#1351: Wednesday, January 21 - New place, like old places

Post 1351, Day 21 of 2015
- 1,482 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

Had a pleasant wave of nostalgia last night, brought on by a new club in Syracuse, Funk'n'Waffles Downtown.

The club reminds me of a hundred clubs I used to go to in New York City - a rectangular brick-wall space with a stage at one end, a bar on the right, tables and lots of standing/dancing room. But the thing that got me reminiscing was the venue's sense of old-school, the way music places used to be - a place I inhabit comfortably these days.

I was visiting to check the place out for tonight's i am Fool gig. On the musical menu was an open mic, and the musicians I heard were totally kick-ass. I knew a large number of them, though not all, but many introductions were made. At the bartender's request, I did a set, too. 

Mine was the first set of the night that played songs. I was a little intimidated, because the previous bands/jams had been high-intensity jazz/fusion/funk, displaying the great chops of the players, and my tunes were simple, because I was singing: I hadn't heard anyone else sing (although there was some wailing/scatting in an earlier set). I sing because I like it, but I'm only a passable singer.

Nothing to worry about - it was well received, and the musicians, all new to me, seemed to have a good time.

The whole scene was like comfort food on a cold day. I was impressed by the number of people who turned out because... well, because live music. These were non-musicians (or at least, non-players) who were coming out to this venue because it was cool, had a great vibe, and... live music. I don't see a whole lot of that these days. Too much competition for the entertainment dollar, too many easier ways to be entertained than going out.

When I thought about it more, I got more specific about what I was reminded of - it was me, in my early teens, taking the bus and subway from Queens to go to Greenwich Village to hang out. Drink espresso and smoke cigarettes, like an adult. Pose for the girls, all of whom looked older, wiser, more attractive and impossibly out of my league.

While it seems angst-ridden, it was actually a good time. My friends and I would go to the clubs that had music in the afternoons. We'd jam in Washington Square. We'd sit in cafes without ordering (until we'd inevitably be asked to leave). It was all splendid in my young eyes.

That was a bit of what I saw. The crowd was older, but to me, the difference between thirteen and twenty-three doesn't mean much any more. I'm equally clueless about modern teens and twenty-somethings these days.

While not a whole 'scene', it was a touch of what I remember as a vibrant music scene in the early-mid 60s in New York City.

Addendum from the Sometimes Bureaucracy Can't Help Itself Department: 
As directed by my management, last December I applied for a job doing the same thing at the Regional level that I'm doing at the local level. Yesterday, I received a rejection letter, based on my lack of experience and training. My managers flipped out (my immediate manager is both my acting manager and the manager of the Regional group that posted the vacancy). They were depending on me to move to the Region. Not allowed to intervene in any way, they consulted with a local HR person, who suggested I request a re-evaluation directly and only with the national HR person associated with this posting,  and state the fact that my old job was identical to the new job (just with a larger customer set). Today I got the news that my candidacy had been reinstated. Although very happy with this result, my managers said they had held no hopes for a happy outcome, and had never heard of HR reversing itself like this before.

I live in a safe Universe.

Food and Diet Section

Today's Weight:                   204.4 lbs

Previous Weight (1/20):           203.8 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:                + 0.6 lbs

Diet Comment

I think what we have here is a fatal glass of beer.

Food Log

Breakfast
A Quest Bar.

Lunch
At Ling-Ling's Chinese Buffet and Grill:

Brussels sprouts, kimchee, and, from the "Mongolian Grill", my go-to dish: pork and chicken with cabbage, onions, mushrooms, green peppers and broccoli.

Dinner
At Funk'n'Waffles: 

Bootsy Brunch: 1/2 a bacon-stuffed waffle with two eggs and cheddar cheese.

Snack
A Quest bar.

Liquid Intake
   Coffee:  28 oz.   Water: 104+ oz.  A shot of Redbreast 12yo single-malt Irish whiskey 

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