One thing I look forward to this summer is being able to crank my amp. This year I lived in the upstairs part of a house with a senile old hag living downstairs who'd scream up in the most unforgiving deathly tone at one of us three if she thought it'd be appropriate for us to either go to bed or make less noise. It didn't help that there's a vent hole in the hall that is just that, a hole. And every wall and floor is razor thin. So we can hear every move made by the chicks downstairs and their grandma and vise versa.

So when I get to my parents place I'm going to crank it up. Playing without amplification for a year is good for cleanliness and technique but there's something to be said for the two levels my amp plays at too: Loud or Off.