Music, which led to trying to figure things out. I found guitar from my mom, and singing from my dad, who was a pretty serious barbershopper/turtle.

But seriously, I try to learn as much as I can about everything that I can.

My first experience with a guitar was life-changing to many involved. I was two, Mike was three, and mom was in love with her 12-string Martin. Sure, I wish I knew what model it was, but short-term memory, coupled with "trying to figure things out," have since combined in a terminal manner.

We figured out how to get her guitar out of the closet, and then, we wanted to know how it worked. Why did it sound like the angels were singing when mom played it, but we couldn't even get an open string to make an audible note more than 10% of the time. After some research, the team decided to take a new approach. If fretting and strumming were simply too difficult, then we should be reassigned to the most immediately changeable degree of control that we could locate...the tuning keys.

Once our method of destruction had been determined, we resolved to--while taking no prisoners--turn all of the tuning keys as far and tight as possible.

In case no one chose this as their science fair experiment (I actually did perform a science fair experiment with guitar strings), what happens when you do this to an acoustic guitar, is, according to my population and sample size of one (I know, we are hardly talking uniform distribution, nor is it appropriate to extrapolate or fabricate), but in my experience, what happens is something very unexpected to a 2-year-old boy.

We turned the tuning keys as tightly as Jesus would allow us, and we put the guitar back in the case.

When my mom pulled the guitar out of the closet a few days/weeks/months (not sure of the math here) later, she was a bit surprised to see, that when she opened the case, there was a significant problem. When she opened the case, the guitar snapped at the joint, flipping it violently into a V-shaped thing that looked dangerous.

Anyway, what I meant to say was, "Guitar and my mom."