My Aunt who has been sick with cancer passed away peacefully this morning. I love her very much and will miss her terribly. She was a concert oboist (spelling?) and very philanthropic, so I figured a little way to remember her was to do some philanthropy myself and host a GA here.

Prize: up to 30USD GOG or Steam game of your choice (one game only)

To enter you must do one of the following:

1. If you play an instrument tell me what you play and why you chose that instrument. Also link a piece you particularly enjoy featuring instrument.

2. Tell me about a memorable time with a family member.

3. Do you volunteer? Donate? spend some of your precious spare time giving back to others? Tell me about it.

And now for the stupid rules:
1. Random.org will choose the winner
2. If you are on the naughty list, you will not be entered
3. No rep requirements, but forum participation is required
4. GA will end April 9th (not the 7th b/c meh and lazy)
5. No entering for others, only yourself

my deepest condolences. I know what that kind of loss feels like. But we tend to be sad because of the good times weve had.

I learned playing a recorder. I really love that instrument. i really enjoyed playing puff the magic dragon on it. but i guess my sick/awesome/divine skills are rusted by now...

And i used to volunteer at a local museum and a soup kitchen. I really enjoyed that. i always smuggled in some chocolate for the kids. :)

I'm sorry about your aunt. I know we haven't exactly always seen eye to eye (understatement of the year nomination here) but I know that losing a family member you are close to can really suck and for way longer then one might imagine. And it's extra nice of you make a giveaway here in her memory.

Oh- and I'm not in. Obviously, as I'm probably on "naughty list" anyway :D

EDIT: And don't get discouraged because of downvotes. Apparently there's been some grief about trolls downvoting giveaways recently. It's just trolls throwing a tantrum. Don't mind it and keep the GA going.

It is well that you are on acceptable terms with your loss. It's an inevitable part of living and to face it with a smile on your face is the best that anyone can hope to achieve :)

Growing up, my uncle had this 'mini' Casio keyboard that was as thick as a Tolstoy novel and just as heavy with it's like 8 D size batteries. I remember wailing on that thing for hours whenever we would visit--no real clue to what the hell I was doing. In retrospect, I see it as fortuitous that there have always been synthesizers in my life for me to noodle about with, perhaps this is what affords me my penchant for them; familiarity. I've tried strings, reeds, hammers even but, they were always abandoned more electric oscillations. I like synths because, if you're a little smart and a lot lazy, you can make the dumb things play themselves. I may be a little smart but, I KNOW that I am hella laze.

https://youtu.be/eLOtl3nLR7Q

'Volunteering' is interesting in that; to most people, it's a thing they set aside time for--an activity segregated from their 'normal' lives. I don't 'volunteer' in this classically understood capacity but, I do feel like I give back. In all my dealings with other people I try my best to have them enriched for the experience or do no harm at the very least. I try my best to consider their station and offer an ear even when it's not something I believe or want to hear, personally. I could easily be a selfish, self-righteous person concerned solely with making a comfortable life for myself but, (in that sense) I volunteer not to.

I'm not in. Last thing I need is another game I'll never play--I simply wanted to show my appreciation for your efforts with participation :)

Not what I expected to read judging by the title, my condolences.

I don't play an instrumen, I'd still someday like to learn to play the guitar.
My 'memorable times' with family members are mostly bad memories.. but I've had some fun times playing Scrabble and completing jigsaw puzzles with my mother.
And no, I don't volunteer.
I do do the heavy lifting and all the technical things for my mother since she's too old to do those things.

I'm in BTW.

Not in, but you have my condolences, Crew.

And oboist is correct, though oboeist is apparently acceptable too, if rarely used. : )

I'm trying to learn the guitar right now, but I've limited myself because I want to learn fingerstyle instead of using a pick.
I'm lazy, and not practicing, and when I do, my fingers get numb picking at steel strings (wrong type of guitar for fingerpicking). But I can do a passable portion of the Ave Maria right now :D, simply because it most closely matches the pattern I've been practicing.

Memorable time with a family member is harder. While I love all of them, they infuriate me to no end, so I figured loving them from a distance is easier, and I don't want to use this as a platform to complain about them. I suppose I could talk about my grandmother...She had a pretty hard life bringing up my father and his siblings, and was an incredibly direct person, who would (sometimes hilariously) tell it to you straight- my father took her away from her home city because she was having trouble living alone, but when he'd ask her that didn't she love staying with him, she'd tell him, no it sucks and is boring :D. She passed away a couple years ago, but I got the opportunity to live with and take care of her for a couple months before that happened. While initially I just chatted with her to keep her engaged, she ended up having some great stories...For all the prim and proper facade the family puts on, she'd cut through all that BS, and be gossiping with me about which uncle was a womaniser, which one lost all his wealth gambling on horses, how she was the most beautiful of the seven sisters (:D) who went on to make up the core of what became our extended family, etc.
While it pains me how she felt so unengaged (family would often just put on the tv for her and do their own thing) and bored, and I tried my best to take her to meet people, go shopping or eating out, sneak in the occasional horrible food she's not supposed to have (what's the point of restricting the diet of a 90+ person to food she doesn't enjoy?), I'm glad I spent that time with her, and even made recordings of a lot of her chats.
Your aunt seems awesome too, my condolences, and yes, you should celebrate her life! Perhaps write down (not here, I mean, but in for yourself and your family) some of the stories she told you, or the things she did?

...woah, that turned out longer than I expected.

As for other stuff, when I was more stable and settled, I'd teach the kids in the neighbourhood english and computers and such (and yes, also play adventure games with them :D). Other than that, I don't really have a consistent thing I do, mostly just react to situations as best as I can when I see them.

Very sad Crewie and sorry for your sorrow.Not in.

I'm sorry for your loss. :(

I once figured I wanted to learn to play the acoustic guitar, but since I was nearing the age where I should be studying to try and go into college, my father didn't allow me. Years later he dared asking me why I had never had any interest in learning an instrument. T_T

I don't live with my almost-three-year-old daughter, but I visit often. She's always providing new memorable times to remember, but there was this time when her mother asked her if I was to dress as a princess (or something similar) and she answered that "No, daddy is a boy". When her mother subsequently asked what I should dress as, she answered: "Hello Kitty!" :P

I'm not one to volunteer, though I have a Best friend who regularly volunteers as a nurse in a children's cancer hospital. I do donate a game for community giveaways on rare occasions, when an opportunity arises, but I guess that doesn't really count as philanthropy.

Sorry for your loss, Crew.

I'm not in for the giveaway, but let's participate:

1. I'm not a music maker, but I used to be a DJ. Started with turntables, then my computer for create my own music. I like Hip-Hop and some electronic musics. I'm not active anymore, but I still have turntables at home, sometimes for fun.

2. I don't see my sister often, because we have an ocean between us. But when we're in the same place we don't have to talk to communicate. We're making the same joke at the same time, sometimes I just have to look at her and we know we're laughing about the same thing. Same effect with sad things, though.

3. Not really. I used to make some game's giveaways in the past, but I didn't do it for a while. Today I sometimes buy some foods for peoples in the streets. Yeah, maybe I should make something else.

I'm sorry to hear of your aunt passing. Not in for the giveaway, but thank you for the very generous offering.

Memorable moment....

I really don't know my father from apart of a few memories but I remember one time I was about 6 years old. It was a perfect day, not too hot not too cold with blue skies. He took me to a construction site that has a lake in the back and we went fishing. It was my first time fishing. I didn't catch anything that day but he said that it was okay that I was learning and fishing is all about patience and self reflection. To me he seemed like a god, every time he threw the line in the water he caught a fish. Granted they were no bigger then the palm of your hand but still it never failed watching him throw the line and catching something. I don't remember what we talked but I remember he never stopped smiling at me and caressing my hair. I wish I grew up with him.

Anyways I'm in and if I win I wish for the money to goto a charity.

Sorry for your loss, Miss Droo.

Not in and +1.

Sorry for you aunt, condolences.

Thank you for the generous giveaway.
I'm in, if possible.

I don't play any instrument (well, I tried lol) and the only donations I do are mostly at Christmas..
My best moments with a family member were probably with my dad when I was little and he had still time to play games with me : (