Have been an amatuer musician all of my life. I play guitar, mandolin, electric bass, harmonica, and sing. I have fronted or been a member of numerous bands throughout the years, the most recent being a bluegrass/folk band called Ghost River. Besides band gigs, we jam every weekend, either here in the Memphis area, or in a little town in the Ozark mountains called Mountain View, AR. They claim to be the folk music capital of the world and I have jammed with people from all over the country who come to Mountain View just to pick and sing. The town is the county seat of Stone County and the area around the courthouse square is full of pickers and listeners every day and evening. If you're into folk, country, bluegrass, or just about any kind of acoustic music, you should stop in and pick with us. Just ask for Don and Faith and Little Maggie.

Derivatives: I was listening to an interview with Frank Partnoy on public radio today about derivatives on Wall Street and how the brokers and people creating these things and selling them have hoodwinked so many people. The "insurance" that AIG has sold and now lost out on is nothing more than gambling. Now we, the taxpayers, get to cover their losses. Wish I could get a deal like that. The only derivatives I have are those songs of mine that probably sound like something I've heard before. At least the public doesn't have to pick up the tab for them. Don

I'm Kicking Myself in the ...: I just dropped $15, including tip, at a place called Red Robin (America's Gourmet Hamburger Joint) in the Avenue Carraige Crossing Mall in Collierville. I chide myself for not being willing to try new resturants, so, batching it tonight I decided to try this one. For my money, I got good service, a Wendy's burger, only bigger, a diet coke, and some steak fries. For about $5 less, I could have gone to Belmont Grill and had the best burger in Memphis and better fries and equal quality diet coke. Or, I could have gone to Red Sun Buffet and had the incredibly delicious Mongolian Grill. Or, two! footlong Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches at Lenny's. I really don't know why I try these corporate come

Why Get Angry?: Yeh, that's me, a world away and a lifetime ago. Now look at me. The one thing that's assured is time's gonna pass. The only suggestion I can make is the one I've taken. Keep on pickin'. Learn what you can, use what you can and leave the rest. Don't let baggage overload you. Oh, and when you cover a good song, make the thing your own. When someone hears yours first, it's the one that sticks. Don

see all 48 friends here »