Being crap at something you do care about

[Jockice]

what kind of school kicks 8 year old children out of the choir?!?!  that's horrible!

St Bede's, Carlisle. That kind.

New page mentally scarred forever and ever. Amen.

[poo]

Off spin bowling

[Brundle-Fly]

Computers. I really am total crap, winging it the whole time. I have to take a course.

[Brian Freeze]

St Bede's, Carlisle. That kind.

New page mentally scarred forever and ever. Amen.

Christ Church,  Carnforth did the same thing to me at a similar age. It wasn't undeserved but I could have just been asked to sing quietly no? Or helped to sing better perhaps.

They had Bede as one of the "houses" there. Coincidence? Or the patron saint of slightly cunty headteachers.

[MoonDust]

I've been abroad for 13 years or so and can't understand anything.  I know a decent amount of French words but none of the small connecting ones, and certainly not enough words to speak/understand others.

This sounds to me that you've given up even trying to learn, probably because you think you're crap at it, and so cycle goes. Granted, it's a slow process and you're not going to learn overnight, but still, 13 years is a long time not to understand anything.

Of course I could be wrong and you have been trying for 13 years. In which case I'd say good luck.

[Shaky]

I'm a bit crap at being a husband and father ahhhhhh

True, though.

[colacentral]

Spend most of my time thinking about racing silly little sailboats since about 1990 and I am still not good. Understand the rules, tactics, strategy well enough. Good enough at technical aspects. Can't put all those elements together consistently, have won 2 races ever (a typical raceday has 3-5 races) and rarely finish in top 50% in a multiday regatta. Fucking love it though, like playing chess  combined with athletics on a moving gameboard. No better weekend than driving 5 hours after work on Friday to get to an event and returning home Sunday at 10pm with about 8 hours sleep total.

Those remote control boats you get at theme parks?

[Head Gardener]

am I the first to say sax? in fact all wind instruments to be honest

[RenegadeScrew]

This sounds to me that you've given up even trying to learn, probably because you think you're crap at it, and so cycle goes. Granted, it's a slow process and you're not going to learn overnight, but still, 13 years is a long time not to understand anything.

Yeah you are probably right, although this principle kinda applies to anything.  I was being a little OTT when I said I couldn't understand anything as it is a little bit more complicated than that.  I can speak a sort of pigeon French but it is far from correct.  I cannot be precise in any way.  I could point to a band on stage and say "the sound of god" but I couldn't ask anyone how the music made them feel and so on.  I could kinda say something like "the music, it's good, for you?".

The alternative structures of other languages is something I don't get my head around intuitively at all.  If I learn a phrase from someone like 'have you had a good morning' all I am doing is imitating a bunch of noises with bon matin at the end. 

I actually speak (out loud) more French than a lot of the English speakers around me, but if forced they can actually speak French far better and can often understand conversations had between French speakers.  There is no way they've tried harder than me.  They've almost definitely been out more socially though but with less French speaking friends than me.  A lot of them will have been helped by having French girlfriends and the knock-on effects from that.

My French improved dramatically from no ability to utterly shit pigeon through speaking to my old neighbour who was spoke no English at all.

[Buelligan]

I enjoy getting stoned, but I cannot roll a joint to save my life (not that that scenario has arisen yet, and I bought a vape pen anyway)

Somehow I find a way to cope with the shame. Oh yeah, I get stoned

Buy a rolling mat and all will become perfect in your Land.

I'm another guitar fuck.  Bass fuck.  And violin/fiddle fuck.  A painting fuck too.  Painting is probably better than the music but I want to play guitar like I ride a motorcycle - no mind, a swallow in the air.  I am a duck in the mud, a fucking worm.  Fucking hell, I hate that, inside, I am Hendrix and play bass like Jaco, only inside though.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I'm not technically crap at cooking - I can make a few things competently enough: omelette, stir fry, Iannucci's acceptable pasta sauce, soup, chilli, curry... mostly some variant of flavoursome slop. I can only cook those things though, so dinner tends to be rather repetitive and predictable when I'm making it. I have a couple of cook books, but I find following recipes a bit annoying for some reason.

[Huxleys Babkins]

Swimming. Just can't do it unaided without having a massive panic attack and getting into trouble. Could never crack it as a kid. Had lessons a couple of years back at age 35 and got up to having a float in one hand but as soon as I'm without I'm under the fucking water and panicking.

Most things I can't do I could take or leave but swimming is my one massive regret. It looks like so much fun.

[Pseudopath]

It's music for me too, I was given a guitar when I was a kid but then told I had fat fingers and would always be rubbish at it.

Never stopped this guy.



I suppose chronic cardiac and respiratory disease is another thing that can hold you back though.

[idunnosomename]

Christ Church,  Carnforth did the same thing to me at a similar age. It wasn't undeserved but I could have just been asked to sing quietly no? Or helped to sing better perhaps.

They had Bede as one of the "houses" there. Coincidence? Or the patron saint of slightly cunty headteachers.

Well he's well-known to history teachers, northerner, and quite pious and all that
He's not even canonised tho

[RenegadeScrew]

Swimming. Just can't do it unaided without having a massive panic attack and getting into trouble. Could never crack it as a kid. Had lessons a couple of years back at age 35 and got up to having a float in one hand but as soon as I'm without I'm under the fucking water and panicking.

Most things I can't do I could take or leave but swimming is my one massive regret. It looks like so much fun.

Swimming isn't fun at all, but it is certainly worth being able to float just in case the worst happens.  Your post kinda makes me realise why teaching swimming in Primary School was absolutely necessary.  You should try breathing in and lying on your back in the shallow end of a pool, at least when you fail there is no need to panic as you can just stand up and try again.

[Endicott]

Those remote control boats you get at theme parks?

I pictured this kind of thing when i read Dex's comment

[Jack Shaftoe]

I'm not technically crap at cooking - I can make a few things competently enough: omelette, stir fry, Iannucci's acceptable pasta sauce, soup, chilli, curry... mostly some variant of flavoursome slop. I can only cook those things though, so dinner tends to be rather repetitive and predictable when I'm making it. I have a couple of cook books, but I find following recipes a bit annoying for some reason.

Recipes on YouTube are your friend. I can't follow from books either, but watching someone cook a thing in real time (more or less) on your laptop demystifies it completely.

[Sebastian Cobb]

I'm alright at cooking but my presentation is shocking. I usually stick to things that look like slop.

Nothing gets my blood up like rolling pastry though. Hate it.

[Buelligan]

I honestly think that being very relaxed and experimenting, with confidence, is extremely helpful when trying to get a handle on cooking and swimming.  Not so much guitaring though, you have to get good first with that fucker.

[nedthemumbler]

Re the picture of the Lasers above, I may be a phenomenal sailor but my week course was at a flooded former open cast mine in South Yorkshire, Rother Valley I think, and the wind was near non-existent.   Much time spent sitting completely still willing something to happen.

Yet to discover I am a new Knox-Johnson.

[Jack Shaftoe]

Nothing gets my blood up like rolling pastry though. Hate it.

Yes, pastry and all forms of dough can fuck right off.