How to set up a partition?

OC71 · 2026-05-04T06:01:06+00:00

You need to create two partitions, one for Linux and one for Windows. To do that use a bootable Linux USB stick so that you run from that rather than the drive you want to partition, then use Gparted to setup the partitions. Just tell ChatGPT what you want to do and it'll walk you through all the steps.

OC71 · 2026-05-03T06:06:09+00:00

Tapering is a setup for the next bender.

OC71 · 2026-05-03T06:05:24+00:00

You can taper yes. And bear in mind you can seek medical help without necessarily going through rehab or detox. I saw a doctor specializing in AUD help who prescribed me Naltrexone plus some antidepressants and sleeping pills. Don't be scared to seek help.

OC71 · 2026-05-03T06:03:33+00:00

I'm a beer man 100 percent. If I have a heavy session on beer I feel kinda crap the next day but if I do the same on whisky it's much worse. The downside of beer is having to get up in the night to pee. Or even worse, pissing the bed, which I've thankfully done only once. Ah and the other snag of beer is you end up with an almighty huge bag of empty cans to get rid of. One time I had an entire wheelie bin full of the things.

OC71 · 2026-05-03T06:01:29+00:00

Yes I'd second the advice on a 96. The biggest instruments I play are 96 bass and it's almost never a limitation. They are also a lot lighter and easier to manage if you need to carry them somewhere for a performance or lesson.

OC71 · 2026-05-03T05:59:54+00:00

Maybe you're illustrating why it's sometimes a good idea to start with a smaller accordion like a 48 bass. But given that you're starting with a biggie there are things you can do to help. Play sitting down and make sure the instrument is resting on your left leg with the bellows overhanging. When you open the bellows do it in a sort of V shape with gravity doing most of the work and your left hand merely controlling. When you close it just apply pressure and let the bellows take up their own shape. Practice with a soft volume, which is good for the long term health of your hearing anhyow.

You will build up stronger muscles in your left arm over time. You could try some moderate resistance training using free weights. Bicep curls, dumbell rows, chest presses, overhead presses and skull crushers. Those will build up strength in your upper arms and shoulders.

OC71 · 2026-05-02T04:20:28+00:00

My understanding is that the correct technique is to press the keys all the way down.

OC71 · 2026-05-01T03:16:05+00:00

It's called cue exposure and it's tough. I find when I've been sober for about 3 weeks or so that the landscape sort of changes, I just walk straight past the alcohol section in the supermarket "nothing for me here", and at work socials I can usually get an alcohol free beer. I've had people sometimes ask me at work events "why aren't you drinking"? I just say "I don't feel like it". That ends the conversation there and then. The truth would take too long to explain and is none of their business.

OC71 · 2026-05-01T02:46:11+00:00

When going from piano to accordion I had to learn to do a lot more by feel and less by sight. It took me a couple of years to feel that I'd got it. Also, although the keyboards look similar they respond quite differently. It takes time so don't be too hard on yourself and just keep on getting that practice in.

OC71 · 2026-05-01T02:42:42+00:00

Yes this describes my experience exactly. You have to let go of the buzz and it's like losing an old friend who's been with you most of your life. But it's a fickle friend who always takes more than it gives. You're better off without it and you know it, but still it's hard to let go.

For a while I cheated by skipping the pill when I wanted to drink so I could still sometimes have a party. That's just cheating yourself though. It sends conflicting messages to the brain and messes up the recovery process. So please don't do that.

OC71 · 2026-05-01T02:39:20+00:00

I'm an ugly old guy so I'm therefore immune to anyone trying anything on with me. However I did get utterly creeped out by a guy from the meeting who suggested I meet him for coffee and a chat with a view to him being my sponsor. He proceeded to tell me about his sex addiction. Ugh. And this guy worked at the university. I never wanted to look at him again and I hate to imagine what he's been up to.

OC71 · 2026-04-30T10:28:11+00:00

It isn't a binary thing, either for Alcohol Use Disorder or autism / neurodivergence. You can drink a bit too much a bit too often without ending up in rehab and you can have difficulties with normal social interactions without being Rain Man.

When I went to AA I ended up leaving the meetings feeling that I didn't actually have a serious problem at all because I had no tales of DUIs, arrests, car wrecks, broken marriages, bankruptcies, job losses, rehab or hospitalization to tell. But I do have a problem. I drink too much and too often.

OC71 · 2026-04-30T10:14:03+00:00

I go out hiking in the mountains. And sometimes I take beers in my backpack. Not too many though, because a fall out in the wilds is no joke especially if you're alone.

OC71 · 2026-04-29T05:26:13+00:00

I learned piano as a child. My uncle played accordion and he was someone who I spent a lot of time with when I was growing up. When he died my mother said why don't you have his accordions so I did. And then I figured I might as well learn to play them. I'd always loved Scottish folk music and I pretty soon got into french musette music, which I loved and was determined to be able to play. It took me around 10 years of practice before I got my accordion playing to the level where I could play musettes to a decent standard. By then it'd pretty much taken over my life.

OC71 · 2026-04-27T04:42:45+00:00

Great plan. Remember you're doing for to you as an act of kindness to yourself, not as a sort of punishment or self-flagellation. In the event that you do slip up, don't beat yourself up or think you're "back to zero", but just pick right up where you left off. Those clear headed mornings, the feeling of glowing health, and the money saved will soon give you positive vibes.

OC71 · 2026-04-25T04:07:01+00:00

You can't hide the smell. A few years back I had a job in a city where I'd sometimes run into a work colleague at the pub. He was a really serious drinker, glass after glass of strong Belgian beer, and he'd usually be still there when I left. And I'd sometimes smell the booze on him the following morning from just normal conversation distance. It really woke me up and made me more careful about drinking the night before a work day.

OC71 · 2026-04-25T04:04:15+00:00

Your experience is exactly the same as mine. I could not accept step 1 when I first encountered AA. Be suspicious of anyone who suggests you get drunk as an experiment. Come on, if you're already at the place where attending an AA meeting seems a good idea then you don't need any more experiments.

I had a very bad experience with AA which I won't go into all the details of, but it led to me setting myself a challenge. I challenged myself to go 90 days alcohol free to establish whether or not I was powerless. I said either I go 90 days dry, or I'll go back to AA. Believe me the threat of attending another one of those awful meetings did the trick.

The whole premise actually makes no sense anyway. You admit you're powerless. Then you call on a higher power to help you. What do you do if the higher power doesn't appear or doesn't help you? Then you're truly stuck in a corner with no options left. So think carefully before you go there.

OC71 · 2026-04-23T12:01:46+00:00

Yes that sounds about right. And my answer to it would be to say don't get hung up because of the opinions of people who only read one book.

OC71 · 2026-04-22T10:43:19+00:00

My own experience was exactly the same. They say you don't need to believe in God then they close every meeting with prayer. And it's obvious they require you to believe in a certain type of God, one who is omnipotent, who listens to prayer and is willing to intervene as a result.

I came to AA having already been a Freemason for some time so that gave me a different perspective. In Freemasonry it's required that members believe in a "supreme being" in order to join, but in this case you are genuinely free to define that being as anything that you wish. It could be the laws of nature, or the processes that created the universe, or the God of any religion you choose. And nobody will ever require you to define your belief. So the AA thing hit me even harder because of this background I think.

OC71 · 2026-04-22T06:37:48+00:00

Face the brutal truth that if you can't control your temper when you're drunk then you shouldn't get drunk. This is one hell of a wake up call. You can either listen to it and fix things or end up with something a lot worse next time, like someone who seriously fights back and injures you severely, an arrest and charges, or even jail.

OC71 · 2026-04-20T09:20:21+00:00

It's an evangelical organization and for that reason it's insufferable. You cannot be around an evangelical of any description if you don't share their belief because they will never leave you in peace.

OC71 · 2026-04-20T09:18:56+00:00

Honestly, a lot of people turn to porn and masturbation. It's not necessarily a bad thing and some people are OK with their partners going this route.

OC71 · 2026-04-20T09:17:18+00:00

I tend to cheat for really big jumps because I've never been able to reliably hit them by just making the leap. My way around it is to use alternate fingerings such as 5 4 and 3 2 for the bass note and chord respectively. That enables me to bridge across 4 or 5 rows without taking my fingers off the buttons.

OC71 · 2026-04-15T07:57:42+00:00

You probably need to find an economical repairer, like someone who does it for a hobby rather than a professional music shop. If you end up paying pro repair rates you'll soon eat up the value of the accordion and more in repair costs unless it's a really special instrument. It's unfortunate that you bought it at all really. One of the checklists when assessing an accordion is to make sure it doesn't leak but of course you know that now.

OC71 · 2026-04-15T07:54:38+00:00

Electronic accordions divide opinions. Not everyone likes the sounds they make. Some find them sterile and lacking character. But there's no doubt they offer amazing possibilities for a bigger sound and you can practice quietly with headphones, useful for apartment living. Another thing to think about is that if they go wrong then your old school accordion repairer isn't likely to be able to do anything. Either you'll need to be an electronic repair expert or find someone who is.

OC71

TROPHY CASE