhere at all--or just have an insane amount of luck to have something go viral--if they're going to hack it in the community.

Bah... Wednesday is the doc about these bloody hands again. I'll find out then if it's back to work with no restrictions, light restrictions, heavy restrictions, or if I'm out of work for longer, and what the plan of action is. Bleeding never damage is bloody well annoying, I'll tell ya that for nothing.

That means I've got all of today to try and get shite done 'round ol' Casa del Ash. May just bother about getting the ZoomRoom straight, I've sort of let things crumble to scale the last couple of weeks. Losing a close mate and my grandmother to COVID within 48 hours of each other... Didn't do great on my mental state, and uh... how badly I need to unf^ck my habitat shows that.

Grandmother was 94, but perfectly healthy. Like, better health than me. She had a good run though--outlasted gramps by 17 years. That's unheard of. My mate, though... She was 34, competitive swimmer, perfect health, best lungs on the face of the Earth, not a damn thing wrong with her. Dead within a week.

They wouldn't let me be with her when she died, either. I can't tell you how hard that was for me. Thank the gods for the nurse, she held her phone for FaceTime. It wasn't... it... I...

I know it's not the downer subject everyone probably wants to hear. But I had to tell it somewhere, and my family (outside my wife) isn't exactly supportive. I have to get it out of my system. It hurts.

Gods it hurts.

just... whoa

Again, sorry for the downer post.

Good news today though, well, kind of? I do have nerve damage, rather extreme, in my neck. To a degree the doctor is completely baffled as to how I'm not paralyzed from the neck down. Said there's no way I should be able to walk by the scans they've done. It should be physically impossible. Yet I'm not only walking, I play guitar, and I have a very physically demanding dayjob.

So the good news is, while I need to go under the knife for my hand (didn't dodge that), I am not paralyzed, despite the fact everything in my x-rays, CT scans, and MRIs say I should be.

So, once again, the Universe balances things out for me. Shite news one day, for good news another.

That's great news! Not a downer post at all. Hope the universe continues to bring good things your way.

That's great news! Not a downer post at all. Hope the universe continues to bring good things your way.

Oh, no, was apologizing for my previous post being a downer post. Yeah, the current one is pretty much all good news. Nurse was even a childhood friend. That was fun. Pixie She-Devil contorted me into all kinds of painful positions, though (yes, I called her "Pixie She-Devil," I call her that to her face, too).

you're indestructible.... damage prone but we can't kill you, can't parlyze you, can't blow you up!

you're indestructible.... damage prone but we can't kill you, can't parlyze you, can't blow you up!

I've a mate that started calling me "The Last Seal [of the Apocalypse]," since we've joked for years I'm the Universe's Balance. Bad things and whatnot happen to me to keep the scales even or whatever--so the Universe has to keep me around, or the Apocalypse happen.

It's a catchy name, and the working title of my first real album.

Started recording a song I wrote 16 years ago. I've recorded it on two other occasions. Once, right after I wrote it, and once again shortly after moving into my first "real" house after getting married.

I'm recording it now because I've seen a lot of negative in my various social meeds feeds, including some that are indicative of self-harm. This song was written specifically for someone dealing with those feelings (my at-the-time girlfriend who was on the opposite side of the sea).

It's taken longer than I'd like, But I'm making solid progress. All that's left is to replace some of the scratch tracks, and record the vocals.

Hi all, Long time no speak, or read or hear... All is good in Australia. I know I kinda missed the boat on Pandemic reporting, but I had to work straight through (school teacher). While I haven't recorded anything new in any way completely, there are about six new songs in the pipes from the last few months. I had a period of self isolation (two days) while test results went away (sinus... not covid, but they needed to test), so I isolated from my wife and daughter and slept on a sofabed in my studio. If I left the room I needed a mask and I ate outside to minimise contact.

IT WAS GREAT!

I went through every guitar and rolled fretboards, dressed frets, lemon oiled a few rosewood boards, adjusted actions, serviced nuts, changed strings, corrected intonations, addressed scratchy pots and switches and removed corrosion from input jacks, put an old japanese Ibanez strat together that has been in pieces for 29 years, cable tested and rewired my pedalboard and put actions in place to get a band working post- isolation. All in two days! Freakin' fabulous.

Glad to hear most of us were able to stay safe.

See you on the pages!

if pennsylvania would just pay out my approved unemployment claim I would be as happy as you, Terry... as it stands I'm burning savings like crazy. My plan is to isolate until we get a handle on thisnudner what I expect will be a new administration in november that's not so batshit crazy, ut with work closed indefinitely I'll need to get paid eventually or beforced to liquidate gear on ebay or go go to work in an essential branch of ehalthcare while my parents look after my son 24/7 to avoid him having contact with me, much like you were doing.

Had my hand surgery. Ended up helping the doctor close because they were short staffed (bit of medical training in my past). Childhood friend was the attending nurse, Pixie She-Devil she is pranked me good with the pain pills, instead of auto-filling like literally every other prescription I've ever had she set it up to be a I call them to have it filled. Golden, Gal--never piss off a ginger from south London--I know it was payback for a prank back when we were teens.

Can't feel three of my fingers, but my hand is on FIRE. Got me on Norco 5-325s, and those with my anti-seizure, migraine, and heart pills make for a helluva trip. Not what I was expecting, it's like 11th grade at a Manson concert all over again. But I can't play guitar right now, so I can't make use of being able to hear colours.

Sad.

So yeah, that was my yesterday. Got to help operate on my own hand, got to see an old mate (ok, ok! She's an ex!), and am in pretty high spirits, all things considered.

she single?

she single?

Haha, nah. She's very married. To another childhood mate, what hails from Canada. Great couple they are. He's insane, she's evil, works out perfect!

I always date/marry the evil ones

I always date/marry the evil ones

I'm more a fan of insane myself. My spouse had "Insane and Proud" writtin on their bookbag straps in high school when we first met. Can confirm, they're absolutely nutters.

my wife was so bipolar she's dead now

my wife was so bipolar she's dead now

I'm the one with BPD1 in the family here. BPD1, PTSD (I grew up in Darfur... yeah, that Darfur), ADHD, and have Asperger's (DSM V rolled it into ASD). There's a few other alphabet soup disorders in there, but I've learned to live with 'em, rather than "I suffer from," know whta I mean?

Great thing about my ASD, it seems to benefit me as a musician. Downside to my ASD? I'm not so great at the socializing in person. Interwebz? I have time to think and process, so I can do a bit better. Either or, I don't suffer from or struggle with any of my mental health issues. I live with them, and while the Black Dog is an ever preseant bitch waiting to tear my throat out (some days closer than others), I keep going. And I hope that in my living with them, and moving forward through what I have, I can offer a bit of hope to others who may not have got out of the "Struggling with" stage yet.

Or something deep and philosophical sounding like that. nods sagely I'm like fuckin' Plato, dudes!

Great thing about my ASD, it seems to benefit me as a musician. Downside to my ASD? I'm not so great at the socializing in person. Interwebz? I have time to think and process, so I can do a bit better.

you sund more like my late wife (sans drugs) than Plato.... man she loved chatting people up on the interweb but without powerful chemicals she ahd trouble with a simple double date at one of her favorite resturants even if it was with 2 of HER 'friends'

If I know the people, I'm good. They all know me, know my quirks, and actually have a grand ol' time ripping on me about certain things (one mate loves getting me worked up calling a bass a "4 string guitar"). I just don't do well with strangers/in large groups.

In fact... If a food joint has too many people, I will leave. Just not comfortable. Can't do movies on opening night for the same reason. Too many people, I freak out, panic attack, and no amount of Dream Theater will calm me down.