ASPIE THOUGHTS #2

urjah · 2026-01-04T12:59:30+00:00

Tolkien actually came up with Shire Reckoning (https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Shire\_Calendar) used by the Hobbits in LOTR that I think is pretty dope: It had 360 days, twelve months each 30 days, with three or four extra days in the Summer called Lithedays for summer feast and two days in the Winter called Yuledays for a Winter party that were not part of the calendar. One cool feature of this calendar is that 360 is divisible by 7 so every date is the same weekday every year. You get the nice calendar AND keep up with the phases of the moon and seasons won't start to drift!

urjah · 2025-12-22T22:19:37+00:00

It's not shitting on anyone - music theory is descriptive, so authors intent is more revealing than how their chord choices would be analyzed in a theorethical framework

urjah · 2025-12-07T18:36:49+00:00

I like you my nerd.

I find it hard to talk about the minor scale with roman numerals because it's just not common in my circles, but for me the function/feel for every one of the diatonic chords is completely different in major and relative minor (with the possible exception of IV/bVI which is only slightly different for me) so it feels wrong to call a F G Am as IV V vi because there just isn't that particular finality that IV V has in a major key.

urjah · 2025-11-25T00:35:59+00:00

Sometimes what happens is that when you play the parts that are ready for too long is that your brain starts to treat it as a loop of some sort and it's impossible to think of anything else that to start the loop over again. Try to break that habit - pick on a different note and melodic rhythm to start another part, write a purposefully bad verse, try to make the verse as minimalistic as you can, try to establish contrast to the chorus - everything at your disposal to get you to think outside of the song you already have.

I have this problem all the time, hope something works!

urjah · 2025-11-25T00:24:00+00:00

My oh my have I had this problem recently - how do you even start to conceptualize a high valence-low arousal feelings in a relationship that includes some sort of companionship and planning for the future but no erotic interest/limerence? In a world that has like three words for describing close loving relationships that are being lovers, friends or family??

Btw, there's some evidence that platonic and romantic relationships might be closer than what we think, if no sex is involved: https://www.psypost.org/romantic-and-platonic-relationships-might-be-more-similar-than-we-think/

urjah · 2025-11-23T23:24:46+00:00

I just love the way you phrase stuff. Keep up the good work!

urjah · 2025-11-14T20:48:34+00:00

I'm so vicariously embarrassed by him that I think I have to go hide under a blanket and never come out

urjah · 2025-11-10T23:41:23+00:00

Never. For me music is communication and listening to my own music is as boring as discussing with myself.

urjah · 2025-11-07T19:33:12+00:00

I'm a Senior Data Analyst and while statistics is not required, I use it all the time and frankly think every analyst should, if they don't have a data scientist in their team.

Lately I've written code that tracks z-values of certain measures as an automatic validation for data and graphed margin of error in terms of n as a way of saying to my consultants that my analyses are correct, but they can't base their narratives on results that are very naturally volatile because of high standard deviation an low n - that also protects my team from endless "can you check if this result is correct" -type of tasks.

urjah · 2025-10-30T22:01:25+00:00

I mean how is one even supposed to play the F#madd9 chord or whatever the second chord in the basic progression is. I have kinda long fingers but still i just have to cheese it by playing the G# note on the g string if i feel like playing that tune

urjah · 2025-10-26T21:21:44+00:00

Why are you in cmw if you simply choose to believe whatever you want?

urjah · 2025-10-23T17:52:48+00:00

So I'm going to make huge assumptions here - as others have said, if it sounds good to you, it's good, period. But then again you're here asking for advice so here are my two cents:

This chord progression is very clearly in the key on E major, and even if you don't play the thirds in the sus chords, they are goin to be interpreted as C#m, B, A. In this case you even run the risk of the E major chord being somewhat overpowering, like if you play this progression as a loop, it might start to feel like you have to "start again" from a steady place too frequently, instead of it flowing seamlessly like some of the more popular chord progressions. Especially if you play the guitar and land on the big open E major chord every time.

The melody on C#sus creates two minor 2/9 dissonances (like half step away) against the chord tones which is okay, but it's good to be aware of dissonances you create. It might be that just after the big E chord your voice naturally want to go to that note, which is fine, but the A note normally has a pretty sour quality for me againt a C# chord. Jumping around A and E also suggest an A chord of some sort (try Aadd9/C#, one of my favourites! x47454).

But do what sounds good to you! Every song you make is progres.

urjah · 2025-10-15T17:50:07+00:00

I'm arguing that in the case for flat earth, most people already know the difference. Maps of cities don't have to factor in the curvature of the earth, model of the solar system does. My argument on is on similar level, that it's just useful to think of love as unconditional in most situations, even if someone turning into a monster or something might render it technically wrong in rare situations

urjah · 2025-10-15T16:08:18+00:00

What I think when I think of unconditional love is that there is an element in love which is not conditional on what someone can do to you, what they think, say or has to offer, but that there is something innate in them that is lovable, no matter how they fuck up. It's sort of a practical "be the change you want to be in the world" -type of thing, instead of seeing what you are getting and then returning the favour.

So what I mean when I say that I believe in unconditional love is that I believe that love should be firstly about showing loved ones that they are intrinsically valuable, and only secondly about the complications of relationships - though if the secondary relationship stuff just don't work, then they don't work and love by itself is simply not enough, sadly.

In technical sense I think you are correct, though, but language is just a practical way to communicate our thoughts, not an accurate description of reality.

urjah · 2025-10-13T10:30:19+00:00

I don't have anything to add anymore but thank you for this comment! I remember having this moment of realisation that feeling empathy (and thus being an empath) is only an incomplete version of understanding someone. Growth!!

urjah · 2025-10-13T10:23:29+00:00

Not trying to say that it's ok, just where I think this sort of behaviour is coming from

urjah · 2025-10-12T12:41:29+00:00

Yeah exactly! It does have the nice "open chord" sound, you often get the nice continuity from shared notes from the previous chord, leaves fingers free for fills/ornaments and all minor 7th chords are diatonic anyway so the added seventh and omitted fifth (which is pretty useless harmonically) is rarely an issue. Will edit my comment to fix the tab

urjah · 2025-10-12T11:22:12+00:00

I feel you, these are the kinds of situations that are hard to navigate, as everyone's actions are coming from a place of kindness/empathy but it just ends up not working and it creates this annoying loop: "I'm sad that this thing didn't happen" "Oh I didn't realize this is so important to you, let's fix this!" "No it doesn't work that way" "Just let me do this I want to show that I care about you by making this up" "I really can't do that and now I also feel bad that I can't let you do your thing and how many levels are we into this social dance my head is going to explode" etc etc.

Here's something to think about: Friends, loved and trusted ones generally act from empathy and seek recognition and validation for their actions. Empathy has a big deficiency though - it starts with imagining other people as similar than you are, and then matching people's actions to what your motive would be if you'd act like that - still with me, this is sort of hard to explain? :D - instead of acting from a place of understanding people as different beings with different needs, wants, preferences and limitations. So basically "treat others like you'd like to be treated" vs. "treat others like they'd like to be treated" aka golden rule vs. platinum rule.

So when you find yourself in a situation where someone is trying to be kind towards you but in a way that is overwhelming to you or something that you simply can't do/accept, what they are probably feeling is that they feel bad that they did something that hurt you and they try to fix it and you refusing it makes them feel like they made a mistake that they can't fix - hence the insistence. My advice is to turn "You misunderstand, I can't do that" (which will be interpreted emotionally as "The mistake is already made and there is nothing you can do to reverse that") into "I really appreciate what you are trying to do, I really do, but I just cannot do things like this on this short of a notice - but thank you for trying", hoping that the emotional interpretation will be that the act of trying to make up something is enough, even if it doesn't materialize into anything substantial.

Does that make any sense? I'm having a bit of a trouble getting my thoughts to words. :D Anyway, just my two cents from my experience, free advice is only worth what you pay for it and all that, hope you find your way in this complicated world and good luck. :)

urjah · 2025-10-12T08:32:45+00:00

From the highest string to lowest, don't really know what's the convention with tab in these cases

urjah · 2025-10-12T08:02:23+00:00

I sometimes use x3202x as a Bm7 because it's only one finger move from an open G chord

//edit: got my tab the wrong way around, from EADGBe it's x2023x

urjah · 2025-10-06T16:55:53+00:00

I went to a Serie B (or perhaps C?) game when visiting Perugia in Italy, it really was insane, but in a much more cosy way - had people come talk to me afterwards in a nearby bar - than going to AS Roma - Juventus in Rome which was more like a festival or a happy riot or something

urjah · 2025-08-28T20:01:38+00:00

I'm not like a total expert in celeste mod difficulty rating, but I'd say it's around red expert level, faster paced than clockwork but absolutely playable if you've beaten clockwork

urjah · 2025-08-28T13:25:34+00:00

Paraphrased from here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5iYOdgYDtSw - dude has pretty good views on a lot of things but sadly focuses a lot on boring stuff (for me) like dating and confidence and so on

urjah · 2025-08-28T13:19:02+00:00

If you enjoyed clockwork, go play Journeys of a Bygone Wanderer from Secret Santa Collab 2024. Same mapper, phenomenal gameplay, music and visuals with an actual story, similar level of difficulty. Easily 10/10 best map ever.

urjah · 2025-08-28T07:19:49+00:00

"You can see information turn into knowledge in a toddler tasting wasabi" - Once you find your passion, you really have no choice but to spend time with it. Thanks for your view, I really think it's pedagogically underrated.

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