I LOVE: 2017

Sunday December 31 2017

[i]

Waking up at 10:20 a.m.

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

Mom and I attend the 11 a.m. church service at Freedom Fellowship. The last time I’ve been inside here was probably last Christmas. It’s always warm and inviting just like I remember it. Pastor Rick and his family are not present this Sunday. Instead, Marshall Washington gives the sermon today about knowing who you are and getting out of “the valley”.

Scrambled Eggs. Grilled Bagel with Cream Cheese and Sesame Seeds. Salt n Vinegar Chips with Avocado. Oolong Tea.

Watching The Foreigner (2017).

Power napping.

Doing the accounting for the month.

Making dinner real quick: Brown Rice Quinoa Spaghetti Noodles with Mushrooms, Onions, Marinara Sauce, and Naan Bread.

Then, with Will, mom, and Ana at Joe McMurray’s house for the first leg of NYE. He’s got a wonderful music room filled with a petting zoo of instruments: organ, sitar, banjo, harp, djembe, guitars, etc. We all try our hand at the sitar and vamp on a chant in harmonic minor.

We stay for just a little bit entertaining ourselves on the piano, the dog, and cake balls. Before Joe and I get lost in music shop talk we head out, dropping mom back at the house.

...

Will, Ana, and I continue our new year’s eve in Norfolk at the Wolves Den, otherwise known as Ben’s house. It’s a whopping 20 something degrees outside but we stay holed up inside like sardines in the steamy kitchen along with other friends and friends of friends. Anthony, Riggs, Jordan, Tyler, Cynthia, Rusty, Aj, even Darren Warrington and his sister. Hard dancey electronic acts perform with anger and haste. In between Tyler deejays on his phone and we dance all the while holding plastic cups and bottles of champagne. TMOBYLE in the house!

At some point around 11:59 Darren and I lead the crowd in a whole minute countdown...

Back home after 2 a.m. and thus begins the first sleep of the year.

[i] Images by me and Instant Pics by Jordan Trotter.

Saturday December 30 2017

Waking up at 10:30 a.m.

Enjoying a French Toast and Coffee breakfast with Ana.

Teaching afternoon lessons at Music Makers. My mom will often get positive feedback from the parents of some students. It’s always reassuring to hear how much of an effect I have on the kids. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like I make progress through all the work. But I’m making a mark on their lives.

Grilled PB&J Bagel with Plantain Chips, an Orange, and Black Tea.

Watching Halt and Catch Fire.

Catching up on business.

Power napping.

Grabbing some champagne and beer from Total Wine.

Making dinner with mom: Cabbage and Potatoes. Sweet Earth Veggie Burgers with Lettuce, Tomato, and Shishito Peppers.

Pinwheel Cookies.

At the studio sipping on a Young Veterans beer and practicing old songs on the guitar.

Sleep 3:30 a.m.

Friday December 29 2017

[i]

Waking up at 10:26 a.m.

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

As Ana drives us out of the neighborhood I look around for her wallet, which was missing since last night.

“Did you check on the floor back here?” I ask.

“Yes! I checked everywhere,” she says.

Almost immediately I locate it right behind the passenger seat on the floor.

“I don’t know why I’m so good at finding things,” I exclaim.

We agree that it’s all about perception.

Basketball at the Rec. I’m hot on the court today – leading in 3-point shots and assists.

Sardines with Mustard. Bagel with Vegan Cream Cheese. Salt n Vinegar Chips. Oolong Tea. Navel Orange.

Teaching a couple lessons.

Errands.

Back home. Mom made a Chicken, Tomato, and Rice Soup. I slap on some Kale and Sourdough Bread and call it a meal.

Watching Halt and Catch Fire.

Pinwheel Cookies.

Catching up on business.

At the studio tweaking Ana’s bass and restringing my acoustic guitar.

Chamomile Tea.

Sleep 3:30 a.m.

[i] Image by me.

Thursday December 28 2017

Waking up at 11 a.m.

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

Teaching a couple voice lessons.

Errands.

Scrambled Eggs. Sourdough Toast with Butter and Jam. Potato Chips with Avocado. Oolong Tea.

Starting the fourth season of Halt and Catch Fire (2017).

Teaching lessons at Music Makers.

Back home. Making dinner with mom’s help.

Egg Noodles with Peas, Truffle Butter, Onions, Kale, and Parmesan Naan Bread.

Pumpkin Pie.

Ladada practice at the Tidewater storage unit with Bobby, Josiah, and Jon.

The temperature outside has dropped down to 24 degrees!

Sleep 3:30 a.m.

Wednesday December 27 2017

[i]

Waking up at 10:37 a.m.

Honey Crunch n Oats with Strawberries and Almond Milk. Black Tea.

Basketball at the Rec.

Scrambled Eggs. Biscuits with Butter and Jam. Potato Chips. Navel Orange. Oolong Tea.

Teaching lessons at Music Makers.

Back home. Making dinner: Tempeh with Celery, Onions, Mixed Vegetables, and Rice. Sharing plates at the dining booth with mom and Ana.

Catching up on business – emails – to-do lists.

At some point after I crack open a beer and hang out with Ana for a bit the power goes out across the neighborhood. I light up all the candles I have stashed away. Meanwhile, Will straps on his headlamp and tends to his computer.

Making love under candlelight. At some point during the lights flash on. Surprise!

Sleep 3:30 a.m.

[i] Image by me.

Tuesday December 26 2017

Waking up officially at 11:30 a.m.

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

Shooting some basketball at the Great Neck Rec – playing one full court pickup game – I feel I proved myself well even though it was a loss.

Scrambled Eggs. Toast with Butter and Jam. Corn Tortilla Chips with Avocado and Salsa. Oolong Tea.

Teaching lessons at Music Makers – it’s a short day for me.

Getting groceries.

Eating leftovers for dinner: Lentils, Brussel Sprouts, Carrots, Celery, and Quinoa.

Watching American Assassin (2017).

Catching up on business.

Playing piano.

Chamomile Tea.

Sleep 3 a.m.

Monday December 25 2017

[i]

Waking up at 9:08 a.m.

Navel Orange. Coffee.

Dad corrals me and Patty into the big red truck and drive to Greenville, about an hour drive, to meet up with Pansy, Peter, and Peter’s mom at her assisted living home for a banquet style Christmas dinner. You have to reserve a time and for some reason we chose the earliest at 11 a.m. So I guess it’s more like Christmas brunch. I fill up my plate with Potatoes, Green Beans, Carrots, and Portuguese Dinner Rolls. My dad won’t stop talking about how good the prime rib is.

Afterwards, we sneak into the auditorium where they do music. I sit down to a baby grand piano that plays beautifully. I serenade everyone with whatever song I can think up. Sybil, Peter’s mom, is 97 years old – she sits in her rover chair by the tree looking relaxed. Pansy sits by my side singing along.

Then, on to the cemetery where my grandma’s grave is. They wanted to replace the flowers and pay their respects.

Next on the list is visiting my great uncle JW on his farm. My dad’s cousin, Mark, is here helping clean up the kitchen. There’s about a thousand convection heaters going making the inside of the house feel like an oven. JW always has stories to tell and ideas about the world. He was born in 1933, making him 84 years old now. He talks about the days when he ran his car dealerships – he used to drive from Columbia to Norfolk every day, buying used cars cheap in NC then selling them in Hampton Roads for a profit. I’m told he was always a successful businessman and farmer.

I look through the window over the sink at the long stretch of cotton fields as he continues to recant tales and memories. He mentions times when there were slaves on the farm around the time he was born. His granddaddy served Robert E. Lee in the Civil War. We have Irish and American Indian roots in our blood too.

Oh here’s me when I was almost 3 years old (May 1986) walking on the balcony of a house in Germany where my first childhood memories were formed.

One more stop on our Christmas excursion: John D. and Aunt Delores’s house in Grimesland. We enjoy some homemade desserts and coffee around the dining room table flipping through some old photo albums.

Back at my dad’s house on Joscara. I’ve gotta get some other kind of food in my system. We grab some Chinese food down the street. Vegetable Lo Mein in my belly is a relief. Dad found the OKC vs. Rockets game on TV in the middle of the 3^rd quarter. I decide to stay and watch till the end. Him and I provide commentary.

I decide to drive back to Virginia Beach tonight. No podcasts this time. Just my iPod and remembering how great Moby’s Play album was along with other old jems.

Back home. Recollecting our separate Christmas times with Ana in bed until 4 a.m.

[i] Images by me.

Sunday December 24 2017

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Waking up at 11:47 a.m.

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

Hitting the road to Goldsboro, North Carolina to visit my dad and family. This time I drive alone. Ana still has to work until late evening and mom made plans for a dinner the next day. It’s a fairly simple drive on 58 to 95 to 795 with a PB&J, Plantain Chips, and Apple break in there somewhere. Podcasts on the history of American food keep my brain active.

Arriving at my dad’s house on Joscara. His wife, Patty, is back from Honduras. Since my dad’s been retired he’s had a lot of time to think – he tells me about how he sits up in the loft regularly looking at all the old photos and stuff. He takes down a couple photo albums that belonged to my Grandma Smith. Looking through them is like getting in a time machine.

Then, he finds his yearbook from when he graduated Columbia High School 1966. Sports was his thing – we find some cool shots of him on the baseball and basketball team.

There’s a great little introduction he wrote as a reflection of high school from his 17-year-old perspective. His high school sweetheart, Dru Davenport, signed his yearbook twice and signed her name anywhere her photo was in the book. He talks to me about some of his memories – how he used to go over to her house – they’d put on Frank Sinatra, lie on the couch, and make out for hours. This was also during the time of the civil rights movement when they started integrating blacks and whites into the same schools. Sarah Spencer [in picture] was the first black woman to graduate Columbia High School.

Reading some of these messages in his yearbook is interesting – it sheds a light onto who my dad was at this age.

Later on, the three of us walk over to the Stancill’s house and enjoy some camaraderie and drinks.

Settling in the guest room recollecting the day and photos. Finishing up writing up some Christmas cards.

Sleep 2 a.m.

[i] Images by me.

Saturday December 23 2017

[i]

Waking up at 10:37 a.m.

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

Teaching afternoon lessons at Music Makers.

Banana.

Tuna Salad Sandwich from Panera. Corn Tortilla Chips with Avocado and Salsa. Oolong Tea. Grapes.

Watching Bright (2017).

Catching up on business.

Napping.

Writing Christmas cards.

Running errands during all the nighttime Hilltop Christmas traffic.

Leftover Rice and Vegetables.

After Ana gets off work, the three of us (mom, Ana, and I) corral in the dining room to exchange presents. Cards and emotions first. Then, gifts. It’s a grand time for this “family”.

Later on, Ana and I check in at Charlie’s in Norfolk to catch the tail end of a show but mainly to say hi to friends and hand out cards.

Sleep 4 a.m.

[i] Images by me.

Friday December 22 2017

[i]

Waking up at 10:35 a.m.

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

Basketball at the Rec.

Leftover Naan Pizza and Sourdough Toast. Corn Tortilla Chips with Avocado and Salsa. Juice.

Watching Bright (2017).

Out teaching a few in-home lessons. Stopping by a thrift store in between.

What happens when your student picks up your phone and sneaks a video while you’re trying to figure out a Mozart song...

Back home. Tristan is in town and stops by for a little hang. With him, Will, and Ana at the old China Wok stomping grounds for a Chinese food dinner. It’s now called Jane House. Enjoying some Tofu with Garlic Sauce, Mixed Vegetables, and Rice.

Chillin’ in Will’s room talking about video games while I play around with Perplexus. Meanwhile, Ana’s knee deep in Christmas gift wrapping and other such things in her bedroom.

Sipping on Chamomile Tea and writing Christmas cards to my students...

Sleep 3:30 a.m.

[i] Images by me.

Thursday December 21 2017

[i]

Waking up at 10:35 a.m.

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

Teaching a couple lessons.

Shopping.

Smoked Salmon. Sourdough Toast with Butter and Jam. Salt n Vinegar Chips. Oolong Tea.

Teaching lessons at Music Makers.

Back home.

Making dinner: Naan Pizzas with Kale.

Watching Mudbound (2017).

Researching the history of piano and keyboard instruments. Writing more Christmas cards – it seems like there’s always more and more.

Mozart’s Piano Sonata No 11 in A Major, K.331 really speaks to me tonight, especially the first movement. I sit down and learn it. Often, music comes and goes on a daily basis, some to my liking and some not, but every now and then a melody or progression really sticks with me and changes my perspective, and surpasses the mundane and daily activity. This song is it.

Sleep 3:30 a.m.

[i] Image by me.

Wednesday December 20 2017

[i]

Waking up at 11 a.m.

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

Messing around with the basketball at the Great Neck Rec.

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

Teaching lessons at Music Makers.

Tis the season to receive Target gift cards from students.

Back home.

Dinner: Vegetable Fried Rice with Peas and Kale.

Watching Mudbound (2017).

Hazelnut Cookies.

Signing Christmas cards. It seems like it never ends.

Chores. Orange.

To the soundtrack of endless Scarlatti harpsichord sonatas I finally finish all 125 obstacles on this Perplexus Epic 3D ball maze.

Sleep 3:45 a.m.

[i] Image by me.

Tuesday December 19 2017

Waking up at 11 a.m.

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

Catching up on business.

Scrambled Eggs. Sourdough Toast with Butter and Jam. Potato Chips with Avocado. Oolong Tea.

Teaching lessons at Music Makers.

Back home. Ana made dinner: Tempeh with Broccoli and Quinoa. Unfortunately, she burnt the bottom of each tempeh slice. I try my best to nibble the good side. She seems more stressed than usual as she bakes gingerbread men.

Chocolate Cake.

Chores. Signing Christmas cards.

Pineapple.

Mom’s been hurting around her lower stomach and back, enough pain that I have to give her some of my leftover generic Vicodin. I have to start considering the fragility of my mom’s old age. I don’t like to see her in any kind of pain.

Sleeping to the sonata sounds of Mozart and Chopin at 3:30 a.m.

Monday December 18 2017

[i]

Waking up at 10:40 a.m.

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

Basketball at the Rec – what a workout today!

Sardines with Mustard. Everything Bagel. Persimmons. Oolong Tea.

Teaching lessons at Music Makers.

Back home.

Leftovers for dinner: Chicken and Dumplings with Baby Broccoli and Carrots.

Watching Jungle (2017).

Hazelnut Cookies.

Writing Christmas cards for students.

Playing this newly acquired Perplexus 3D ball maze – it’s terribly addictive, fun, and frustrating at the same time.

Messing around on the electric guitar unplugged in Ana’s room while the cat goes stir crazy.

Chamomile Tea.

Sleep 3:30 a.m.

[i] Image by me.

Sunday December 17 2017

[i]

Waking up at 9:22 a.m.

A One protein bar with Coffee and a Banana.

Last minute I got hired by Lisa again to play drums in her church band over at Prince of Peace Lutheran. They brought on board Holly, a cellist. A lot of classic Christmas songs on the set list today.

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

Watching The Limehouse Golem (2016).

Catching up on business.

Power napping.

Back at the studio with Jackie and Josiah recording the rest of the bass tracks for the new Ladada record. It’s a grand ole time.

Dinner break: Black Beans with Kale, Carrots, and Rice. Hoegaarden.

After all is done the three of us chat about the struggles of being a musician with big dreams and the compromises we make to keep life sane.

Back home.

Chamomile Tea.

Sleep 3 a.m.

[i] Images by me.

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