Drum roll please…

Okay, I have some exciting news to share. Well, it’s exciting to me anyway so please listen politely and pretend to be interested, okay?

First, Griffin Education Solutions now has official recognition from the IRS and the state of California as an official educational non-profit under section 501(c)3 of the United States tax code. I have set up bank accounts in the name of the non-profit and had my first official meeting with my board of directors. This means I can now start bothering people for tax-deductible donations. Note that the PayPal account on this site goes to the La Canada Education Foundation, NOT to Griffin Ed, so don’t use the PayPal links on this site unless you want to support that worthy cause. Once the new site is up we will have a PayPal link to Griffin Ed; more news on the new site when I have it. Meanwhile, the non-profit can legally accept donations of cash, checks (payable to Griffin Education Solutions), stock (deductible at current market value), or maybe just part of your sandwich when I come play at your school. Most importantly, it means I can continue to do shows at schools, libraries, and other places of learning for free while I seek grant funding to make this a permanent thing. Streaming audio is free of course; once the new site is up the downloads will also be free. You don’t have to buy CD’s to hear my music, but know that as of now all revenues from CD sales go straight to the non-profit.

Second, I can now announce that I will be performing in the ConCom’s choice concert at the GAFilk convention in Atlanta, Georgia on January 11, 2013. This will be my first time at GAFilk and I’m very excited to be going. I’m even more delighted that my uncle Larry Niven (yes, the one who’s won the Hugo award five times) is bringing me as his guest. Crottled greeps and sweet tea for everyone!!!

Devin Thomas and I have submitted the final master burn of the new album, Wrong and Wright, for production. We should have CD’s in hand some time next week. Once the new website is built, you’ll be able to order it here if you wish. There will definitely be CD’s at GAFilk.

I’m stoked and a little nervous to be performing next week at the National Science Teachers’ Association annual gathering in Phoenix, Arizona.

Other news: Princess the duck sat on her eggs for about three weeks before deciding she wasn’t ready for the responsibility of parenting; we had to break the eggs. She may give it another try in the spring. Pigeons Thing One and Thing Two have come into their adult plumage. I am working on my first original a cappella song in years, to be sung with one of my favorite Canadian singers. I have begun piano lessons. I have lost six pounds in six weeks; my goal is to get down to 200 lbs by GAFilk. My mathletes at PCR Elementary are blowing the doors off their training exercises for Singapore Math, Math Matters, and Math Counts. I have been so crazy busy that I have not had time to take a sub teaching gig in weeks, but I give thanks to God every day that I get to have this much fun and call it work.