GOOD NEWS: I didn’t buy a guitar today OTHER NEWS: I bought an amp

A lot of academic administration consists in figuring out how to efficiently and quietly undo the prior year's exciting new initiatives

There's a kind of academic who refuses to take yes for an answer

Happy Monday (belated)! "Institutionalized" - Suicidal Tendencies. The little bit of it I can remember (it's a chaotic guitar part). In honor of my recent escape from New Jersey...

Spotted last night at my NJ hotel. They were still there this morning.... go figure

Newark Airport: No Way Out But Through

I used to keep a list of all the crazed, unhinged, and hilarious things I've heard this person say. Gotta find it....

Longtime friend to her daughter, who I just met: “Get off the ground! It’s dirty down there!!!” Me, softly to the kid: “You don’t need to listen to adults. Dirt isn’t real. Nothing is dirty.” Kid: intrigued smile

With this old school troublemaker…

What The Actual Eff….

The place still makes me feel a little bit anxious

Waking up my hands... could use another coffee

One learns a lot about human nature by watching people who show up at the hotel's free breakfast buffet 3 minutes before it closes

A fascinating time to be alive

Today’s Guitar Adventure: My first amp was a CRATE…. It was terrible

One way to respond to the No Kings stuff would be for the president to go on TV and explain, without expressions of self-aggrandizement or grievance, what specifically he's doing to serve American public, including those who didn't vote for him

Talisse siblings, up to no good

Happy Friday! "A New England" - Billy Bragg. By request. Unplugged from a NJ hotel room....

"Hot Blooded" on the radio in this morning's Uber ride to the airport. Comically terrible lyrics. But also a strong contender for the stupidest guitar solo on record

Fly rig ready to go....

Psychologically prepping for Jersey.... (I think this is an Iron Maiden riff)

Operation Epic Final Blow For A War That's Obviously Not A War That Anyway We've Already Won Several Times

"Imagine a humanoid named Willard Van Orman Quine...."

"Buy It Now" . . .

"This is about me" -online rando stumbling upon a post from a complete stranger

Opening riff on my next album. That D chord at the end might never have stopped...

Friendly Reminder: If you never say what a war is for, you simply can declare victory when the time comes to cut your losses

Mystery text….

Stumbling into the final four weeks of spring classes . . . I said yes to too much stuff this term

Close enough

The line-up for the forthcoming *Critical Review* symposium on CIVIC SOLITUDE... a fabulous collection of critics

Bracing myself for Newark Airport later this week....

Happy Monday! "Stranger Than Kindness" - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. A longtime fave. Written by Anita Lane and Blixa Bargeld

Sent in by a friend. Go figure.

Good News: the Centennial Park Ambient Solo Guitar Guy is back

I've been rethinking my approach to guitar picks lately, just FYI....

Mellow Sunday. "St. Swithin's Day" - Billy Bragg

BTW, Soderbergh's *The Limey* is still an amazing film

Today's guitar adventure: another case where had it been lefty, I might have had difficulty walking away

BREAKING: It's OK to openly celebrate the death of a public figure now

Reason #3,848,582 I'm lucky to not have a basement or garage... 1959 handwired Plexi, $3200

Friendly reminder to senior faculty: It's part of your job to help newly tenured colleagues to learn how to say no

"Soul On Fire" - Danzig's best post-Misfits song and it's not even close...

A better world is possible

There's no crisis that a deranged old-man's incompetent bravado can't solve

There's a kind of academic who sincerely believes that all views other than their own are not merely incorrect, but incoherent.

Happy Friday! "Amoeba" - The Adolescents

Incidental music for an unmade documentary....

I still get nightmares from that summer I attempted to learn Ancient Greek

"Ain't Talkin' Bout Love." By request. Close enough.