March '25 'Whenever' Diary

Well Aito, your English is fine, you have no excuses anymore, just get on with it and give us more videos :P

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Buying and selling property is really stressful, it used to be easy, you just went to your local agent and they took over. However since property prices got higher and higher the 1 or 2 % they charged runs into £ks for the same service. Enter the online agency who offer a fixed fee which worked out much cheaper. Soon, 'High Street' agents started to close down (or go online themselves) But now you have to struggle through a process of sending documents, payment, agreements, identification etc online or by post. It's a bit of a minefield because you have to find all the traps and tricks in the cost, what looks like a good deal doesn't look so good when you see the small print.

I was working on a song which sounded great at home but after playing it on WL I didn't like it so much ... so another red flag jobby :( I don't think my heart is in a wikiloops mood today as I'm distracted with business c**p. On the plus side, the weather is beautiful for March :)

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Yesterdays thoughts kept wandering to the topic of maintaining dignity and self respect when growing old.
Apart from some notable exceptions, it seems that services and human behaviour patterns in general are firmly geared to the fit, unimpaired under 60s. Our postman, sorry, the new term seems to be delivery manager of physical goods, is one of those exceptions. When there are letters or parcels for my parents, he actually rings the bell and hand delivers the stuff.

For the rest, yours truely can be a real mean bastard when it comes to making sure that my family and friends can enjoy their life as best as they can without being harrassed by inadequate and antisocial people. This morning I got into a fight with some jerk who complained that my dad shouldn't be out and about walking with a cane as he was holding everyone else up. I did offer to take the little shit to the hospital after I was done with him, but he declined. I don't think that anyone will protect me should I actually get to be 90 years old, so I regard these physical interactions as an investment into my own future wellbeing.

On the plus side, it seems that I need to fix a date with Scarlett Johansson for a Wikiloops music video. As things stand right now, getting Scarlett will be easier than getting the track finished. But hope is eternal, or so I've been told.

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It's been a long day today, one of those days where you do stuff non-stop with no break... but at the end of the day you can't remember what you did.... and whatever it was you have nothing to show for it.

I guess mostly I've been trying to sort the study/office so it looks less cluttered because it's going to be photographed on Monday. It doesn't help that my pc has a dodgy lead/cord that changes the screen to lots of different colours if you touch it.... mostly it's yellow but then there's green and a bright red, bought a new lead so that might fix it tomorrow.

I thought for a long time how the silicon chip has changed the World.... just imagine if it hadn't been invented and we all led a very simple life, looking people in the eye and handing over cash for purchases - using telephone boxes in the street, having a maximum of 4 TV Channels. Going to the cinema or renting videos - having cars with no electronics.... and a bank book with the total of your wealth written down instead of having secret codes and safety checks. Writing letters and post cards to distant relative instead of seeing their bored faces online! I rarely see a newspaper these days and my household equipment is too hard for me to understand :(

Oh well I'm sounding like an old moaning fuddy-duddy now so I'll call it a day, take care and keep plucking :)

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This day was so ordinary that I won't list what I've done today.

Maybe I should film a fourth video for the diary after all. They've been fun to make.

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Thought of the day :|:

A good friend of mine, who I known for 42 years, is in hospital. The guy was fit, trained on a regular basis, healthy, sporty type. What happened is, he climbed up to his roof to fix a water tank that burst due to freezing. He slipped and fell 8 meters down!! Is operated on neck, spine, ribs and god knows what else. May not walk again, who knows.

I myself was confronted with my actual age when last year I fell off my motorcycle at almost standing speed, slipped on some mud and broke 8 ribs in multiple places, plus my collarbone. I was only doing 20 km/h or so :o

It seems we don't bonce as good as we did when we were 18, just my head does not recognize that I am 60. I don't feel 60, I don't act 60 but my bones say "stop what ever MF crazy stuff you are doing or I will bust"

It is hard to adjust, but time catches us all. I wrote a song about life and mortality a few years ago, I think it fits:

Life keeps on flowing
From the soul into the sea
When you feel that little ping
with rising anxiety

Uncertainty they feed you
It can be a heavy dish
Whatever you decide to do
Make sure to catch that fish

[wl]149642[/wl]

https://www.wikiloops.com/backingtrack-jam-149642

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Sorry that happened to your friend TeeGee, I hope it's not as bad as it could be - life is fragile, you only have to lose concentration for a second and an accident happens. I think in a way, although your body is more prone to illness and accidents when you get older, you also know how to be more careful and take less risks generally - and once you've had a 'near miss' you won't make the same mistakes next time.

* I always like to do an Irish song on St Patrick's Day (March 17) but I also like to hear about the Special days celebrating, often, really obscure things, I think everything has a Special Day now. - so I thought we could have a week of songs for each day leading up to March 17th. I've started another thread for the challenge. I hope wikiloopers will join in :)
I'm missing rootshell and Moonchild with their videos so maybe Aito (or anyone who has the urge) can fill that gap until they get back:D :D

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Saturday 8th March

It's been so quiet at the loops today, no-one has touched the forum threads and new songs comes slowly. It was quiet at home too so I spent a lot of time looking for songs to go towards the 'Challenge' I just type an appropriate word into my search and up pops a selection. Some Special Day topics like "Dream" and "Sleep" and "Flowers" I have lots to choose from, I even had 2 Elephant songs... but I don't seem to have a "Panda" song so I might have to write a new one. Not sure what I'll choose as my Special Day....Maybe it should be International Jamming Day (if there isn't one already :D)

We play Chelsea tomorrow, really need a win, their manager took our best player and hardly ever plays him, I thought that was mean, just because they have plenty of money :(

The weather has been so pleasant this week, it makes me sad to watch the news and see what trouble some Countries are in with floods and winds. England doesn't have great weather but it rarely has extremes either. I think it's getting colder later in the week just when the plumber switches the heat off to mend that leak :(

Never go shopping in a bad mood or when you're depressed, you'll buy a load of sweet, chocolaty luxuries and end up throwing them away when you start feeling guilty (or sick) :)

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-I noticed a big mistake I make when i play bass. I've been trying to fix it for a few days, but it seems that it will take months. Well, at least I have a direction to go now.

-I just noticed that Shamika mentioned football. A few days ago I tried to watch a Champions League game so I could comment on something football-related. I was able to watch the game for 15 minutes and then gave up. Football feels like lobotomy.

Well, at least I tried my best. 😁
(I admit that football is a tough and great game. 🙂I also liked playing it at school during breaks.)

-A new boxing gym opened in town. I'd like to learn the basics of boxing, but I can't do everything. I have no time for new hobbies.

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Sunday 9th March

Re football - I think in order to enjoy a game it's best to watch the one you support - I rarely watch other games but with my team I know all the players, their weaknesses and skills and history - I tend to shout a lot while watching on TV. I shouted today when a loss of concentration allowed the ball to go into the net again.... that's 12 loses out of 13 games :(:@

I have all my songs ready for 'The Challenge' some days I have both subjects. I hope it's not just going to be another Shamika Showcase, I'm already thinking I'm too vocal and in people's faces at wikiloops.... I'm normally a person who hides and observes rather that showing my extrovert tendencies :)

Food this evening was Pea & Ham soup, Beetroot favored crackers followed by Caramel ice cream... very tasty. Time to wind down now, see you in the morning !

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[youtube]1zCtYYauUCE[/youtube]

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It would be great to support a team. I can only imagine how much fun it is in England, where everyone loves football. People need things they can share with a large number of people

I myself followed the NHL team for many years, but it's not the same. Those teams are on the other side of the world.



Apparently Rootshell just released a video, but I won't watch it until tomorrow. I'm already going to bed and I don't have the energy to get my headphones anymore. 🙂

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Hmmm, no, everyone in England is not into football. Personally I don't know anyone at all who is remotely interested in it.

Just sayin'. :)

Nice to see where Nick lives. So very different from here. If I had a thingy to mount my phone I'd do a video. I'll have to look into that.

Meanwhile, having sort of recovered from having a heart attack a year ago caused partly by anaemia from blood loss from cancer in my small intestine (I had that chopped out in November), I washed my only vehicle for the first time in years. I thought I'd never drive again at one point.
Looks ok from the rear but bits are starting to rust (again) because it has to stay outside and we salt the roads here in winter. It's 50 years old so...

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zedders attached the following image:

Oh dear, VW Bus, the only thing fast about them is the spread of rust :D

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Well, normally I'd agree - put your foot down and all that happens is it uses more fuel but... I did build this one a 2.4L engine, Dellorto DRLA40 carbs etc. It goes pretty well for an old VW bus. :)

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I know people are mad about them, they have a loyal following and clubs and what not. But I never liked them... However on my recent trip to Mongolia I did discover a similar type of vehicle that I liked, and I would not be against owning one if I had the place or the will for another vehicle. I am talking about the UAZ 452 four wheel drive (also known as the "Bukhanka" or "Loaf" due to its boxy shape). I saw them everywhere in Mongolia, going off road, taking tourists and even saw one that had been converted to a camper van by an Italian dude who was driving it all over the region. 110 HP and 200 NM torque, that's ok I guess.

So being Russian build, I guess they would not be the most reliable - but the good news is it's simple, probably won't have a lot of electronics. parts will be cheap and you usually can fix it with a hammer and a few simple tools.

How do I know that? Guessing, however in the 80ies I used to work for a time in the Sinai desert in Egypt, there were a LOT of old Russian ZIL trucks. They were mostly parked on downhill slopes to push start them (batteries were apparently expensive :) ) But the Nomads kept them going with fairly simple tools. They were old and rusty, beaten up and abused, but they kept going.

So, maybe when I retire and I do a longer trip to Mongolia I will get myself a 4 x 4 UAZ and tell you all about it ;)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UAZ-452

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TeeGee attached the following image:

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Edited by TeeGee on 11 mars 2025 à 08:58

I bought one when they were dirt cheap because we got soaked one weekend camping in a tent. I had no idea there was some sort of cult and on the way home actually stopped to see if something was falling off because people kept flashing their headlights and waving like nutters! That was about 30 years ago. Since then I've gone through a repeating pattern of restore, sell to pay a tax bill or whatever, buy a wreck with the change and start again. The green one is my 5th and like all the others was also a wreck.

I just like them now, they're silly quirky impractical things but the last two I built funky engines for. The previous was 135HP 2L but it was too racey for a camper. This one is a stump puller, 250Nm at 2,000rpm.

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[youtube]vWjNGZ485ZI[/youtube]

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nice video Aito! :W hopefully you get some bass jamming time soon.

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Oh poor Aito, keeps falling down and can't remember what his instrument is called :) But how we enjoy watching him cringe trying to keep the conversation going :W
I think you are wonderful Aito, I could never stand there being filmed with no script, just thinking on your feet. Kudos to you Mighty Finn :)

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