Quick post...

So I worked around 30 hours over the weekend, 15 hour days and can't believe how much I've accomplished! I've been putting in extra hours for the past 6 weeks to make up for my absence while in Europe and so far I'm ahead of the game! I revised my ergonomic finger ring programming to run on the vmc with coolant and aggressive feed rates cutting machining time down to an obscene low number I don't dare admit. Let's just say I machined the next 3 months of finger rings in 5 hours. I also finished the cylindrical finger ring programming and cut 20 of those, but that design will need more work next time.

I'm currently finishing up Gravity #3 and this horn is more precisely machined and designed than the first two versions. Also in the works are an Art Summit, numerous other trumpet builds, the new modular leadpipe system for the next round of demo trumpets, modular/adjustable finger rings and several new variations on the finger ring design. The new modular systems will be dovetail joints with a push button release and ball lock. It blows my mind how many details must be just right to make a system so simple work flawlessly. It's fun, challenging and hopefully rewarding.

Other unrelated items...

- easy cheese does not melt on hungry man microwave dinners (i tried twice)

- Oscar is constantly begging for attention so I've resorted to sewing more treats into his plush toys to occupy him while I work long hours

- my christmas tree is still lit in the office and we haven't opened up our "gifts" yet...the three wrapped boxes in the HT facebook photos with bells protruding.

- I've been listening to the latest Charles Lazarus cd and love it. He was in the Dallas brass the summer I attended International Music Camp on half scholarship and made a real impression on me at the time, though I took lessons from Wiff Rudd. Lazarus was only a few years older than me and could play circles around just about anyone even when he was 21! check him out and transcribe some of his solos, they're fun

Time to get back to work. I'm hoping we can ship at least 6 more horns next by the end of next week, so I better go back to my workbench...

Jason