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Next weekend I travel to Dayton, Ohio to attend my brother's retirement from the Air Force Reserve. I want to give him a gift for this occasion and have pretty much decided he's getting an acoustic guitar. (He doesn't play yet and I will admit this idea was partially inspired by our good virtual friend, Zurf.)

So I've been on the hunt for the "right" guitar for about two months. I have a few in my sights for purchase. My back-up plan is to give him one of my guitars. I am probably over-thinking this but I want to maximize the chance of success, which for me, means he shows at least some interest and begins a new journey. I am willing to accept the fact he may not pursue this but I think the gamble is worth it for both of us.

I'll let you know how it turns out.
dj

About a year ago I signed up for the epiphany-of-the-week club. In case you’re unfamiliar with this club let me explain. It is a no-cost, quasi-random way to have ideas, aha moments, etc. poked into your life. This club is a more fun than the law should allow and has proven so effective that I occasionally must stop everything just to consider the possibilities. I can’t tell you how many times they’ve introduced and idea to me while driving causing me to pull to the side of the road and stop so I could ponder. In fact, they have the uncanny ability to catch me off guard every time but almost always when I am (or should be) doing something else: listening to a church sermon, studying, working, driving, and yes, playing the guitar.

Today while playing, sitting on my ottoman cross-legged quietly picking out notes on my guitar, EOTW slapped me in the face with this gem: what if all the conversations, debates, rants, and axle-wrappage over guitar brands, woods, strings, and guitar specifications simple didn’t matter? What if, at the end of the day, the sounds (for me), the music (for others), are the only things that matter? What if the only thing that mattered in guitar-playing was player and the listener - which could be the same person?

With this poke I put my guitar on its stand and sat quietly for several minutes. This thought is hardly new or even original but it was mine now. What to do with it? Play on; business as usual? Pick one guitar and sell the rest? Give up the guitar entirely and admit defeat? Buy more guitars? Introduce other non-players to the guitar and music? Write something? Sing something? Play something? Sit quietly? Hammer out a 900 calorie run?

The epiphany-of-the-week club is free and there are other variants such as epiphany-of-the-year/month/day/minute/second but I found the weekly frequency the best choice for me. I encourage all of you to consider joining this club. It is satisfying and rewarding, and you might just find the answers to many of the heretofore imponderables in life. Let me know how it goes.
dj

You'll have to listen to this a few times to appreciate the subtlety and beauty of this song but it's worth it.

http://www.npr.org/event/music/15244241 … quiet-song

dj

p.s. Neil Young w/ Crazy Horse will soon release an album of American folk music interpretations.

I like the Beastie Boys.

One look at their first album cover, "License to Ill", and the fact the aircraft tail number, when viewed in a mirror, revealed a "secret message" is all it took. The message? You'll have to figure that out yourself, this is a PG forum.

RIP MCA.

I'll start:

Jack White's new album "Blunderbuss"

I'm probably the only man over 40 listening to Jessie J's album "Who You Are".

And an album by 'Of Monsters and Men"

I'll tell you  Pandora radio has opened my ears.
dj

Crack or no crack this might be a good deal. There's got to be more to the story don't you think. Maybe the back is missing or the neck is "removable"?

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/msg/2991237059.html