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Not finding it terribly easy to get to sleep, mainly because it’s so hot. Thought I’d ramble a bit more on here.
Some of the things I want to do but for which I don’t seem to be able to make time:
- Piano: I am having lessons about twice a month, and preparing for the Associated Board performance diploma (DipABRSM), but I’m not putting in nearly enough practice time.
- Coding for web: I’m using Ruby on Rails to create a database frontend for some stuff my mum needs to keep track of for a charity. This has been “in progress” for months and months because I so rarely spend any time on it.
- Coding for web (2): Creating a small but tidy website for Holy Cross Players, the drama group at my local church. Not urgent, and only started recently, but I could easily have got it done by now. I’m using PHP and rolling my own photo gallery (very, very basic).
- Coding for Mac: Would like to get a bit savvy with Cocoa & Objective-C. I have books… why have I not worked through the examples in them?
- Coding other: I want to get some experience using C.
- Drums: My kit is currently in cases. I’d really like to feel more at home behind a kit, to be able to groove, to play non-naff fills. Again, I need to put in some hours of disciplined practice. Admittedly this is harder in the summer, as doors and windows are open and it’s a bit too hot to go and close them all.
- Composing/Sequencing: I bought a shiny new iMac, and a Firewire audio interface, so that I could do some recording and sequencing. I have 2 hardware synths to hook up to it. Why the hell haven’t I actually done any?!
- Guitar: I can pick/strum my way through a very few songs. There’s no reason I couldn’t be much more familiar with the instrument, if I only made some time for it.
- Singing: I’m a member of the Cavendish Singers (the chamber choir of the John Lewis Partnership), and I know that when I’ve been singing frequently my range and breath control are much better. So why can’t I do just 15 minutes a day?
- Driving: I’ve been saying this on and off for over 3 years, but I really should learn to drive. I’m assured it’ll only get harder, the longer I leave it, and now that my friends are not just 10 minutes’ walk away (as in Cambridge) it would be so convenient to drive over to see people for an evening. And, on the occasions I need to take my drums/keyboards/other gear somewhere, to be able to do it myself rather than getting a lift from my dear parents.
Does everyone have this problem, to some extent? Am I just particularly bad at getting round to doing things?
:-(
Sounds very typical, that. Admittedly I’ve never been working so I don’t know what the free time/energy left situation is, but I can imagine that you don’t have that much time when you’re actually awake enough to do those kind of things. As for practicing singing, I know exactly what you’re talking about… But it’s so hard to practice on your own! I find that anyway, when I’m on my own, my throat just doesn’t get free, I don’t quite properly warmed up and often it just makes me hoarse (how do you spell that?). As for the other things, don’t do too many of them at once! Just focus on something for a while, and then maybe you’ll get a routine going.
To end I’ll quote from a Wise Guys song:
Doch es ist nicht die Zeit, die man nicht hat,
sondern die man sich nicht nimmt,
denn es gibt bestimmt
vielweniger Sachen die ich immer schon mal machen wollte
als Sachen die ich besser lassen sollte.
You see, it is a common problem…
Julia
Comment by Julia — 18th July, 2006 @ 11:27 pm
Hm, I should at least get the quote right… Why can’t I edit it! :-P
Doch es ist nicht die Zeit , die man nicht hat,
sondern die man sich nicht nimmt
oder einfach verliert. Es gibt ganz bestimmt
weniger Sachen, die man immer schon mal machen wollte,
als Sachen, die man besser lassen sollte.
Comment by Julia — 18th July, 2006 @ 11:30 pm
Don’t worry Michael – you’re not the only one. I’m just the same -so many things I want to do, but after a long day at work it’s difficult to motivate myself to do anything!
Comment by Alex — 23rd August, 2006 @ 9:43 am