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Post 1722, Day 244 of 2016
- 2,070 days since I started this blog -
Daily Comment
- 2,070 days since I started this blog -
As far back as I can remember, I've liked to sing.
The first songs I sang were children's songs. Children were encouraged to sing back in the middle of the last Century. The first adult song I sang was 'Happy Trails' by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. At four years old, I thought Roy Rogers was the coolest guy in the world. Cooler than the Lone Ranger, who was cool but didn't sing.
Then there was my beloved Aunt Dorothy. She played guitar and I was obsessed with the magic that created in me. Singing along with her and her guitar is one of the 'happy place' memories of my childhood. Also, it was relatively rare, and therefore precious.
When I started playing guitar, at age nine, the emphasis was on learning folk songs, and playing accompaniment to singing. At the same time, in elementary school, I was in the glee club. Enter Miss Marlene Feingold, PS 209's music teacher (she also taught 5th grade). She gave me private lessons on guitar for about a year. A little bit of classical, and a songbook of American folk songs.
I learned a lot about a lot of things from her, but not much guitar - that's on me, but I was beset with social problems arising from skipping third grade and being a nine-year old among far more mature and socialized ten- and eleven-year olds.
But I digress. It was the time of the great folk revival of the early 60s, and I kept on playing guitar and singing. When things got more electric and I was in high school (now with a two-year gap after skipping eighth grade), I was musically left behind, being unamplified.
So, in my first bands, I was the lead singer. I had good range back then.
Then, at the end of my Senior year came the bass. And, while I didn't stop singing, I stopped singing a lot - I didn't have the skills to sing and play bass at the same time, although I tried.
Singing became a private pleasure. Something that I usually did while playing guitar, and that became rarer as well, once I started focusing my music on bass.
In the last five years, I've begun singing out again. I've picked up the guitar more often, and only two years ago, did my first open mic 'set' as a singing guitarist, which coincided with my first case of 'nerves' in decades. Since then I've done it more, and more fully incorporated singing and playing bass. Open mics have become a vocal outlet for me, as much as I can make that happen.
I really enjoy it. I try to 'sell' every song I sing, I'm very performance-focused. It's fun. And, I get good feedback.
It is just another thing that makes me happy. I'm so grateful to be able to do that.
The first songs I sang were children's songs. Children were encouraged to sing back in the middle of the last Century. The first adult song I sang was 'Happy Trails' by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. At four years old, I thought Roy Rogers was the coolest guy in the world. Cooler than the Lone Ranger, who was cool but didn't sing.
Then there was my beloved Aunt Dorothy. She played guitar and I was obsessed with the magic that created in me. Singing along with her and her guitar is one of the 'happy place' memories of my childhood. Also, it was relatively rare, and therefore precious.
When I started playing guitar, at age nine, the emphasis was on learning folk songs, and playing accompaniment to singing. At the same time, in elementary school, I was in the glee club. Enter Miss Marlene Feingold, PS 209's music teacher (she also taught 5th grade). She gave me private lessons on guitar for about a year. A little bit of classical, and a songbook of American folk songs.
I learned a lot about a lot of things from her, but not much guitar - that's on me, but I was beset with social problems arising from skipping third grade and being a nine-year old among far more mature and socialized ten- and eleven-year olds.
But I digress. It was the time of the great folk revival of the early 60s, and I kept on playing guitar and singing. When things got more electric and I was in high school (now with a two-year gap after skipping eighth grade), I was musically left behind, being unamplified.
So, in my first bands, I was the lead singer. I had good range back then.
Then, at the end of my Senior year came the bass. And, while I didn't stop singing, I stopped singing a lot - I didn't have the skills to sing and play bass at the same time, although I tried.
Singing became a private pleasure. Something that I usually did while playing guitar, and that became rarer as well, once I started focusing my music on bass.
In the last five years, I've begun singing out again. I've picked up the guitar more often, and only two years ago, did my first open mic 'set' as a singing guitarist, which coincided with my first case of 'nerves' in decades. Since then I've done it more, and more fully incorporated singing and playing bass. Open mics have become a vocal outlet for me, as much as I can make that happen.
I really enjoy it. I try to 'sell' every song I sing, I'm very performance-focused. It's fun. And, I get good feedback.
It is just another thing that makes me happy. I'm so grateful to be able to do that.
Food and Diet
Today's Weight: 201.8 lbs.
Diet Comment
Lunch
Previous Weight (8/30): 202.2 lbs.
Net Loss/Gain: - 0.4 lbs.
Diet Comment
Continued good behavior, and I'm down, but ending August more than a pound heavier than when I came in. Still, back to the trend line, and the trend is still down-sloped for the year, and all is well.
Food Log
Breakfast
11:45pm, at CoreLife Eatery (I think this is the end of the name evolution for my favorite local restaurant):
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| Tuna poke salad with: Kale, cabbage, quinoa, cucumber, carrots, scallions, ginger,edamame, avocado, tuna poke, sesame seeds, almonds and miso-sesame dressing. |
6:55pm: A Quest bar.
Dinner
12:45am: Dubliner cheese and pork rinds.
Liquid Intake
Espressos: 0; Coffee: 0 oz.; Tea: 0 oz.; Water: 94+ oz. and two shots of Jameson's Irish whiskey.
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