#2354: Monday, September 30: The achievement of the month

Post 2354

- 8 years and 273 days since I started this blog -

  

Daily Comment

And I am still sick, as a result of which, I don't have much to say.

Except that today I was feeling better than I have since last Wednesday.

I am Fool is rehearsing tomorrow, I won't go out until I eat before that, more than likely at CoreLife Eatery, for more chicken bone broth.

I did find out my insurance will cover the entire cost of my new hearing aids. That's a big financial victory. 

Today, I completed my September challenge for writing three pages (750+ words) every day in September. It was actually thirty-three days in a row. I am doing this as a sort of therapy - as they say on the introduction to the site, It's hard to write three pages off-the-cuff and not have a bit of your subconscious come out.

The first month's writing has done that. My writing style is very much what you see in the daily comments, but I think my writing 'voice' has gained some strength and clarity. My writing has also triggered some insights and many long-forgotten memories. It's been fun. Tomorrow I start my October challenge. I'm going to see if I can run my days of consecutive writing to sixty-four. 

And I've also been keeping up with my Duolingo Spanish lessons. I have a fifty-five day streak going there. With my new hearing aids, I'm a little encouraged to be understanding the verbal parts better.

I am grateful to be able to engage in these things like this.

Food and Diet 

Today's Weight:                    197.3 lbs.

Previous Weight (9/27/19):         197.9 lbs.

Net Loss/Gain:                     - 0.6 lbs.

Diet Comment

Sick weekend spent not going out, eating a lot of meals whose main component was chicken bone broth (more than 54 ounces of it) and voilá, a half-pound loss to bring me within a pound and a half of my low weight of the year.

Food Log

Breakfast
4:30pm:

Scrambled eggs and bacon on chopped salad (arugula, chard, kale, red cabbage, spinach, walnuts, shaved parmesan, balsamic vinaigrette).

Lunch
8:40pm: Cottage cheese and pepperoni and a Quest bar.

Dinner
12:15am: Buttered slice of Ezekiel 4:9 Flax sprouted grain toast, brussel sprouts and a Quest bar.

Liquid Intake

   Espressos: 2;   Coffee: 0 oz.;  Water: 84+ oz.;

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#2353: Friday, September 27: Still sick. Ugh.

Post 2353

- 8 years and 270 days since I started this blog -

  

Daily Comment

I am still under the weather, as the euphemism for feeling too shitty to get out of bed goes.

I have been taking Advil for Allergies, hoping for a little relief (I am getting a little relief).

My throat is still sore. I have been coughing so much my ribs hurt and I have pulled a muscle in my back (may or may not be related). I have a runny nose (the AfA really did help a little with that).

My only accomplishment today was to go out and pick up a prescription and go to CoreLife Eatery for some chicken bone broth. 

At home, I did manage to do all my daily computer tasks (it now takes almost two hours of actual attentive time to do that - but given my attention span, the real elapsed time is much longer).

I haven't gone out to play since I walked out of practice around 7:30pm Wednesday night, and I probably won't go out tomorrow. 

That's the state of affairs with me.

I am still grateful for my amazing life.

Food and Diet 

Today's Weight:                    197.9 lbs.

Previous Weight (9/26/19):         200.1 lbs.

Net Loss/Gain:                     - 2.2 lbs.

Diet Comment

After losing more than two pounds yesterday, today I am up just under a pound. So it goes. I'm still below the trend line, at goal weight (for all intents and purposes). I am happy with that.

Food Log

Breakfast
6:00pm, from CoreLife Eatery:

Shiitake mushroom and Roasted Tofu broth bowl: Chicken bone broth, shiitake mushrooms, napa cabbage, shredded kale, roasted tofu, sprouts, ginger, lemongrass, sliced almonds. Fried egg added by me at home. Not shown: A Quest bar.

Lunch
Skipped.

Dinner
Skipped.

Liquid Intake

   Espressos: 2;   Coffee: 0 oz.;  Water: 64+ oz.

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#2352: Thursday, September 26: New hearing aids

Post 2352

- 8 years and 269 days since I started this blog -

  

Daily Comment

I got my new hearing aids, and had my initial consult with the online company's audiologist, a doctor in New York City.

My first impressions? She's very pretty. Just kidding (although it's true). The hearing aids are very good, and they are much more advanced than the ones they're replacing.

I won't describe all the bells and whistles, but their iPhone connectivity is the one that's made the strongest impression on me.

The sound quality, as well, is very impressive. I was easily able to hear and understand people for the first time in quite a while. 

My old hearing aids were a once-in-a-lifetime deal, at $2,200 for the pair, a 60% discount. My out of pocket expense after medical insurance refund (I was working at the time I bought them), was $200!

When I called the clinic about replacing them with the same brand at a similar discount, I was told that the discount, wouldn't be available. Suddenly I was looking at a four-thousand-plus dollar expense.

Then I saw an ad for these hearing aids, went to the web-site, and was impressed. They said these hearing aids had everything I wanted, and for less than $1700, delivered, with two years of free financing, two years of any-time audiologist consults, a complete kit of replacement and maintenance parts, and a year's worth of batteries. And a one-hundred day money back guarantee to try them out.

I don't think I'll be returning them.

One of the things that makes me happiest about them, and kind of angry at all my previous audiologists, is that they have a tiny form factor, and do not need molded ear-plugs. This makes them more comfortable and almost invisible when worn, as opposed to what they're replacing.

The anger at previous audiologists comes from having been steered away from this type of hearing aid. I can only assume there was a profit motive involved. I was told that this type would not work for me, I had to have the ear molds (at my additional expense), and the only type that would satisfy me were high-end, high-maintenance and crazy expensive.

Okay. I have a new audiologist, she can fix things on the computer and on my phone. I will go back and get my hearing tested and my old hearing aids will get new tubes and will be reprogrammed. All is forgiven. I'm breathing. 

Speaking of which, I have a cold.

But I'm still grateful.

Food and Diet 

Today's Weight:                    200.1 lbs.

Previous Weight (9/25/19):         199.2 lbs.

Net Loss/Gain:                     + 0.9 lbs.

Diet Comment

After losing more than two pounds yesterday, today I am up just under a pound. So it goes. I'm still below the trend line, at goal weight (for all intents and purposes). I am, of course, happy with that.

Food Log

Breakfast
Skipped.

Lunch
10:30pm: Beefburger (organic, grass-fed) with home-made turmeric mayonnaise, and a salad (arugula, chard, kale, spinach, red cabbage, shaved parmesan, walnuts and balsamic vinaigrette.

Dinner
1:05am: A Quest bar.

Liquid Intake

   Espressos: 2;   Coffee: 0 oz.;  Water: 48+ oz.

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#2351: Wednesday, September 25: A night off

Post 2351

- 8 years and 268 days since I started this blog -

  

Daily Comment

I take a bunch of pills - herbs, vitamins, a statin - to the tune of about 20 pills, twice a day (most are half-doses taken two times).

Today, one got stuck in my throat for a minute. But I could feel it after I was sure I'd washed it down. Did that ever happen to you? It isn't the first time it's happened to me.

The feeling quickly turned  to pain. I was at a rehearsal when it started spreading into a sore throat. I began feeling generally bad and feverish. I ended the rehearsal early.

I went home feeling badly, and ditched my plans for the rest of the evening (no Shifty's open mic for me).

I had some food (see below) and watched TV. I had a two-hour phone conversation with my friend Jerry, about to depart for Lake Chapala, Mexico.

More TV.

In bed before four in the morning.

No relief.
I can't help but wonder what tragedy I averted by staying home, and what wonderful thing will happen when I feel better.

Grateful to be alive and writing this post.

Food and Diet 

Today's Weight:                    199.2 lbs.

Previous Weight (9/24/19):         201.6 lbs.

Net Loss/Gain:                     - 2.4 lbs.

Diet Comment

Whew! That's a big correction, to the downside.

Food Log

Breakfast
Skipped.

Lunch
8:10pm:

Vegetarian Sloppy Joe (Quorn Grounds, Wegman's Grandpa's Sauce, organic kale and spinach) on top of riced cauliflower. Not shown: a fried egg added and pepperoni.

Dinner
1:25am: Bacon and guacamole sandwich (on Ezekiel 4:9 Flax sprouted grain bread) and a Quest bar with cottage cheese.

Liquid Intake

   Espressos: 2;   Coffee: 0 oz.;  Water: 68+ oz.;

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#2350: Tuesday, September 24: Fun at open mics

Post 2350

- 8 years and 267 days since I started this blog -

  

Daily Comment

Last night was a good night for me, in that I got to lead two excellent sets. And play a song I have really liked for a long time for the first time, and it came out well, too.

But first....

I had a bumpy wait for my spot at Limp Lizard's open mic. For various reasons, I got there late. No excuses, but I made choices that made me late, and the things I chose were good. But I got bumped a bunch of times along the way to my set. The last bump was when guitar God Mark Hoffman got up on stage by himself, when I was going to go up with him.

He did a number, then said, "We should all appreciate that we are in a historic moment. The impeachment has started." 

The response was mostly... none. I don't think people were listening, having possibly been turned off by him playing a banjitar (a banjo with a guitar neck and six strings), which sounds a lot like a banjo when played. Solo banjo is probably up there with accordion and bagpipes with things people reject listening to.

So he added, "I don't know what you all think of that." I cheered. There was some applause. Then Dave Porter, one of the main players among the hosts, said into the house mic (from the mixing board), "We're here for music, not politics."

And he shut off Mark's microphone. Mark started to reply, "I was just telling people..." then he realized the mic was off, and expressionlessly turned away from it and started preparing to leave the stage. Which he did, quickly, and then, with me and a few people congratulating him, left Limp Lizard. If I had to guess, he won't come back.

I assume he was going to say he was just reporting breaking news (he may have been the only person in the room who knew that it was announced formal impeachment hearing proceedings were going to begin tomorrow.

So there was a misunderstanding. My parsing of the situation was that Dave and Mark have opposite reactions to the impeachment thing, and, in my opinion, Dave did a wrong and hurtful thing. If Dave had been on the same side as Mark, I think he would have taken it as it was meant: Reporting good news.

I changed what I was going to play. As I passed Mark, clapping him on the shoulder, I decided to play, "For What It's Worth", the Buffalo Springfield song about the Sunset Strip Riots, which began as a protest against the Viet Nam war. Obviously and pointedly a political song.

Dave, who was onstage with the rest of the house band (except Edgar, the bass player) backing me up, got it, and actually mentioned it when the song was done. I felt satisfied that I had made my point.

But mainly I was really happy because it was a killer version of the song, easily the best I'd ever done.

That was the beginning of what turned out to be a wonderful evening of music and friendship, including me playing 'Centerpiece', a song from my first favorite jazz record, Lambert, Hendrix and Ross! The Hottest New Group In Jazz, which I have loved for almost fifty years.

I am endlessly grateful.

Food and Diet 

Today's Weight:                    201.6 lbs.

Previous Weight (9/23/19):         201.8 lbs.

Net Loss/Gain:                     - 0.2 lbs.

Diet Comment

Downside noise. We'll see if, despite a lot of bread, including (horrors!) the sweet white bread bun of the Burger King, and some ketchup, the low-calorie aspect causes some weight (water) loss tomorrow.

Food Log

Breakfast
Skipped.

Lunch
7:00pm: Two parts: At my friend Al's, a burger with a fried egg on top on whole-grain, multi-grain bread and a salad with blue cheese dressing. Then, a free, free! Burger King Impossible Whopper - a vegetarian Whopper that tastes just like a Whopper, maybe even better, although I haven't eaten a Whopper since sometime in the late seventies... and it was smaller than I remember them being. But then, everything is...

Dinner
1:55am: A Quest bar.

Liquid Intake

   Espressos: 2;   Coffee: 0 oz.;  Water: 78+ oz.; 2 shots of Jameson's Irish whiskey.

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Thank you!

#2349: Monday, September 23: Weekend update

Post 2349

- 8 years and 266 days since I started this blog -

  

Daily Comment

I had a good weekend of playing, except Saturday night I succumbed to inertia, and watched TV instead of going out and listening to two bands that I like a lot.

Friday, I was invited to sit in with a singer/guitarist who's just come on the scene the last few months. When I got there, I found out an excellent drummer would be sitting in as well.

What followed was three hours of really, really entertaining music, every bit of it improvised, as the three of us hadn't rehearsed anything - it was not the first time any of us had played with the others, but it was the first time the three of us had played together. It just clicked.

I had a good night Sunday as well, returning to the open mic at Valley Blues House, I got to play a lot of sets. One was awful, backing up a singer who just couldn't figure out how to put her voice to the songs she chose. Her set was short. But the jams that happened after were excellent.

It is so very gratifying to make music. I get totally in the moment, totally focused on the one thing I'm doing.

I smile a lot. I don't hide my enjoyment trying to show intensity. I just lay it down, hope for the best, and usually everything works out fine for me.

I also enjoy the social scene. The scene out back, everybody smoking pot and laughing.

I'm grateful for what I have.

Food and Diet 

Today's Weight:                    201.8 lbs.

Previous Weight (9/20/19):         202.3 lbs.

Net Loss/Gain:                     - 0.5 lbs.

Diet Comment

A half-pound loss, a weekend? That's good news.

Food Log

Breakfast
6:20pm: LEO (lox, eggs and onions) on riced cauliflower with chia seeds.

Lunch
10:55pm: Cottage cheese and a Quest bar.

Dinner
1:05am: Vegetarian sloppy joe (Quorn Grounds, kale, spinach, Grandpa's Sauce.

Liquid Intake

   Espressos: 2;   Coffee: 0 oz.;  Water: 72+ oz.;

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Thank you!

#2348: Friday, September 20: What you get when you're not looking...

Post 2348

- 8 years and 263 days since I started this blog -

  

Daily Comment

There's this old wives tale told to and by young men: You'll find a woman as soon as you stop looking for one.

I don't believe it holds true all the time, or is exclusively for romance. I think there is a big element of being ready, and a big element of removing your expectations that is contained in that maxim.

I stopped looking for a woman a long time ago - first, when I found one seventeen years ago, and then again when that same woman participated in, and precipitated, a life-changing personal disaster. That time I was uninterested, for reasons both pragmatic, emotional (fear, mainly), and physical, in the complications of another relationship.

As to not being limited to romance, I do like my musical moments, and being ready (prepared to play at a moment's notice) and of having minimal expectations - I put myself in situations where I get to play, but know that I may have little say about what and with whom I play, or how much time I get, if any - does let a night like tonight happen.

A few months ago, at one of the open mics I went to I met Justin, a guitarist/singer/songwriter performing solo. I then started seeing him at other open mics, solo, usually. At some point, he asked me to play with him, and it went well enough for him to ask me again.

When he got a show at one of my regular open mic and band concert stops, Valley Blues House, Justin invited me to sit in on bass.

The longest amount of time we had ever played together was probably no more than twenty minutes. I went into this evening with few expectations beyond playing a few songs with him, possibly leaving early to see another show with some friends' band at the Dinosaur BBQ.

Instead, I played just under three hours, to an audience - not the smallest audience, though not large for the house - that was very enthusiastic.

I think the gig turned out great. I had one of my favorite local drummers, Kevin, usually a jazz guy, but able to do great things with this more r&b-flavored punky music. I had a great time. The audience liked it so much, I actually got paid and got bought drinks - far more than I usually allow myself in one night - and given pot to smoke.

I even made contact with a woman I found very attractive, although it turns out she was a pro waiting for her date. I know she liked the music, anyway.

It's another time when being grateful for whatever comes my way pays off in unexpected ways. And I am.

Food and Diet 

Today's Weight:                    202.3 lbs.

Previous Weight (9/19/19):         202.6 lbs.

Net Loss/Gain:                     - 0.3 lbs.

Diet Comment

A quarter-pound loss, as I've said, is just noise. But better noise than a quarter-pound gain, right? Looking forward to losing more over the weekend, but, as I mentioned above, I had a large amount of whiskey and that may throw things off. We'll see. Nothing to worry about.

Food Log

Breakfast
4:50pm:

Smoked salmon and greens sauté (with eggs, kale, spinach, onions and peppers, butter, coconut oil, turmeric, pepper).

Lunch
8:10pm: A Quest bar and cottage cheese.

Dinner
1:05am: 

Arugula, cabbage, chard, kale, spinach, roasted turkey breast, shaved parmesan cheese, walnuts and balsamic vinaigrette. Not shown: A Quest bar.

Liquid Intake

   Espressos: 1;   Coffee: 0 oz.;  Water: 64+ oz.; 4 shots of Jameson's Irish whiskey.

 Please leave a comment when you visit my blog.
Thank you!