Some Highlights:

• The Gamelan: Learning a new piece from Alit changed the way I think about music. Playing the Museum of Science with Robots, Kresge Hall with Alit, & an outdoor concert at Copley Square were all memories I will cherish.
• Tim Miller: I had a great year studying with Tim. He helped out a lot with prepping for a NEC future that never came, and gave me great advice & help with the Walbum. I’m looking forward to continuing my studies with him in the new year.
• Charlie Banacos: A little bit before Thanksgiving I sent Charlie a letter requesting that I be put on his waiting list. He gave me a call a few days later and said that I was in queue, and that I would hear from him in about two years. Cool! Studying with Charlie has been something I’ve been thinking about for years. I’m glad I finally took action.
• Teaching: I had a great group of students this year, and a lot of new ones since I’ve started teaching outside of the house at BMS, NMA & Tune Foolery. My students are a blast. Everyone has been a great source of inspiration, challenge, and joy.
• Student Concert: This year’s student concert almost didn’t happen. I thought I wouldn’t have enough people interested, but boy was I wrong. It was great fun and it turned out so well I think I might have another one in the spring.
• Liza White: I had a great experience playing a small suite of music for Liza White, a composition student at BU. One of her pieces was remarkably challenging. It gave me great satisfaction to work on it bit by bit and then bring it up to tempo. The performance was chalked up as a learning experience because I didn’t have my head on straight. Something about the performance environment confused me and I wasn’t “in the moment.”
• Fluttr Effect: I watched that band move leaps and bounds this year. 2 new albums came out, one with the trio and one (long-awaited) with the full band. It’s been fun going to shows and see them develop as artists, musicians and professionals.
• Friends: I got to see two good friends become parents and two others continue down their awesome road of parenthood.
• Solo Guitar: I had a lot of fun driving up and down the coast this summer playing for weddings. I played in many a nice location including the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, which was just amazing.
• I started working at Tune Foolery this year, teaching guitar to musicians with Psychiatric Disabilities. It’s been an incredible experience.
• Ralph Towner: I used to check Ralph’s website weekly to see if he was coming anywhere near Boston on tour. In June, he did. Valerie & I got to have a date at the Regatta Bar. We had some cheese & wine and listened to Ralph Towner and his guitar.
• I learned that a car in MA needs to have impeccable wiper blades to pass inspection. Not even the slightest tear gets by.
• I finally got my GK amp fixed since being broke back in the Summer of ‘05. It had seen so many technicians and gotten so many different diagnosises, that I thought it was dead. All it needed was new speakers. Yeah!!!
• My Dad turned 60, and I turned 30. I still think that’s neat. That doesn’t happen every year.
• The Hand: I finally went to the doctor because my hand problem got so bad that my fingers were going numb. I worked several months with a Neurology team and had weekly visits to the Physical Therapist. As a result, my computer set-up substantially changed, I’ve learned a lot about my hand and I learned that I need to take better care of myself. I do exercises to increase my upper body and core muscles, and as a result, I think I’m a little taller; or at least I slouch a little less.