Thursday November 9 2017

Waking up at 10:40 a.m.

Bowl of Honey Crunch n Oats with Granola, Banana, Strawberries, and Almond Milk. Irish Breakfast Tea.

Teaching a couple lessons.

Errands with Ana – taking the recycle out, dropping a package off to the post office, and getting some groceries at Whole Foods.

Tuna Salad Sandwich with Lettuce. Corn Tortilla Chips with Avocado and Tomato. Green Tea.

Teaching lessons at Music Makers.

Fuji Apple.

Back home. Ana made us dinner: BBQ Tofu with Jackfruit, Cauliflower, Onions, and Basmati Rice.

Ladada rehearsal with Bobby, Josiah, and Jon. Fine tuning the new jams before we get into the studio to record.

Chamomile Tea.

Sleep 3:30 a.m.

Wednesday November 8 2017

Waking up at 10:40 a.m.

Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Strawberries, Maple Syrup, and Kefir. Irish Breakfast Tea.

Basketball at the Rec.

Scrambled Eggs. Toast with Vegan Cream Cheese. Potatoes. Green Tea.

Watching The People v. O.J. Simpson (2016).

Teaching lessons at Music Makers.

Banana.

Back home. Quick dinner: Vegetable Fried Rice with Baby Broccoli and Carrots.

DEJA rehearsal. Tweaking tunes.

Chocolate Chip Cookies. Chamomile Tea.

Again, Ana and I try to sleep next to each other but to no avail she starts a coughing spell and leaves.

Tuesday November 7 2017

[i]

Waking up at 11 a.m.

Steel Cut Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Strawberries, Maple Syrup, and Kefir. Earl Grey Tea.

Business.

Taking care of my duties as a citizen and voting.

Toasted PB&J. Rice Pea Snacks. Fuji Apple. Oolong Tea.

Watching The People v. O.J. Simpson (2016).

Teaching lessons at Music Makers.

Lentils with Kale, Carrots, Quinoa, Rice, Sardines, and Naan Bread.

I drive out to Charlie’s in Norfolk to catch The Lazy Dangers show. Sipping on a beer and chillin’ with familiar faces.

Back home. Ana’s in a choppy mood. She bakes Cookies while Will and I discuss the latest.

Sleep early before 3 a.m. Ana joins me at my side for a little while until her coughing spell takes over and leaves.

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[i] Image by me.

Monday November 6 2017

Waking up at 10:40 a.m.

Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Strawberries, Maple Syrup, and Kefir. English Breakfast Tea.

Basketball at the Rec.

Scrambled Eggs. Toast with Vegan Cream Cheese. Salt n Vinegar Chips with Avocado. Green Hibiscus Tea.

Watching The People v. O.J. Simpson (2016).

Teaching lessons at Music Makers.

Banana.

Back home. Cooking dinner: Tempeh with Onions, Celery, Broccoli, Carrots, and Jasmine Rice.

Business.

Gelato.

Chores.

Chilling with Ana and the cat. She talks about her emotional toil at work and a story about some guy hitting on her at “the reg” as she calls it, otherwise known as the register.

Chamomile Tea.

Sleep 3:30 a.m.

Sunday November 5 2017

[i]

Waking up at 11 a.m.

Honey Crunch n Oats with Granola, Strawberries, and Almond Milk. Irish Breakfast Tea.

Teaching makeup lessons for some of my in-home students.

Back home.

Vegan Chili on a Bun with Salad.

Catching up on business. Sorting through the video footage from yesterday’s show.

Getting groceries from Trader Joe’s.

Mom makes dinner: Cabbage and Onions, Quinoa, and leftover Fish and Greens from Baladi’s.

Gelato.

At the studio affixing the band photos from rock school/MMLIVE on the wall, which we’ll call the Hall of Fame.

Sleep 4 a.m.

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[i] Image by me.

Saturday November 4 2017

[i]

Waking up at 10:40 a.m.

Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Strawberries, Maple Syrup, and Kefir. Irish Breakfast Tea.

Today’s the big day for Music Makers LIVE (formerly known as rock school) at Eagle’s Nest. Joe and I get the stage set up in a timely manner. Four bands on the bill today: The Destroyers, Drie Eyce, Get Loud, and Radioactive Noise. The seats are filled. The plates are full of pizza and glasses full of drink. The air is thick with praise and adoration for the performers braving the stage.

Afterwards, mom, Ana, and I use some of the money we made today to treat ourselves to a nice dinner at Baladi’s.

Later on, Ana tags along with me to dump off the rest of the gear at the Lynnhaven rehearsal spot and then organize things at the studio. Meanwhile, she plucks away at the mini guitar in the waiting room.

Back home. Settling in. Eating Gelato. Playing with the cat while Ana deals with this incessant cough of hers. She’s frustrated cause she can’t get any sleep.

Chamomile Tea.

Sleep at 3ish a.m. but feels more like 4ish cause of Daylight Savings.

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[i] MMLIVE Photos by Joe Justice.

Friday November 3 2017

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Waking up at 11:18 a.m.

Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Strawberries, Maple Syrup, and Kefir. Earl Grey Tea.

At the Rec shooting the basketball around.

Scrambled Eggs. Bagel with Vegan Cream Cheese. Salt n Vinegar Chips with Avocado. Green Hibiscus Tea.

Final MMLIVE rehearsals for two of the bands this afternoon.

These kids are about as ready as they’ll ever be which means it’s going to be one heck of a show tomorrow!

Honey Crisp Apple.

Packing up all the gear and loading it into my wagon.

Back home. Mom brought some leftovers from a Friends School banquet: Vegan Chili, Pasta, and Salad.

The new Music Makers t-shirts came in the mail. Mom and I inspect them. Some of the designs did not come out right. We’re somewhat disappointed.

Ana and I attend an art/music show at Back Bay in “the upper room” as I call it. Snake Mountain Revival, our new favorite local psych rock band, is playing a set.

I snagged Ana’s Wayne’s World trucker hat from the house. I never wear hats. Wearing it makes me feel like my dad cause he used to (and still does) wear hats like this all the time. 

Back home. Ana and I huddle up into chairs in front of my computer to watch the last episode of Stranger Things 2 over Popcorn, Grapes, and Sparkling Water. What a finale it is.

Sleep at 3:20 a.m.

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[i] Images by me.

Thursday November 2 2017

Waking up at 11 a.m.

Honey Crunch n Oats with Granola, Banana, Strawberries, and Almond Milk. Irish Breakfast Tea.

Teaching a voice lesson.

Business.

Tuna Salad Sandwich with Lettuce and Tomato. Salt n Vinegar Chips with Avocado. Green Hibiscus Tea.

Watching Black Butterfly (2017).

Teaching lessons at Music Makers – having to blow my nose every five minutes.

Scarfing down some dinner: leftover Vegetable Orzo Soup with Naan Bread. Then heading to the rehearsal space for one of the MMLIVE band’s final rehearsal.

Navel Orange. Gelato.

Then, Ladada practice with Jon, Josiah, and Bobby.

Popcorn.

Chilling with Ana and the cat.

Chamomile Tea.

Sleep 3:30 a.m.

Wednesday November 1 2017

Waking up at 11:07 a.m. Throat is still sore.

Steel Cut Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Strawberries, Maple Syrup, and Kefir. Irish Breakfast Tea.

Catching up on business.

My nose is like a leaky pipe all day – constantly blowing and dabbing my nose.

Scrambled Eggs. Sourdough Toast with Vegan Cream Cheese. Corn Tortilla Chips with Avocado and Tomato. Green Hibiscus Tea.

Teaching lessons at Music Makers.

Mom makes a hearty Soup with Peas, Celery, Onions, Kale, Orzo, and Carrots. Having some Naan Bread on the side.

Watching Black Butterfly (2017).

Navel Orange. Plum.

Business – working on things at the studio.

Chamomile Tea with ACV.

Sleep 3:30 a.m.

Tuesday October 31 2017

[i]

Waking up at 11 a.m.

Steel Cut Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Strawberries, Maple Syrup, and Kefir. English Breakfast Tea.

Spending a lot of time figuring out how to design this flyer for the Music Makers showcase coming up in November.

Other business.

Scrambled Eggs. Everything Bagel with Vegan Cream Cheese. Rice Snacks. Green Hibiscus Tea.

Teaching lessons at Music Makers.

After work picking up some groceries at Trader Joe’s.

Mom and I drop by Rachel and Rhonda’s house just to visit during the Halloween trick or treat hours. Rachel and Olivia (both students of mine) are running around in their costumes giving the innocent trick or treaters the full experience before they receive candy. I tickle the ivories of a vintage Casio synth imitating a haunting pipe organ song.

Back home. Making dinner: Sardines, Chili, Kale, Carrots, Rice, and Sourdough Bread.

Watching Stranger Things 2.

At the studio doing the books/accounting for the month. Overall we’re doing well financially as long as I stay caught up with paying Red Chalk.

Grapefruit.

My throat is sore and now I’m a little sick. Tis’ the season!

Ginger Turmeric Tea with ACV.

Sleep 3:30 a.m.

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[i] Images by me.

Monday October 30 2017

Waking up at 10:37 a.m.

Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Strawberries, Maple Syrup, and Kefir. Earl Grey Tea.

Playing basketball at the Rec. I’m draining 3’s all afternoon.

Scrambled Eggs. Everything Bagel with Vegan Cream Cheese. Salt n Vinegar Chips with Avocado. Hibiscus Green Tea.

Teaching lessons at Music Makers.

Banana.

Back home. Making dinner with mom: Brown Rice Quinoa Spaghetti Noodles with Sauce, Mushrooms, Onions, Broccoli, and Sourdough Garlic Bread.

Watching Stranger Things 2.

Cookie.

Catching up on emails and chores.

Helping Ana with some bass lines to songs we’re doing in MMLIVE.

Chamomile Tea.

Sleep 3:30 a.m.

Sunday October 29 2017

Waking up at 10:20 a.m.

Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Strawberries, Maple Syrup, and Kefir. Irish Breakfast Tea.

MMLIVE sessions all day. Joe isn’t here today. But Lisa and Cody are. It helps having that extra teacher help to keep the kids focused and in line.

Banana. PB&J. Rice Pea Snacks. Green Hibiscus Tea.

More band rehearsals until 6:30.

Back home. Mom helps warm up dinner: Black Beans with Onions, Broccoli, Carrots, and Rice.

Watching Stranger Things 2.

Gelato.

Chores.

Prepping for the MMLIVE show coming up this weekend – printing set lists and flyers.

Chilling with Ana and the cat – venting about my day and how challenging it is to motivate all the kids in the band.

Chamomile Tea.

Sleep 3:30 a.m.

Saturday October 28 2017

[i]

Waking up at 11 a.m.

Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Strawberries, Maple Syrup, and Kefir. Irish Breakfast Tea.

Teaching lessons at Music Makers.

Banana.

Back home.

Scrambled Eggs. Everything Bagel with Vegan Cream Cheese. Salt n Vinegar Chips with Avocado. Green Hibiscus Tea.

Power napping in Ana’s room. She’s off to Richmond for a YJ show.

Taking care of business.

Will and I hit up the Halloween show at Toast featuring Demons, NKF Nightmares, Snake Mountain Revival, and The Milkstains. He dresses up as a character from the Fall Out game. And I don’t dress up at all. However, I could’ve easily dressed up as Shaggy if I thought about it sooner using my regular outfits.

There, sipping on Beers and enjoying a Kale Salad for dinner.

Back home.

Chamomile Tea.

Sleep 3:30 a.m.

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[i] Images by me.

Friday October 27 2017

[i]

Waking up at 11 a.m.

Irish Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Strawberries, Maple Syrup, and Kefir. Irish Breakfast Tea.

Business.

At the rehearsal space for MMLIVE band practices. We usually have them on Sunday but we had to make up for missing last weekend.

PB&J. Potato Sticks. Hibiscus Green Tea.

Everything feels out of sorts but in the end I get these kids ready with 4 songs under their belt.

Back home. Making dinner: Black Beans, Celery, Onions, Kale, Carrots, and Brown Rice.

Ana, mom, and I check out Kevin’s acoustic music troupe at Coyote’s down the street. Will and Stacy meet us there. Having a couple beers and listening to the smooth folk/soul sounds of Blank Slate.

Back home. Ana and I settle down in my room and watch the first episode of Stranger Things 2 over Tea.

She was going to sleep by my side but the hackling in her throat causes too much disruption to allow any undisturbed sleeping. She coughs and laughs her way out of my room.

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[i] Image by me.

Thursday October 26 2017

Waking up at 10:20 a.m.

Bowl of Honey Crunch n Oats with Banana, Strawberries, and Almond Milk. Irish Breakfast Tea.

Teaching afternoon lessons.

Errands.

Tempeh Bacon. Everything Bagel with Vegan Cream Cheese. Salt n Vinegar Chips. Hibiscus Green Tea.

Teaching more lessons at Music Makers.

Back home. Enjoying dinner with mom and Ana: Vegan Dogs with Ketchup, Mustard, Potato Rolls, and Kale.

We talk about how hard it is to be patient with the ones you love at the end of the day.

Gelato.

Ladada rehearsal with Bobby, Josiah, and Jonathan.

Comice Pear.

Sleep 3:30 a.m.

Wednesday October 25 2017

Waking up at 10:40 a.m.

Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Strawberries, Maple Syrup, and Kefir. Irish Breakfast Tea.

At the Great Neck Rec with Ana shooting the basketball around.

Scrambled Eggs. Pretzel Bagel with Vegan Cream Cheese. Corn Tortilla Chips with Avocado, Tomato, and Hummus. Hibiscus Green Tea.

Teaching lessons at Music Makers.

Apple.

Making dinner: Tempeh with Brussel Sprouts, Carrots, Onions, and Basmati Rice.

Watching Wheelman (2017).

Pinwheel Cookies.

Setting up stuff at the rehearsal space.

Pricing items and practicing piano at the studio.

Chamomile Tea.

Sleep 3:30 a.m.