Sharing ideas in a Songwriter Circle

By Ted Slowik

Hey, all, thanks for the love and support about not smoking and for liking the original music. Means a lot.

I was back at Chicago Street Pub in Joliet tonight for the first Songwriter Circle in a while. Been nursing that sore finger. It's much better after 11 days with no cigarettes. Blood flow is returning but it's not 100 percent yet.

It was great spending time with Alex Hoffer, Charlie Champene, Steve Becker, Mary Beth Daw, Tom Maslowski, Becky Smentek and more. We all took turns playing originals and critiquing them. There's nothing like honest feedback from other writers.

I played three songs: You Never Listen, King of the Mountain and Refugee Blues. Went well I thought.

What was really great was listening to Alex and Tom and Becky and Charlie and Steve and Mary Beth play their songs. I could see and hear the improvement in everyone! It was a good night. It reminded me of Chet Kondratowicz's Thursday night acting class at Lewis University, where I met Jo. Everyone prepared a monologue or scene and performed it. The others watched and responded. These Monday night Songwriter Circles are like that.

Anyway, I'm a bit crazy from the nicotine withdrawal. Caffeine's the next to go. And oh how I love coffee. But the progress seems to have stalled on the finger healing and I need to get the blood flowing so this week it's goodbye caffeine. I hope the headaches aren't too bad.

It's great to feel life again. I feel like I'm coming out of a period where I was frozen in place. It's hard to progress as a string musician when one lacks the use of the index finger on his fret hand. It's kind of an important digit. So I've had to get myself better, and I'm getting there.

It's springtime in Joliet, and Hannah's taking the most wonderful pictures in the yard. That's her work at the top.

Cheers :)