Knee Surgery

Well, I guess I am, after all, one of those guys who thought things could just continue on as they are forever. Although I've had a few aches and pains in my knees over the years, it's never been anything that didn't go right away. This time it didn't go away.

After quite a lot of flying over the summer, in late August I got off a flight with a stiff right knee. This kind of thing would usually go away after walking a bit. But it didn't go away, and got progressively stiffer. Eventually painful. By the 2nd week of September, I couldn't walk without a lot of pain. An MRI showed I had a torn meniscus, as well as a damaged MCL. The only way to correct the cartilage tear was surgery. I hadn't had surgery since I had my tonsils removed when I was a kid! So the idea freaked me out a bit.

Pretty amazing in the end. Just 2 little "vampire" marks on my knee, and zero pain. Just a little stiffness. My knee actually feels better than it has in months. But since they corrected some unanticipated bone wear by causing what they call a "micro fracture",  I have to keep the weight off it for at least 6 weeks, and walk with crutches. CRUTCHES HURT! I also can't drive. After 6 weeks, I can start physical therapy.

Anyway, I look forward to this episode being over.

Trying Out a new 2011 Daniel Friederich cedar top

I stopped by GSI to try their new Daniel Friederich guitar. I will always think of Friederich as the world's greatest luthier (my opinion). I decided to play my arrangement of "Wild Mountain Thyme", as it's such a beautiful tune, and one that sounded decent without my thumbnail.

Copenhagen Phil Flash Mob!

At Copenhagen Central Station. This is what music is all about!

The 2011 Crown of the Continent Guitar Workshop is coming!

Take a look at this video from last year's workshop. A great program, and a lot of fun.

SENTIENT MEAT

Captains Log: Stardate 9986.104 - Sentient Meat

"They're made out of meat."
"Meat?"
"Meat. They're made out of meat."
"Meat?"
"There's no doubt about it. We picked several from different parts of the planet, took them aboard our recon vessels, probed them all the way through. They're completely meat."
"That's impossible. What about the radio signals? The messages to the stars."
"They use the radio waves to talk, but the signals don't come from them. The signals come      from machines."
"So who made the machines? That's who we want to contact."
"They made the machines. That's what I'm trying to tell you. Meat made the machines."
"That's ridiculous. How can meat make a machine? You're asking me to believe in sentient meat."
"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. These creatures are the only sentient race in the sector and they're made out of meat."
"Maybe they're like the Orfolei. You know, a carbon-based intelligence that goes through a meat stage."
"Nope. They're born meat and they die meat. We studied them for several of their life spans, which didn't take too long. Do you have any idea the life span of meat?"
"Spare me. Okay, maybe they're only part meat. You know, like the Weddilei. A meat head with an electron plasma brain inside."
"Nope. We thought of that, since they do have meat heads like the Weddilei. But I told you, we probed them. They're meat all the way through."
"No brain?"
"Oh, there is a brain all right. It's just that the brain is made out of meat!"
"So... what does the thinking?"
"You're not understanding, are you? The brain does the thinking. The meat."
"Thinking meat! You're asking me to believe in thinking meat!"
"Yes, thinking meat! Conscious meat! Loving meat. Dreaming meat. The meat is the whole deal! Are you getting the picture?"
"Omigod. You're serious then. They're made out of meat."
"Finally, Yes. They are indeed made out meat. And they've been trying to get in touch with us for almost a hundred of their years."
"So what does the meat have in mind?"
"First it wants to talk to us. Then I imagine it wants to explore the universe, contact other sentients, swap ideas and information. The usual."
"We're supposed to talk to meat?"
"That's the idea. That's the message they're sending out by radio. 'Hello. Anyone out there? Anyone home?' That sort of thing."
"They actually do talk, then. They use words, ideas, concepts?"
"Oh, yes. Except they do it with meat."
"I thought you just told me they used radio."
"They do, but what do you think is on the radio? Meat sounds. You know how when you slap or flap meat it makes a noise? They talk by flapping their meat at each other. They can even sing by squirting air through their meat."
"Omigod. Singing meat. This is altogether too much. So what do you advise?"
"Officially or unofficially?"
"Both."
"Officially, we are required to contact, welcome, and log in any and all sentient races                      or multibeings in the quadrant, without prejudice, fear, or favor. Unofficially, I advise that we erase the records and forget the whole thing."
"I was hoping you would say that."
"It seems harsh, but there is a limit. Do we really want to make contact with meat?"
"I agree one hundred percent. What's there to say?" `Hello, meat. How's it going?' But will this work? How many planets are we dealing with here?"
"Just one. They can travel to other planets in special meat containers, but they can't live on them. And being meat, they only travel through C space. Which limits them to the speed of light and makes the possibility of their ever making contact pretty slim. Infinitesimal, in fact."
"So we just pretend there's no one home in the universe."
"That's it."
"Cruel. But you said it yourself, who wants to meet meat? And the ones who have been aboard our vessels, the ones you have probed? You're sure they won't remember?"
"They'll be considered crackpots if they do. We went into their heads and smoothed out their meat so that we're just a dream to them."
"A dream to meat! How strangely appropriate, that we should be meat's dream."
"And we can mark this sector unoccupied."
"Good. Agreed, officially and unofficially. Case closed. Any others? Anyone interesting on that side of the galaxy?"
"Yes, a rather shy but sweet hydrogen core cluster intelligence in a class nine star in G445 zone. Was in contact two galactic rotations ago, wants to be friendly again."
"They always come around."
"And why not? Imagine how unbearably, how utterly, cold this galaxy would be if one were all alone with no-one to talk to but meat."

Gettin' REAL in the Whole Foods Parkin' Lot!

Scott's Summer Calendar Update

June 3

NYCGS

http://www.nyccgs.org/index.php

June 18

The New Mexico Classical Guitar Festival

http://newmexicoclassicalguitarfestival.org/schedule.aspx

June 25

Interlochen Classical Guitar Workshop

http://college.interlochen.org/node/836

July 5-10

New York Guitar Seminar at Mannes

http://69.94.104.115/gi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13&Itemid=28

August 28-September 4

Crown of the Continent Guitar Festival and Workshop

http://www.cocguitarfoundation.org/index.php

Jeff "The Dude" Bridges on the new iPad App

The new iPad App from "On The Music Path" is really reaching out to a lot of people, and everyone seems to be getting a lot of help and enjoyment from it. Jeff Bridges was at the App launch session where we all performed a tune or two, and they were able to sit him him down and get his feedback.

Screenshot from On The Music Path

An Old LAGQ Video I just found

I can't believe someone just posted this on YouTube! I'd been wondering where my copy went. Anyway, it brings back all kinds of memories for me. It's a promo video we did back in the mid 90's. I hope you enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N-BtKjj40g

BENEFIT CONCERT APRIL 30

Fact or Brew-Ha-Ha?

Well, this DID start out to be a blog to review, report on, and praise coffee I've come across on my travels. But I got an upsetting email this morning. Starbucks is currently meeting with Peets to discuss a buyout.

What does this mean? Espresso that tastes like it has melted shaved metal in it? Read for yourselves.
http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/2011/03/starbucks_in_talks_to_buy_peet.php

Starbucks used to be symbolic of quality. What happened? They have proven to me that quantity really can compromise quality.

Ode To St. Patrick's Day and Cheap Flights!

The video says it all.

Jeff Hoffee LOVES his job!

I came across this video on YouTube after hearing about his guitar cases for some time now. He has several videos of him literally trying to destroy the case in every imaginable way. Go to his YouTube channel and watch the case being hurled out of the back of his van while driving, and the "egg test". Enjoy!

Unexpected!

When I'm surfing around on YouTube, I usually avoid the most "featured" videos, as I've never been one to go along with the crowd. But this is pretty darned good. I don't know who these people are, I've never heard this song, but it got my attention when I saw it had gotten well over 2 million hits. Enjoy!

Workshop in Montana in summer 2011

The Crown of the Continent Guitar Festival and Workshop took place last summer in Big Fork, Montana at the Flathead Lake Lodge. What a great setting for a musical gathering. It was a sheer blast! David Feffer, the organizer, has informed me that it's on again for late summer of 2011. Keep posted for details.

An Inspiring Thought

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." - M.K. Gandhi