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Week 12 Recap — The Six-Month Project | Marci Geller

The Six-Month Project · Week 12 Recap

When the music takes precedence
Life seems to breathe a little easier!

Week of August 17 4 verses More Music. More Happy! ❤️🎹☺️

Outside validation set the tone for the week.

Verse One

Funny how I need to hear it from someone else before I trust my instincts…

I'm digging into the meat of this week because I have a lot to say about it. Gianni and I had been working on the next song I want to "release" to my Patreon members. It's a cheeky, bouncy little number called "Another Morning." It actually won a contest that I ran last year where I invited Patreon members, newsletter members and my social followers to vote on what song I should record next. Somehow, it got lost in the waves of life…until it came up during my coaching call the previous week. I had pledged to finish a vocal and send a rough MP3 to Mike by Wednesday, Aug 19.

I spent the rest of the week singing vocals, working on production, tossing it over to Gianni to add his special touch to the production. Wednesday rolled around and I literally took a deep breath and sent off the MP3 to Mike. Why the deep breath? Because after all of these years, I still question whether or not anyone is going to get me musically.

I woke the next morning to an audio message from Mike…and to say it was validating doesn't even come close. The level of enthusiasm, the use of the word "love," and such a definitive connection with the song…it brought on the tears…the happy, euphoric, pat-on-the-back, "you made something that touched another being," kinda tears. 🥹

He also went on to make one production suggestion: He could hear horns. I jumped up and down and ran downstairs to tell Gianni because I had JUST told him the day before that I COULD HEAR HORNS on the track. BINGO! Simpatico endorphin rush ensued. 😂

This set the tone for the rest of the week, and as of this writing, my love is downstairs MIXING the song and readying it for mastering so it will be DONE!!!!! …Of course, I already started envisioning the accompanying music video that is FAR more complicated than the one for Just Be, but that's another story to tell another week…

Verse Two

Another thing I didn't want to burden anyone with…until I landed on a way to make it better!

Aside from the various vocal challenges that I've had since COVID, the thing I haven't talked about publicly is my loss of part of my sense of taste. I've always been someone who leans more toward the savory than the sweet, so it wasn't until I lost my sense of sweet that I realized that it impacted the taste of almost everything. 🤦‍♀️

It's super frustrating. Usually what happens is, first bite, fine, second bite, I can't detect sweet and bitter becomes the overriding flavor…and then…metallic kicks in. It pretty much ruins the taste of EVERYTHING, which for someone who considers themselves kind of a foodie, whose love language is cooking, it's not only annoying, it really bums me out.

Week 12 presented a possible treatment that explained why it was happening and gave me a therapy to check out. So, twice a day, I take rapid sniffs one at a time of four different scents. Eyes closed. Imagining the item I'm sniffing. 10-second break. Onto the next scent.

The four scents are: Lemon Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, Rose Oil, and a crushed Clove kept in an airtight jar. What the therapy claims is that by invigorating your sense of smell with floral, citrus, earthy and menthol scents…you wake up the connections in the nerves between the brain and your tongue. I know. It sounds really weird…and trust me, watching me do the therapy is equally bizzarro.

All I can say is, having four days under my belt, I still struggle to taste sweet after the first bite, BUT I am not getting such an intense hit of metallic or bitter, and that is a HUGE relief. I will let you know if it continues to improve…

Verse Three

Fun with friends that was almost foiled by Prime…

The weather predicted for Wednesday was a much-needed break from the rain…clear skies, not too hot, PERFECT for an outdoor Movie Night with our besties!

I ordered and picked up the pizza. Had accoutrements ready to get our party going! I even searched and found a movie to watch. We ordered it on Prime because it wasn't available for free anywhere, and then, after eating, settled in to enjoy a movie that was recommended by Amy Poehler on one of my favorite podcasts, "Good Hang." She was interviewing her guest Will Ferrell and they joked about a movie they made together a decade ago called "The House" that was totally panned by the critics, but they thought was hilarious, irreverent and just a fun watch—exactly what we all needed.

We pushed play. Nothing. Restarted the laptop. Nothing. I Googled what could possibly be causing this…Ugh…It will only play on "devices, or through the app," which can't be installed for too many reasons to get into. We're left with a big "Now what?" Thankfully, other streaming apps work just fine, and we settle in for an older film "Go" that my husband recommends. It's actually pretty good. Not exactly the light, fun, romp with laughter I had been hoping for, but the night was a success. Pizza. Friends. A movie. No complaints!

Verse Four

I don't always love having to be a grownup, but I'm learning to lean into it with some amount of satisfaction.

The remainder of the week was filled with rehearsals, a lovely livestream concert, and lots of grownup tasks. One of them involved bringing my car to the maintenance checkup I had scheduled the week prior. I brought the car in. Braced myself for the inevitable message from the dealer telling me how well the car was holding up, and 'Oh, we recommend this service that will cost a thousand dollars.'

Thankfully, I was wrong. It did need filters replaced. I checked with Gianni and yes, he could do that for me. Ordered them online. Check! I was overdue for an oil change and tire rotation. Ok, the total came in JUST under $200. Not great, but I'll take it.

"I'm amazed at the sense of peace that a week filled with music creation and validation can bring on."

Also this week…

"I miss it in my bones…"

I still haven't made it to the beach…
But the weather is just not cooperating. On the days I had a little breathing room…RAIN, STORMS, MORE RAIN. At least we didn't get hit with the tornado that clobbered Rockaway, a town west of us on the island. Crazy!

Tornado aftermath!

Marci for the win 🥳

Kings in a Corner
I learned a new card game last week; Kings in a Corner. Disclaimer: I did not inherit my Dad's ridiculous ability to solve complex math problems in his head, nor his wicked ability to slay at poker. I'm not quick when it comes to numbers or remembering, but this game, I got! So much so, I actually won my first round with my Mother-in-Law Patricia. I think she was happier for me than I was. ❤️

But is it really necessary?

Strategy….the mere mention of the word makes my stomach and jaw clench…
The video premiere of Just Be was successful, but it was released to a small audience: My Patreon members. I don't want to just put it out there without a plan in place…but the thought of having to plan and plot to create some kind of groundswell is honestly, less than appealing…

Where the week went

Music, Livestreams, Rehearsals, etc.42%

Life (Care Team Call, Checking on Bills, Other life stuff…)21%

Self-care (Gym, walking, sleep, meditation, journaling, etc.)19%

Admin (Content Creation, editing, Friday Vibes video, Posting, etc.)18%

Week 12 — On the Horizon

What's coming up next…

Discuss a release strategy with Mike for Just Be
Decide if I'm really going to do a video for "Another Morning," and whether that should delay the premiere of the song.
Prep for summer vacay!
Replant my hydroponic herb garden. 🌿

#SixMonthProject Count-down!

When the music takes precedenceLife seems to breathe a little easier!