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Apoc

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I just brought some paintings over to a gallery in Worcester for a group show. Naturally the resolution to a minor but crucial issue holding one of them back only became clear this morning; and of course, as I wrapped things up at the last minute, I realized that that little bit of detail work had opened up new possibilities, and that far from being "done", this painting could have several hours left on it -- hours that I can't afford to spend, hours that I no longer have. Still, knowing everything is safely in the space takes a weight off my mind.

Still on my mind: the song we worked on at rehearsal last night, hanging the painting show on Wednesday, potentially practicing Thursday with a keyboard player who's going to do a guest spot with us, the opening reception Saturday, the sketch work I need to do this week, laundry, dishes, dinner, the difficult choice between beer and wine on this rainy spring evening, my son the nutcase.

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Strange old weekend but a good one. 

Started talking to a chap in a Gorgoroth hoodie at my children’s gymnastics club and he turned out to be the singer of Brutal Truth (remember them?), now in a band called King. Our kids go to the same club. 666. 

Went out last night and saw some bands including a bass and drum dual vocal project called Dead who ended their amazing set with the two guys leaving their instruments and standing up the front of the stage, arm in arm, singing Neurosis style gruff male harmonies. Just amazing.

Drank more beer and Jack Daniels than is good for me with a great friend. 

Today was soccer and chess in the backyard (not at the same time), with my children. 

Now I have to go back to work on Monday?! I’ll take the bad with the good. 

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^^^ Little bit jealous of this, I've never been anywhere outside of North America. Hope it's as enjoyable as it sounds.

The opening for our group painting/sculpture show went well. All the artwork is solid, everything looks great in the space, and a bunch of people showed up. After they left, a few of us got to explore the ridiculously decrepit and creepy expanses of the rest of the building - decaying doors and walls that have been unused for decades, rotting floors, leaking ceilings. Mold and dirt and vastness. An unlit basement room full of old gumball machines. The occasional art or music studio. I'll try get some photos posted.

My tenth wedding anniversary approaches, too. Fun times.

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Good luck finding a venue Macabre.

 

On my mind? the fact that my amp has just blown up and I don't have the money to replace it right now. I guess it is 10 years old but still. Also taking vocals lessons now to better understand how vocals and guitar work together and at least form an idea of how I want vocals to sound in my music.

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On 5/6/2019 at 4:50 AM, Parker said:

125 days until my wedding. We just bought tickets to Berlin for our honeymoon. Will also spend a day in Copenhagen and a day in Poznan. Having lots of fun listening to metal and making plans of what to do in Berlin. Has anyone been there?

Congratulations for a few months’ time, Parker.

I’ve been to Berlin. Amazing place of course. Check point Charlie, the wall, that broken down cathedral and really good food and beer! Can’t really remember much else about the place except for the fact that it’s amazing. Sausage stands everywhere are brilliant. I was eating sausage for three meals a day. I ate it good. 

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On 5/10/2019 at 9:14 AM, Requiem said:

Congratulations for a few months’ time, Parker.

I’ve been to Berlin. Amazing place of course. Check point Charlie, the wall, that broken down cathedral and really good food and beer! Can’t really remember much else about the place except for the fact that it’s amazing. Sausage stands everywhere are brilliant. I was eating sausage for three meals a day. I ate it good. 

Thank you for the congratulations! We're definitely going to Check point Charlie, going to see what's left of the wall, and Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (I think it was bombed during WWII). Really looking forward to it. What German beers do you recommend?

On 5/6/2019 at 6:49 PM, FatherAlabaster said:

^^^ Little bit jealous of this, I've never been anywhere outside of North America. Hope it's as enjoyable as it sounds.

The opening for our group painting/sculpture show went well. All the artwork is solid, everything looks great in the space, and a bunch of people showed up. After they left, a few of us got to explore the ridiculously decrepit and creepy expanses of the rest of the building - decaying doors and walls that have been unused for decades, rotting floors, leaking ceilings. Mold and dirt and vastness. An unlit basement room full of old gumball machines. The occasional art or music studio. I'll try get some photos posted.

My tenth wedding anniversary approaches, too. Fun times.

I pretty much live to travel, few things are as fun as going to a country I haven't been to before. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend it.

 

Congratulations on your show going well. Did you say the show is in Worcester? I live about 20 minutes from Worcester, where is the show?

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37 minutes ago, Parker said:

I pretty much live to travel, few things are as fun as going to a country I haven't been to before. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend it.

 

Congratulations on your show going well. Did you say the show is in Worcester? I live about 20 minutes from Worcester, where is the show?

 

Thank you man! The show is in Worcester, yes, at the Sprinkler Factory. Fantastic space, seems like it's a little out of the way but I don't know the town well enough to say that for sure. I think they're only open on weekends. I hope you can stop by, the whole show is great and I'm happy to be a small part of it.

It'll probably be a few years before we can swing a trip anywhere for any length of time. There are so many places in Europe that I want to visit... Aaargh. Rome first, I hope. 

 

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6 hours ago, MacabreEternal said:

Might have found somewhere to live after only 2 viewings, landlord has accepted us just the checks to complete.  Need to move before the holiday to Ireland at beginning of July though so could be a costly couple of months ahead.

Good luck with this. Happy with the place? Our own move is going to have to wait, and I'm glad we won't have the extra expense coming up, we still don't have everything paid off from our last move in 2016.

On my mind: audio cassette-tapes: their many drawbacks; their few advantages; the delicate ballet of physical and electronic components required to produce even poor, inconsistent, and fragile copies, which, at their best, approach, but do not achieve, the platonic ideal contained within every single unremarkable stupid fucking wave file on my computer (all of which, regardless of musical content, sound objectively better); how little I missed the compromises and troubleshooting headaches that are an inevitable part of any undertaking involving aging and not particularly robust equipment with an abundance of tiny moving parts and other quaint and charming opportunities for failure; how my casual but informed lack of regard for this particular medium is rapidly congealing into active loathing due to recent events; in short, how audio cassette-tapes are for suckers.

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49 minutes ago, FatherAlabaster said:

Good luck with this. Happy with the place? Our own move is going to have to wait, and I'm glad we won't have the extra expense coming up, we still don't have everything paid off from our last move in 2016.

On my mind: audio cassette-tapes: their many drawbacks; their few advantages; the delicate ballet of physical and electronic components required to produce even poor, inconsistent, and fragile copies, which, at their best, approach, but do not achieve, the platonic ideal contained within every single unremarkable stupid fucking wave file on my computer (all of which, regardless of musical content, sound objectively better); how little I missed the compromises and troubleshooting headaches that are an inevitable part of any undertaking involving aging and not particularly robust equipment with an abundance of tiny moving parts and other quaint and charming opportunities for failure; how my casual but informed lack of regard for this particular medium is rapidly congealing into active loathing due to recent events; in short, how audio cassette-tapes are for suckers.

Yeah, we went expecting nothing much and found an ideal space that works on nearly every level.  Dressing room for the lady? Tick.  Office for moi? Tick.  Space on the driveway for two cars? Tick.  Quiet, unsuspecting locals who rarely socialise outside of the street and so will not likely be missed should ‘fate decide to intervene’? Tick!

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Good stuff everyone.

Currently at the pub down the road to watch a bit of boxing action on the big screen and have a few cheeky midweek pints. 

@Parker, wish I knew more about German beer, but the good news is I never had a bad one in Germany (the beer’s alright too, nudge nudge wink wink).  Basically get a glass of beer and it’ll be good. God I love Germany.

My wife and I fantasised about moving to Munich for a year or two with the kids, but then we had kids and realised, nah that won’t work hahaha. 

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On my mind are two things: firstly after some slight tweaking I've really settled on an arrangement for my first fully formed song, at least when it comes to the guitars. I have lyrics to go along with it as well but don't have enough vocal chops right now to work on how I want those to sound.

 

Second is that I'm really enjoying the vocal lessons I'm taking. Two weeks in the feedback I'm getting is that I have good breath control, tone control, and musicality in my singing. Also my range apparently starts at a C#.

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Wait, Req actually cares about politics?

 

In other news I've had my card details stolen and my bank account totally drained. Given how paranoid I've been about this shit since my Paypal was hacked 5 years ago this is quite the shock. I should get the money back but it could be a month before that happens.

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Well good luck with everything Macabre.

 

I hate that I've been forced to move back in with the parents, absolutely hate it. hasn't even been a month yet and I'm already miserable. I honestly don't know how I'll make it through the months it'll take for me to sort shit out and move out again.

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Oh yep I'm definitely back at the parents place. Accused of something I didn't do? check, being told I'm responsible for cleaning up thing I didn't do? check, made to feel worthless because work are changing the layout of their office and want me to work from home until there's a space set up for me again? check.

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1 hour ago, MacabreEternal said:

Current tenants at the new place put some decking down during their time there and were originally going to take it with them but have offered it to us at a cut price deal.  The missus is looking forward to an outside lounging area but I just am happy to have additional burial space.

I was just reading about how Harvey Cushing's collection of brains spent decades forgotten in basement storage underneath a dormitory at Yale. Really inspiring to see the living and the dead coexisting so peacefully.

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