Dear Ticketmaster

I would have more respect for you if instead of an $8.75/ticket "convenience" fee you just called it profit, overhead, jets, genital waxing.... whatever it is you do with the money.

Because frankly I cannont fathom just who exactly you're conveniencing with this crap.

Music

I've hinted at it a couple of times and so this constitutes my official post proclaiming how thankful I am for music.

Let it should be known that I am not musically inclined at all. It is a foreign language that I cannot seem to decipher. I have a good enough ear to do the holiday carols justice in the comfort of a group but other than that, I'm purely a private solo act. This alone amplifies my appreciation.

I love most kinds of music, and what I don't love I don't 'get' which is okay... It is an art for and therefore subject to taste and subjectivity.

The power of music is an amazing thing. Its ability to set or shift a mood, trigger a memory, or inspire any range of movements from a simple to tap to a full out boogie.

Music Accessories

I love music and my Susan Boyle post, while accurate, was a bit of a fatigued 'phone in.' I'll expound on music later... but today it's all about the accessories. If I had two children... I'm certain I would not be able to articulate which one I love more. I know this because I have both an iPod Touch and Sirius Satellite Radio and there are days where I am truly torn between them.

Do I play the musical version of Russian roulette and shuffle the iPod collection or play one of my custom tailored playlists to create or punctuate the exact mood I'm shooting for? Or do I turn it over to the science provided to me by my good friends at Apple and roll with a series of Genius picks... Play lists computer generated based on one song selection reconciled to the remaining songs available on the device. Oh, decisions decisions.

Or... if I'm rolling down the road do I hit the gloriously commerical-free satellite airwaves and broadened my horizons with some new music or a specific decade or genre (jazz, heavy metal, acoustic)? Perhaps the collection of just one artist (Sinatra, Elvis, Springsteen). Politics, news, humor or Martha Stewarts timely turkey tips--over 100 stations to choose from.

Living in the information age and a fan of technology I am thankful for the gadgetry and personalization that allows me to have what ever music I want near me anytime I have a free ear.

Susan Boyle

Day 10 of 30 Days of Thankful

That unassuming little Scotswoman give me chills every time I hear her sing. I'm thankful for the gift that she's been given and that she finally found a forum to share it.

Advice to Time Life

So lately I have been falling asleep during the Daily Show and waking up in the middle of the night to Time Life infomercials featuring their CD collections--most recently Monster Ballads and 70's Love Songs to be specific.

Half asleep I mumble "oh I love that song" but don't quite muster the wherewithal to write down the name of the song. It popped into my head as a random thought tonight after some wine and Chinese takeaway and I tickety tap tap tapped it into the Googler to see if I could find a list of the songs in the collection.

And indeed I did. So instead of three easy payments of $39.99 I was able to cherrypick the CD song list for my favorites and download only the ones I wanted from iTunes for one payment well under $39.99.

My advice to Time Life is once the infomercial is over... don't let me see all the songs. The gerries and bluehairs you are targeting have kids and grand kids with ipods; they are wise to this technology thing.

Could this be...

...the most amazing celebrity comeback ever?

I just got home and saw the world premiere of Britney Spears' new video Circus and that tune along with Womanizer have me completely vexed.

Never a fan of Britney the teen years (version 1.0), disinterested during her rise to super stardom (v1.5), marveled at the grocery store headlines during the KFed and the crazy (v2.0), continued marvelling at the continued crazy and her downward spiral (v3.0) I am now shocked at the appeal of her tunes as she rises from the ashes--version 4.oh?

While not ready to commit the .99 cents yet, I may actually need a track for my ipod. I think they might fit right into my Girl Power Dance Party mix for when I boogie vacuum.

Dang.

He's still got it!
Flipping through the channels I fell upon Neil Diamond singing on American Idol, pimping a new CD he's 'dropping' on May 6th. He's singing a new... yes... new... single called 'Pretty Amazing Grace.' And pretty amazing is an understatement.

Way to go Neil. Allow me to reiterate--Dang.

P.S. It appears to me that Neil is aging quite handsomely and unassisted by chemical/surgical intervention; perhaps he could advise Barry Manilow.

Pigg vs. Pig

Well, it finally happened, after nearly 20 years with an unblemished driving record I received my first moving violation yesterday. I rock 'n rolled a stop sign at an intersection that had tumbleweed rolling through it. A po-po was waiting for me around the corner.

The funny thing is that I was truly just lost in the day. It was a beautiful blue-sky Friday at 4:30 and my spring fever is in high gear. Was headed over to the rents house for some dinner and quality time with my niece Sophie. Here is where it gets a little weird... I was completely engrossed in this interview on the radio with a current favorite musician of mine, Landon Pigg.

Curious that I was busted by the pig while listening to the Pigg and not a strip of bacon anywhere.