Nope, not good 'ol Alvin and the boys (isn't the intro I'd Love To Change the World one of the first things you try to figure out when you first pick up a guitar?) Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of the crash that so perfectly crushed my spinal cord between the 6th and 7th cervical vertebrae, leaving me a quadriplegic. Cut down in my prime, a mere 25 years old. Up until then I thought I'd done and seen my share of good and bad things. Love lost and found a few times. Interesting travels, Hawaii in '92 was especially cool. Many, many road trips around the pacific northwest. Buying guitars n amps rather than pay rent on time or eating properly. There was a degree of loss. Dear Grandparents on both sides. There was stupidity. Coke binges in the summer of 94 that would've made Stevie Nicks and Rick James proud. Still, I got through it relatively unscathed.

So ten years since I voluntarily moved a muscle below my level of injury. Or voluntarily evacuated my bowels or bladder for that matter but we won't go there!! Ten years since I've felt the warmth and closeness of a lover (and I reckon I was a freak in the sack!!) Ten years since I served an ace playing tennis (and I reckon I was damn good tennis player) or threw a spiral TD to a friend, or swam in the Pacific or any other ocean, or rolled in the grass with my or anyone elses dog, or helped my Dad split firewood, or, or, or ,or and more or's. The biggest and baddest or is... yep OR PLAYED GUITAR, OR BASS OR DRUMS OR PIANO OR MANDOLIN OR DOBRO OR UKELELE. Some of the other or's I've adjusted to as much as I think I ever will, but the guitar or's hang over me every single day. An unmovable amount of anger and frustration that I can't pick up my beloved 1970 Epiphone acoustic guitar and noodle away. Or sling my Strat or Tele over my shoulder, plug in and fucking rock. Sometimes just blasting away at riffs or sometimes studiously practicing scales or trying weird tunings. It was always so cool to show up to jam and impress the drawers off somebody after learning something before they knew it or play it better than they could. For the record I was no virtuoso or ever claimed to be one. I was a guy who simply loved to play the guitar. I loved to look at guitars. Days off at the guitar center playing whatever I hadn't tried out the week before. Boy, being six feet away from Lindsey Buckingham and all those gorgeous Turners last month was bittersweet!!

There's been some good times in the last decade. All you lot for instance, friends to the last I say, everyone of ya. I'm going to be an Uncle for the first time in Sept. so that's cool. I have much closer relationships with both my parents, and most other relatives. I still go to see live music as often as expenses allow. I still buy more music than expenses allow, but that's o.k. we all need a vice or two (sometimes a vicoden or two!!)

One thing I'd like to do is travel a bit again. I constantly nag my Dad to go to Australia for the Aussie Open, hopefully before Federer retires. See you in Melboune Kathryn and Big Al.? I'd say Wimbledon, but according to Mick the bloody place would probably be flooded. I'd also like a bit more good health. The last few months have been not too bad, but ironically, this morning I had a MRI of my brain (there's one in there the technician affirmed!) because my eyes are all wonky and we have to see what's going on in there.

Well I guess that's about it. Mick, give your daughter a hug from me as well. Two weeks ago my 10 month old "Kitty" was struck and died en route to the SPCA. Many tears still for me. I have another who's 8 and rules the household. She's an indoor only cat, and the guilt for letting the other one out is immeasurable.