The Music Banter Members' Journals Monthly Update Thread

[Tristan_Geoff]

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Thanks for all your support guys and yes I'll try to put in a better effort for this week's update. I'm also awaiting a final outcome on my aunt, who is 99 and very sick in hospital. She's been like a second mother to me and my siblings so it's not just like it'll be another aunt gone; that in itself makes it hard to care too much about what are in the end pretty trivial matters, and why the tone is so depressed and listless.

I do appreciate the work everyone who posts already does, and I know it's unlikely we'll ever get back to the glory days, but when there are so few individuals posting - no matter how well you all do it - it makes it a little harder to pick out posts for things like "Post of the Week" etc. I suppose a few more comments here would help. Like just now there have been a few but only because my update wasn't up to my usual standard. On the last few though virtually nothing in reply, and then of course it makes you wonder if it's worth even bothering?

I do however want to avoid going the other direction and making the update so varied that people tend to focus on the features/humour in my writing rather than the actual content of the journals being discussed (I know, Batty: what humour?) so it's hard to strike the right balance. I did one a year or more back where Homer took over the writing, and though I thought it was good, it did tend to divert attention away from the content, so I stopped doing that. What, for instance, do you guys think of the Journal Graveyard section? Are there older sections you'd like to see me bring back, or any ideas for new ones? I guess we could all do with a bit of support now and then.

Sorry to whine: I'll hope to do better.
Thanks guys.

I'm awfully sorry about your aunt, but on the bright side, 99 isn't bad at all! What a long and great life she led

I'll try to post more journal entries this week but b/c of school, no promises. I will say I look forward to this journal being updated each and every week, and I love reading everyone's journals on here. Hopefully the traffic will get back up to speed eventually.

[Key]

Sorry TH. I didn't meant to bring a whole discussion into it. It's just that I noticed a shift in how you portrayed this update as opposed to others. Hopefully no offense was taken.

[Trollheart]

Originally Posted by Kiiii

Sorry TH. I didn't meant to bring a whole discussion into it. It's just that I noticed a shift in how you portrayed this update as opposed to others. Hopefully no offense was taken.

No, not at all. I wouldn't have initiated the discussion if I wasn't secretly looking for someone to talk to about it. See, I can't tell my sister that my aunt is even in hospital, much less how poor her chances are of coming out again, as she doesn't take that kind of news well, and is as you all know already sick, so I don't want her ending up in hospital too. That means I have to shield her from this knowledge, pretend everything is all right while yet knowing that at some point (maybe soon) I'll have to sit down and explain to her what happened, and why I kept it from her. Not looking forward to that, obviously. So you can see why something like this would be very low on my priorities.

Nonetheless, assuming the worst doesn't happen before Sunday (if it does don't expect any update; I probably won't even be on here for a few days) I'll make an effort for the next update. Only fair if you guys are reading them for me to put in a shift.

[Pet_Sounds]

Sorry to hear about your aunt, TH. Hopefully everything turns out OK. It's rough when you feel like you're alone in something like that.

I don't contribute much musically to the forum, but I appreciate your updates and I hope you continue to write them.

Originally Posted by Kiiii

It shows. It's a shame honestly. Not sure why people aren't putting any effort into their journals, yet they complain that there's literally no discussion going on in the forum.

Given the amount of time I spend on schoolwork and other activities and the fact that serious writing is exhausting, I can write for an hour a day, tops. That's 500 words that need to be rewritten and edited. To produce a polished 2000-word article takes me about a week. I'm not going to post that on a website where I am anonymous and have no copyright protection; I'll stick it on a blog or get it in a local paper.

Just my two cents.

[Thelonious Monkey]

I have journals that I've just left wither away. Of course, I did make no promises in either of them about when you'd see updates, but I'm gonna try my best in the following weeks to update them, because you put loads of effort into these updates and I'm a big fan of them. I've had my left ear blocked for the past month so I haven't been able to listen to music in general, but I have the urge to come back to this as soon as it disappears, and it's getting better, so fingers crossed I can start updating again. And hang tight with your aunt, man. If my Grandma was to pass away, who is basically my mother, I would be lost like hell, so I understand that this is keeping your mind preoccupied a bit. It would be for me too.

[innerspaceboy]

Condolences, TH. I won't even begin to say I understand the difficulty you're going through with family and all. My own grandfather is 90 and is in the hospital, himself, but the responsibility you bear adds an immeasurable degree of complexity to your unique situation.

I'll certainly make more of an effort to comment on future postings. Take care.

[Neapolitan]

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Thanks for all your support guys and yes I'll try to put in a better effort for this week's update. I'm also awaiting a final outcome on my aunt, who is 99 and very sick in hospital. She's been like a second mother to me and my siblings so it's not just like it'll be another aunt gone; that in itself makes it hard to care too much about what are in the end pretty trivial matters, and why the tone is so depressed and listless.

I do appreciate the work everyone who posts already does, and I know it's unlikely we'll ever get back to the glory days, but when there are so few individuals posting - no matter how well you all do it - it makes it a little harder to pick out posts for things like "Post of the Week" etc. I suppose a few more comments here would help. Like just now there have been a few but only because my update wasn't up to my usual standard. On the last few though virtually nothing in reply, and then of course it makes you wonder if it's worth even bothering?

I do however want to avoid going the other direction and making the update so varied that people tend to focus on the features/humour in my writing rather than the actual content of the journals being discussed (I know, Batty: what humour?) so it's hard to strike the right balance. I did one a year or more back where Homer took over the writing, and though I thought it was good, it did tend to divert attention away from the content, so I stopped doing that. What, for instance, do you guys think of the Journal Graveyard section? Are there older sections you'd like to see me bring back, or any ideas for new ones? I guess we could all do with a bit of support now and then.

Sorry to whine: I'll hope to do better.
Thanks guys.

You're not whining, don't even think about it. Sorry hear about your aunt.

[The Batlord]

Originally Posted by Trollheart

No, not at all. I wouldn't have initiated the discussion if I wasn't secretly looking for someone to talk to about it. See, I can't tell my sister that my aunt is even in hospital, much less how poor her chances are of coming out again, as she doesn't take that kind of news well, and is as you all know already sick, so I don't want her ending up in hospital too. That means I have to shield her from this knowledge, pretend everything is all right while yet knowing that at some point (maybe soon) I'll have to sit down and explain to her what happened, and why I kept it from her. Not looking forward to that, obviously. So you can see why something like this would be very low on my priorities.

Nonetheless, assuming the worst doesn't happen before Sunday (if it does don't expect any update; I probably won't even be on here for a few days) I'll make an effort for the next update. Only fair if you guys are reading them for me to put in a shift.

****, man. I know nothing about this kind of thing, but I hope for the best. I'm becoming ever more paranoid about my beloved grandmother dying sooner rather than later and I imagine it's comparable. Will kill me when it happens.

[Key]

Well now I just feel bad for saying something. Sorry TH.

[Ol’ Qwerty Bastard]

Originally Posted by The Batlord

****, man. I know nothing about this kind of thing, but I hope for the best. I'm becoming ever more paranoid about my beloved grandmother dying sooner rather than later and I imagine it's comparable. Will kill me when it happens.

x2. my grand mother turns 70 this year and while i hope she'll see 80 and beyond, you never really know how things will go. she's easily the most important person (or family member at the very least) in my life, and ive been closer to her than i am with my parents or siblings since as far back as i can remember. honestly not sure if i'll be able to handle it the day that she goes, i nearly tear up anytime she mentions "after im gone."