Palegoldenrod

So, in an effort to improve my mad graphics-making skillz (to further my plan to single-handedly take over the world via the interwebs) I have been using Fireworks on recommendation from my friend and colleague Matt Stow (aka Stowbocop).

Matt has recently published a tutorial on how to create those cool circular spinning snake-type animations. Behold! One I have prepared earlier, especially for palegoldenrod! Isn’t it awethome?

And yes, before you say anything I do know that it is spinning “backwards”, I did it so that the p in palegoldenrod is leading the head of the snake… just… just look at the coolness, don’t be so pedantic!

Well, you too can make one of these things (minus the sweet text, unless you are smrat enough to google how to produce said sweet text, like I did). Here is Matt’s tutorial.

Thanks for sharing cool stuff, Matt. And for unwittingly assisting me with my plan for world domination. Muahahaha

* Yet another quality artwork, courtesy of my newfound supreme mastery of Fireworks

OK, so I occasionally get migraine auras without migraines following (see surprisingly realistic simulation). I haven’t had one for a while - I don’t know what causes them, and they are sporadic. I notice a small shimmering area in my vision which expands out to obscure all visual information coming through my left eye and disorient me such that I have trouble seeing through my right.

After about 20 or 30 minutes the shimmering expands out of my vision and I am left with a hazy view of the world and a very groggy / lazy brain - I think my speech centre may be affected because I usually have trouble constructing an intelligent sentence for a while afterwards

Anyway, this happened to me tonight - is happening- the first time this year I think. I was feeling really buzzed this afternoon - weird, full of energy, fidgety. I’d had a few coffees and a coke zero. I don’t normally have coffee, so maybe that was too much for me. I had to walk up to get my car from the carpark and in an effort to consume some of my excessive energy I ran much of the way. It didn’t work

It wasn’t for a few hours later that I noticed the shimmering start to interfere with my vision and realised that the migraine aura may be related.

I’m trying ginko biloba to help with my memory (i’ve been taking it for a few days)… was it the caffiene, or the herbs, or the combination of both? Or something different? Hmm.

Out of curiosity I’ve started noting these events in my Google calendar so I can maybe determine a pattern. It will be interesting to see if one emerges.

The mechanics of it are sort of interesting - apparently it can be caused by a slow moving depression of electrical impulses through the brain, interfering with the brain’s interpretation of visual signals so that it looks like a magical drug-free fairy land.� Or something. Actually, that’s a bit dismissive - i know it sounds sort of innocent, but its difficult to describe how disorienting it can be. The impulses continue through the brain when the shimmering stops though - this is why you get the headaches and grogginess and speech stupidness.� I’m glad it doesn’t happen very often, and I’m glad I don’t get the wretched headaches following.

So I’m a bit hazy now, and my brain is starting to get groggy a little - a bit of a dull headache is emerging. Sorry if my other post tonight is a bit blech

Yesterday I finally made it down to the Bennett Hotel in Hamilton to catch the local Celtic Session.

For those who don’t know, Celtic music is traditionally an aural tradition rather than a written one. You pick up tunes by ear, usually at jam sessions called Sessions. There is a bit more to it than that, but generally speaking that is what they are.

Now Newcastle isn’t that big a place, so when I stumbled on a note at the session saying that Newcastle had a regular event, I was very pleasantly surprised. For one reason or another I have been unable to attend this event for the last few months (something always seems to come up!). But yesterday I was finally victorious.

I arrived at the Bennett just after 4:15pm to find about four or five people already playing - a guitar, three fiddles and a mandolin I think. I took a seat at the bar nearby and ordered by signature Fire Engine. By the time I had finished that, the rest of the group had pretty much arrived. I think all up they had:

• five fiddlers
• three guitarists
• a mandolin (or were there two?)
  
• a tin whistle
• a concertina
• a keyboard (who later changed to what I was told was a traditional Scandinavian fiddle… drool)

It was great! They played a few songs together, and then while people rested, had a drink etc, someone would play - either a bit of bluegrass guitar, a solo fiddle, a bit of unaccompanied singing (an old Scottish air this time). I really enjoyed it even though I had to leave early.� They are a friendly bunch too - I had a chance to have a chat to a few of them for a while before I left. They were very welcoming

I didn’t know any tunes, but that’s OK because I didn’t take my instrument. I was there to watch and listen and learn. And I did, I think. I saw a few things that the fiddlers were doing which have helped me already - how they were hitting some of those quick tricky high notes with little finger movement, how they got some of those great starts to notes by using the bow a certain way. All awesome.

I also found out about a whole group that I didn’t know existed - Newcastle and Hunter Valley Folk Club. And they have a fair bit going on, too. I’m hoping to check out some of the other cool stuff they are getting up to - it looks really interesting.

OK, here are some details for you -

The Celtic Music Session

• Date: 3rd Sunday of every month
• Time: 4-7pm
• Place: Bennett Hotel, Hamilton (corner of Steel and Denison Streets)

I plan to be at the next one (Amos will probably be there too, with flute or piccolo in tow) - I hope to see you there!

Kifli are Hungarian cookies, shaped like a crescent moon and filled with crushed walnuts and jam. They are pretty sweet, but delicious. Well, I think they’re delicious. You can make up your own mind

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 kg self raising flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 250 butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 carton sour cream
• milk (added to moisten dough if required)
  

Filling

• 200-300g crushed walnuts
• 1 jar jam (usually raspberry)

Instructions

To make filling

1. take a few table spoons of jam and a few table spoons of walnuts
2. mix with a spoon. A fairly walnutty mix is usually best, but this can be adjusted to taste.
3. create these small amounts as you go, rather than mixing up a large batch of filling (which you may not use)
   

To make dough

1. mix flour, salt, sugar (sift flour)
2. rub in butter until the mix has the consistency of breadcrumbs
3. add the egg and sour cream
4. you should be aiming for a dough - add a little milk if more moisture is needed
5. mix to a smooth dough and knead well
6. take a small amount and roll out to thickness of a 20 cent piece
7. cut in circles about 3 inches in diameter
8. put 1/2 teaspoon of filling in each
9. fold the circle in half to form a moon shape, and seal around the edges. You may need to wipe a small amount of milk along the edge to get a good seal
10. place on greased baking tray - leave a� bit of a gap between them, they will expand a little
    
11. bake in moderate oven (160-170 degrees) for 15-20 minutes, until dough starts to harden or just turning a very light brown - don’t overcook!
12. allow to cool on a cooling rack. Don’t put in containers until completely cool, or they will turn soggy
13. when completely cool, roll lightly in icing sugar
14. eat and enjoy
15. I said enjoy!
    

Notes

Makes about 100 - 150, depending on thickness of dough and size of cookie cut.

I have some friends and family who aren’t near enough to pop in and listen to (read: laugh at) my playing easily, so I thought I’d drop some on here for you all.

Warning: it is very, very poor. Laugh as hard as you want, but don’t say you weren’t warned, lol.

I bought my fiddle early this year (maybe February?). I have not had a fiddle lesson and I have never played a string instrument before. When I was about 10 I played the organ for a few years (and that very poorly too). I don’t know anyone else who plays the fiddle, and I can’t read music. What you are about to hear is the result of me reading and listening to fiddle and violin tutorials and songs (even watching a bit on youtube), and quite a bit of experimentation.

• Ninety-nine March and Ninety-eight March
• Tam’s Slow March (from the playing of Tom Hughes)
• The Parting Glass
• Humours of California
• Merrily Kiss the Quaker’s Wife
• Heel and Toe? I’m not sure what this one is called - I played the tune from memory. Sometimes I remember bush dancing too it when I was a child. Can anyone help with a name for this one?

So, there you have it. Its weird… I have more trouble playing when I know I am being recorded, too, so I may be a fraction better than these mp3s sound. Or maybe not ;-)� Also I don’t have a pickup on the fiddle, or proper recording equipment - this was recorded via the mic on my headset, sitting on my free shoulder as I played. Hopefully I’ll have a pickup fitted to the ol’ girl soon, which will make life easier.

There is an Irish Session (where people gather to play Celtic music) at a pub in Newcastle this weekend - a nice Sunday afternoon. I’ll be heading down there to check it out - I expect that I have much more to learn just from watching and listening.

Let the flaming begin

I’m listening to Amos play his new cello. We went to a local music store today - it was having a sale of slightly damaged goods following the floods we had.

I bought my nephew a birthday gift of a cheap little violin - he adores mine and loves music. Amos, after eyeing off a flute for a while, spotted a cello in the corner. No case, an old bow, some small gouges around the edges - it must have been knocked around a bit as a result of the storms. It was less than half price, and he didn’t take long to decide he wanted it.

My house is now overwhelmed by all things musical - we have:

• 3 assorted hand drums
• a violin
• a guitar
• a harmonica (key of C)
• an electronic keyboard
  
• a flute
• a piccolo
• an Irish tin whistle
• the new cello
• an Ubuntu Studio computer (for making an manipulating audio, graphics and video)
• a strange mix of sheet music abandoned in odd locations - Leonard Cohen on the dining table, Irish folk music on the floor…

Its a wonderful thing to have so much music in the house. When I was living alone I used to have the TV on in the background, mostly for noise - the house was too quiet. Now there is always music, and I am usually involved. We try new sounds, pass on tunes and fragments of songs and rhythms. I didn’t appreciate how much fun it can be to make music with someone else.

The only musical person in my immediate family is my brother and he didn’t start learning to play guitar until after he moved out, so the house wasn’t really musical when I was growing up.� Until recently none of my friends played instruments. I’d not jammed with anyone until Amos moved in, so I was pretty nervous when I first played in front of him. But he’s very accepting of my poor playing (omg, what patience, or he is mercifully deaf, maybe!) and we just play around with the noises until we find something we like.

Anyway I’m soon to be off to bed, no doubt falling asleep to him still playing downstairs, his fingers quickly learning the ways of a new instrument, keen to master it. It’s a pretty cool way to fall asleep

Goodnight guys.

My friend Haydn and his mates have a wicked and unusual sense of humour and frequently take it out and wave it around. Recently they produced an entry for the 2007 Shootout. While it didn’t make the top 10 in Newcastle, I declare it to be hilarious.

Check out out Haydn’s video at youtube