Salsa Dancing With Confusion

Excursion: Walk over the Manhattan Bridge, through Chinatown, over the Williamsburg Bridge, Domino Park, along the Williamsburg Waterfront, Marsha P. Johnson State Park, Greenpoint, Pulaski Bridge, Long Island City, Gantry State Park

Ferry from Long Island City to Brooklyn Navy Yard

Walk along Flushing Avenue to Downtown Brooklyn

Nighttime. Started in the low 50s but ended with a bit of a wind and the low 40s

Favorite Photo:

Music Played: Sing With Your Diaphragm because I’m trying to test myself with singing while walking. Checking my breath control as I try to get back into shape; For DEI Practitioners Who Considered Cussing ‘Em Out When A Track Wasn’t Enough. This one was a bit more random. I didn’t feel like singing when I got off the ferry. I just wanted something to keep me energized on the walk home. I feel like I came across this playlist on Threads when there was the initial onslaught on all things DEI when the new administration came in. When I went to switch to another playlist, it was still in the search results because all I had entered was ‘sing.’ It did the trick.

Standout Songs: Chaka Khan - I Feel For You, PJ Morton & JoJo - Say So, Remy Ma - Conceited

Musings & Observations:

- I really have respect for the artists that maintain their breath control when performing. I was really going through it on the bridges whenever I was trying to sing. I had to dig back into college choir training to remember what to do. Also, it’s a little bit of a heartbreaker when the falsetto doesn’t reach as high as it used to.

- There will always be at least one runner with shorts and their bare legs out.

- It’s kind of wild how white some neighborhoods in NYC are. Just a bunch of eclectic bars and people getting together to clean up litter in the neighborhood.

So sometime last year while on one of my extended walks, Cru - Just Another Case came on shuffle off the playlist. Along the walk, I had this stream of consciousness about how the music video was my introduction to the song which led to how music videos were often my pathway into music. I made a couple of notes but by the time I got home, nothing came of it. Later, I thought some more on it. And my walks often have just a lot of random musings. Thoughts on stuff I saw on the walk. Thoughts on the songs that pop up on the shuffle. And I’m trying to get into writing again more consistently. This feels like a simple entry point because my walks/excursions are pretty consistent. It will just be a matter of capturing the thoughts as quickly as I can.

Also to help, I came up with a template to keep me organized. Each entry will have:

- Excursion: Whether it’s an extended walk, a ferry ride, an extended train ride, here is where I relay what I did and where I went. Might include mileage for the walks. As I type through it now, I should include the weather conditions and the time of the excursion. This is why we write.

- Favorite Photo: I don’t think I’ve ever gone on an excursion and not taken at least one photo of something I saw.

- Music Played: The playlists, albums, or mixes that I listened to on the excursion. I will do my best to include links to playlists. I’m probably mostly speaking to myself but if I include a link to a streaming service and you want it for your preferred streaming service, drop a line. If I end up playing one of my daily mixes, I will screenshot what was played.

- Standout Songs: Songs that especially caught my ear. Something I forgot about. Something that is new to me.

- Random Musings/Observations: Hopefully explains itself. Can be short like, “It’s wild that you can travel between two worlds separated by only a couple of city blocks.” Also longer diatribes, most likely about some train of thought that the music inspired.

- Interesting Photos: I take multiple photos usually. If I feel inclined to share more, this will be the place.