((( Mountain Ocean Vision of Lord Ram )))

Started by LeeVGuitar, July 16, 2012, 09:14:21 AM

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LeeVGuitar




My first recent major recording using my Roland GR-30 with my new GK-3 pickup

Mountain Ocean Vision of Lord Ram

http://soundcloud.com/sidarthur-1/mountain-ocean-vision-of-lord

My new Roland GK-3 guitar synthesizer pickup has revolutionized my old Roland GR-30 Guitar synthesizer. I now almost feel I barely knew this guitar synthesizer. I discovered how to play tabla drums using my electric guitar and freaked out because it sounded so acoustically genuine. Believe me, playing my actual tabla drums is quite labor intensive. Then there are always external sounds you might have to deal with when you use a microphone to record them. 

The Roland GR-30 makes it rather easy to record a short segment in Mixcraft Pro Studio 6 then copy and paste that short segment over and over as many times as I need to create a background track, using quarter note or measure 'snapping' to keep each copy aligned with the Internal metronome, in order to play along with the drone sitar setting of my Roland GR-30. I also intend to use this backing track to play using  my regular electric guitar with 'woman tone' distortion.

I had a difficult time figuring it out from the manual so I called Roland and they were so nice and helpful. Being patient with me can be a daunting task when I feel like an idiot and Roland was a real dream come true.

For you who may own a Roland GR-30 guitar synthesizer I will give you a basic instruction that may prove useful:

Preset Patch E14 is the Drone Sitar patch. It is composed of two tones and chances are the percussion will be using that obnoxious arpeggiator which can be easily turned off by pressing pedal 4. You turn the EDIT TARGET dial to TONE MIX. Then you turn the PARAMETER SELECT dial to the letter D so that you can adjust the balance between the two tones. Press the EDIT/PLAY button then use the PATCH (VALUE) - or + buttons right next to the EDIT/PLAY button to shift the balance to either the Drone Sitar or the Percussion. Once you get just the Drone Sitar sounding without the percussion turn the PARAMETER SELECT dial to "WRITE TO" then use the PATCH (VALUE) buttons to select whatever user patch you want to save the Drone Sitar to. Once you have that particular user patch selected, turn the PARAMETER SELECT dial to WRITE PATCH then hold down (((BOTH))) PATCH (VALUE) buttons at the same time and it will say "done" or a variation of 'done' on the screen. Voila! the Drone Sitar is now saved to whatever patch you assigned it to. Do the same thing for the percussion of that particular patch by using the opposite PATCH (VALUE) button to move the balance all the way in the opposite direction until you hear only the percussion without the Drone Sitar. Then save it using the procedure I just shared. If memory serves, this is how I did it and this procedure should work with any preset patch, that has two tones, you may choose on the GR-30.

It begins with a recording I made of the Mountain Stream at one of my Power Spots using my Tascam DP-008 with its excellent internal microphones and ends with a recording I made of the ocean and the birds greeting the new day

A version of this song with me playing Drone Sitar is on the way!

Almost forgot to mention that I am using a recording of drone Tampuras in the key of D in the background as well

UPDATE:

A friend told me that it's rather bassy and after re-listening to it I agree. I'm fixing it now.

Okay, I took off quite a bit of bass, but I still want to keep those Tabla drums sounding juicy

Hey, I really like giving out applauses to people because, well, that's just the kind of guy I am. If you have noticed that you have received an extra applause today you most probably got it from me  ;D

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LeeVGuitar

#1
I decided to cross-reference the song with the Beatles 'Within You and Without You' from the Sgt Peppers recording. Between this and my other tabla recordings from Sur Sudha I decided it still has too much bass so I took A LOT more off and it still sounds full and sweet. Amazing! I never should have added ANY bass in the Mixcraft 6 program at all. I just blindly assumed it would need more bass. This guitar synthesizer is amazing. Those have to be sampled Tabla sounds because by comparison I sure can't tell they are being created by a guitar synthesizer!

I've also been inspired to do a cross-reference with the Steve Miller song 'Wild Mountain Honey'. As a matter of fact, one of the things I may be doing is a fusion of the very best of these two songs, using my backing track, and calling it:

Wild Mountain Honey Within You and Without you

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LeeVGuitar

#2
I decided to add more bass and bring down the volume of the Mountain Stream recording

http://soundcloud.com/sidarthur-1/eq-27editvar2mstream

When I work with Sony Soundforge Pro 10 I kind of feel like that guy in the Matirx movie who said that when he sees the Matrix symbols going down the television screen he no longer sees symbols, he sees 'blonde', 'brunette', 'redheads'....

When I go to work on a song in soundforge I can generally read the overall sound waves and learn important things about the song before I even hear it. Generally, whether it's too loud or too soft. It's interesting how different types of recordings look different when reading the sound waves in Soundforge Pro 10.

Okay, here's the deal: When it comes to the mountain stream recording I am baffled. I've experienced this before and am hoping someone can explain it to me because it doesn't make any sense.

After making the adjustments and comparing the mountain stream recording to other songs I use for comparison you would swear that the volume on the mountain stream recording is WAYYYYY TOO LOW!! I mean RIDICULOUSLY LOW, yet it now sounds about equal in volume as other songs that practically peak, at certain points!

Why do the sound waves of the Mountain Stream recording sound so loud and look so low in volume? Like I said, I have experienced this before, on rare occasions, and it has always puzzled me. Is there some logical explanation for this enigma?

BTW: I was up till about 3 AM working on a spin off song I created from the Vision song. I'm still working on it, but the title says just how powerful it is. I call it:

Dimensional Portal

and it well earns that name!

Making adjustments to this song has required HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS...HUNDREDS OF HOURS of listening to while in half-dream states and napping. It's not a mix I could have done quickly for this is truly a surrealistic masterpiece!

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LeeVGuitar

SUPER-GENIUS ACOUSTICA MIXCRAFT DAN WROTE:

This is a good question, and a good teaching opportunity.

Here's what it comes down to. Volume is not just a question of waveform. It is a question of the energy contained within that waveform.

Imagine, for example, a flute. If you record a flute and crank the volume all the way up, it'll still sound like a soft flute.

However, if you record a chainsaw and crank the volume all the way up, that chainsaw will sound significantly louder than the flute, even though the waveform is peaking at the same position.

The reason why is that the waveform for a flute is very pure, like a sine way, and does not contain many frequencies. A chainsaw, however, contains hundreds of frequencies all interacting with one another.

Long story short, the same "size" waveform can contain very little energy, or lots of energy. It's the reason why a recording of an electric guitar can be mixed low in a song and still sound loud and full. It's why some singers have voices that cut through a mix at low volumes, and other singers just don't work in recorded music, their voices being too soft and pure to fit into a mix.

It's also the reason why you have to trust your ears. I wouldn't think a recording of a stream would have a lot of energy, but there is rushing water and a lot of stuff going on. Mix what sounds good, and don't be too obsessed about the waveform. The way our ears work is seldom what you'd expect.

Dan


DAVE RESPONDED:

Excellent answer Dan.

At the end of the day we all listen to music, not watch it, so whatever sounds good to you is what you should be aiming for. The hope is of course that what sounds good to you also sounds good to others.

One of the main problems with computer-based recording as we do it is it is too easy to get hung up on the technical 'nuts and bolts' of how the thing works and what (theoretically at least) *should* sound good and what shouldn't. As you have proven Sitala, what you see is not necessarily what you get and nothing beats sitting back and losing yourself in your own music, refining and mastering until it moves you.

Further to what I said above is that if making your music makes you feel good, then that is all you can ever hope for. If by chance your music makes someone else fell good, then you've struck gold, duende and Nirvana all rolled into one.

Your track sounds great and you have every right to be proud of that achievement. You posting your track got me into gear to upload a couple of my own to Mixcraft Live - something everyone should do to a) get their stuff out there for the rest of us to hear and b) help support and promote Mixcraft.

Dave
mixcraftlive.com/dave_thompson

LeeVGuitar

#4



DIMENSIONAL PORTAL

http://soundcloud.com/sidarthur-1/dimensional-portal

My greatest surrealistic masterpiece. This recording represents what feels like hundreds of hours of painstaking listening and re-mixing in order to get the balance as perfect as I possibly could. The recording is my first realization of a dream to create original music that is healing to the soul.

My Indian Bansuri flute sounds so sweet and my recording of the mountain stream never sounded more therapeutic

The whales make this recording a masterpiece as I deliberately set things up so that it sounds as though the Bansuri flute is summoning the whales

Many a sleep was taken while listening to this recording so that when I would wake up I would judge whether or not the balance was as perfect for the effect as possible

Special compliments, commendations and gratitude to the the super-geniuses who created the recording program: Mixcraft Pro Studio 6. Their program and excellent tech support made this recording possible. Their computer recording program is obviously a labor of love and it is proving to be a recording dream come true for me!

This is the stuff dreams are made of

Sit or lie back and listen as you are transported to the most beautiful place you can possibly imagine!

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aliensporebomb

Wow.

Mystical.  Dreamy.  Inviting.  Relaxing.  Trance-like.  Yet; somehow invigorating.

And prominently yet somehow not center-stage amidst the whale calls, stream sounds and other nature sounds there's a celestial quiet drone underpinning it all, sort of like the sound of life that runs throughout everything but most people are too busy to notice.  The stream recording literally sounds like I'm right there.  Eventually, the drone fades and moves on yet the stream continues until it too fades and you hear distant whales singing.

Bravo! 




My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

GK Devices:  Roland VG-99, Boss GP-10, Boss SY-1000.

LeeVGuitar

To me, the Bansuri flute is not a musical instrument. It is a vehicle through which I silence my internal dialogue and literally become a bird. So you should notice that the Bansuri flute melody is a bird song rather than musical notes

It was so difficult to get the right balance. I didn't want the whales to take center stage. I also didn't want the flute to take center stage. You will notice that the mountain stream begins rather loud to set the overall volume of the recording then tapers off. I wanted the mountain stream loud enough to drown out most noises around the house, but not so loud that it drowned out the other sounds. At points when the whale songs become more prominent I lowered the volume of the mountain stream during those segments; which is easy as pie and cake to do with Mixcraft 6.

At the end all that is left are the whales and I increased the volume of the whales right at the end. It took many listenings before I decided to take off all the treble and midrange from the Tanpura drone instrument, lower its volume and increase its bass response. As I stated, it feels like it took hundreds of hours of listening and sleeping with the recording looping before I finally decided this was the best balance I could get for the effect I wanted.

LeeVGuitar

#7
Quote from: aliensporebomb on July 21, 2012, 03:01:32 PM
Wow.

Mystical.  Dreamy.  Inviting.  Relaxing.  Trance-like.  Yet; somehow invigorating.

And prominently yet somehow not center-stage amidst the whale calls, stream sounds and other nature sounds there's a celestial quiet drone underpinning it all, sort of like the sound of life that runs throughout everything but most people are too busy to notice.  The stream recording literally sounds like I'm right there.  Eventually, the drone fades and moves on yet the stream continues until it too fades and you hear distant whales singing.

Bravo!

I am humbled by your review. You can obviously 'see' what I was aiming for! I'm surprised that you can sense just what took me so very long to achieve. Thanks 

Ordinarily I don't think much of music added to nature sounds. It is usually too New Agey for my tastes and I feel it tends to take away from the sounds rather than contribute to them. You should notice that I am not trying to say to the world 'Hey, I'm a great flute player' as I recorded this. My Intent was to blend in and become one with Nature not to compete with Nature in any way shape or form. I guess people who are trying to sell their recordings tend to take a different approach because they really want to sell a lot of what they are producing.

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LeeVGuitar

#8
Here's another thing you may find interesting. You will notice that for about the first half of the recording the Bansuri bird song flute melody comes in rather regular intervals. Then when the mind is ready and expecting the flute to come in I deliberately increased the intervals. So the mind is ready for another bird flute song and all that is there are the whales, Tanpura and Mountain Stream. I did this on purpose for deep subconscious effect. Then when the mind is certain that there will be no more Bansuri flute suddenly the bird song is repeated and once again echoes off into infinity. I have very, VERY high standards. ESPECIALLY when it is about something I am producing. This really hits the mark for me! I actually did it! As with my Photoshop creations, I was able to take a dream vision and, this time, turn it into an auditory experience.

I have a saying that in Photoshop I am God because ANYTHING I can envision I can create visually. I get the feeling I will soon be saying the very same thing about Mixcraft 6 in that ANYTHING I can envision hearing I can create with sounds; creating auditory masterpieces of the mind. I'm getting that feeling of destiny again and it sure is exciting!

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LeeVGuitar

This is not intended to be a song. It is intended to be a medicine for the spirit. I wrestled long and hard about how loud to make the Mountain Stream. I decided I wanted it loud enough to drown out any external sounds of cars or fans or air conditioners, but not so loud that it drowned out the whales completely.

This recording is a gesture for the Spirit of the Universe. It is not really intended to please the restless human race in DESPERATE need of quite time with themselves. Those whose minds are too restless are not at peace with themselves. They NEED time to be quiet and at peace with themselves so as to get a glimpse of the true nature of reality and their personal place in the Universe.

Those who cannot listen to more than five-minutes of this recording without getting restless and wanting to do something else are obviously also those who feel they have little use for meditation in their lives. In fact, proper meditation is ESSENTIAL for humanity if the human race is to survive because world peace must start from within if it is to be realized from without oneself.

Television, and the controlled media in general, attempts to do just the opposite of what this recording does. The media's overall intent is to weaken the mind and make it restless for when the mind is in a weakened state it is more easily influenced by repeated commercials aimed at psychologically programming your mind through attention getting repetition.

So, this recording should be thought of as medicine for the spirit. It should be played in the background while doing things or while sitting or lying down in comfort. It's supposed to take you away from all your cares and worries in life. Every song you hear the major media playing is always trying to sell you something. I'm not trying to sell anyone anything. I am attempting the miraculous and, I have to say, for my first major effort I did pretty well no matter what anyone else may think. I know I could have done better, but when I lost the delay setting by trying to save it as a preset I had had enough!

LeeVGuitar




Here is an alternative version of Dimensional Portal that puts more emphasis on the whales. I now feel that both versions are very special and depending on the mood I am in will determine which version I will want to listen to.

http://soundcloud.com/sidarthur-1/dimensional-portal-2

I've decided to put both versions into Windows Media Player so that they alternate and loop for as long as I like. That seems to be the solution for me: save them as a playlist

These two versions I see as medicinal to the spirit. When listened to they can be used as vehicles to reconnect one to the Universal Force of Intent in gratitude and appreciation for the wonderful things life has given. It is through gratitude and appreciation that we summon even more reasons to be grateful and appreciative according to Universal Law

LeeVGuitar

#11



UPDATE: Took off all the treble and all the reverb.
Plus I did nothing to it with Sound Forge to alter the sound.
Straight from Mixcraft


http://soundcloud.com/sidarthur-1/tabla-test-2

This is a test of my Deluxe Calcutta Tablas. You can clearly hear the strings from my Roland GR-30 guitar synthesizer at the end. If any of you would comment on the EQ balance I would appreciate it. Oh, it's gonna get much better than this, folks. You can bet the farm on this one!

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aliensporebomb

Oh, real tablas not samples ones!  nice.

They sound good but these cheap computer speakers I have at my day gig are not in any way comparable to studio monitors...
My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

GK Devices:  Roland VG-99, Boss GP-10, Boss SY-1000.

LeeVGuitar

Thanks for your input. Ever since Acoustica Mixcraft Dan wrote that my original sampled Tabla recording was rattling things around his house I've been extra sensitive about the bass in a Tabla mix. I'm matching it up to other Tabla songs in my collection using Sound Forge Pro 10. Especially Within You and Without You from The Beatles Sgt Peppers album, which is the song that got me loving Tabla drums forever. I still think of it as one of the greatest Tabla songs of all time!

If you could play this Beatles song on your speakers and just evaluate whether or not mine are too bassy or not bassy enough that would be cool. If not, hey you've done enough already. Thanks!

Within You and Without You



Elantric

#14
Speaking of Tablas - I like this IOS app for proper groove inspiration

http://upasani.org/home/iTablaPro.html




Move forward to 2:24 for Tablas to kick in.

It runs on the iPod touch too - those can be had for $100

But back to Tablas - my point in posting the YouTube Video was to offer a typical Audio mix with Tablas

iTabla IOS app has won numerous awards for its authentic Tabla tones, and is used for religious ceremonies in many countries
http://upasani.org/home/iTablaPro.html

LeeVGuitar

#15
We have a saying in our family: Money talks; bullshit walks!

I'm going to do something which I feel is very cool. I'm going to buy one of your recordings, Aliensporebomb!

I was afraid to listen to any of them in case I didn't like them, after listening to some samples I've decided to buy one. Which one I'm not certain yet, because I haven't sampled them all, but I sure do intend to buy one!

Thanks for your input!

Can you imagine if everyone else in the world was like me? Wow! You'd have more money than Donald Trump!!   ;D

BTW: Just thought you should know that I give you full permission to use my recording of the Mountain Stream, if you so choose to, in your recordings. You've earned it!

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LeeVGuitar

#16
Quote from: Elantric on July 27, 2012, 02:11:43 PM
Speaking of Tablas - I like this IOS app for proper groove inspiration

http://upasani.org/home/iTablaPro.html




Move forward to 2:24 for Tablas to kick in.


Wow! That's an actual phone??? Sheesh!!! Amazing!!!

I don't have a smart phone. I'm kind of leery about buying any phone that is smarter than I am.

With a dumb phone I can always look down on it, point and laugh  ;D


EVERYONE ELSE: Oh, you play Tabla drums?

ME: Yes, I'm trying to sound as good as my cell phone, but I don't see that happening any time soon  :-\


___________________________


SPECIAL EDIT:

TABLA TEST 2

http://soundcloud.com/sidarthur-1/tabla-test-2

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LeeVGuitar

#17
Okay, time to put up or shut up!

I just purchased This is Aliensporebomb and am listening to it now.

Deciding which recording to buy was difficult as there are so many and I could not scroll through the individual songs, but this recording seemed the most varied.

It is an added bonus that I like it because that is a bonus indeed.

My purchase of this recording is a gesture to the Spirit. It is a way of showing my gratitude to aliensporebomb and as a way to demonstrate to the Spirit how I would want others to think of my recordings as I work towards my dream of having all money I may receive for my recordings going directly to my mother's emergency bank account. She lives thousands of miles away and just in case she may need the extra money I want her to have all that I make from my recordings.

So, I am quite surprised that I actually like the recording. It is a wonderful bonus!

I'm assuming that is you on guitar in the recording Drones for Dinner and Life. You're really awesome, dude! Tell me about what you used for your guitar sounds. Was that all done with a GR-55?

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Elantric

QuoteWas that all done with a GR-55?

Make that a VG-99

Last I heard - Aliensporebomb does not own a GR-55

aliensporebomb

#19
Thanks LeeVGuitar! 

Correct.  I don't own a GR-55 at the moment, just a VG-99.

"This is..." was recorded about half with my "old rig" of my Fender, Ibanez, Jackson, Heartfield and Alvarez guitars into a Mesa Boogie Studio Preamp and Lexicon and TC Electronic processors and about half was done with the VG-99.    Only the Strat and the Jackson have GK pickups installed at present.

I still have the old rig (and the JC120 I used to play live with it) but for live gigs since 2009  it's been my Roland Ready strat, VG-99 and small monitoring system and my Electro Harmonix Stereo Memory Man with Hazarai (used as a looper/delay).

I started work on the project around 2005 - got the VG-99 in June of 2008 and that's pretty much my main processor/instrument since.

The synth sounds on that record were half triggered with my old Yamaha CS1X keyboard controller into various softsynths but the other half was done with VG-99.   

Drums were executed with my old Roland R-5 drum computer MIDI'ed into two or three different drum sampler software packages and about  half were performed by me tapping on the little plastic drum pads ala Shawn Lane on his "Powers of Ten" record.

Bass was either my Rogue six string bass with active electronics or keyboard bass via the Yamaha - sometimes I'd double the synth bass part with real bass to give it a different sound.

Sooner or later on that project the  guitar sounds and the keyboard sounds start melding together where the guitar was making a "synthy" sound that was just guitar with processing. 

For instance, Atmos is all heavily processed hex guitar with the VG.    The funny thing is, now when I want to make a synth sound on a recording I just use the VG-99 or if I want "real synths" I use the
VG-99 guitar-to-midi converter to a softsynth.  I seem to have lost my R-5 drum computer (probably in my junkpile in the basement)...

I was looking at the Yamaha synth downstairs in the basement the other day wondering if I should sell it since it's much faster and more efficient to work with the VG.  But occasionally it's nice to have a keyboard just to stay in practice so....

My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

GK Devices:  Roland VG-99, Boss GP-10, Boss SY-1000.

aliensporebomb

Oh:  Drones for dinner was a Jackson Soloist for some of the lines and an Ibanez Artist for some of the others and the clean lines that sound like a pad synth is just processed guitar - I'm pretty sure that was the Jackson for those.

Here's a little MP3 for a behind the scenes peek:


At the start and at 33 seconds the clean rhythm guitar come in which is just clean guitar thru a lexicon vortex processor.  The rest is a polysynth patch with synth bass. 

Life was supposed to be the big guitar hero moment on that thing, that's my old Heartfield EX-2 thru the Mesa preamp into the Vortex and the TC Electronic G Sharp for a little reverb but I keep thinking the coda solo (the one after where the drums change and the PPG synth comes in) that's the Jackson thru the same rig.   It was recorded thru the same rig and the same setting but I keep thinking it was done later that afternoon or something.  But they sound pretty much the same.
My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

GK Devices:  Roland VG-99, Boss GP-10, Boss SY-1000.

LeeVGuitar

#21
Hey, wayyyyy cool that I put my money where my Internet mouth is, eh?

'Money talks, bullshit walks!'

Feeling very cool. Feelin awesome!  8)

You did me a favor that I don't want to tell you about right now because I don't want you to feel obligated to do anything. You see, if I felt obligated to buy your recording it would have been an empty gesture to the Spirit. I had to do it because I wanted to make such a gesture. It had to come from the heart.


Pick a card; any card...

Queen of Diamonds!

Don't ask me how I did it


heh, heh, heh   ;D

_________________________________

LeeVGuitar

I cannot say why, but you have done more for me than...I can say

The more I listen to your recording the more I admire it and want more!

Looks like I will be buying more soon!

To be honest, when you wrote about what you used to make the recording I was floored!
Wow, you are really something alright

Your compliment of my recording REALLY says something!!

I am honored and amazed that you 'got it'!  :o

LeeVGuitar

Hold onto your potatoes because

if you thought you knew me be prepared for a shock    8)

I was experimenting with Mixcraft Pro Studio 6

and created this last night

I'm playing all the instruments

and singing and clapping all the parts


This is the site where I put up tests for evaluation

It's pretty cool

and a sample of what is to come:


http://soundcloud.com/sidarthur-1/doumbek-test

LeeVGuitar

#24



Worked on the Roland TD-10 VDrum part (played with actual sticks) using the 31 band graphics EQ that comes with Mixcraft Pro Studio 6. It's already revolutionized the drum part.

The bass guitar will be added along with electric guitar and I'm thinking some celestial Roland GR-30 orchestration to make it feel as though you are travelling through a dimensional portal throughout the Universe.

Big plans I do have as an offering for The Great Spirit to be used to impart Spiritual Medicine to all who listen

Yes, I am indeed a warrior 'Medicine Man'.

The Real Deal!!

What does this mean? It means I have worked hard to polish and strengthen my connecting link to Intent and the Universe has chosen to accept my offering Intent to help heal the spirit of man through my efforts.

Even as I, in faith, believe...

SO SHALL IT BE DONE!!!

*And then Mr Reality Check sees fit to throw another proverbial 'monkey wrench' into my dream and I wake up to the reality of being a moronic, weakling idiot  :P

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