MEN ONLY THREAD part two

[dshale]

I really want to get into woodworking, but I suck at the art aspect of it. Also playing guitar. I enjoy it but not very good.

[Harness]

I suck at finishing non-fiction books. I really want to finish them, but I get bored and distracted.

[Razor]

Playing guitar and doing math homework. Not even economics homework. Just simple algebra. I love stuff like graphing (y-intercept, mx+b, etc.) because it's kind of like a little math puzzle that you use quick simple logic to figure out (those types of questions I can do in my head in like 5 seconds). But everything else just bums me out and makes me procrastinate... like right now...

[Lefeux]

It's Thread Resurrection Friday!

Question of the day: DO you have something that you love to do but that you are absolutely awful at? I'm not talking about your workout routine or hitting PRs or something like that, but an activity/hobby that you seem completely unfit for?

Example: I started playing ice hockey as an adult and love the game. I'm a pretty good ball hockey player, but for some reason as soon as I get on the ice I'm a complete wreck. Over the years I've gotten better, and my improved fitness has really helped, but I'm continually in the wrong spot or giving up the puck. It's frustrating and fun at the same time. It's my Love/Hate relationship.

Anyone else?

Studying for my technical certifications (CCNA and CISSP) and finishing things. Always bad about finishing things. :\

[TheSavageBean]

Every sport ever.

Seriously, I can't catch, can't dodge, can't throw, can't aim and I've got next to no recovery after my 100% effort bursts. It's a damn good thing I'm not a soldier in a medieval war or something because I'd be dead.

[Razor]

Every sport ever.

Seriously, I can't catch, can't dodge, can't throw, can't aim and I've got next to no recovery after my 100% effort bursts. It's a damn good thing I'm not a soldier in a medieval war or something because I'd be dead.

Bet you could block.

[wildross]

It's Thread Resurrection Friday!

Question of the day: DO you have something that you love to do but that you are absolutely awful at? I'm not talking about your workout routine or hitting PRs or something like that, but an activity/hobby that you seem completely unfit for?

Example: I started playing ice hockey as an adult and love the game. I'm a pretty good ball hockey player, but for some reason as soon as I get on the ice I'm a complete wreck. Over the years I've gotten better, and my improved fitness has really helped, but I'm continually in the wrong spot or giving up the puck. It's frustrating and fun at the same time. It's my Love/Hate relationship.

Anyone else?

Basketball.... I'm actually got to the "not too bad of a old guy pickup player" at one point. I love the game. However,

- short fingers, can't grab the ball, or direct it well when I shoot

- short toes, not much lift

- splay footed (my toes turn out), which means I've rolled my ankles more times than I even want to remember

- short legs, long body (porportionately), heavy for a 6' person and lousy first step (other people can just step around me)

- even though I played for 3 years on the freshman and JV teams in high school, I was never "good enough" to really receive any coaching

I basically gave it up 10 years ago because I decided I liked being able to walk.

[TheSavageBean]

Bet you could block.

LIke... a soccer goal? Hell no. Tackling's out too. As is hitting a ball with any kind of bat or racquet. I've also got no sense for pool/billiards, not enough aggression/toughness for combat sport and... well in general I just suck at physicality.

Still, training's training. I don't train for sport, I train for my own development, but if anyone asks I only mention the sports I play.

[realbrickwall]

DO you have something that you love to do but that you are absolutely awful at? I'm not talking about your workout routine or hitting PRs or something like that, but an activity/hobby that you seem completely unfit for?

Everything.

Okay, that's not true. Everything I'm awful at (which is everything, basically), I am awful at due to lack of practice, not due to some innate lack of ability. I'm a serial dilettante.

The only thing that escapes me despite practice is juggling. F**king juggling.

[piedthepiper]

Studying for my technical certifications (CCNA and CISSP) and finishing things. Always bad about finishing things. :\

I got my CCNA a couple of years ago, helped me get a job.....still means I know jack shit hahaha

[Lefeux]

I got my CCNA a couple of years ago, helped me get a job.....still means I know jack shit hahaha

LOL I know the feeling. I have almost zero experience w/ routers and switches so im going to end up going to a CCNA boot camp in December

[piedthepiper]

LOL I know the feeling. I have almost zero experience w/ routers and switches so im going to end up going to a CCNA boot camp in December

I did a cheapo bootcamp when i was going for it, it helped a lot to get the basics, but they even said that to pass the exam you would need to spend a lot more time with it. Most of the stuff I do now isn't even covered in the CCNA. Subnetting is BIG BIG BIG in it, but I have yet to use it in my job as the network guys just give you the details and use a online calc lol When I passed I could subnet wicked now I have no fucking idea haha

http://www.9tut.com/ is the website of choice when studying for the CCNA exam

[Lefeux]

I did a cheapo bootcamp when i was going for it, it helped a lot to get the basics, but they even said that to pass the exam you would need to spend a lot more time with it. Most of the stuff I do now isn't even covered in the CCNA. Subnetting is BIG BIG BIG in it, but I have yet to use it in my job as the network guys just give you the details and use a online calc lol When I passed I could subnet wicked now I have no fucking idea haha

http://www.9tut.com/ is the website of choice when studying for the CCNA exam

Thanks man! Good to know and Ill check it out when I get back to my room. Todd Lammle, who is a big mover in the Cisco training world, has a class that he is going to teach in Dallas (I live in Houston) that I was looking at taking.

[Guest Snake McClain]

It's Thread Resurrection Friday!

Question of the day: DO you have something that you love to do but that you are absolutely awful at? I'm not talking about your workout routine or hitting PRs or something like that, but an activity/hobby that you seem completely unfit for?

Example: I started playing ice hockey as an adult and love the game. I'm a pretty good ball hockey player, but for some reason as soon as I get on the ice I'm a complete wreck. Over the years I've gotten better, and my improved fitness has really helped, but I'm continually in the wrong spot or giving up the puck. It's frustrating and fun at the same time. It's my Love/Hate relationship.

Anyone else?

For me it's running. I want to be good at it. not for distance but speed and incredible bursts. but i suck so bad. i just was not built to run (not sure what i was built to do besides body slams). The thing that sucks most is I love soccer and want to play. but because I'm such a shitty runner it makes me not play soccer. I'm sure there is some type of training that could totally make this no longer a problem.

Also guitar. i practice and practice but just can't seem to really get good at it.

Also being cool. Suck at that too.

Saying no.

Dressing nice. LIke I know "how" to dress nice. I just always feel like I don't really pull it off. As if all my friends and family are looking at me saying "dude why are you suddenly dressing this way?" which they have actually said to me.

[Church]

Skiing. I love to ski, but I don't get to do it enough to be good at it

[Artinum]

Agreed on the juggling. I have never met ANYONE who can teach me to juggle - they all say to practice. Yeah, sure. Practice WHAT? You haven't told me what to do! It's either these stupid one-hand, one-ball catches that I can already do or you launch into a two-ball display that I can't follow. What am I actually supposed to DO? Practice without that bit is pointless. I already know how to drop things.

I want to write music. This is a frustrating experience as I don't know where to start. I'm aware of these mystical things called "chords", and I even grasp that there are major and minor ones. That's good. But then I get a bit stuck - particularly as any particular chord can be more than one chord. Octaves aside, C-major can be C-E-G, E-G-C, E-C-G, G-C-E, and so on. If someone tells me "C-major", which of these numerous chords do they actually mean?

Mostly, though, I'm stuck on the music due to a lack of decent tracker software. I have two free packages (because I don't want to pay for one I can't use) and while one is high quality, it has the user friendliness of the Inquisition. It's very easy to screw up and lose a ton of work - what software these days doesn't have an undo function?? The other is much friendlier but the sound quality is poor and the software itself is not 100% compatible with modern versions of Windows.

Sorry, I'm ranting. I'll let someone else have a go now.

[aj_rock]

I want to write music. This is a frustrating experience as I don't know where to start. I'm aware of these mystical things called "chords", and I even grasp that there are major and minor ones. That's good. But then I get a bit stuck - particularly as any particular chord can be more than one chord. Octaves aside, C-major can be C-E-G, E-G-C, E-C-G, G-C-E, and so on. If someone tells me "C-major", which of these numerous chords do they actually mean?

Mostly, though, I'm stuck on the music due to a lack of decent tracker software. I have two free packages (because I don't want to pay for one I can't use) and while one is high quality, it has the user friendliness of the Inquisition. It's very easy to screw up and lose a ton of work - what software these days doesn't have an undo function?? The other is much friendlier but the sound quality is poor and the software itself is not 100% compatible with modern versions of Windows.

Yeah, a big problem with music software is that it takes money to develop a better GUI, and so most of the more user-friendly, high quality software packages cost a fair bit of money, frootyloops was in the neighborhood of 500 last time I checked... If you can stomach it and understand electric theory though, Audacity is free and extremely customizable... basically the linux of music software.

As for the chords, it all depends on the context of the piece of music. You WILL get a slightly different sound from each possible manipulation, and then there's the fact that there ARE different names for those chords, depending on which is the root. C-E-G is a Cmaj, but E-G-C formulated as such is actually an E minor augmented, meaning you have a flat third, sharp fifth. G-C-E is an unusual one, because you are playing the 4th and 6th notes rather than 3rd and 5th. But you still get something slightly different every time. Part of the reason why writing a damn song can take so long sometimes, there's just so many options...

[161803398874989]

Agreed on the juggling. I have never met ANYONE who can teach me to juggle - they all say to practice. Yeah, sure. Practice WHAT? You haven't told me what to do! It's either these stupid one-hand, one-ball catches that I can already do or you launch into a two-ball display that I can't follow. What am I actually supposed to DO? Practice without that bit is pointless. I already know how to drop things.

You practice with two balls, of course. You just try over and over.

As for the chords, it all depends on the context of the piece of music. You WILL get a slightly different sound from each possible manipulation, and then there's the fact that there ARE different names for those chords, depending on which is the root. C-E-G is a Cmaj, but E-G-C formulated as such is actually an E minor augmented, meaning you have a flat third, sharp fifth. G-C-E is an unusual one, because you are playing the 4th and 6th notes rather than 3rd and 5th. But you still get something slightly different every time. Part of the reason why writing a damn song can take so long sometimes, there's just so many options...

That's incorrect. What name a chord will have depends on the scale you're playing in. If you're in C major, E-G-C will be called the first inversion of Cmaj. G-C-E will be the second inversion of Cmaj. If you're in E minor, or E major (doesn't matter), E-G-C will be called E minor augmented. G-C-E in G would actually be G6sus4 if I remember correctly. But you probably won't be playing that much anyways.

[Artinum]

You practice with two balls, of course. You just try over and over.

But practice what? All I see is a blur of motion. I don't know what it's actually supposed to do, just the end result. It's like telling you that you need eggs and flour to make a cake - just keep practising, you'll figure out how to mix them together eventually.

That's incorrect. What name a chord will have depends on the scale you're playing in. If you're in C major, E-G-C will be called the first inversion of Cmaj. G-C-E will be the second inversion of Cmaj. If you're in E minor, or E major (doesn't matter), E-G-C will be called E minor augmented. G-C-E in G would actually be G6sus4 if I remember correctly. But you probably won't be playing that much anyways.

Sigh. I should have stuck with the descant recorder.

[Church]

Sigh. I should have stuck with the descant recorder.

Get the ocarina app. Lol.

[Harness]

You practice with two balls, of course. You just try over and over.

That's incorrect. What name a chord will have depends on the scale you're playing in. If you're in C major, E-G-C will be called the first inversion of Cmaj. G-C-E will be the second inversion of Cmaj. If you're in E minor, or E major (doesn't matter), E-G-C will be called E minor augmented. G-C-E in G would actually be G6sus4 if I remember correctly. But you probably won't be playing that much anyways.

---OK, actually the chord depends on the quality, not on the key. E-G-C will indeed be a c major chord in first inversion, or a C6 chord. In any key it will be a C major chord because the quality is major. If you were in E major and still playing the notes E-G-C it would be a CMajor chord, AKA a flat VI 6 chord. If you were to change the notes to the key (E-G#-C#) Then it would be a C# minor chord in first inversion aka a vi 6 chord.

The quality (major, minor, augmented, diminished) and the root of the chord determines its name. If you really want to learn and write music...take piano lessons. It's been done this way for centuries. No offense, but software cannot teach you music.

[Church]

Oh! Another thing I do a lot if, but am no good at: Being single. Lol

[realbrickwall]

The quality (major, minor, augmented, diminished) and the root of the chord determines its name. If you really want to learn and write music...take piano lessons. It's been done this way for centuries. No offense, but software cannot teach you music.

Basically the reason I invested in a keyboard. It's just so much easier to understand than pure abstraction. I can't afford a teacher, but it's better than nothing.

[161803398874989]

---OK, actually the chord depends on the quality, not on the key. E-G-C will indeed be a c major chord in first inversion, or a C6 chord.

C6 would be C E G A, not what we're dealing with here. Correct name would be E6 if you want to call it that.

The quality (major, minor, augmented, diminished) and the root of the chord determines its name.

The problem is that with inversions you can get different qualities with different root notes, while still actually playing the same pitches. If you're playing a piece in, say, E major, no one is going to call E-G-C C major first inversion, because C isn't in E major. If you are playing in E major, you won't have a major quality since the "C major" clashes with the key. Unless you're actually doing stuff in the bass to determine the root note, in which case you usually pick that one. There are compositions where they play Cmaj with a D in the bass.

In the end it doesn't really matter what you call it, because it's still the same notes. And as long as it sounds good, I don't give the slightest of shits what it's called. I've got a piece that has the left hand in F# minor, while the right hand is in G blues (G minor pentatonic with C# added), and it sounds great.

The quality (major, minor, augmented, diminished) and the root of the chord determines its name. If you really want to learn and write music...take piano lessons. It's been done this way for centuries. No offense, but software cannot teach you music.

I disagree. Theory is not important. I never use a shred of it while writing, I just play the notes, see what fits and go from there. You just need to play your instrument, whether that is a guitar, a flute or a computer. I'm a pretty good piano player (have been playing for over 10 years now), but I absolutely cannot write music on the computer.

[Artinum]

I'm regretting bringing it up now!

Oh well. In terms of manliness, I discovered this - comments?

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