Are you feeling a bit of a failure in life? Not so fast! Here are two incidents that will cheer you up - hey, there are worse things happening out there!

 INCIDENT 1.

The Religious Curmudgeon (Really The Curmudgeon dressed up with a pillow up his front and a funny little hat).

The Religious Curmudgeon writes a post. He's taking aim at another blogger.

Read here...

Okay, cast your eyes on this bit at the bottom...

No Comments:

The request in the bottom line went unheeded.

I mean, he could have written an anonymous one himself.

Well, that was a wasted post. Ah, but I guess it's proofreading practice for the old guy. If he does, in fact, attempt to proofread.

INCIDENT 2.

Richard (of RBB) plays a solo violin gig (with backing tracks).

He is asked by the 'leader' of a group of older people staying a little north of Bulls (in a posh house in the country) to play some violin while dinner is slowly being prepared. 

Some people are preparing dinner, some are in a nearby swimming pool, two old blokes are playing a game where you throw a round thing onto a poking up stick and a couple of people are sitting drinking nearby. It looks to be a pretty relaxed gig. Richard (of RBB) plays some Bossa Nova pieces and some swing tunes from memory. He also throws in a couple of Irish tunes when they are requested by an Irishman who doesn't seem keen on Jazz.

He plays for almost an hour. Then he is stopped by a guy who requests a particular Neil Diamond tune. Richard (of RBB) says that he doesn't really know it. The guy is determined and offers his phone to be plugged into the small sound system. He evidently wants Richard (of RBB) to be replaced by recorded music. Richard (of RBB) obliges and puts his violin away. 

Now, whether he was playing well or badly, Richard (of RBB) feels insulted. This sort of thing doesn't normally happen to a live performer. The message, in this case, is pretty obvious, "I don't like your music so here's a better choice. Shut up and put it on."

A person who does something like this is probably not empathetic towards performers and probably has a very narrow taste in music. 

In any case, it was a FAIL for Richard (of RBB).

* * *

So, dear reader, maybe you're doing better than you think?

Always look on the bright side of life.*

* Two tips: If your blog post is getting no comments, write a few yourself or ask a friend to write something. Playing violin gigs will not always boost your self-esteem.