Waking up at 11:30 a.m.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, and Almond Milk. Breakfast Tea.
Another workout session with Vlad. I swear I feel stronger every time.
Vega Protein Drink.
Scrambled Eggs. Spinach. Biscuit with Butter and Jam. Cold Brew Coffee.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers.
After Ana gets off work we enjoy Bangkok Garden for dinner in the living room and finish watching The Karate Kid (1984).
Doing the accounting for Music Makers.
At the studio organizing things and playing piano.
Waking up late, late, late.
Ana and I rustle up out of the house – on to Three Ships to collect more coffee beans and cold brew coffees – then on to Duck Donuts to treat ourselves. Lately, we’ve discovered there’s a lack of local donut shops in Virginia Beach. We park across the street in the shade enjoying our sweet fried breakfast talking about music.
At home. Catching up on chores – vacuuming and organizing.
Scrambled Eggs. Kale. Toast with Vegan Cream Cheese. Breakfast Tea.
Over at Lynnhaven basketball courts playing a few full court pick-up games. Afterwards, I’m shocked to find my basketball is missing. Most likely someone grabbed it by accident but it being a unique black ball I’m surprised.
Back home. Ana got dinner started. I clean myself up and finish the rest.
Enjoying Vegan Burgers with Roasted Zucchini and Potatoes in the living room. After watching all those Cobra Kai episodes it got me inspired to re-watch The Karate Kid movies. So we put on the first one that came out in 1984, my birth year. Ana points out how similar the mom in the movie acts like my mom. I always felt a connection to movies that had son and single mother characters cause it reminded me of how I grew up. For a good while as a boy it was just my mom and I. My dad always lived in NC but most of the time it was just her and I.
After watching the first half Ana and I try our hand at a few karate moves.
Waking up around 12:20 p.m.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, and Almond Milk. Breakfast Tea.
Teaching a few afternoon lessons.
Grabbing groceries with Ana.
PB&J Naan. Cold Brew Coffee.
Helping Ana retrieve her car from getting the window replaced.
Using the Shop-Vac to suck all the glass from Ana’s car. Her and Erica are about to go to a friend’s house for karaoke.
Vacuuming the floors at the studio.
Cooking myself dinner: Tuna Steak with Broccoli, Carrots, Onions, and Quinoa.
Watching Cobra Kai.
Taking care of all kinds of chores – laundry – troubleshooting the vacuum cleaner head but mainly just taking it apart and cleaning it.
Waking up around noon.
Cereal with Blueberries and Almond Milk. Breakfast Tea.
Ana and I create our ultimate to-do list for the day – many things to do. Return bed piece to IKEA. Clear area in my room for maintenance to repair drywall above window. Put Ana’s new bed together. Pick up things.
Scrambled Eggs. Sourdough Toast with Vegan Cream Cheese. Spinach. Cold Brew Coffee.
At home I get a frantic call from Ana. She’s freaking out cause the truck just stopped running on her way back from IKEA. Now she’s stuck on VB Blvd. A cop helped push it off road. I drive over and inspect. It’s just one thing after the other in our world. First her window gets smashed in last night from some angry road rage guy. Then this. Turns out the truck just needed a few quarts of oil and some coolant. Voila!
Back home. Continuing the tasks at hand. Putting my room back together where they did the drywall repair. Doing laundry. Helping Ana get rid of her old mattress. Building/putting the wood bed frame together. There are some difficult moments but I get it all in working order. Her new bed is finally ready!
We head out to Pizza Chapel for Pizza, Garlic Knots, and Gose’s.
Cleaning up more and organizing. This whole day has been a frenzy. But it’s finally done.
Waking up at 11:30 a.m.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, and Almond Milk. Breakfast Tea.
At Houze of Champions doing another weight training session with Vlad. Today is upper body intensive. I hit points of failure but it feels great.
Vega Protein Shake.
Scrambled Eggs. Sourdough Toast with Butter and Jam. Tomatoes. Cold Brew Coffee.
Watching Cobra Kai (2018).
Long day of teaching lessons at Music Makers. There’s always so much going on all at once. My phone is blowing up with text messages and stuff is happening at the studio.
Back home. Leftover Beans with Kale, Carrots, and Brown Rice/Quinoa.
Ana calls after being involved in a road rage incident. She was just leaving band practice and hanging out with her friends. Some guy got out of his car at a stoplight and cussed her out over running through a red light or something. He starts shaking her car and manages to punch through her back driver’s side window. She’s a little shook up shall we say over it.
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We talk it over cookies and try to make sense of it.
Waking up at 11:30 a.m.
Cereal with Blueberries and Almond Milk. Black Tea.
At the studio taking care of all kinds of scheduling. The shift from summer to fall always brings with it many calendar changes.
Scrambled Eggs. Spinach. Sourdough Toast with Butter and Jam. Cold Brew Coffee.
Watching Cobra Kai (2018).
Teaching lessons at Music Makers.
After work Ana and I enjoy Pho Noodle Soups at Pho 79.
Quick trip to Target to return something.
Back home. I continue working on organizing and uploading the photography from the last MMLIVE show. It takes a lot of work posting on all the different online outlets.
Chores – washing dishes – kitchen stuff.
After I hop out of the shower Ana and I have a little spat. I don’t really know what to appropriately call it. Sometimes things just trigger unnecessary comments from her that make me feel guilty for no reason. We talk it through.
Waking up at 11:30 a.m.
Cereal with Blueberries and Almond Milk. Breakfast Tea.
Sitting at the computer dealing with all these schedule changes for Music Makers – it’s always Tuesdays when the things pile up at once.
Scrambled Eggs. Toast with Butter and Jam. Greens. Cold Brew Coffee.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers.
Off work a bit early. I shoot around the basketball at the Lynnhaven courts. One of my students, Keegan, drops by and we play a few rounds. He’s a good kid with a lot of fearlessness.
Back home. Ana cooked up dinner using some leftovers. Beans, Cabbage, and Quinoa. Simple meals I love. We watch an episode of Portlandia together.
I stay holed up in my room finally getting the chance to organize the photos from last week’s MMLIVE show.
Waking up around 11:30 a.m.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Peaches, and Almond Milk. Breakfast Tea.
At Houze of Champions getting another personal training session in with Vlad.
Vega Protein Shake with Banana.
Scrambled Eggs. Pizza Slice. Coffee.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers.
Back home. Ana and I cook dinner: Vegan Burgers with Asparagus and homemade French Fries.
Watching an episode of Portlandia together.
At the studio for a long time continuing my inventory work.
Back home taking care of chores. Ana’s been busy cleaning out her bathroom and bedroom and doing laundry.
Waking up at 12:30 p.m. It’s nice to sleep in.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, and Almond Milk. Breakfast Tea.
Watching High Score (2020).
Running some errands – mostly spending my time at the Kitchen Barn. I never thought to come here in the past for kitchen-related things but I’m simply enamored with this place. The two ladies running it are very helpful and give me some ideas on the most appropriate French press and other things.
Leftover Egg Noodles with Kale and Carrots. Cold Coffee.
Catching up on business.
At the Lynnhaven basketball courts playing a few pickup games of 3v3. It’s the exact kind of exercise I wanted to do all weekend.
Back home. Ana is taking the lead on dinner. I help with the brown rice. Tofu with Brussel Sprouts, Onions, and Brown Rice. I show Ana the first episode of High Score. It’s really well paced and entertaining all the little tidbits of history on video games.
Figuring out how to use this new Toddy cold brew coffee thing.
Later on, at the studio continuing to log all the retail for inventory.
Waking up at 11:40 a.m.
Cereal with Blueberries and Almond Milk. Black Tea.
Teaching afternoon lessons at Music Makers.
Chores around the house.
Scrambled Eggs. Toast with Butter and Jam. Kale and Veggies. Coffee.
Watching High Score (2020).
Running errands with Ana.
Putting together this shower caddy thing. Unfortunately, we’re still waiting on the contractors to come and finish the caulking on the hallway bathroom. So everyone’s borrowing Ana’s shower for the time being.
Leftover Beans with Greens, Quinoa, and French Baguette.
At Music Makers doing some inventory while Ana practices piano.
Playing DOOM.
Waking up after 12:30 p.m.
Ana and I continue our Friday tradition of brunch at Commune.
Pancakes and Bacon. Coffee.
Picking up some coffee beans from Three Ships. Checking out North End Bag Co. – ordered a new custom bag for myself.
Running some errands – picking up groceries at Whole Foods.
Taking care of chores and things around the house.
Napping.
Shooting some basketball at Lynnhaven Park. Tristan and Ana meet up here for a while.
Back home. It’s a lot of camaraderie. Tristan, Ana, Erica, Roland, and a friend of his, Kevin. We slow cooked beans in a crock pot but they didn’t cook all the way yet so we wait. Putting it together in Tacos with Corn on the Cob. Enjoying the deliberate pun-like humor of Tristan and Roland’s tirades on mallwave music.
Later on, in Ana’s room. She massages my back. After cleaning up a few things I end up sleeping in her bed, something I rarely do. Making fire before we fall into dreamland.
Waking up at 11:20 a.m.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, and Almond Milk. Breakfast Tea.
At the Houze of Champions gym meeting with Vlad getting my second personal training session.
Banana.
Scrambled Eggs. Toast with Butter and Jam. Chips. Spinach. Cold Brew Coffee.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers – long day of teaching.
Chicken Sandwich with Fries from Aloha Snacks.
Watching High Score (2020).
Catching up on business.
Chatting with Ana.
Playing DOOM.
More typewriter fun downstairs. We introduce Roland to the typewriter; now he is gratefully expending the thoughts in his head.
Waking up at 11:20 a.m.
Cereal with Blueberries and Almond Milk. Tea.
The maintenance guy is still reconstructing our shower wall, second day in a row.
Staying preoccupied with Music Makers business – scheduling and planning.
Chores.
Scrambled Eggs. Toast with Butter and Jam. Spinach. Coffee. Banana.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers – pretty busy Wednesday.
Back home. Cooking dinner for Ana and I. She got me mussels to cook. I’ve never cooked them before. Making an Egg Noodle Pasta dish with Mussels, Tomatoes, Broccoli, Cauliflower, and French Baguette.
Taking care of chores – laundry – dishes.
Pulling out an old typewriter I had stashed away in the closet. Ana and I play around with it.
Waking up at 11:30 a.m. All morning Ana and I kept waking up to a maintenance guy hammering in the hallway bathroom replacing the whole shower wall, a longtime coming repair even though it’s inconvenient to sleep through.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Strawberries, and Almond Milk. Breakfast Tea.
Catching up on business.
Running errands – at Target.
Scrambled Eggs. Sourdough Toast with Butter and Jam. Kale, Onions, Mushrooms, and Avocado. Melon. Cold Coffee.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers.
Back home. Warming up leftovers: Chic Peas with Vegetables and Quinoa.
Watching Project Power (2020).
Playing DOOM.
Catching up on business.
Chores.
Troubleshooting some things on the computer.
Waking up at 11:30 a.m.
Cereal with Strawberries and Almond Milk. Breakfast Tea.
Meeting with Vlad, one of our student’s Alexa’s dad, at Houze of Champions over off London Bridge. I’m looking to start a more structured approach to my workouts and have him train me. Even though I know I can motivate myself sometimes I just need a schedule and a professional to lead me in the right direction. We run a pretty intense workout even for a first time. But I’m feeling good.
Melon. Scrambled Eggs. Sourdough Toast with Butter and Jam. Spinach. Coffee.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers.
Off work kind of early. The rain has finally subsided and I can shoot the basketball around.
After Ana gets home we decide to grab some dinner at Barrel 17.
Crab Cake Sandwich with Fries.
Then, walking over to Lolly’s for some Cookie Monster Ice Cream. It’s a nice summer night as we walk through a side street – discovering a few murals we’ve never seen in the arts district.
Back home. Ana and I relax on the couch and watch an episode of Portlandia.
Catching up on things.
Waking up kind of early at 10:20 a.m. to pick up all the music gear from the church with Ana. We had to do it before 11.
Enjoying breakfast together: Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Strawberries, and Almond Milk. Cold Brew Coffee.
And then the fun starts! At Elevation 27 setting up the stage for our big Music Makers LIVE show including two bands and an hour long Broadway show. I’m running around the venue coordinating almost everything from making sure gear on the stage is set up properly, getting the video camera going, making sure Kay is all good at the front entrance. There’s some confusion on purchasing tickets at the door. Because of pandemic times they have some limitations on capacity.
So proud of all the MMLIVE bands I’ve been coaching alongside Devon and Anne. I can really start to see how much each one is growing in their musicianship skills. And I know my mom would be proud of this show and get such a kick out of this Broadway thing.
After getting all the gear transported back to the studio I meet up with Addy, Rebecca, Jordan, and Garrett at Las Palmas across the street, that new Mexican restaurant that just opened up. Enjoying some tableside Guac with Chips, drinks, and all kinds of good eats. We reassess what we learned from the show and how we can make it better for next time.
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Popping into Jordan’s place with the gang to meet his new cat, Luna.
Back at the studio putting all the gear away and organizing.
And finally at home to relax.
Once Ana gets off work at midnight we share some Toasted PB&J’s and chat about the show today. We get into a deeper discussion on our relationship and how important it is to simply trust each other.
Waking up at 11 a.m.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Strawberries, and Almond Milk. Breakfast Tea.
Today’s the final rehearsals for MMLIVE. Jordan and I set up all the band stuff last night so we’re ready to roll. From 12 to 3 I rev up all the performer’s energy and we run the sets. Devon’s here also helping keep everything in line.
Soon after we get the Broadway group going for their dress rehearsal. I’m all over the place helping keep things on the stage clear. Slurping down some Watermelon and lunch from Panera.
We go all the way till 7 or so. We’re all drained!
Back home. Taking a nap.
Ana and I warm up leftovers. While sitting and enjoying our meal we joke how these leftovers don’t look like leftovers: Vegetable Goulash with Chic Peas, Kale, Carrots, Quinoa, and French Baguette.
Catching up on business.
Chores.
Gathering a few things at Music Makers.
Waking up 12:30 p.m.
Ana and I grab some brunch at Commune like we did last Friday.
Cornmeal Waffles, Bacon, Sunny Side Up Egg, and Coffee.
Running errands – thrift store – Wal-Mart.
Taking care of chores and stuff at the house.
Watermelon.
Chillin’ with Ana in her bedroom. She puts on some groovy music and we get silly with each other. Making fire.
Smoked Salmon. Kimchi, Lettuce, and Toast with Butter and Jam. Breakfast Tea.
Watching The Way Back (2020).
At Music Makers getting all the MMLIVE gear ready. Jordan meets me here and helps transport everything to the church. We set up everything for tomorrow’s final band rehearsals. It always takes some time to make sure everything is right.
Back home. Ana baked us homemade Pizza with Cucumber Salad. Very delicious.
Her and I take our boards out to the church parking lot near our neighborhood.
Waking up at 11:30 a.m.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Strawberries, and Almond Milk. Breakfast Tea.
Chores.
Catching up on business.
Scrambled Eggs. Toast with Vegan Cream Cheese and Jam. Salt n Vinegar Chips. Cold Brew Coffee.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers.
Ana cooked dinner tonight: A Moroccan style plate with Chic Peas, Zucchini, Potatoes, Eggplant, Tomatoes, Quinoa, and French Baguette.
Later on at the storage unit with Josiah and Elliott practicing Ladada tunes. I play a little drums to help continue learning his guitar parts. Bobby’s taking extra precautions by quarantining himself cause of the pandemic.
Back home. Cleaning up.
Playing DOOM.
Waking up at 11:30 a.m.
Cereal.
Catching up on business.
At Target the most amazing thing happened: I got everything I planned on getting there including toilet paper and paper towels.
Scrambled Eggs. Toast with Butter and Jam. Salt n Vinegar Chips. Cold Brew Coffee.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers.
It is mom’s birthday today, the first birthday without her here. I celebrate on Facebook and Instagram with a few heart-warming posts.
Lentil Minestrone Soup with Quinoa and Smoked Salmon.
Playing DOOM.
Taking care of chores and business.
Waking up at 11:15 a.m.
Cereal with Strawberries and Almond Milk. Breakfast Tea.
Catching up on all kinds of business.
Scrambled Eggs. Sourdough Toast with Butter and Jam. Kale. Coffee.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers. It’s a full day of mostly virtual lessons.
Back home. Putting together a dinner for myself using leftover Black Bean Burgers and French Fries with Spinach and Tomatoes.
Watching Revenge for Jolly! (2012).
Playing DOOM.
Cleaning up the dishes while Ana goes on an after-work snackin’ rampage.
Doing research.
Watermelon.
Waking up at 11:20 a.m. from intense dreams.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Strawberries, and Almond Milk. Breakfast Tea.
Taking care of business. Some days it all hits at once, the texts, calls, emails, etc. Then, on the phone with the owners at Elevation 27 discussing changing the show time for Sunday.
Chores.
Scrambled Eggs. Sourdough Toast with Vegan Cream Cheese. Cold Brew Coffee.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers.
Back home. Ana made a nutritious dinner: Peas with Onions, Zucchini, Carrots, and Quinoa.
Ana and I decide to just simply sit down in the living room and watch a movie all the way through.
Jojo Rabbit (2019).
Later on, cleaning up and taking the recycle out.
Afterwards, it appears something is unsettling Ana. We get into a talk about unhappiness in our lives and making this relationship like a team.
Waking up at 11 a.m.
Cereal. Black Tea.
Coaching two MMLIVE band rehearsals from noon to 3.
PB&J. Cold Brew Coffee. Watermelon.
Then, at Broadway rehearsal to help out with the live band portion. It’s pretty cool to see this big room filled with all this chaos and performance. Rebecca’s doing a good job directing everything with the help of Lisa, Addy, and Jordan.
Loading stuff back to the studio then relaxing for a minute.
Later on at Lynnhaven Park on the basketball courts. It’s packed out here with two full court games running. Who’s got next? Okay, I got next after next. That’s the way it goes tonight.
Back home. Ana slaved away in the kitchen making homemade Black Bean Burgers with Corn on the Cob. I toss together a Spinach Salad with Tomatoes. Enjoying our meal at the dining booth. Hanging out and discussing the day.
Cleaning up and doing chores.
Playing DOOM.
Waking up at noon.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, and Almond Milk. Breakfast Tea.
Teaching some afternoon lessons at Music Makers.
Scrambled Eggs. Sourdough Toast with Butter and Jam. Tomatoes. Cold Brew Coffee.
Ana and I drive out to Northside Park in Norfolk – Ana keeps getting me to go out with her here. The way she describes the place is sounds like a heaven of some sort. Skate park. Basketball courts. Local coffee shop and skate shop across the street. Big open fields for a picnic. I spend time on the courts shooting around. Some little kids and a dad join me. I turn into teacher mode encouraging the kids. One of them eventually calls me Mr. Robert without knowing I’m a teacher. Meanwhile, on the other side of the court a big group of dudes are gambling on shots, throwing down twenty’s and hundred’s.
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Aaron Lachman pops by. Some teenager walks over from one of the shelters just to let him know that Aaron looks like Jack Black. Lol.
Watermelon.
Hanging out at Toast and finally enjoying the Perro Blanco Tacos with some Margaritas.
Back home. Settling down.
I compose some emails. Then, set up the band rehearsal spot.
Blackberry Pastry. Corn Chips. OJ.
Waking up some time after noon.
Ana just got a haircut. She scoops me up from the house and we grab brunch.
At Commune enjoying an Egg Sandwich with Waffles and Coffee.
At MacDonald Nursery looking for some new pots for plants and admiring all the green life.
Taking care of chores – cleaning the bathroom – dishes.
Grilled PB&J. Black Tea.
Getting some groceries from Whole Foods and Kroger.
Catching up on business. Cleaning.
Leftovers for dinner.
Watching Under the Silver Lake (2018).
Hanging out in the living room after Ana gets off work – working out a little bit to music videos.
Waking up around 11:20 a.m.
Cereal.
Catching up on business.
Repotting the hanging plant that fell last night and a few others.
Scrambled Eggs. Toast with Butter and Jam. Chips. Iced Coffee.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers. Meanwhile, it downpours outside.
Cooking dinner at home: Tempeh with Asparagus, Broccoli, Carrots, Onions, and Quinoa/Rice.
At the storage unit with the Ladada boys. Elliott is still breaking into the songs and learning parts.
Back home. Chillin’ with Ana and settling down.
Sleep around 4 a.m.
Waking up at 11:15 a.m.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, and Almond Milk. Breakfast Tea.
Catching up on business.
Taking an afternoon nap.
Scrambled Eggs. Toast with Butter and Jam. Salt n Vinegar Chips. Kale. Coffee.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers.
Back home. Cooking a quick dinner: Udon Noodles with Miso, Celery, Onions, and Cauliflower.
Watching Unsolved Mysteries (2020).
Birthday Cake.
Catching up on emails and business.
The hanging plant above the piano fell somehow, I guess from the heaviness of the plant itself after being watered. So that takes some time to clean up the area.
Practicing bass parts for Ladada.
Waking up around 11 a.m. It’s my birthday and the power is out. We had a storm brew through overnight.
Cereal.
At Music Makers dealing with the internet being down but it magically comes on while sorting communications.
Back home. Ana gives me a hand drawn birthday card to me with an image of a cassette tape that says I’m a magnificent mix. She’s clever like that.
Smoked Salmon Sandwich with Tomato and Beets. Salt n Vinegar Chips with Avocado.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers. It’s a low key mostly virtual lessons day for me.
Afterwards, I gear up and play some pickup basketball games over at Lynnhaven Park. They finally got the court lights functioning so when night falls we can still play.
Butter Chicken with Broccoli, Kale, and Basmati Rice from Nawab for dinner.
Watching Unsolved Mysteries (2020).
Talking with dad and Patty on FaceTime. Then, catching up on all the birthday wishes on social media and text messages. It’s nice to know I have a good set of friends that care about me.
It’s hard cause this is my first birthday without mom around. I know she’d be the first to tell me Happy Birthday and give me an emotionally rich card full of pride and love for her son. But I know she’s looking down and singing to me in my heart.
After Ana gets off work we finally slice up the cake she baked me. Here I am at 36 years old. It kind of feels like 35 but I guess it all melds together at some point.
Chillin’ with Ana downstairs messing around with these plastic balls and shooting them in the mini hoop.
Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Blueberries, and Almond Milk. Breakfast Tea.
At the studio letting the A/C guy in to install a new digital thermostat. Meanwhile, taking care of business things.
Scrambled Eggs. Cabbage. Toast with Butter and Jam. Chips. Coffee.
Teaching lessons at Music Makers.
Eating leftover Pizza with Kale.
Watching Unsolved Mysteries (2020).
Catching up on business and writing.
Later on, at the studio. Touching up a spot near the thermostat with paint. Rearranging some plants. I put one of the plants up by my mom’s picture and urn – she potted it a long time ago. I gaze up and say, “Thanks for the birthday wishes mom. I love you too.”
Back home Ana is baking a cake for my birthday tomorrow.
