duolingo, guitar, drone

I have a forty-day streak on duolingo learning Finnish. True, I know many more Finnish words than I did forty days ago, and have a better understanding of its structure, though I am certain that there are a lot of things that duo is keeping from me until l am better invested in it all. However, I'm moderately pleased with how I've gone so far and I feel good that it is kind of moreish (though sometimes you feel really patronised by duo - the times where it asks you to translate a word and gives you one word as an option - and other times it's like a word game because the route to translating things is essentially a logical choice. It's easier than wordle in that sense.*

Still, there is a lot to enjoy about learning a language and all the - not exactly false friends - actually real enemies - of comprehension (in Finnish, 'ja' means 'and', not 'yes'; 'on' means 'it' not 'on'; and so on). I'm reminded constantly what a literal, positivistic dullard I am by my inability to remember words for abstract concepts. 

It's also really interesting to me how I ebb and flow in actual capacity - so in the morning, I can really hit a 'winning' streak, but by the afternoon I am just flailing. It's in there somewhere, but I can't access it. 

Anyway really what I've decided is that it's boring to be the person who is just interested in what they can't do, and why it can't be done, and instead, I'm just going to do it. I'm not just looking at duolingo constantly like a dweeb. I'm also reading an old teach-yourself-finnish book. I have a car trip coming up and I have t-y-f stuff on audible. Soon I'm going to start translating some Finnish materials I have lying around, via a dictionary (i.e. not typing/photographing big wads of text into google translate). 

So inspired was I by my Finnish successes (I am doing pretty well, or so duo says) I got my guitar out again and when I stop writing this blow-by-blow account of how magnificent I am, I'm going to go and play with that again for a short time. I have the amp in the bathroom I don't use, and it sounds good playing in there. I can sit on my bed and do it. 

Third success, if you don't mind, is to have finally not exactly but nearly mastered the drone I bought in, um, probably August and was unable to use in WA because it was always raining or blowing a gale. Plus I was a bit scared of it and didn't have propellor guards. Now I do, and with the help of others (Laura in particular but also Jason and Lenny) I've got a reasonable handle on it. I know at very least by the law of averages - you know like you do with your phone when you take 50 pictures a day - I'll get some good results from that thing. 

In other news, here's a funny thing. I have my name down on discogs for a few records I want, not many, but a few rarities. Two Pintandwefall CDRs (CDRs!) came up today, both the same price, this is one of them:

A hundred euro, really? Really? Would you? Would anyone? 

Apart from anything else, what's its provenance i.e. if I had this, I could make ten faked copies of it pretty easily I am sure. But it's not worth it in any case. So, not buying that. 

OK, off to play guitar. Getting some new episodes of Homicide tomorrow. In the meantime please enjoy some more of 'my' art. 

* I assume, have never tried that. 

mildura 14-17 july

Wandering to the shops last night for cat food I saw a sunset and a big ugly building. As always, the sunset looked a whole lot more exciting IRL than in this photograph. But this is at least proof there was one. 

Today I am going to Mildura for the Writer's Festival, I will be on a panel, it will be an experience. 

 

Later Thursday:

I am sinisterly attracted to the country/ regions for some reason, but I am also hotly resentful and always on guard when I am there. I feel like I got to Mildura early - when we were on the bus that took us to the aircraft at Tullamarine, and some guy on his phone had to stop in the doorway of the bus to finish his phone call holding up everyone else who was trying to disembark. It's so unfair to feel that way but he was a dick and he was going to Mildura, you know. 

I got a taxi into town with four other people, don't ask me how, they said I could pile in if I wanted. They were only in Mildura for three hours (!). One of them was English I gather. I sat next to him in the back and he was kind of immobile and unyielding, you know, usually you yield a bit when you sit next to a stranger, I did, but he was English. 

Now I am in my accommodation and I appreciate why they didn't give me details of the address until the last minute, it was only because I'd then look it up on google map and go 'nuh-uh'. But really it's fine. I mean if I had to live here the rest of my life I might not be so pleased but for a few days, sure. It'll be fun, like camping out, right? Right? 

Saturday morning feelz:

So, yesterday was quite extraordinary really (so was Thursday night) in terms of the remarkable networks I established (?) and people I spoke to who - I'll give you one example just to show you how crazy so many things were - I sat next to someone at the concert last night and made a stupid small-talk comment about how the stage set up (mainly, the many guitars) reminded me of a school concert, and she replied that she had managed school concerts, professionally, for twenty years. I said you must have thought I was trolling you or something with that comment. She said yes that did occur to me. 

There were other stranger things but I don't want to go into it deeply as it would be betraying confidences. 

What I will say is that while I was slightly confused about why I was here, it doesn't matter, it has been an entirely positive experience really, even the silly bits, the annoying bits. I am very, very positive about the Mildura Writer's Festival!

I'm about to go out into the Mildura morning and visit the market, I'll get back to you about the next bits, they haven't happened yet. 

Saturday afternoon:

The market was totally a food market, with mainly fruit, dried fruit, bread etc - really nice for locals and a nice thing to visit but I only bought some dried peaches and apricots. When I say 'only' - I like those things. This seems to be the only picture I took there, and really I was just photographing the beautiful big white dog in the middle. 

Do you like pelicans? Because then I went to the river and sat down and looked at pelicans for a while, though the sun on the water was pretty dazzling.

Then a quick visit to Junkie Paradise

This building (above) also has 'fuck 2020' written on its side. The building below is just a cool looking house. 

As is this

as is this

Today's sessions were great, but really made me appreciate I don't have the fucking stamina and to be fair I never did. But if I haven't already said so - I totally endorse the Mildura Writer's Festival.  

Sunday morning

That said, I will be pleased to get out of here. Last night I didn't drink a drop but this morning I feel hungover with a velvet fog voice to match. There is one more event to attend and thence to the airport. I am slightly nervous about getting the taxi I need to the airport but otherwise I'm ready to gthooh. Not because I don't really like it, I do, I just feel completely overstimulated, I need to lie in a dark room for a day! 

(Later: I didn't quite do that but I did wind down appropriately)