If your name is Winter Quarters you are not my friend

70+ Hours of rehearsal in a week isn't my idea of a good time. 20 days, that's not much, right? But working from 9AM-9PM doesn't leave much time for anything other than sleeping and eating.........so for those of you to whom I owe Christmas cards or presents, I apologize in advance if they don't make it to you in time, I haven't had time to visit the post office yet!!! Oh, and that picture is my point of view from the bandstand...yup, that right,fearless Nathan performs 5 feet away from white tigers, I'd like to see the Philly Orchestra trumpet section top that! :-)

Way to go Karen!!!

Congrats Karen!!! ummmm, can I have your autograph?

Christmas?......ok, but not yet!!!

So, I walked into the Walmart (the RVer's store of choice) the other night on my way into Rockford, IL and was accosted by a full section of Christmas "stuff" (because that's what it was, holiday fluff) and blaring Christmas music. At first it caught me off-guard....then I thought about it said to myself, "what the heck?! it just turned November 4 days ago...what will Thanksgiving do when it finds out Walmart is skipping it all together. Perhaps Thanksgiving might take a hit of tryptophan early and just roll over and go to sleep until next year...at which time it will awake to find Christmas is being hocked even sooner, so Thanksgiving will become depressed, go through a period of questioning its identity as a holiday and valued member the calendar year and just skip out on earth to find another planet more accommodating.....perhaps a happy place, a planet where, they too created a calendar based on it's lunar cycles and then actually FOLLOWS the holidays it creates and doesn't allow money hogs (aka-retailers) to dictate when people (ok, so aliens in this case) doesn't allow the greedy to dictate when those aliens will be surrounded by holiday "cheer."

So, after pondering Thanksgiving's cozy relationship with aliens, the next thought in my mind was, "where will they dray the line?" Next year, will it be Oct. 1 when they start to market Christmas? Will it eventually reach the point where they sell it all year....and then I remembered, there ARE places that sell Christmas stuff all year 'round....that's just sad......so what do we, as concerned citizens of America (since Thanksgiving is an American holiday after all) do about this situation??....................to be continued

I think I might be a closet Italian......

So as I was sipping my daily morning espresso I also happened to be munching on nuttella on toast and then an Italian folk song came over my iTunes and it occurred to me.......many of my favorite things and preferences in life are Italian, am I closet Italian? So, I started really thinking about it, let's see....well, I LOVE espresso coffee (a form of coffee preparation invented by the Italians), prosciutto makes me a happy person, if nuttella were person I'd marry her, my motorcycle is Italian, Rome basically founded western culture (and concrete) as we know it, Leonardo DaVinci was an Italian who was a renaissance man AND left-handed (we left handers will some day take over the world, just you watch), they have more kinds of pasta than anywhere in the world, it's the womb of Vivaldi and Respeghi, home of ferrari, Tuscany, great wines, and it's even shaped like a piece of foot apparel. So, despite my german heritage maybe somewhere along the line there was an Italian ancestor.....or at least a trip to Italy by an ancestor.

The world is getting smaller.....

Hmmm, today I had an experience that left me thinking how small our world is getting. Now, perhaps this experience had a greater impact on me since I've been reacquainting myself with childhood TV favorites thanks to Youtube. So what was the experience you ask? It was turning on my computer and chatting casually, face to face, with a dear friend in Switzerland....for free. (Ok, so Skype is free but the cost of internet access isn't, I know that) I was just sitting here on a sunny Tuesday in my RV parked on the circus lot in Topeka and all I had to do was click a few buttons and there I was chatting away with someone thousands of miles away...nothing to it. Thousands of miles...that's even further than chatting with the space station. And sometime in that conversation it hit me, here I grew up in a time where computers were relegated to the task of hangman, oregon trail, and math games (that's right boys and girls, the screen only had TWO colors: black and green....well, ok, I guess black is the absence of color, so maybe it's only one color) and now I can instantly speak virtually in person with a person on the other side of the world....that's across oceans, hills, towns, cities, families, governments, and archaeological secrets yet to be uncovered. I guess it's just the fact that in the past 20, heck 50 years, information and the way we interact with people globally has changed so significantly one can only wonder whom, or maybe which planet, we'll casually turn on our computer and chat with 50 years from now.....or maybe we won't even chat with computers anymore, we'll just communicate with giant interstellar passenger pigeons....yeah, I think I'd call mine Floyd, that would be some entrance for my inter-planetary message eh?

Why I love the northwest US....

The northwest US of A....so what comes to mind? What's the first image that pops into your head? Lush green vistas of pine? Fishing boats? Morning fog? Rain? Rocky Coasts? Well, these things are all definite stereotypes, but there is something beyond all of these pictures that garners a fond spot south of my aorta....and that would be TASTE. I find that the more I travel around the this vast and diverse country (so far 48 states and counting) that my experiences become less about seeing "things" but more about the memories I have with the people I've met and things I've tasted. When I was in Ottumwa, IA I quickly forgot what the downtown really looked like, but my times spent eating at a hole-in-the-wall Ecuadorian eatery will forever be with me. The tastes of that food prepared in a way that had been passed down through family lines of another continent and the circus folk seated around the table enjoying that armchair taste tour.

So, I'm sure that you've gathered by now that I'm somewhat gastronomically driven, and why shouldn't I be? I mean, we are after all blessed with the ability to taste what we eat. Can you imagine how boring it would be if everything we ate had no taste at all? There would be no cause for desserts, there would be no delight in food or drink pairings....one might as well just hook up an IV and go about your business.

Ok, I'm drifting on topics here. Back to the subject at hand, WHY do I love the northwest so much? Well, my past experiences have all been positive but more importantly I think it's that fact that there are artisan foods everywhere. Someone recently told me that in the northwest there are people who find their passion for a particular thing and set about learning and apprenticing in order to bring that unique attribute to their community. In the end, what happens is that you have a person on one corner who's sole goal in life is to make the best croissant they can, and then another person down the block who's sole goal in to cure meats in the traditional Italian way as authentically as possible. What you then find is these little towns of 10 to 80 thousand people where the ingredients available rival what you could find anywhere in the world! Recently, as I was traversing the vast prairie lands of Wyoming I was thinking about this: If one looks out over the past 100 years of food, it seems as if the food culture in this country is coming full circle, or maybe even evolving into its most exciting version yet...perhaps we're in Beta version of "New" Old World Cuisine right now in the US. The way I see it, it seems that from the late 1800's up through the 1950's everything was fresh because it had to be that way. Yes, there were ice boxes, but those were a luxury and of course there were no microwaves to be found. But, as our country developed, experienced growing pains, and went through wars forcing us to develop food resources that would last longer than the weekend. Then the space race and communism came along and science reined supreme. Thus, we experimented with new materials (teflon, plastic, etc.) why not experiment with our food? If we can make a tomato that grows larger, why not? If we can develop preservatives that let bread last 3 weeks on the shelf instead a few days, why not? So, as it seems to me, this convenience of profitability was traded in for quality. And then a better infrastructure came along that made the transportation of preservative loaded foods viable for companies that would now distribute on a national scale. This, we became (to use the title of a popular book) a fast food nation.

So, somewhere along this spiraling foodline (perhaps with the new focus on health with all the studies in the late 80's and early 90's) a small part of the population started to realize that less is more and that the FDA doesn't necessarily know everything about food, and unfortunately in some cases can be persuaded to let a corporation use that controversial new ingredient if it lobbies the right way. So, there seems to be this growing segment of the population, one could say a "wave" of people who are willing to pay a little bit more money if it means that a food was raised organically. People willing to take the extra time to appreciate a drink or dish that was created in a way that hails from simpler times...quality and freshness on a plate or in a cup.

Back, once again, to the subject. As I crossed into Montana and traveled through these little towns I started to see these artisan kinds of places on the nearly every corner. For example: on my way from Loveland, CO to Spokane, WA I spent a night in the Missoula, MO WalMart parking lot (as an RV owner there aren't many places you can "legally" park overnight, and Walmart is one of the few that happen to be RV friendly). The next morning I awoke excited to try a local bakery on a tip from a friendly coffee website. I proceeded to navigate the Flying Dutchman (my RV) through the quaint downtown of Missoula and found Le Petite Outre (loosely translated "the Little Outrageous") and let me say, it was a life moment of sweet and yeasty nirvana for the croissants were the best I've ever had in my life! (and yes, I have had croissants in France) They were simply perfect, flaky and crunchy on the outside with an inner dough that was a soft pillow of buttery goodness that melted in your mouth whilst chewing....(pardon while I wipe the drool off my mouth :-) ) And it was in that moment with a perfect croissant and decent mocha latte when it hit me, I love the northwest. The people, the weather (no, it's not really as rainy as rumor has it), the coffee, the lushness, and the food. So, as the week progressed I made it to Spokane and visited my favorite local food store, Huckleberries. When I arrived I made a beeline for the meats department to buy some of their bratwurst (made in-house of course) that I had been craving since my last visit to Spokane 2 years ago. Ah, Spokane....I wrote about my wonderful experience there 2 years ago and upon my recent return visit I was delighted to find it the way I had left it before and in some ways even better. And this time around was twice as good because I had the wonderful fortune to be shown around by a local foodie. Now, during the course of this week I had the chance to test of conclusion about the northwest. You see, during that week in Spokane I flew back to the east coast for my little sister's wedding. So, as you may imagine I got a first hand demonstration of the differences in food, people, attitudes, driving styles etc. between the 2 opposing coasts. Then, to top it all of, upon returning to Washington I spent 3 days in Seattle checking out the scene (and coffee of course) andwas again reminded why I'm so fond of this region of the US....lushness in a city surrounded by water. Beautiful hills, cozy neighborhoods, espresso everywhere, misty mornings, and just plain cool people. So, these are just a few reasons of the many to draw me to a certain direction of the compass....attached a few pics to make you swoon, enjoy

To Dream

To Dream, is to be Alive

Hawaii Part 1......In the beginning

So, as I sit here on a noisy Wednesday night in my RV on the circus lot in downtown Memphis I reflect back on those 2 weeks in the middle of the pacific. Those 2 weeks or adventure and expensive rental cars, well, ok, I didn't have to take the upgrade to the Jeep, but the 4X drive was fun....and it did keep me from getting stuck a few times. OK, ok, I digress...let me start, as the title of this entry suggests...."In the beginning" (you have to imagine that phrase in your head as said by a booming voice-of-God announcer person. ahem,

So, upon finding out that our unusual (and unpaid :-( ) 3 week break was confirmed, my mind went racing. Time off from work, WOW, and enough to travel even, travel internationally. I thought seriously about taking the bike somewhere on the continent, but at my 12k mile service a month and a half earlier they said I had a rattle in the engine that needed to be looked at the next time I had 2 weeks where I didn't need the bike. So, I decided to shop the bike for a few weeks (the result of which has turned into a fiasco that has left me wanting to have nothing to do with a Ducati or their dealerships for the rest of my life, but that's for another blog entry) So I then got my world map out (I'm not the only one who has a world map handy for moments notice planning, right?) and set to finding a destination that would be affordable and would have something of personal interest. Well, being the espresso afficianado that I am, Italy of course was the first to pop in my mind. Ah, Italy with all its gelato, wine, museums, espresso, and Ducati motorcycles who wouldn't dream of visiting such a place. But, upon checking the airline prices, well the whole idea didn't seem so dolce (that's sweet for you non- italaians out there). And well, knowing the euro-dollar trade these days, 2 weeks in Italy would most assuredly leave me broke in less than 1. So, the next best place came to mind (no, no, not North Dakota) but Hawaii. The circus was supposed to tenetively play in Hawaii this summer, but that all fell through. So, now I had the chance to visit Kona, the beaches, taste the food, experience the culture, and add another state towards my goal of 50. Thus, finding that Hawaiian airline tickets were about half the price of Italy, I was sold. And the more I planned, the more this seemed like the right thing. As I started my search for coffee I came across the coffee association of Hawaii AND more importantly that they were hosting a cupping workshop by Willem Boot in the middle of Kona country. So, of course I signed up the next day. Not only would I get to see and taste Kona country first hand, but my first cupping experience would be in Kona under the tutelage of one of the top coffee palates in the world! Needless to say, I was excited.

So, we finished up the split week in Lubbock, TX and headed down to Beaumont, TX which was to be our home of the break. I scheduled it pretty tight: I left the circus lot on the motorcycle around 7:30AM to make it to the dealership in Houston at 9am where I checked in the bike and hopped in the waiting taxi that I had scheduled the night before. One I got in the taxi, I took a deep breath; so far, so good. Now I just had to make it through the security line at the airport to make my 10:55AM flight to Atlanta. Sure enough, the taxi made good time to the airport, I had checked in online the night before, so I walked straight to security (no checked baggage you see, I could only bring what would fit easily on the motorcycle, so it was only a backpack and my trumpet) and the only thing they confiscated was my hair gel...it was over the ridiculous 3 oz cutoff. Who sells travel sizes of hair gel?!?! no one. (I really think the hair gel corporations are in cahoots with the TSA, yeah there has to be a hair product mafia, I'm sure of it) Anyhow, I made it in plenty of time for the flight, enough time get a bite to eat and buy a mocha latte from the Coffee Beanery (one of the worst mochas I ever put my lips to, but that's for another blog) You know, the whole coffee/airport experience really made me feel for those pilots that fly the planes. I mean, most of us have at least a few decent options in any given direction on the compass rose. But those poor pilots have to drink whatever low quality branded caffeinated slop is served in that particular airport in the country.......hmmm, maybe the airports in Europe are better....that warrants a trip in the name of research....anyhow, in the back of my mind I set into motion a future plan to better all pilot's coffee experience; if you spent a majority of your workday in a pressurized cubicle hurtling through the air at 500+mph with 100s of lives in your hands, doesn't that deserve at least a decent cup of coffee? OK, back on topic, I boarded the plane to Atlanta, made good time, enjoyed my salty pretzels, and looked forward to turning on my portable electronic devices once we were back on the ground. The Atlanta airport was fine, crowded with mediocre to sub-par coffee at every turn. So, I got a quick bite to eat, checked my email, recorded a bit for the podcast, and bought some snacks for the 10 hour plane ride ahead. Once I boarded and got my book and iPod situated, we taxied, went through the preflight check and then.....nose up, engines roaring, ears popping we left the earth towards the blue yonder.

next stop......paradise.

Coming attractions....

Ok ok, yes I know I haven't posted ANYTHING from my Hawaii trip yet, BUT, that shall change shortly. Over the next weeks I plan on posting the fun and sights of those wonderful 2 weeks on the islands as installments (i.e. part 1, 2, etc.) So, now you have something semi-interesting...ok, well, maybe something slightly amusing...no, no..um, something to make your eyes tired so you can sleep at night. So, now you can take that Nightquil out of your budget for the next week or 2 and your eyes can pry and get sleepy here (what a money-saver, eh?) So, to not tempt you I leave you with this picture....

Hawaii or bust

Yes, so it's true, in 7 hours the saga of the next 2 weeks will begin. I have a feeling that getting there is going to be a bit frenetic. I leave here (i.e. Beaumont) at 7AM to ride the motorcycle to the dealership in Houston by 9AM, at which time I will call a cab, get my bike signed in at the service center, and then hightail it to the airport to make the 10:55AM flight to Honolulu. It's going to be A LOT of flying....well, not quite as bad as it was to China, but then again, Hawaii is half way to China. Anyways, I'm REALLY looking forward to this trip. Looking forward to relaxing, getting out of my 60 sq ft house and the circus lot, and getting to spend some time in Kona coffee country. Ah, the potential....at this moment, even though I'm tired from all the prep, I have the feeling of a kid that's just plopped his sled in the snow, ready to hop on and hurtle down the hill with excitement and abandon. Hmmmm, excitement and abandon....those will do quite nicely over the next 2 weeks. I shall keep you all updated. Till then......

What's in a face....

What's in a face? A hope, a fear, a tale of a thousand days and restless nights. No two are alike; an endearing physiognomy to some, a painful reminder to others. It is the world's window to our soul, perhaps that is why it's the part of the body we give the most attention to. The most recognizable and yet the hardest thing for the artist to replicate. Thousands of muscles, a symmetry of nature that we alter and try to enhance for others, and yet it can truly only be a representative, a liaison of sorts for our deepest emotions. For what is a faceless body except a shadow, a geometry with out intention. Sure, there's body language, but isn't a majority of that laid out on our billboard to the world; our face? We talk about people being two faced, but isn't it just one face with clandestine intentions? Stoic, proud, indignant, sheer delight, content, incredulous, curious, ired, furious...could these concepts truly exist with out a face? Have you ever known someone solely through online conversations; upon meeting "face to face" don't we usually say, "now I can put a face with the name"? Sit sometime and watch two people talking with each other. After a few minutes you can usually tell if they're friends, bother and sister, old acquaintances, lovers, business parters, or perhaps a crush. Simply put, the face is amazing and an important part of our life; so much so that we even look for it or build it into an inanimate object. We see an "old man" in the mountain or we say, "that car looks fierce". Even in the beginnings of the Christian church iconology, i.e. giving Jesus a face, was a derisive issue in religious art. So, be glad for the face you've been given, delight in its uniqueness and never take for granted the power of the connection in the visage of others.

Mr. Rodgers IS my neighbor

Mr. Rodgers not only was, but is still the man. This week I got my Netflix shipment and I was delighted to find that I had put a Mr. Rodgers episode in my cue a while back, and it just so happened that it was a CIRCUS episode! Yes, Mr. Rodgers and the circus, what a combination. It wasn't a Ringling circus but it was still circus in all it's 80's splendor (I was 7 when it was recorded). Not only that, but that was an era when circuses pretty much across the board still sprung for live music; not the case today. I feel I'm one in the last generation of a long tradition of circus musicians. In any case, watching the episode reminded me of what great music Mr. Rodgers had as his soundtrack (jazz, and not light crappy muzak jazz, but a jazz combo featuring some pretty heady stuff) I could go on about this, but I will say in short that the music on each episode was far and beyond anything that came before or has been on since in children's television. I lift my espresso to you Mr. Rodgers for exposing our childhood ears to more than that happy-go-lucky pop fluff. Who ever says music (or even stories) have to be dumbed down for children to grasp and absorb it is 100% wrong (as well-intentioned as they may be). So, Mr. Rodgers, I salute you for your vision and your love of the circus life.

hmmmmm....

I'm starting to realize I have an adventure streak a mile wide.....hmmmmm, well make that 24,900 miles wide

(I'll give you a hint, that's the circumference of some object spinning in the universe ;-) )

A brief update involving a cake

Ahem, I hear you saying as you begin to read this...well, yes, I'm not good about keeping stuff up here since most of my online personal spillage is put into my podcast now. But, I had a few minutes here between shows on St. Pattie's day to bring you up to date. At the moment, it's between the first and second shows (on a 2 show Sat.!!!) and I'm working on my Italian Cream cake....WHAT?! (I hear you saying) yes, an Italian Cream cake on St. Pattie's day; it's er, um, traditional...Riiiiiiiiiight (I again hear you saying ~ you know you're an awfully vocal reader) Yeah, so here's the story and I have to make it quick because I have to be back into work in about 25 minutes....so while the cake is baking (and boy does it smell GOOD) and I'm sitting here with the widows open, the sun setting, and sipping some fresh brewed coffee....I will tell you the story. This time last year we were playing some town that started with an A (I can't remember the full name at the moment) in Georgia about 2 hours southwest of Atlanta. As it so happened, there was a little impromptu gathering of various circus folk at my boss's rig on the lot. Well, as any self-respecting person knows, one should bring something to a party when you've been invited. In this case the invite was last minute, which left me perusing the local Walmart food section literally hours before said shamrock-leprechaun-Irish food themed party. Thus, I choose something that was filling, inexpensive, and (I thought) worthy of such an occasion...I chose a value priced Italian cream cake. That's right, the one that was going to expire tomorrow and was thus 30ish percent on sale. I thought it was a good deal, and the comforting thought that it wouldn't be thrown out the next day because little ol' frugal-minded me snatched it up. Well....think again. I got to the party and a good time was had by all. Everything was fun, tasty, and....Irish themed. So, again, I still didn't think much of it all, and set to enjoying the Chieftains DVD while sipping my green beer. Well, as the party progressed, it became more apparent that everything was Irish themed. Even our keyboard player who hadn't planned on coming brought some pickles, olives, and lettuce. I looked at his piddly ghetto food offerings and figured I was safe with a cake. Well, he perused over the table and when his eyes set upon the cake he exclaimed, "Who brought this cake? It's an Italian Cream cake, from Wlamart, AND it's not even green!" So, of course I owned up to it...but as things of this odd nature go, the disdain for my cake caught on like a bad nickname. And well, since that night exactly one year ago the whole band hasn't let me live it down. We joke a bit up on the bandstand (you have to in order to stay sane sometimes), and that cake has never been from my colleagues' minds'. Thus, this year I'm determined to set it straight....FOR GOOD. So, in typical Nathan style, I have set out to bake an entire Italian Cream cake from scratch AND give it green icing. This year they're getting their cake, it's going to be green, and it's going to be home-made....they're going to eat their words..... time to go back to work...Happy St. Patrick's Day to one and all........and eat some cake

And so....a new year begins

Ok ok, so I know it's been a while since I posted. But, I've really been putting time and effort in to a few other projects. For starters, the podcast has been going pretty well and I've gotten to meet and interview super cool people that like coffee that I otherwise might not have met. In fact, my excitement has extended, or shall I say, drawn me to coffee roasting. So, being the DIY person that I am, (with the aid of many websites) I plan on building my own coffee roaster and start roasting at home (i.e. RV - it may be the first ever RV based roaster- wahoo). In fact, I already have a name for my first blend, but I'll keep that under wraps until the trandmark certification comes in. ;-) In any case, there's been all of the coffee stuff (which includes a fair amount of research of the coffee shops and then actually developing a schedule to visit them all), and then there's been projects with the RV. I don't remember what exactly I was working on when I posted the last blog, but recently I have installed an air-ride suspension system on the rear duellies, made the indoor picture mounts more permanant, put up christmas lights (I almost bured my place down), parmanently installed the microwave, and installed tile flooring (real porcelain tile!) in the entire place. So, it's been a big learning process. As for the bike, well, ther only major thing there has been installing permenant heated grips, which made the winter riding in upstate NY bearable (thanks for the helping hand dad). I'll probably leave the bike as is for a while now, although I am looking forward to getting the pipes on it. Ok, ok, enough about projects...you're probably wondering where I am now and where I'm typing and what I'm wearing...(if you're wondering what I'm wearing, then you either have an over-active imagination or are obsessed with circus fasion) So, I'm sitting here on my couch in the flying Dutchman on a chilly tues. evening in Lakeland, Fl. And yes, there are lakes in Lakeland as the name suggests; plenty of them. So, since this is a my first blog of the new year, I'm going to try to succintly recap the past year and contemplate the new one. Ok, well let's see, the past year was my first calendar year on the road. In the past year....hmm, I had a motorcycle accident, learned how the insurance system works, bought a new motorcycle, I visited pretty much every state east of the mississippi river (maybe except minnesota and wisconsin....but do they really count? they're pretty much in canada anyways :-) just kidding megan J) Ok, and I had my wisdom teeth + tumor taken out of my head, I took my longest bike trip to date (1,900 miles), played in a family wedding, went through 3 more tires on the RV, FINALLY got the shower leak permanantly fixed, got to visit williamsburg 4 or 5 times, became a Florida resident (and voter, hanging chads anyone?), visited both of the other Ringling Bros. shows, visited daytona bike week, almost had a trumpet mute smashed by an elephant, performed for Dave Matthews, visited and reviewed around 200 coffee shops, had an 88 year old barber named Herbert cut my hair in cajun country (and he came to see the show too!), drove the RV around 25k miles, went on 2 dates, bought a new trumpet, finally invested in a Ipod, made friends in New Orleans, had REAL gumbo and etouffe, created 16 podcasts, rode the tail of the dragon, visited the highest point east of the mississippi, attended numermous Bulgarian parties where I learned to drink Rakea and learned the song Mesacina (I'll sing it for you sometime), visited the International Tarpon Festival, discovered some new favorite movies + directors, got to visit extended family in IA, OH, KY, and PA, backed the RV into a giant rock, learned my lesson about combining karioke and sake, worked with 8 different elepahnts, got to revisit my favorite people and places in Philly, bought my first real espresso machine and REAL grinder, I learned what a portafilter is (and learned how to use a tamper WITH a portafilter), ran out of gas on both the bike AND the RVx2 (but not at the same time), got a parking ticket in the middle of Iowa, played my first-ever round of golf, received a VIP tour of Savannah (thanks Colonel), played my first repeat town, had dinner with one of the original "Our Gang" (aka- the original Little Rascals), made countless new friends, got lost in Fayettevile, did a Philly cheesesteak tour with the circus band in a white limo, and finally invested in a wireless broadband card (hence this blog entry). So, all in all, it's been a year of adventure, learning, and growing. The job? well, I still think it's cool to be earning money by playing my horn and traversing the country in my house like a turtle. Yes, it has its ups and downs like any form of employment, but God has been gracious to me and blessed me with a way to improve, grow, and experience so many new and unusual things. (who would have thought that you could get good cajun food at 3AM in the middle of southern Louisiana with on-duty police officers and an stuffed alligator watching everyone eat). What ever this next year holds, well, I plan to do my best to turn my face into the wind and embrace it head-on. amen