Very true, artist info, lyrics and scores are definitely welcome improvements with online services. That said, it’s also something special at times to have something physical in your hands you can feel and feast your eyes on admiring at the work that was put into the product.
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One thing not always readily available online (and not shown by Roon) is original album artwork/notes. When I ripped mtpg CDs and vinyl I also scanned the sleeves/Liners of those I felt I would want to refer to, though my music playing software (Audirvana) doesn’t display it at least I can view if I want. I’ve kept opera CDs with their libretto booklets handy because they are not readily scannable, and are invaluable for understanding exactly what is being sung in a foreign language.
Roon does show original album artwork where QoBuz has a copy. Generally these are PDF files which open up in a separate viewer. It would be nice if this was fully integrated within Roon.
If you scan or download artwork/notes and place them in the same directory as local music Roon will also present them.
That’s a nice to know (though no use if Roon doesn’t recognise your music)
I seem OK in that regard, around 100 albums not recognised out of nearly 3500.
I can forgive Roon for most of these are they are mainly samplers or EP’s, which account for probably 80% of the missing ones so very few that are unrecognised for me.
I realise hesitancy and anxiety are early signs of depression. I also realise that when depression takes a grip it’s difficult to shake off. I have been struggling lately and it’s getting worse.I know the reasons why and I am intelligent enough to know that removing the reasons why is the solution. But sometimes you can’t remove them. It is what it is. I don’t want advice, I don’t want help. I will work this out in my own time and way. What I would like is hearing from others who are, for whatever reason in the same boat. I know I’m not alone . I recognise that there are others suffering a lot more.
It may or may not help and maybe nobody’s interested but bottled up silence is worse.
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I’ve always suffered with ‘introspection’ and melancholy at this time of year.
I’ve got my own, non medical, ways of dealing with this that I’ve worked on over the years.
You’re not alone.
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Difficult area to talk about but anxiety will lead to hesitancy in every area of our lives. The current worldwide and possibly magnified Covid/ Brexit situation in the UK must inevitably lead to a normal response of anxiety in many people. We are all unable to plan our expected futures, even in the short term. It’s separating the normal (for the times) anxiety from an unusual anxiety that is needed to get towards an understanding of depression or not.
All of us under stress not feeling anxiety are the abnormal.
Remember that and be kind to yourself.
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I have to admit that it has not been the greatest year for me. I was rushed to the hospital earlier this year with a gastro intestinal bleed and resulting blood pressure crash- lost a lot of blood and was close to not making it but for the rapid action of one of the great nurses. 2 days of blood transfusions and 10 days of intensive tests followed all in the midst of Covid which added some complications. The good news was that the tests revealed nothing but the bad news was also that the tests revealed nothing. I was released home with no further support or backup with iron & haemoglobin levels at a very low point - only picked up after a chat with the local GP which given the Covid situation again took ages to diagnose. Up to this point in my life I had never had an experience of hospitals, ate healthily, was a regular runner but from that point onward my life has taken a turn, realising that I am not immortal and even vulnerable. It has taken months to gain confidence in my body being able to process the food that I eat such was the mental damage. I am at a better point now but have had a raised PSA flagged and a biopsy due which has sent me in another spiral: this was the cause of my dad’s death hence the stress spike and depressive moments. I have good days & bad days and sometimes the music doesn’t help. But I do echo the exact words from Igahman about help & advice - I just appreciate the opportunity to share the rather crap time in my life. Covid adds to the stress; being ill and needing anything medical in the time of Covid is very difficult.
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So sorry to hear. I actually lost an old best friend a couple of weeks ago over her depression. It’s really sad, and I’m both angry at myself and at her. The lesson learned (well for me, not sure about her yet) is that fire doesn’t put out fire. But I finally had it with her blaming others for her health, or the way others approach it, and laid everything on the line. It wasn’t the right thing to do, I now see in retrospect, but at the time I was going through some chronic pain issues and anxiety of my own and my temper flared at her trying to put a wedge between me and my wife. I realize now it was jealousy stemming from the depression. She is one of those people - and we all know at least one - who bad things always seem to happen to, but it takes two to tango with the universe. Her also being a hothead has never helped. Now she’s been sending insulting texts and emails since our fallout, which I’m ignoring as I realize it’s her hurt from being called out by her best friend, and anything I say, good or bad, will be just explosive in her mind.
My advice to her was that she had to let go of expectations of others and take more responsibility for her own actions in the moment, and that I and others were done constantly mopping up her repeat mistakes - it got to the point that seeing her name pop up on the phone usually meant disrupting whatever you were doing and going into crisis mode (and I wasn’t alone in that). It becomes exhausting after decades of talking her off a cliff. I so want to be there as a friend as we’ve been through a lot of wonderful times together as well, but not when you are also being told you are doing it wrong (or your wife etc). I now wake up with a pit in my stomach all day over this, and not sure what to do next, other than let time pass and hopefully she can step outside of herself and get the help she needs. But we may never be friends again and that makes me very sad.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that if you are suffering from depression or ill health, know that your friends may not always be ‘right’ in their advice or approach, but that doesn’t mean they don’t care. We all need to give each other a break in these difficult times. If you aren’t suffering from some form of mild anxiety right now then you are probably living under a rock. It may not manifest itself day to day or hour to hour, but it can come out in the strangest, most unexpected ways. I wish now I had just stepped away from the keyboard, but what is done is done.
On an extreme practical level, probably the best thing to do is to give up sugar (all forms) and recreational drugs (including booze). Freaking hard I know (sugar and medical cannabis for me - I’ve been off alcohol for three years now), but whenever I do - and the detox is miserable for about a week, which I was doing when this started with my friend - I find myself with a new sense of clarity and my own anxiety is lessened greatly. The gut, liver and gallbladder is the key to good health. But always easier said and done. Best of luck with finding your way; being honest with yourself and others as you have is always a step in the right direction.
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Yeah, I ended up in the ER a few months back thinking I was having a heart attack. Just stress, too much coffee and a severe costochondritis flare up. Fun times we are living in… (paid for an echo stress test to tell me nothing wrong with my heart and I’m at an exercise level 30 years my junior. Good to know I guess).
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You can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped, so don’t take on that responsibility. What you can do is be honest with your responses but without blaming or being harsh. Thats the difficult bit and timing can be key to how your honesty is seen or accepted.
Don’t let it get to you.
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Thank you and you are entirely correct. Funny thing is, my wife, who for some reason seems to be the source of her scorn, was/is more understanding at that moment than I was. It was partly dealing with a blown out lower back that can bring out the worst in me. Lessons learned is all I can do.
I can fully relate to this - a decade ago I realised I had a chronic condition and I’ve never come to terms with it nor have I accepted it. Maybe it’s our personalities but some people deal with such things easily and accept them, or so it seems, realising your mortality can have a very profound effect.
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As you say, sometimes it’s not possible to remove the cause of the anxiety - it could be over children, or parents, or job, or almost anything which is impossible or very difficult to change. So many many people recognise this situation - it’s not ideal, but isn’t uncommon.
It’s this part I empathise with, but wonder if there’s a different take you could have on it. One of the things that can really help many people is to find alternative ways to look at their situation, to address anxieties from different perspectives, to review things with a dispassionate other to shed some clarity on a personal and stressful situation. So yes, you might well find your own way through it. Just as if you had a headache, you might try loads of things, and eventually eat willow bark, and feel better - but taking advantage of the skowlexge and skill out there to jump straight to aspirin, or paracetamol, or brain surgery, is a worthwhile thing to investigate.
In other words, contrary to your post, I wonder if you have considered looking at what options might help you. There’s nothing wrong with seeking help - and sure, it may not work for you, and your independent approach might end being the best. But people are professionals in this field for a reason, and that’s because others, and society in general, finds their expertise more often than not helpful.
Hearing stories from others will certainly make you feel less alone, and that’s a reasonable request. I’m not a mental health medic, but I do sit on a mental health board: one of the things we do every month is start with a story - sometimes a service user story, sometimes a staff one, and it serves to remind us all why we are there - spreadsheets, reports and costs are one part of it, but the real reason is to improve the mental health outcomes for people. We hear some harrowing stories, some joyous ones, some that I cannot relate to because they are so far from my experiences that I cannot see how people survive them - but hearing them certainly makes one understand that we are not alone in this world - and should find the right help from wherever we can, however it is offered.
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I had an elevated PSA for some time.Suddenly the figure rose alarmingly ( perhaps caused by the stress of loosing a young daughter)and after two biopsies I had to have an intensive course of radio therapy which made me ill. Others sail through it.But as I said at almost the start of this thread you can and will come through all the misery that life can throw at you. So here I am annoying most on the jazz thread because I really don’t like John Coltrane or Miles Davis.I enjoy every minute of what I have left.
Prostate Cancer Uk Site Is a great help and comfort if prostate problems are causing stress.
I have been back today for a cystoscope but hopefully no cancer spread. I was looking forward to the analgesic gell application 
but they didn’t have any.
Stout hearts to all you who suffer from a lack of joy in this world.
N
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I think alarm bells go off when we can’t even face the things we love. Even for a short period.
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That’s very sad to hear, such a hard loss followed by such a hard diagnosis. I hope you work through al of that and find peace. I wish you the very best.
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And that can sometimes add to the depression when you want to show compassion to others but you are overwhelmed by events in your own life. Methods used to numb chronic pain are an extra problem.
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I agree but in these times I would imagine the help is not always available to be sought. There are people who have lost all mobility because they can’t get surgery and others who are on endless waiting lists for life threatening conditions. Ringing up the GP and saying I’m a bit depressed may not get the response you were hoping for.