I was never one for sports though an active child.

I played street style four-square, basketball, was a self-proclaimed expert in jump rope and especially the hula hoop.

I found my love for music early on, with my parents' oldies stations on the radio I-as an only child-discovered the joys of the Bee-gees

The Supremes,

Journey,

The Rolling Stones,

and Bon Jovi.

On my own I lived the sixties through The Beatles

The Animals

The Zombies,

And The Beach Boys.

I spent my summers in Woodstock with Jimmy Hendrix and Janis Joplin.

I found myself submerged in the grunge scene by Nirvana and Pearl Jam.

Words such as Ambient, Math Metal, Baroque, Folk Rock, Jazz, Quan Ho, and K-Pop, became permanent additives in my ever expanding vocabulary.

I may find it easier than most to amuse myself because I am an only child. I live with a list of chores and five dogs and sometimes the amusement of a family outing. 

In this day and age I hear a lot about appearance, and labels.

The hormonal teens and TV, sing a mantra that the whole world is watching,

judging.

The world is that one guitar player who got kicked out of jazz band that told you you can't possibly play bass because you're a girl.

The world labels you a girl, and labels that one label with infinite other labels,

what girls should think,

what they should, do.

' Close your legs', 'you need to wear a dress', 'cover yourself', 'wear some make up', 'girls can't play bass'.

I am not a label.

And a label is not-at least not entirely- going to tell the kicked out guitar player world what I can and cannot do.