You don't really know why but you want justify rippin' someone's head off

Some days all I need to do is rant so please excuse me whilst I do such things.

I actually started planning this in my head whilst watching Explosions In The Sky at The Sage a few nights ago (they were fab just my mind tends to wander especially when there are no lyrics to follow - shoegazing instrumental music). There are three things that people do (on a regular basis around me) that really, really bothers me.

1. Litterbugs. It's pretty much my number 1 hate. Ok, remember when I said it was based on things that people do around me? Yeah, that's important to note! Because really genocide and animal cruelty would be higher but I'm not in contact with things like that, not on a regular basis.

I see so many people around here drop litter and cigarette butts. It's just unnecessary. We have bins on most street corners (and in the more urban areas we have them in the middle of streets and part way down and everything). There is absolutely no need to litter at all. Yet they do. I see people litter beside bins. Like they're walking past them and drop litter just past it or before it. Why?! The world is already being destroyed by us. There is tarmac and pollution and general disease that is caused by us and yet, fair enough you can't fix that part easily just being one person, you don't need to add to it by being a troll! It makes me so ragey!

2. Acts of senseless and random violence and destruction.

One night someone walked around the streets where I live and slashed at least one tire on each car they passed. Someone once threw a brick through mama's car window for no reason, I say no reason because nothing was stolen. I've seen cars and motorbikes set on fire during my earlier years. Broken glass in bus shelters, phone boxes and shop windows. The rioting last year. I just don't understand the point.

What is the reasoning behind just breaking things? I get wanting to rip up a bad picture that I've drawn or smashing up a cake that's gone wrong but why break other people's things? It just seems unfair. And especially breaking council property like bus shelters because then they'll complain that there's no money anywhere, well yeah, you are costing them a fortune in repairs.

3. Talking in concerts.

This is mostly why I started thinking about this at a gig. It was a sitting down gig at The Sage. To me, sitting down gigs or concerts mean a certain level of respect, if only because the people around you can't move somewhere else if you are being too noisy. We had this issue at the Evanescence concert. Two men, sitting behind Blue and me talking non-stop. I say talking, this term is loosely applied since I could hear them more than the band. If you want to sit and talk over music, buy the cd (most artists have a live one out if you need to have the atmosphere) and shout in your own home. It'll save you money and my rage.

I'm ok with occasional comments, the "ooh that was a nice bit", "look at him what the hell is he doing?" "this is so awesome" etc. but incessant shouting? STFU.

Tonight I'm feeling annoyed because I want some software to do some music work that isn't the usual Sibelius. I love sib and we get on very well but I'm wanting a DAW (digital audio workstation). I was looking into ProTools because I've used that at uni. Not only is it crazy ass expensive but also requires hardware to run it. I looked into Audacity and Ardour because they are free but Audacity looks like what MSPaint is to Adobe Photoshop and Ardour isn't available for Windows. Mac and Linux yes but Windows no. I'm going to try the FL Studio (formally Fruity Loops) demo but my main issue is that if I do discover that it's awesome I'm going to have to pay about $300 for it and owies that's a lot of money. I'll let you know how I do with the demo though.

On the plus side I've mostly got my midi keyboard working. It is a great little keyboard but I haven't worked out how to use it correctly with Sibelius. Mostly just a volume sensitivity issue which I need to work out how to resolve.

I wonder how people who create electronic based music start out because all this software is expensive and then all the hardware like mics and instruments and mixing desks and stuff is expensive. Then you normally need a Mac of some description because they are better for music (or at least have more software and hardware). So how do you start out? Or do they start out by using the software that is available at school/college/uni and build from there. I wish I had used the studios at uni a lot more than I did. Problem was my best time for working and desire to experiment with things like that is 9pm onwards and that was highly impractical for getting the bus home.

I just want to make nice musics and feeling like I'm hitting a brick wall at every turn.

The worst part is is that for once I had ideas of things I wanted to do. I was feeling generally creative and now it's 11:30 and I need to go to bed soon because I have a G&S rehearsal tomorrow. Great though it is being in G&S it doesn't half suck up my creative time when it's almost showtime. But yes I was feeling creative with two compositional ideas getting really juicy and one other idea that is just popping by but I can't do anything with them because I don't have the soft/hardware. 

I just want to be awesome, but it's so much hard work T_T

Nanight lemonies, Buttercup xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

How is this an RPG anyway?

So I've spent a lot of time on the internet recently and there are some thoughts to share so let's get the ball rolling with a video.

=D This is the one *taps hands on table*

Ok to explain. This is a flash video based on a review of a flash game called Super PSTW (Press Space To Win). Now this was something I was discussing today with HazyShade. The problems with grammar/spelling and extended topics. How correct do you think people have to be with grammar and spelling? I understand things like shops and dvds should be named correctly (unless there is an oh so witty pun happening and thus the "error" is deliberate) but what about when people post on the internet? I mean this guy has some pretty bad spelling but mostly the review was understandable. He was grumpy because he didn't like the game. What about small errors like not being able to spell words like necesary and ok I can't think of more words right now... but the point is, you know what I have written even though it is spelt wrongly. Is that ok? Is being able to understand what has been written without it being a major challenge ok? Or should we be trying to regain the perfect English that some believe we should have.

The spell check has destroyed people's need to understand spelling and grammar. I do think that people should have at least a basic knowledge of things but I've never really been effected by poor S&G (the other way round makes the initials of a delightful operetta writing duo that I know of =p) aside from when it's really bad, on official things and when someone has written something that I disagree with and I think that they are wrong and then I can laugh at them for that.

I have a lecturer that refuses to capitalise his name or the letter i when writing. Should he change that just because he is a lecturer? He understands the rules (at least I presume so) but he chooses not to use them. A well known academic writer has the name bell hooks [sic] and you would be wrong to capitalise.

So I wonder where the line should be drawn. I think I'm ok with typos (I do them often enough), and mistakes so long as it doesn't detract from the text. I think it is annoying when people choose to write solely in txt spk but that is mostly because I don't really understand much of it. It's the same as L337. It's fine in small doses and to the right people but overkill can be horrendous. Classrooms should enforce correct use of language simply because you are there to learn how to do this stuff but out on the internet? It's less important really. In the grand scheme of things.

I know a person who once said to me (when I was talking about how correctly they (technically incorrect grammatically) were using English on msn): If I am not going to take the time to write it properly then it wasn't worth saying to begin with.

I totally get that. I understand that concept and in general I agree with it. I used to never capitalise the letter I on forum posts because I was lazy and Word autocorrects but now I do. I made a conscious effort to change how I write because I wanted to be more correct when I typed but I don't believe that choosing not to is a sign of a lower intellect. It can be but isn't always the case.

Ok so that was pretty intensive for me... here's a picture!

It's a picture of the moon tonight  =3

Another internet related topic but more just a question and then rant.

Who actually makes spam emails?

I mean I get the ones where they ask for your bank details because you have "won $10000000" or because some bloke has died in a far away country and has decided to leave you all his wealth. I get people making those because out of the millions of emails they send out one person will probably give them the details because they are naive. But the ones that want me to join some dating website? Facebook or fuckbook? Wait what? You aren't even getting anything out of me going there. The most that you are giving me is a virus which isn't really going to do much because most people have an active virus killer on their computer. So where is the motive? Why do people do it?

I also almost understand the one that I keep being sent by "Blizzard" for my account details because I am changing my password or I have been accessing my account wrongly so ooh maybe someone is trying to hack my account! Oh no! I guess that would actually work if I had an account with Blizzard. I don't because that would mean I have an account with WOW and I don't play that "game" =p. (Actually I'm sure it is an enjoyable game and that I would enjoy playing it a lot and that is the problem. You have to pay monthly and that would be too costly for me. I would rather play free MMORPGS or just offline games. I might try one once when I have a source of income but not right now).

Are the spam emails that I sometimes get that make no sense from bots? Is that why they don't make sense because someone isn't actually making them happen? They are just a piece of code that sweeps the internet for your email address and then sends you rubbish about viagra, penises and porn? It doesn't help that I don't understand people sometimes.

Not my own image: Apple blossoms

So it was almost Spring today. The sun was shining but it was still a bit chilly. I had genuinely forgotten what it was like to be sunny. I had thoughts of summer times, riding my bike to the beach, picnics, suntan lotion. Everything came to me today. It was divine. I tend to forget what the other side of the year feels like. I want to walk around with my hoodies unzipped or even *gasp* around my waist! I am looking forward to summer. Anna-chan comes home and Elendil moves up here. I want a summer like I used to have, but way more! Seeing friends more than I should want to (=p), adventures galore, evenings with films, gaming and conversations, relaxing in the sun with someone playing guitar in case we want to have a singalong, butterflies, sand, staying awake until the stars come out and until they go to bed again with whispers and foreheads pressed together, barefeet, daisy chains, The Green Festival, icecubes in my drink, swimming, summer rain, going out dancing and not needing a hoody for outside, wearing skirts and dresses, sitting in the shade of a huge tree, feeding ducks, boating, photos, smiles, laughs, painting nails, sunglasses.

I want to be moved into a new house by then. I want to be able to chill out without worrying about contacting my parents to let them know where I am and when I will be back. I want to be able to walk from my friends' houses back to mine without worrying about if I have missed the last bus or getting a taxi. I want to be able to have friends round without needing to warn my parents in advance. I want to be able to play loud music during the day without feeling too guilty (although I would check with my housemates first!). I want to be able to choose my own meals in the evening, having rice and pasta salads and awesome meals with the people I am going to live with. I want to be able to say "hey just pop over to mine!" without feeling guilty that they have to get a bus there first. I want to bake fairycakes and cookies and not worry about if the oven is needed then or that it is 11pm and I just fancied doing it then. I want to go out clubbing and then at 3am stumble back home, with good friends, feeling a little bit more than tipsy to my own bed.

I just want to live dammit! Won't you let me live?!

XD

Love you all, Buttercup xxx

This love will be your downfall but I'll take what I want from your heart and I'll keep it

Ok so the remaining 3 albums came in the post that I was waiting for. AFI: Decemberunderground (the one with the bonus tracks =D), MCR: Danger Days etc. and Ellie Goulding: Bright Lights. This makes me rather happy because I wanted some new music and also I needed the MCR one as I am seeing them in February and I am actually very excited for it. I don't care if it will be full of little scene and emo kids, it's still gonna be awesome!
I love seeing bands live. Even if I don't particularly know their stuff (like Sick Puppies) it's gonna be good because listening to music live is one of the best things in life as far as I'm concerned. It's the atmosphere. The feel of the beat through your feet, the audience totally at the control of the band, belting the songs back at them until your throat is raw. Dancing with the current of the crowd moving you knowing that your neck is going to hurt for the next 5 years. The lights, the sound, the electric air. It's just the best!

But now the beef of today and it's pretty tough beef. The re-release of albums with extra tracks within a year of the original release. WHY? Why do they do this to us? I had this issue with Stone Sour's Come What(ever) May. I bought the original album almost as soon as it came out because I found the tracks were really awesome and I loved that album. Then about a month or two later they released a new version with a bonus dvd and extra tracks and I was rather narked. Now I'm not blaming the artists themselves, it's the record companies. They want more money out of us.
I'm pretty lucky that I didn't buy the first release of Ellie Goulding's Lights and have just got the re-released one because there are about 7 extra tracks! What do you do if you really want the re-released one? Do you just have two versions of almost the same album or do you get rid of the first or just be bitter about it?
I'll tell you what I am ok with though. Placebo re-released their self titled album for a 10th anniversary release. That's fine! Anniversary editions are normally remastered version and have some of the B-Sides from singles and that's rather nice. It's been several years since the release and ok so the record companies still just want your money but it's better in my opinion. I also am completely fine with releasing limited/special editions alongside and at the same time as the normal CD because then you have an option. It's there in front of you. You can buy which ever release you want and that's cool.

Beefing over.
Review times!

Ellie Goulding: Bright Lights

Actually it's pretty weird that there was a smaller version of this album. This one is just shy of the 1hr mark and if you take off the re-released tracks Lights was about 40minutes which is small for a full album. It's poppy and dancey for a lot of the album. Nothing new but what she does, she does very well. If her music came on in a club I would want to dance to it. I really like The Writer, it's a nice track. Actually I would quite like to hear some acoustic versions of these tracks. Like her version of Your Song. It shows off her voice so well and yes ok so I first heard her music when that was played on the John Lewis Christmas advert and was sold instantly. It's acoustic and beautiful but that does not mean that I am disappointed that the rest of the album doesn't follow suit, I would just be interested to hear more in that style =)

7/100

There will probably be another review later today of the new MCR album because I want to listen through all of it, rate it all and give my 50c on the matter.

All the loves, Buttercup xxx