It felt good to be back at the Rat Pack Lounge.  I am thrilled to sing if there are six people there, or 60.  It’s such a joy to me.

     Thankfully setting up the sound system is becoming a breeze.  I was once told that I shouldn’t be doing this kind of work, and that I should hire an audio tech to do the sweaty, heavy lifting.  I’ve not considered this.  Actually, I like the fact that I know how to do this, and right now, I need to have this measure of control.

     Back to my return to the club, it was grand seeing the staff who I’ve missed during my month long hiatus.  They’re such wonderful men and women, with incredible attitudes.  They’re all work when the club is buzzing with diners, but when the restaurant closes, they change clothes and start making plans for what they’re going to do for the rest of the night. That’s when I get to laugh and have fun with them and learn a little bit about their lives outside of work.

     I had lots of new music to showcase.  It just now dawned on me, that I did not sing At Last.  I do believe in my haste to complete my song list, I skipped it.

     I talked more with the audience this time… welcoming them and asking if they were there to celebrate something, or simply to enjoy a nice evening with dinner.   This interaction brought up something that I did not exactly plan for:  I got bombarded with requests.  This meant I had to go off the song list, and start searching my I-Pod for the songs folks wanted to hear that I had not planned to sing.  I got through it just fine, but it threw off my rhythm a bit.  It’s something I suppose I need to get used to.

     I had a Billie Holiday tribute during one set.  I also had a mini-country moment.  People really like Crazy and Walking After Midnight.  Think I might add a few more popular country songs.  A few more, that’s all.

     As the evening grew long and the crowd grew thin, I found myself singing to a couple in a booth, and the staff at the bar.

It didn’t matter to me.  Like I said at the top, I just love singing. That doesn’t change according to who is there.

     I believe this week, I will work on increasing my comfort level with the new songs, while adding just a few new songs.

The primary elections are this week.  It probably wouldn’t hurt to throw in a patriotic song for grins. 

   Today was a perfect day for a run.   This morning at Meadowmont in Chapel Hill there was a nice breeze and sunshine.

More than one hundred 8 -12 year old girls were gathering.  There was perpetual motion… peppered with yells, laughter, and cheers.

   The 6th annual Girls on the Run 5K and Fun Run in Memory of Will Beard was taking shape!!

At 9:00am, the participants were taking their places.   I don’t have the final figures, but I can tell you that last year our event attracted more than one thousand  5K runners and baby joggers, and about 30 one-mile runners.  We were all excited and ready to run!

   In previous years,  I have volunteered as a running buddy.  I’m paired up with a girl who wants a bit of encouragement along the course to keep running and keep having fun.   This year, I ran alone for the first time.  I had not physically prepared to run the 5K, but I am a pretty regular jogger.  What the heck, I told myself, “go for it.”

   I’m not sure how long it took me to complete the course, but what thrills me the most is that I jogged without stopping. It was my personal; goal not to walk.  I made it the whole way. Woooo-hooo!!! That is a huge accomplishment for me. A fine finish.

   I could not be happier with the awesome finish accomplished by each girl who participated.  For most of them, today’s 5K marked the completion of a program that builds character, encouraging emotional, social, and physical development.

   To all of those girls I say, Well done!

To everyone else, I say, Look at us go, and look at us grow!

I invite you to visit our website:

www.gotrtriangle.org