Tell It To Me Tuesday

This week, Janet wants to know....

Do you believe in ghosts?

In a word, Janet, "NO!" Nor do I believe in anything paranormal. But, if this guy


suddenly appeared in my bedroom, I'd be sure to call


this guy or even this scary person



to ward off the offending ectoplasmic being.

Home Again, Home Again

I'm back and will blog about things later. For now, just know my father is improving, though still in ICU for the time being. Thanks for all of your good thoughts and prayers!

It's just...good to be home.

Road Trip Extended

I'm still on the road trip, but it has been extended until at least the weekend. Dad is fighting his way back, but things are not going as planned (do they ever, really, when it's something medical?) I am on a painfully slow dial-up, using a Windows 95 machine, so I will keep this short and simple: Thank you for your prayers (if you pray!) and keep it up!

TTFN!

Road Trip

See you Monday or Tuesday. Gotta take a few days to be with family. My dad is recovering, but it's going to be s-l-o-w.

Happy Weekend, everyone!

Thursday Thirteen

13 Books I Could Write

13. I'm Addicted To The Food Network, But Let's Order Out Anyway! - OK, so I admit that I hate to cook.

12. Create Time Wasting - Blogging while doing laundry, scrapbooking while watching TV, etc.

11. Crisis? What Middle-Age Crisis? - Who me?

10. I'm Annette And You're A Nut - My aunt Annette used to say this to me when I was a kid.

9. Why Parents Slowly Go Insane - Another one that needs no expanation.

8. I'm Not Your Mother, So Pick Up After Yourselves - Mostly for my slovenly coworkers, who leave their used dishes, etc. in the break-room sink or leave a half-eaten sandwich in the fridge for 3 weeks.

7. Music Is Life

6. Do These Shoes Go With This? - Fashion hints for the clueless. Would be ghost-written, since I'm fashion-challenged.

5. I Don't Care To See Your Naked A$$ Ever Again, Michael Douglas - My appeal to Hollywood.

4. The Top 5 - A compilation of Top 5 music lists. Sure, it would only appeal to a limited number of music geeks, but it would still be fun to write.

3. I'm Not Your Shrink - This would be a follow-up to I'm Not Your Mother.

2. Massachusetts Passive-Aggressive Driving Manual - You need this to survive the roadways in my state.

1. Dummies for Dummies - Because if you're going to be dumb, you might as well make yourself look like a pro!

What could you write?

Random Stuff

I love the Halloween season, with all of the spooky decorating and the kids in costumes. I don't mind the gory masks or anything. But when someone hangs a stuffed guy, complete with noose, from a tree in their front yard, it freaks me out. I pass by one every day on the way to work, and it causes me to jump EVERY STINKING TIME. (the one in the photo is not the one I pass, but you get the idea.)
---
If you enjoy podcasts, there is a good one at Contrast Podcast this week. The theme was The Best of 2006 So Far...Part 3, and I've got a contribution there from Grace Potter And The Nocturnals. FiL from Pogoagogo kicks off the cast with a zany introduction to The Motorettes' We Are Solution. Check it out; it's great fun!
---
If you're the praying type, could you please put in a few good words tomorrow morning for my dad? He's undergoing a triple bypass and a valve repair bright and early. I'm glad I'll be at work, keeping my mind occupied. (No, I can't be at the hospital, since it's 300+ miles away.)
---
Today was new release day at work. By far, the biggest seller was David Baldacci's new one, The Collectors. I picked up Dearly Devoted Dexter, the second book about a serial killer on a mission to kill only the bad people. After reading the first book, I'm hooked. The Showtime series, Dexter, is based on the books, and the scripts are closely following the storyline in the novels. If I could give out the Emmy awards, Michael C. Hall would be running up to the podium to grab his prize for his portrayal of the sinister-yet-lovable killer.
---
That's all for now. I'm off to mindlessly occupy my mind with boob tube all night. Beats worrying, which I know I'll do anyway!

Tell It To Me Tuesday

This week's TITMT is all about the 90's!

Janet wants to know: What are your top ten nineties artists or bands?

In no order:

Pavement - Favorite indie band of the 90's. Favorite song: Cut Your Hair

The Jayhawks - alt.country darlings known for delicious harmonies and superb songwriting. Favorite song: Blue

Uncle Tupelo - The premier alt.country band of the 90's. Favorite song: The Long Cut

Beth Orton - Brit singer/songwriter in the acoustic-folk vein. Fabulous alto voice. Favorite song: She Cries Your Name.

Barenaked Ladies - What a debut! Gordon is a classic album in rock, not just in the 90's. Favorite song: If I Had $1,000,000.

The Refreshments - A short-lived, but fun rock band. They were even one-hit wonders with Banditos. Favorite song: Suckerpunch.

Ben Folds Five - Ben continues solo, but his band brought piano rock back in the 90's. Favorite song: Song For The Dumped

Wilco - In the beginning, they were all about alt.country, since Jeff Tweedy just left Uncle Tupelo. But the band (and Tweedy) evolved into a pop/rock band unafraid to take risks and experiment. Favorite 90's song: Monday

Alanis Morissette - Brought Girl Power to the forefront. Favorite song: You oughta know that it's You Oughta Know.

Jeff Buckley: Died much too young and produced one superior album featuring his magnificent vocal style: Grace. Favorite song: Last Goodbye.

Runners Up: Green Day, World Party, Pearl Jam, Paula Cole, Marc Cohn, Patty Griffin, Hothouse Flowers, Poi Dog Pondering, Innocence Mission, Dave Matthews Band.

Monday Podcast - Kinda Retro Cool

This week, I'm feeling kind of retro. All of the following artists are recording today, but with a sound that reminds us of times gone by.

Deep Red Bells - Neko Case
Do What You Wanna Do - Acid House Kings
Pull Shapes - The Pipettes
Under The Table - AC Newman
Funny Little Frog - Belle & Sebastian

Enjoy.

By the way, first one to email me (nataliet757 at excite dot com) the name of the film from which I pulled the still shot above wins a small prize package, including a promo copy of Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan's Ballad Of The Broken Seas and a promo sampler of Diana Krall's From This Moment On (it's not the full cd, but a one-song sampler with a bonus dvd.)

Listen in the left sidebar, or go here to download.

Sad Days For Music Fans...

Fans gather outside CBGB's for a Joey Ramone memorial in 2001. Photo grabbed from notkin.net.

This month, we lose both Tower Records (story here) and CBGB's (story here.) Tower.com may live on for a time, according to this article, but I don't know how long that will last either. I mean, I have never ordered a CD from tower.com, have you? Right now, I've got access to iTunes, emusic.com, and lala.com (a cd trading site.) How long until the CD goes the way of vinyl? As cool as digital music can be, there is nothing like flipping through liner notes and reading the details, at least for a music geek like me.

CBGB's may live on in Las Vegas. Yeah, like that will be the same!

Top 5 On Friday

This week's theme... Top 5 Album Titles

Oh boy!

5. The Abominable Showman - Nick Lowe - Definitely not his best album, but the title is humorous and the disc contains two of my favorite Lowe tunes: Raging Eyes and Time Wounds All Heels. (a great title in itself!)

4. Californication - The Red Hot Chili Peppers - A great mash-up of words.

3. Life'll Kill Ya - Warren Zevon - Yes, it will. And then you'll be dead.

2. For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge - Van Halen - Come on now. Spell out the first letters of each word.....

1. I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass - Yo La Tengo
- This just came out in 2006, but it took over the top spot as my favorite title!
Runners Up: Hail To The Thief - Radiohead; Flat As A Pancake - Head East; We're Only In It For The Money - Frank Zappa & The Mothers; Bless Its Pointed Little Head - Jefferson Airplane; You Can Tune A Piano, But You Can't Tuna Fish - REO Speedwagon

Listen in the left sidebar, or download it here.

Thursday Thirteen

13 Truths and A Lie (About Me)

Me in high school? No, not really. But this is close!


Which one is the lie?

1. I have been on a plane with Dr. T. Berry Brazelton twice.

2. I watched the very first Saturday Night show live on TV in Lancaster, PA in 1975. It wasn't called Saturday Night Live at that point in time.

3. My Brownie troop took a field trip to be in the audience of this show. I was seated in the front row, and wore my uniform, which consisted of a skirt and blouse. I sat, very unladylike, with my legs spread, and you could see my undies on live TV.

4. I am not affected by poison ivy.

5. My favorite ice cream is Ben & Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch.

6. I don't have a 100 Things About Me list because I can't think of 100 things to write about. It's tough to even think of 12!

7. I can change an iPod battery.

8. I can also use a soldering gun and repaired my son's My First Sony tape player by soldering a wire that had broken loose from the circuit board.

8. San Diego is my favorite city.

9. My best friend is a cop.

10. My husband and I met while we were both in the Navy.

11. My dad went to college (Purdue) with Neil Armstrong.

12. I have been shot at more than once.

13. I get creeped out by the Oompa Loompas in Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory and the flying monkey things in The Wizard Of Oz and will not watch either film.

14. I have been to 7 John Hiatt shows and did the meet and greet with him 6 times.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Artist And Song Of The Day

Woman In A Bar - Lloyd Cole

From Antidepressant, released just yesterday, here's a lovely piano ballad, Woman In A Bar. One review called this a record for yuppies, and if you judge it by the lyric, "now that the children are asleep you wanna play, but you're so lazy," you might be inclined to agree. You can listen to the entire album here, at One Little Indian Records. Enjoy!

Listen to the song using the player in the left sidebar. Or download here.

Podcast - The 80's That Didn't Suck - Part II

Since Janet's Tell It To Me Tuesday had an 80's theme, I decided it was time to continue the The 80's That Didn't Suck series of podcasts. Today, the songs are mostly from singer/songwriters in the 80's.

Suzanne Vega - Solitude Standing
The Waterboys - Fishermen's Blues
Peter Case - Horse & Crow
John Hiatt - Riding With The King
The Traveling Wilburys - Handle With Care

So many great singer/songwriters debuted in the 80's, including Tracy Chapman, The Indigo Girls, Suzanne Vega, Peter Case, Melissa Etheridge, Steve Earle, Nanci Griffith, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Shawn Colvin. They're all still going strong, too!

Podcast can be downloaded here, or listen with the player in the left sidebar.

Tell It To Me Tuesday

This week, Janet continues in a music theme ....

What are your top ten eighties artists or bands?

Since I'm doing a series of themed podcasts, The 80's That Didn't Suck, I guess I can pluck 10 favorites from that list!

In no particular order:

The Replacements - Although they weren't always consistent, they were brash, loud, and fun to rock along with. Favorite song: Can't Hardly Wait
R.E.M. - Brought the jangle back to jangle pop. Favorite song: Radio Free Europe

Pixies - Owners of the loud, quiet, loud revolution. Favorite song: Where Is My Mind?

Cyndi Lauper - The girl who just wanted to have fun! Her voice, to me, is the very sound of the 80's (move over Madonna!) Favorite song: Time After Time

The Pretenders - Chrissie Hynde was my new wave rock/punk goddess of the 80's. Their first two albums kick major butt. Favorite song: Precious

Squeeze/XTC/Crowded House - Like the way I cheated there? All three bands had superior songwriting talent and a keen pop sense. Favorite songs: Squeeze: Another Nail For My Heart; XTC - Dear God; Crowded House - World Where You Live

Nick Lowe - Top notch performer and producer. Favorite song: Raging Eyes

U2 - They are still going strong, and usually pack a powerful political message. Still, I'll always think of them as the strongest in the 80's. Favorite song: New Year's Day

AC/DC - For partying in the 80's, nothing kicked it up a notch more than AC/DC! Favorite song: Back In Black

Dire Straits - I loved their 70's albums, but Brothers In Arms sealed the deal for me. (as well as music from The Princess Bride!) Favorite song: Ride Across The River

So many others are also favorites: The Bangles, The Waterboys, Steve Earle, Suzanne Vega, Camper Van Beethoven, Tracy Chapman, Indigo Girls, The Motels, The Plimsouls, Bruce Hornsby, David Wilcox, Eurythmics, Elvis Costello (I prefer 70's EC, but 80's wasn't all bad!)

Now, you tell me yours!

Top 5 On Friday

So many songs to choose from....how am I going to pick just 5?

Top 5 (or possibly 7) Songs with Days Of The Week In The Title

I could just use Friday and Saturday songs and be done with it, but I do like a couple of Monday songs, too.

Monday - Wilco

Friday I'm In Love - The Cure

Friday On My Mind - The Easybeats

The Heart Of Saturday Night - Holly Cole

Home By Saturday - Hayden

Podcast is here, or in the left sidebar!

Rant Rant Rant....

I hold in the ranting, mostly, since it doesn't do a lot of good to just go spouting off on the internet, but every now and then I just have to let one out (like a good fart.)

Just because I work in a bookstore and provide superior customer service, Idiot Lady, doesn't mean I'm your research bitch. And just because your kid has a research project to do on "some sort of animal," doesn't mean it's my job to look through every book on every animal, looking for the right animal for your little sweetie to write about. THAT, dear Idiot Mom, is your freakin' job as the parent. NOT MINE. And is it my problem that this thing is due in two days? NO! And, don't think I'm not going to laugh at you behind your back when you, frustrated that I cannot find just what you're looking for, ask me, "Could it be in the biography section?" It's AN ANIMAL. Oh yes, I believe the biography of Sammy the Squirrel, is right here next to Paul Revere! Next time, hit up the library and drive the librarian nuts. That is her job. Mine is to sell books, cds, and movies to paying customers and help those customers find what they are looking for. I'm not doing your kid's homework!

We now return you to our regularly sunny, musical blog.

Spreadin' The News

I'm so happy, I've just got to spread the news. Deni is going to be on SN freakin' L this Saturday night, playing happily away behind Corinne Bailey Rae! Be sure to watch. She'll be the one toting the blue violin!

Thursday Thirteen

Last week, it was 13 favorite TV characters, so I thought I'd follow it with...

13 Favorite Comedy Film Characters (in no particular order, except #1)


Randall Graves (Jeff Anderson) - Clerks - I like wiseacres, and Randall is a world-class wiseacre and cynic. In one scene, he rattles off the names of some nasty porno films on the phone while a mom stands there waiting to see if he can locate a particular kid vid. I still laugh out loud every time at that one. A favorite quote: My mom's been f**#@' a dead guy for 30 years. I call him dad.


Carl Spackler (Bill Murray) Caddyshack Murray all but steals the movie in this part. Murray came up with this himself: This crowd has gone deadly silent, a Cinderella story outta nowhere. Former greenskeeper and now about to become the masters champion.



Eric Stratton “Otter” (Tim Matheson) – Animal House Otter was the handsome, charming, scheming leader of Delta House. He also had some of the best lines! Quote: Ladies and gentlemen, I'll be brief. The issue here is not whether we broke a few rules, or took a few liberties with our female party guests - we did.


Elizabeth (Madeline Khan) – Young Frankenstein - One of the finest comedic actresses ever in film. Khan was a Mel Brooks favorite, so she had the opportunity to deliver some of the best lines in his films. Here, she plays The Bride Of Frankenstein. Quote:[Upon seeing the monster's manhood] Oh my God. Woof.


Lili Von Shtupp (Madeline Khan) Blazing Saddles - Again with the Madeline in a Mel movie. Here, she played a saloon gal a la Marlene Dietrich and was nominated for an Oscar. Quote: Is that a ten-gallon hat, or are you just enjoying the show?



Maude (Ruth Gordon) Harold And Maude - I'll always remember her best for this part, in which the crotchety old lady teaches the suicidal Harold a thing or two about life and living. Quote: Harold, everyone has the right to make an ass out of themselves. You just can't let the world judge you too much.


Judy Maxwell (Barbra Streisand) – What’s Up Doc? Barbra is at her best in this screwball romantic comedy, playing a woman who gets involved in a comedy of errors involving identical suitcases. Quote: Love means never having to say you're sorry. (she’s saying this to Howard, played by Ryan O’Neal, who uttered this very line in Love Story just 2 years previously.) (And guess what? Madeline Khan is in this one, too, and steals scenes!)


Dr Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) – Back To The Future - Another favorite comedic actor of mine, Lloyd nailed it here as the zany Dr. Brown, who helped Marty McFly figure out the space-time continuum and helped me figure out what 1.21 gigawatts were. Quote: There's that word again; "heavy". Why are things so heavy in the future? Is there a problem with the earth's gravitational pull?


Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) – This Is Spinal Tap - Actually, all the major characters were hilarious, but Chris Guest just stands out to me, as Nigel, the lead guitarist of the fictional band, Spinal Tap. Quote: You can't really dust for vomit.


Curly Washburn (Jack Palance) – City Slickers – Palance did win an Oscar for this part, probably the most memorable of his career. Creepy Curly taught Mitch (Billy Crystal) and his buddies a thing or two about being a real cowboy. Quote: I crap bigger than you.


Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) – The Producers – Another Mel Brooks tour de force! You're an accountant! You're in a noble profession! The word "count" is part of your title!


Felix Ungar (Jack Lemmon) – The Odd Couple - One of my favorite Jack Lemmon roles on film.(Along with Some Like It Hot.) He plays finicky Felix perfectly! Quote: They're here! The dinner guests. I'll go get a saw and cut the meat!


#1. The Entire Cast of Pythons – Monty Python and the Holy Grail – I cannot pick just one of them, since they all crack me up equally in this film. Perhaps my favorite line from the film is uttered by Dennis (Michael Palin) after King Arthur reveals to him that The Lady of the Lake held Excalibur out to him from beneath the water: Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Artist And Song Of the Day

No Backbone - The Lemonheads

It's a shame that The Lemonheads never quite caught on and lived up to the hype they were heaped with back in '92. Just a week ago, The Lemonheads new self-titled disc was released by Vagrant Records with very little hoopla (Heck, my store only received one lonely copy of this, but we did get 40+ copies of the new Justin Timberlake record!) but lots and lots of solid Dando songs. Here's my favorite song of the set. Well, at least it's my favorite today! There's plenty of great guitar to make my rock and roll heart happy.

Listen in the sidebar or download here.

Tell It To Me Tuesday

This week, Janet asks, What are you top ten seventies artists or bands? Now you're talking the Nat era!

1. Pink Floyd - Sure, they formed in the 60's, but the pinnacle was reached, for me, with Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Wall.
2. Big Star - The quintessential American power pop band. Influenced many, including The Replacements and The Bangles.

3. Chicago - Before they went all ballad, all the time. Try Chicago II, Chicago V, and Chicago VI (or anything before Terry Kath died.)

4. Lynryd Skynryd - The very definition of Southern rock.

5. The Allman Brothers Band - Eat A Peach. Brothers and Sisters. Nuff said. Except that they are also the very definition of Southern rock!

6. Linda Ronstadt - She ruled as the rocker chick of the day.

7. Fleetwood Mac - I know people like to make fun of Stevie Nicks these days, but the 70's era Macs with Lindsey and Stevie will remain tops with me forever. So many excellent songs. So many layers of sound. The classy Christine McVie.

8. Heart - Blew me away from the get-go. Still do.

9. Led Zeppelin - Another band that began in the 60's, but reached full-out superstardom in the 70's. Deservedly so. I'll be climbing the stairway for a long, long time to come.

10. Davie Bowie - He owned the 70's to me. The Rise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars will always spin on my turntable. Or cd player. Or mp3 player.

11. Elvis Costello - The very epitome of new wave. Still going strong, too.

I've left out many other favorites, too: James Taylor, Elton John, The Who, Yes, and even John Denver.

Tell me yours!

Monday Podcast - Let's Go To The Fair

Went to The Big E (Eastern States Exposition) on Saturday and spent 5 hours in the car just to get there. (Without traffic the trip takes all of an hour!) Now I can say, "Been there, done that." This podcast is in honor of the fair.

Rollercoaster - Foam
Life Is A Carnival - The Band
The Circus Song (Can't Let Go) - Kim Richey
Back In The Circus - Jonatha Brooke
The Show Must Go On - Three Dog Night

Listen in the left sidebar or download it here.