March to the beat [Diary]

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What's coming up (or going down) in March besides Spring flowers in the North and Autumn leaves in the South ?

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Hmmm - my youngest brother's birthday is upcoming in March, plus the one of a friend of my wife (lovely lady who lives on a homegrowing farm in Wales). Otherwise, not much...

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Monday March 2nd

There's an old saying "If March comes in like a lamb it will end like a lion" (or the other way around) also "If March winds do blow we shall have snow" it has been very windy but haven't seen snow for years in March.
It's been quite mild and Lamb-like in temperature so far but there are horrendous floods and rivers overflowing. The quarry behind my house has almost filled to be a lake again.
On the practical side our shower is being fixed on Wednesday and the estate agent is taking photos on Thursday. I don't know anyone with a March birthday.
I think that the wikiloops Diary shows us how unadventurous our lives are most of the time, but in England we always have the weather to talk about. :)

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March 2026 will be remembered for a long time in the Gee household. My precious dish washer, a man's best friend, which was 18 years old had developed a terminal pump problem, which I diagnosed correctly but... it's so old I could not find a suitable used replacement. A new pump was also not available at a reasonable price :( So after 2 weeks of trying I gave up and bought a new one. But I took out all useful bits and will put them up for sale at a seriously low price just in case some like minded repairist will need them.

Plus, I managed to repair the tumble dryer that had an electrical problem. So I would call it a draw. One fixed, one failed.

In a couple of weeks I have a short holiday, will visit the Island of Sardinia. I heard so many good things about it, can't wait. Plus, I love Sardines!

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As a continuation of the silly shoutbox chat, we are hereby listing foods that are either connected to spring or March. Here are a few:

Marchmellows
Spring rolls
Marcharoni & Cheese
Marchépan
Marchgarita

:D

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Wed 4th March

I think I'm really losing it :o Today I needed to return a pair of slippers that someone had bought for me - I really wanted, something stronger and supportive for my bad foot. I spent ages trying on different styles and sizes and finally took my choice back to the returns counter only to find that I had chosen the exact ones that I'd just returned ... Doh!

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Lol Shamika, that is funny :)

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those slippers weren't made for walking
and that's just what they don't do
one of these days those slippers
are gonna walk all over you ♪

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Sunday 8th March
Hello Diary, I've been neglecting you lately but nothing has happened worth telling. I did have some thoughts however so I'll tell those.

When I watch a conductor waving the baton in front of an orchestra I always think
"That must be easy, I think I could do that" (of course I couldn't)
[img]https://www.thetimes.com/imageserver/image/%2Fmethode%2Ftimes%2Fprodmigration%2Fweb%2Fbin%2Fd81e3433-71f8-3864-ae54-7c612320fd53.jpg?crop=1500%2C1000%2C0%2C0&resize=360[/img]
Then when I watch the Manager of a football team standing on the sidelines shouting "Come on" I think
"Well that's easy, I could do that" (of course I could) :D

I think what my sad, sorry, disillusioned team needs is some motivation, some visualisation, some team spirit mentality... and maybe some wikiloops music to get them into a winning mood. (I could definitely do that)
[img]https://media.istockphoto.com/id/538041609/vector/soccer-players-in-locker-room.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=1jTRqjEwsiccg-qrleFc0SBtwVZBdvFKr6CQwP5508w=[/img]

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Shamika, I've been football mad ever since early in 1973 I saw my first football game. I haven't missed many United or England games on tv for the last 30 years. And I have been shouting at the TV on each, thinking it's so easy!! Just put in this striker and take off that useless fullback! 433! 442! Go long! Go short!!! Then when my kids started playing I started off as a helper, then co-trainer, where I would whisper into the coaches ear my wisdom, it was still easy and we were doing well. Then came the moment when I was the coach :O. Then reality hit me hard. When you are the one who has to do the deciding, when it is you who has to explain afterwards when it did not go well, when all the parents of these players who did not play, start complaining, then suddenly making decisions during a game can be difficult. It can be paralyzing. I decided to stop was that the kids were getting softer and softer, and the parents more and more controlling, it was just not fun anymore. But I did have some great moments and had a lot of fun, especially as I was part of some winning teams :)

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Thanks TeeGee, that was good to read. Miracle of miracles, we won a game and also got a cleen sheet, 2 things that hadn't happened for so long, maybe, just maybe we'll have a last minute chance to climb out of the relegation spots.

I saw the sweet picture of a piggy in the local supermarket but how sad that it was appealing to meat eaters. I'm not a vegetarian but I don't eat much meat... after seeing that picture I may give up altogether, I mean, who are they trying to appeal to?
"Oh yes little piggy, you came to market but you won't be going wee wee wee all the way home" (from kids nursery rhyme)

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Shamika attached the following image:

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Friday 13th March.

Hey Loopers, here's something you can try that might surprise you. I Googled myself
(Shamika - wikiloops - songwriter) and I was amazed to see AI's overview of me. I copied it, might come in handy one day :D AI is so clever, how do they know more about me than ME?
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Quote :- Shamika is a long-standing and active supporter/songwriter on wikiloops.com, a collaborative music platform, having joined in February 2012.

Based on forum activity through early 2026, here are key details about Shamika's work:

Role & Style: Known as a lyricist, vocal performer, and participant in song-finishing.

Activity: Frequently initiates songwriting challenges, discussions on lyric writing, and provides feedback in the forums.

Recent Activity (2025-2026): Actively involved in the "October Diary" and "November Daze" songwriting challenges.

Key Work: In February 2026, a pop backing track titled "Don't be a stalker, be a talker" was featured, noting her vocals and lyrics. Another track referenced is "333333 my piano's out of key".

Creative Approach: Expressed a preference for writing her own lyrics, noting she finds it uncomfortable to sing others' lyrics, often leading to changes in phrasing or structure.

Shamika often discusses the deeper, sometimes existential, aspects of songwriting and is considered a "first-class writer" by peers on the platform.
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Why don't you try it (your user name - wikiloops) and see what comes up ! :)

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Oh oh...no.

Just followed Shamika's example. It's just proof that you can't trust AI.

Apparently I display a sense of humour in the discussion threads (absolutely not true, I sold my humour in 2014 to an anonymous buyer on ebay) and am best known for 'multi-layered sound carpets'.

What about my invention of keybombing innocent tracks??? Not to mention the creation of the Ernie-Meter to track my bass playing development???

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Hey I wish I had a multi-layered sound carpet, sounds really comfortable :)

AI gave me different info to you I think MySounds, but I particularly liked this quote.

"Opinions on Technology: MySounds has expressed views on maintaining the integrity of human-played music on the platform, specifically advising against allowing AI-generated music to mix with "real" instrument recordings in jams." B):D

Now that's what I call irony and by the way you DO have a great soh <3

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Saturday 14th March

A funny thing happened this afternoon. I was looking after my daughter's dog but I wanted to watch my football team on TV at 3pm. I settled down and Sammy (dog) sat by me eagerly watching the screen.... but as soon as the players came out the doggie walked out of the room. I think the problem was that he belongs to a family of Liverpool supporters so of course he wouldn't be interested in watching my rubbish team :o

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Following the last post, here is Sammy watching his OWN team on TV in his own home.

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Shamika attached the following image:

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Nothing special to report here, had a busy weekend fixing stuff. One of the most annoying things is I discovered that the expert who did some work on my motorcycle engine not only did a mistake, he also forgot to install a part. I had to take the whole motor apartfor that :O :O :O . I paid him good money, too.

He will get a strong worded letter soon, however he will probably deny it. Teaches me, next time I'll do it myself.

On a different note, spring is coming, songbirds are nesting, and the worst of the winter weather is done :W

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Thursday 19th March.

March is marching forward at a fast rate, I wish it would slow down because it's such a pleasant time of year, full of hope as we move into full blown Spring. The daffodils are shooting up and opening out now.

Looking at the new uploads and remixes here every morning makes me feel like I'm in a Sweet shop, it's a real 'Pick 'n' Mix' experience. However it's so easy to get distracted as each mix you look into will throw up something else you like.... and so on. I can come here looking for a simple Folk song and end up downloading some crazy psychedelic Rocker. But that's wikiloops for you.... full of surprises at every turn. It's good to have so much choice but it's oh so mind blowing at times :o

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Shamika attached the following image:

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Friday March 20th

Today in the Northern Hemisphere it's Spring Equinox, the astronomical start of Spring (Start of Autumn in the South) This day makes me happy because it means the days will be longer than the nights :W. I'm not a Night person, I fall asleep before 9pm and wake up with the birdies :)

It seems like it's just me and TeeGee as Diary regulars now, I don't know why and it makes me wonder if I can keep going myself, I am struggling for interesting things to say.
I really miss Aito with his amusing stories and rootshell, a great responder with his music and Gerry with his pictures and memories and Shi, not a Diarist but always there for us. Where are they all now? Thankfully we still have a few brave souls who drop by now and then :)
I noticed a couple of newbies seeking advice this week and apparently both are "intermediate guitarists" I never heard that term before!
Today I uploaded some lyrics for people who are suffering from Wikiloops Addiction Syndrome... which is probably the majority of folk here :o<3

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Ah, well, before I get a personal 'friendly' reminder from Shamika for my absence from the diary...

Busy working on the new album. Tracks will be mostly new versions of earlier uploads, re-recorded and re-mixed.

Other than that and my day job I've been working on a longish post for the forum, 5 years on Wikiloops is a good time for some reflections. Oh, and I bought a new bike. Goal is to do 20 miles every day. I really do need some exercise.

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