Reading through various threads, and the discussions on serious/non-serious music, real/dumbed down classical, real/fake pianos, perfect/inprovised versions, fake/urtext sheetmusic, etc, etc, etc., I got to thinking about how diversified a group we are, and how any one of us can play anything any way, any style, and the effort is appreciated, critiqued, honest opinions given with good intent, never try to "hurt" someone or compare one effort against another (except as an example of another way), and really enjoy each other (Funburger has the longest paragraph, so I am going for the longest sentence).

Anyway, I don't think I say how much I appreciate this forum and the people I have met here. When having a "bad" day (like today), I come here and I am cheered up, inspired, see others with the same issue (different level maybe, but it's still the same effort to improve..)and I feel better, relax, and hit the keys with a new energy....

So, thanks for the support. There, now I feel better and can to back to being a jerk....

Mike

Haha... My feelings exactly, Mike. Nice job; good message.

Well....isn't that special (in my church lady voice)

I agree....great place, great people, great music!

What I like about this forum is that you can call something a "song" and not get chewed out about it.

Group hug, group hug. :2hearts: :2hearts:

p.s. Flippancy aside, in addition to the great company, probably the biggest benefit I get out of this forum is recommendations for artists to listen to and new sheet music to learn. I had never heard of David Nevue before I joined the forum, and Bob Muir (I believe it was) recommended "Solitude" as an easy piece. A year later and I am a Nev-Head! Same thing with Einaudi and Yann Tiersen and Yiruma. It's been incredibly educational and gratifying.

Yeah...its a kool, funny and inspiring place

I'll join y'all in that group hug

And yeah, you can call a song a song here...that makes it waaaaay kool IMHO

I know, I know...Of course you can also say "piece" too (before I get lynched

regards


Lee

Very nice post, Mike. It takes a special kind of person - a person with a lot of heart and soul - to post up what you just did. Good insight... Yup... come here for some solice... go elsewhere, sometimes... whatever really floats your boat... Daily changes... but then again, not even....the important is to be happy in what you do.

And as for Funburger with her longest paragraph - that girl/woman rocks in my opinion. She so does. We all shine in our special way. Very nice.

Totally agreed. I admit to being hesitant at first, because I thought- heck, I can barely figure out where middle C is! These people are going to think I'm sooooo sorry as a piano player. But you are all so very encouraging and helpful and amusing and so much more! Good place, good people, good music- what more could you ask for ???

jumping in on the group hug :2hearts:

i get to mushy so just the hugs

:2hearts: :2hearts: :2hearts:

Good food?

I was also a part of this "group hug", except, I think someone may have groped me in the proccess! , Sharon was that you??

Do I *look* like Sharon?

Ok, ya got me there!!! Chili, anyone??

What I like about this forum, is that I am surrounded by people who are just as or more obsessed by pianos than me. I just love to talk about them, see pictures of them, hear people obsess about lessons, progress and music. Could there be a better place. In my life i can only share my obsession with my teacher and she has been playing for years. So I to love this forum.

group hugs ?


nah!

let's have a dogpile instead!




with Frycek on the bottom, so she can't get to the piano for the next several days.

Hey Mak - you related to the guy with a can of beer in his pocket? My kind of party animal....

[looks around...doesn't see anyone I know] joins group hug :2hearts:

IrishMak...I'll take a bowl tooo..red or green? Do you travel to different cookoffs?? Michigan area?? They have one in Plymouth, Mi in the fall.

That group hug was nice....


(Hey! Where's my wallet?!)

::::takes money....throws wallet to the ground....runs and hides....::::::

:rolleyes:

I saw that rocky...I want my cut

Umm, no, not that one, but there is usually a copious amount of "tasty beverages" at a cook-off... Chili cooks are known for that as much as for the chili!! Ah, yes, nothing like a good tequila shot at 10 AM or so!!! LOL

You can have either red or green. People's choice is always red, but the competition includes both red, green and salsa.

We do mostly cook-offs around here- MA, NH, CT, NY and once in a while, PA. The furthest out we will get this year is Omaha for the World's Championship. We would like to do a "chili vacation" some year and hit a few in states we've never cooked in. I'll put MI on the short list....

Pass me some recipes via PM, please! I love trying new chili recipes!

Frank-

http://www.chilicats.com

Recipes are there... Working on getting a green recipe put together that can be done reasonably easily.

Awesome! Thanks, Mak!

You're welcome! Just a note on the chili recipe- if you like it hot, you can chop some jalapenos and put them in the pot, as well. We do this for our "hot" pot of chili. We use this basic recipe for our People's Choice pots- just make one hotter with the powders we use and the jalapenos. The mild version does have heat, but not as much....

Nice.... I might make some, this weekend.

Let me know what you think!

Thank you! Tho it was actually quite warm!

sorry

Sharon, i do believe Monica would be best to help you:) but i have heard of people falling in love on the internet and meeting later and they get married. i have also heard horrible stories about this where it could get dangerous. does your friend actually love this guy??? if so then why did she break up with him? fear of commitment? fear of the unknown? i personally think getting involved in an online relationship is dangerous, as you never know who is on the other end....is he who he says he is? etc etc. of course there are ways to find out about who he is to, checking his background etc. as i have done this for alot of people(people seem to think i am their investigator) and hopefully the search comes up clean but sometimes it isnt always so!!! i personally think your nutball of a friend did the right thing by ending it!! thats just my 2 cents worth.

i want to jump in on some of that chili mak!!!!

Funburger... it's a pretty deep thing. I just wanted to get some feed back... I'll show your response to my friend. Thank you.

Why did you delete your post, gmm1... You said some smart things.

It's okay, though. I write and delete all the time. I did read it though.....

Like now. Sorry.

Thanks for the nice words....I thought it was too wordy and preachie so was going to try again....but since you read it and managed to dig out my feeble advice, I feel better.....

That wasn't a can of beer in his pocket. He was just happy to see Irish Mak.

sorry - just sorry - okay.

Mark!!!

Tho I don't recognize him, we DO get folk who will tell us they are glad we are back at a particular cookoff, 'cause they liked our chili last year!

Sharon- Princeton MA (Wachussett Mtn ski area) all day tomorrow! Making about 12 gallons to serve.... LOL

As for your friend, I do agree that one has to be careful with online relationships of any sort. Most people are good and nice and all that, but there are nutcases out there. (Look at markb! LOL I'm kidding!!!) But at the same time, my best friend in the whole entire world was brought to me by the internet, so you never know. It kinda sounds to me like your friend doesn't really know (or hasn't truly decided) what- if anything- she wants out of this relationship. And if she tends, as you say, to be rather intense and a bit- insensitive? at times, then maybe she needs to slow down and think things through a bit before acting. Just my .02- and probably not worth that much....

Touche.

I met Sharon over the internet and subsequently in person, and she obviously survived.

Sorry- just didn't want to sound too heavy and all that... And since Sharon already declared you insane- not that being insane is a bad thing. "I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it!"

No worries. Actually, after I wrote the beer can/Irish Mak post, I thought maybe I should delete it, but then I figured you have a good sense of humor and can take it.

You have a great time, Mak - it sounds like fun.

.

,

Oh, I'm glad you didn't- I got quite a laugh out of that one!

I think my eyesight is getting worse! Words seems to be vanishing!

Heck I already need bifocals or my mono-vision contacts!

Rocky - yes, it was I who vanished those words...I do apologize. I guess back to my bad self... forgetting the promise I made to dear mycroft to curb my editing, deletions, etc... I had no choice... please understand.... I know you do!

Sharon, was just teasin ya!!

Although I do have TERRIBLE eyesight!

Rocky, love the avatar!!! is that you...WOW you are HOT!!!heehehehehehehehehe

I can see I'm wwwaaaaayyyyy to slow here...

funburger LOL, you little devil you!