In 1987, I used a four-track recorder, a borrowed drum machine, a Casio synthesizer, some old microphone, a Peavey amp and an Ibanez guitar to record music. Record four tracks, mix them down to one, record three more, mix those down to one, and that’s probably about it.

Today, I used a two-octave keyboard and an iPhone with hundreds of sound options. I can supplement as needed with my old Ibanez, and old Squire bass, and a Fender amp I bought when I handed down the Peavey.

To make it work, I just need an iRig, Bluetooth headphones, non-Bluetooth headphones, an 1/8 inch-to-1/4 inch adapter … no, wait, I swear I had a cable that would take care of this … where did I put that dongle …

Minor frustrations aside, all of this is fun. Some people swipe left and right to find sources of STDs, I mean, romantic partners. I’m swiping left and right and up and down to make and edit music.

It’s easier to make cold, 21st century, quantized beats than it is to make what we’d consider a “song.” But it’s an entertaining challenge.

And it’s distracting me from mindless eating, which how I lost 2 1/2 pounds in my first five days since saying, “Yo, that’s enough.” I just had my first haircut in three months, so that’s probably another 10 pounds. (OK, I exaggerate.)

I’ve also started exercising some portion control. Our local Thai place hands us a giant pile of food. No reason I can’t save some for the next day.

So that’s Week 2. I’ll likely need to shovel some snow in Week 3, so I might make more progress. Or I’ll have slammed a shovel over my head and frozen to death. Either way, see you next week.