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It's so busy at work today that I don't really have a lunch break (which
is when I usually update here, btw). This is just a teaser to let you
know I *do* intend to update today, as I had a good night last night and
want to write about it. But it's gonna have to wait because I've got to
go host a birthday party here at work....
Hi, I'm back. So, yesterday at work I found the YMCA's schedule online. I had brought workout clothes with me, but I was just planning on showing up and seeing what classes were available. I found there was a 5:15 yoga class, so I had Kimio give me a break around 4:30 so I could change into my leotard and leggings (I put my jeaand t-shirt over them) so I could drive directly from work to class. I made it with no time to spare, but, hey, I made it. I love yoga. This is something I only discovered last night, as I stretched and balanced and did all those groovy yoga positions. The instructor was hella cool, very encouraging and instructive and supportive. At one point he came over to me and commented on my flexibility, "You've got a body like a rubber pencil." Um, ok. I'm pretty sure he meant it as a compliment. I'm not as strong as the veteran yoga-goers, and I'm not a kid anymore, but I'm still more flexible than most from years of dancing as a child. My muscles are just a little sore today, in a good way. Yay. So, I'm going to try to take the YMCA classes that start right after work like this. There's yoga twice a week, and funk aerobics twice a week, all of the classes ending by 6:30. I love it; I can work out AND get home at a decent time. I never end up going out later to work out, as I always have some excuse and it cuts into the evening too much. This way, I just use my "go" momentum right after work...and I'll have energy (and an appetite, I hope!) after working out. After yoga I went to hang out with David. He had invited me earlier in the day, and had offered me pesto if I brought my own noodles. We had a very pleasant evening, all told. My favorite bit was when we went into the music room (his second, rather cold, bedroom) and jammed for a bit. He played acoustic guitar and I sang. I'm really out of practice, jeez, but the nice thing is that I'm not really shy around David - he's seen me make the biggest fool of myself many time before, and he still loves me - so I didn't shy away from my wrong notes and questionable melodies, which gave me the opportunity to correct them. Now, we tried a few Beatles tunes, but I'm not really a belter. I just don't have the voice for it (or maybe I wasn't warmed up enough to get into it enough to pull it off). We made it all the way through "Let it Be" and by the end of all those "Let it Be's" I was animating each one differently:
"Let it be" (casual hand gesture indicating you should leave it alone) Well, you get the idea. That phrase just repeats too much for me, I guess. Anyhow, I gave up on the Beatles, only tried one dead tune before breaking out the jazz fake book. Ah! Songs I know! Songs I can sing! Song I know I can sing! Of course, this meant David was sight reading, but he seemed pretty good at it (I've always found it easier to sight read with an instrument where you can just read and finger the right notes rather than sight reading for voice, where it's all about how good your ear is). We worked on "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" (or, when I sing my white-girl-with-soul version, "Can't Help Lovin' That Man". I sound incredibly stupid singing "dat"; trust me.). Now, it was in the key of C. The first note was "G" above middle "C". That's not a high note, it's perfectly in my range. But, I swear, David's guitar was tuned up too high; the "G" felt more like the "C" above middle "C" (it is possible I'm out of practice, but I don't think that's it). I could hit that note, but the song goes higher than that, and I was straining. Dear David, already sightreading a song he doesn't know (!) transposed it down a few steps for me! I was pretty damn impressed, to tell you the truth; he's got a very organized mind, but to hear him calculating key signatures rather blew me away. It's a shame he wasn't forced to take piano as a kid; he has a good mind for music. Anyhow, I learned this song in swing choir in high school, so I can really have fun with it, belt it out, swoop it around and make it sound all jazzy and sultry once I get warmed up (and I was almost warmed up by this point). There's only one problem with this song, and that's the line "And when he comes back, that day is fine; the sun will shine". The problem is that I learned the 2nd soprano part, and that's the only part of the song where we split off . So, I'm always wanting to sing it about a third lower and it sounds just awful with nobody else to carry the melody. Amazing how these things stick with you 10 years later! (At one point David stopped and looked at me. "Is there a specific reason you chose this song; are you trying to tell me something?" I laughed, "No, I just happen to know this one rather well and I like to sing it. But it IS ironic, isn't it?") So, I think we're gonna do this again. David said he could work on that song, and I'm going to try and keep singing. Hopefully we'll work up a couple of songs, and, hey, maybe eventually we'll actually play them for someone else! It's nice to find my voice again. | ||
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