David's blog

I messed up this moring, there was an organised walk that I had been invited on, I had been given the details, last week.  I went to the meeting point at what I thought the time was suppose to be and I had missed the start time by half an hour I had read the instructions wrong, I guess it kind of showed how maybe how unenthusistic I really was, its been a while since I have had a long walk so I guess I was feeling a bit out of practise, so maybe not that keen.  i was a bit dissappointed when there was no one there though. I got some new monitors today to do the recordng thng, the others seem to be antoagonising my tinnitus, hopefully these will not be so bad, they seem ok so far, but I guess only time will tell.  I now have to sell th others, I suppose, hopefully there will be somone on the course who might fancy them, I think this room is too small for them, they were a mistake when  I bought them anyway, could not be bothered to send them back, I have not been bothered to do much

Another wet and windy day, I think they give these so called storms names now, well I guess they are not storms really they are just usual November weather, if perhaps a bit more Novembery than usual, with so much wind and rain, but I guess we should not complain as we had a really nice October and September, I am not a fan of the wind but the leaves have to come down somehow and it would take a long time for thema to fall down on their own, they need to come down to make way for the new ones which will be here soon enough I guess. I had a bit of a trip to the town with the big castle today Caernarfon, there is not a lot there, but the shopping is better for things like food is better than Porthmadog due to the place having more choice, the town was quite busy, I guess the spending sprees have started, for the xmas crap, it will be a competition to see who can spend the most and then who can be depressed with the bill which will take a long time to pay off, just hope people have a go

Well it seems, like we have had a whole month of wind and rain and darkness recently, though its not cold I guess, and I am saving a lot of money by not having a the heating system on.  It is xmas time coming up and its probably the worst time of year for me really as I find the whole thing a big inconvenience and a waste of time and money too to be honest. My tinnitus has been quite bad this week or so, its probably my own fault to some extent, there were a story in paper about a man who committed suicide due to being told that there was no cure for the condition, well I think that people commit suicide due to an accumilaton of things, its rarely just one thing in isolation I think.  My noise in the ears seems to exacerbated due to using the speakers I have, but I still persist in using them, no fool like an old fool.  I think they are making my hearing worse as I seem to be struggling to hear things these days it might be just being tired perhamps I don't know. Well the cours

I like this tune, its the type of thing I have been trying to reproduce for the last few months on the course I am doing, it does take a while to understand what is going on in relation to the instruments and the music and how it works together, so that it is possible to reproduce something simillar, its about getting the groove right I guess.  It is hard work right not to break down these tracks, but I am sure it will get easier as time goes on, I guess its like anything practise makees perfect, which is the same regarding playing the songs at this comedy night in a couple of weeks time, though the practise sessions have come to a halt at the moment due to the other people having alternative arrangements in the following days.  I am glad we are not getting paid for the thing as it take the pressure off a a little, my quota of mistakes is a bit higher due to no remuneration being involved.  I am still not happy with how things are going but I guess it will have to do for now and I

Well I have in the last few days, had two rehersals, with a few people, with whom I am down with to plays some music in a comedy show, I am hoping the music does not turn out to be comical.  Anyway, its been a long time since I rehersed for a performance. There will be five of us doing the music slot, I play some guitar, I am a bit apprehensive about the whole thing, as I guess I am not that experienced in playing in front of people.  I will be given a hand in relation to the guitar playing as there is another guitarist there too.  There is also a bass player as part of the group who does not actually play the bass, except for the odd note, this make the situation a bit odd, as when I play I don't actually take much notice of the bass playing really.  I guess I will have to just see how the thing pans out. The weather has been great recently but its diabolical today to say the least, just shit loads of wind and rain, nothing anyone can do about the weather though I guess

The messing about with the clocks fooled me today, I noticed it was light, this morning while laying in bed and so I got up, because the clocks had been messed about with, I got up an hour earlier, which was ok as the weather has been very nice today, this warm autumn is great as it lessens the winter months. Someone told me today, that they tried one year in the past to not mess about with the clocks, they reckoned it was about 30 years ago, I don't recall this happening, maybe it was longer, maybe they will try it again one day. I keep hearing about people's bad experiences with the public transport system round here, its been going on for years, this poor service has been a blight on this place for a long time, but nothing is done about it.  Today again there were 2 people who said the bus had gone by without stopping even though, they had put out their had to indicate it to stop, not sure where its all going to end, I guess it will just fall apart one day and there will

Tonight is the night they mess around with the clocks again, so it will be dark earlier, according to the clock tomorrow, which is shame really, as its dark enough as it is at this time of year, they should be turning the clock forward really so that we get more light in the evening, but I guess that would mean it would be dark in the morning, and those who get up early might not like that, but there are street lights these days, these old rules need changing.  Apparently it is something to do with Scotland that they 'need' it lighter in the morning, well I wish they would have got their independence and we could be spared this messing around with the clock.  Apparenlty this messing around is bad for some people's health and it has been reported that some people suffer a heart attack.  Well I guess its going to happen so I might aswell just accept it, at least the weather makes stupid things like this a bit more bareable ,it has not been too badk today and its not going to

Well, the rotten saga of the damp in my house goes on, the guy I phoned today, did say the was embarrised though, but like all the other Cartrefi Cymunedol Gwynedd bullshit, its just words, I will have to go the newspaper next time, I think it might be the only way I can get them to do the work, they are vile. Heard last night, that they are closing the above building in the village, it is know as Caban y Pensiynwyr, which translates in the cabin of the pensioners, I think it was designed originally for pensioners to go and hang out and have their meeting for their clubs, it is owned by the village, it was given to the village as  a gift. My first memories of it are going there to the library when I was a child, it had a big cupboard full of books where my friend's mum was the librarian.  I think the library was open on Tuesday and Friday, I think I went there on a Friday around tea time to get some books.

I seem to be still no nearer to getting the damp sorted out in this house, well one particular patch anyway.  I reported the damp last year nearly a whole year ago now.  Someone came to see it initially and said it needed sorting, then someone came round to see what actually needed doing, and this was in February.  For a long time I did not hear anything, so I decided to ring Cartrefi Cymunedol Gwynedd.  According to their records, the problem had been fixed and they had the photos to prove it.   Well the problem had not been fixed, and I could have sent them photos to prove that. Anyway they decided to go through the whole process again and sent someone round to have a look, this was in July of this year.  He said yes the problem needs sorting and took a few pics and could not explain or did not want to explain the photos that were suppose to show the wall as having been fixed. Anyway a few weeks went by, I was expecting some notice that the job was down to be done, well that would

Well it was much more straight forward, this time, getting the manhole cover outside the house fixed,  This cover was making a a bit of clanging noise when a car went over it but not as bad as last time but I am grateful to the water board for sorting it out so quickly, hopefully it will not go again too soon. Just spent the afternoon watching the football game between Wales and Israel, they were playing for a place in the European championships next summer, last time I looked Israel was not in Europe but I guess Israel could come back with the fact that Wales is not an independent country, but then again maybe Israel should not exist anyway, due to what they have done to Palestine.  The politics is very complicated and I guess its very difficult to organise a sporting competition in these circumstances.  Wales have also jumped to ninth place in word rankings, which to me is rubbish Wales are never the 9th best team in the world, but I suppose FiFa have to do something, its what the

On my journey through the digital audio workstation Studio one 3 I have learn another new thing about what it can do.  I have got to grips with the groove function in relation to the setting of the time, the quantizing bit.  What I have learnt to do is to get a groove or beat or feel of a track and drag it into the groove grid and it gets used as a quantize setting then.  I think this function is useful if you want to get a feel in a piece of music, lets say a house feel, well I guess you can drag a house track or just the drums and then quantize you track with the house track drum to get that groove going.  It is also useful in getting rid of the that awful mechanical sound you get with a daw, the timing is not too human.  There is another way of getting rid of that mechanical boring sound, by using the humanize function, which randomly changes thing around like a human, humans don't play the same thing over and over again in the say way all the time, they are not robots they put

So I have really messed up this time, the tv can't be fixed due to my carelessness.  I have been using my tv as a monitor for the computer, and having to move it to the other room for this and while I was a bit apprehensive about this as I was worried about a mishap I kept on doing it, the computer could not be moved easily as it was attached to other things.  Anyway I was right to be apprehensive I did have an accident and ripped the aerial connection out of the back. I knew it was better to have two tellies well now I have to have another telly or get some other connection thing as I have had it looked at and it won't be easy to fix.  I have ordered another telly and am sitting here patiently waiting delivery. I am still trying to make music on the computer but not having much success really which is not surprising seeing as I am trying to make music I know nothing about really it all just seems a load of noise to me, some of it is ok but its not worth busting a gut trying

Well I am still persevering with the computer music, and I think something has finally sunk in, in relation to the composition of the piece of music, in relation to the build and the telling of the story, which the teacher went on about all year long.  I understand that its necessary now to build to a point in the song and then to go back down again, telling the journey of that build, it has been quite frustrating not being able to understand it until now, I am not too sure why it was so difficult, maybe because the genre was so alien to me and I guess its not any more. I think I find the teacher a bit intimidating too, he seemed to push me quite hard, when really I am not that musically able, well I don't think so anyway, and I was glad that the summer holdays came and I am now able to get on with things in my own time.  I was probably trying too hard too, I guess I guess I have wanted to be a compitant musician for a long time have admired good musicians for a a long time  and wo

Well I am now using the tv screen as a monitor for the computer, I guess its a good idea as there is nothing to watch on it using as it as a tv receiver, there is just rubbish on, or I am becoming more fussy or something but I rarely watch it these days only for the usual soaps, though I did watch a sad program last night about a young lady who was dying of cancer, I can't remember her name, but she seemed in good spirits consdering her situation I doubt I would be so positive most of the time, maybe it shows that not everyone deal with things the same, but I found this lady's reaction to being terminally ill a bit difficult to understand, but I guess not everyone would deal with it like I would and get very depressed, thoigih to get depressed in such a situation is pointless I guess I would be wasting the time I have left, I do have a few health problems and get depressed a bit little about the the fact they won't go away but at least I am not dying well not at the pace th

Thie is the story of the broken shower door.  A few months ago the shower door broke, the things tha keep it attached to the frame came lose, I am not sure what they are called, anyway, I needed new ones, I managed to phone the company who supplied the shower and they said that it would cost me £12,  well I wasn't going to pay that, it was the housing company's responsibility I thought, so I rang them and asked them to get soime of these things, that I needed. I gave them the order number.  Well weeks and months went buy and as I guess, I knew, the housing company did nothing, they are not very good landlords. I was a bit worried the shower would come off altogether, eventually so decided I would have to buy the things myself, I rang them and fair play they sent me a set for nothing, which kind of rekindled my faith in human nature a little.  The shower door had not been put in properly in the first place, more cowboy builder work, I guess, so many of those idiots around, there

The above picture, I reckon shows, how much porgerss I have not or have made on the music course. I would not have got this picture a year ago, or it would have taken me a long time  to get it, but I got because, well my teacher told me, that the theme was played on two notes.  It is a very famous theme, and its amazing how they are still making refrences to it, as the above photo shows, I was a young lad when I went to see the film on a family outting to a cinema in Llandudno, and the film scared the life out of me, with heads falling out of holes and legs floating in the sea, not your usual horror story I guess, well not the ones I was used to. Anyway I am still none the wiser about writing a so called house music song, and I really am not that bothered as its not the music I really listen, I kind  of wish I had not said I would have a go at doing something which basically I have no idea about. and all its doing really is aggrevating my tinitus  I went for a walk this afternoon

This is another story in the long line of stories of dodgy dealings with Cartrefi Cymunedol Gwynedd.  I reported a damp problem, which took them nearly a year to come and have a look at when they did, they said it was due to the bad rendering outside, the large cracks in it.  Someone was sent round to to have a look at it and to take photos, as the weather was not ideal to start the job.  Anyway months have gone past and nothing has been done, I rang them today and apparently, the ' photo'  they have shows the work as having been done, that's why they haven't been round to finish the job.  I have heard some excuses in my time, but this one takes the biscuit, I reckon, they are just bullshiting making things up as an excuse for not having forgotten to do the work.  Apparently they are going to carry on the sherad and send someone round in July.  this company's customer service is rubbish. A friend any myself fixed the outside gate last night, the gate had sort of

I found this chilli con carne recipie on the net, which could be made ion a mirowave, the first time I made it I really enjoyed it, and it was very easy to do and quick, I then thought would have a go at makng it with turkey instead of beef, and trying to adjust the recipie accordingly by reducing the cooking time.  I reduced the tme by about 2 minutes, well the result was not that great I guess the recipie is for beef not turkey and maybe turkey does not have a chlli recipie, I only gave it a go as i thought it would be healthier, won't bother again. I am still banging away at tryng to make house music, for ths course I am doing, but not geytting too far it seems to me, I brought a book about making dance music, its quiet good up to a certain point then when it comes to talking about the processing of different drum bits or the bass or the lead as well I tend to switch off, I get lost.  When I first got the book it seemed to have some mistakes in it in relation to music theory,

This is another post about my attempt at music production.  Since the beginning my quest to write a house music track, I was told to have the drum part coming in for about 8 bars,. well I just painted them in on the midi thing in a pattern resembling a deep house style of pattern, I did not know if it was deep house or not and I would not be able tell if it was different from any other genre which produced its music on computer.  After I had 'put in' the drums I would make a bassline which sound ed not to bad and then forget about the drums really and just try to put in some chords and some tune in the hope that a house track would magically appear, the teacher just let me carry on really I guess this is a symptom of my life in general where I suppose I was lookjng for something to occupy my time really to stop feeling so much overwhelming anxiety all the time. Anyway back to music production, by forgetting about a drum, which of course is part of the song itself, this deep h

I am still struggling with getting the hang of this deep house production, I kind of think I've got it, and then something throws me a curve ball, its not easy to get into a new genre of music just for intellectual reasons which is what I'm doing, don't get me wrong a lot of it this stuff is good but a lot of it hard to listen to,  I have tried to listen to other types of EDM and I think a like a certain style then I come across song I don't,  I guess if I am going to do something with this deep house I have to respect it for the genre it is and not just treat as some exercise, music has to come from the soul.  I am not sure if deep house is for me though as a lot of if does not make it possible to dance to I prefer the dancy ones really, but either way I need to decide whether I am taking it seriously or not.  What I know about deep house so far and house in general is that you need to have drums going on for a while at the beginning and then you have the bassline co

I had a very interesting experience of being in a recording studio yesterday.  I recorded a couple of my songs, first they were recorded by me playing the guitar and singing at the same time, but this was found to be not very good, as I was concentrating so much on playing the guitar, the singing was a bit naff, so it was decided to overdub, by overdubbing, it is easier to put in a performance I geuss, but there are disadvantages if you are used to singing and playing at the same time. Also while doing the overdub, you have to follow the track, its the track that is guiding you and its not so immmediate, so there are pros and cons for both methods,   The songs I recorded were made about 10 years ago, it was a good laugh doing the recording.

It was another frustrating day at the course, things not sinking in the way I would like them to, I guess it could be due to a lot reasons, the pills that I have to take right now and the fact that the whole thing is new to me, it feels that all I know or thought I knew about music is being dismantled, hopefully it is being put together again at some point, I guess that's up to me, whether I have the interest or not to bother.  It is also frustrating at home I am not able to put together things in the right way, as I guess I don't have the knowledge and feel hamstrung, just spent the last hour or so going round and round in circles, its probably no wonder I have digestive problems.  I have not experienced sensations like I do on the course the sensation of not being able to get my head round an idea which is being given to me, maybe its the teacher I don't know, or its probably where I'm at right now maybe.   I guess I will just keep going and see where it gets me, I am

There seems to be a lot of talk about dementia in the news these days, and that its going to be a real burden on the NHS.  It seems a  terrible condition to be suffering with, not being able to look after yourself, and not recognising your family and friends, well I can only see one answer to it, as I doubt any drug intervention is going to be of use, ones the brain starts to break down I doubt drugs can halt it, but maybe they can slow it down, I don't, I think the only solution is voluntary euthanasia, which |I would prefer, as it seems to me you are already dead in reality,   There is is not voluntary euthanasia in this country as yet, but I can't see no other way, to reduce the burden on the rest of society. I guess the only problem with this solution would be that, if you had been diagnosed with dementia, would you be classed as being in any fit state to make the big decision, so I guess early diagnosis is the only way, to get over this problem, and I don't know how