gain and loss

Loss

I completely borked my computer today. I managed to break my kernels, I forgot to install the modules for the ready-made kernels after I upgraded the kernels. And I somehow managed to break my backup ones too. So I have no easy way to fix the kernel than to reinstall with a cd. Good thing is that I have 2 other computers, and I could easily download an iso and burn it on a cd.
But that would take time I don't have. So I really really really have to prioritize. I have exams and deadlines coming up so I really have to do other stuff now. Temporary setback. No games programming from me in the next 3 weeks I think.

I use linux, and the specific distribution I use is slackware.
I recommend this to everyone that wants a linux distribution with an easy installation.
<rant>opensource/gnu/linux/bsd is the way to go for people who don't like being kept stupid by microsoft. Give it a try. Stop being stupid.</rant>
The slackware way is a good way to really learn to the internals of gnu software and linux. It's really a tweaker's/programmer's distribution. None of that unoptimized apt-getting or rpmming.

Gain

My girlfriend took a guitar from my room yesterday (Editor's note: her guitar) and actually removed it from the case. She started playing. She played this very cool song from Queens of the Stone Age, "the sky is falling". I haven't played for 2 years or something. Quite a while. I think I should start playing regularly again. I played a bit tonight and it was quite enjoyable.

I like staccato, weird rhythms, and eastern tonalities. I like to incorporate that into my music. Up 'til now, I have 4 songs written for this album I want to record some day. Eight more songs to go. I don't have good technique. I just play how it sounds like in my head, and more often than not I let the string vibrate with my finger on the right fret.

The piano has a horizontal layout of keys, I dig that. You can play as many notes as you have fingers simultaneously. The guitar has a vertical and horizontal layout, but you can't play more keys than there are strings, unless you're some kind of freaky tapper... so tone plays a really important role (without belittling the role of tone for a piano, which is quite important too but not as flexible as bare strings). You can't drag a piano as easily as you may drag a guitar around. I love to play both really. But I'm more expressive on... actually both.

Zen

It evens out. I lost time on a borked computer, and I lost time to program in the future, but I found my love for guitar-playing again.

bye

Just Jzz