Sorry, my bad...

From the Editor:

Sorry, oh faithful readers, that I haven't posted anything new in a few days. I've been practicing my butt off (Dracrevocsid, the Lady of Lake Taneycomo should be pleased), working on my website, and etc.

The "etc." part is the time consuming one... The necessity of handling the nuts and bolts of life can, and does, drive me nuts and makes me want to bolt for the horizon. Still, I have some news-nuggets to pass on...

My beloved wife, Ann, had to bolt for California: my stepdaughter gave birth to a pair of twins. I sometimes wonder why everyone says "a pair of twins". Isn't it implicate? At any rate, they are Hannah and Joshua, identical in every way except that one is a girl, one is a boy, and they don't look anything like each other. Fortunately, Ann bought some flight insurance which allowed her to change her flight when the doctor decided to do a C-Section a couple weeks early, otherwise we would have had to eat the $700 she originally paid for the ticket. Unfortunately, the first-flight-out-tomorrow ticket cost a whopping $2,200!! What are you going to do? It's not every day your daughter has twins. This makes six grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Yikes!

I found a website that may be of interest to you musicians. It's called Musician's Health.com, and it has to do with curing or preventing typical physical ailments suffered by stringed instrument musicians, such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, "trigger" finger, etc. The website offers stretches and exercises which will help ward off such conditions and injuries. The website is authored by Dr. Jameson, who specializes in musician medicine.

And speaking of doctors, last Friday I had to go in for some minor surgery: I am prone to skin cancer, having spent all those Navy years performing out in the sun. Every six months or so, I have to go to the doctor and get a new crop of blemishes frozen off or cut out. Newsworthy for guitarists, is that while I was at the dermatologist I asked about dietary supplements to help strengthen fingernails. I use the fingernails of my right hand more than I used to now that I'm playing more classical guitar. Guitarists and ladies (and some guys) will be interested to know that the doctor recommended a supplement called Elon Matrix. It's a non-prescription once-per-day pill which can be had for around $15 for 60 pills. Just Google it.

Also, thanks to Steve Abshire who gave me the contact information, Gene Bertoncini has agreed to give me a lesson. I will be flying to Washington D.C. in late September to attend the interment of MUCS Tracy Ford's ashes (see earlier posts) at Arlington. During that trip, I will be taking a side trip to NYC to meet with Mr. Bertoncini. To say that I am looking forward to it is the understatement of the year! It will be a rare opportunity for me to pick his brain concerning arranging for solo guitar.

Speaking of solo guitar, I am working hard at learning a solo guitar repertoire of arrangements by Gene Bertoncini, Herb Ellis, Barney Kessel, and Joe Pass, as well as my own arrangements. My goal is to be able to perform solo (in coffee houses, jazz restaurants, etc.) in the Springfield, MO area. Oh yes, and I will be doing some wedding ceremonies --- not receptions (in line with my "no more crap" philosophy). By the way, any of you guitarists who want to hear and see some absolutely amazing stuff, check out Gene's YouTube page (link in sidebar).

Lastly, my Taylor ES72CE classical guitar arrived. It is a beautiful instrument and, with the lower action, easy to play even with harder tension strings. Speaking of the guitar, I'd best get back to practicing.

More news later...