well i want to start out by giving a big thanks to Allthumbs and Lcjones for their help on my last thread about percussive strumming.
i am over the moon right now, b/c after i started getting the hang of the palm muting i was listening to Jack Johnson's "Flake" and i realized that i could play it

. this is the first time that i have been able to pick a rhythm out on my own and play it. i cheated on the chords, but im tellin you progress is such a great feelin.
for anyone else out there just starting out. you may want to check out this song if you are interested in working on bar chords, rhythm, and percussive strumming. i have found this to be a great exercise for all of these.
thx again to everyone.