#musician

Congratulations!
What subject was your thesis on and what was your conclusion?

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Indeed I do celebrate when I accomplish something significant in my life. When I graduated from Music School my father and I celebrated with a big party and invited all friends and relatives and my musician friends and I entertained the guests by performing songs.

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When I complete some construction project like building a house or brick patio or wooden deck, I might visit the local pub and celebrate by having a draft beer. My final example was when I donated my kidney. I celebrated the health of the kidney recipient by forcing myself out of bed and slowly walking to a well known coffee shop located about 1 mile away. My doctors were surprised that I would do such a thing, but to me, enduring pain was part of the recovery process, plus I was bored to death lying in bed staring at the ceiling.

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Oh.. and and a few times I rewarded myself by purchasing a guitar. Well... maybe a few guitars and amps. lol :)

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Came here for this. I work internationally and the money is good but living in a foreign country long term eventually becomes a bummer. It's fun in your 20s, it's embarrassing for a middle aged man. Like I am 38 and have no my own home, jump through a million hoops to sort out the work visa paperwork; always looked at as a foreigner, because there is no racial diversity in Asia. Some day I'd like to own a home in a warm resort town.
I want to set up my own paint studio and just paint for a living. I do not want to work my full-time job I do now untill I retire. I'm only 21 and I just graduated college, I'm working on setting up my studio and I really wish it gets some attention so I can paint full time in a few years.
Had a taste of some of my dreams after working hard to make them come true. Experienced highs and lows. Never found the love I was able to give. Now leaving early and quick is all that’s left.
Yes, I have a dream, and it's not some MLK dream for equality. I want to own a decommissioned lighthouse. And I want to live at the top. And nobody knows I live there. And there's a button that I can press and launch that lighthouse into space.
To be a good animator with a successful animation-based YouTube channel with my original animations and it looks like it’ll take a while for me to do that because it’s hard being an animator on YouTube since I can’t post everyday and so far my stuff is only a few seconds long I can’t even monetize my channel yet because I only have 10 subscribers
Become a semi-famous musician, as I’m going to college studying music and probably jazz but ending up only playing 2 jazz gigs and building up a small fan base of people who really enjoy dumb or fun songs I would make on band camp.

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I met Buddy Rich who was a famous big band drummer. I also met Jennifer O'Neill who is an actress (The Summer of 42) while I was performing in a rock band in Springfield MA., where she was filming another movie. In fact, Jennifer invited me to her home to write and record, but I was 18 and studying music at Berklee and intimidated by her beauty and her status. Sadly... I never took her up on her offer. Now I smile whenever I reflect upon it and wonder how my life might have turned out if I had recorded with her.

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I also performed with Howie Jefferson who played tenor sax with Count Basie. Howie was without doubt the best musician I have had the honor or performing with. We used to perform jazz at Nick's Lounge in the Primrose Motel 2 nights a week for 4 years and Howie would always take the most awe inspiring solos that would result in standing ovations. Howie would often turn to me and say: "Nico, watch this." And then he would create the most amazing improvised solo that would leave me dumbfounded and thinking to myself that I must be in heaven. :)

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"You've Got A Friend" by Carole King

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I first heard this song when I was attending college in 1971 and I immediately could relate to the lyric because it does a beautiful job of describing what I believe a friend should be but all too often isn't. The fact is that we all long to develop life long friendships and yet, many of us live our lives with very few if any genuine friendships. Case in point: in 2010 when my son was diagnosed with kidney failure a request was made to all of his family and "friends" for a kidney donation. Considering that my son is a well known musician and has literally hundreds of friends, do you want to guess how many "friends" offered to help? ZERO. So in order to save his life, at age 58 I stepped to the plate and donated a kidney. It is very unusual for an elderly person to be allowed to donate, but I used my ability to reason which persuaded the surgeons to proceed with the operation.

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Why? Although my son believes that he has 100 friends, I understood what genuine friendship really means and as a result I knew none of his so called "friends" would ever help him survive. Perhaps I am too cynical or fatalistic, but once again I hear Carole King's refrain:

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You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again

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And to my followers who are reading this, genuine friendship is not defined by how many people claim to be your friend; rather, friendship is defined by how your "friends" react when you are suffering and have lost hope. A friend will listen to you, offer advice and when necessary they will risk their life to save yours. And that is why I say" you are lucky if you find one true friend during your life on earth.

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"You've Got A Friend"

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When you're down and troubled,
And you need some love and care,
And nothing, nothing is going right
Close your eyes and think of me,
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest night.

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You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there
You've got a friend

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If the sky above you grows dark and full of clouds
And that old north wind begins to blow
Keep your head together and call my name out loud
Soon you'll hear me knocking at your door

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You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running, running, yeah, yeah, to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there
And I'll be there, yes I will.

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Now, ain't it good to know that you've got a friend
When people can be so cold?
They'll hurt you, yes, and desert you
And take your soul if you let them,
Oh, but don't you let them

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You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running, running, yeah, yeah, yeah, to see you again.
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there, yes I will.
You've got a friend

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If I were a student in high school my english teacher, ms. Holmes would have responded as follows:

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A better question would be this:
Are you anti life or pro life? Why or why not? Please refrain from using one word answers and instead state your argument for or against and be prepared to submit your rational in writing and also be prepared to give and oral presentation stating your arguments for and against and be prepared to defend your thesis.

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Conclusion: it is a shame that high school and college students are no longer required to defend their arguments in writing and orally where opposing opinions, facts and rational can be taken into account.

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The woke cancel culture is destroying our country because it silences and eliminates all opposition. As a musician and network engineer my compositions and network designs always considered opposing ideas and points of view. How sad it is that in today's cancel culture we have poorly educated students demanding and dictating what is truth. My question is whose truth? The cancel culture activists who scream and burn down cities when they don't get what they want?

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So here is my answer, I reject the cancel culture and everything it represents!

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"Depressing Love" by Alex

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Yes it is depressing when you love someone but they accuse you of not loving them, especially early in the relationship when the couple are still trying to understand one another. I admit that I get distracted with my music and writing and they become an obsession. Once I put my pen to paper or start playing my guitar, I do not like to be interrupted unless it is an emergency. Unfortunately, most people I have lived with whether brother, sister, parents, wife or children, do not understand or appreciate the mind of an artist and so they confuse my passion and concentration as disinterest.

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It is one of the reasons that if I am ever single, I will remain single. Living by myself is the only way I will be able to create poems and music uninterrupted and without having to justify my behavior or being forced to deal with the constant complaints and accusations of disinterest. And as for me, I will never comprehend why people cannot understand that a writer cannot write nor a musician practice his music while simultaneously talking to family and friends or painting the house, washing the dishes or mowing the lawn. Music and writing require silence and concentration without comment or justification.

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So to answer your original question, yes it is most depressing to love people while also being accused of not loving them. It is also depressing to write poems that nobody reads or to write songs that people do not hear (because they are too busy talking) or to strive for perfection in an imperfect and uncaring world. And might I propose that this is precisely the reason why so many talented artists decide to end their lives. I completely understand! To be a sensitive soul living in an insensitive and uncaring world is, in my opinion, a profound and painful reality that is impossible to reconcile. Luckily for me, I am able to co-exist in both worlds, but I would much prefer to be a full time artist who devotes all of his time and effort to creating music and poetry.

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Thank you for your sincere and insightful question. /Alex

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Please define the word judge? If you mean do I humiliate or treat a human being as inferior because they make grammatical errors or are illiterate, the answer is no.

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However, I prefer to associate with creative individuals who communicate well, are able to solve problems and who have hobbies that they are passionate about.

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When I perform music, as an example, some of the finest players I have worked with cannot read music very well but they can play the shit out of their instrument and they have a wonderful understanding of and appreciation for the language and art of music.

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So let me say this, all I care about is when I walk onto the stage and the lights turn on and the tune begins, I expect and demand that every musician can perform well. And when I write or communicate with other poets, I apply the same standard. However, on social networks like askfm or Twitter or instagram, I try not to pass judgement and instead will simply block or ignore insults or inappropriate behavior.

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When I first saw this question, I thought it was another shoutout. Well, congrats on the first English question that ever landed in my inbox.

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Currently, I'm dedicating most of my time and attention to something I'm very passionate about - music. I'm trying to make a living as an independent musician, which is quite tricky. But throughout the past year, a lot of things changed. More people are finding my music and I'm able to reach different places in the world. I started getting messages and comments from people from all over the world, which is really nice. I have a small community of wonderful people, who are interested in what I do. Because of that, my future looks a bit more promising, than it ever did. Combine that with breakthroughs in personal development and I'd say that things are looking up for me. We'll see how far I can take it, but I'm hopeful and quite excited about what's to come.

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Probably because they lost their virginity at age 14 and they are disappointed that it took you so long. :)

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Honestly, I think most of us have experienced inconsiderate people who make assumptions that are invalid. For example, my mother-in-law did not like me when she first met me. Do you want to know why?
1. Because I am Italian
2. Because I am a musician.

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Her thought process went something like this:
- I do not like my daughters boyfriend because he is Italian an ALL Italians are in the mafia.
- I do not like my daughters boyfriend because he is a musician and ALL musicians are drug addicts.

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My recommendation is that you learn how to create personal boundaries with people. That is, you decide which behaviors that you will tolerate and the manner in which you will respond/react to those inappropriate and offensive attitudes and behaviors. The beautiful thing about setting effective boundaries is that it puts you in control of your life and it allows you to control and manage the who, what, when, where and why of your personal life.

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It took me many years to learn how to set boundaries but I would say that learning that one skill, literally saved my life. There are many dysfunctional people in this world who build up their own self esteem/ego at the expense of destroying the self esteem of others. DO NOT allow yourself to be manipulated in this way. Take the time to learn how to protect yourself by creating effective boundaries with other people. 🙂

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Maybe sit down with the 9 year old and make a list of 5 potential presents and discuss the pros and cons of each gift along with cost and potential applications now and in the future. As a parent I enjoyed negotiating with my children.

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For example, when my teenage boy wanted to upgrade his $1,000 Yamaha alto sax to a Selmer Super80 which cost 3x as much, I asked him how much $$$ he was willing to contribute. He agreed to 50%. So I told him that when he had $1,500 saved we would go purchase the sax. In the meantime he continued taking lessons, performing in big bands and youth symphonies while also working 20 hours a week. Within one year he saved the money and we went and purchased the super80 as promised.

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Today my son is a professional musician with several degrees and has appeared on many recordings and performed around the world and is now the director of Arts and Music at a prestigious private school in the United States.

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I consider these moments to be critical learning opportunities that can help the child develop essential skills such as goal setting, self discipline, responsibility, determination and passion. I hope this helps.

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Living alone, taking my time with life. I always imagined being a stay at home wife😅 Apartment in a safe part of the city, over a coffee shop. happy kids, happy marriage, happy me. enough money to be comfortable but not so much I get stupid with it. A job I love.
Living in the burbs, making 80-120k a year, household 150-200k, and be able to afford for my future kids the opportunities I never got. Who knows, maybe I could have been a world renown lacrosse or hockey player if I was exposed to different opportunities when I was younger. Maybe chess master of the world, who knows.
Ideal life? As in unattainable, I would live life as a musician and continue my education until I was satisfied with myself.
If I could have an ideal life it would fit this plan. Finish college and get a job. Nothing fancy just something in an office with a steady income and good people around me.
Build a house. I know exactly what kind it would be to. Its an eco friendly DOMED HOUSE. They have a lot of space and are cheap to have built. I think they are awesome. Domed House Just enjoy life. I'd surf reddit and go out and do stuff. My day to day wouldn't change much I just want something to call my own and the ability to support myself in the long term.
I'd have a wife that loved me unconditionally and a couple of sons that did the same. Wife (If there is such a thing) would be my soul mate ♥,fighting by my side and helping me along the way. Then I'd find the true nature of God and he'd accept my apology for being a bad person in my younger years. I'd also help to destroy the uprising of slaves today before I died, with absolute peace, joy and love in my heart. I'd want to live like a king while remembering that I am only a man who loves people but is too hurt in my younger years to show it. I'd want to live convincing people love one another. Consistent schedule every day, a close friend to live with me to remind me to do big important stuff (ie remember your doctor's appointment today) not take care of me, just help me keep my mind on track. A job where I dont deal with customers and I can work with my hands and be consistently doing something. In an area with a low tempo speed of life, in a small house that I can easily keep track of. I can understand wanting to raise children in the suburbs--safe streets and other kids and all that--but only to a point. Mostly because I absolutely loathe suburbs, especially the ones with rows upon rows of near-identical houses. It's nightmarish. I need space and nature; being surrounded by buildings all the time just makes me feel deeply unhappy.

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Changing careers is difficult because it takes honest soul searching and the willpower and self discipline to create realistic goals, define objectives and then execute your plan. I can only answer this question based upon my own experience.

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When I was a teenager I decided to be a full time musician and so I took guitar lessons, practiced, formed a band and graduated from Berklee College of Music. To survive, I lived at home with my parents, taught guitar lessons, performed in bands and worked part time jobs for extra money.

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In 1979 I rented an apartment, got married and we had our first child. It was at this point that I realized that being a full time musician would NOT pay the bills. So I started reading some self help books and came across a writer/speaker named Zig Ziglar who taught me how to create realistic goals and to prioritize what is important to me. So I created two lists: one list consisted of the careers I was interested in and the other list contained careers I was not interested in. One career that stood out was Electrical Engineering. I was always interested in electricity and electronic devices. My father would fix televisions and radios in the basement and I would frequently watch him and ask him questions.

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However, the obstacle I had to confront was both financial and time related. Since I had a family and had recently graduated from Berklee but also needed decent employment, I had some difficult decisions to make. And so I found a two year Electronic Engineering program nearby where I could earn my ASEE within a few years and I enrolled. Next, I found employment at a high tech company working 3rd shift as a janitor. Within 2 years I was working 1st shift as a janitor and was cleaning and emptying trash for the CEO and the Vice Presidents. During this time period an electronic technician job became available and I mentioned my interest and my background to senior management. They promised me they would "look into it." Within one week, I had a job interview and was immediately hired to setup, configure and troubleshoot computer/networking equipment in their world wide technical training department. And from there I became a Product Support Engineer and ultimately a Senior Network Engineer with Certifications from Codex, Motorola, Nortel, BayNetworks, Cisco and Cabletron, to name a few. My career lasted 40+ years until retirement 4 years ago.

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I hope this information helps you with your own career choice. Remember, it is not easy... but, it is worth the time and effort. Most importantly, NEVER give up!

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Hello Yentl.
No I do not use any music streaming services.
I prefer to purchase and download mp3 files that I own and can listen to independent of a reliable internet connection. Also, I like the idea that whenever I purchase music the composer and musicians get royalties. I have met many people who literally steal thousands of songs from the internet and are proud of their behavior. However, as a musician, I find that behavior to be unethical and criminal, and that is why I do not support it under any circumstance.

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It seems that in every profession (doctor, lawyer, teacher, plumber, electrician, etc) people expect to get paid a fair wage. But when is involves musicians, too many people believe that because the musicians are having fun and enjoying themselves, they do not deserve to get paid for having fun, right?
Do we apply the same logic to professional soccer players? No
Do we apply the logic to professional baseball players or doctors or automobile mechanics? No we do not.
And yet music that musicians compose and perform is stolen by thousands of people all across the world and then these same people claim that that stolen music is their favorite music and they would be upset if the band broke up and yet are perfectly content to not pay the musicians for their blood, sweat and tears.

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People need to remember that most great musicians have studied privately for at least 10 years and have thousands of dollars invested in equipment, recording and travel expenses. Plus, great musicians have practiced for at least 10,000 hours before their audience hears them for the first time. And then to not get paid for their effort? That is a crime.

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Sorry for the rant, but hopefully whomever reads this will understand that musicians perform music not simply because they love music, but also to earn a living. Ant other musicians out there who wish to comment on this post, please express your opinion on this issue and post it. Thanks.

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To be honest, I am not too interested in hypotheticals as applied to human behavior. The reason? Because over the years I have been accused of many things by people I have little affinity for and zero respect. For example, as a teen I had my own rock band and spend hours either in my bedroom or in the studio practicing and honing my craft. The result, besides becoming a musician, was that family members and neighborhood kids often accused me of being a homosexual just because I spent most of my time alone practicing music. As a result, I reject gossip and those personalities who perpetrate lies and innuendo. I do not care what family or so called "friends" think about me, because in the end, their opinion is irrelevant. The simple fact of the matter is that music is the love of my life, and if some people cannot comprehend that, it is not my problem. When I pickup my guitar, that is my life and that is what I love to do most.

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Sometimes I write..

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He looks awkwardly at the questionnaire infront of him. “Um, what’s your major?”he asked.

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“Acting. I want to be an Actor.”

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He nods, looking away and back at the questionnaire.

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I can't help but laugh. “What’s yours?” I asked.

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His gaze darts back to mine, and I see him relax when he realizes there’s no malice in my laugh. “Vocal Performance.”He said.

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“Oh, a musician!”

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“Yes, I love music and I play the guitar too.” He smiles.

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“Do you wanna show me some of your music? Like, right now?” I asked.

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He looks surprised, and for a second I think I overstepped my boundaries and freaked him out, but then he smiles and jolts up.“Sure.” He said.

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We leave, trying not to make it too obvious, and go to his dorm. Perhaps it should be an awkward situation, but for some reason, it isn’t.

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His voice is rich. He’s really good, though I can tell he doesn’t know it yet.

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He smiles shyly after each song and mumbles something about how he needs to practice that one thing in that song. After about seven songs, we start talking nonstop until his roommate opens the door three hours later. He then offers to walk me back to my dorm. We stand at the door when we arrive, neither wanting to end the night.

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“You’re really good, you know. I mean that, genuinely.”

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He looks at me strangely and for a minute there I felt like I finally belonged to this world.

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This image feels so long ago now. It’s hard imaging a time where we haven’t yet known the experiences that later broke us.

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Some goals that I have already achieved while some are still in progress.

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1. Marriage - Marry a kind and compassionate woman.
2. Family - Create a family and be a good husband and father.
3. Social - give back to society. Worked with disabled adults
4. Education - Received a degree in Music and Electronic Engineering
5. Housing - Design and build a house. Built four and renovated two.
6. Religion - Participate in music ministry
7. Prayer - I pray daily and asked God to guide me. God answered my prayers in 2007 by giving my wife and I an opportunity to visit Guatemala and adopt a baby girl who needed a loving family and a healthy environment to live in.
8. Health - my oldest son suffered kidney failure in 2011 so I donated one of my kidneys
9. Music - I am in process of writing a book on music theory for my guitar students that will cover scales, arpeggios and intervals.
10. Poetry - have written over 200 poems and am working on publishing a book for my family and friends entitled: "Poetic Reflections."
11. Photography - am taking photographs to include in my book on poetry
12. Hobby - I play golf once each week with my daughter and whenever possible with my oldest son.

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I have completed some of my goals and will continue working on the remainder of my goals until my death. My final goal is:

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13. Death - to experience a glorious death

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"A Final Farewell" by Alex

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If you knew that you were going to die tomorrow, what would you do today?

The first thing that I would do is pray, and thank my God for blessing me with a healthy and joyous life. The second thing I would do, is inform my family and closest friends, while asking them to celebrate my life, our friendship, and the good times that we were fortunate enough to share together. The third thing I would do, is take my trusted companion (princess) for a long walk along the beach; to meditate, while listening to the ocean waves crash and the birds sing our favorite melodies, as we watch the clouds roll bye and behold the good-bye sunset.

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Finally, I would request those who loved me, to read a few of my beloved poems during the funeral mass, while also asking my dear musician friends to perform three of my favorite songs; so that family, friends and my trusted companion, can bid me a final farewell.

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You’ve got a Friend - James Taylor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEkIou3WFnM

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I’ll Be Seeing You - Jimmy Durante
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSzmuWImK7Q

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Amazing Grace - Wintley Phipps
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNuQbJst4Lk

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Males when I am working as a Network Engineer.
Women when I work as a Poet or a Musician.

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I have a very good understanding of how men think and I can predict how most men will respond to different situations. Although I enjoy working with men, I prefer the companionship, conversation and emotional support that women provide. Maybe that is because as a poet and musician I appreciate that without women, nobody would listen to my music or read my poetry. Also, whenever I perform, 80% of my audience are comprised of women. So if I had to depend upon men to make a living as either a writer or a musician, I would be homeless and financially bankrupt. And... I bet that many well known musicians such as the Beatles, Billy Joel, James Taylor or the Eagles would all admit that without the support of women, they could not earn a living as musicians, composers and writers.

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Without Women, Music, and Poetry, life would lose all meaning for me, and would not be worth living.

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