Fall 2011: I'm still getting by with a little help from my friends.

Only two shows after a wedding in Mexico and I already feel like I'm settled comfortably back into tour. 

Which, unfortunately, is a feeling usually coupled with a general anxiety about needing to get things done.

It's not always anything in particular...just, you know, things. E-mails, facebook messages, organizing my computer, updating iTunes, blogging, mailing coffee beans to my brother.

Things.

It was great to get down to Puerto Vallarta last week for the wedding of a best friend and former roommate, Nora. Not only did I get a chance to room and catch up with another best friend and other former roommate, Ryan, but it was also nice to relax, enjoy the beautiful weather, and take it all in.

The wedding party on the beach.

Reception cruise during sunset.

A dolphin appeared to swim along with the boat!

Nora with her awesome husband Casey. (How did I never get a photo with just the two of you the whole weekend?)

With Nora.

Here's a nice picture of the three former roommates...

...but this is what we look like most of the time.

I'm not even sure how many times I've been to Disneyland with Ryan, Nora, and her new husband, Casey, but I'm already looking forward to the next trip!

Speaking of traveling and friends, I was terrible this past fall at mentioning the fantastic people in my life who came to shows all over the US (and Canada, too!). As is still the tradition with this blog, I always post when a friend comes to a show. In something resembling chronological order:

Lauren and Bonnie, two amazing friends from college. Bel Air, MD.

Terra, a former studio-mate and great, violinist friend from ASU.

Allison, a friend from the road with one of coolest moms Barrage has met in recent memory. [Randomly, Allison holds the unique distinction of being the person from whom I first heard that Michael Jackson died.]

Kim, one of my longest friends (since 3rd grade!) and her boyfriend Nathan. West Chester, PA.

Ashley, another great friend from college and doctor-to-be! Bexley, OH.

Daniel and me with our fiddler friend, Thomas, whom we met at the Mark O'Connor camp in Charleston this past summer. Austin, TX.

Willie, a friend from ASU and cellist with the Skyros Quartet. Austin, TX.

Alex and Allison, two awesome, musician friends from ASU. Denver, CO.

With the incomparable Denis Dufrense! The very first "Violin C" in Barrage (the part I have today) and my personal idol for many, many, many years. Be sure to check out his band Pear, formed with his wife and Barrage alumna, Lynae! Calgary, AB.

With Marcus, friend and former quartet-mate from the Killington Music Festival. You can actually still see a picture of us playing together in 2007 on KMF's website, here! London, ON.

Thank you Lauren, Bonnie, Terra, Allison R., Kim, Nathan, Ashley, Thomas, Willie, Alex, Allison K., Denis, and Marcus for coming to see a show last fall!

I've always thought one of the best parts of playing with Barrage is not only getting to travel, but also getting to see friends who live in other places. One more reason I feel so lucky to be here -- when I'm one day no longer with Barrage, I'll definitely miss getting to see these people so easily!

Me : Tom Hanks :: Hong Kong Airport : "The Terminal"...kind of

Before China called and asked Barrage to perform this weekend on BTV's Chinese Spring Festival Global Gala (the big Chinese New Year celebration on TV), I had already planned to attend one of my best friends' wedding in Mexico, so separate travel arrangements were made for me to get back home and attend this wedding. This morning, we all left Haikou, China; I flew to Hong Kong and Barrage flew to Beijing.

Around 10 a.m., I arrived in Hong Kong, went through customs/immigration (since Hong Kong, though in China, is still somewhat run as a separate country), picked up my bags, checked in for a 1:00 p.m. flight to San Francisco, went back through customs/immigration again, and then caught my flight.

About one hour in, the captain informed us that an equipment light was malfunctioning and we were returning to Hong Kong to get it checked out. At this point, lots of fuel needed to be dumped for the landing, so jets of fuel started shooting out of the tips of the wings. I'd say, conservatively, this happened for 45 minutes.

Imagine, briefly, the captain telling you there is a minor problem and then seeing fuel gush out of the wings for must certainly be way too long...

But as he's the pilot and should know what he's doing, the proper amount had clearly been dumped when we safely landed back in Hong Kong. On landing, we were informed the flight was cancelled and we were all booked for the same flight tomorrow afternoon...which presented a problem because I fly to Mexico tomorrow morning.

Off the plane and through customs/immigration we went.

Quite amazingly, I was able to grab a seat on a flight to L.A. tonight, Thursday, at 11:45 p.m. If everything goes as planned, I should now arrive in Phoenix on Friday morning at 12:45 a.m.

Despite the fact that I will have been in Hong Kong and/or its airport and/or on a plane for what must certainly be an unhealthy amount of time, I'm ultimately just relieved to be safe and still on track to make the wedding.

Also, I'd like to point out the two most ridiculous parts of today:

1) Once I land tonight in L.A., I will have six new stamps in my passport from today's debacle: one from leaving China to go to Hong Kong, four from twice entering and twice leaving Hong Kong, and one from arriving back in the US. 

2) In case you didn't catch this, I'm leaving Hong Kong at 11:45 p.m. on Thursday night and arriving in Phoenix on Friday morning at 12:45 a.m...

In conclusion, traveling is crazy.

In which I attempt to give thanks.

It's January 6th and I'm back on the road. Currently, I'm at the beginning of a 6-hour layover in San Francisco. Then, I'll catch a flight to Shanghai (13+ hours), have another short layover with the whole band, and fly to Shenzhen. (I'll probably be arriving at my hotel in Shenzhen after midnight on Sunday morning, which is about 10:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, Arizona time.)

You see, then, why this is a perfect time to catch up on my blog! I mean, how else am I going to occupy myself for 6 hours at an airport? Plus, China blocks Facebook, Twitter, and Blogger, so I've got a neatly imposed deadline of departure this afternoon.

I started this post the day after Christmas and got sidetracked, so I'll just keep going with what I had and pick it up where I left off.

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It seems like Christmas 2010 was only a handful of months ago. I'm not really sure why, but I guess being gone for weeks on end probably has something to do with it...maybe it's because the amount of time I've spent at home since last Christmas is actually just a few months' worth?

And, as usual, this is the time of year when people are prone to looking back and evaluating the previous months. I can hardly think about the last 6 days or 6 weeks, let alone the whole year, without feeling overwhelmed.

I've been remiss in giving out thanks on this here blog to everyone I know who came to our November performances in Arizona. I tried to thank as many as possible personally, but know I've missed some. Mostly, this lack of thanks is a result of our crazy schedule and me barely even having time on tour to call my parents; partly, this is a result of me not really knowing how to go about thanking everyone properly.

I'd like to think I've matured as a writer since my last post-Arizona-shows-thank-you blog over two years ago, but when I go back to read it I feel just as stumped now as I remember feeling then.

I think what would really be easiest would be if somehow everyone to whom I needed to give thanks could be present at my house tonight. Everyone would be gathered in my backyard, and I'd stand up on some chair and just say, simply, "Thank you. Let's eat!" And then we'd all partake in a preposterously large feast of food I had cooked to show my appreciation. 

Everyone would have arrived with empty bellies, brought their finest stories, and been forced to check any and all worries at the door. There would be outrageous fits of laughter throughout the night resulting in small groups of people doubled-over, clutching their stomachs. Everyone would be thrilled with the conversations they were having, but secretly envious of others down the table because it would appear as if they were somehow -- somehow! -- having even more fun.

All of the women in attendance would independently and involuntarily swoon over my mom's ability to out-Martha-Stewart Martha herself, and these women would be overheard saying crazy-sounding things like, "Wait, so you used a router to drill holes in hollowed-out gourds and then strung them up on a string of lights?! That's. So. Cute. I feel like I've died and gone to heaven!" 

As the night continued, people would check their watches and realize regrettably how much time had passed. You know what they say: time flies...  

Cue the smell of my mom's cookies baking in the kitchen. Ha! The night is still young.

There would be an impromptu jam session by the fire pit whose flames seemed to magically take direction from the musicians, sometimes crackling gently and often blazing with fervency. (Did I see hints of tiny, blue flames during that last ballad?) Those inclined to dance would do so. Others would tap toes, hoot and holler, read the fire-lit faces of those sitting across from them, and quietly wonder how they ever ended up at this crazy shindig.

Late into the night as the fire died down, there was no more food to be had, and people were exhausted from -- but not yet tired of! -- sharing and listening, everyone would be quietly taken aback.

People would feel inspired by the things they had heard and the new, lifelong friends they had just made. Laughs had been laughed and grins had been grinned. Everyone would know that no matter what happens, everything is going to be okay; after all, they were just part of this unexpected night and had witnessed and experienced how good people can be.

They would start to wonder how it could possibly be recreated. Could it be done again? With this food? With these people? How could one be perpetually surrounded by all of this? Perhaps one could become incredibly wealthy, buy a subdivision, and convince everyone to move in as to increase the chances? 

There would be no end to the dreaming, because in that moment anything would seem possible.

Probable, even.

And everyone would be utterly, indescribably happy.

When I recognized all of this happening on people's faces, I would know I had successfully shared a glimmer of what I've felt so fortunate to witness and experience the past 3.5 years: the excitement, the company, the inspiration, the music, the amazement, the food, the good, the hilarity, and the overwhelming amounts of happiness.

And then, only then, would my thanks would be complete.