and not 1 but 8 members with guitars get on the shuttle with me 
... Now most people are probably wondering where I'm going with this...At that moment right there I became so discouraged that I felt like turning around and heading back home. All I kept thinking was these guys/girls are actual musicians and I'm still learning how to play the keyboard, while learning the ins & outs of the 2nd hand mpc in my backpack-I don't belong here. I get to the hotel, check my bags around 12:15 and the lines already a little passed the gift shop with-yep-more musicians holding jam sessions
. Now I'm not only discouraged and mildly depressed, I started questioning myself even harder but I sat on the floor anyway. All of a sudden I hear, "Is this the line for registration?" Of course I answer yes a voice says, "Ello, I'm Francis-Meery (pronounced Mary in the states)! I look up and the most welcoming set of cool blue eyes cut through the glare from her glasses and she starts to ask me questions about myself, my music & if I had any hard copies of the Rally schedule. I give her my copy and another individual starts talking to me, then another & before I know it an hour has passed and I'm looking at pictures of people's children, grand children and laughing. My point is this, to be in an atmosphere with so many welcoming indivduals was more than I thought would ever happen. I was under the impression that I would be met with some of the same disregarding behavior that I meet in STL everyday but that was so far from the truth that I felt ashamed that I'd entertained the thought. If anyone finds Tina on here please thank her for me. She, along with so many others were so helpful and welcoming. My last shout goes to Dicki Fliszar for spending an hour of his time to talk Hip-hop with me. Just goes to show that "music" has no boundaries when it comes to conversation. He has his prefernces and I have mine but the ideas and questions we bounced back & forth were amazing to say the least. Thank you all (especially Mr & Mrs. Kerr) from the bottom of my heart, I'm blessed and extremely humbled.
