Cuerpo Aztlan

12/05/11

2011-12-05T17:48:00.000-08:00

Finals are turned in. It is a great relief. I had a "briefing" on residential segregation and health for one class. For another class I wrote a paper on "Politics, Poverty, and Health."

It is very cold in my garage. So I will have to figure out ways to workout in the warmer parts of the day or get a small space heater. I'm going to decompress and try to get back to some semi-routine before the next semester starts.

More and more people ask me about politics these days. Some ask me about political parties and others about policies. It will be an interesting year.

KEEP LEFTING!!!

11/28/11

2011-11-28T17:28:00.000-08:00

Had a great birthday last week. Thanks for everyone who helped make it a great day. Finals are done next week.

I will be so happy to get some time off. May 12, 2012 is supposed to be graduation time. That will be good. I've done more walking and plan to get back on the workout train as soon as all my projects are turned in. Hopefully the month will go well enough so I can have a habit re-started. Once there is momentum it tends to keep me going.

The current impulse is great. What I find interesting is that specific issues are still being fought for without looking at what the pre-conditions for change in other places have been. One example is this article by Vicente Navarro about the privatization of politics.

KEEP LEFTING!!!

Adios Amiga MR qepd

2011-11-13T09:34:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine took her life yesterday. I don't know any details.

The last conversation we had was about her wanting to talk more with me about politics and UnOccupy. So today I head down to Yale Park and later to the Socialist Drinking Club. Today I head out in action for you. Que en Paz Descanses.

11/8/11

2011-11-08T17:57:00.000-08:00

I have been walking more lately. Pain is getting better. Going to start lifting again. Because of the hectic nature of my house it won't be as routine and prescribed as before. Just enough to really keep moving.

School have been going good. Looks like I will be able to graduate on time. I just need to decide if I want to design an independent study or take a straightforward class. I'll post that.

In reflecting on lots of stuff it is always interesting how during this period of movement building that lots of middle-class folks are wondering why EVERYONE isn't behind them. Of course if you bring this up they whine about divisiveness. Having conversations aren't divisive. Ignoring issues that are important are. One example is the idea of "Who Gets To Vote?"

Of course the good cheap response is to blame people targeted for the issues they deal with. Its a nice easy out. You see it in the news where poor people are blamed for their problems and in the same news cast you'll see stories trying to make you sympathetic for people losing in the stock market.

Halloween Reflections on (Un)Occupy

2011-10-31T21:13:00.000-07:00

Besides the perpetual debating on the name change of originally "Occupy Burque" to "Occupy Albuquerque" to (Un)Occupy there are lots of interesting observations.

One was going to the Country Club area and hearing tons of Spanish from the parents while their kids went trick or treating! It was sweet at this particular moment in history. Friends were discussing dressing up as zombies with signs saying "we are the 1%." The other was making sure that we find out what the richest census tract is in Albuquerque and going there for the taking of the treats.

After having participated in a few General Assemblies (GAs as short) I am starting to get it. The effort at direct democracy is important. It fits the sentiment that has grown against the two corporate sponsored parties. Even some of the liberal and progressive radio talk show hosts have begun to talk about more choice. They stop short of proposing proportional representation as a solution. Another option that might work is instant runoff voting as a local an intermediary improvement.

What I like is knowing that the direct democracy work is not new nor necessarily a "white hippy" thing like many people assume or report. It has been working in many places for a long time. The participatory budgeting was implemented because the Brazilian Workers' Party took over Porto Alegre, Brazil and implemented an increasingly democratic practice. It has even started in Chicago. Some schools also use direct democracy - youth power!

Here in Burque people are working on specifics to some degree. There is the Anti-capitalist conversations, Socialist Drinking Club, Stop Foreclosure work, Solidarity with the Oakland call for a General Strike, an electoral reform affinity group, and more.

What is not being discussed openly, mainly out of some politeness, is the bottom line. There are many people and communities that were doing poorly while the economy was doing "great." People fighting for the health and self-determination of their communities while others went about their business. These folks now get fairly upset even hearing the word privilege. Which is unfortunate. Things will not change as fast without them.

The reality with this "crisis" is the reality of many different moments in US history. When things get tough for Middle-Class, White folks then it is important. It's tough to say, and likely tough to hear. It is probably tougher to go beyond hearing and to listening and transforming.

Part of it is attempting to say it in a way that is not about hate, resentment, or anger. Just a reality. One that needs to be discussed and overcome.

Some of us have been struggling a long time. Part of what happens is that the establishment will soon throw out bones that get enough people feeling like, "I'm OK, things are good again." Then slowly things may slow down. The concern for communities that have been struggling with persistent poverty for decades may start to wane. Any concern for the issues Indigenous people have been dealing with for centuries may fade quickly - as that is where the (un)occupy name stemmed from. Seemingly some of the most difficult feelings to deal with as well.

Concern about racism may move back to the "we had the Civil Rights movement" already mind-frame and complacency may set in. Maybe the rhetoric about dealing with racism, colonization, sexism, homophobia, the homeless, etc... will all just fade to where they were the last time a large number of Middle-Class people felt comfortable.

OR - maybe this will not be THAT moment again. Maybe this will be the moment where we decide to fight until we have democracy in which we ALL get to participate. Maybe this is the moment where we decide to fight for REAL equity and address racism, sexism, colonization, homophobia, and of course classism fully instead of bailing out early once we get some improvements. Maybe this will be the moment where we stand together until everyone gets a fair share of human needs. Maybe this will be the moment where we truly re-invent society and not just accept even a large amount of us getting better off. Maybe THIS is the moment where we say that NO ONE GETS LEFT BEHIND EVER AGAIN!!! SOLIDARITY!

Electoral Reform draft

2011-10-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

OCCYUPY ESPA asked for an article on electoral reform - here is what I sent them.

It is time to reform our electoral system. When you think about quality of life, health, and fairness in our society we can easily blame corporations – and we are justified to do so. Another thing we can blame is our electoral system. Private money, lack of choice, and lack of access are literally making us sick.

Our electoral system is very old – the first of modern European-based democracies. Thinking that it is the best is like thinking a Model-T car is the best because it was one of the first cars. Improvements have been made to vehicles and to democracy. We should use those.

Some of those improvements would help out our economic situation as well. Since those elected to power often set the regulations, or lack of regulations, on our economic system. Given the legit distrust for the electoral system and politicians we need better ways to regulate them – more democratic processes.

One of the most easily to think of given the corporate power in America is the implementation of mandatory public financing for all elections. Imagine if each of the cities standing in solidarity right now were to win this. People power would have a better chance over money power. Now, we can’t pretend that those with money would not look for ways to use that resource to undermine democracy. What would be different is that there would be a system to minimize that.

If this were to be implemented nationally it would have a huge impact. Even locally it would mean that one does not need to be well off to run for office. Currently there is almost no representation by working-class elected officials. If this happens in one city because of this movement that is still progress. If this happens in many cities in one state that will be a shift toward a democratic culture for that state. If this were to happen in ALL of the cities currently it would be an important shift toward national implementation. That would mean that elected officials would no longer have to be millionaires to run for office. I don’t know about you – I would prefer to be “represented” by a union laborer than someone who can spend a million dollars on a campaign.

There is a great deal of research that shows that countries with proportional representation distribute the resources of society better, are happier, and healthier. That is a major shift for US politics. Proportional representation is something that was not thought of at the time of the founding of the US. One thing that could start us along that road locally would be “Instant Runoff Voting.” Also known as “Rank Choice Voting,” this system makes sure that there are not “wasted” votes when there are more than two candidates. Having this seemingly minor reform would transform those who could run.

As it stands now many “progressive” political machines will discourage good candidates from running in order to be able to beat Republicans. This so-called progressive approach actually gives New Mexicans, and Americans LESS CHOICE! That is how dysfunctional our current voting system is. And instead of challenging it liberals and progressives just try to beat it by eliminating choices.

Ending photo ID for voting, easing ballot access laws, and same day voter registration would also help out in creating a more democratic electoral system.

For those of you who vote – again I ask you imagine what it would be like for each of our cities to win instant runoff voting and mandatory public financing.

10/09/11

2011-10-09T22:50:00.000-07:00

Still not working out. Lots of activity though. I've been supporting the Occupy movement as well as keeping up with lots of things at home.

One thing I've noticed is that many people are talking about breaking out of the two party system. You can register for other parties. Registering with "no party" or "independent" does not tell people running campaigns where you stand on the issues.

You can register with the following parties in NM by placing the three letter abbreviation in box 5 of your NM voter registration form:

La Raza Unida de Nuevo Mejico (LRU)
New Mexico Socialist Party (SNM)
New Party of New Mexico (PNM)
Peace and Freedom Party (PAF)
Socialist Labor Party (SLP)
Socialist Workers Party (SWP)
Worker's World Party (WWP).

KEEP LEFTING!

10/03/11

2011-10-03T19:32:00.000-07:00

No working out this week. Things have been crazy and it doesn't look like it will be any calmer any time soon. It has been inspiring to be around the Occupy Burque people. All of the consensus and non-leadership makes it more challenging.

During one of the meetings we discussed this not being a new movement. This really is an opportunity to connect movements. Today we had a conversation on both electoral politics and direct democracy. We also talked about the rank voting process going on in Minnesota.

I keep walking around more and more. Homework and all of that is going OK. I want to work out today but I'm very tired.

It was a fun and tough weekend. Had good gigs and also a lot of challenges.

KEEP LEFTING!!!

9/26/11

2011-09-26T17:26:00.000-07:00

I developed some kind of throat infection. Negative for strep on the quick test today. So I may not lift this week.

I actually took a day off of work, even though I did a couple of emails. Thinking of taking tomorrow off. Really trying to hear and accept the advice on taking care of myself.

So I'll be lifting again next week. Thanks for your comments.

For cardio I walk. I have arthritis on my spine and cardio machines aggravate the pain pretty bad. Walking is the best I can do and I try to just make it a part of my life so I don't write about it as much as the lifting. I'm hoping I can run again eventually, just not working for now

Grad school is going well. I like writing about politics, poverty and health. Shows how far we have to go in the US to have a really healthy society.

I'm going to take it easy on the bands for now, not quit playing music all together because it is a good mental health thing for me.

KEEP LIFTING!!!

9/16/11

2011-09-16T21:38:00.000-07:00

Fighting a cold so no working out today. Did do the first two workouts of the week. Hopefully I'll be back on it Monday.

School is busy but going well. Work is also busy but I'm feeling like I'm staying on it. The personal and emotional stuff is really hard.

I'll have to keep at it.

KEEP LIFTING!

9/1/11

2011-09-01T06:19:00.000-07:00

Well it has been awhile since I posted. Things are tough. Dealing with mental health stuff in my household. I know a lot of providers and advocates and I'm still struggling to get help. Mostly I hear - "we feel sorry about your struggle." There really are few quality services out there right now. I can't imagine how hard this would be for someone totally unconnected.

Workout wise things are still progressing. My main lifts are at 100 pounds now. That feels good. For sake of time I'm going to drop from sets of 20 to sets of 10 after a week off. I really am taking this a lot slower than I thought I would. 12 workout weeks out of 13 is good. I don't feel less tired - but that's mostly because I actually don't get full nights of sleep.

My clothes feel better and people tell me I look different. I had a month of no caffeinated drinks until a really rough day last week. If I only have one or two of those a month that will be good. If I can let them go all together - that will be better.

Whoever the anonymous poster was on the previous post - thanks. And thanks to others for their comments as well. I usually hear about the blog in person. I'll run into someone and they say the blog encourages them. That's good to know.

Musically I've drawn some different energy to me. I think I may need to change my relationship to music until after graduate school. Feels hard but should be fine.

KEEP LEFTING!

8/18/11

2011-08-18T18:45:00.000-07:00

I took a week off of lifting to take care of some emotional stuff going on with me. And then started back up to take care of other emotional stuff! If you've lifted a lot you might get that.

The down time was great and then getting back on it helps with stress as well. I'm up to 90 pounds on main lifts. I started with the 45 pound bar. So that's 10 weeks plus the week off. Not bad.

In two weeks I'll be up to 100 pounds on my lifts and then have some work travel. I'll get back on after that. I'm feeling better and my clothes are fitting a little big. Last weigh in I was at 183 lbs. To get a month off of the blood pressure and cholesterol meds will require me to get to 166 - deal with my doc.

This weekend we pulled off the First Annual Esteban "Steve" Jordan Tribute. It went well. Gonna keep playing and deal with the fact that school started all over again...

So here I go!

KEEP LIFTING!!!

Donation Gigs 1

2011-07-30T09:16:00.000-07:00

Fundraisers and Bands

Last year I had a bad experience with a band member at a gig we had volunteered for. I no longer play with that group but I still play with groups and those groups are still asked for volunteer gigs. I also work with groups that ask for volunteer gigs and try to help them think it through. Most musicians are willing to do some volunteer work and most not for profit ventures are still willing to ask for donation gigs – so I thought I’d write something up. Hopefully other musicians and organizations will throw in their two cents.

BANDS:

If you volunteer for a gig, you volunteered. Be nice to the people you volunteered for. Find out whatever you are concerned about ahead of time. The gig is not the time to interrogate people or ask for things. Agreements need to be made ahead of time. Find out about sound equipment – is there any or do you bring your own? How long are you going to play? Ask for as much time as is worth it to you. Hauling a sound system and instruments takes time.

If you really need some compensation to go through all of that, ask ahead of time! It is unfair to try and guilt people for beer, food or a small contribution after you are there. You should negotiate up front in an open and honest manner.

If sound is being provided for you, talk with the sound person before you get there. I was once told there was sound equipment and it was a small PA with two microphones. For this group, that was not sufficient. If there is a person in charge of sound find out if they are going to take care of everything or just have a system for you to use. The more detail you get ahead of time the better the gig – well I guess that’s true for all gigs!

ASKEES:

If you are asking for a discount or volunteer gig it is good to think things through ahead of time as well.

Remember, many musicians play music for the money. How often do you volunteer what you do at your job for free? Musicians have to spend time learning songs, practicing, and then packing, traveling, unpacking, performing, packing, traveling, and unpacking… For each performance!

If you are broke and raising money, it is perfectly fine to ask for a donation gig. Even if you are not totally broke it is always fine to ask. Give information about why and be ready to answer questions.

Think about space. Often donation gigs end up in places without a stage. Where are you going to fit the band? A small room that only holds 28 people is not a good place for a loud rock band. A large stage may not be best for a single musician without amplification. If you are not sure, take someone from the group(s) to the location to look it over. Often, people will say “that’s not necessary.” At least you offered.

If there is any form of compensation that you can consider ahead of time, make that part of the offer. I know some people hold that off to negotiate with. That’s always up to you. Remember that live music is suffering from lack of support financially and otherwise.

Food, drinks, a passing of the hat are always good offers. If you are doing pictures, a free picture is always nice. If you have t-shirts or other things, those are often appreciated. Charging a performer for entrance to a gig they are donating is usually not appreciated. And some musicians will play for hugs! (Some are suckers for that) **If you do drinks, be clear on the limit ahead of time and work out if the number is per person or for the band. There is increasingly musicians who do not drink alcohol so “two beers” is not a good offer for them. And by limit is it 2 drinks per musician or 10 for the whole group. Bartenders are sometimes very strict on that. Some place offer unlimited drinks... that's at your own risk! Having water for on-stage is a nice gesture.

Keep in mind that they may be hauling around heavy equipment and driving long distances. Agree to the amount of time ahead of time. Sometimes 15 minutes is too short a time to make the travel and set up worth it. Get that agreed to ahead of time. If the situation is appropriate and you think your audience may want to ask for an encore beyond the time allotted let them know ahead of time. Some will be happy to and others may not.

Musicians may have other gigs either before or after, so try and keep your schedule as close to the agreed upon time as possible.

If things go off schedule be thoughtful. I have been dissed by a particular City and a particular neighborhood association because they lost power. They let the early bands start (2 hours late) and kept the later paid bands on schedule, and screwed over some of us volunteer musicians who had been waiting 2 hours in the sun with people who drove in from out of town to see the performances. Needless to say, I will NOT volunteer for either of these two groups again and will insist on being paid ahead of time for any work. (Maybe venting, but hey, It’s my blog!)

If the band is willing you may ask them for their song list ahead of time and request songs that you think will work for the event. If you can hear the band ahead of time that’s always better. If you trust the musicians without hearing them ahead of time you are taking a risk. If the musician(s) are part of your organization it may not be as bad – hopefully they are thoughtful in matching the event and the music. Some musicians though will put their band above the event. That’s a gut call, or something to learn through experience.

Make any rules about guests clear. This is important for the venue and if you are fundraising by serving food or collecting at the door – a big deal.

One last thing – when making fliers it is more respectful to put the name of the performers as much as possible instead of saying “free music.” A CD and a boom box is “free music.” This credit is important and helps to support live music.

Well, that’s all I can think of this morning. I will post more and look forward to any feedback.

KEEP LEFTING!

7/27/11

2011-07-27T20:38:00.000-07:00

I'm still sticking to the routine. I'm happily surprised. I'm currently finishing up a summer class on Adulthood and Aging. It is making me contemplate all aspects of my life. Some of that is good, and of course some of it is difficult.

It is making look at my time more than anything else. I will be re-evaluating my time and how busy I stay on which projects over the next couple of months. Lifting and Lefting will stay!

So I can tell that I'm going to be sore from the incline bench press. I'm starting to get to weights where I can't do sets of 20 so I am starting to stay on the same weight for two or more weeks. That's actually exciting. This week is 80 lbs for main lifts and all others started at 2.5 or 5 and have been slowly increasing. I'm sure I'll be celebrating on the blog when I get to 100 lbs for main lifts! Either that, or sore!

KEEP LIFTING!!!

7/24/11

2011-07-24T10:44:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Eve for the comment. Unlike FaceBook this is not that interactive but much more reflective. I went through a tough mental patch and probably the stress of the house and finances will make that "fun" for a while. Lifting helps a lot.

I'm looking forward to another week of lifting and finishing up classes for now. I'll have to get books for next semester soon. It's always funny to get unsolicited advice about lifting - usually from people who don't lift.

I find out about some music potential this week too.

KEEP LIFTING and KEEP LEFTING!

7/20/11

2011-07-20T11:53:00.001-07:00

I had some problems with the bench getting stuck last week. Actually had lots of good support. I'm noticing that while there are certain things I only count on one or two people, there are lots of things that not only am I willing to ask for help for, but get it! This is good. I have felt isolated in a lot of ways for the last few years. Yesterday was a good day and seemed to be a small and significant breakthrough.

The workouts are going well. I'm hitting spots where I need to stay at the same weight for more than one week. This is nice. In September I may be moving some exercises for 100lbs. I'm going to stick to 20 reps as long as I can. I'm getting a little itchy for heavy weight, but it is really more important to get my stamina and tendons together before pushing it.

Will I go back to try and hit the 250 bench? Maybe, it's not that important anymore. OK, so I still hope to be a 65 year old guy who can bench 250, but I don't feel a rush right now and I need to keep that sense going.

KEEP LIFTING!!!

7/6/11

2011-07-06T15:18:00.000-07:00

Workouts are continuing well. This week I started hitting some tough lifting. I'm hitting some spots where I'll start slowing down the weekly increases.

I figure by the end of the summer my workouts should be consistently challenging. I also have to keep stretching.

I think I posted this before but there is an article that talks about proportions as presented by Steve Reeves. According to him arm size should be 252% of wrist size; calf size 192% of ankle size; neck size 148% of pelvis size; and thigh size 175% of knee size. I don't know if I'll ever get to those proportions but it is fun having random measurements to go by. According to him I would be closer to 145 though....

KEEP LIFTING!!!

7/3/11

2011-07-03T18:47:00.000-07:00

I am on vacation this week. I'm hoping to keep working out. I'm tempted to start going heavier but I will try to stay on the slow increase approach.

KEEP LIFTING!!!

6/30/11

2011-06-29T23:06:00.000-07:00

It's been a rocky month. Work has been challenging, and finances have been challenging. Dealing with the Banksters is a drag.

The workouts I'm sure have been helpful. If anything I can get my comfort food without gaining weight. Golden Pride is on the way between two of my regular work locations and right next to the third. So I don't go there everyday but often enough. The difference, though minor, is that I don't get the burritos with the hash browns.

Lifting is going well. I really want to get to heavy and tough workouts. Things will likely be OK but it is hard not thinking that tomorrow I find out we'll be getting foreclosed on. Good heavy and tough workouts will help me with that stress.

Until then, it is the slower 20 rep per set workouts. Those will likely make me look a little leaner. I think I'm too short for it to make me look much different. By the end of August I should be using 100 lbs on my main lifts. I don't know if I can keep 20 reps for that but we'll see. I should hit 150 by the end of the year.

And blogger is failing to load the post. We'll have to see if it makes it by morning.

Keep Lifting!!!

6/23/11

2011-06-23T06:20:00.000-07:00

Finished 8th workout yesterday. Got it done in a little bit faster time. Not that I'm rushing the exercises, its was more about shorter waits between each set.

It has been fun. I haven't talked about weight but I'm at 187.5 lbs now. I'll see if I can get back to the 166 that has been my lowest in years. 187 doesn't seem very light, but I had weighed in at 205 at some point last year. If I can get to the low I will get off of my meds for awhile and see what my blood pressure and cholesterol are without them. It would be a great success to get off of them.

KEEP LIFTING!!!

6/20/11

2011-06-20T06:02:00.001-07:00

Finished two weeks of working out on Friday! Now on to start the third week. It feels good to workout again.

I have options for walking and swimming with friends. Seems like part of my pain is related to diet so as challenging as it is keeping on without potatoes and too much sugar will be helpful!

KEEP LIFTING!!!

6/13/11

2011-06-13T21:57:00.000-07:00

Still struggling with some finances and all of that. Even with that I started my second week of working out. Just adding a small amount of weight. The goodmornings make my back a little sore but hopefully that will be good after a few weeks.

I got used to getting worried when my back hurt so it will take awhile to get comfortable with the normal weight type of soreness there.

KEEP LIFTING!!!

6/11/11

2011-06-11T16:14:00.000-07:00

Got through my workouts for the first week! Kept to my initial goals. I was really sore as far as my triceps and hams go. Everything else seemed fine.

I'm only doing three days a week so next Monday it will start again. I'll start to increase the weight and see how far I can go with sets of 20 reps. I thought that maybe I would be very sore for walking at pride today but not too bad. The best part was making it through the whole walk without having to break! It is always fun to stand for freedom and against homophobia, racism, sexism, and classism with La Raza Unida!

So I'll keep trying this out and build some endurance and tone. After the first few months I'll see about coming down to sets of 18, 15, 12, and finally 10s. I think I will wait until fall or winter to go heavier.

KEEP LIFTING!!!

06/06/11

2011-06-06T15:48:00.000-07:00

Wow - just a big ration of people being dumb in my direction or toward my family... Hope it is just a temporary spike and not a trend.

The workout this morning went well. I can tell I'm going to be a little sore in different places. It was good to get started again.

It is interesting to blog about my individual exercise routines given how much time I work on Critical Health Literacy - which is understanding how capitalism, racism, classism, sexism, etc. impact health. Much different but there are times that without my personal exercise it is hard to deal with the broader issues.

KEEP LIFTING!!!

Workout Ready for 2011 RESTART!

2011-06-05T10:38:00.000-07:00

Here is the workout. Weight is 45 for the olympic bar - only the three main exercises, and 10 or 5 for the others. It is a lot lower than I used to workout with, but I'm going to give my joints time to gear up. I'll go up 2.5 or 5 pounds a week until I can no longer do sets of 20 and then gauge it from there. All are for 3 sets of 20 for now.

Monday - Deadlifts
Deadlifts
Good mornings
Pulldowns
Shrugs
Close grip bench
Tricep-extensions
Curls

Wednesday - Bench
Bench Press
Incline Bench
DB Press (overhead)
Reverse Lat raises
Barbell curls
Rows

Friday - Squat
Squats
Leg extensions
Leg curls
Calf raises - start with body weight
Wrist curls
Reverse wrist curls

If I do this and continue walking and stretching I should be good to go. Someone suggested that stretching is probably more important than lifting. That may be true, but won't motivate me. I had a yoga teacher who flaked out, then ended up moving all together. So I really need to stretch every day or I hurt, so that reminder will likely not go away soon.

Let's see how this works!

KEEP LIFTING!!! (haven't seen that in awhile!)

6/5/11

2011-06-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

Today is all about prep. Did some gardening and laundry, now into the garage and find my old workout log. Recreate my three day a week deadlift/bench/squat workout and write it up for tomorrow morning!

Need to keep walking and stretching. For relaxation and flexibility I'm going to keep working on getting massages regularly.

After the garage and workout write up will be music practice, then folding laundry and chillen out!

KEEP LEFTING!!!

5/26/11

2011-05-26T15:49:00.001-07:00

I got to repeat my Sunday workout yesterday. Not feeling much soreness. I may get a little sore again as I start moving up in weight but not much I guess. It would probably be best to get my workout in before work tomorrow.

We'll be going to a funeral so I won't have the time I thought to work on clearing space, but should have something done by Monday night for next week's workouts. I have rehearsals, but won't get a lot of practice time in. And school starts. Fitting stuff in will be a challenge.

Life has a great way of throwing curve balls. The trick is to stay patient and just keep doing what you can!

Keep Lefting!!!

5/22/11

2011-05-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

Our trash can is full so I didn't get to clear a lot of the garage today. I did clear enough of the weight area that I could bench, do pull downs and rows. I can also do leg extensions and curls if I want.

So today was the first time in a long time that I did bench press, rows, pull downs, dumbbell curls, triceps extensions, wrist curls and reverse wrist curls. Later this, after trash day, I'll work on clearing out some more space so I can do squats and dead-lifts. I did 3 sets of 20 reps each with the lightest weight I could, and extra sets of the wrist curls up to 100 reps.

This is exciting!!! I'll keep trying to walk and if I am going to lift much more regularly I'll probably need to keep on a schedule for massages as well. I'll probably do well to figure out acupuncture and chiropractor schedules as well. Maybe on some rotating quarterly deal.

This is good. I was planning on letting this blog go if I couldn't start to lift again soon. But with being clear of diabetes, liver problems, no growth on my spine or slipped disks it seems very safe to start lifting again. My primary care doc agrees which is great.

KEEP LIFTING!!!

2011-05-08T11:29:00.001-07:00

Been doing more walking. Practice and diet went downhill during finals. Going to keep fighting for it!

Presented on health equity and social determinants to a UNM service learning program yesterday. Sounded like it made sense to them.

Still very happy about this year's May Day!

KEEP LEFTING!!!

4/26/11

2011-04-26T22:38:00.000-07:00

Had the chance to work on C jam blues. Spent last night working on The Internationale with good friends for the Walk to Cure Capitalism. May Day should be fun this year!!

4/24/11

2011-04-24T08:11:00.000-07:00

Well it is Easter and while I didn't get all 40 days for jazz drill practice in I did do most. And I think it is helping. For post lent I will work on one jazz song a week and Esteban Jordan tunes.

For jazz I think I'll start with C Jam Blues, and for the Esteban Jordan songs I'll work on pieces of Le Seguiremos, Adios Amor, Cumbia Con Salsa, La Mucura and Coronelas. I'll review and tighten up parts I know and then next week start working on parts I don't have down. And any extra time will go to continue the jazz drills. I'm also figuring out how I would create a similar system for Chicano/conjunto acordeon study.

That's the long-term goal - to work on something I don't know every week.

For those who like to know I have been working on scale and chord patterns along with different pre-recorded rhythm sections. Nothing complicated, just something I wasn't taught earlier. So I follow along with the recording and either play the chord, or a scale that fits the chord for the cycle of fifths on the dominant 7th, ii-V-I cadences, extended chords, or song changes.

The jazz songs for the next few months will be C Jam Blues, Now's The Time, Killer Joe, Blue Bossa, Footprints, Song for My Father, Autumn Leaves, Freddie Freeloader, St. Thomas, and Blue Train. I'll figure out the order as I go. There is a jazz "play along" that has the heads and one round of sample solo. I figure learning that will continue to help me hear the changes and have some of the song in my fingers.

Health wise, I'm getting better. Having to deal with some financial stuff and the health at the same times sucks but that's just what has to be dealt with. I'm walking more and moving better. And next week I'll be "Walking to Cure Capitalism"! (I figure that's healthy!)

KEEP LEFTING!

4/15/11

2011-04-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

Things are going better. From X-rays it looks like I did not slip a disk or anything like that. But there is something that needs to get looked at via MRI. Hopefully it is no big deal.

The good thing is I am not freaked about making things worse so I can walk through a little of the pain. Seems to have helped.

Speaking of walking - I created a "cause" on FaceBook - Walk to Cure Capitalism! Check it out. I have not had a lot of practice time. We took my son to Vegas for his 21st birthday. But that made me walk a bunch and it actually feels a little better. So much for the doc's advise to take it easy.

So on May First (International Workers Day) I should be walking a lot.

KEEP LEFTING!!!

4/6/11

2011-04-06T13:02:00.001-07:00

Still walking more. It seems to be helping.

I'm also working on drills from a jazz perspective. I think that is helping as well. I'm not getting faster, but sounding a little cleaner.

KEEP LEFTING!

3/25/11

2011-03-25T20:17:00.000-07:00

Walked two miles yesterday! Going to keep trying to walk a mile or more daily.

This weekend I'm going to try and create some practice space in the house. I keep getting interrupted and it is frustrating. Probably not just for me. If I get enough energy I can create a space in the front and one in the back of the house.

I've been working on some different jazz patterns and exercises, scales following jazz progressions, etc. I've started slowly also doing these with the button accordion. I will also start learning some Esteban "Steve" Jordan songs for a tribute in August.

Last time I talked about the scales I would teach a new student. I would still do major, mixolydian, dorian, natural minor, and lydian. Then I would go for blues and also teach some common passing tones (b3 and b7) depending on the music style.

Hopefully by finals time I'll be lifting. I will post up some of the music workouts for the period in between.

KEEP LEFTING!!

3/17/11

2011-03-17T21:17:00.000-07:00

Work was great today. Just finished my second draft of my mid-term assignments. I related the work of Eugene V. Debs as an organizer and public health outcomes. I will work on it some more over the weekend. Sticks to the idea that equity improves health outcomes!

I have been working on some jazz drills and feeling like "geeze I should have learned these in middle school." Then I noticed on Tuesday during rehearsal and jamming with some friends that I was playing a bit differently. Decent stuff for a couple of weeks of work. I guess I'll have to keep it up!

It has been hard to keep up with current events. Japan, Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Wisconsin, etc.

KEEP LEFTING!!!

3/15/11

2011-03-15T05:51:00.000-07:00

Had a massage yesterday. Felt better. A lot of focus on the areas that are tight and twisted up. I could stand a long time. Hope I'm still doing well for awhile.

On the musical side I was very tired but tried some drills anyway. Wasn't pretty, will try again today before rehearsal.

What I did get out of it was an idea of how I would teach scales to a new student. I would teach C major one week, all white notes. Then the second week teach A natural minor, again all white notes. Then the third week teach the D minor Dorian mode - all white notes. Then the fourth week teach the G Mixolydian scale, you got it, all white notes.

If the student is interested in blues I would continue with the C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic. Follow that with the A Blues scale. Then for the 8th week give them a CD with a rhythm section playing a background appropriate for the scales and exercises given.

Of course scales exercises aren't that much fun, so a song for each scale would also need to be given. And encouragement to make up melodies and experiment with random notes.

KEEP LEFTING!

3/14/11

2011-03-14T09:04:00.001-07:00

Well I had some xrays done on my hip and back last week. Let's see how those come out.

This is mid-terms week so I will be working hard to try and get all of my assignments done!

So many things to think about. I end up using FaceBook and Twitter more since they are good for many short and quick types of things. I'm wondering if I should keep the blog going? Feedback would be appreciated...

KEEP LEFTING!!!

3/9/11

2011-03-09T17:47:00.000-08:00

Well, Blue Jeans closed. I had decided to go into the "woodshed" for awhile. I had a couple of gigs which took some time from practicing, but playing with a band with a different groove was cool.

So for lent I will do an hour of jazz drills a day. And if I miss a day I will make it up on following days or at the end of lent. Maybe I'll get a good habit going.

As for health - I went to get my x-rays done today. We'll see how it goes.

I'll post some info on the gigs and get back to this more regularly.

Keep Lefting!!!

Route 66 Blues House

2011-02-09T12:45:00.000-08:00

I was thinking a couple of weeks ago how valuable it is that there is a Chicano guitarist (Rudy Boy Jaramillo) leading a regular Blues Jam here in 'Burque. That there was something about that that has value in and of itself. I told him this and he seemed to be humble about THAT. He did tell me the story of a guy on vacation from England who came to the jam and said something like - do you know what a big deal it is to be sitting in on a jam in a Route 66 Blues House?!

As I listened to that story I thought - yes it is a BIG deal. Along with Rudy Boy, I started calling it the "World Famous" Blue Jeans Lounge. And I was planning to take a few days in late February and write this particular blog. Here I am writing on a quick lunch break.

But think of it. The Rudy Boy Experiment is a great band in and of itself. They perform there almost every Thursday night, and then host the blues jam. But other groups and musicians such as Felix y Los Gatos, Triple X, Paul Pino y Los Tone Daddies, Joe Mancuso, Li'l Bo Diddly, Fern Shegonee (RIP), Roger Weinreich, The Deteriorators, Split Decision, Suzy Marquez, Sherri Gonzales, even some mariachis including John Mancha, and so many others perform there (I know I'll catch it for some of the great people I missed). And some random jammers perform there not even knowing the quality of musician they are playing with.

It's an amazing and under-appreciated experience. If you want you can call the location of Blue Jeans (9018 Central SE) Burque's "lower east side." So I had told Rudy I would write a blog and start promoting this both as a place where this great Chicano musician leads the jam, but also Burque's Route 66 Blues House, or the International District's Blues place, etc.

For a quick background on the importance of jam night - since it often can sound fairly rough. Jam nights is where a musician gets experience, gets to be challenged, to stretch, and to mess up really bad! In the old jazz days that's where people learned. Often on blues changes and standards. And it isn't all blues at Blue Jeans. So one could learn on various, funk, and soul songs as well. This jam - and others across town - are an important seed for the musical culture of Albuquerque and New Mexico.

And people celebrated their birthdays, anniversaries, and other events there. On Friday the 18th at 5:30 will be a happy hour in honor of Chicano legend Esteban "Steve" Jordan. And it is rumored that some "Socialist Drinking Club" met there as well!

And then its gone.

Blue Jeans will close on the 20th of February. The last jam night is Thursday, Feb. 10. Tomorrow night. That is from 5PM till close. There will be a Blues and Brews and BBQs on Sunday from 3PM until 12. We can only hope that someone can take up this working class bar and breathe some life back into it. Sonny's closed a while back. And now Blue Jeans. Sonny has done a great job supporting local music.

Let's celebrate 25 years of a great place.

If this particular location can't be saved we'll see where the seed has spread to. One thing for sure is that the Blues in 'Burque aren't dependent on one location. Something will continue. Whether you'll see a great Blues band, mariachis, punk, funk, cajun and rock-n-roll all in one night? Pues let's see...

If you come out take lots of pictures and post them on your personal pages if you have them, "and remember to tip your bartenders and wait staff well. They take care of us, let's take care of them." This tips gonna need to count for awhile.

2/4/11

2011-02-04T21:41:00.000-08:00

Its been a good week considering the cold. Had to get my daughter's car jump started a couple of times. Found out that my hood doesn't open! Gonna have to go get that fixed.

Did some walks. And it is too cold to go into my uninsulated garage to fix up the gym area. Gonna keep that on check for now.

I did get to work on lyrics for some Esteban Jordan songs and also working on the chords. Starting to get the "signature" patterns down like a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 type of scale for the preparación (transition to the IV chord usually via a I7). It's nice and he uses it as a strong preparación and sometimes just within a song in going to the IV. Starting to hear some patterns in the bass lines as well.

This will be a fun journey! On 2/23 I'm going to the World Famous Blue Jeans Lounge to listen to the Esteban Jordan songs they have on the juke box and drink a few beers.

KEEP LEFTING!!!

1/25/11

2011-01-25T21:43:00.000-08:00

Did a good long walk today. I'm feeling it, but hopefully it will be worth it. I didn't hear the State of the Union address, but I'm sure I will hear about it tomorrow.

The cool thing is that I'll be working on walking daily and also getting some more music in as I can. I've started working on the diatonic ("button") accordion. That will be challenging but good. I'll also start working on some Esteban Jordan songs.

KEEP LEFTING!

1/24/11

2011-01-24T14:25:00.000-08:00

Recuperating well. I have instructions for some anti-inflammation assistance to help me get back up and going.

Tomorrow I'll do a nice long walk and hopefully I'll do OK. I created a workout for when I'm ready... I know, I keep saying that. But the new bed has helped as much as anything else.

Tonight is down time to rest up and do some practicing. I have a gig this Saturday and it will be the piano accordion, the keyboard and a button accordion I picked up last year!

Bueno...

KEEP LEFTING!!!

1/18/11

2011-01-18T21:26:00.000-08:00

Nothing worse than saying "we are cool without practicing for this week" then getting a message to add extra rehearsals. I am sick but adding rehearsals while I need to catch up to other things don't help either. Especially since the rehearsals don't add much. Oh well...

KEEP LEFTING!!!

1/15/11

2011-01-15T22:54:00.000-08:00

Down sick. Will have to rest up and get some house cleaning done this weekend. In the meantime enjoyed playing this Esteban Jordan song at a friends retirement party. The video isn't us, but we covered this song fairly well.

KEEP LEFTING!!!

Political Assassination Attempt?

2011-01-08T23:27:00.000-08:00

It may be too soon for some to declare the shooting today as an assassination attempt. It seems apparent that even if the shooter had some mental issues that there was a political angle. Politics have become divisive and the only option is to vote and organize to counter the irrational attitudes and actions now. This seems clearly more than just someone going after a public figure. The corporate sponsored misinformation that is put out everyday is a part of this.

We need to return to reasonable yet passionate discourse in order to move our society forward. Violence is not conducive to democracy. My heart goes to those who were thinking they were going to have an opportunity to talk to their elected official and were hurt or murdered in that process.

KEEP LEFTING!!!

Tómate Esta Botella Con Migo...

2011-01-03T15:23:00.000-08:00

Nada me han enseñado los años.
Siempre caigo en los mismos errores.
Otra vez a tocar con extraños.
Y a cantarle a los mismos dolores...

OK, words changed a little bit from Jose Alfredo's version. I've been thinking about what to do between now and my 45th... 46th birthdays. (Long story for another time.) I know that I will be working a lot on politics for the next round of elections. I already quit one band and told the other that I would likely take a short to long break after graduation from the MPH program.

So I started talking with musician friends about what I would like to do with music in my life. So below will be a quick overview of that and some of my musical history and links for anyone who wants to hear what I'm talking about. Part of my difficulties so far is that most people I have been playing with do not take the time to listen to much accordion music so it gets difficult to try and express what I'm trying to get people to do. The other is that often the accordion is a funky add on for people and they could be happy with me playing keyboards instead.

In the most basic sense, I want to play urban Chicano Acordeón. For me the fundamental example of that is Esteban "Steve" Jordan. Of course I don't play button accordion, but the urban nature of the music is what grabs me. This has been an issue since I was raised by very rural grandparents, I've picked berries, and living in New Mexico also doesn't embrace urbanism completely - and for some good reasons. Growing up I also listened to Jimi Hendrix, Suicidal Tendencies, The Beatles, Jimmy Reed, Oldies, Santana, El Chicano, War, even The Doors, Prince, and George Clinton, Tierra and other amazing groups who played music in English.

(Huh, listening to El Chicano just reminded me how we used to get into the deep music beyond what's on the radio these days...) Sounds like I was a musical sponge, there are lots of groups I can keep thinking of that I've tried to at least learn one of their songs...

Then there was the earlier stuff. The Chicano Mexicano stuff that was on at home all of the time. My uncles owned a bar and my Abuelita was the cook. So I remember hanging out at the bar. I first played pool standing on a chair at about 4 years old. There were almost always some Relampagos del Norte going on. Ruben Vela, Tony de La Rosa, Los Gavilanes, Los Dos Gilbertos, Los Alegres de Teran and Conjunto Bernal were also normal at the house.

And of course there are groups who I still learn about and try to learn from like Albert Zamora and El Tri. My favorites are Los Garcia and Esteban Jordan. Esteban is who influences my concept of what can be done on the Acordeón and why I feel comfortable playing on rock, blues, R & B, even country and other styles. It's why I can go to jam night. Sometimes people trip out on the instrument, but I usually do fine. I didn't grow up listening to Louisiana music but I have listened to some of those masters as well, but I'm not much interested in being that type of player. I doubt that many people go to New Orleans and ask if they play conjunto, but people ask me if I play cajun... I don't. I can add a little touch of it, but I can't say I play it as it should be played.

So all of that to say that I would like to take some traditional songs and make them relate to an urban Chicano reality. Take an oldie like El Ultimo Trago, and shuffle it with accordion. To do that, and to do English songs with a Chicano feel. And also take very traditional songs and push the urban part of the ranchera. Pushing Volver, Volver as a cumbia. Maybe some straight Chicano Jazz or blurring the line between cumbia and salsa, or between polkas and jazz. That's my goal. And if I can do it at a Route 66 Roadhouse that would be even better!

I don't know if I can live up to all of that while I work, support my family and go to grad school. But if I don't try to rush it, I can have fun trying!

Maybe a song every couple of weeks if my musical friends can put up with it!!!

1/1/11

2011-01-01T12:47:00.000-08:00

Had a great night last night. Apparently broke into something deep. Felt very sick and then was listening to Chavela do Paloma Negra, then ended up following it to her version of El Ultimo Trago. Made me tear up, thinking of those who have already gone, and people and things I still need to let go of... Then found this, its a little less "heavy" but still can get eye water. Que Viva La Raza and have a Chingon New Year!

12/31/10

2010-12-31T09:21:00.000-08:00

Going to go record a song with some friends in a little bit. Had a good night at jam night at the "World Famous Blue Jeans." In talking with Rudy there I got a good reminder of what we take for granted - a working-class roadhouse blues place on Route 66. Should be appreciated more, but likely will just be there for a few people until time takes it down the road of memories...

I lifted a little bit yesterday and got to hang out a little bit with Chuyito.

I'm so proud of my kids, my adopted kids, nieces and nephews, etc... Have to say the end of the year threw me a couple of curve balls, but going to Blue Jeans let me play it out. This year was good and hopefully next year better. I've had a rough few years and it looks like it may be turning around!!!

KEEP LEFTING!

12/30/10

2010-12-30T08:16:00.000-08:00

Last work day of the year!!!

My back is feeling way better. Will get some walking and probably some music in today.

Looks like I should do it before it gets any colder!!!

KEEP LEFTING!!!

12/28/10

2010-12-28T08:01:00.000-08:00

Christmas was great. The best part was buying a new bed. It is so comfortable and a few of my pains have started to get better!

Hopefully this helps me with walking more. The next chore will be to finish re-arranging my room and then on to the gym in the garage!!!

And I guess I'm not crazy. The media really does lean right!

KEEP LEFTING!!!

12/20/10

2010-12-20T20:38:00.000-08:00

Well it is almost Christmas. Thanks to my daughter for not letting me back down. I ended up purchasing a bed. I actually went to Goodwill and looked at a $200 mattress set. That would normally be OK. But with my back problems she pushed me to think about my health and to get a "good" bed. So I did. First time buying a bed based on quality. Last Christmas was my first new TV, and now my first new bed.

Catching a cold. Gonna try and get some sleep.

Had a meeting at work with two of my supervisors. It was interesting. Work is interesting. I'm seeing more things the longer I'm there - which is usual. Just stuff I was hoping wasn't going on.

Also went to a meeting regarding the NM EXPO. Great to hear the community coming out for participation, health, and careers!

Well, hope to get some walking in tomorrow.

KEEP LEFTING!!!

12/17/10

2010-12-17T08:36:00.001-08:00

The Billionaire Bailout is making me sick now, and will likely make millions sick in the future.

With all of that going on I think I'll definitely need to go for a walk today. It's cold, but it will be worth it. Hope to get a good nights sleep tonight and then get some exercise in tomorrow!

KEEP LEFTING!!!

12/14/10

2010-12-14T07:10:00.000-08:00

Had a great neighborhood association meeting last night. People buying from Albuquerque Women EARN, and bringing food and clothes to the First Nations Healthsource homeless outreach program! Then visioning for the International District Sector Plan.

Listening to pundits trying to sell the Billionaire Bailouts and the Trojan horse part of it that will start to drain social security. On an email list that I'm on an interesting sounding book was proposed as a reading. It is called Winner Take All Politics and apparently shows how the winner-take-all electoral system has led to our income inequities. Might have to get that.

Keep Lefting!!!

12/13/10

2010-12-13T05:53:00.000-08:00

I started working out with light weights yesterday. It showed me how much work I'm going to need to do. Getting ligaments back into shape as well as working out muscle.

The best part is that I started!

KEEP LIFTING!!!

12/10/10

2010-12-10T08:50:00.000-08:00

It's nice to have some time off from school and be able to hang out with Chuyito in a more relaxed way. B+ for the Health Communication class. Waiting for word on the other class.

Went for a good walk yesterday. Need to make time for one today.

KEEP LEFTING!!!

12/7/10

2010-12-07T21:10:00.000-08:00

I finished finals last night. I'm hoping for Bs. It took a while to get into the course. Mainly from finding some interesting stuff toward the end.

I think the month off will be good for me. And it might be good for the vote on the Billionaire Bailouts to be over. Then I can stop irritating my Obama-loyalist friends. He's done a decent job overall. Continuing the tax handouts for the super rich will cause a great deal of problems. It definitely shows that we need more than two choices in politics. We have more than two choices in almost everything else.

Keep Lefting!!!

12/4/10

2010-12-04T20:58:00.000-08:00

I'm very proud of my children. They worked on the Youth Building Health Communities project and held an Albuquerque Youth Health Summit. They did a great job of working with other youth and facilitating different parts of the meeting.

Can't wait until the notes and follow up comes in.

¡Vivan Mis Niños!

12 Hour Boost with 20 Minute Investment

2010-12-03T18:58:00.000-08:00

Get Happy with 20 Minutes of this!I can vouch for this approach.

It was a good reminder to get this in my email box. Day full of meetings and I'm glad I had a few minutes here and there go get some walking in.

KEEP LEFTING!

11/30/10

2010-11-30T07:28:00.000-08:00

Walking is starting to pay off. Feeling a little better. Slept a little better.

A friend also challenged me to 20 minutes of meditation a day. I've been going at it. Definitely tough.

Turned in two final assignments yesterday and have two more before Monday and my final exam Monday also! Can't wait for this week to be over. I'm going to work with my daughter on her Stats class after next Monday. I'm so proud of her.

She is definitely stretched between work, school, and Chuyito. After my finals I'll also be able to hang more with him. That's always fun. Reminds me what I want to get into better shape for!

KEEP LEFTING!

11/28/10

2010-11-27T23:37:00.000-08:00

I was starting to feel disillusioned with grad school. Then I found a great article about diabetes and poverty. It talked about focusing on the social structures and "politics of poverty" instead of individual behavioral change.

Then there is another document on how heart disease is impacted more by poverty, social exclusion and chronic stress than by smoking and diet. Though it means a greater amount of work, it also means that I'm not crazy. If you get a chance, read Social Justice is Good for our Hearts.

And Keep Lefting!!!

11/25/10

2010-11-25T11:30:00.000-08:00

I'm thankful for so much. I didn't make time to write it all down. And more importantly I'm thankful for so many people in my life - from Chuyito to my ancestors. And when I'm tired and worn out - I am thankful for all the great music in the world that lifts my spirits! And there is too much of that to post on here as well!

11/22/10

2010-11-22T06:57:00.001-08:00

My family woke me this morning with Las Mañanitas!

KEEP LEFTING!

11/21/10

2010-11-21T21:22:00.001-08:00

Went walking today also. I will walk tomorrow morning as well. Keeping on that will help me out. Trying to eat better has been a little tougher, but starting to go well.

Being a 'Buelito is still a rockin' thing. And I've been getting nice messages on Facebook.

Playing at the Bandido restaurant on Saturday was fun. Awkward that some of the groups were trying to get me to play more. I think I need to keep it chill for awhile.

KEEP LEFTING!!!

11/20/10

2010-11-20T08:50:00.000-08:00

Today is Dia de La Revolucion!

So I'm setting a goal. To be able to walk 4 hours, pain free within two years. Going to start with 30 minute walks and build from there! Not the exciting posts of heavy weights in the past, but it will get back to that.

There has been lots of talk about taxes. It is interesting to note that 2/3 of people favor millionaires and billionaires paying more of their fair share! Think of all the schools we could keep open.

KEEP LEFTING!!!

11/15/10

2010-11-15T22:17:00.000-08:00

I attended a leadership training over the weekend. It was great but tiring. The combination of internal and external work was a good combination.

Inspired me for some future work I need to do. I'm looking for things to start cutting out of the schedule. It will help me focus. Walking more seems to be helping.

Time to sleep!!!

KEEP LEFTING!!!

11/11/10

2010-11-11T07:15:00.000-08:00

Walking more is helping me out. It is tough avoiding the high fructose corn syrup.

Paying attention to politics can be stressful. But we'll have to keep finding ways to make things better.

KEEP LEFTING!!!

11/9/10

2010-11-09T09:33:00.001-08:00

Going to do a 30 minute walk today.

While leaving the band may be good for me in the long run, there is definitely a mourning period. But I've been able to practice Esteban Jordan songs. Now to start picking out chord changes and all the fun details. It's woodshedding time.

And time to get my projects done.

KEEP LEFTING!!!!

11/8/10

2010-11-08T09:47:00.001-08:00

The Dia de Los Muertos event went very well! It was fun to do the sound for Mala Maña and Jade Masque. It was also a good workout to go back and forth between the stage and the audience.

Loading and unloading is also always a great workout!

As a random aside, I found out that Obama as a Senator sponsored an Instant Runoff Voting bill.

KEEP LEFTING!!!

11/5/10

2010-11-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

I wasn't expecting it, but I ended up retiring from a band. I'll use that extra time for grad school work and "woodshedding."

People are bummed out about the elections. I think it is an opportunity to promote multi-party democracy. So I started a FB page for Bernalillo County LRU.

Gotta go walk now.

KEEP LEFTING!!!

11/2/10

2010-11-02T07:55:00.001-07:00

Get out and vote! We're voting as a family in a few!!!

Keep Lefting!

10/26/10

2010-10-26T22:16:00.000-07:00

Went to rehearsal only to find out there was no rehearsal. Left a message at my work, even though I'm hardly ever there. Oh well. I came home and worked on "Cuando te Conoci" by Esteban Jordan. I worked on the lyrics last week. Worked on the solo this week, and basic chord structure. It seems like the intro modulates between G and C, and then the verse is in F, and the coro in G! I'll have to keep working on it and get all of that figured out. I'm hoping I get some help on it.

Also reviewed "En Este Cabaret." Seems much more straight forward with interesting breaks and accents. I'll be going over these types of songs as much as work, familia and grad school allow. And either try to play the actual songs, or incorporate parts into standard rancheras.

One more week until election day. KEEP LEFTING!!!

Get out and Vote!

2010-10-25T08:05:00.000-07:00

If you don't do it today as an early voter - do it next week in person!

Why? Check out the video - 30 years of this has gotten us what we have now.

Keep Lefting!!!

Para mi Jefita

2010-10-18T23:04:00.000-07:00

10/12/10

2010-10-12T17:55:00.001-07:00

Things are going well. Very busy as always, but very well. Always challenges...

I started increasing my jumping jacks. I started out with 25 at a time and was going to move to 30, and then decided to try 120... It was tough but I could do it. So I'm working on meditating, and the jumping jacks. Then I'm adding yoga and hopefully getting to lifting!

Music is going OK. Having gone out of town for a Quinceañera really drained me but was great to see familia.

I'm trying to get most of the groups I work with to do more around messaging and web communications. So I want to re-do the LRU website using the CSS Zen Garden approach. Basically having some basics written out and then have different formats to adjust to the season or events coming up.

It is "Dia de La Raza" or Indigenous Heritage Day. I encouraged people to post on my FaceBook something they can think of that people indigenous to this continent provided to the world.

KEEP LEFTING!!!

Sept. 30, 2010

2010-09-30T16:53:00.001-07:00

Well, work is nice and hectic. And it is hard to make school academics match up with work realities all of the time, but at least I can spend time with super smart people!

Over the weekend I learned how to use Audacity to do a voice over for a school presentation. But I did it with music! Learned a good chunk and could probably become a podcaster now if I wanted to. Maybe once a month do a short rant or review of a song or something. We'll see.

More importantly I've started to do some jumping jacks and walking more. I haven't started with the weights. Mostly just scheduling - familia, homework, organizing, and playing music. Lots of challenging stuff.

I did figure out that if I do want to learn more about Esteban Jordan's music I'll have to start from the bottom and work my way up. Since I only review songs for the bands and don't go into them super deep - hope they aren't upset. I keep trying to improve, but much of the music doesn't drive me.

So back to EJ... if I REALLY want to understand it and get a grasp I'll have to be super slow. I'll start with the lyrics of a song. After that go to the intro and work out the bass as close as I can. Then go back to the beginning of the intro and work it out on the guitar. THEN go back and work out the acordeón. I know I'll work on the acordeón all along, but seeing how the harmony works along with the interesting rhythm changes will help it all make more sense and also allow me to arrange and compose with a different feel.

Wish me luck!

KEEP LEFTING!!!

Happiness Makeover

2010-09-28T08:01:00.000-07:00

I originally thought about complaining about my project partner who is upset that I don't have a cell phone so she can call me. It's a freakin online program! I send her an email and wait 3 days for a response, but she wants to lecture me about a cell phone... Of course there's more, but anyway.... I saw an article and did a little follow up below that will hopefully set me on a more constructive course.

As much as I appreciate the following advice I have to say it seems funny when someone calls themselves a "thought leader." Maybe that's a good goal. MJ Ryan has this advice to improve your happiness:

Ask yourself three questions at the end of the day, What am I thankful for today? What did I enjoy today? And what am I satisfied about today? And you can't say 'nothing.' You have to come up with something.

I wonder if she would admit that the following piece of news has any impact. The US Census is finding that the gap between the rich and the poor is at its widest. What doesn't get mentioned enough in this is that it also means that the "steps" between each level are also likely wider. So if you imagine a ladder - once the rungs between levels were closer together. Now those are wider apart. It's not just the "poor" losing out, its all of us!

KEEP LEFTING!!!

9/12/10

2010-09-12T07:21:00.000-07:00

Today - figure out some flier delivery, homework, and rehearsal. At least I'll get some walking in.

Had an interesting gig on Friday. Right before I left there was some drama at the house and I ended up rushing late to the gig. I left my mics at home so played keyboard most of the gig. I realized how little I want to be a keyboard player - people seem to like my keyboard playing, but it doesn't interest me much.

And I still don't play the acordeon to my standards. What a pain that is. But it makes me think that if I had my own band I would play mostly rancheras and would play the English music on the acordeon as well.

Now only if there was more time! But lamenting doesn't help. On to the homework!

Keep Lefting!!!

9/9/10

2010-09-09T09:04:00.000-07:00

Need to figure out some better ways to keep on top of everything. Feels like a lot of expectations are thrown at me with minimal support offered.

Got some walking in. Still trying to get my yoga teacher to commit. Might have to go out to a commercial place.

Gonna keep working at it.

KEEP LEFTING!!!

9/4/10

2010-09-04T12:16:00.001-07:00

A nice mellow day. I have gigs out of town tomorrow and Monday. Listening to some Esteban, and finished reading for one class. One more to go.

I asked a musician friend if he would pick out the chords to some Esteban Jordan music - he wouldn't even try it for money! I don't have lots of time for practicing, so maybe that will be my project for thanksgiving and X-mas.

It is nice that my health disparities book FINALLY got to social and economic factors that influence health, health disparities, and "minority" health.

Keep Lefting!

Sept. 1, 2010

2010-09-01T13:03:00.001-07:00

Trying to keep up with everything. Definitely a challenge. Tonight will be homework, and if there is time some practicing and clearing out the weight area. Going to gym ain't been happening.

Keep Lefting!

8/31/10

2010-08-31T21:58:00.001-07:00

Up doing homework. Good thing is that I noticed I was standing up for about 30 minutes before feeling uncomfortable. Time to get some weights in!

Been able to practice a little... going to have to be patient until the Masters is over.

Attending the 40th Anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium this weekend in East LA. Very good and very interesting. Lots to consider.

Family is a little stressful right now. But overall things are good and should get better.

KEEP LEFTING!!!

8/23/10

2010-08-23T21:28:00.000-07:00

Interesting day. Gonna try to get some sleep.

Visited the memorial for the little girl who was run over. Such a wide range of reactions.

8/22/10

2010-08-22T06:23:00.000-07:00

A little girl was killed in a collision with a car just down the street. A very sad situation. I had seen the family a few times. Looked like they were having a hard time.

Like with my family, there are people who notice things are tough, but don't know how to help. When things are in crisis mode then they know what to do. I'm in the same boat. Thinking about helping to raise money for funeral services.

The news did a story and I was looking at the comments. Mostly about blaming and punishing. Like that will bring back the girl or prevent other families from having a hard time. We need to create jobs, and so much more, so that we can support families.

Though the collision may have not been preventable, it may have not been a fatality with slower traffic. Considering how much residential housing is near Zuni and how many pedestrians there are maybe it is time to look at better traffic calming.

The area where this happened is a high crime/violence area. There needs to be better lighting and more services to help prevent violence.

My heart goes out to this family.

Send of for Esteban Jordan

2010-08-19T22:53:00.000-07:00

Esteban Jordan Sent off in Style

Jordan inspired Brave Combo

Music crossing Jordan

RIP Esteban

I had a gig at Ned's tonight. Around 6PM we played "Don't Mess with my Toot Toot" and "Viva Seguin" in honor of Esteban. Man I pulled stuff out from deep. Things I've never played before. I hope I can do it again!

Services for Esteban Jordan

2010-08-18T17:20:00.000-07:00

"El Parche Slips Away"

Rockordeon!

A funeral service for Esteban Jordan will be held 7pm Thu, Aug 19, at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church, 1730 Dahlgreen Ave., San Antonio.

Hijole

2010-08-16T21:49:00.000-07:00

I always figured it would be nice to be wanted a little more. But things have been very interesting lately. Just people wanting me all over the place. And the majority is for my assistance not so much giving me much energy.

I'll have to figure that out.

KEEP LEFTING!

Latino USA Special on Esteban Jordan

2010-08-16T10:32:00.001-07:00

No Rules: The Life & Music of Esteban 'Steve' Jordan from NPR's Latino USA on Vimeo.

Mas sobre Esteban

2010-08-15T21:28:00.000-07:00

Esteban Jordan gave the accordion a brand new sound!

Esteban Jordan in the Washington Post.

UPI on Chicano Cultural Warrior Esteban Jordan!

Esteban Jordan changed the world of conjunto

Too bad we don't fully appreciate some people until they are gone. I owe a lot to Esteban, even though I never met him or saw him live. I appreciate Paul Pino of the Tone Daddies mentioning his passing at our gig today. We drove together and listened to Esteban the whole time we were driving to the gig and some errands. It was good for me. RIP Esteban Jordan.

Descanse en Paz Esteban Jordan!

2010-08-13T23:30:00.000-07:00

Esteban Jordan dies "Old School Style"

Prayers for Esteban Jordan

2010-08-11T22:34:00.000-07:00

Today has been very hectic, lots of meetings and all of that. Really good stuff and real bummers.

The busy, well that's usual. I passed my Research Methods class, but with a lower grade than I hoped. I guess I should have pushed harder for make up work. Oh, well. Not that bad, but not fun.

The hardest part is probably that I happened to do an uncommon log in to MySpace and found out that Esteban Jordan is ill. This is an obvious drag for me.

This last week I started speaking David who plays accordion for FYLG and he wants to put together an Accordion Fest. One day in Santa and one day in Burque. He wants to do Scalos or something "classy" - I'm hoping for something more working-class, but he's organizing.

So he wants to showcase someone in each genre. I promoted Miguelito for mariachi and Jimmy Baca or John Mancha for conjunto. He wanted me to play too. So I was trying to think of what songs to do. I figured if I had three songs I would do Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, and Esteban Jordan.

Last night I was driving home from rehearsal with Mezcla Latina. I was listening to a greatest hits collection of Los Relampagos. And I was thinking to myself, "he said 3-5 songs, so there are tons of great songs to do." I was thinking I could do one of two things - work on 5 Esteban Jordan songs, or one song from different Chicano/Mexicano acordeon styles. So I made a CD to listen to and go over. Most of the songs were Esteban Jordan. So I was leaning that way.

Just funny how coincidence works that way.

The best part of the day was delivering a presentation on Health Equity. My professor is out sick and missed it, my two bosses didn't show up. A couple of Chicano elected officials, or their reps missed it, but the turnout was perfect. Had a good response and discussion. I think it will really help me in my future work.

KEEP LEFTING!

Sabes Amor

2010-08-07T02:23:00.000-07:00

8/5/10

2010-08-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

Well, turned in a final. Then after hitting send realized that I still had at least one more editing chore to do. But it is gone.

Have meetings and a gig today. Going to meetings most of tomorrow and going to sit in with Felix y Los Gatos for their CD release party. It will be David from FYLG and Jimmy Baca, and I!

Should be fun. Still have one more project to do for this semester and will be glad when it is over. Then I get 8 whole days of no school!!!

Keep Lefting!

7/28/10

2010-07-28T09:41:00.001-07:00

This education thing is very interesting. I think holistically. So the break things down into super detail is very odd to my brain.

If I'm going to do a thesis I'll have to see how to make that make sense. It might make sense to skip the thesis (officially) and just work on different learning projects for each semester. Too bad they didn't have a research methods class for social epi or social determinants. I'll have to make that up for myself as I go along.

The sharp focus approach may be useful. I'm still trying to figure out if this ends up being like "thinking in silos"...

KEEP LEFTING!!!

7/20/10

2010-07-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

Busy is not the best word for whatever the hell is going on with my schedule.

Just too many things going on.

I'm also trying to get in to my chiro. What I think will be good about school is my learning how to provide more analysis to our arguments for social determinants of health work. I wish research class would give us more step by step practice. It seems that the assumption is that we had undergraduate research classes. Well, I didn't. Even if I had it was a long time ago.

Catching up will be a slight drag in some ways. But thinking hard about how to add to the data that poverty, housing, participation, etc. impact health, here in Bernalillo County, New Mexico will be worth it.

KEEP LEFTING!

July 15, 2010

2010-07-15T09:06:00.000-07:00

So I figured out some new search methods through the online library. It has helped a lot. Now to read and see if I can figure out a measurement tool by Saturday!

The recognition around the more population based approach comes from co-workers, community, and professors who are not giving me a grade. To be fair, I have had good grades on papers where I talk about the political determinants of health. Just this one class and writing this research proposal is a big gear change. I think I'm grinding the transmission fairly badly!

Let's see what I get to by Saturday. I won't have any time for this on Friday, but after I read what I've found maybe it will fit for this before midnight!!

Keep Lefting!!!

July 13, 2010

2010-07-13T15:19:00.000-07:00

I'm really hating the individualistic approach to public health... I'll be glad when I'm done with this degree. What is interesting is that there is a little bit of recognition that I make sense, but still this push to do something "easier" in order to get the grade and get through.

breathing...

Keep Lefting!!!

July 12, 2010

2010-07-12T14:46:00.000-07:00

Well I didn't have a cell phone before my last job, and this job promised a cell, so I've been waiting. Still hasn't happened. But I might break down and get one. I couldn't contact a job and I couldn't contact a professor (online MPH program).

So, I'm hoping I'm not going to have grade issues and that I'm not going to miss out on a job because I don't have a cell phone.

Wish me luck!

Keep on Lefting!!!

June 7, 2010

2010-06-07T13:57:00.000-07:00

Things have been hectic. Hopefully everything keeps going well. Had neighbor kids break a car window and the parents haven't fixed it. So I'm taking care of it in the morning and will send them a bill.

The familia is doing well. I'm going to be working on lots of fun stuff this summer. Hope to report it going great!

KEEP LEFTING!!!

5/24/10

2010-05-24T09:48:00.000-07:00

A great link!

5/20/10

2010-05-20T20:35:00.000-07:00

It's been a nice couple of days. Getting ready and dealing with funeral stuff isn't that fun. But it is good to be able to help out.

My Tio's age probably messes with me a lot. I just always assumed he was older.

Celebrating birthdays has been nice. Reminds you that things keep moving.

Tony Armijo, 46, went home to be with his parents and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Visitation will be on Thursday, May, 20, 2010 4-7 pm @ Riverside Funeral Home 225 San Mateo Blvd NE 764-9663.

Funeral Mass will be @ St. Anne’s Church 1400 Arenal Rd SW, Friday, May 21, 2010 @ 9 am.
Burial to follow at San Jose de Armijo Cemetery.