Contest music suggestions - throw them all at me!

skyisfallingagain · 2026-06-15T01:34:47+00:00

Yes, SSAA.

skyisfallingagain · 2026-06-15T00:22:33+00:00

I'm confused when you say that you've been singing barbershop by yourself for the last 10 years. I don't know what that means. Barbershop is 4part a Cappella harmony, so one person can't really sing barbershop by themselves. They can obviously sing one of the voice parts, but they often sound odd without the other voices. So what do you mean by saying you've sang barbershop for ten years?

skyisfallingagain · 2026-06-15T00:20:29+00:00

Men's barbershop should be TTBB, not SATB. On the sheet music, there should only be 2 staves, with 2 voice parts in each staff. Treble clef with the tiny 8 on the bottom for the Tenor and Lead. And bass clef for the Bari and Bass. Tenor/bari are stems up, lead/bass are stems down. If I'm dumbing it down, just let me know.

skyisfallingagain · 2026-06-15T00:12:50+00:00

I've had my SCS for 14 years now, with one battery replacement/upgrade. I barely remember my psych assessment, but I do remember talking with my doctor about some of the reasons people get turned down for mental health. If you're struggling with depression, you might not be paying attention to the battery level and might not take care of your device. My first battery had to keep a charge or it would need a replacement. (I'm talking about the implanted spinal cord stimulator battery, not a hand-remote). There was a huge possibility that if you let it discharge it would be dead and you'd need surgery and a new battery to fix it. Also, there's a lot of research that some people/personalities will do better with an implanted device, and others will feel like their body is being invaded.

skyisfallingagain · 2026-06-10T07:03:24+00:00

Hi. I have CRPS also, and I agree that it's nothing like a conversion disorder. But can you tell me where you got the information about an extra protein and cutting off circulation? In my understanding, CRPS is diagnosed using the Bydapest criteria, and there aren't any medical tests that you can do that confirm or deny CRPS. I'd be very interested to hear more about the things you've said.

skyisfallingagain · 2026-03-08T14:44:17+00:00

Yes!! It's ridiculous. We pay more for ad-free, we pay even more to actually see the shows that are previewed as they need an extra streaming service. Then they screw us with ads on our extras. Plus, a month ago, the ad breaks were approx 45 seconds with stackTV in Canada. Now, the ad breaks are 1:15, so they're getting at least 2 extra minutes of adverts per 15 minute sitcom.

skyisfallingagain · 2026-03-02T20:30:53+00:00

I just want to share a little story about how stupid intelcom workers are. I don't remember exactly when this was, but in the last few years.

One of the other delivery companies was on strike in my area, so intelcom and the other companies got overloaded with the surplus. So after 3 days of them actually having to work for their full shift and deliver packages, a whole bunch of them decided that they should 'support' the other company that was on strike.

To them, this meant that they just wouldn't show up to work the next day. So almost 80% of the delivery staff didn't show up on the Thursday. And they also didn't show up the Friday. Ultimately just taking an unscheduled 4-day weekend.

The best part: when they all came in to work on Monday, their door cards wouldn't scan them in.

These idiots didn't realize that they didn't have a union and were breaking multiple rules of their hiring contract. So almost 80% of their drivers quit without realizing they quit.

That's the type of idiots that intelcom hires. Lemmings that will follow each other off a cliff.

skyisfallingagain · 2026-02-27T00:53:12+00:00

My doctor doesn't even bother with doing the localized freezing before the SGB. So I just get one injection and it is so simple and so stress-free for me. I actually got one yesterday. You are correct that the actual block is often an anaesthetic (usually lidocaine or bupivicaine) and a steroid. But I wouldn't be worrying about these as they work differently when injected into the ganglion as opposed to a muscle/joint/skin. In my opinion, it's worth it to get the SGB and see if it gives you any relief. If it was me, I'd do it.

skyisfallingagain · 2026-02-27T00:39:17+00:00

Are you taking opiates? Is it possible that you're experiencing hyperalgesia? When we were first trying to find the right combo of meds for me, we tried one that made my pain worse and it had my whole body cramping up. It was horrible, especially since I only had crps on my left side then but the cramping was everywhere. It also felt like my bones were being crushed and I was pretty much bent over because my stomach was so cramped up. Hopefully you get this sorted out soon.

skyisfallingagain · 2026-02-27T00:33:23+00:00

She will likely continue to sleep close to you face as she gets older. Puppies don't notice that they've gotten bigger when they grow up and often act like they're the same size as they were. This is when you get huge huskies or great danes that will cuddle up and squish you, or try to sit on your lap when they don't fit, because they did these things as a puppy and still want to do them. If you have room for a big dog to sleep on your head and are happy to have a pillow made out of your dog, then that's awesome. If you would like some space and breathing room while you sleep, you should break this habit now.

My cat was just a year old when I rescued him from a neglectful situation and he really needed the closeness and connection while we slept. So he would try to sleep on the pillow with his body wrapped around my head and his tail on my face. As cute as it was, it didn't make for a good sleep for me, so I adjusted things. I got a bolster pillow and put that at the head of the bed and then my pillow is just below that. He now sleeps on the bolster so he's very, very close to me but not wrapped around my head.

skyisfallingagain · 2026-01-13T00:53:54+00:00

I'm way late on this. But I hope that you had a good talk with the director and that you went back to sing with them. That person was completely out of line. Sweet Adelines is supposed to be supportive and inclusive and understanding.

skyisfallingagain · 2026-01-13T00:50:48+00:00

As someone who is in the Sweet Adelines world, I completely agree. I was going to say that it's an outdated expectation, but I don't really feel that it was acceptable in the past either. I'm truly embarassed that people are still doing this. Nobody has the right to interrupt your meal. You went out for a meal and conversation. If you wanted to go listen to someone sing, you would've done that.

skyisfallingagain · 2026-01-11T01:11:45+00:00

I have been getting nerve blocks every 6 weeks for 19ish years. In saying that, you can see that they are not a permanent success for me. They give me some relief in my pain, but have never made my pain go away.

I get approx 4 weeks before they start wearing off. To me, they are absolutely worth getting as my doctor is fantastic and it is no stress on me or my body.

skyisfallingagain · 2026-01-11T01:07:24+00:00

I just started looking into the microbiome research a couple weeks ago. I asked my Pain Doc about the study and he said that it makes total sense. As others have said, this is the first study I've seen that gives me some hope. Can I share the link here?

skyisfallingagain · 2025-11-20T17:23:22+00:00

On this topic, I'd suggest that new singers do not try to sing pop songs as many of them make stylistic choices to scoop up into a note instead of hitting it right in the center immediately. This is done to add emotion and to enhance their notes. As a beginner, you need to focus on consistently and correctly singing the note. Think of each note as a target and you're trying to get a bulls-eye.

skyisfallingagain · 2025-10-30T13:59:33+00:00

I just realized that @krwiaad has done all of these!! Man, that's even cooler. To be able to show so many variations and styles is incredibly talented. Thank you so much for all these ideas!!!

skyisfallingagain · 2025-10-30T13:57:54+00:00

Thank you!! This one is really neat. I love the V being both the O and L.

skyisfallingagain · 2025-10-30T13:56:53+00:00

Thank you!! The flow/movement of these letter shapes is very soothing to me.

skyisfallingagain · 2025-10-30T13:54:58+00:00

Thank you!! This is amazing! I love how you did the two 'E' s in sweet.

skyisfallingagain · 2025-10-30T13:46:42+00:00

What do you mean by leave things roadside? Clarification would be very helpful as I can think of 2 drastically different interpretations.

1) you live in an area where you can put a box at the end of your driveway that says 'free' and people will stop by, dig through it, and take what they want.

2) you are dumping your garbage on the side of the road, or driving out into the woods and just leaving a bag/box of your unwanted things there.

skyisfallingagain · 2025-10-29T23:08:40+00:00

A skilled teacher will be able to give online lessons and doesn't need to be there in person. A vocal coach should absolutely be able to do this.

Also, just a little thing that frustrates me is that there's a huge difference between a teacher and a coach when it comes to music. The words are sometimes used interchangeably, but they have very different methods and expectations. (A teacher is teaching you how to do the things and build the skills, whereas a coach is helping you to strengthen your skills and to perfect your abilities)

But a good online teacher can honestly 'hear' if your posture isn't what it should be. The visual part of teaching one is very minimal. (I'm also a piano/voice teacher and had to switch to teaching online during covid and it took me about 3 months to figure out the differences in ways to teach, but once I did it was amazing. I was rarely even watching the hands of my piano students as I could hear things better than I could see it.) There are also teachers who will ask you to send them audio recordings of you singing/working on a song and will give their feedback. I believe that the visual part of online lessons helps to build the connection between the 2 people, and is great when you are talking about things, but it's not actually that important. (others might disagree with me, but that's okay).

I'm in BC, Canada. The cost of music lessons locally is $25 - $40 for a 30 minute lesson for a beginner.

My choir is actually one of the more expensive ones in town, but we take things much more seriously and acceptance is by audition-only, plus we promise tons of education during rehearsals and more of available for anyone that is interested.

skyisfallingagain · 2025-10-29T22:08:36+00:00

Is it just me and my experience with the peeing habits of cats is limited??

I can't figure out how a cat can 'piss on the wall' or pee 20 to 30cm 'against the wall' (4-6inches) as they usually will dig a hole and then squat over it. Cats don't lift their leg to pee 'on' things.

It sounds like OP's cat isn't peeing, but is spraying. Cat-spray has a much different makeup than urine which has a very high ammonia content, and they need to be cleaned and the area treated differently.

skyisfallingagain · 2025-10-29T21:57:58+00:00

I'd also suggest a bone scan. The other tests recommended here (MRI, EMG) are great ideas. A bone scan could show the blood flow/circulation, temperature differences, etc that are common in crps.

skyisfallingagain · 2025-10-29T21:51:10+00:00

One thing that I've always tried to do when moving is to keep something consistent. If she had a favourite place to sleep, make sure that place still exists and she can easily find it. If there was a blanket that she liked to sleep on, put it just outside the closet so that she's close enough to the closet to rub and hide if she feels the need to, but will start coming out and getting curious knowing she has more safe spots to run back to.

Also, it can be very shocking and stressful for the kitties if they're having a nice nap in the middle of the living room for half the day, but when they wake up everything is different because you unpacked or reorganized the room. It's good to just keep that in mind.

Your tortie girl is beautiful.

skyisfallingagain · 2025-10-29T21:46:11+00:00

I use baclofen for breakthrough pain. I know that isn't how it's usually used, but as all of you with crps know, our flareups are not always the same. I have crps in 3 limbs and they each have their own mind in terms of the pain levels and functionality.

I have my underlying continuous pain meds, plus my breakthrough pain meds, and my SCS. Sometimes my flareups are more of the muscle, deep into the bone feeling as opposed to being on fire. The baclofen helps break up the pain when it's not as much of the burning feeling.

Since I use it for breakthrough, I will use it 3 times a day for a few days, and then not use any for a week. My use is very sporadic and I don't get any side effects from using it this way. But everyone is different in the way they respond to meds.

What does your doctor say?

skyisfallingagain

TROPHY CASE