Chatting with your Friends

Best of luck to you, Larry! Thanks for sharing that with us, and I hope that helps a bit with support and accountability. :slight_smile:

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I played trumpet back in school, along with guitar and bass. Itā€™s been many years, so Iā€™m probably terrible at all of it anymore! Iā€™ve been entertaining the idea of learning piano/keyboard via YouTube after hearing that some have had success with it, as Iā€™ve always wanted to compose video game music. (Nerd alert: I love a good video game soundtrack.)

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If you donā€™t already have it, youā€™ll need multi-track recording software for that (unless you just want it to be a single track ) and I would highly recommend a free program called Cakewalk by Bandlab.
Before Cakewalk went belly up it cost close to $600.
This is a stripped down version without all the instruments (there are several 3rd party vendors with reasonable pricing available tho) but will do audio/MIDI multi-track recording great!
I used to beta test for Cakewalk so be sure to PM me if you have any questionsā€¦or my wife as she teaches piano (she has a Masters in piano performance).

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When I was a child, I had to decide between learning ballet at the National Academy or pianoforte with a private teacher, since my parents couldnā€™t afford the expenses of both studies.
It was not an easy decision, but in the end I opted for the ballet.
My father, who dreamed for me a career as famous pianist, was very disappointed and never really forgave me. Whenever I complained about anything (like belly ache because of my excessive love for chocolate), he would say: ā€œThat happened because you didnā€™t learn to play piano.ā€ :slight_smile:
Today I actually regret not being able to play a musical instrument, and recently I had the same idea as you, Fizzymint: to learn to play piano/keyboard online.
I assured my husband, who looked a little worried, I would use headphones, but he probably fears he will be obliged to admire the improvements of my skills, DAILY. And he might be right there. :slight_smile:
Fizzymint, please let me know if it works for you.
Oh, by the way, I didnā€™t become a famous prima ballerina either.

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Hello Larry, I too am an addict, I agree that counseling and support are very helpful, I would also like to suggest an accountability person that when you are in darker or more stressed situations that they will answer the phone anytime day or night & not judge you, but just talk with you, and help get you grounded you again. Another great outlet for me when I quit back in 1990, was to write a letter to MY addiction like it is a person! Mine started out like this:
Dear good friend,
You have been with me for over 10 years now and have stayed by my side everyday!
(Then I explained all the good times and the bad times, The few times it gave me enough courage to do/say something, the many many things it had taken away from me. Then I broke up with it, like it was a lover.)
I finished the letter similar to this:
I have now come to the conclusion that I can not keep you in my life, and that, if I do, I Will lose everything including my life, ā€œMy long time Crutchā€ Besides all the material things I have lost due to my relationship with you, I fear that my health is not far away from being next, Yes the people, the jobs, the friends, the lovers were a great loss to me, But you are not worth enough to take my life as well. I wish you everything you deserve, But I canā€™t and wonā€™t speak to you ever again! I need to put myself and my family first today, and for the rest of my Life.
Larry, I still have that letter, and read it from time to time, And it still makes me emotional just like writing this message has almost brought me to tears (almost) Thank you for sharing, and I wish you & all those around you the courage and support and the strength to make yourself & your life better. If you ever want to mail me I will gladly go into more detail than I have here, Or I can just listen! I canā€™t judge you on this with out judging myself. God Bless I am Proud of you for doing this the way you have!

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Yup. Thatā€™s cute! And talented!
You win!

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I think you underestimate your own countrymen, John!
I donā€™t know where you are located, but in Hamburg where I live and in general in Northern Germany, many people have a dry, laconic sense of humour which I truly love.
And I often prefer it to the typical Italian humour which has too many innuendos and bad words for my taste. Especially that of Romans, my fellow citizens. :slight_smile:
Recently, ā€œThe Guardianā€ or maybe ā€œThe Independentā€, I forget, mentioned a satirical program on German TV, ā€œExtra3ā€ (you probably know it, John), which I watch once in a while.
The journalist seemed genuinely surprised how funny and trenchant it was. He said something like, hey, it is made by Germans!
I thought, well, sweetie, it is about time you start revisiting your cliches. :slight_smile:

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I loved Johnā€™s post because to me that was written with great German humour, Being English I tend to look for wit in a post and timing in comedy plays. Nothing for me has ever matched the timing in both Fawlty Towers and Dadā€™s Army, but I am fascinated by all the things the different nationalities find funny!

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Absolutely, Grapevine! His post was the proof of what I wrote. :slight_smile:

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Yes - I am located in Northern Germany
Yes - Extra3 is one of my favourite
and Yes - this dry humor is absolutely what I am looking for.

It is not quite easy for me in a foreign language as a lot of this humor is made by phrases and well done word games but I try.

Flowers to grapewine for starting this threat.

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I visited an elderly lady today who showed me a collection of Bamfords saucy postcards she had received in her youth. It made me wonder whether anyone actually sends postcards when on holiday any more. Anyone here still send them?

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Back In 2013 I had finished my Junior year of High School and that Summer in July I went on vacation to Florida for a month to visit relatives who I hadnā€™t seen in years. During the second week of my Florida vacation we went to a gift shop where they had postcards. I bought a few of them, filled them out and sent them to my parents , grandparents and a few other relatives who gave me money for my trip before I left.

At the start of August when I returned home to Massachusetts from my vacation everyone told me they loved the postcards that I sent them and thatā€™s was the only time I sent out postcards to someone.

I donā€™t know if many people still send out postcards let alone cards in general. This past holiday season I only got one Holiday card in the mail. I think with todayā€™s technology people find that there is no need to send out postcards or regular cards when you can just text them instead. Personally I enjoy sending and receiving actual cards because it just seems more personal and thoughtful to me then sending a text message instead.

-Marc

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Grapevine, you made me think of my grandfather who used to collect postcards. He had hundreds of them, from family, friends or colleagues. When he died, my mother and I spent hours to look at them. So colourful and interesting, sent from many different places.
I donā€™t send postcards, and I get none. Friends usually text me or send pictures in real time from their trips.
I only write cards to accompany a birthday or a Christmas gift.
I donā€™t know how it is for you all, but I am simply not used any more to writing by hand! My hand is insecure, the sentences follow an eccentric zigzag, I leave out letters, I forget words, shortly a disaster. I think it is almost a miracle I can still sign a check.
When I consider what a pleasure and emotion I always feel when I watch at the manuscripts of my beloved novelists, composers or scientists, I think the growing uniformity caused by technology has made us poorer under many aspects.

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I totally agree. But only greeting cards, not postcards LOL. Iā€™ve always found postcards to be boring for some weird reason. Maybe because theyā€™re not very personal (before you write anything on them that is). Itā€™s just scenery that Iā€™m mostly not interested in.

I love personalized greeting cards. Thereā€™s much more thought and effort put into getting them, than just sending electronic ones. Choosing a card that says something personal already, or a funny one (I mostly love the funny ones) with an inside joke, etcā€¦ Thereā€™s a whole process in choosing the right card for the right person, then writing the right thing on it. I love giving them and receiving them :slight_smile:

When I was in the UK, I used a site called Moonpig, @grapevine you probably know it. It was my favorite for all occasions. You just pick a card, and personalize it, and get it delivered either to you or to the recipient straight away. Wish we had something similar here.

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I will drink to thatā€¦

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I still talk to people with my mouthā€¦

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Yeah that works too :grin:

Oh yes, Maya, Moonpig has long been a favourite in our family. This Christmas my girls used the bonusprint site and made me a calendar with a different photograph for each month showing activities we had done together during that particular month in 2018. It is something I will always treasure!

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I would love to chat, but not able to do it, or at least not know how. Also, I would like to click ā€œlikeā€ on so many discussions, but, again, donā€™t know how. I love this game and the ability to read the different topics. One thing I agree with is the time limit for late registrations should be kept at no more than 5 minutes. Iā€™ve met some special friends and love it when I am at a table with people that are really trying to play poker not the ones that go all in preflop or continually hand after hand.

Happy poker playing everyone.

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Hi Mac awesome,
If you want to ā€œlikeā€ a post, just click on the heart symbol - done! To chat on the table just click on the chat box, chat, press enter and again, job done!

I wish you happy chatting and many likes :+1::rose:

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