"Regret for the Past is A Waste of Spirit"

After five days, I can now declare unequivocally that I am a mandolin virtuoso!

Okay, well actually I learned the three chords that apply to nearly every song ever written.  Or at least the ones I'm interested in playing.  Another week and I might qualify for a busking license (cha-CHING!).  Plus, I think I finally figured out the harmonica intro to "Dirty Old Town."  Wow.  And I'm going to take a class to learn how to use Garage Band to record.  Expect a solo album sometime in 2013.  It's going to be a punk/Irish/folk/zydeco/country masterpiece.  I'm calling it "Wait, Hold On...I Screwed That Up, Let Me Start Over."  You read it here first.

Seriously though, I am having SO much fun with this new mandolin.  And now that I have a computer that can actually play video without constantly stuttering and rebuffering, I can look up tutorials and lessons online and actually use them.  Used to be, I had to surf ten miles in the snow, uphill both ways (barefoot!) in order to watch a decent YouTube video.  It's like I finally had to get into the 21st century, just so I can play a 19th century instrument.  How did people live before this?

My musical progress seems to be coming in leaps and bounds.  I can only attribute this to the fact that I finally have at least some of the focus and desire that I've been lacking in recent years (like, say, the last 41).  I am, of course, overjoyed by this, as music is a very important part of who I am.  I have to admit, though, that I'm also a little frustrated.  Obviously, I've had it in me to be able to do this all along.  Yet just like with other passions of mine, I've let it whither and atrophy, and only now, later in life, am I finally applying myself to it.

But I have to keep reminding myself that at least I'm doing it now.  One of my favorite old saws is "It's never too late to have a happy childhood," and I am determined to do just that.  Rather than continue to sit and curse the darkness, I've decided to fire up a klieg light and go for broke.  Musically, intellectually, artistically, verbally, comically, and all the other -ally's, I'm just going to dive in and see what happens.

Excuse me, my kazoo's out of tune...