Leave a comment with five songs to put on my ipod that you think are mandatory

I’ll listen to pretty much anything. My latest has been that new Gnarls Barkley. I’ve been enjoying classic Iggy Pop, I always love 70s “sex you up” soul and I’m fairly sure Willie Nelson could sing the Constitution and I’d love it - although that Reggae album was not his best.

Feed my pod please.

The last week or so Cody has been repeatedly listening to a song that starts with “Her name is Noelle and she rings my bell.” It seems to be about a little heavy metal listening teenager who’s in love with an adult woman named Noelle that ignores him. I think? I’m not sure. Cody’s at work and non-cohesive remnants of the song are stuck in my head tonight.

Which is annoying because I’m trying to watch the Independant Spirit Awards and finish that damn Jay sock.

I get a small bit of satisfaction that if it’s a pop song in heavy rotation all my old boyfriends have to think of me at least three times a day.

You can ring my beeeeeeell.
Ring my bell.
My bell.
Ring a ling a ling.

I’m going to be a bit busy today tidying the house and preparing the guest room and bathroom for a visitor. The house is still recovering from the holiday insanity and leaving Cody and the pets to their own devices.

My friend Will (the one that lives in New Orleans - he’s back there btw!) asked me call one of his friends that had evacuated and settled in Taos to let her know that if she needed anything to let me know. Well, she called the other night needing a place for her cat to stay for the weekend while she goes to a funeral in Chicago. This girl has had a very bad year. So I said “Yes! Of course!!” I thought I’d give this kitty her own suite since she’s not used to other cats and dogs. The good news is she and her kitty will be heading back to New Orleans next week. Her apartment has been completely redone after being under eight feet of water. I’m just happy to be able to help.

Hush Mom she’ll be back on Tuesday I won’t be stuck with another cat I swear.

Carole posted a music meme the other day and I’ve been meaning to do it.

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your journal/blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they’re listening to.

Delicate - Damien Rice
One of my more recent plaintive poet boy finds - I still love me some Bright Eyes and Eliot Smith.

Boogie on Reggae Woman - Stevie Wonder
No idea how old this song is but I found it on itunes right before Christmas then it seemed to follow me around - was on the radio in a clothing store in Birmingham, overheard on a car radio. Spooky!

F*ck the Pain Away - Peaches
Believe me I’m just as suprised as you are that I like this.

She Bop (new acoustic remake) - Cyndi Lauper
This is from a really interesting album released last fall where she collaborated with a variety of people like Sarah McLachlan, Jeff Beck, Shaggy…

In the Waiting Line - Zero 7
Any song on the Garden State soundtrack really.

China Girl - Iggy Pop
I’ve been rediscovering Iggy songs. Seems like I’d been listening to the Bowie version almost all my life. Then I heard the original. Damn.

Use Me - Bill Withers
I love Classic Soul. Just love it.

Lover’s Rock - The Clash
I bought the Legacy Edition of London Calling last month and have been enjoying it like it’s brand new.

The cold is still around. It’s mostly in my throat and chest so I make deeelightful sounds that can gross out the whole family but at least it’s getting out. I had an appointment with the doctor yesterday and he took my pulse, blood pressure, and listened to my heart. It’s all working just fine! We made some adjustments to my meds (which I was expecting) and talked about some alternatives for the nastyass armour thyroid (I decided to stay on it for now and see how my levels are after six weeks). We also discussed me doing a monitored sleep lab sometime this spring to see if I’m breathing properly in my sleep. And yes we’ve discussed diet a bit. He’s is a thorough guy isn’t he? I like this new doc!

I’ll post about what we think I’ve got someday. Just not up to it right now. And sometimes I get shy about talking about the more personal issues so publically. That’s why I’ve focused so much on the knitting. Well, that and I’ve been spending most of my time doing a lotta knitting.

Well I finally found the time to sit and read the whole damned book. And the character I thought might be the one whose death we were all warned about did indeed die. And I still teared up because I’m a big SAP who takes very very long baths.

I’ve been listening to Spinal Tap a lot lately. These guys are geniuses. On our way to the in-laws dinner (at an Italian restaurant called Zios that is probably a chain but is still pretty tasty so you can stfu ye chain snobbies out there) we decided to “gird our loins” by listening to “Workin on a Sex Farm”. Put me in a great mood and politics only really came up once! Yay!

To mourn the loss of any more Dead Like Me episodes I got season one and two on dvd. I can live with that.

Our Tivo broke sometime in June and I finally got around to calling tech support last week. Turns out our modem got fried. The only damned thing in the office without a surge protector. So we get to shell out 50 bucks and get a replacement shipped from Direct TV. But it’s better than 250 at Best Buy. Now I just have to get around to calling them back to order the actual replacement because I said I had to talk with Mr. Man first.

The Life Aquatic was ok. Not Rushmore and certainly not The Royal Tennenbaums (still haven’t seen Bottle Rocket) but, as always, Wes Anderson movies grow on me over time and get me obsessed with whatever music is on the soundtrack. In my defense, who wouldn’t love Portuguese David Bowie covers, or Nico, or The Faces? But do I think Owen Wilson’s absence in writing the script in Aquatic shows.

Oh yeah, and
BIG BOTTOMS, BIG BOTTOMS
Talk about Mud Flaps MY GIRL’S GOT EM!

This is what I spent my monthly 30 dollar allowance on. I’ve created an imix for it. I was in an ambient torch lovesong jazzy Gershwin/ Cole Porter mood. And I discovered the Verve remixed albums…damn.

Lido Shuffle - Boz Scaggs (Cody wanted this one)

Our Love Is Here to Stay - Etta James

I Like ‘Em Fat Like That - Louis Jordan

Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby? (Rae and Christian Remix) - Dinah Washington

Summertime (UFO Remix) - Sarah Vaughan

Feelin’ Good (Joe Claussell Remix) - Nina Simone

Manteca (Funky Lowlives Remix) - Dizzy Gillespie & Funky Lowlives

Spinning Wheel (DJ Spinna Remix) - Shirley Bassey

(Where Do I Begin) Love Story (Away Team Mix) - Shirley Bassey

Big Spender (Wild Oscar Mix) - Shirley Bassey

Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair (Jaffa Remix) - Nina Simone & Jaffa (this is a beautiful BEAUTIFUL song)

La Vie en Rose - Grace Jones

Samba 1000 - Ursula 1000

Butterfly Caught (RJD2 Remix) - Massive Attack

Summertime - The Twilight Singers

I Put a Spell On You - Natacha Atlas

Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby? - Louis Jordan

The Very Thought of You - Nat King Cole

It’s Only a Paper Moon - Benny Goodman and His Orchestra

(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons - Nat King Cole

Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be) - Billie Holiday

Why Don’t You Do Right? - Shirley Horn

Misty - Johnny Mathis

I’ve Got You Under My Skin - Diana Krall

Night and Day - Karrin Allyson

Gut Feeling - Devo

Funk #49 - James Gang

Israelites - Desmond Dekker

Haven’t participated in one of these random mp3 memes for a long time but I’m feeling somewhat posty today.

All this research for the women in history posts has taken a lot of my computer chair time. But I’m sort of on a day schedule at the moment. (And I’ve almost used up my Pirates attention span)

It’s a rainy day and we’ve already been to the grocery store (where we bought nominally healthy food) and on the way home I got a peppermint mocha coffee treat. Phunq has already had an escaping into the garage when we were bringing in groceries adventure, Zola’s sleeping on her belly with her head in a toilet paper tube as usual, and Winter is incredibly gassy…again. Melon and Kurry are pouting because we didn’t bring them anything.

Cody’s working tonight and unfortunately I won’t get to witness the hilarity of the rebellious cousin’s wedding down in Belen. I actually am bummed about missing out watching these small town republicans watch a handfasting with the groom in a kilt - at Belen High School (not in the grassy knoll I was hoping for). I’ve been trying to explain exactly what the SCA is (with mostly a straight face because while I think they’re kinda freaky I’d much rather go to one of their events than a monster truck rally or wrestling event) and that this guy really isn’t all that unusual but they all think I’m a big artsy freak that married their freaky smart-assed cousin (six years ago last Sunday actually, but we had a surprisingly traditional wedding - almost a rebellion in itself it was so unexpected) so my opinion only counts for so much. They were just scandalized that it’s taking place on good friday. DamndamnDAMN I wish I could go. Ah well. It’ll be so much more colorful to hear about it filtered through these nice but simple people’s eyes. I wonder if there’s going to be mead at the reception..

So here’s what I pulled up when I refreshed the itunes party shuffle sourcing my full library.

Right Here, Right Now - Fat Boy Slim
Seaweed - Fruit Bats
Love Me or Leave Me - Ruth Etting
Groove is in the Heart - Deelite
House on Fire - Assemblage 23
What Its Like - Everlast
Shut the Fuck Up - Cake
A Good Run of Bad Luck - Clint Black
Flesh for Fantasy - Billy Idol
Heart of the Sunrise - Yes
If I Loved You - Bernadette Peters

So after a few binges in the itunes store last year I realized that I have issues with controlling my spending habits. *Snort* This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that knows me irl. Fear of driving isn’t the only reason I usually bring a shopping buddy when I go out - I need someone who can help me get a grip when I start to clearly get my spendy grabby self out of control in the Swell Section at Target. Despite (or maybe because of, who knows) my mom’s mathematical prowess I am determined to be Math is Hard Barbie and this inability to add simple sums is most glaringly obvious when I’ve got a shopping cart. Even a virtual one that’s doing the math for me. To be fair, though, when buying single products out of a saved shopping cart at itunes you don’t know how much you’ve spent until you get the email a day later. And you’d be really surprised how quickly that 99 cents a song (plus tax) can add up when that clicky mouse finger gets going.

This has been the year of some financial restructuring in our household. Despite my supposedly saving around two thousand dollars annually from quitting smoking (Cody doesn’t count since he’s still spending money on the patch) we had a fairly rough year financially in 2004. Sure, there were some household things like restuccoing and major tree removal but we’re homeowners and that’s the cost of doin business when you sign on for the mortgage. The good news is neither of us ever tried to qualify for enough credit to get ourselves in serious trouble and we paid off his car three years ago. So the only real debt we carry is the house.

What’s funny is while I have an inexplicable ability to handle money in the abstract - predicting good investments, tax shelters, etc - I have an equally inexplicable inability to balance a checkbook properly. So we’ve been trying a new way to balance our budget and so far it seems to be working. Don’t want to go into it too much but basically it involves two accounts - one for the regular monthly bills and the other for food, pet expenses, and discretionary (gaming, video, website, music) funds. Manages to keep our tech spending from interfering with the regular bills that we kind of sometimes tend to forget to pay.

I’ve found a nice solution for the itunes store where my spending could be controlled but I wouldn’t feel deprived. We used Cody’s itunes account to set up a monthly allowance that sends my itunes account a 30 dollar credit every month - and I entered a dummy cc number on my account so I couldn’t “accidently” spend over the thirty dollars. It’s about what we’d spend on a movie and popcorn on a friday night at a new theater so it doesn’t seem *that* unreasonable to spend on music once a month. And I get some fun music purchases.

I used to just go and pick out thirty or so songs from my saved shopping cart. But I started getting an error message last month and the apple customer service folks had to clear it out for me. So this time I had to pick the songs out one by one.

This is what I spent my thirty bucks on this month. (I made it into an itunes imix as well if you’re interested - February’s buys)

I’ve been in a strange alterna 80s / dentist office am radio in the 70s mood lately. And it shows.

Warren Zevon - Lawyers, Guns and Money
Bright Eyes - When the President Talks to God (this was free)
Skip James - Devil Got My Woman
Skip James - Hard Time Killing Floor Blues
The Police - Invisible Sun
Kenny Rogers & The First Edition - Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Is In)
Lou Reed - This Magic Moment
Björk - Army of Me
Gene Loves Jezebel - Desire (Come and Get It)
R.E.M. - Radio Free Europe (Original Hib-Tone Single)
Morrissey - November Spawned a Monster
Bob Geldof & The Boomtown Rats - I Don’t Like Mondays
The Fixx - Red Skies (Alternate Version)
Happy Mondays - Step On
Peter Gabriel - Games Without Frontiers
Throwing Muses - Dizzy
U2 - I Will Follow (been thinking about when they were, you know, good)
Eagles - I Can’t Tell You Why
Morphine - Gone for Good (my morphine cds are scratched to shit)
Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues
Alice Cooper - I’m Eighteen (please don’t make me explain this)
Bob Marley - Redemption Song (I’ve been thinking about non-overplayed bob marley songs too)
Gene Loves Jezebel - Jealous (apparently I’m a fan and didn’t notice before)
Matthew Sweet - Sick of Myself (I love him)
Gary Wright - Love Is Alive
Jackson Browne - The Pretender
The Spinners - The Rubberband Man (hee! I love the spinners I didn’t know they did this song!)

Sorry about the itunes links but I’ve been barred from posting mp3s by the ever paranoid Mr Man and I still want you to be able to get them if you want.

Cody wanted me to burn a song I’d bought on itunes onto a cd so he could rip and convert it to mp3. The crap non ipod owners go through for portable music. I secretly cheer for the guy that’s suing Apple. No, no one forced him to buy music through itunes and I don’t think he should be awarded ridiculous damages. But it might make them change their assinine refusal to let other companies swim in their DRM paddling pool. That’s really what cases like this are about, boys and girls, making corporations change something.

Anyway, I didn’t want to waste a whole cd for one song so I burned a whole disc of songs. Not sure if I’ve mentioned this before but we usually hate each others’ music. A lot. I tend to gravitate towards old-school punk, funk, 60s and 70s soul, classic rawk, glam, 80s alternative, album rock, old jazz and blues. Even classic country. He likes what I call Lezbean Rock: Natalie Merchant, The Indigo Girls, Melissa Etheridge. Of course I’m just teasing about the lesbean rock thing (I have absolutely positively no problem with lesbians I just like saying it this way because I think it sounds cute) but he sure has a thing for those gravely-voiced gals. He also likes what I call “novelty” music: Weird Al, Barenaked Ladies, They Might Be Giants. Lately there’s been a lot of Dutch music listening too. And he’s been learning to appreciate Punk.

Sometimes we agree: Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, The Stone Roses, and, oddly enough, Rosemary Clooney.

I’ve come to the conclusion that we have one very distinct difference in what we value in our music: I like how it sounds and don’t usually care much what they’re saying. He likes what they’re saying and doesn’t really care too much how it sounds. That’s today’s explanation anyway.

So we’ve been together since July 1997 and I’ve never made a mix cd or tape for him before. And here was my perfect chance. But I didn’t want to put anything that he would ridicule too much. I wanted him to acutally like what I put on there. Mostly.

So here tis:
Goo Goo Muck - The Cramps
In a Funny Way - Mercury Rev
Psycho Killer - Talking Heads (that’s what he wanted recorded)
Chariot’s Rise - Lizzie West
I Want You Around - Ramones
Slide Away - The Verve
Gold Dust Woman - Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson
Common People - Pulp
Fisherman’s Blues - The Waterboys
The Boxer - Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
Ways to Be Wicked - Lone Justice
I Will - Alison Krauss & Tony Furtado
Shade & Honey - Alessandro Nivola (from Laurel Canyon)
Ever Fallen in Love - Buzzcocks
Sweetness - Yes
Take the Skinheads Bowling - Camper Van Beethoven
A Case of You - k.d. lang (see? I like lezbean rock too. when it’s good)
Punk Rock Girl - The Dead Milkmen
Pale Blue Eyes (live) - Hole
When a Woman Loves a Man - Billie Holiday

Sorry about the lame itunes links rather than offering mp3s but mr man’s been giving me a hard time about sharing music these days.

So my sister showed my patriotic Santa post to a crazy southern right winger friend of hers. But said right-winger couldn’t make it through the whole article without, I dunno, praying or invoking the will of Limbaugh through crack pipe smoke and chant or something. I’m not sure what creeps me out more: the thought that my sister hangs out with crazy right-wingers or that she likes showing them things she knows will piss them off. You’re so weird.
Anyway, I’m leaving for bamaland in two days so excuse me while I start to freak out a little. I’m convinced Cody’s going to forget to bring the hedgehog’s water bottle when he takes her down to his mother’s house next week. And won’t remember to clean the litter boxes. Or remember the dog’s little baggies of food and supplements. I’m scary OCD control freak pet mom!

Yes, the in-laws get to spend the holidays with their grand-hedgehog and lemme tell you, these people are really excited about it. Heh. no. But they’re being very nice, will make sure she has food and water, and are going to put her in the back bedroom and keep the room nice and toasty for her.

All secret and hedge santa presents are whisking off to their respective destinations as I type. And I got a present from our friends in the Netherlands today. Thanks you guys that was a very nice surprise
Between getting everything clean and together to pack and getting the guest room clean enough for Jocelyn to stay there tomorrow night (mostly cat hair-free, clean towels and sheets and comforter! Yay!) I’m not sure if I’ll have time to post again before I get to B’ham on Saturday so here’s some special holiday cheer to keep you busy.

He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you right-click.

Willie Nelson - Pretty Paper
(buy the album)

Roy Shakked - Rock of the Toy Soldier
(buy the album)

The Dickies - Silent Night
(buy the album)

Louis Armstrong - Christmas Night in Harlem
(buy the album)

Roy Shakked - Latin Snow, Latin Snow, Let It Snow
(buy the album)

The Pansy Division - Homo Christmas
(this is not a homophobic song - just the opposite)
(buy the album)

Metal Mike, Alison, and Julia - Deck the Halls
(buy the album)

D.I. - Mr Grinch
(buy the album)

MXPX - Christmas Night of Zombies
(buy the album)

Spinal Tap - Christmas with the Devil
(buy the album)

In light of recent MPAA activity Cody’s been making me really paranoid about the mp3s this week so I’m looking into broadcasting streaming playlists.

What I have in mind is similar to Gene Cowan’s Radio 2 but haven’t the first clue how to go about it. I’ve been researching podcasting, radioblogs, and shoutcast/live365 stuff but none of those do what I want. I just downloaded this MP3dj thing so hopefully I can get that to work.

As I understand it - offering a single song from an album as a sample for a limited time and encouraging the listener to purchase the album constitutes fair use. But I’m married to Mr Paranoid. Today I’m going to do this anyway but I’d love to hear thoughts or suggestions for what you think. Serious rationalizations are always welcome too.

pls rt-clk + sv-as thx mch xxoo

Blondie - Call Me En Espanol

Devo - Mongoloid
(buy album)

Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies - Danny’s Song
(visit their site)

Kate Bush - Rocket Man
(buy album)

Tears for Fears - Pale Shelter
(buy album)