I don't think I've been in for anything in a while. No idea what I'd use it for. And yet...in? Sure, why not. In!

I like the giveaway, and am sorry for your loss, as much as good memories left behind with loved ones are all most of us can hope for.


1. Currently play the ukulele. Have played other instruments in the past, never particularly good, i think in part for complete lack of understanding of theory. Not to mention lack of disciplined practice. Too busy running around or playing games.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JX13LwnZss

Though for amateur performances I think this one is really sweet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpu0TIXzI1w


Contemplating picking up another instrument or two again but living in an apt somewhat limits what I could play. Oboe or tuba, probably not. Trying to call what Victoria Tennant's character played in L.A. story.

2. I've spent a lot of my life away from family, intentionally or otherwise. I think one of my most vivid memories of family is actually saying something awful to my mom at 16 that haunted me for several years, and I think directly contributed to a lot of the volunteer work I did in my 20s. But I will say that the summer she came out to visit after I graduated college stuck with me too - it was the first time I really asked about my parents' relationship, and why she stuck with her marriage so long despite what seemed to be clear reasons not to. Don't want to get into that, but it broadened my own view on relationships quite a bit, and also allowed me to see my parents a bit more holistically.

Most of my memorable times now are with my own daughter. The time she cried and screamed in the backseat for 20 minutes non-stop while we were flying 70 down the highway because she'd decided she didn't want to go to the ocean after all was quite memorable. Taking her out for her first time kite flying was super fun.

3. I had a volunteer gig all of last year that I really enjoyed, but I moved this year. Have been looking for a new volunteer gig that mixes the outdoors and interacting with the public, and having a surprisingly hard time. There's a state park very close to me that I'd love to volunteer at, but they don't have sufficient staff (ironically) to take on volunteers.

Have started considering driving all the way back to the old place, since I miss it but...lot of time and miles given I drive a lot more for work now. Plus they changed management.

ramble ramble ramble

*hug*

-

I got taken to the "pick your instrument" assemply our middleschool held for incoming 5th graders the summer before entering 5th grade. I don't remember having a lot of enthusiasm to go, but it was what my sister did when she entered 5th grade and she was in band and my parents treated it as if it was of course something I was going to do, and I didn't have any oppositions, so I went. They had all the instruments that were allowed to be chosen, and I realized I wanted to play the drums! and my mom told me no, they were too noisy and my dad didn't like noise, pick something else.

ehhh, well then I want to play the tuba, I said (there weren't any tubas there I just knew about them.) I was told I couldn't play the tuba because I was too small, and to start on the baritone/euphonium instead and once I got bigger (9th grade they said) they'd switch me to the tuba. The band room had these special chairs that held sousaphones in position so someone could just sit without having to hold it, and play, clearly leftover from days of yore and used for music classes sometimes but mostly just dust-collectors. So I would sit in the chair and play the sousaphone at times and practice growing my lungs until I was finally allowed to start carrying one around in 9th grade. Sousaphone for marching band, tuba for concert band.

here's one of my favorite tuba pieces:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQWYHQ7V-zI - I tried to learn to play this in HS and just couldn't "hear" it and so could never figure it out. I didn't learn until years later that if I had just told the teacher to let me listen to a recording instead of try and read the music to figure it out, I'd have been much better off.

here's one of my favorite drum solos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEo2GUM4SFI (seriously the best drum solo EVER!), this is a normal song of theirs but then he breaks into the solo at 4:07 and then the song kicks back in flawlessly at 8:51 to finish) - it might be a long video, but I REALLY think everyone should watch it all!

-

I think my favorite memories with a family member are the times I've gone fishing with my dad. Taking the canoe out on a lake in the wee hours of the morning, seeing the sunrise and sitting in peace and silence together while taking in nature, exchanging words here or there but mostly just both savoring the moments. The best. We're going to do that some this spring.

-
I'm in, but I want bler to win more than myself

thanks for the generosity and the opportunity, crewdroog

It breaks my heart that people actually had to audacity to downvote people in this thread.
Please upvote the people that got downvoted so there is not evil orange in my GA

and anyways, BUMP with some fun 90s Techno

Enter my GA you jerks!

You calling me a jerk? NO!

Can I enter this giveaway, then mysteriously disappear and have my entry subbed out for somebody else?

maybe i am. what you gonna do about it?
i am not quite sure what you are getting at, but the one rule says in for yourself, but you're place holding? meh, whateves do as you like and if it makes me mad, i'll sick kleetus on you.

Nuthin',I'ma scady.

Not sure why, but at first I misread that as I'll lick Kleetus.

Mmmm Kleetus.

Happy celebration ! Your aunt is in a better place now and surely wants to see you smile but take your time grieving when you feel like it. I'm in.

A memorable event was going out for a walk with my little nephews when I experienced how delightful the simple nature can be (we watched a little stream falling down less than 1 feet and they happily told their parents that they had seen a waterfall for example when we returned), far more pleasing than any amusement park.

Ignore them man. There are bad apples in every community. ^^

Hey crew, sorry for your loss.

One of my memorable moments with family would be sitting around the table at my grandparents house, eating pizza and listing to my grandpa tell bad jokes.

I try not to be a jerk, so i guess I'm in.

Rubber baby buggy /bumpers bounce.

First of all, my condolences for your loss. I am glad to hear that that her passing was a peaceful one, though; there are members of the extended family of mine who are unwell and not long for this world, so I can only hope that they will have the same when their time is up.

1. Unfortunately, I do not play any instrument. My parents are not musical in any way and they used to be quite poor when I was little, and all of my schools had sub-standard and conservative musical education as well, so I guess this was pretty inevitable, much to my regret now. I did take some drum classes from a friend of my parents, but he wasn't a good teacher and I would never have picked the drums over a string instrument myself. Nevertheless, here's a bloke with a broadside of a drum kit covering The Main Monkey Business by Rush.

2. Oddly, I seem to have a closer relationship with my in-laws these days than I do with my "actual" family. My father-in-law underwent some abdominal surgery not too long ago, and I went to the hospital with my wife to see how he was doing. He's a modest man and declined our offer to bring magazines to keep him company the rest of the day, even though he sounded bored out of his mind (can't stay still for five minutes, this one, unless he's recently been split and put back together). Of course, I ignored the request, and left him a small pile of car and technology magazines that I thought he would like. They had shifted from their original location by our visit the following day, one of them spread upside-down, and another had produced a bookmark between the pages. Couldn't make him heal any faster or fix whatever was wrong with his system, but at least I could do something. Made me glad.

3. I am terribly busy these days - I have a reasonably regular job, while the wife's employment is a bit trickier to manage for a while yet - so don't have much of my own time to spare. I haven't yet found a regular target for donations, but I do make occasional small donations here and there when possible. For instance, if an online store gives the option to donate a couple of euros for cancer research or what have you when I'm making a purchase, I often do.
My contributions are mostly indirect; I try to put some money aside whenever possible, primarily by purchasing shares in investment funds that are concerned with environmental protection, green tech, local businesses in developing economies and the like. It's less altruistic than direct donations, of course, but since I would be putting the money aside either way, I might as well try to do the right thing, even if it the monetary reward will be lower for it.

Thank you for the giveaway, please count me in.

It's not too late to learn an instrument (unless you're disabled in a way that makes it impossible to play, but even then you could probably find an instrument you could still play). Just get an instrument and find a good teacher (ask at music stores, and if there's a nearby university with a music program, perhaps a student (preferably a music education major) might be willing to give you lessons).

I wanted to learn to play the piano when I was 8 years old, unfortunately my parents thought paying for lessons would be a waste and I'm too stupid anyway, so I at least was allowed to sing which I did as a kid for seven years in several opera houses and also international. The money I made there wasn't much (childern = categorically underpaid) but I was able to buy insruments and a few lessons for those later.
Now I don't play one but dozens of instruments, my first one was the great highland bagpipe which I learned from three teachers when I was 18, learned a few whistles, oriental frame drums and other stuff on the side but ordered a hurdy-gurdy later and focused on it for 10 years until I became good enough to lead several jam sessions with it.
I also always dreamed of playing the hammered dulcimer so last June I finally got myself a then 19 year old used one and started to learn it by applying what I already knew from all the other instruments, after 7 weeks of about 3h daily I was able to play it on sessions as well. Now it's my main instrument for playing in the park/nature and for composing - I also have it with me on every second session and have built quite a few accessories for it (several mallets, a mobile stand, etc..).

So to honour my fallen fellow musician, I've recorded a somewhat fitting set just now on my chromatic hammered dulcimer, it consists of a melancholic tune from Brittany (Bretagne) and a happier one I made (and later wrote down) last autumn.
I haven't played in a while since I just moved in here and am still organizing my stuff, so don't be harsh on my rhythmic problems, it's usually less bad and I get overexited when trying to record something anyway, playing live is easier for me. The recording is completely unedited.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1s77do0ba0d47h8/kerfank1870%2Blaubtanz.mp3
I also plan on learning to play the cross strung chromatic 6/6 harp this or next year but need to make a bit more room around here to fit one in.

2. My times with family members were certainly memorable but seldomly in a nice way, so I'll pass.

3. Yeah, I'm co-organizing a free folk session with live music and dancing every month, the room is paid via donations and all the work put into it is honorary and unsalaried, unfortunately my co-organisator seems to view this differently atm and has taken quite a lot out of the pool for his sister for drawing the motive of the last flyers, so I may have to rethink all this since I've certainly put 50h of work into it in the last years just for gathering, writing down, transcoding and transposing lots of scores for new players and feel kind of used now.

PS: Not in, since I've got enough games atm.