I started when I was in 5th grade and I still don't feel like where I want to be. Honestly, I think dissatisfaction with your current skill level is just a part of the arts for a lot of people. :)
I mostly agree with you, but I think it takes a little time to be able to play in something resembling the right rhythm. New players often struggle with changing chords (even 2 note power chords) quickly enough to play something that sounds musical.
But yeah, people would be surprised with how quickly you can learn to be a basic-but-functional guitarist.
In the end of the day, we have digital security for the same reason we have physical security, like a lock on your door. You can take a horse to water but you can't make them drink, so let him learn the hard way.
Nice! I think the faded green looks pretty cool. I'm jealous.
If I were you I'd make up some kind of decal to put on the headstock, because I always feel like they look slightly strange blank.
Also I'd probably go with a vintage white pickguard at some point too, as the bright white stands out too much against all of the other vintage-looking stuff.
Bullshit... The billionaire oligarch class steals everything that we've made and seizes the means of production, and we are supposed to be satisfied with table scraps leaving us with, at best, barely what we need to survive?
Fuck off. I'd rather have Universal Basic Pitchforks.
Pretty sure the masters of gaslighting are the Republicans who have spent the last month telling us that the innocent people they're murdering and disappearing in the streets of America are "domestic terrorists" orchestrating a "massacre".
Do what you want, but in that case I think it's even more important for language learners to learn from actual human speakers than to rely on AI as a crutch. You'll learn English faster if communicate authentically, mistakes and all.
If what you're communicating isn't clear, then people will let you know and ask you follow-up questions, giving you the opportunity to improve.
Honestly, it kind of depends how well you know this person and what kind of relationship you have, but I think it's best to take the "Yes, and..." approach.
If you like or care about this person, then definitely don't rudely interrupt them to shut them down by telling them that you already know what they're saying. Obviously you don't have to pretend like you don't know... But people want to feel like what they're saying matters, so give them the small win of hearing them out, and then affirm them and add something to what they're saying of you can.
So, here's an example of what you probably shouldn't do:
A: "So the other day I was watching a video on painting and I found out that if you mix blue and yellow you--"
B: "Green. You get green. I know that. I know everything about mixing colors. Everybody knows that."
What would be better in most cases, would probably be something like.
A: "So the other day I was watching a video on painting and I found out that if you mix blue and yellow you get green. And mixing blue with red will give you purple."
B: "Yeah, totally! And red and yellow gives your orange, right? And I've heard it's also a good idea to have warm and cool versions of all of the primaries, so that you can get more mixing varieties."
So, you're both listening and affirming what the other person is saying, and then demonstrating that you know a bit about this too by adding to it. You're not making A feel useless, stupid or unappreciated. You're not making yourself look like a rude jerk or a know-it-all.
Obviously it depends heavily on who you're talking to and what your relationship is. (Some people who are friends love to talk shit to each other for fun, and in that kind of relationship you probably don't need to be as careful about hurting the other person's feelings.)
Generally speaking, though, it's good to remember that a conversation isn't just about you exchanging information with another person, and so it's important to consider how other people feel when you talk to them, in my opinion.
If I were you I'd focus almost entirely on getting almost any job and making friends somewhere.
Whether we like it or not, in this world, money is our ticket to independence. Whatever you do or wherever you end up going, you're going need some kind of regular income to survive.
A job will take up some of your time and get you out of the house and away from these people. Friends will do the same.
The cost of living is expensive, and having some kind of friends and roommates who you like and trust is an invaluable asset to living a stable and happy life right now. Even with a decent job it can be hard to afford to live on your own, so having a couple decent roommates makes things a lot easier. Some people (like myself) are lucky enough to have a great family as a support network, but you're going to need to lean into friends. If you have some decent friends online who are interested in maybe being roommates, that might point you in a solid direction of where you can go next.
Your brother and dad sound potentially like psychopaths and/or sociopaths.
It's one thing to like violence in media, but once you start bringing violence into your life against animals and people, it is a massive red flag that this person is not alright and is potentially very dangerous.
I think it would be in your best interest to figure out a way to put as much distance as possible between your family and you. That might mean getting a job if you don't have one already, making trustworthy and kind friends in your area who might be willing to be your roommate, putting physical distance between you and them by moving somewhere else, filling your free time with activities outside of the house, and so on.
(Also, if you can get any pets or animals to a safe place, then I highly recommend doing it as soon as you can.)
Mom and Dad were authoritarian parents who never gave us comfort or affection. They were very impatient and demanding. Dad would physically and verbally abuse us. Mom would do nothing to intervene. Even when he threw a goddamn toddler across the living room.
While this isn't normal or right, it's also sadly more common than it should be. So many kids are raised in bad or abusive situations and it's fucking awful.
I'm sorry that you grew up in such rough circumstances, and I hope that you're able to cope and find peace with it as you grow further into adulthood. You can't really fix your past, but what you can do is work towards creating the future for yourself and for the people that you love that is significantly better than what you were given as a child.
From a young age I became intensely sexually attracted to receiving nurture and affection. This created far fewer awkward moments than one might think, thanks to the environment I lived in, but it led to paralyzing insecurities later since it was a behavior my parents never exhibited and mainstream pornography didn't showcase it.
While you're understandably being a little vague about this, it sounds like you're saying you have a kink, right?
Well, kinks are by definition atypical, right? But as long as they only involve consenting adults engaging in reasonably safe activities, then there is absolutely nothing inherently wrong or unethical about them.
As someone in the kink space myself, I think that as long as what you're into is consensual, ethical, responsible and legal, then just let your freak flag fly and embrace that side of yourself. (Of course, if your kink is ethically or legally problematic, it goes without saying that you ought to get professional help with that before hurting yourself and others.)
Kink can be just as core to a person's sexuality as any other preference or orientation, in my view, so there's very little point to fighting against it or letting it drag you down a spiral of shame and self-negativity. Instead, I think the vast majority of kinky people are much better off accepting and embracing their unique interests, meeting other people in that space (for fun, but also just to know that you aren't alone), and enjoying yourself. It's much easier said than done, of course, but it's worth the emotional investment to try.
There's a lot more to human sexuality than what "mainstream porn" offers, and I promise you that whatever niche thing you're into, you can absolutely 100% find other people who share that interest.
I believed that nobody would ever like me because I was sensitive and wanted care and was shamed for those things. I struggled with masculine gender roles and felt like I was unwanted by the world. I became suicidal and wanted other people to hurt me.
I'm so sorry that you've been through all of this emotional turmoil.
Being a "man" isn't about being tough, violent, angry, driving a big truck or being full of rage... It's about being a good father, husband, boyfriend, son, uncle, mentor, teacher, protector, citizen, etc. You dad and your brother don't know the first fucking thing about it, frankly.
You really need to put some distance between the bad people in your life and go out and meet some good people, because they do exist. You will absolutely find that there are kind, loving, caring, protective, empathetic, responsible, thoughtful, and just decent people out there.
Unfortunately, you have to put in some extra effort to find them while getting away from the assholes in your life, but you will find them I promise.
Bonjour, indeed.