# Who here leads a balanced life as a composer?



## kid-surf (Apr 2, 2006)

What I mean is that I am constantly not getting enough sleep or exercising quite enough (I shouldn't go a week without surfing). Generally my entire life is consumed with composing, and or, all the peripheral stuff that never seems to end. 

How many people here are perpetually burning the midnight oil? 

It seems that every time I chat with a composer it's mentioned how many days they've been up straight through, and such. Anybody found a way to lead a "normal" life while still being a composer? 

I'm not really complaining because, that's just the way this is... at least for me. I can hang with these hours, but I do constantly try and find ways to make it more "normal".


Who here leads a balanced life as a composer? And who here feels they lack a little balance? And why or why not?

Just curious what peoples' take is on the amount of hours everyone seems to work.........


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## Scott Cairns (Apr 3, 2006)

Hey Kid, since I went full-time as a composer, my life has been anything but balanced.

In some ways, my lifestyle is flexible, and I can (to a certain extent) compose when I want to. Deadlines are a different story of course.

But having this seemingly flexible life has brought about other strange things... I never seem to have time to exercise anymore, and now that I work from home, Im not always sure what day of the week it is. I see less of my wife (she's left for a day job by the time I wake up)

And working from home every day, staring at computer screens, lends a sense of being disconnected from the outside world. Im starting to feel like Si the photo guy in One Hour Photo.

Other than that, no adverse effects at all.


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## Waywyn (Apr 3, 2006)

hey kid,

just a few thoughts:

the biggest mistake of composers: i can compose better at night 

sure, the night is quiet and the night has a special magic feeling but all in all your brain is really worn out of the day and even if you have some cool ideas you think it is fantastic and awesome stuff, but to be honest you can get about the same ideas or even hundred times better when you start composing at 10 in the morning.

no matter what anyone is saying, stuff like i am night guy, i am an owl, vampire or whatever. we are humans, humans are living at day, sleeping at night. thats fact. we can turn it around but we don't feel good when we do it.

then you should ask yourself how you manage time. do you often do mails, chat or check out some websites for new stuff during work and composing? how often do you just stop composing and think about something completely else what has to be done, etc.?

then you should really check your schedule, of course some dates and deliveries are limited in time, but when you have to do 20 mins of music for a game, are you telling yourself that you just run down these 20 mins or do you plan how much do every day or week?

for me personally some of this stuff is really hard to do. there is an email coming in, another phone call, then i think about what TC maybe released today or maybe what's new in here or KVR.

at the end of the day i maybe did a lot of work but when i see the sum of the day, i could have been more efficient.

also for me the nutrition is important. of course i like pizza, burgers etc. but i found out that it is much more healthy and "not tired making" when you eat rice and vegetables" ... your mind stays clean, you are not too tired in the morning.

my girlfriend and me did a ayurveda session once (no, no cult or something like it, just some cool life tipps)  .. and there were some pretty cool things they told us.

- if you get up before 9, your mind stays more focused the whole day, even if you get to bed at 2 or 3 or so. you feel clearer, than if you would sleep til 12 or 1 pm

- you should eat until 7 or 8 pm in the evening and should sleep around 10 pm.
if you get later to bed then 10 your body is not able to burn the poisons and everything bad which collected your body over the day. just try it out, you go to bed at 10, get up at 6 in the morning and you feel like a titan. if you eat later then 7 or 8 in the evening the body is not able to digest the whole food really well and all the "poisons" and stuff stay at your body for the whole night.
that's why we feel tired in the morning, but a good thing to think about is, "hey, we slept for xx hours, we shouldn't feel tired."


i just write all this, because most of the time it is us, confusing our own life.
sure, i had some times when i was working a lot and til late, but i found that there no use when composing through the whole night, because the stuff you done isn't half that good you get done with a fresh brain. better go to bed early and get up early and start working again with some fresh thoughts.

believe me, i just write all this like nothing and i am totally aware about all this, but i had a time were i was really living like these ayurveda rules and it really changes my life. you really feel good, you feeling healthy, nothing can blow you away etc.

it is like some drug but all you do is just living at the best and clean way, like your body was made and like it best. ... and no  ... we are not running through our house in yoga cloth singing mantras and waving holysmokes  


just a little hint and a logical sounding thing:
did you ever experience the situation that you got stuck on something and you thought about a problem about hours??

then you went to bed extremely exhausted but after you got up in the morning, the problem you had the night before looked so easy to solve it?

see yourself from the view as you see your computer. what do you do with your machines, when they start to get slow or doing weird things on the screen??? right, you do a reboot (sleep), do a defrag (cleaning and sorting your thoughts) or you do a complete reformat (going to a big big holiday) ... think you get the point


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## Alex W (Apr 3, 2006)

kid-surf @ Mon Apr 03 said:


> Who here leads a balanced life as a composer? And who here feels they lack a little balance? And why or why not?
> .



Interesting topic.

Personally, I'm really lazy. This lazyness generally leads to a lifestyle that others might think of as being a bit "unbalanced" or whatever, but maybe they're just jealous cos I work in my boxer shorts watching porn and drinking beer all day.

I have a regular exercise routine of getting up to go to the fridge every 1/2 hour or so for a refreshing icy cold beverage, or to have a bit of a scratch. I also have a bad posture caused by sitting on an angle so I can reach my modwheel properly.

Amazingly enough, my natural body odor smells like a peach, so I don't have to worry about deodorant. I drive up to the bottlo (liquor store) to buy my weekly case of beer, listening to hip hop really loudly in a rural area where 80's country music is preferred. Also, I stopped shaving 'round about the time last year when I got my mozart tattoo, so I'm nice n hairy now, sorta like Ned Kelly, except fatter and therefore better.

If you think that all of that makes me unbalanced... then maybe you're just jealous too... (yeah... think about it...)


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## CFDG (Apr 3, 2006)

Alex, you lucky guy. 

I have to bend over really hard to reach the modwheel but I can miss it because I'm permanently heavyly drunk, I forgot to shave since 1974 so my tattoo of Bach wearing Motorhead tattoos are hidden. Oh, "boxer shorts"??? "icy cold beverage"?!?!? You lucky b'stard!!! :mrgreen:


More seriously it took me almost 20 years to figure out that composing between 5 in the morning to 1 or 2 pm is the best window for a clear mind and much more efficiency. Of course waking up at 4 isn't easy every day but it almost double my worlkflow. Then I can work half the time I worked before and have half a life...


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## Ed (Apr 3, 2006)

I try to leave the house once and a while.


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## Waywyn (Apr 3, 2006)

Scott Cairns @ Mon Apr 03 said:


> Hey Kid, since I went full-time as a composer, my life has been anything but balanced.
> 
> In some ways, my lifestyle is flexible, and I can (to a certain extent) compose when I want to. Deadlines are a different story of course.
> 
> ...



hehe, but on the other side i have to say, that without my girlfriend it would be very different. usually i am the guy who plays game, goes out and partying etc.

but as soon as you have a girl on your side, life (usually) gets more sorted out, you start to take responsibility, you thinking about things you were never thinking of before etc.

if i wouldn't have my girlfriend i would be lost between night and day with big black rings around the eyes


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## Stephen Rees (Apr 3, 2006)

Waywyn @ Mon Apr 03 said:


> if i wouldn't have my girlfriend i would be lost between night and day with big black rings around the eyes



Welcome to the world of panda-eyed Stephen Rees.


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## Ed (Apr 3, 2006)

Waywyn @ Mon Apr 03 said:


> my girlfriend


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## PaulR (Apr 3, 2006)

I left the house for a 2 mile walk - but then I came back again.


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## Christian Marcussen (Apr 3, 2006)

I figure that not seeing too many real people is one of the percs?


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## Ed (Apr 3, 2006)

PaulR @ Mon Apr 03 said:


> I left the house for a 2 mile walk - but then I came back again.



How far did you get?


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## PaulR (Apr 3, 2006)

Ed @ Mon Apr 03 said:


> How far did you get?



Well - 2 miles obviously. Mind you - I never left the grounds.


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## Waywyn (Apr 3, 2006)

Ed @ Mon Apr 03 said:


> Waywyn @ Mon Apr 03 said:
> 
> 
> > my girlfriend



huh?


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## Ed (Apr 3, 2006)

Waywyn @ Mon Apr 03 said:


> Ed @ Mon Apr 03 said:
> 
> 
> > Waywyn @ Mon Apr 03 said:
> ...



No one wants to hear about your perfect life!!!! :lol:


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## Thonex (Apr 3, 2006)

Waywyn @ Mon Apr 03 said:


> Scott Cairns @ Mon Apr 03 said:
> 
> 
> > but as soon as you have a girl on your side, life (usually) gets more sorted out, you start to take responsibility, you thinking about things you were never thinking of before etc.



Now... make that girlfriend into a wife... and add some 2 & 4 year old children with health insurance (not paid for by government in the US), life insurance, a mortgage, schools and your life becomes really responsible. :roll: :smile: Now I'm trying to find more time to compose... because so much of the day is being taken up by family responsibilities. 

Good thing my job is writing music, or else I'd never be able to get into my studio.

T


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## Waywyn (Apr 3, 2006)

hehe, yes, that's why i wrote START to take responsibility 
i know what comes along when there will be kids and all this insurance fuck.

hehe, yeh perfect live, where does it start, when it is perfect. i think i would say my is perfect so far, because everyone has money-issues, everyone has trouble here and there, i assume we all have heavy discussions with our girls here and there  ... but that's what it makes perfect, doesn't it?


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Apr 3, 2006)

I have a pretty balanced life. Then again, I don't have any work right now! :mrgreen: When I do have a gig, I work from about 10 am - 7 pm, with lots of little breaks, walks in the hood, etc. Also, if I really go nuts for a few weeks or months, I reward myself with some down time in the sun, either in the woods or on a beach somewhere.

Seriously though, I do exercise 3 times a week, at 7:30 am (squash or tennis). I know it's early, but it means that nothing really gets in the way of this exercise time. It helps to have a sports partner though. I don't think I would do as much if I was doing a solo sport like jogging, for eg.

I'm also married, so my wife reminds me to eat well. :lol:


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## Waywyn (Apr 3, 2006)

yeh, i am really happy that i have a buddy here who is canadian and is a crazy bike driver  ... so it should be more fun to cruise through hamburg and get some little fresh air.


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## drasticmeasures (Apr 3, 2006)

There is definately not any balence in what we do. Especially if your working in film/tv with deadlines.

The closest my life comes to balence is when there is no deadline, and even then it could barely be called balence.

From a purely physical standpoint, I'm better at it now than I used to be. I try to be home for dinner most nights. Spend some enitre evenings with my wife.
However, in my head, much of the time I'm thinking of better themes, how to solve a dramatic problem, how many minutes a day I have to write to finish on time, WWWSGD (What Would Williams, Silvestri, or Goldsmith Do), etc. My wife has even caught me writing in my head when were out.

It seems that the A guys don't have much balence either - and any that they do have is becuase of the assistants/ghost writers.


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## fictionmusic (Apr 3, 2006)

Me!


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## Doug Wellington (Apr 3, 2006)

Hmmm, define "balanced"... I balance several obsessions in my life!  Interestingly, when I'm doing any one particular thing, I seem to forget about everything else. Doesn't matter whether it's the music, playing with the kids, mountain biking, road biking, woodworking, martial arts or programming computers...

Tell me about this concept "sleep". I've heard mention of this before...


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## TheoKrueger (Apr 3, 2006)

I am reconsidering my life lately, i had been so close to music for so long that i had forgotten what made me enjoy music and want to write it in the first place. My body and mind where slowly decaying from the night-shifts, the ciggaretes, sitting down, no outside influences... and i'm only 23. No more of that self damaging nonsense.

A break from music can do so much good. A nice long walk can clean up your brain and get it running much more efficiently, even hearing your footsteps becomes inspiration after a while. The forest, nature, new sounds, people, things moving.. All those are absent when you are locked up in a room squeezing your head for another melody. You get sick. A "rolling stone gathers no moss" they say, you gotta be as active as possible or else you become moldy.

The internet is very bad as well when overused, it's like a Television, you just get served information on a screen while real life is passing by. Not even 1000 threads on a forum can replace a good conversation with a real person, even if he is not a musician.

The point is, if you only do one thing you inevitably become one-sided and neglect the importance of everything else. Going out there and doing more things will make you appreciate music, it will give you more inspiration and you will become more interested in your health as you will want to be healthy to enjoy the future. 

"Pouring" yourself into your creations is good, but if you are unhealthy and have nothing to be inspired from, your music will be also like that.

Beeing active is what brings balance and health.


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## Frederick Russ (Apr 3, 2006)

TheoKrueger @ Mon Apr 03 said:


> Beeing active is what brings balance and health.



So true. Finding balance can help stimulate better compositions. Friends help - both onine and the ones you see.

I think the key to finding balance is moderation and redefining what's most important in life. Sure it gets crazy when a deadline is looming. But experiences can help lend to the overall creative stimuli. Denying oneself the simple pleasures of a springtime walk or bike ride is like denying oneself the ability to write in any key. Diversity in experiences can also lead to creative diversity musically in my opinion - also with moderation.


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## Scott Cairns (Apr 3, 2006)

Good points guys. I had an acting teacher once that would say; "to become a better actor, you must experience life" or something like that.

I think the same applies to composers, our life experience seeps into our compositions.


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## kid-surf (Apr 3, 2006)

Good stuff guys.... just wanted to see where you guys were at.

Right now I'm sort of at a point were I could use a vacation... like 2 weeks surfing everyday, like 3 times a day, just lay'n on the beach all day and surfing. Eat, drink, surf, repeat (all day for two weeks). That is so cleansing you can't even imagine. That's what recharges my battery.

I think I'm in a particularly tough section simply because the waves have sucked for so long here in LA, so I haven't surfed in over a month. Puts a surfer in a REALLY bad mood. :mrgreen: 

*Scott* -- Like you, I never know what day of the week it is. Let alone what month it is. I mean I know what "two days from now" means, but we don't really need to know what day of the week that is. So long as we get it there it two days, right?


*Nathan* -- what's up dude. Yeah, sometimes I wonder if there's any (A/B list) composer out there that has a genuinely balanced life. It really is a struggle because, right, you look at how much time you have to write something, maybe you think "hmmmm, it looks like I only have X amount of hours to sleep for the next few days". And even when you do take a break it's hard not to think about it. I always make food and bring it back to the writing position... it's too hard to just 'sit there' and eat. You know, stuff like that........

I think I'd have more "life" if there wasn't so much peripheral stuff. 


Then again, I LOVE writing music so it's hard for me to stop working. 


The one thing I do know is where my absolute limit is. But I think I get too close to it too often. So I sit here thinking is this 'normal' for all composers? I mean I know this is a crazy business but still wonder if there are composers who can shut it down to where this is more like a 9-5.


*fictionmusic* ---- Glad you found balance. I'm working on it.


*Alex* ---- Good words. Yeah I'm working on it. I too often say "well, I can sleep tomorrow, I can surf tomorrow". I need to make it more important. But when I go out on the weekends.... I definitely have a good time. That's one thing I like to keep in a rhythm. The weekends. (when possible)





Oh.................... and all this stuff is why I _DO NOT_ want to learn scripting for K2. Fuck it... let me know when it's for sale. Any free time I'm surfing.


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## Christian Marcussen (Apr 4, 2006)

In general i'm really _happy_ with my life - but is it balanced? Physicaly no - too much sitting on my ass staring at computerscreens. I have far too little time to excercise - the time I have away from my computers are spend with my GF and kid. 

However I really like it. I guess I'm also lucky since my employer likes me and I started so early on my current project that i'm way ahead of any deadlines and only need to compose some 12 minutes a month to stay afloat. So life is good.. very few things I would change.

And as I said... working from home and not being annoyed by collegues or managers is a perc :D


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## Waywyn (Apr 4, 2006)

Christian Marcussen @ Tue Apr 04 said:


> And as I said... working from home and not being annoyed by collegues or managers is a perc :D



definitely!!!


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## PaulR (Apr 4, 2006)

Christian Marcussen @ Tue Apr 04 said:


> I have far too little time to excercise -D



Today will be good day for exercise. In a minute, I will get into my car and go to a studio - then I will come back to mine - then back to the first studio - and then come back to mine. 

So I'll be getting in and out of the car quite a few times. So a major calorie burn today.


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## Christian Marcussen (Apr 4, 2006)

I just went upstairs and to the kitchen to get some breakfeast. I imagine thats all the calories I'll be burning today - however dont underestimate the calories you burn from using you mouse, playing a few tunes, or the frustration with waiting for you 214 miditrack peice to open. It all counts in the long run :D


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## Stephen Rees (Apr 4, 2006)

Christian Marcussen @ Tue Apr 04 said:


> I just went upstairs and to the kitchen to get some breakfeast.



Time to move to a house where the kitchen and your studio are on the same floor. Preferably in adjacent rooms. Plenty of studio space to accommodate bags of munchies, nibbles and treats is always good too.


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## Christian Marcussen (Apr 4, 2006)

Actually I have a mini kitchen down here - no fridge or waterboiler. But once I get that waterboiler I can make my coffe down here, which would save me quite a few trips.


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## Waywyn (Apr 4, 2006)

actually the cool thing between the loading times is to push some weights or do some stuff with all these little muscle trainers, like flexibar etc.

it finally gives me the feeling that i did something for my body


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## Christian Marcussen (Apr 4, 2006)

LOL - amazing - I actually did that. I thought it was just me :D


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## Daryl (Apr 4, 2006)

Stephen Rees @ Tue Apr 04 said:


> Time to move to a house where the kitchen and your studio are on the same floor. Preferably in adjacent rooms. Plenty of studio space to accommodate bags of munchies, nibbles and treats is always good too.


Actually that's a really bad idea. It's almost as bad as having the DAW connected to the Internet. Imagine being able to take mini breaks from working (read "be lazy") and having food, drink and forums available, all without leaving your seat. The only thing worse would be having a colostomy bag as well...!

D


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## Daryl (Apr 4, 2006)

Christian Marcussen @ Tue Apr 04 said:


> Actually I have a mini kitchen down here - no fridge or waterboiler. But once I get that waterboiler I can make my coffe down here, which would save me quite a few trips.


No, you need those trips for the exercise......

D


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## Christian Marcussen (Apr 4, 2006)

I really ought to disconnect from the net.. _every_ time I press play and listen my stuff through in the sequencer I check forums... Bad, bad habbit :D



> No, you need those trips for the exercise......



Yes, mom :oops:


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## Stephen Rees (Apr 4, 2006)

Daryl @ Tue Apr 04 said:


> Stephen Rees @ Tue Apr 04 said:
> 
> 
> > Time to move to a house where the kitchen and your studio are on the same floor. Preferably in adjacent rooms. Plenty of studio space to accommodate bags of munchies, nibbles and treats is always good too.
> ...



You are right. That would be awful. Really awful. Thank goodness I never ever ever do that ever.


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## Toxeen (Apr 4, 2006)

True words from all over the place. Fitness and sports are moreover important. Especially for people whose job is to sit on a (hopefully modest) chair all day long. Do some easy muscle training (sit- and pushups), take care of your daily feeding and your real environment.

Guess, there are guys around, writing "better" songs, bearishly thinking about death, final armageddon, dark bloody hell and kinda evil things :shock:

Well, try to keep smiling. Laughing enriches your soul and mental spirits. A humorous mood works even better. Well, at least for me.


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## Doug Wellington (Apr 4, 2006)

Anybody ever read Stephen Covey's _First Things First_ book? I found it useful as a general way of categorizing things. Basically, you create a grid of four squares. The top row is things that are important. The bottom row is things that aren't. The left column is things that are urgent and the right column is things that aren't. If we number them from left to right, top to bottom, then quadrant 1 is things that are important and urgent, quadrant 2 is important, but not urgent, 3 is not important, but urgent (phone ringing, email coming in... :wink: ) and 4 is not important and not urgent ("couch potato"). Simplistically Covey's thesis is that most of us bounce back and forth between quadrants 1 and 4, but we should really strive to live in quadrant 2 where we take care of important things before they become urgent. Make sense?


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## PaulR (Apr 4, 2006)

Toxeen @ Tue Apr 04 said:


> True words from all over the place. Fitness and sports are moreover important. Especially for people whose job is to sit on a (hopefully modest) chair all day long. Do some easy muscle training (sit- and pushups), take care of your daily feeding and your real environment.
> 
> Guess, there are guys around, writing "better" songs, bearishly thinking about death, final armageddon, dark bloody hell and kinda evil things :shock:
> 
> Well, try to keep smiling. Laughing enriches your soul and mental spirits. A humorous mood works even better. Well, at least for me.



You're German aren't you?

:lol:


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## PaulR (Apr 4, 2006)

Doug Wellington @ Tue Apr 04 said:


> Anybody ever read Stephen Covey's _First Things First_ book?



Or even The Machine Stops by E M Forster.


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## kid-surf (Apr 4, 2006)

One thing I should maybe say here is that I too am a very happy person.... I'm not depressed or anything. I love this gig, I love creating music, and I generally have a pretty great life.. which I'm happy about. But the hours this gig takes (at least for me) seem a little goofy at times. I think you sort of have to be a bit obsessive about music in order to get anywhere, then maintain. But it is tricky trying to find the right balance.

Honestly though, I couldn't do this without my view. I'm too much of an outside person to not have wall to wall windows. 

Doug ---- yes that does make sense. Good thought.

ps .... I was gonna make myself surf today but it's raining and windy. :-( Which means the waves will be shit (otherwise I don't mind surfing in the rain). I think my real gripe here is that the waves have sucked ass for months. :mrgreen:


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## Hermitage59 (Mar 8, 2007)

Going on what i've read so far, i feel a lot better.....
Write at night, wake up near midday, go to the national music library and study, until about 4 or 5, come home. 2 trams and the metro gets me there, and i get to enoy the view as well. The Kremlin and Alexandra Park's almost next door, so if it's sunny, i head over there for a walk if the legs need stretching.
(Russia is also the land of the princess, so there's plenty to enjoy in a stroll.)

I only know the days, from the opening hours on the library door.


Alex.


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