Old Gold

I found that e-mailing the course coordinator was pretty fruitful.  They'll have a pretty good idea about funding, or be able to pass you onto someone who knows their stuff.

If it's a post-grad that follows directly from your degree though, I don't think you'll have any problem at all getting the course paid for.

Somebody in the service office has a phone that vibrates just that little bit too long.  I want to destroy something beautiful.

I think HMRC are probably the scariest organisation in the country.  Want to contest that you owe us 100 quid?  Now you owe us 1,000.  Prove you don't.

Does anyone have any information on funding for a postgraduate course as a mature student?  SAAS are a bit vague on whether they will pay the tuition fees, as some courses get funding and it all depends on the university etc...

 

What about bursary/loan - do you get any support at all?

 

My student chums are all nursing staff, so their advice isn't applicable. 

Yeah, online info seems to be pretty vague if you're anything but a first time undergrad.

I'm hoping that it will make my hair grow into a long golden mane and replace my skin with spandex.

I know literally nobody who watches new episodes of The Simpsons.  Who are these people.

Slayer t-shirt and a tuxedo jacket.  Smart casual.

Fuck it, I think I'll risk it for a biscuit and go in for a penny, in for a pound on this bad girl.

Turn them into soylent green, that's what I say.

"The Simpsons - renewed for 26th series"

I'm quite keen on Sunset Overdrive, which is apparently going to be Xbone only.  It looks like something that would have come out on a next-gen Sega Dreamcast.

Still don't think I'll be arsed buying one.

I don't really have a problem with paying tax if it helps everything outside my front door being shite.

I'm most sickened by the nicey-nice David Cameron quotes there.  If it was some shitfaced nobody caught planning some benefit fraud, I bet he'd be calling them out as a scumbag.  Tory fuck.

Anyone got any experience buying from Richtonemusic.co.uk?  Apparently they've got a shipment of discontinued MIJ Charvels incoming, but they're weirdly cheap.

The place I volunteer, there is a guy with dimentia who plays guitar, obviously he is deteriating and his guitar skills are getting worse, I teach him all the time. It's hard work as he forgets a lot but it's worth it to see a smile on his face.

I feel you man.  But that's one guy doing something he obviously really likes to do.  Learning guitar from scratch isn't really a sociable activity that most get instant pleasure from.  And you certainly don't start a group of pensioners up on 150 quids worth of musical gear.  A lot of parents are more sceptical with young enthusiastic children, let alone a whole bunch of people who for one reason or another decided not to learn to play a rather challenging instrument in their 65+ years of life, and who quite likely lack the hand dexterity they once had.

It's admirable that this is how you spend your time, but I fear you're way too ambitious with these folks.  And looping it back into the interview thing, if you go in full steam ahead with pie in the sky stuff about cyber amps for the elderly, you're less likely to impress than if you just go in, be polite and don't get too specific.

Actually, fucking hell, guitar is a terrible thing to try to teach old people. I know people in their twenties who's hands are too knackered to build up the tolerance for steel strings. I doubt it would be widely accessible.

Just as an aside, I wouldn't recommend the Vox VT series at all in this situation. Musical value aside, they're fiddly as fuck to set up.

I'm just giving advice and helping with what ever they choose to do, for example if they do classes for elderly learning instruments I may come and help

That sounds pretty obtainable.  My advice before was fairly serious - you might not want to wade into an interview situation too guns blazing.  Be pleasantly receptive to their ideas, keep it humble and once you're within the inner sanctum THATS when you blow their hard won grant money on Quality Gear for old farts.

Seriousness aside, definitely boast about how great you are at setting up and maintaining musical instruments at some point in the interview.

I don't really understand what the gig is... it sounds like you're going there with a view of being some sort of consultant? I've heard of groups of teenagers being asked for opinions on stuff like this, but not an individual 15 year old spear heading a project and recommending what they do with a budget.

Remember when people were 'Random'?

Okay so I've offered to do voluntary work at the rosemount learning centre to help develop their music room as they don't have the right ideas for it and so, I'm meeting the woman in charge on Wednesday, how should I approach this?

It's voluntary work, so turn up on time and be polite and enthusiastic and they'll probably let you work for free.

I just found out that Pains of being pure at heart released a new album last month. Anyone heard it?

I'd wager that it sounds exactly like the last two.

You might have to put up with large groups of annoying erasmus students though.

Although I might go along too, so really the students will be putting up with me.

One last bump for the Deering Goodtime and the Woody HC.

I'm just properly getting into the US Office.  I'm so late to the party that it's daytime and the host is halfheartedly mopping up the bongwater somebody spilled on the floor last night.

It's still great though.