Dear Dottie et al.~

As usual when you mention a song or artist that appeals I have a quick look in case I like it too. Here I was struck by the youth and gentleness of the singer Conan. I had a look further and listened to him talking about himself, how he always ran to bed, and how sometimes he wished he was invisible for a few seconds.

Looks like he went to about as many schools as I did, though my parents were not divorced when I was 3, as his were.

I guess in some way with moving round so much and swapping friends each time YouTube became a sort of home for him.

I read the lyrics on one screen whilst watching him on another. Again looks a little young for those words , unless his missing family features in them somewhere.

And all the memories I wished away
They stayed.

Sad. Not sure I want to listen again. There's so much in the world.

I'm rambling,

Affection

Croix

Hey Croix.....do you know Have I The Right? by The Honeycombs? Really old one - it would have to be the SEXIEST song I've ever heard! Find it on u tube if you can....(if you dare!)

My big game begins this week - the last thing a person with anxiety would usually even attempt to do!

Up There Cazaly, & Love Changes Everything, Can Can, and every other motivational, pump yourself up number I can think of is gonna get a big work-out this week I suspect! Close your windows, neighbours - you have been warned!

Can you recommend any I can look for - that would psych a person up to "Win, Succeed, Score A Goal" etc?

Dear Moon & Dottie~

Moon: Good luck, I thought the Honeycombs looked so young and clean-cut, I remember the song well thought -just for me you understand - it would not deserve that appellation.

For rousing -in a different vein - try The Liberty Bell March - John Philip Sousa

Dottie: Thanks, whatever the reason, you rescued me from my thread, which I'm finding a very difficult one to go to. I'm glad you don't think of me as an 'example'. Had 48hrs off. Will argue with you later :)

Croix

Hi Croix,

I'm glad- in some bizarre, unexpected way- that my tendency to go on weird tangents helped distract you for a bit.

Sure, there's no rush. Whenever you feel like it, you can elaborate on your understanding of "immediate circle" because I recall you wanted to explain.

Take care and rest up!

Dottie xxx

Hi there Croix.....yes that Liberty Bell March is in the "Hooked on Sousa"section on my Hooked On Classics that I play endlessly in the car on my way to, and after practice! They're played a bit faster and more furious on the CD which makes them even more rousing and fabulous!

Dear Dottie, Moon et al.~

Moon: That's a pretty good set of CD's, something for every occasion. So when does the big bowl start? Also I'm very glad you've found a thread to discuss matters and ask important questions, you could not have picked a better place.

Dottie: Decided not to talk about immediate circle. Anyone who posted as you did to Moon should be teaching me the facts of life:)

I rely on instinct and let the words flow -yes!

On less serious matters I listened to Tom Waits- God's Away on Business and it really appealed, not just the music and gravelly voice - but the rather cynical lyrics too.

I went and saw I, Claude Monet this morning. I'm still processing it however my overall impression is stunning. While I'm not a huge fan of his paintings - I like them - particularly the early ones -but there is no 'resonance' with me, however the whole presentation was superb!

The photography had a most difficult task, to show original related scenes, to meld painting and scene, and to traverse paintings in a natural manner that enhanced the picture. All that was done, and the original simple piano score complemented everything.

Readings from his letters were the whole script - and more than enough. His trials came though as ghastly, though in the end he was, I hope, in a pretty good place.

He felt it deeply that he was the only surviving member of the French Impressionists, and some of their works (Renoir, Degas... ) are displayed too.

I'd suggest if you get the chance - go see it.

What are you listening too now -is it still Conan?

Croix

P.S. Dottie: Got distracted and forgot to say: sometimes if I'm very lucky I'll go to write something and the words will almost write themselves - seemingly from nowhere, then I'll look at them and sense they are a good fit -what needed to be said, they might just need tweaking, not need writing from scratch. Do you find that?

-C

Hi Croix,

Apologies for the late response. But here I am ha, ha.

About Conan's You Think I'm Crazy and your thoughts on how you think he is "a little young for those words." Sorry, I'm afraid that I have to politely disagree because how can he be too young for something that he wrote (?) Also, I don't think pain and loss is something that older people have a monopoly on. He may have been referring to abuse he suffered when he was much younger (i.e. in that line).

Ah yes, it is a sad song. I keep forgetting that you don't do sad songs. Probably for the best that you don't listen to it again. Thank you for giving it a go though 😊

I, Claude Monet sounds visually spectacular. A feast for the senses! It sounded as though the various elements complemented each other seamlessly.

Yeah, sometimes if my instincts is strong enough, it does feel as though the words write themselves. I don't do too much tweaking. Aside from keeping an eye on the posting rules, I don't really edit or overthink my posts a lot. That's not to say that I never do it but I don't spend much time doing it.

The reason is because I try to keep it colloquial and as though I was talking to a friend. It's partly why a lot of my posts contain "I don't know what to say" because that's often the very line that appears in my head. I leave it in to keep it natural sounding.

I mean, I'm not here to win the Nobel prize for literature or to "shrink" anyone or to act as any sort of "expert." At best, I can give suggestions but I'm not here to tell anyone what to do or what the right or wrong course of treatment is (that's something that varies from person to person). I just- within reason- write whatever I want to write.

I'll have to check out God's Away on Business!

Talk later,

Dottie xxx

Dear Dottie~

I probably did not express myself very well.

I meant he was very young, the words were sad. I was sad to see someone so young having to deal with things like that. I was sad there were times he wished himself invisible. Of course pain and loss know no age barriers. And yes sad is not my favorite, but I listen.

I hope you enjoy Tom Waits, he is worldly and cynical, but with strength; for me a good combo.

I hope you are managing 1st semester ok. I'm glad you can write as you do,

Croix

Hi Croix,

Thanks for clarifying. Appreciated it. Yeah, he had some difficult experiences earlier on.

Ah, I waffled on about writing mostly to explain my writing process. It's mostly just gut (nothing more and nothing less). I save my brain for uni and offline soapbox moments ha, ha.

I hope you're doing okay. Keep being your awesome self!

Dottie xxxx

Hi Croix,

I listened to God's Away on Business. I like it! It's pretty cynical and I appreciate Waits' sardonic sense of humour.

Partly because I have a pretty sardonic sense of humour myself. It's definitely on the darker end of the humour spectrum but I keep it light on the forum because that kind of humour doesn't translate very well in text.

I've been enjoying Tribulation (Matt Maeson) but I must warn you that it is kind of sad. So I'm not sure if you would want to listen to it.

I've also been loving Little Boy (Barns Courtney). Little Boy evokes feelings of nostalgia and funnily enough, it ties in with all this recent inner child talk. I don't think he meant it that way but that's my personal interpretation.

I hope you're doing okay.

Dottie x

Dear Dottie (et al.)~

Sorry - I just can't resist this, you said:

If I ever get a tattoo, it will be music related.

Edinborough?

Yes, I'm good. BTW you may have noticed I'm not appearing as often in the other thread. It's not indifference or lack of care, my antenna tell me that just at the moment my male presence might be a brake on the lovely development and healing taking place there.

I'm glad you got furious. Frankly I don't think it mattered what emotion you felt - I tend to think the fact that it was strong is significant. I felt something similar when I dealt with those sheep. Quite unspecified at first, then aimed at the employees I mentioned. Perhaps an element of self-discovery there, but this is the social zone so will not talk more here.

I, like you, tend not to give other than passing reference to dark humor here. Songs aren't too bad, as not many look them up, and if they know the content already then no harm done. It's funny but I don't find Tom Wait sad, nor Leonard Cohen - though some of his stuff is downright nasty without much humor at all. I guess it is if I empathize with the singer - Conan being an example - then it can get sad.

I didn't find Matt Maeson's Tribulation too bad, although not a perfect relationship. Saying to go away rather than be hurt is a basis for something -a start perhaps? Actually that's how many including I felt when depressed - but that's another sort of thing.

With Barns Courtney, I listened to Little Boy and also Fire, I think I prefer Fire, as I read he is reliving his early passion for music before a down in his career. I do understand the Little Boy link to inner child. Actually that's a concept I need to think about more, don't fully grasp it as yet.

Take care Dottie,

Croix

I have a question that doesn't fit anywhere else. Now that my gwelly (bed) is upstairs, does the extra distance I have to travel through the night as the earth spins on its axis equate to more time to sleep and per chance to dream?

Dear Gruffud,
I always take these deep questions or yours most seriously so:-

Assume R= original height of bed above center of the earth in miles.
Assume nR= new height of bed above center of the earth in miles.

Assume you stay asleep for 8 hours then you will have traveled roughly an extra:

((2PiR)/3)-((2PinR)/3) miles during that time.

Unfortunately this does not equate to extra snoozing, just extra miles clocked up whilst your mind was elsewhere. Indeed it's worse than that.

Assuming you were to fall out of bed, then the heightened Coriolis effect would either place you further away from the bed, so you might have difficulty getting back in, or if the bed was facing the other way then you may well end up under it.

I hope this clears the matter up.

Croix (sy'n cysgu o dan y grisiau)

I knew Harri Crochenydd was more than a fictional character. Thank you.

So my bed as it always has has its end facing East. That way I travel feet first to the new day.

One advantage I can foresee with the enhanced coriolis effect is that as long as I stir my tea in the right direction the universe will assist.

Ron.

Hi Croix,

Um...I genuinely have no idea what the Edinborough reference is about ??? But yes, if I ever got a tattoo, it would have to be music related.

Thanks for the supportive comment about the rage stuff. It's appreciated.

It's okay, I know you care. I kind of imagine you as a guardian owl (or a guardian walrus but they don't have wings) hovering above thread to make sure everyone is okay. I mean that in a good way 😊

That makes sense. If you can empathise with the singer or songwriter then it becomes a more personal song.

For me, it's a little different. The song or piece speaks for itself and it's the actual music that sweeps me away (or not). I rarely look up the backstory of a song or piece.

I haven't listened to Fire but it sounds like it might be worth checking out. Passionate songs are generally good. Ah the inner child concept...I'm glad you're mulling it over.

I have been listening to Hurt Me (Lapsley). It's electronic music so it may not be to everyone's taste. Also it's kind of sad despite certain upbeat elements.

I think that sometimes the saddest part is when (deceptively) happy elements are juxtaposed with what is essentially a sad song. Either way, it's a song that means a lot to me. Don't really want to explain but it means a lot.

Dottie x

Edinburgh tattoo, he he :)

Thanks Gruffud 😊

Yeah, I knew Croix meant tattoo but why an Edinborough tattoo ha, ha (?)

Dottie x

The Edinburgh tattoo is a music event that has been happening every year in Scotland for quite some time. I think it has just about every marching band in the commonwealth attend. It is indeed a musical tattoo.

Dear Dottie et al.~

Rob: Oh dear, my generation gap is showing - ta for the sadly necessary translation :( Pity, a tatt-map of that well known Scottish town would have been an unusual conversation piece to say the least :)

Also I have no scar on my brow, the comparison would never have occurred to me -um.

The stairs at my Nain's always fascinated me as inset into the boards of the first landing beside the carpet runner were 2 glass covered holes that let light into the cupboard.

Dottie: BTW you can now get a tatt, that in conjunction with a special set of spectacles, becomes a playable piano keyboard device (though not a full keyboard or soundboard I guess). I'd predict that in a few years the glasses won't be necessary either.

On another matter I'm answering you here with my 2¢ worth for the reason above, even if not the expected place.

For me that would be the wrong question. I'd have to ask would I like being a whatever - in my case policeman, educator and so on. All the rest follows from that. Also in those vocations I found it was rapport and sense, not HD's, that made it a success - insofar as it was one.

That being said there were always some sorts of people that I could never relate to and interact with.

Doing well in my training - which I most certainly did - allowed my to get into the areas I wanted, but from then on loomed less large, though of course it did have to continue.

If my occupations had not been a constant personal reward and reason to want to get up early each day I'd have been discontent and wanted to move on. I would also have found it much more difficult to put in the effort I did.

As always I listened - to Låpsley's Hurt Me this time, which was as you said sad, one reviewer said: It's bitter because it speaks so plainly to the pain of watching a relationship bleed out; and yet so sweet.

While that could be quite right, an alternative interpretation might be lack of trust - dunno, getting a bit deep here.

Electronic music is, for me, as valid as any other. Robert Moog's synthesizer was invented when my tastes were mainly classical and rock so it fit in very well with the latter. I might have mentioned I like Vangelis who is always knee-deep in keyboards.

Talking of Vangelis, I'm listening to his Tears in Rain -the background version without the voiceover monologue. It tries to capture a person's life experiences washing away like tears in the rain as their life is over. Again sad.

Take care,

Croix

Hi Croix,

I'll get back to you about the music later (heading out soon) but thanks for the recommendations!

Gruffud, appreciate the explanation. It makes sense now ha, ha.

Croix, thanks for sharing your personal insight and experience with me. I'm glad you found your roles rewarding. They seemed to be the right fit for you.

I'm afraid that for psych, sadly grades do matter. Don't nail the grades, no honours. All Australian psychologists must complete honours or a postgrad diploma. And as far as I know, entry to either is based on academic merit.

Well, I see your point but at the same time, I still think my question was relevant. Just because I might want to do something doesn't mean that I should do it.

I think it's a fair question. I mean, if I don't have the attributes to be a psychologist (not to mention all the other requirements) then I probably shouldn't pursue that path.

I'm also thinking about the potential (harmful) impact that I could have if I pursued this path and turned out to be a terrible psych. I don't want to accidentally make things worse for people who are already feeling very fragile.

I mean, it's not just about me and what I want. I don't want to accidentally cause harm (e.g. if I became a psych and was awful at my job).

Personally I think that's what any psych student should ask him or herself. Do no harm, right? Anyway, that's my 2 cents. I guess, long story short is I've been asking myself that question to reflect on my own attributes. Still reflecting...

Anyway, thank you Croix. I appreciate our advice and perspective.

Apologies for the weird tangent.

Must go now. Talk later 😊

Dottie x

I am beginning to feel the generation gap. It is most apparent when I talk about life in Hong Kong before the handover, or that now foreign land of communism in East Germany or Poland. Still I guess now that all the coal mines of South Wales have closed and are being turned from black and bleak quarries into parks, and Melbourne town has lost its tram conductors and most of the W's whilst more than doubled in population, we could say the world keeps on changing.

I think it will be radio Wales for me this morning. The music there is often a little bit country, and a little daggy. Just my thing.

Dear Dottie et al.~

Rob: I nearly had a posting to the GDR , but did not go, too isolated for too long. (Plus the GDR judge at gymnastic events was a crook).

I will be going to Melbourne in a week or so - if I find one of those lost tram conductors where do I hand him or her in?

I'm unsure of the 'W' reference. I do know if oyu turn them topsy-turvey you get Maccas.

Dottie: Ok, I looked at your reply; and also your original post again. As I've no doubt said before I have no pipeline to wisdom -sigh, so I just offer you my thoughts -YMMV:

Firstly I think we both agree that whatever one does has to be rewarding in itself – enjoyment, achievement, self-esteem and so on.

Secondly that getting the qualification is necessary, but here we diverge in that I am sure that you are the sort of person that can get to whatever standard is required. I was another.

I see it in the way you talk and think and write. In fact I’d be surprised if your academic past is not pretty good already.

Thirdly – causing harm. Yes, a real worry, for me right from the start of posting, and still with me. Many here are very fragile – at times I am too.

For you, well you may worry, but everything you do here is positive, you have the instinct for it.

I wish you did what I do here – you would be better at it in some ways (seriously nosiness and obnoxiousness are a necessity:) You have a ‘glow’ in what you say that is a tonic all by itself and you seem to put your finger on what is needed time after time.

You are also sensitive and intelligent. You would realize if something in a therapy you were conducting was going the wrong way. Yes accidents happen, that is a fact of any life, but I think you would have far less than was normal for such a profession.

As a person who has tried to combat self-doubt for many years may I ask if you have too much too?

BTW I look forward to your next musical recommendation - I get a lot of pleasure from exploring and listening to them.

Croix

If you find a lost conductor best to hand them in to your nearest W-class tram. You will find the last few on the city circle tourist line. They are to Melbourne what the Routemaster is to London.

So you passed up the opportunity to cue for hours for cheese in a socialist paradise Croix. Probably a good move. Besides the gymnastics team there seemed to take all sorts of odd supplements.

I have cleared the lower level for the arrival of the last of the furniture. Tomorrow the big things will be done.

Dear Dottie, Rob et al.~

Dottie: Happy 90th? birthday :)

Rob: hope to removal went well

C

The move is progressing well. Tonight my task is to unwrap great granny or at least the dinner set that belonged to her and load it into the sideboard her granny bought on her arrival in the colonies. There is a sense of family and time. I'm sure to be unwrapping memory.

Dear Rob, Dottie et al.~

Rob: For me that would be such a treat. I remember my Nain's oak sideboard, it had two large Staffordshire dogs on top, with their faces etc picked out in black. There was Tide's railway cup - big as a soup bowl - and a teapot full of fascinating odds and ends, all among blue & white plates. Then there were the cupboards and drawers ...

I hope you have as much pleasure darganfod trysorau

Dottie: I can't resist this - I was wondering about the joint you mentioned -naah :)

Croix

Llewellyn bach was a memory happy indeed. Thank you for sharing it with us Croix. I wouldn't mind having the milk delivered now.

Hi Croix,

Thank you and that's right, I'm celebrating with 90 joints (anyone who is new to this thread, please don't take me too seriously haha).

Wow, thank you for all the very generous compliments. Well, like almost everyone else, I have some self doubt. I don't know if it's too much (or not) but it's there.

Ah Croix, thank you but I'm not sure that I would be "better at it in some ways than me (you)." I guess everyone brings something different to the forums so I wouldn't really say that any one particular approach is inherently better or worse than another. Just different ways of addressing others and different perspectives.

I know that heaps of people appreciate your thoughtful, sensitive posts. People regularly give you kudos because they like your contributions here. They're not talking (writing) just to hear the sound of their own voice (that's more my thing ha, ha).

Now as for music...

I listened to Vangelis' Tears in Rain. I understand that it's meant to be a sad song. Intellectually, I was, like, "okay, it's meant to be very moving" but emotionally, I'm afraid that I just didn't "connect" with it.

Nothing wrong with it buts it's just that I either connect or I don't connect with music. Now, it's not a reflection on the music itself but just down to personal taste and my gut response.

But Fire (Barns Courtney)? loved it! Almost instant emotional response from me (a connection to the song). The music video reminded me of Conan Gray's music videos except it's more polished. Conan Gray's videos have a very nostalgic, Polaroid-esque.

Dottie xxx

Hi Croix and gang,

I've only just "discovered" DJ Okawari.

Absolutely loving Yours.

It's an instrumental piece.

Dottie xxx