Monday, October 31, 2016

#1578, Monday, October 31: Music appreciation


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Post 1758, Day 305 of 2016
- 2,131 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment
My relationship with music, in general, has changed dramatically over time.

Major changes have coincided with the two main relationships I had.

When I met Nell, in 1983, I was still making a little music, but mostly I had become a listener, albeit a dedicated one. I went to concerts more than bars to hear music, but I still did both, and I was still a participant in the New York City music scene. In the course of that relationship, though, I gave up playing bass almost entirely .

After our separation, I found quite a lot of healing by returning to playing.

Which is what I was doing when I met Kathy.

In the aftermath of the crash of that relationship, I sold my high-end stereo and pretty much stopped listening to music. Even on the radio, I listened to news. Newly impoverished, I stopped going to concerts. I stopped playing, too.

And re-started after a little bit of recovery, and found, through playing, a new community and new happiness.

But I never got back to listening.

Now I think of myself as a producer of music, not so much a consumer. It isn't a competitive or commercial thing for me, so I don't worry about keeping up with the latest trends. I'm not interested in musical trends. What little new music I hear comes to me from Alex, and his taste is different than mine, just as his exposure is different - he listens for new sounds, I don't.

On the other hand, my favorite playing situation is with my band, and that is new music - it just isn't played anywhere else, and my relationship with it is as a producer, not as a listener. That music doesn't have a period, doesn't have a 'where was I when I first heard it' reference tag.

I have internalized my music, but accept that I need others to make it with and perform it for.

I have no interest in big concerts any more. It has been five years since I enjoyed myself at a big concert (Bruce Springsteen), but only a few years since I went to one. I also find festivals no longer do it for me.

Part of the reason is that most of my friends are musicians these days, and are, like me, more involved in playing music than listening to it. I would rather go out and hear them play at a local place, as a show of support and friendship, than hear the once- or now-famous play at the larger venues.

Food and Diet
Today's Weight:                      202.0 lbs.
Previous Weight (10/28):             204.2 lbs.
Net Loss/Gain:                     -   2.2 lbs.

Diet Comment
Towing the line - mostly - this weekend got my weight moving in the direction I wanted it to move. Goal: Sustain for the week.

Food Log
Breakfast
2:35pm:  A Quest bar.

Lunch
7:15pm:  Dal Maktanda - lentil and red bean curry - with steamed greens, chia seeds and hemp seeds over spaghetti squash.

Dinner 
12:10am:  London broil, cole slaw and a Quest bar.

Snack 
1:15am:  A big hunk of cheddar cheese. Uh-oh!

Liquid Intake
   Espressos: 1;  Coffee: 0 oz.;  Tea: 16 oz.;  Water: 80+ oz.

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