Monday, January 30, 2017

#1804, Monday, January 30: Fun time from meh music


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Post 1804, Day 30 of 2017
- 2,222 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment
Tonight I had a blast playing with some new friends.

I guess it's going to be a band, not i am Fool, but there's some original stuff and a more old-school rock sound, a bit like early Velvet Underground.

The trio is led by the guitarist, Karl, and that is where things get a little weird, musically. He isn't that good a guitarist, or that experienced, and he, like me, likes to sing, but his singing is pretty bad, to my ears, tending towards monotone, and with little emotional connection.

The drummer, Tim, is not that good or experienced either, but he's a better drummer than Karl is a guitarist, and we have a good connection.

Musically, it isn't much, but they are both nice guys, and, if you ignore the mistakes on guitar, it doesn't sound bad. The rhythm section is pretty solid. And it's fun. The playing is fun.

How much fun? At the end of the night, when we stopped playing, I asked what time it was, thinking it was late, nearly eleven o'clock.

It was one in the morning. Time flies when you're having fun. So, I had a lot of fun.

I'm grateful for these opportunities that make me feel so enerigized.


Food and Diet
Today's Weight:                      203.8 lbs.
Previous Weight (1/27/17):           204.6 lbs.
Net Loss/Gain:                       - 0.8 lbs.


Diet Comment
This is great - my biggest excess of the weekend turns out to have been late Friday night/early Saturday morning's panini at Moondog's, and I was pretty moderate and, with a single exception, on-plan the rest of the weekend. Which helps me reach my lowest weight of the year this morning.

Food Log
Breakfast
2:45pm:  Berry-green protein smoothie with coconut-almond milk, kefir, extra-large organic egg, chia gel, frozen strawberries, cherries, and wild blueberries, kale, spinach, whey powder (36g protein), hemp seeds, hemp protein (7g protein), raw organic cacao powder, celery, moringa leaf powder, cinnamon, coconut oil and stevia-inulin blend.

Lunch
5:45pm, at CoreLife Eatery:
Chicken broth bowl with quinoa, kale, carrots, mushrooms, ginger, scallions, celery, grilled chicken, and, of course, chicken bone broth.
Dinner
1:25am: London broil with Philippe's famous hot mustard, mozzarella cheese and a Quest bar.


Liquid Intake
   Espressos: 1;  Coffee: 22 oz.;  Tea: 0 oz.;  Water: 64+ oz. 


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Friday, January 27, 2017

#1803, Friday, January 27: Tonight's gig


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Post 1803, Day 27 of 2017
- 2,219 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment
I had a wonderful time at my birthday party prelude gig at Moondog's Lounge.

I, and i am Fool, really love the place, and for my part, at least, I love playing there, and hanging out there, too.

The owners and staff make me feel warm and welcome, and the gigs are easy and the audiences are the most enthusiastic.

Last night was as good as any we've had, although the crowd was a little smaller than usual - but just as enthusiastic. They even sang "Happy Birthday" to me, and it didn't feel stupid. At least, not to me.

I got to finally play out with my new rig (bass amp and speaker), and I thought it sounded great. I thought i am Fool's performance was excellent.

The on-site owner took care of me all night. instigating the birthday song and buying me a birthday shot. Later, she bought a round for the whole band for a birthday toast. Then, she personally made me some dinner at the end of the night!

So, I had a lot of fun, and I'm quite exhausted from it all, but well-fed, happy, and grateful for the good times.


Food and Diet
Today's Weight:                      204.6 lbs.
Previous Weight (1/26/17):           204.8 lbs.
Net Loss/Gain:                       - 0.2 lbs.


Diet Comment
Glad to be on the 'losing' side of all this week's weigh-ins after Monday. Unfortunately, at the gig, part of the birthday celebration, I was indulged and tempted... and I have no resistance.

Food Log
Breakfast
11:30am:  A Quest bar.

Snack
3:40pm: A Quest bar.

Lunch
6:45pm: Salmon salad (wild-caught salmon, Spring Mix, baby spinach, cabbage, home-made mayonnaise).

Dinner 12:55am: At Moondog's Lounge: Turkey and cheese pannini with home-fried potatoes.


Liquid Intake
   Espressos: 1;  Coffee: 0 oz.;  Tea: 0 oz.;  Water: 64+ oz. and two shots of bourbon. 


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Thursday, January 26, 2017

#1802, Thursday, January 26: Birthday party


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Post 1802, Day 26 of 2017
- 2,218 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment
After many years of not really caring a lot about my birthday, in the last few it has become an exciting thing, because I dedicate it to others.

After I joined i am Fool, I started giving them presents on my birthday. I've also taken small groups out for dinner on other birthdays.

For the last three birthdays, I've paid for a party at the late, lamented Mac's Bad Art Bar, so Pat would waive the cover charge for my guests. This was ideal on so many levels. First, because there is nothing I'd rather do on my birthday than play music with my band and friends. Second, because it exposes new people to i am Fool, and gives me the opportunity to promote other musicians I like. Third, because there is actually more focus on the performers and the party than me, which is just how I like it.

This year, I'm having it at a new venue, hoping that it will mean more gigs for i am Fool, and I don't have to pay for it. In fact, they think they're hiring a band. Saturday night will be fun!

And, I'm into it, big time. Looking forward to it.

The same way racist, bigoted humor stopped being funny many decades ago. Sexist/sexual humor really isn't any different.

I am grateful for this evolution.


Food and Diet
Today's Weight:                      204.8 lbs.
Previous Weight (1/25/17):           206.0 lbs.
Net Loss/Gain:                       - 1.2 lbs.

Diet Comment
Good. Two days of on-plan eating, and the results are satisfying - I'm at my low weight for the year, and below the trend-line. Along the way, I really enjoyed yesterday's breakfast, a new recipe for the Brussels sprouts I bought impulsively at the Farmer's Market.

Food Log
Breakfast
4:20pm:  Green protein smoothie with coconut milk, kefir, large organic egg, chia gel, kale, spinach, celery, whey powder (36g protein), hemp seeds, hemp protein (7g protein), raw organic cacao powder, moringa leaf powder, cinnamon, coconut oil and stevia-inulin blend.

Lunch
9:10pm: A Quest bar.

Dinner
12:15pm: Pepperoni, kimchee, and a Quest bar.


Liquid Intake
   Espressos: 1;  Coffee: 22 oz.;  Tea: 0 oz.;  Water: 64+ oz. 


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Wednesday, January 25, 2017

#1801, Wednesday, January 25: No comment


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Post 1801, Day 25 of 2017
- 2,217 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment
Nothing today.

Food and Diet
Today's Weight:                      206.0 lbs.
Previous Weight (1/24/17):           207.2 lbs.
Net Loss/Gain:                       - 1.2 lbs.

Diet Comment
Good weight loss. I just need to keep going with this.

Food Log
Breakfast
3:40pm:
Brussels sprouts pan-fried with bacon, and scrambled eggs.
Lunch
9:10pm: Mozzarella cheese and a Quest bar.

Dinner
12:15pm: London broil chopped salad (London broil, Spring mix, spinach, cabbage, shaved parmesan cheese, home-made mayonnaise) and a Quest bar.


Liquid Intake
   Espressos: 1;  Coffee: 22 oz.;  Tea: 0 oz.;  Water: 80+ oz. 


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#1800, Tuesday, January 24: Bad jokes


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Post 1800, Day 24 of 2017
- 2,216 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment
It turns out, I no longer think dirty jokes are funny.

Most of them are mean to women, and even when not, they're based on a morality that says extramarital sex, or sex for pleasure is wrong. And the myth that women who desire sex like men do are nymphomaniacs. Or, at the very least, "the battle of the sexes" is a 19th Century stereotype, man-animal vs. woman-angel. Horseshit. Wink-wink, nudge-nudge stuff.

Now, I don't hear a lot of dirty jokes, but they were going around after my birthday band rehearsal today.

I didn't find them funny, and I was surprised. I think there was a time I would have.

Am I just getting old? Well, I am, but I think it's more on the lines of giving up the adolescent, ignorant hypocrisy that is the foundation of humor.

The same way racist, bigoted humor stopped being funny many decades ago. Sexist/sexual humor really isn't any different.

I am grateful for this evolution.


Food and Diet
Today's Weight:                      207.2 lbs.
Previous Weight (1/23/17):           208.8 lbs.
Net Loss/Gain:                       - 1.6 lbs.

Diet Comment
That's better. Onward and downward/lighter!

Food Log
Breakfast
12:20pm: Green protein smoothie with coconut milk, kefir, large organic egg, chia gel, kale, spinach, celery, whey powder (36g protein), hemp seeds, hemp protein (7g protein), raw organic cacao powder, moringa leaf powder, cinnamon, coconut oil and stevia-inulin blend.

Lunch
Skipped.

Dinner
11:45am: Pepperoni, baby-cut carrots with home-made spicy mayonnaise, and a Quest bar.


Liquid Intake
   Espressos: 1;  Coffee: 22 oz.;  Tea: 0 oz.;  Water: 56+ oz. 


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Monday, January 23, 2017

#1799, Monday, January 23: Non-musical friends


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Post 1799, Day 23 of 2017
- 2,215 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment
I meet people through going out and playing music. Since I moved to Syracuse eight-and-a-half years ago (!), music has been almost the only way I've made new acquaintances, with one exception.

Before I got here, I knew exactly one person living in Syracuse, who was living in North Carolina when I met him. In North Carolina, I didn't meet too many people through music. In this case, I met Al through friends I knew from working at Northern Telecom.

We had few interests, and little background in common. One thing we both enjoyed was music, although he is not a musician, he is a music fan, and was immediately supportive and enthusiastic when he learned I was one.

But Al is also a rare type of person: He is playful and helpful, always willing to contribute to any good time. He is also loyal and generous.

I hadn't seen Al in almost seven years when he learned of my divorce and financial distress. He immediately reached out with an offer to help get me a job interview at a company he had just signed on to work for (but not yet started, as he was finishing up a contract). That led to me flying up to Syracuse for an interview (Al helped me prep for that, too) - my first time setting foot in that place.

Al has been a good and generous friend as long as I've known him. He's also, getting back to my initial point, the only person who has introduced me to people I now consider friends outside of the music world.

I'm writing about this because the music world once again threw some new friends my way tonight. I may be in another new band, based on my appreciation of the little rehearsal/jam we had last night. In making conversation with my new friends, I mentioned how almost all the people I know in Syracuse I've met directly or indirectly as a result of going out to open mics, music jams.

Immediately, the exception came to mind.

I am grateful for the people in my life, now and past - somehow, they've helped me get where I am (floating in an ocean of gratitude, if you have to ask).


Food and Diet
Today's Weight:                      208.8 lbs.
Previous Weight (1/20/17):           206.4 lbs.
Net Loss/Gain:                     +   2.4 lbs.

Diet Comment
I didn't think I did badly over the weekend, but I was seriously wrong, and my one acknowledged cheat - at a birthday party Sunday afternoon - seems to have done real damage.

Food Log
Breakfast
5:15pm, at CoreLife Eatery:
Tuna poke salad with: Kale, cabbage, quinoa, cucumber, carrots, scallions, ginger,edamame, avocado, tuna poke, sesame seeds, almonds and miso-sesame dressing. Not shown: A cup of chicken bone broth.
Lunch
Skipped.

Dinner
12:15am: Sliced London broil with Philippe's famous hot mustard, and a salad (Spring mix, spinach, cabbage, shaved parmesan cheese, creamy balsamic dressing).


Liquid Intake
   Espressos: 1;  Coffee: 0 oz.;  Tea: 0 oz.;  Water: 48+ oz. 


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Friday, January 20, 2017

#1798, Friday, January 20: Free-ish choice


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Post 1798, Day 20 of 2017
- 2,212 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment
I go out and listen to bands, and during the course of the night, I have a whiskey or two. Neat. With a side of club soda. It has become a ritual.

I went out tonight, listened to a band, and didn't get a whiskey. And I missed it.

That's when I realized stopping would be a good thing, not just a healthy choice.

I fear habit almost as much as I fear addiction. I always want to be free to make a choice, and want it to be a conscious choice. Habitual behavior undercuts that.

I was so pleased with myself for having this thought, this feeling, I felt myself opening up. I did something I've never done, and challenged a friend in the bar to a game of pool. In part because it was a completely different behavior, in part because I was just feeling it. 


I'm a crap pool player, and my friend is very good. But I was feeling something, and it just seemed right.

I shot the best game of billiards in my life.

I left the bar feeling nothing but good.

I am grateful for my life.


Food and Diet
Today's Weight:                      206.4 lbs.
Previous Weight (1/19/17):           206.2 lbs.
Net Loss/Gain:                     +   0.2 lbs.

Diet Comment
After gorging myself on nuts and dark chocolate last night, this is an unexpectedly small gain. Still, this hasn't been a great week. I will tow the line this weekend, and come back lighter Monday.

Food Log
Breakfast
5:55pm:  Fritta with eggs, London broil, Dubliner cheese, chia seeds, hemp seeds, kale, spinach, chard, onions, and peppers.

Lunch
9:00pm:   A  Quest bar.

Dinner
1:15am:  Pepperoni, mozzarella cheese and a Quest bar.


Liquid Intake
   Espressos: 1;  Coffee: 0 oz.;  Tea: 0 oz.;  Water: 90+ oz. 


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#1797, Thursday, January 19: Whiskey cut-back early indicator


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Post 1797, Day 19 of 2017
- 2,211 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment
Modern science, right?

My alkaline phosphatase numbers have been elevated. in the last blood tests I've taken (over a six-month period). Usually, this means bone loss, but that has been ruled out (which is great). Today, I went for an abdominal ultrasound, mainly to check my liver, because liver function problems could also be indicated.

My exam was at 2:30pm.

My results were in within two hours, and available online for me before 5pm(!). Modern science.

My liver is enlarged with indications of 'early fatty liver.' This is a symptomless and not particularly dangerous problem.

It is probably due to a combination of diabetes and my relatively recent (five years) affection for whiskey. I am going to have to cut back.

No problem. I will cut back my liquor intake to one shot a week.

I am grateful for such a simple challenge.


Food and Diet
Today's Weight:                      206.2 lbs.
Previous Weight (1/18/17):           206.0 lbs.
Net Loss/Gain:                     +   0.2 lbs.

Diet Comment
Oh, boy, I didn't see that coming. That's just two slices of the healthiest bread I know of, still off-plan, but gee - that's a negative surprise!

Food Log
Breakfast
5:15pm, at CoreLife:
Chicken Cobb salad (shredded kale and spinach, grilled chicken, avocado, bacon, hard-cooked egg and blue cheese dressing with a little sriracha).
Lunch
Skipped.

Dinner
10:45am:  An entire bag (26 oz) of mixed nuts with dark chocolate pieces.


Liquid Intake
   Espressos: 1;  Coffee: 0 oz.;  Tea: 0 oz.;  Water: 68+ oz. 


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Wednesday, January 18, 2017

#1796, Wednesday, January 18: No comment.


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Post 1796, Day 18 of 2017
- 2,210 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment
Nothing today.

Food and Diet
Today's Weight:                      206.0 lbs.
Previous Weight (1/17/17):           205.2 lbs.
Net Loss/Gain:                     +   0.8 lbs.

Diet Comment
Oh, boy, I didn't see that coming. That's just two slices of the healthiest bread I know of, still off-plan, but gee - that's a negative surprise!

Food Log
Breakfast
3:00pm: Green protein smoothie with coconut milk, kefir, large organic egg, chia gel, kale, spinach, celery, whey powder (36g protein), hemp seeds, hemp protein (7g protein), raw organic cacao powder, moringa leaf powder, cinnamon, coconut oil and stevia-inulin blend. Also, a slice of toasted, buttered Ezekiel 4:9 Flax sprouted grain bread.

Lunch
Skipped.

Dinner
1:00am, at Mama Nancy's:
Half order of Big Anthony's Frittata (eggs, sausage, pepperoni, Swiss cheese, onions, peppers, broccoli, potatoes) and dry rye toast.
Liquid Intake
   Espressos: 1;  Coffee: 22 oz.;  Tea: 0 oz.;  Water: 24+ oz. and two shots of Irish whiskey (different brands)


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Tuesday, January 17, 2017

#1795, Tuesday, January 17: Ode to Fool


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Post 1795, Day 17 of 2017
- 2,209 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment
I had a great i am Fool rehearsal.

My idea of a great rehearsal is one where we play a lot, and one where when we aren't playing, we're discussing business and actually figuring things out as a result, and when we aren't playing and discussing business, we're laughing.

And that's what the rehearsal was about.

I love these guys.

Tomorrow I rehearse with a new (to me) band, who have asked me a few times over the years to join. The music, while probably the most popular style locally, is not material I have much experience playing. A new challenge. Really looking forward to making that happen, but it is a secondary project, without as much appeal as playing with i am Fool, but a lot more playing will happen, and gigs, too.

The reason I'm still in Syracuse is that the music scene here supports (and allows) my participation in making ensemble music, which is pure joy. Most of that began, and is, in turn, supported by i am Fool. If Syracuse is my safe harbor, Fool is my anchor.

I am grateful for the manifestation of a lifetime of musical pursuits that culminated in this band.


Food and Diet
Today's Weight:                      205.2 lbs.
Previous Weight (1/16/17):           205.4 lbs.
Net Loss/Gain:                     -   0.2 lbs.

Diet Comment
OK, okay - I can do better, and will. Still, it isn't a gain. We'll see how today goes!

Food Log
Breakfast
5:20pm:  
Omelet with peppers, onion, greens, chia seeds, hemp seeds, parmesan cheese and bacon. Not shown: Two slices of buttered, toasted Ezekiel 4:9 Flax sprouted grain bread, two more slices of bacon.
Lunch
Skipped.

Dinner
11:30pm: Pepperoni and cole slaw, a Quest bar and cottage cheese.

Snack
1:00am: A Quest bar.

Liquid Intake
   Espressos: 1;  Coffee: 22 oz.;  Tea: 0 oz.;  Water: 74+ oz.


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