Podfic-related frustrations + some good things + FINAL LIFE-RELATED FRUSTRATION, AARGH

[luzula]

1) My cold can go away any month now. Arrgh. It's almost gone now, but I can still feel it lurking in my throat, just waiting for me to get chilled or something so that it can pounce again.

2) I discovered a way of improving the sound quality of my mp3-files considerably (exporting in joint stereo rather than stereo), but I've thrown away most of the raw material of my earlier podfics. I did still have American Way, and the file on the archive has been updated, but the ones earlier than that are un-fixable. Grrrrr.

3) I want to get better at reading. Listening to what I recorded before I got phonasthenia, I think I sounded better in some ways, even if I know that I was using my voice in a bad way. I think it's that now, I have to devote part of my mind to breathing in the right way, which takes attention away from the actual reading. And I still don't have as much control over pitch and phrasing in general--it's like I had to learn a whole different way of speaking, and it's hard. I don't need reassurance or anything. I mean, this is not the "I suck" feeling, it's just...frustration at not being able to do something as well as I want to. I'm thinking of taking singing lessons again, maybe that'll help.

On to more cheerful things:

a) My Big Bang fic is now over 13 000 words! \o/

b) I love Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander books so much. &hearts &hearts &hearts I just finished The Reverse of the Medal, and I'm going right on into the next book. It's funny, I don't feel fannish about the books at all, in the sense of wanting to read or write fic. I just love them. I love Jack and Stephen, and I so admire O'Brian's ability to characterize a place or a person just with a sentence or two. It might be just an unimportant side character, but he can paint a really vivid image with just a few words.

Aaaaand of course I couldn't be allowed to finish this post in an upbeat way. AAARGH.

Just after I finished writing, one of our housemates came in and basically said that he thought that everyone else felt that my boyfriend and I should move out. He felt that our differences were too great to be worked out. And yeah, I knew we were fairly different people living here, but I've never felt that to be a problem. Examples of the concrete stuff he mentioned was: 1) that I (Luz) have a hard time with perfumed cleaning products and asked if we could use un-perfumed ones for the cleaning of common areas 2) sometimes we cook lots of soup at the same time and take up room in the kitchen 3) sometimes I ask people to close the door to the living room when they have people over and make noise late at night. How are these things insurmountable difficulties? I don't get it. Some of the other people are younger than us and have never shared a house/apartment before, so maybe they don't get that you have to compromise when you're six people in one house. If people tell me about stuff they're irritated about, I'm quite happy to talk about it and reach a compromise. But maybe the differences are more of a personal nature--I never notice stuff like this until it's forced on me, so yeah.

Anyway, he sure reached his objective--after this, I have no wish to stay here. We're looking around for something else, and have one possible place that we're looking into already. Let me just relieve my frustration: AAAARRRGH. Uh, thanks for listening.

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

Argghh.

I adore your fics right now. I'm sure you can -- and will -- improve them.

Room mate trouble is like a cancer in the heart. I have severe asthma and often ask people to do #1, and it seems like folks are really attached to the cleaning prods they used growing up. Like it's almost insulting their mother to want to change?

here, have a butterscotch candy >o<

[luzula]

Hey, thanks for the support. *munches on candy*

I'm not allergic to perfume or anything, but it tends to give me a headache. And yes, I think it's a childhood thing. Like, if you grew up with your mother spraying perfume in the bathroom after going to the toilet, it's hard to imagine that anyone might have a problem with it.

[medrin]

Sorry to hear about your housemate problems. It sounds really frustrating. But on the other hand, it should not be that had to find a new apartment (without annoying housemates that complains about silly things).

Also big bang! Yay! \o/

[luzula]

Yeah, I think we've already found something else. But arrgh, moving takes so much energy that I'd rather spend on something else. *sigh*

[isis]

I just finished The Commodore and am feeling very sad about the rapidly approaching end of the series!

(and good luck with the housing thing.)

[luzula]

Augh, I hadn't thought about that yet, because I still have quite a few books left. But yeah, I'll be really sad to see the end of them, too.

Thanks!

[meresy.livejournal.com]

That is a lot of argh. *disapproves of itg in the hopesit goes away*

Housemate disputes are always crappy, especially when the other people get all put out about making reasonable accomodation. Sometimes when you're sharing common areas with a lot of people? You're not got to get convenience. That's just how it is! It's not your mom's house, guy.

Are you sure the rest of the house agrees with him? Because "he thinks everyone feels X" is not exactly the same as that being true.

(Sigh. This? Is why I live alone.)

In other news, Stephen and Jack are love. ♥

[luzula]

Yeah, I'm usually pretty even-tempered, so I think my level of "arrrgh" will go down soon.

Are you sure the rest of the house agrees with him? Because "he thinks everyone feels X" is not exactly the same as that being true.

Yes, this is part of what I was annoyed with about his little speech. But at this stage, I'm not sure I care--I don't particularly feel like staying anyway. He's the one who has the lease on the house, so he's not going to disappear.

*loves on your icon*

I may have read the sloth part out loud to my boyfriend, who appreciated it, but maybe not as deeply as I did.

[china_shop]

Oh that sucks about the housemate thing. Yuck! Good luck finding somewhere new!

Re 2: learning new technical things is always a double-edged sword, isn't it? Like, "I can do this so much better from now on" but also "stuff I did up till now is just going to drive me crazy, gah!" I'm having the same kind of thing with vidding. *sympathy and chocolate*

[luzula]

Yeah, we're actually going to check out another place tonight. I hope it'll work out.

Re 2: learning new technical things is always a double-edged sword, isn't it? Like, "I can do this so much better from now on" but also "stuff I did up till now is just going to drive me crazy, gah!" I'm having the same kind of thing with vidding. *sympathy and chocolate*

Yes, this is it exactly! But still, it's better to improve than not.

[akamine_chan]

If people tell me about stuff they're irritated about, I'm quite happy to talk about it and reach a compromise. But maybe the differences are more of a personal nature--I never notice stuff like this until it's forced on me, so yeah.

The truth is, Luzula, that I don't think anything that you mentioned can really be considered "a problem."

Asking someone to switch to an unscented product? I do that all the time. Because I am sensitive to scents in cleaning supplies as well. Cooking and taking up too much space in the kitchen? Both me and my housemate do that all the time. It can be a pain in the ass, but not really worth fighting over. Closing doors to cut down on noise? Really?

I think, for whatever reason, your housemate (and I'm not entirely convinced he's speaking for the whole household, either) has decided he wants you gone. Maybe he's got friends he want to move in or something. But he's making up some pretty flimsy excuses to make you and your boy uncomfortable in hopes you'll move out.

I'm sorry he's done that. Because it was your home, too, and now it's not. *hugs you*

Also, \o/ on your Big Bang progress!

[luzula]

Yeah, I thought those concrete things were pretty flimsy, too, and he only brought them up after I pressed him on what differences he was talking about. So I'm guessing he just doesn't like us.

Because it was your home, too, and now it's not. *hugs you*

Yes, exactly. *hugs back* But I hope we can find something better.

[kill-claudio.livejournal.com]

Eek, I remember the horrors of sharing a house with five other people - and those people were my close friends. Friction happens when you live with someone, and I think he's being spectacularly unfair to complain about - well, nothing. You're entitled to use your own kitchen, after all. Still, you might end up finding somewhere you're happier?

On a more cheerful note, I saw Master And Commander the other day, and I really enjoyed it. I am especially in love with Stephen's brilliant brain; I really, really wanted him to get to see the Galapagos islands. I definitely want to read the books now, just as soon as I work my way through the teetering pile currently on my bookcase.

[luzula]

Yeah, I hope we can find something better. We're actually looking at another place tonight.

I think you'll love the Master and Commander books! And yeah, I totally felt for Stephen when he didn't get to go ashore on Galapagos. I'm actually looking to donate books 2-6 to a good home (I already gave the first one away), because I realized that it was cheaper to buy the box set than to get them one by one. So if you read the first one and like it, I could send them to you. But maybe you're getting a box set, too, or borrowing them from the library--I didn't have that option, because they only had them in Swedish.

[kill-claudio.livejournal.com]

Oh, that would be wonderful, thank you! I'll PM you my address. But you must let me give you some money for them, or at the very least pay the postage.

Oh, and I don't know if you saw that they're awarding the 1970 Booker Prize forty years late? FRTDNNEATJ, it was never awarded that year. Master and Commander is one of the books that's been longlisted. The Booker judges are maybe slightly insane. :)

[luzula]

Yes, send me your adress! I don't want anything for the books. Really, you'll be doing me a favor, since I'll be moving to a smaller place. I have no idea how much the postage will be--if it's a lot, you can pay half if you want.

Oh, and I don't know if you saw that they're awarding the 1970 Booker Prize forty years late? FRTDNNEATJ, it was never awarded that year. Master and Commander is one of the books that's been longlisted. The Booker judges are maybe slightly insane. :)

No, I didn't know that. Cool.

[the_antichris.livejournal.com]

Wow, he thinks he's never going to have a more difficult housemate situation than someone who needs unscented cleaning stuff and sometimes asks for a door to be shut (OH SO MUCH EXERTION)? Good luck with that, buddy!

And, what, he doesn't want you to use the kitchen? Last I heard, it was impossible to cook without taking up room in the kitchen.

[luzula]

Thanks for the support. Yeah, I think these things are just excuses, and he only brought them up after I pressed him on what differences he was talking about. So I'm guessing he just doesn't like us. Anyway, we're looking around for someplace better.

[innocentsmith.livejournal.com]

"You cook too much soup!" is possibly the most ridiculous roommate-complaint I've ever heard. Good lord, what a tool. I'm sorry you have to deal with this upheaval. But I will cross my fingers for you and your boyfriend to find a much better place.

[luzula]

The funny thing about the soup is that when we make lots of it, we sometimes invite him to have a bowl of soup, and he's never said no. Way to thank us for that.

Yeah, we're looking around for another place, and we're actually going to check one out tonight. Thanks for the good wishes!

[suzumenoko.livejournal.com]

Do you recommend Reverse of the Medal, then? I need a totally engrossing, escapist book for a 15 hour plane flight. Would that work?

By the way, visit passiveaggressive.com for funny roommate notes to each other. Unless you're too depressed to think about it now. I always find that laughing helps in situations as crazy as yours. Too much soup, indeed!

[luzula]

Do you recommend Reverse of the Medal, then? I need a totally engrossing, escapist book for a 15 hour plane flight. Would that work?

Well, not if you haven't read the others in the series, because they really are like one super-long novel published in twenty parts. You should start with Master and Commander. I've heard other people say they find that first one a bit slow--I didn't think so, but to be on the safe side you might want to have something else on hand, too. Hmm, totally engrossing and escapist...if you like fantasy, you could try the first Temeraire book, by Naomi Novik? It's basically pretty similar to O'Brian (set during the Napoleonic wars), except with dragons, and perhaps more immediately engrossing and escapist. *g*

Yeah, that site with the notes is indeed funny. It could be so much worse!