Yes, I do bear a grudge.

We had a guy come to fix our computer a few weeks back. The problem? I'd set up an email address for Shelley which she then decided she didn't want. It's a Google email and it has since taken over just about everything on our computer and our phones. It even controls this blog! The computer guy was from an outfit with a name like Horses for Courses.

They show up at your place,
on a horse, to fix your computer.

He spent about 45 minutes on the computer and told me it was all fixed and I paid $137.

The problem is it wasn't, as I found out the next day when I used the computer.

Lots of dialogue followed between me and the very friendly and concerned people at Horses for Courses. I sent a few emails and finished up getting an email from some manager in Auckland. I'd been a bit terse in a couple of emails - these emails were assisted by a couple of Chardonnays. I felt guilty so I sort of reneged and sort of said, "Let's just forget it." 

I think they were happy with that result. The people I communicated with seemed to really care, but not enough to face up to the fact that I'd paid $170 for nothing. Now I feel a bit pissed off.

* * *

Remember that incident where I got into trouble with a relative and had to delete  some posts? The whole thing started when I was told by a woman who didn't play the violin that I knew nothing about playing the violin. I made a few jokes about this on my blog.

Well, it happened to me again in a music shop a few days ago. The lady on this occasion worked in the music shop. This lady was a flautist but her sister played the violin. This relationship with her sister was enough for her to tell me what I was saying about playing without a shoulder rest was wrong. Please understand, she'd never experienced playing a violin with or without a shoulder rest but she was convinced that she knew more than someone who had experienced both over quite a few years. 

* * *

It's important not to talk shit about stuff you have no practical experience in. It's also important to be honourable in business and not just put up a big 'I care' lie.

I'm off to practise my violin now. It's going pretty well (today is day 15 in my four month plan) and practice (thoughtful practice) certainly makes you better. My intention was to try to do 3 hours a day, but I'm hanging around 2 at the moment. Who knows? I might make 3 today if I don't get too many interruptions. I don't expect anybody to really care and I do expect I'll get quite a bit of advice on my journey. The prize is that, if I get to play Caprice No. 24 well, as a famous bassists once said, "Funk is its own reward."