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What’s on your mind?

rm5 said:
@VulchR, thank you so much for your advice, it's truly helpful! I mean I'll have to see what happens, but this is all good advice to live by! I just want to feel very prepared for the real world, you know what I mean?

@Scepticalscribe, mind me asking what you used to teach? I'm just curious.
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I was a university teacher for the best part of twenty years (and for the most part, I loved it); the idea that people were prepared to pay me for talking about (researching, writing about, thinking about) stuff that really interested me - stuff I would talk about in the pub or coffee shop anyway - was an extraordinarily civilised concept.

And history has been an abiding passion (or interest) of mine since childhood (hence @VulchR's advice to "find your passion", and my observations to you about trying to find out what interests you; it helps to be captivated by, intellectually intrigued by, what you have chosen to study), while I developed a fascination with politics (which is really history in the present tense, to a certain extent) in my early to mid teens, several years before I started university.
 
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rm5, aren't you involved pretty seriously in music? Is that your passion? Are you moving into exploring that further in whatever way possible? Yes, it is a highly competitive area in which to be involved but also can be a very rewarding endeavor for those who are exceptional in their ability.... Even if one isn't a musician who is going to wind up on stages around the world as a part of a band or the lead performer of a group, there are so, so many opportunities within the field.

Follow your interests and your dream and see where that leads you.....
 
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@rm5: I hadn't realised that music was - is - an abiding passion of yours (well spotted, @Clix Pix).

If so, do you actually play any musical instruments? With any degree of proficiency?

Some of my students - who were very talented musicians, (I sat in on some of their sessions, by invitation; one of them, later, he became an outstanding history teacher at a school - was an exceedingly gifted jazz pianist, actually, he was an exceptionally talented pianist - and took requests with a giggle and a grin from my mother and I - he had invited us, and thus, we were his guests - to attend his session at the hotel where he played at week-ends) who had taken the various (formal) music lessons, and thus, had the relevant qualifications - piano, guitar, banjo, lute - and so on, as children - paid their way through university sometimes, by giving music lessons to kids at week-ends (if they returned home), and/or having (music) residencies in pubs or hotels at week-ends, where they played - and were able to play - what was in demand, what their audience expected to hear in that setting, or what that pub/hotel required, interspersed with some personal preferences.

Yes, it may not have been music that they - personally would have preferred, - but it was music, there was a demand for it, and they were good enough to have been able to channel a gift, or talent, for which they were qualified (and experienced) into something which could pay the bills, give them work experience which they enjoyed to some extent, and give them considerable confidence in a public setting.
 
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Clix Pix said:
rm5, aren't you involved pretty seriously in music? Is that your passion? Are you moving into exploring that further in whatever way possible?
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Yes! I've been playing for most of my life actually, and I'm extremely passionate about it. It's one area I definitely want to go into (although I'm already on the music scene locally). I'm also a producer and occasionally write film scores (although compared to performing, this is something I'm pretty inexperienced in).

But I also have experience in (see profile description) AV work and video editing, both volunteer and paid.
Scepticalscribe said:
If so, do you actually play any musical instruments? With any degree of proficiency?
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Yep, I play the piano (but no other instruments—unless you count production as an instrument, which I don't...). My degree of proficiency? That's not mine to judge... if you're that interested, look me up on YouTube, there's stuff on there.

If you want "the short version," I've played:
  • On people's audition tapes
  • With numerous vocalists and horn players of all levels of experience
  • With several of the "really good" musicians in town, and in the state
  • At events like parties, etc.
  • And I've helped teach some middle school groups in town
The tricky part is, that I have absolutely NO IDEA what I'm gonna be doing in 5 years. Maybe I'll be performing? Video editing? Doing AV work? I have no idea. But, also, like @VulchR said, I should take advantage of every opportunity and resource available!

I also think a problem that I have is setting boundaries. I say "yes" to literally every project I get, and sometimes I get burnt out and that affects other aspects of life. But that's all stuff I'm working on...

But I have to say, I have very good communication skills, and, just that gets me very far. And, of course, I know a lot about Macs (why I'm on this forum in the first place)!

This is a bit off the subject, but I was talking to my parents about this yesterday. I was mentioning the 60% graduation rate at Berklee College of Music, and how, if I decide to go there, I'm going to have to be super careful about getting "big breaks" in New York, as is what tends to happen to quite a few people there.

I hope this provides a clearer description, @Clix Pix and @Scepticalscribe. Let me know if you have any more questions!
 
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Wow, sounds as though you are indeed involved in quite a serious way in music! Very cool! I hope you keep up with the music and your other creative ventures while in college, too....

Uh, with regard to setting boundaries..... May I suggest that it is probably not a great idea to be posting your full real name on this very public site, which is readable by all and sundry?
 
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Clix Pix said:
Wow, sounds as though you are indeed involved in quite a serious way in music! Very cool! I hope you keep up with the music and your other creative ventures while in college, too....

Uh, with regard to setting boundaries..... May I suggest that it is probably not a great idea to be posting your full real name on this very public site, which is readable by all and sundry?
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Ok you have a point here... obviously I would never share my email address or anything like that, but my YouTube channel, which is probably viewed MUCH MORE than my MacRumors posts (although I have no data to support this, just a guess...), which is my full name, is linked in my profile, and also, people on the internet know my full name, and refer to me by my full name, anyway, so it's kind of too late to conceal anything. What I would not do is show my face (hence the memoji), that seems a tad risky to me. Plus, I absolutely hate how I look, so I wouldn't do it anyway. I also think the advantage of having my full name on my YT channel is just for professionalism sake—when I was submitting audition tapes to colleges that were uploaded to YT (but obviously unlisted!) I don't want them to see a goofy nickname. I know that's not really an excuse, but it's a partial justification.

Also I think I've accidentally revealed my full name numerous times when taking screenshots of System preferences, so...

EDIT: Fixed in original post per your suggestion. But still, I honestly think it's too late to try and conceal anything.

Anyways, thanks for the kind words about the music, it sure it a lot of fun, especially playing with top musicians in town, which I am very fortunate to be able to do!
 
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rm5 said:
Ok you have a point here... obviously I would never share my email address or anything like that, but my YouTube channel, which is probably viewed MUCH MORE than my MacRumors posts (although I have no data to support this, just a guess...), which is my full name, is linked in my profile, and also, people on the internet know my full name, and refer to me by my full name, anyway, so it's kind of too late to conceal anything. What I would not do is show my face (hence the memoji), that seems a tad risky to me. Plus, I absolutely hate how I look, so I wouldn't do it anyway. I also think the advantage of having my full name on my YT channel is just for professionalism sake—when I was submitting audition tapes to colleges that were uploaded to YT (but obviously unlisted!) I don't want them to see a goofy nickname. I know that's not really an excuse, but it's a partial justification.

Also I think I've accidentally revealed my full name numerous times when taking screenshots of System preferences, so...

EDIT: Fixed in original post per your suggestion. But still, I honestly think it's too late to try and conceal anything.

Anyways, thanks for the kind words about the music, it sure it a lot of fun, especially playing with top musicians in town, which I am very fortunate to be able to do!
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@Clix Pix has a point (with which I agree) about setting boundaries in a public space such as an online platform - such as MR. It is something I would also recommend that you bear in mind.

However, if you wish me to view (listen to?) any of your (musical) stuff send me a DM with details of where I can find it.
 
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Oh, happy, happy, joy, joy.
I have received a little box of goodies from PenBBS (via their shop on etsy).
It contained these --

PartsAndPen.jpg


Bottom is a new model (improved) of their PenBBS model 308, described by some as one of the best, most cost-effective, functional pen of 2022.
Top is a plastic bag of repair bits (o-rings (you can never have enough o-rings), converters for ink, feeds and collars for nib/feed assy.
No other pen company will sell you a bag of bits like that. I used some of the bits to bring a couple of my other PenBBS pens up to date ( I bought early models of the pens, and the parts have been upgraded since then).

These are my other PenBBS pens --

OtherPens.jpg


Isn't the top one the sexiest pen on the planet?
The middle one's colour (Cedar) is now quite rare.
The bottom one is a desk pen.

Honestly, if you are looking for a modern fountain pen that won't break the bank (all are below $100 US, and many are below $50 US) you couldn't go past a PenBBS pen (no, I am not affiliated, just a happy customer).
 
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DaveFromCampbelltown said:
Oh, happy, happy, joy, joy.
I have received a little box of goodies from PenBBS (via their shop on etsy).
It contained these --

View attachment 2161992

Bottom is a new model (improved) of their PenBBS model 308, described by some as one of the best, most cost-effective, functional pen of 2022.
Top is a plastic bag of repair bits (o-rings (you can never have enough o-rings), converters for ink, feeds and collars for nib/feed assy.
No other pen company will sell you a bag of bits like that. I used some of the bits to bring a couple of my other PenBBS pens up to date ( I bought early models of the pens, and the parts have been upgraded since then).

These are my other PenBBS pens --

View attachment 2161993

Isn't the top one the sexiest pen on the planet?
The middle one's colour (Cedar) is now quite rare.
The bottom one is a desk pen.

Honestly, if you are looking for a modern fountain pen that won't break the bank (all are below $100 US, and many are below $50 US) you couldn't go past a PenBBS pen (no, I am not affiliated, just a happy customer).
Click to expand...

I love fountain pens; do enjoy your little box of goodies, and let us know about them - such as how well they write, how well the ink flows, how comfortable they are in your hand, ergonomic stuff - in greater detail in the Fountain Pen thread.
 
Dear digital friends - today is Mardi Gras, which means that tomorrow is Ash Wednesday.

Bottom line, Lent starts.

This year, I will log off completely from all social media and forums, with the idea of minimizing my digital presence even more. Other things will happen too.

In other words, see you in 46 days. Don’t party too much in my absence.

>: logout
 
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OneDrive for Mac is on my mind. There is a special place in hell for whoever broke that software. Been working well for years. Now it runs about as well as a car with square wheels.

To cut a long story short, IT said delete it, reinstall and sync it again from scratch. Knowing how long that would take, I thought I’ll do it tonight. Of course now I can’t get anything to sync, no files so I’ll be logging off. Of Course the IT guy won’t be picking up any out of hours messages as he just works 37.5 hours and not a minute more.
 
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Apple fanboy said:
OneDrive for Mac is on my mind. There is a special place in hell for whoever broke that software. Been working well for years. Now it runs about as well as a car with square wheels.

To cut a long story short, IT said delete it, reinstall and sync it again from scratch. Knowing how long that would take, I thought I’ll do it tonight. Of course now I can’t get anything to sync, no files so I’ll be logging off. Of Course the IT guy won’t be picking up any out of hours messages as he just works 37.5 hours and not a minute more.
Click to expand...

I gave up on OneDrive for Mac quite some time ago, after it trashed a number of my Word files. It annoys me that autosave in Word will only work with OneDrive. As well, you can't save a Master document on OneDrive.

I now use MEGA. It works on Mac, Windows, Linux and even my Raspberry Pi, it keeps local files synchronised with the cloud copy, it keeps versions of your file for 30 days, and it's free for 20 Gbytes. It means I can edit a file on my RPi, and later work on the same file on my Mac, or even recover a previous version of a file that I edited on the RPi.

There are no problems with confidentiality, as the company is now owned by the New Zealand Government, after the kerfuffle with Kim Dotcom a few years ago.
 
DaveFromCampbelltown said:
I gave up on OneDrive for Mac quite some time ago, after it trashed a number of my Word files. It annoys me that autosave in Word will only work with OneDrive. As well, you can't save a Master document on OneDrive.

I now use MEGA. It works on Mac, Windows, Linux and even my Raspberry Pi, it keeps local files synchronised with the cloud copy, it keeps versions of your file for 30 days, and it's free for 20 Gbytes. It means I can edit a file on my RPi, and later work on the same file on my Mac, or even recover a previous version of a file that I edited on the RPi.

There are no problems with confidentiality, as the company is now owned by the New Zealand Government, after the kerfuffle with Kim Dotcom a few years ago.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately its a Work MNP so we have to use One Drive as I collaborate with multiple other users. Real pain though.
 
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yaxomoxay said:
Dear digital friends - today is Mardi Gras, which means that tomorrow is Ash Wednesday.

Bottom line, Lent starts.

This year, I will log off completely from all social media and forums, with the idea of minimizing my digital presence even more. Other things will happen too.

In other words, see you in 46 days. Don’t party too much in my absence.

>: logout
Click to expand...
Mardi Gras celebrations in the Catholic parts of southern Europe (Croatia, Italy, Germany, Austria and so on) - where they are taken very seriously indeed - can be both magnificent and spectacular.

Anyway, see you when we see you.
 
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yaxomoxay said:
Dear digital friends - today is Mardi Gras, which means that tomorrow is Ash Wednesday.

Bottom line, Lent starts.

This year, I will log off completely from all social media and forums, with the idea of minimizing my digital presence even more. Other things will happen too.

In other words, see you in 46 days. Don’t party too much in my absence.

>: logout
Click to expand...
@yaxomoxay:

I once worked with a German diplomat who was a practising Catholic - actually, I have worked with a number of German diplomats who were practising Catholics.

In fact, I attended Mass - at his invitation - (Henri IV of France - who had converted to Catholicism, ending a period of appalling religious strife and civil war in France, and who, having ruled as the Huguenot Prince Henri of Navarre, was also one of the most urbane, witty, engaging and intelligent individuals ever to sit on the throne of France, had once observed: "Paris is worth a Mass"; well, I thought that the ancient and antique Basilica in Split - it is a spellbinding space - was also worth a Mass) - with one of them, a delightful, civilised and charming elderly gentleman, in the ancient Basilica (which is over 1700 years old) in Diocletian's Palace, in Split, Croatia, an amazing, awesome, and utterly unforgettable occasion - we were observing an election together in that part of Croatia, working as a team; he was wonderful. I digress.

However, the second German diplomat, who was a practising Catholic, with whom I worked, used to deal with Lent (a period during which she chose to forego alcohol) by allowing herself a small number (defined by the number of Joker cards in a standard pack of cards) of exemptions from her abstention of alcohol during Lent - she referred to them as "drawing a Joker" and strictly adhered to this number - such as during a farewell party for someone whom she held in high regard, or a birthday, or - as actually occurred during the time when I worked with her - a farewell gathering for the outgoing Head of Mission (himself a German diplomat) - or something similar.

Anyway, I must say that I was quite partial to this idea, and found it an attractive (an agreeably attractive) interpretation of the concept of abstention during Lent, as it allows for a certain - autonomous, if limited - degree of flexibility.
 
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IT victory of the day: I learned how to turn off the user-vindictive 'Modern comments' sadism in MS Word so I don't have to hit cmd-enter 🤬 each time I make a comment on a document or click on elipses and then use a menu to edit a comment. It was seriously affecting my blood pressure. It's the little things in life that count.
 
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There's a company from where I order protein, health and sport stuff from.
They have really great stuff, good products, prices and all. I've used them for many years. When it works all is well. But their customer service is at the best 2 out of 10. It really sucks.
But I give them that they try to compensate with extra % off when fked up and all.

It was way over a month I ordered 3 items. 1 of the smal items arrived timely alone in a very big box.
Then I had an exhausting discussion with their horrible customer service.
They would send replacement, plus that I got an extra good promo code for my trouble. Today when I picked up the box, there was 2 boxes.
One that contained the right replacement, another one that was a copy of the initial order, except that it was 1 wrong item in it as well. At least now I don't have to order that kind of stuff anywhere soon from them again.
But I probably will, because their products are good.
There's another company with much better customer service that I also order some of these stuff from, and they absolutely measure up in most products, in some other not that well.

End of rant of todays delivery situations.
 
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