Based on what I knew of Matt Finley through his interaction on the forum, I wasn't really prepared for the man I met in real life.

Yes, Matt is often the first person with the correct answer to questions on the forum... so I knew going in that Matt is very knowledgeable about BIAB. What I didn't know is that he is also a deep well of information on just about every topic that arose while I was at Lake George.

It turns out that Matt's IQ is somewhere in the mid 160s. (he couldn't reveal the exact number because his brother's IQ is also mid-160s, and his mother wisely withheld the information that would have made one of them intolerable toward the other.

Point of perspective: Stephen Hawking's IQ is reported as being 160. Yes, really.

This isn't just random information. The bane of high intellect is that life may not seem challenging enough, so Matt looks for ways to challenge himself and his band. For example, they don't practice before performances! Everybody gets charts that Matt prepares, and there is a meeting in which Matt goes over hand signals
https://www.dropbox.com/s/gv5tjy0f4bfecr9/meeting.MP4?dl=0

Armed with charts, hand signals and a whole bunch of talent, Matt and his friends march out on stage and totally kick @$$!

I'll let the videos speak for themselves, once they've been posted... but Matt's masterful performance did not end after the concert... he actually managed to ramp it up a notch.

Back at the cottage, he invited everyone present out on a late night boat ride. In the absence of city lights, the stars were amazing... (you could see the Milky Way!) Matt brought along a laser pointer ...which seemed to reach all the way to the stars... and he gave a most impressive private tour of lake and sky... naming the stars and constellations and throwing in interesting facts to boot!

Pretty awesome, right? Well... The hospitality didn't end there! The next day he taught me how to ride a kayak (something that's been on my bucket list for years)

But none of this is the most amazing thing about Matt. It is almost a cultural truism that brilliance and benevolence rarely walk together. But in Matt's case they do.

At no time was there any indication of high-mindedness. In addition to everything else he has mastered, he is a master of making people feel comfortable in his presence.

Matt, my respect for you is off the chart. This road trip turned out to be the best vacation of my life, and a large part of that is directly due to the hospitality bestowed on your guests and audience. I will be forever indebted to you and your lovely wife Denise.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ey71h8ep047758h/AAC12jNM0Hz9Q8zsh5iDeqNHa?dl=0