Glad you are getting value from the site and my lessons. Good for you!

Originally Posted by: MarcInMN... I always feel guilty about it...like I should be trying to read from the notes on the staff instead.[/quote]
Reading music notation is covered in Guitar Fundamentals 2.

The reason we did not cover it earlier is because we want GT students to play a little something on the guitar before having to worry about advanced info like sight reading. All of the beginner course material is like that intentionally.

We want you to have fun and get something out of it in order to motivate and encourage you.

As opposed to burying you under a mountain of complex info as soon as you get going.

You need all that complex info (the theory) in the long run. And it is included. For example, being able to read music notation properly is of course a valuable goal. But it is just part of playing music on the guitar. And not even an absolutely necessary part if you are only interested in playing a little guitar as a pleasurable hobbie.
[QUOTE=MarcInMN]I'm not at the point where I can look at a staff, see a G (for example) and then think, "Oh, that's this finger on this fret." I mean, as I'm sitting here typing this, I'm thinking, "Well, that G would be 1st string, 3rd fret," but while I'm playing my brain doesn't process it quite so quickly because I'm also thinking about getting the fingers down in the right spot and plucking the right string.

Don't worry about it. If you take the time to learn it you can achieve it in time. If you keep playing and reviewing the notes, eventually it becomes an automated process and second nature. Right now just enjoy the process of moving your fingers around and hearing them play a beautiful little melody. :)