Things that cheer you up

[Tim Healys Chutney Spoon]

On 3/2/2025 at 10:31 AM, Tim Healys Chutney Spoon said:

I've decided to do some charity walks this month. I'm well out of shape, totally unfit but I felt I needed to do something and should get off my butt and do it! Had 2 walks totalling around 4.5km so far over 2 days and already I'm feeling better mentally. Just being out walking and listening to music and nature definitely has a lot of benefits which I took with a pinch of salt previously. 

 

With all the crap I have in my life, that short walk to get out the house and give myself some 'me time' is definitely going to help me out in the long run. Although I've targeted 12miles in March in aid of Combat Stress, I really do feel like I'll be doubling that target with ease seeing how relaxed I've felt over the last 2 days. 

Well to bump this up, since the end of June I've lost around 2.5st and am now just above the maximum weight for doing a skydive. After seeing the play 'Living with Luke' about a dad having a son with autism I've decided I'm going to do one to raise money for PACT for Autism. Its given me an incentive and I've got the momentum to make sure I get under the weight limit and stay there! 

 

Oh and also I'm signing up to do the 'Walkie Talkie' stair climb in March for Great Ormond Street. 896 steps...

[SuperBacon]

I can't believe I've never seen this "rap dog" act before.

Incredible do on Steve Harvey as well.

[Chili]

23 minutes ago, SuperBacon said:

I can't believe I've never seen this "rap dog" act before.

Incredible do on Steve Harvey as well.

That was delightful!

[ultimo the great]

This arrest 

 

[lars85]

I put a post in the mental health thread last night, wasn't in a good place. I've had personal replies and replies in the thread. Just wanted to thank all of you. I know the internet and social media can be a cesspool. But this place is honestly one of the nicest and most compassionate. You might not realise it but you've helped more than you realise. I just wanted to big all of you up. Some of the most caring people I could have hoped for when I was in a really dark place. Love you guys.

[Gus Mears]

Andy Murray's potato advert. Which is laughably shit and exactly how I would have booked Andy Murray in a potato advert: Andy throwing potatoes up to serve, Andy doing his fist pump after serving a platter of potatoes to his family.10/10.

[DCW]

Ireland inexplicably beating Portugal 2-0. With the beautiful bonus of Ronaldo's yellow card being rescinded and him being sent off, seconds after he mocked us as crybabies for complaining about his stupid elbow into Dara O'Shea. You don't get many positive moments as an Ireland fan these days!

[Carbomb]

3 minutes ago, DCW said:

Ireland inexplicably beating Portugal 2-0. With the beautiful bonus of Ronaldo's yellow card being rescinded and him being sent off, seconds after he mocked us as crybabies for complaining about his stupid elbow into Dara O'Shea. You don't get many positive moments as an Ireland fan these days!

Being that he's a Trumpcunt, a Peterson fan, and probably a rapist, I'm glad Messi got the last laugh over him.

[DiscoPistol]

Been to the cinema to watch Nuremberg (not the thing that cheered me up) and the new Waitrose Christmas advert was shown.

Full disclosure, I'm not a fan of the festive season, especially not in November, but this actually made me smile. I will therefore be avoiding it until December 23rd when Christmas officially begins.

Judge me if you will, but it cheered me up and so I have no regrets.

Waitrose Christmas Advert

[Carbomb]

It's either the forum or BlueSky (fairly sure it's the latter), but not all links embed because you have to be logged in for some skeets to do show up:

https://bsky.app/profile/soozuk.bsky.social/post/3m5vj5qhw6s2j

 

[Jesse]

Might have told the initial story before, but I went out to San Jose for work last year and met someone I really clicked with immediately - one of the things we bonded over was the desire to be creative. She's been making music for 9 years and encouraged me to do it. Then I came home, we failed to stay in touch, and I stayed in my comfort zone.

A few months ago we crossed paths again and this time we've stayed in touch daily since. Over the weekend I made my first, very short, tracks in Ableton. They're nothing to brag about, there's a lot I still need to learn and my mind gets tired easily and fizzles out, but I've made somethign that actually sounds like music after thinking about doing it for most of my adult life without any progress.

[Carbomb]

Excellent work! Am quite jealous - some years ago, when I was working for a music agency repping club DJs, I got drawn into trying to learn to make music, mostly EDM-type stuff. My mate gave me a copy of Ableton, and I just couldn't get the hang of it. More like Disableton, really. 

Hope to hear some of your output at some point!

[Jesse]

9 hours ago, Carbomb said:

I just couldn't get the hang of it.

Hope to hear some of your output at some point!

Having spent a couple of months with a Novation Launchkey learning how to manipulate oscillators for different sounds has definitely helped me get into the program quicker than I otherwise would have. I'm still very limited in the kind of thing I can do (I tried to replicate a drumline that I heard the other day and gave up in frustration after half an hour, but that's a limitation of my understanding of how music works rather than the program itself).

Right now I'm just making limited things, to get a sense for what settings change a track, and then rendering out when I get stuck. So this is unfinished in the sense that the lead gets really muddy about two-thirds of the way through but I liked everything else and I couldn't fix that part so called it done and I'm going to spend a few more hours in my lessons before I touch it again. 
 

 

[SuperBacon]

That profile photo is bad ass @Jesse!!!

[Tim Healys Chutney Spoon]

Well you know from last year how much I enjoy organising a raffle. Well this year at work at the care home I suggested we do an 'Advent Calendar' raffle for all the residents to join in with. Got loads of brilliant prizes in from various big companies (Harrods, Oddballs, Truestart Coffee, Stansted Airport, etc) and tonnes of stuff from local independent shops too. Decided to keep it simple and £2 a strip or 3 for £5. All the money raised goes to the residents fund which is ringfenced for things like Christmas Dinner out, outings, activities, equipment for social events in the home etc. I said at the start that I'd expect and hope that we'd get maybe £200-£250. 

 

My colleague on reception who's been selling them has just informed me and the rest of the staff we've gone through the £600 mark! To say I'm rather emotional about it is an understatement. So so pleased our residents have a massive pot of money to enjoy and the fact the average prize value is around £65-70 A DAY means that some people will be getting amazing presents for Christmas which is what its all about 

Edited November 28, 2025 by Tim Healys Chutney Spoon