Welcome to my blog. I used to be a professional guitarist. I got burned out and after 12 years of gigging, too much booze and drugs, hotel rooms, egos(including mine), etc., I quit the music biz and got a real job at a large multinational corporation. I worked my way up like a good capitalist and became a programmer(like a lot of other ex-musicians so I found out). After 13 years of corporate BS I quit in 1999 and went back to music full time. In 2003 things were going quite well. I was married to a wonderful woman, had a nice house, was building up a good guitar teaching business, composing(my first love) and occasional gigs.

In August of 2003 everything changed – big time. On August 1st I started feeling a burning around my midsection. Kind of like a sunburn but internally. Over the ensuing 8 weeks I started feeling strange sensations in my legs as well. At the end of September I was admitted to the hospital because I couldn’t walk without crutches. They took an MRI: my spinal cord was “swollen” at the T-7/T-8 vertabrae.

Long story short: here I sit in 2008 in my wheelchair paralyzed from the chest down. It took doctors a year to figure out my diagnosis. It was Transverse Myelitis complicated by spinal cord compression due to an undiagnosed hematoma (that’s a whole other story).

Due to a variety of symptoms, chronic pain and fatigue chief among them, I am now permanently disabled. Fortunately I can still use my hands so I still teach a little and do some transcribing. Also, after a four year dry spell, I’ve finally started composing again.

Finally, if there are any guitarists out there with TM and who are in a wheelchair, or anyone with TM, or any guitarists, or anyone. Feel free to communicate. That’s enough rambling for now.