1. I never even tried to learn to ride a motorbike. Most of the time I feel OK about having missed out on this but there are times that I see people on bikes having a lot of fun and wish that I had. Is there any essential or peripheral life skill that you didn’t bother to acquire when you could have and that now, at times, you wish you had?
2. Moving on from number one. I have tried, god knows how many times, to learn to water ski. And it is beyond me. I have been dragged along behind countless motor boats and have probably swallowed more sea water than can possibly be good for anyone. All my family can do it but I can’t. Is there anything that you have really tried and wanted to learn to do that you just couldn’t master?
3. I am, on the other hand, good at languages. Many people here in Madrid don’t realise I’m English until I tell them. I don’t feel proud about this, just lucky. Is there anything that you are effortlessly good at?
4. I’m a teacher and I love my job. What would you enjoy teaching the rest of us ‘Spillers to do? (Looking for a skill you’d like to share with us not a list of reproaches, please. Although I suppose answers directed at me would be fair, given that I asked the question!)
5. And what would you like to learn from a fellow ‘Spiller?
Great questions !
1. My uncle gave me a kit for making a radio for my 8th birthday (approx.) I never built it, but sometimes wish I’d got to work on my practical skills to complement my academic inclinations, sometime before age 35.
2. As Samuel Beckett said, “Try again. Fail better”. For me, acting. I really really wanted to be in proper school productions and had to settle for showing off in pantomimes.
3. I was effortlessly good at maths at school, O-level grade A aged 14. Inversely proportional to success at chatting up and dating women, though all worked out well in the end.
4. I’m quite proud of having worked out the chords and inversions for “God Only Knows” from listening to the record several dozen times. Magicman knows them already I’m sure, but I’d happily share this hard-won knowledge. When I was aged 10 or 11, I taught several friends how to bowl overarm at cricket and I can offer this service too.
5. I’ve bookmarked your instructions for posting music here Maki, they will come in useful one day. And I reckon I might quite enjoy an ancient history lecture from Abahachi.
Ignore me for now!
These look good, but they’ll have to wait, so I’m just commenting to enable the emails to my phone tomorrow.
Me too, me too.
1. Yes, I’m yet another one who wishes he hadn’t given up on his piano lessons, or the guitar lessons, or the singing lessons …
And I should really have paid more attention on all of those Sundays when my Dad had me lifting stuff he’d unscrewed, pumping pedals, reattaching stuff, and so on with his never-ending car maintenance. I feel particularly crap about my Kevin-The-Teenager act now that I know the only reason we had crap cars was because my parents had sunk every penny they had, and more, into we four kids’ education.
2. Tried water-skiing once, on honeymoon. Had a Maki time of it, and decided I’d rather swim in the Caribbean at my own pace, please, rather than that of the ski-boat I kept dive-bombing behind.
My true answer, probably, is “selling”. It doesn’t half make being self-employed hard when you couldn’t even sell a drowning man a boat, let alone a course in how to pilot it!
3. Eating, sadly. Closely followed by procrastinating. And a worryingly-improving third place goes to telling-off my daughters.
4. Let’s see … around seventy Spillers, probably all novices, spread around so far apart they’d have to be one-person courses … yep, that’s around a year’s work straight off the bat. Right, you’re all booked on FLT operator courses, OK?
5. Oh, sign me up for pretty much everything mentioned apart from the skiing.
Cheers.
Oh, DsD…with you on the eating, procrastinating and telling-off of offspring. sigh!
Someday, somehow, we’ll have to get together and drink and moan.
Donds to THAT, steen.
Heading over to MFF now, in a bad mood ’cause I missed two motorbike A-listers by being too slow a typer, and wondering what the hell Famous Last Words will be.
Real Puzzlers , Maki!.
1. When I was in service they gave us an extensive battery of tests to determine possible skill sets & the one I scored highest on was language skills. I could have learned Vitenamese but it would have involved 2 extra years of service & Vietnam so I passed. I really would have liked to learn another language though! I’m retiring from my business (electrical contracting) & will be working part time with some Mexican maintenance men so I may get a chance.
2. I struggled mightly to learn guitar but only became passable. Would have been nice to play what’s in my head but I couldn’t get there.
3. I’ve been skiing for almost 40 straight seasons & intermittantly before that. I feel quite at home on the mountain & can manage nearly any terrain. It feels natural to me.
4. Anyone for skiing?
5. Since our transition to wordpress I have to confess to be pretty lost. I’ve got Maki’s hints but can’t seem to work my way through them.
1. Snowboarding: I haven’t been skiing for about 10 years, and have no intention to experience the nightmare of carrying skis, while walking in ski boots. I have a visceral reaction to the way the skis slide when they’re being carried.
2. Twisting a pen around my thumb, like this:
3. Put me down for languages too, I get the same reactions as Maki. Another thing I’ve never had to think about is spelling. Not that useful in the long run though.
4. I’m not a very good educator I think, but I guess I could teach you French.
5. How to type down my thoughts clearly and eloquently, we have some great writers here.
Bye everyone
1. Oh God, pretty much any practical skill going! I’m still utterly ill-equipped for the real world… But on a less depressing note, I wish I’d learnt to play the guitar as a young un.
2. I didn’t get round to learning to drive till my mid-20s. And then I spent (literally) thousands of pounds on lessons, failed three times, got snowed off once… and gave up. Wish I’d persevered. It feels like a grown-up skill one really ought to have mastered.
3. I am effortlessly good at exams. Always have been. Utterly useless skill in the real world, sadly.
4. I got coerced into doing a bit of yoga teaching in India (yes, that does sound a little ‘coals to Newcastle’) and actually quite enjoyed it. I’d happily have another go at that.
5. Well, I think I’d like to learn to adopt the Way of the Hippo in my approach to life. Wo ist Herr Nilpferd?
1 Guitar, guitar, guitar – and did I mention guitar? I bought my guitar in Spain in 1965 and (naturally) found it more difficult than I expected…what I should have done was get lessons, but my experience of piano lessons properly put me off that idea…so
2 …it may be beyond me by now, but Matt is putting on a concert with lots of guests next March, during my annual Texas visit, and he says I can play at it. I HAVE been practising, so you never know. But one problem is that mine is a classical guitar with a wide neck, and Matt’s acoustics are all narrow-necked so I may not manage. I’m not taking my guitar on the plane!
3 I’m good at languages too, and I can act, and sing, and cook; and I think I’m an excellent driver, but everyone does, don’t they?
4 I used to be a teacher, and I was terrible at that, but one-to-one teaching I find much easier, so I reckon I could teach you to knit or sew or cook; and I could manage small groups for gardening lessons. Also, though I struggle with the guitar myself, I did teach Matt the basic chords and now look at him.
5 Like fintan I seem to have a problem with WordPress, and if I want to post music I have to ask Maki to help me. Apparently it’s because Dropbox doesn’t work for me properly so I’m asking for tincanman’s help please…
Swap you guitar lessons for cooking lessons, TFD? That’s the one I forgot in my number 1…
Switzerland or Scotland?
Turn-and-about, I’d say.
Perfect
1. Sight-read music to the level where I could pick up the dots to a totally unfamiliar song and play it straight off. Learnt the rudiments of music at school, but didn’t take it further. I can do guitar tab, but not for a song I don’t know. Coupled with that, playing the piano. It’s one of a select band (sorry!) of instruments on which you play rhythm and lead together. Both hands perform the same function, but play different parts, which is very efficient. Face it, who wouldn’t want to be able to liven up a boring pub/church hall by barrelhousing the old joanna in the corner?
2. Skiing comfortably (I’m still terrified!) and racquet sports (don’t have the hand-eye thing to a good enough level). Actually, I loathe watching tennis, but that could be because I’m so crap at playing it!
3. I’m also lucky (nice way of putting it, Maki) with languages. It’s not quite effortless, but they do seem to stick, as well as coming back quickly after long disuse. Haven’t had a French lesson since school, but am getting along quite nicely here in Suisse Romande. I think a part of it is an ear which recognizes when you’re saying something wrong. Same applies to English, which is why I’m such a pedant about split infinitives, grocers’ apostrophes and comparative/superlatives. Not to mention gins and tonic.
4. Happy to share anything I know, which isn’t a lot. I’ll show you what I can play on my guitar, which is even less. I’d tell you the nuances of the English language, if that’s not presumptuous or arrogant.
5. Fintan, see 2 above. Tincanman, prepare to reveal all your fiendish computery. Rockingmitch, may I sit at your feet and glean your rock and roll knowledge?
You’re on mate! This may sound flip but have you practiced falling? Back in to the hill rather than forward usually works best. A well controlled fall can do wonders to your confidence level. Now can you help me with my apostrophes. They’re all over the place.
Anytime you are in the UK, look me up and we’ll talk!
1. Like Williamsbach, piano. I’ve tried a few times in the last ten years, and since I’m not too bad at guitar it oughtn’t to be too hard (left and right hands doing different things, playing lead and harmony at the same time…) but I just can’t manage it. If only I’d acquired the basics when young enough for it to sink in (or be beaten in) properly, I feel that I could now manage to develop those skills, but at my advanced age I simply cannot manage the basics.
2. I don’t deal terribly well with abject failure; not that I don’t try new things, but I tend to abandon them when it becomes clear that I’m hopeless. Can’t off-hand think of an example; lots of things where I’m deeply mediocre and would like to be better but haven’t got sufficient time, energy or motivation to do anything about it.
3. Standing in front of large numbers of people and talking about ancient history (or other things where I can claim some measure of expertise). Never had any problem with lecturing, which is odd given that ordinary social interaction can leave me quivering in the corner or indeed avoiding parties altogether because the mere thought of trying to make smalltalk with strangers is too terrifying.
4. Anything in the ancient history line, obviously, but can also offer vegetable gardening and seed saving, cooking, brewing and cider-making.
5. Blimpy on video editing would be fun.
1) The mysteries of the internal combustion engine. It would have saved me a fortune over the years, and also saved me from the ‘Vorstellenangst’ every time I take my wreck to the mechanic’s.
2) I went on a ski-ing trip with school back when I was about 14 or 15. Totally incompetent. Never got the hang of it and after ten days of still piddling around on the nursery slopes decided I never wanted to.
3) Music. My first primary school got everyone learning & reading music from reception. Started on recorder, went on to clarinet & sax at secondary school (whilst also teaching myself piano & guitar). Current obsession is flute, although I think I need some lessons on breathing technique in order to hit the higher registers. I’m not a virtuoso on anything, but I am one of those people who can pick up a new instrument and get something approaching a tune out of it fairly quickly. Also languages, having grown up bi-lingually I seem to be able to pick up basics in other languages fairly quickly. Possibly the two are related, something to do with having a good ear?
4) A few Welsh lessons possibly? Alternately acting classes.
5) Flute lessons (see above)! Either that or further tips on blogging/posting. (Maki’s idiot guides have been a help to me also).
1. I wish I’d developed the life skill of focusing on one thing, finishing it, and then putting it successfully out into the world. I feel like I do have a fair amount of creative energy, but it’s all over the place. I’d like to have a career. Preferably a financially and creatively rewarding career.
2. I guess I’d echo many on here and say guitar. I still try to play every now and again, but I’ll never be any good.
3. I’m a little bit good at a lot of things. (see #1) Cooking, drawing, filmmaking, writing. But not super-good at anything I can think of.
4. Maybe vegetarian cooking? Driving on the right side of the road?
5. I’ll take guitar lessons, Welsh lessons, acting lessons, french lessons, cooking lessons, beer-brewing lessons, pencil-twirling lessons, video-editing lessons, and follow it all up with a bit of yoga and some way-of-the-hippo meditation. Can I be the first enrollee in the ‘Spill Institution of Higher Learning?
Another long one I’m afraid.
As with most things, there’s always the boring backstory. In my case my Yorkshire grandfather used to regularly recite the following “Jack of all trades, master of none” and there was a derogatory quality to it, I grew up believing it. When I left school, Woolwich Polytechnic, I was expected to immediately enroll at night school to complete a National Certificate and to also enter the Woolwich Arsenal as a tool and die apprentice, a seven year program! I declined and went to the labor exchange instead, there they offered me a job at a sugar refinery in Charleton working in the lab doing quality control, I took it. Having that job on my records set a pattern for the next 20 years, every job I had thereafter was in a lab and with no academic qualifications there were always feelings of insecurity even though I handled the work satisfactorally. Because of my grandfather’s attitude I’d always felt that I needed to be a ‘something’, I needed a descriptive title next to my name; plumber, welder, electrician, whatever.
Twenty odd years later I resigned from a position as the Technical Director of a major US Paint company and chose to go to college. There I became a ‘something’, I became a film-maker and a photographer, I taught both those subjects at the university and worked actively in both areas. My insecurities dissipated.
So how does all that relate to all this? Well I finally had some skills and was paid to impart them to others, something I enjoyed immensely, I delved totally into photography understanding it in all of it’s principles and theory, I felt that I’d mastered something. Today everyone who owns a cell phone is apparently a photographer and no one has any comprehension of anything but ‘point & shoot’. I’d like to share the knowledge and experience that I have but it probably doesn’t make sense anymore, everything has changed and nobody’s interested. It somehow seems like such a waste.
On another level I undertook a project in the 80′s that was very fulfilling, I bought a small diesel bus and converted it into a self contained camper. I gutted the interior so that what I had was an empty box fifteen feet long, eight feet wide and seven feet high, my project was to design and build a living environment therein that included a bedroom, a kitchen with stove, fridge, oven, sink, hot and cold water, a shower, a toilet, a radiant heating system, a dining area and of course a multiple speaker sound system; I had no idea how to do any of this!
But I started and two years and twenty thousand dollars later the finished product was beautiful and fantastic, it included all of the above and much more and was a total delight to own and use; completely self sufficient and capable of parking in a city parking space.
I mention all that because it illustrates the ‘jack of all trades’ aspect of my personality, in undertaking that I literally learned plumbing, welding, painting, electrical installation, lots of cabinetry and above all ‘design’. Master of none my ass! And then when we bought a house it all started again, lots more cabinetry, remodeling, wiring etc.
I think that what I’m saying is that we all have untold innate abilities that need only to be accessed, it’s because of a lack of self confidence that we don’t even try, maybe that’s why I’m not multilingual and can’t play the piano and can’t sight read. I think some of the foregoing is applicable to Maki’s questions.
Re. ‘What would I like to learn from fellow Spillers?’, I share others frustration with this bloody WordPress, it’s seemingly always difficult/impossible to do something as simple as posting music and pics, so much so that I and others have chosen to participate only in the ‘comments’. Yesterday I had a fit of insanity when I announced that I was thinking of starting a regular post, not just a regular post mind you but one in 70mm, surround sound, voice tracks, multiple images, animation, the works. I must have been insane! So what I’d like is a very clear and specific set of instructions, number one, do this, number two, do that etc, for each possible situation and that it be posted permanently right on the masthead. WordPress’s ‘help’ is useless.
Re. photography and the possible redundancy of all that esoteric knowledge… It’s true that there are many people whose photographic ambitions extend no further than blurry jpegs taken on a mobile ‘phone, but these are the people who would once have been satisfied with a 110 film camera or – heaven forbid – a disc camera. Even 35mm was split between compact users and SLR fans. Most of the knowledge you have is, surely, relevant to digital SLRs?
Me, I bought an ancient 35mm SLR at the turn of the millenium. I’ve taught myself the basics and I realy love taking my old Pentax out when I get a chance. Mind you, I’m not saying that there is much merit in my photographs. I have more success with even older, much more manual technology…
1. I wish I’d put more effort into learning languages. I didn’t go abraod as a child, so I had little practical reason for remembering foreign languages, despite being – apparently – better than average at them at school. I wish I’d been taught one or more language from an early age (well, earlier than 14).
2. I have no aptitude for music whatsoever. As you might imagine, seeing as how I’m here in the first place, I love music, and it is something that I’ve always wished I could do.
When I was at school, I was a bit of an all-round brainbox. I wanted to be in the school play, which was a musical (Oliver!), so I went for an audition for a chorus part (I was a bit shy and I knew that I wasn’t the best singer, so I didn’t go for a ‘big’ part). The drama teacher asked me to stay behind when everyone else left. He got me to sing notes with the piano. Then he said, “Well, Amanda, at last we’ve found something you can’t do.” (He obviously hadn’t seen me on the sports field…)
3. Visual art is probably the one thing that I am still ‘effortlessly good’ at. (I seemed to reach a point in most academic subjects where I either wasn’t interested any more of it got too difficult… quantum mechanics, anyone?) I love drawing and painting, and I find it relatively easy to make images of recognisable things. It comes in handy on occasion, too.
I find putting sentences together fairly easy, too. Usually they come out OK, which is good because I used to get paid for doing it.
4. At one point I was going to be a science teacher. It wouldn’t have worked very well. I doubt I could have coped with a class full of (at best) exuberant teenagers and I would have been rubbish at keeping discipline. I did teach basic computer skills (“this is a mouse”) to undergraduates for a few terms, which wasn’t too bad but it was very nerve-wracking.
That doesn’t answer the question. I think the real answer is, “I’m not sure.”
5. I’m usually up for learning anything.
I should probably add sports to number 2. I have never been ay good at them – I suppose I lack the requisite physical co-ordination.
But on the subject of 4, I should also add that I have been ‘teaching’ technical stuff to readers for over a decade. Basically, find me a topic, give me time and resources to research it, and I’ll write you a manual. Does that count as teaching? So maybe the answer should be, “anything.”
“any”. Oops.
Just a quick message, as I’m waiting to have a Skype conversation with a PhD student in California, but wanted to register instant recognition of one of GoneForeign’s comments: Mrs Abahachi has been obsessed for years with the need to ‘be a thing’, exactly as you say – though in her case it was to be an acupuncturist…
Zalamander; “Most of the knowledge you have is, surely, relevant to digital SLRs?”
Of course, it makes no difference whether it’s film or digital, the same principles apply except there’s a few more if you want to get serious with digital. The advent of computer chips in cameras has changed everything, I’m constantly amazed by the sports pics in the G, they would have literally been impossible 20 years ago, now they’re commonplace.
What I meant was that the introduction of cheap digital cameras whether cell phone or otherwise puts one in the hands of everyone and the computer chips take care of the details. There’s no longer any need to understand the process, taking pictures and displaying them has become a part of everyday life just like watching TV. To the degree that they’ve become a significant factor in the law, every situation where’s there’s police involved is now documented from every angle. Times have changed.
1 – Is there any essential life skill?
It would be great to be able to read – just read, without the learnt skill of flipping each letter – re- editing in my mind left to right for a sentence.. and to pick up a book naturally without having to then work out which way around it starts.
(the idiot school sends letters home in a ‘fake’ handwriting font and with double ‘!!’ – my mind tries to work out what Lloyds or some place in Wales beginning with ‘LL’ has to do with school, such is the fuzz it produces in my vision)
I picked up a Phonics book to try and help my son – black ink on lime green in some sections created a blurred pattern – very helpful language teaching designer person.
2 – …that you just couldn’t master?
(I wanted to read The Glass Bead Game in German – but see above!)
truthfully – I either try something and can do it, or I give up – so nothing yet.
3 – Is there anything that you are effortlessly good at?
… that would have been Drinking.. but I’m a calm family man now.
Football – (but that was a lot of practice)
Art – but only how I want to do it.. ahh that’s it – I’m effortlessly imaginative – and that makes up for anything else.
4 – What would you enjoy teaching the rest of us ‘Spillers to do?
I could do a drunken collage (that’s ripped paper, not a student building) class.
5 – architecture (strictly no- tech stuff)
re 5- easy- it’s all basically just KICKING ARSE. no tech at all. see below. Or above. Whatever.
Magister Ludi? I would have liked to finish it in any language. Started multiple times & never got it done.
Cheers Bishbosh and Steen!
I’ve actually been away kicking ass this week in a very un-way-of-the-hippo-like manner. Despite the carefully cultivated impression my Avataral existence might imply, it’s all just a facade.. I’m really a bit of an evil tempered bastard most of the time…
1. I can’t swim, haven’t driven for 20 yrs (and my license has since lapsed), lack the ability to make genial small-talk, and I only have to look at a screwdriver and my hands develop instant blisters.
2. Beat Mara at Monopoly.
3. I can make Mara laugh. (Normally this involves losing miserably at Monopoly)
4. How to cut an apple so that it looks like a swan. I read about this in a novel once.
5. I think I’d like to have one of those working retreats in a secluded French farmhouse where the ‘Spill collective will impart their respective expertise in wine and cooking things Spanish, English, French, and vegetarian, while I quietly put on 20 kg.
1. Typing. Shoephone doesn’t help.
2. Skiing – fell off the mountain 1st day. Now missing the required ligaments for another try.
3. Drinking
4. Encourage, maybe. We could use more posts here.
5. Need that Way of the Hippo course, but suspect it’s unlikely to take.
1. Driving – still can’t do it, I keep promising myself i’ll learn again….maybe next year!
2. i’m completely incompetent at most practical skills and would dearly love to be able to sing like Sinatra…..but my brain just can’t seem to translate the sound that I hear into the right note, or even the right melody, or even anything remotely approaching the original song. Mrs P. never tires of taking the piss out of my tone deafness as she has a natural ear for all things musical.
3. Erm….i’m quite adept at “reading people”. it’s sometimes a curse but I can pretty much get people pegged after only the briefest of encounter…i’m not always right though….
4. I should say English as I AM a teacher, but i’m not so great at that either. Some elementary breakdancing lessons maybe?!! I went to breakdance class when I was about 11….twice!
5. Some guitar lessons would be great and some photography pointers from GF would be amazing too
Panther: Pointers, I’m not sure how to do pointers but for example, if you’re taking a picture of your cat, get down to his level and while you’re down there get in close, eliminate all that surplus surround, space and then since they’re all free nowadays take a lot of shots, maybe some tight shots on just the face, and then pick the best. It obviously doesn’t just apply to cats, think this way whatever the subject.
Did you see that amazing cat vs alligator video on page one this morning?
What a lot of great answers! Some brilliant offers of tuition (thanks for keeping it diss free!) and some great requests too!
I hope to do some sort of wrap up comment over the weekend ’cause I’ve really enjoyed reading your answers. Thanks.
Hello, thanks for the quiz, Maki.
1. Life skills – being sociable, making smalltalk and enjoying parties – I am absolutely hopeless.
2. My current post-graduate course isn’t going too well, but I’m persevering…
3. I’m pretty good at English, I write a lot as part of my job and people think it’s effortless, although it isn’t. Otherwise I do lots of things fairly well but I can’t think of a specialism.
4. I dunno, it never occurred to me that I could teach any of you anything. I could take you all for a nice walk around my local area so that you could see how beautiful it is (in places).
5. I want to learn how to use WordPress and am grateful for all the hints and tips, but don’t have time to pursue it at the moment. Hope the Spill is still going by the time I get around to learning!
Coo, I’m very late into this – sorry.
1. A few things. I wish I was better at languages. Apart from schoolboy French, some German and the ability to count to ten in Finnish and Italian – nothing. I can’t swim either. And I’ve always regretted not following in my father’s footsteps when it comes to photography. He won the “News Picture Of The Year” award in 1951 whilst working for Associated Press and went on to work for The Sunday Express and did much freelance work. The quality of my work has improved since the advent of digital, though.
2. As in 1 – swimming. When I was a kid we lived in Fetter Lane and my mum took me on several occasions to the local swimming bath at St. Brides (covered over now). But it never worked.
3. Driving cars. 45 years now and never an accident (tempting fate there, ed.)
4. I haven’t got the patience to teach the guitar, so don’t ask! I do sometimes give talks on social history and political history since 1945, so you can have that if you like.
5. A bit like Ali, I’d like to get more proficient with the computer. I get fed up very quickly, especially on sunny days.
If anyone is still reading this, what I’d really like to learn at the moment is something about environmental law and planning procedures in Texas, as my research assistant is trying to cope with a company wanting to sink a gas well under her parents’ house. Don’t suppose any of you know anything about such things?
No, but I’ll ask Matt when he wakes up. He knows lots of people.
There’s something about the phrase “environmental law and planning procedures in Texas” that makes one pessimistic that there’s any legal fetters to capitalist expropriation in that part of the world. Good luck though, it must be the most insecure feeling, like being cornered by the school bullies.
1) Swimming – im crap. Which is a total drag because I love the water and the beach just about more than anything. I can ‘freestyle’ across a narrow stretch of water where I can touch the bottom if I need to, but nothing more. Im so ashamed.
2) Mouth harp – I can play like Bob Dylan, and I dont need to play like Toots Theilemans, but I would like to be able to knock out a single note or two in a credible way, and play the tune behind im song im strumming. Always on the look out for someone who’s willing to suffer my weaknesses and get me beyond grade 1 suck n blow.
3) Singing comes very naturally. Im talking about singing in tune obviously. I also harmonise too. The thing which always puzzled me when I was a kid was why some people couldnt do sing a note in tune. Tone deafness they called it. But I couldnt relate to it. It was just open mouth/make noise imitating music you heard as far as I could see, and I couldnt figure out how it was possible NOT to be able to do it. It still seems weird to me. Its like the person is just not trying. I guess that’s what people say when they see me swimming.
4) It would be fun one time to ‘teach’ a doo-wop number to everyone at the Spill and get something going. Rock n Roll harmonies are my favorite of the lot.
5) I’d like to learn about dedication from all of you. You find so much time for this thing and I have to type like the dickens just to get something posted. even on the mothership. Maybe its time management I still have to learn more about!