i should be at namm...

I should be at NAMM.

Obviously I'm not. So what happened?

Ibanez sends me a badge automatically. But this time I didn't see one. I figured "Okay I am not invited" (which would have REALLY sucked). So I decided to check the spam folder and...

The badge was THERE?!

This never happened before. I told them that somehow the badge got in that folder. Even if I received the badge earlier, I still wouldn't have had the chance to re-arrange my teaching schedule and such. On top of that, it would have been murder to book a flight and hotel so quickly. Am sure rates would have gone way up too.

So I am stuck in sunny New Jersey. 

I hear conflicting reports that "This year is slow" and "This year is better than last year." Keep in mind, the last time I went to NAMM was 2020, and then two months later, the world shut down. There was no NAMM in 2021, which was a first. It started up again in 2022 and was met with indifference and light attendance. (One of my endorsers, who shall remain nameless, didn't even bother with a booth but opted for a conference room. HUH?) 

If I get to go in 2024, then awesome. I really love being there. Pretending to be a pseudo guitar god is good for my soul.

I have a soul?