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(Or, Idols At The Bat, Dolly Parton Songs Sung in the Year 2008)

With this year's baseball season underway and the number of American Idol contestants equaling nine, I automatically (and predictably) thought of them in terms of a batting lineup. So, if you'll kindly imagine yourself at the ballpark, sitting in the lower box seats or left field bleachers, eating peanuts or crackerjacks, and listening to the play-by-play on your mp3 player with FM/AM receiver, we can play ball.

Your eyes focus on the diamond, but this is what your ears hear...

Good evening and welcome to the Fox Fields in Hollywood. The umpires -- Randy, Paula, and Simon -- are already on the field and are looking styling in their Coca-Cola red chest protectors and face masks. Those product placement gurus are geniuses! The silly mascot you see running across the roof of the home team's dugout, looking only slightly more dapper than the Philly Phanatic, is Ryan Seacrest. On the mound is tonight's mentor/pitcher, Dolly Parton, and she's throwing her best material at the contestants. Let's see how they handle it.

Leading off is Brooke White, who barely manages to squeeze into the batter's box with the fiddler, backup singer, and percussionist she brought along. She tightens her grip on the guitar as Dolly winds and deals. She throws "Jolene" right into Brooke's wheelhouse, but Brooke is jammed and only manages to hit a grounder to second. It's a close play at first base. Here's the throw, Brooke slides, and Paula says, "You... are... who you are." Nobody knows what that means, so we'll move on.

Up next is David Cook. It looks as though he finally surrendered and allowed somebody near his hair with a pair of scissors. A marked improvement. It should cut down on the wind resistance when he's on the basepaths. Dolly comes set and pitches "Little Sparrow". Cook slams it with the sweet spot of his guitar and the sparrow hits the center field fence and disappears in a puff of feathers for a double.

Batting third is Ramiele Malubay. I'm not sure what she's wearing, but I think Kurt Angle wants his wrestling singlet back. Dolly throws "Do I Cross Your Mind" down the middle of the plate and Ramiele belts it down the left field line. Unfortunately, it's so forgettable, nobody bothers to call it fair or foul.

In the clean up spot is Jason Castro, who is channeling Manny Ramirez with his dreads. He puts a spark into Dolly's "Travelin' Thru" and drives it into right for a single. His stroke reminds me of Paul Simon's swing. Of course, Simon never had the funky head sway Castro has. No one can explain why his head sways so. I suppose it's just Jason being Jason.

Carly Smithson is up next and she's looking more formidable than usual thanks to her tattoos. Dolly delivers an easy "Here You Come Again" and Smithson smacks it deep. This one has the distance. But wait! Before it leaves the park, Simon calls her out for poor wardrobe choice. Ouch!

Now it's the Little Leaguer's turn. David Archuleta steps into the box as a batboy runs from the dugout to place a T-Ball stand on home plate. Dolly carefully sets "Smoky Mountain Memories" on the stand and David gives it an emotional wallop, sending the song soaring in a beautiful arc towards short center field, which should be good enough for a single. But wait! All three umpires are rushing out. And... and... they're calling it a home run! I can't believe it! Well, there's something you don't see every day. Well, unless you watch Idol regularly.

So far, the Idols have managed to string together enough weak hits to bring the seventh singer of the inning to the plate. Kristy Lee Cook steps in. This should be a great at bat. Parton's pitches are right up her alley. Dolly throws "Coat of Many Colors" and this one should be out of the park, but oh, Kristy Lee hits it off the end of the bat. It reaches the right field warning track and dies for an easy out. So disappointing.

Up next is Syesha Mercado. She's taking a few practice swings as the grounds crew rolls a grand piano out to home plate. Syesha hops on the piano. Dolly looks in, reaches back, and hurls "I Will Always Love You". Syesha takes a mighty swing, but before she even makes contact, Randy invokes the Infield Diva Rule. That rule essentially states: "Any contestant who attempts to sing a song made famous by Whitney, Mariah, or Celine will be automatically out." Syesha is ordered off the piano and back to the dugout.

The last contestant to bat is Michael Johns. He settles into his singer's stance. But wait! Randy just called a strike on him for wearing a cravat! Another penalty for poor fashion sense. Johns looks a little unnerved, but he retakes his stance and Dolly pitches "It's All Wrong But It's All Right". I've never seen anybody take such a bluesy swing, but Johns manages to send the song sailing over the left field bleachers, proving he can handle more than just Queen. Thank goodness.

And with that, we leave the ballpark and return you to your computer. Tonight, I hope Ramiele, Kristy Lee, and Syesha are in the bottom three. If I repeat it enough times, it might come true. We'll see.

Song on my mind... "You're Gonna Miss This" by Trace Adkins

Before she knows it, she's a brand new bride
In her one-bedroom apartment, and her daddy stops by
He tells her it's a nice place
She says "It'll do for now."
Starts talking about babies and buying a house
Daddy shakes his head and says "Baby, just slow down."

Cause you're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

I first saw him perform this song during the live finale of Celebrity Apprentice. It was an unusually tender moment in an otherwise heartless show. I later heard the song three or four times on the radio over the weekend. (In some parts of California, country radio is the only radio around.)

Over the course of the show, I became a huge Adkins admirer. He was the quiet cowboy in the middle of the celebrity storm (which usually revolved around Omarosa, Piers Morgan, Stephen Baldwin, and that week's future firee).

He rarely spoke or showed emotion, but when he did, it seemed to matter more. The first time he spoke about his daughter (who is six and has severe food allergies), he spoke with a twinkle and a tear in his eye. His austerity gave way to fatherly pride and you could plainly see how much he loved his little girl. The moment was so real, I found myself swearing at the television because he had managed to get me choked up, too.

He was the nicest and most genuine person on the show. He was also one of the most competent and effective players. I was rooting for him to win, but when the competition came down to him and Piers, the obnoxious British judge from America's Got Talent, I had a bad feeling about things. Although everybody loved Trace (including Omarosa and Gene Simmons of all people), Trump declared Piers the winner. It was a disappointing and predictable end to a show Trump threatens will "be around for a long, long time".

By the way, you can watch the video here.

Another Idol hopeful will have his or her hopes crushed in just a few hours, but before that wonderful moment happens, let's relive last night's show. Because I don't have a DVR like a respectable recapper (or weecapper) should, I'm relying entirely on sketchy memories and a page of indecipherable notes.

After introducing the judges (Randy with his goatee, Paula with her black arm-length gloves, and Simon with his I don't know because I'm still bewildered by Paula's gloves), Ryan introduces the Top 10 and tells everybody the contestants will be singing songs from the year they were born. He does this all while walking behind the contestants, which makes it look as though he's playing a game of Duck, Duck, Goose.

First up is Ramiele (a.k.a. the Goose), who was born in 1987. She shares that she bit people as a toddler. Her mother clarifies that Ramiele outgrew biting people (something quite unique) and started singing (something less unique). She sings "Alone", the perfect song for showcasing her belting ability, but instead of belting it, she shout-screams it. Randy and Paula blame the rough performance on Ramiele's cold, but considering she hasn't been good when she's well, I doubt her health is the reason for her troubles.

Next up is Jason, the first of nine Ducks. During his clip, he tells us three things:

1. He was born in 1987.
2. It's his birthday.
3. People used to tell him he had "cute eyes".

I now wish he had only told us two things. He's singing Sting's "Fragile" and singing it pretty well. Or at least I'm hoping he is. It's hard to tell since his voice is barely audible. He appears to be trying to conserve energy. Maybe he's saving it for a big finish. Except the song's already finished and Randy's talking. And now Simon is telling him his guitar work was sloppy and Jason's mumbling something about how he should have maybe practiced more. Wait, what? This is American Idol! Your one chance to make it big! The only thing you should be doing (besides eating, sleeping, and promoting) is practicing! Happy Birthday, Jason. Now WAKE UP!

Syesha's clip reveals she, too, was born in 1987. It also reveals that she can cry like a baby - an actual baby, which is surprisingly creepy. She sings "If I Were Your Woman" and it sounds better than anything she has sung before, but I'm distracted by the crowd. During every performance, people have been waving their arms in the air like they just don't care. It's a bad habit and it needs to stop, except I know it won't. The judges love her performance and I'm sad because it means she'll be here for at least another week.

Chikezie finally breaks the 1987 streak by being born in 1985 (Go Chikezie!). His nice parents tell a nice story about their son. Then Chikezie sings a nice rendition of "If Only For One Night". The guy has a nice voice and it works well with ballads. Unfortunately, this one borders on boring. Simon says he misses Chikezie's personality, but based on last week's schizophrenic performance I wonder which of the six personalities he meant.

Brooke was born in 1983 and we learn she discovered her musical gifts at a young age. After hearing a song on the radio, she went to the family piano and started playing the song by ear. The story would almost be unbelievable if my sister, a gifted pianist, hadn't done the same thing when she was only four. Brooke sings "Every Breath You Take" by The Police. It seems like a strange song choice, but it works for the first minute, while it's only her on the piano. Then the band butts in and shatters the spell. Playing without Rickey Minor and the band might have been the downfall of Josiah Leming, but it's the key to Brooke's success.

Michael, the old man of the group, was born in 1978, which is perfect because it's the year Queen wrote "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions". He sings the living daylights out of the medley and I'm happy to see he's back, but my happiness is short-lived when I realize the only way he'll stay in the competition is if he sings Queen songs for the rest of the season.

Carly, who was born in 1983, tells us how she was named after Carly Simon, which destroys my theory that she was named after Carly Fiorina. I thought the story might segue into her singing a song by her namesake, but now that she's singing "Total Eclipse of the Heart", I guess I was wrong. She's trying hard to keep her voice under control and she's looking tense, like she has the hiccups and is trying to hold her breath. She succeeds until the last line, which sounds awful because she's singing, exhaling, and gasping for air all at the same time.

David Archuleta was born in - I cringe when I say this - 1990. His banter with Ryan is awkward and the subsequent clip doesn't help. He sings "You're the Voice" and it's so awful, it makes me wish he and Ryan would banter some more. It also makes me wonder, "Of all the great songs written in 1990, why couldn't he ruin one I recognize?" Watching him sing Wilson Phillips' "Hold On" could have been so much more entertaining, in Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle kind of way.

Kristy was born in 1984, which is the year Lee Greenwood wrote "God Bless the USA". So patriotic. So Fox. I have an instant flashback to the 80s, when I first saw Greenwood perform the song on a Bob Hope special, which I think was filmed on an aircraft carrier. While this is one of Kristy's best performances, it doesn't compare to the original.

In 1982, a kid with an abnormally huge head was born. Who knew that twenty-six years later his body would catch up (mostly) and he would be performing on American Idol? David Cook sings "Billie Jean", which would have been weird if it had been Michael Jackson's original version. Luckily, it's the version by Chris Cornell (of Soundgarden and Audioslave fame). It flows from slow and somber to sublime. The judges give him too much credit for being original and brave, but compared to his competition, he is original and brave. He's also smart for picking the right songs, or at least the right covers of songs.

Prediction: Carly and Chikezie won't be enjoying the comfort and safety of the couches tonight. While I wouldn't mind if both went home, I wouldn't shed a tear if Carly's hopes were crushed first.

Sometimes a second helping of something is one helping too many. When that something is The Beatles, that wouldn't seem possible, but that was the case last night on American Idol, as the remaining eleven contestants tackled songs by the Fab Four for the second week in a row.

Almost everybody had weaker performances. The few who improved only did better because their last performances were so bad, there was no practical way to be worse.

In honor of the continuing stock market unrest, let's run the American Idol ticker tape and see whose prices rose, fell, or remain unchanged after last night's episode.

Advances

Kristy Lee Cook - She performed a safe rendition of "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away", a marked improvement over last week's hoedown (which was nothing like the classic hoedowns on Whose Line Is It Anyway?). Shares of KLC nearly doubled in value from 4.00 to 8.00, despite Simon calling her "musical wallpaper" and "unmemorable, except when she's terrible".

David Archuleta - The Wunderkind rebounded this week with "The Long and Winding Road", which was no surprise. He excels at ballads. They allow him to show his sensitivity. He should stick with slow songs because anything with a fast beat or remotely resembling a rock song seems to overwhelm him. DA rose 10 points to close at 77.50.

Syesha Mercado - I almost didn't recognize her with her hair in such a subdued and stylish state. She sang "Yesterday", which showed her vulnerability. With the exception of one randomly belted line, I liked it. Simon praised her song choice, but then took it back by saying it was the song Brooke should have sung. Shares of YES finished unusually strong, considering the backhanded compliment, at 18.85.

Ramiele Malubay - After a string of rather disappointing performances, Ramiele bounced back with "I Should Have Known Better". The happy-go-lucky song finally allowed us to see what was missing the last few weeks: her great voice and personality. Shares of RAMA rose to 45.50, including a tiny bump because of her fashionable chapeau.

Unchanged

Amanda Overmyer - Every week, Amanda claims to sing a different song, but I swear it's the same one every time. Last night, she sang "Back in the U.S.S.R.". The Overmyerized version sounded exactly like last week's "You Can't Do That". How can somebody with so much energy be so boring? OVER ended the day unchanged at 22.52. Any potential dip in price was offset by her classic remark, "Ballads are boring."

David Cook - Simon called his performance of "Day Tripper" predictable. If by predictable, he meant Cook delivered another solid performance showcasing his vocal and musical abilities (including a nice riff using a talk box), then I completely agree. Except, I don't think he meant that at all. Any "predictability" or "smugness" was offset by Cook's use of the words "euphoric", "epitome", and "appreciative" during his interview. Shares of DC remained even at 85.00.

Declines

Michael Johns - I think Johns should let somebody else pick his songs. The songs he chooses would be great if they could be sung in their entirety, but contestants only get ninety seconds to perform, which means songs must undergo major reductive surgery to fit the allotted time. In the case of "A Day in the Life", Johns botched the job. Based on befuddled reactions by the judges, shares of MJ fell from 75.00 to 72.50.

Brooke White - Coming in, Brooke seemed doomed to disappoint, especially after last week's "Let It Be". Her rendition of "Here Comes the Sun" wasn't bad, but it wasn't blow-me-away good either. If she spent her remaining weeks performing with a guitar or piano, I'd be happy. She's in her element when she has an instrument. The price of BW dipped to 80.25 due to awkwardness during and after the performance (talking over the judges = not good).

Carly Smithson - I don't know what she was wearing, but it looked like a red blouse with a wreath of roses around her collar. The whole thing distracted me from her phone-it-in performance of "Blackbird". Simon called it self-indulgent, but Randy and Paula loved it. I don't know why, but I feel like they're trying to sell me a 10, when Carly is clearly a 7 (as evidenced by the new "7" tattoo on her right ring finger). Shares of CRPY fell to five points to 65.00.

Jason Castro - Castro is a likable guy. Admittedly, I like him more when he's performing with his guitar, because when he's without it, I tend to notice his goofiness. Of course, likable and goofy worked for a few past contestants (Taylor Hicks comes to mind), so maybe he's onto something. He sang "Michelle". His French was fine, but his pronunciation of Michelle (an exaggerated "mee-shell") made me laugh every time. DRLK dropped four points to finish at 69.00.

Chikezie - He tried to recapture last week's magic with "I've Seen a Face", but failed miserably. Actually, he was doing a decent job until he started playing the harmonica. Everything went downhill from there. It was a schizophrenic mess. As one of the judges said, it was like watching six different performances -- none of them good. CHKZ plummeted from 65.00 to 52.31.

Prediction

Amanda, Kristy Lee, and Chizekie will be in the bottom three. Horrified that she is still in the competition, America will send Kristy Lee home... finally... hopefully.

Thanks to Cinequest and the lack of a decent DVR, I missed all three days of American Idol last week, leaving my favorites high and dry, as the show narrowed the field of contestants to twelve. Luckily, America saved them and gave the boot to the singers who needed it most (by my estimation).

While appreciative of the nation's efforts, I felt I needed to do my part this week, so I made a point of being home to see the show live. An added incentive to watch came in the form of this week's musical theme: Lennon and McCartney.

The Beatles have always seemed to cause contestants trouble. One or two have managed to make their melodies shine, but most have only managed to mangle them. That pattern (or tradition) persisted tonight. Most performances were awful, but there were a few saving graces.

To help recap tonight's episode, I've divided the performances into three groups: awful, average, and awesome...

The Awful (or I Think My Ears Retreated into My Head):

Syesha Mercado - At her best, her singing is average, and tonight, she wasn't at her best. Her rendition of "Got to Get You Into My Life" was lackluster.

Ramiele Malubay - When The Beatles sang "In My Life", they made it sound tender and nostalgic. When Ramiele sang it, she made it sound monotonous. I like her, but every week, she keeps disappointing me. She can't seem to fulfill her potential.

David Hernandez - His rendition of "I Saw Her Standing There" was weak. His voice and presence didn't seem big enough for the song. Barring a voting snafu, he'll be the first guy voted off.

Kristy Lee Cook - She meant to sing a country version of "Eight Days A Week", but accidentally sang a Country Bear Jamboree version of it instead. She's going home tomorrow night.

David Archuleta - He rocked Lennon's "Imagine", but wrecked "We Can Work It Out". He didn't seem comfortable with the song and he forgot the lyrics. With any luck, he'll rebound next week.

The Average (or I Can Hear My Ears Snoring):

Jason Castro - Mr. Dreadlocks and Guitar sang "If I Fell". His performance wasn't awful, but it didn't blow me away either. It was frustrating to see because I like his voice and I like him. Plus, it felt like he was cheating on the high notes, at least until he went into his falsetto.

Carly Smithson - Every week, she performs well (or so say the judges), but something about her rubs me the wrong way. And maybe it was just me, but it seemed like she was shouting most of "Come Together".

Amanda Overmyer - Speaking of shouting, Amanda shout-sang "You Can't Do That". Surprisingly, I liked it, but compared to the other performances, it was only so-so.

Michael Johns - He didn't destroy "Across the Universe", but then again, he didn't send it soaring either. He, like Ramiele, showed amazing promise early on, and like her, he's been skating by on it.

The Awesome (or My Ears are in Love):

Chikezie - He delivered an amazing version of "She's a Woman". It was highly stylized and energizing. He owned that stage. It was possibly his best performance to date. Afterwards, Ryan spent seventeen minutes dancing around like a hyperactive child. He's the reason why the show took two hours.

David Cook - When he performs with his electric guitar, it's magical. Tonight, he went without the guitar, but still rocked "Eleanor Rigby". It wasn't his best performance, but it was the best performances of the night.

Brooke White - She played the piano while singing "Let It Be" and it was the perfect combination. Her whole vibe is one of sincerity and simplicity and allowing the piano to be her only accompaniment for most of the song worked. It was a brilliant move. I like her more every week. She and Cook (of the David variety) are my Final Two.

Tonight, two boys and two girls get the boot on American Idol. Before I get to who I want to leave and who I think will leave, I wanted to list my Top 4 from each group.

For the guys, my list looks like this...

4. Jason Castro - I would make a comment about his hair, but then I would have to make a comment about the hair of at least four other contestants. Let's just say he reminds me of a young John Travolta with dreadlocks. The judges let him play the guitar (that was a surprise) and he did a nice job with "Daydream" by the Lovin' Spoonful.

3. Robbie Carrico - He sang "One" by Three Dog Night and while he struggled with the higher notes, he gave it a nice spin. He's the rock version of Justin Timberlake.

2. Michael Johns - He's the Australian who ended the night with The Doors' "Light My Fire". I like his stage presence and confidence.

1. David Cook - He's another contestant with questionable hair, but his singing ability is unquestionable. He rocked The Turtles' "Happy Together". He's this season's Daughtry, if you believe in such things. I hope he makes it to the end.

A quick note about Davids: Besides Cook, there are two other contestants named David this year (Archuleta and Hernandez). It's a sign. I would like to believe it means American Idol is going to have its best season ever, but I fear it's just a harbinger of doom. A lot of people like Archuleta and while I like him, too, he isn't my favorite.

For the girls, my list looks like this...

4. Asia'h Epperson - After a stilted performance by Kady Malloy, Asia'h came out and knocked everybody out with her rendition of "Piece of My Heart" by Janis Joplin.

3. Syesha Mercado - Her happiness and energy is infectious. She sang "Tobacco Road". During the judges' critique, Paula tried to get her to say the word that was in the middle of her name ("yes"), as she had in Hollywood, and Syesha reluctantly complied.

2. Brook White - She also sang "Happy Together" by The Turtles. She had a much cleaner rendition of the song, but I liked it just the same.

1. Ramiele Malubay - She sang Dusty Springfield's "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" and she blew me away. While her voice was amazing, I was impressed by her hair. With so much product in it, her hairdo was tornado-proof.

Now, quickly, since the show is about to start, here are the four I want to leave.

For the guys, it would make me happy to see Jason "Generic" Yeager and Danny "Pucker" Noriega go home. While Yeager simply bored me, Noriega annoyed me. The only thing worse than his eye rolls were his lip puckers, which reminded me of Mick Jagger, another performer whose puckers I can't stand. He's obnoxious, arrogant, immature, and bound to make the Final 8.

Since both of them will be safe this week, Luke Menard, a.k.a. Orlando Bloom, and Garret Haley will be getting the boot. Menard was forgettable and Haley lacked stage presence.

For the girls, my opinion isn't as strong. If I had to choose, I would send Amy Davis and Kristy Lee Cook home. As for my prediction, I think Davis and Kady Malloy will get the boot.

Okay, enough Idol talk for this week. Time to write some comic strips while watching tonight's elimination episode.

Song on my mind... "Oxford Comma" by Vampire Weekend.

Why would you speak to me that way
Especially when I always said that I
Haven't got the words for you
All your diction dripping with disdain
Through the pain
I always tell the truth

Inspired by Elkit's Monday Music, I thought I'd share a song by a band I discovered only a few minutes ago while listening to Last.fm.

I love their throwback look and sound. I also dig their videos. One of my favorites is "A-Punk"...

I've watched the first two nights of this season's American Idol. Last night, they visited Philadelphia. Tonight, the held auditions in Dallas. In all, it has been four agonizing hours of bad singers, mixed in with a few average singers and one or two potential finalists.

Of everybody I've seen so far, no one has been as memorable as Renaldo Lapuz, the friendly and likable 44-year-old from Las Vegas. He finished tonight's episode with a heartfelt original song entitled "We're Brothers Forever". Moments after the show ended, his performance was already on YouTube. Check it out (I don't know how long it will be before it's yanked). If you want to get right to the song, skip to the 2:30 mark.

I am your brother
Your best friend forever
Singing the songs, the music that you love
We're brothers till the end of time
Together or not, you're always in my heart

According to Yosemite Blog, Badger Pass is opening tomorrow, which is exciting news. It means when we visit the park in another two weeks, I'll be able to snowshoe and possibly try my hand (and feet) at cross-country skiing. (I imagine myself gliding gracefully across the snow, but my imagination has a tendency to edit out the parts involving tripping or tipping over.)

Before this current weather system, I had been worried the winter areas would still be closed during our stay. Now I'm just hoping the snow takes a short break as 2007 comes to a close, so I won't have to drive through bad weather to reach the park.

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Russ, our local Winehiker, was recently featured on In Wine Country, a locally produced NBC show about the wine country lifestyle. Pretty awesome.

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Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.

With winter coming upon us this weekend, I found this quote by Henry David Thoreau uniquely appropriate.

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To the pedestrian in downtown San Jose, who decided to ignore oncoming traffic and stop in the middle of the crosswalk to dial her cell phone: I hope you were calling the Wizard of Oz because you are in obvious need of a brain. Seriously?

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Jonathan Coulton released "My Beige Bear" today. It's a brand new song about stuffed animals that's suitable for kids of all ages.

Mauve dog gets the bed just right
The pillow sinks down deep
Cream cow moos a soft good night
Now everyone's asleep
Indigo monkey's lying peacefully with arms around her
Next to a wise and kindly bear

My beige bear doesn't care that he's old
My beige bear still has four paws to hold
When it's dark and it's cold
I reach out for my beige bear

Dear Rain,

I'm writing to complain about your unexpected appearance last night and this morning.

Do you know why I'm mad?

It isn't that you showed up two days early or made my morning commute a mess. It isn't even that you drenched me as I walked to work.

It's not the water you dumped on my head; it's the music you put in my head.

All I can think about is that song by Rihanna (or Marié Digby, depending on whose version you like better). Not only do I have the melody looping through my brain, but every three-syllable word I hear or see automatically gets the special Umbrella Song Treatment.

December suddenly becomes December-ember-ember-e-e-e and peppermint becomes peppermint-ermint-ermint-i-i-i (the folks at Starbucks got a kick out of that one). And while it's mildly amusing the first time or two, it quickly becomes annoying-oying-oying-oy-oy-agh!

So, if you could please go away and just come back on Thursday. That should give me enough time to permanently extract the song and erect a mental firewall in my brain. Then you can drizzle or pour to you heart's content.

Thank you and happy holidays-ida#$%... (whew, that was a close one).

Sincerely,
David

Every once in a while, I like to see what search terms bring folks here. As is often the case, 9 out of every 10 visitors come here by accident. These poor people were led astray by the God of Search Engines (a.k.a. Google). Feeling partially responsible for their predicament, I believe it's necessary to redeem myself occasionally and get them back on the right track. As I did last time, I have kept the queries intact, but have changed the names and places to make this feel more like an informal question and answer session. To the queries...

Alexander B. from Scotland wonders, "what are those devices everyone is wearing on their ears little phones or mp3 players?"

Contrary to popular belief, Alexander, those little devices you see people wearing aren't for talking on the phone or for listening to music. While euphemistically referred to as Bluetooth technology, they are actually the latest in brain seepage prevention technology. If they don't wear it, things can get very messy, very fast. If you see somebody wearing such a device, remember, don't stare or make fun. The individual doesn't deserve your contempt, he or she deserves your sympathy and understanding.

Craig B. from Texas wants to know, "who hit robby thompson in the face with a pitch?"

This is an easy one, Craig. According to this article, the culprit who hit Robby Thompson and broke his cheekbone was Trevor Hoffman.

E. Robertson from Ontario wants to know, "how do i get rid of unwanted pictures in my shoebox".

Here are my Top 5 recommended ways of getting rid of unwanted pictures in a shoe box (mp3), in order of preference:

1. shredding
2. tossing
3. burning
4. burying
5. regifting

Diophantus of Alexandria queries, "shelby has eight fewer dimes than pennies and nineteen fewer dimes than nickels shelby has a total of $3.75 how many of each coin does she have?"

Diophantus, I'm not going to give you the final answer, although I'm sure it's out there on the web somewhere. Instead, I'll quickly walk you through how I would solve it...

1. First, I establish my variables: p for the number of pennies Shelby has, n for nickels, and d for dimes.

2. Next, I write my initial equation: .10d + .05n + .01p = 3.75.

3. Because it will be easier to solve for just one variable, I'm going to write p and n in terms of d. Shelby has eight fewer dimes than pennies. Therefore, p = d + 8. She also has nineteen fewer dimes than nickels (n = d + 19).

4. Substituting these back into the main equation, I get: .10d + .05(d + 19) + .01(d + 8) = 3.75.

5. Now all you need to do is simplify and solve for d and you'll know how many dimes Shelby has. From there, plug the number of dimes back into the two simpler equations and you'll get the number of pennies and nickels.

Carica P. from Mexico wants to know, "words that rhyme with papaya".

Carica, after a deep meditation session, here are my Top 5 words that rhyme with papaya...

1. jambalaya
2. Sanjaya
3. pariah
4. Mariah
5. conspire (with the right mispronunciation)

Garth B. from Oklahoma queries, "looking for a country song with the lyrics swing batta batta swing in it".

Garth, the song you're looking for is "Swing" by Trace Adkins. I wrote about it last year, but I'm afraid the links I included are nothing more than a memory. Luckily, the song's music video is still available on YouTube...

Diophantus, if you're still reading this, Shelby has 17 dimes. And this is why I wouldn't make a good math teacher.

Song on my mind... "Paralyzer" by Finger Eleven

Well I’m not paralyzed
But I seem to be struck by you
I wanna make you move
Because you’re standing still
If your body matches
What your eyes can do
You’ll probably move right through
Me on my way to you

The song has been around for a while, but my ears only took a liking to it in the last month or so. And just for fun, here is the music video the band posted on YouTube...

Inspired by Ze Frank's original song and Caroline's cover (embedded below)...

songs you already know: scared from Posalootly on Vimeo.

I thought I would try to produce my own cover of "Scared of Something". It isn't half as good as the other two versions, but it was a fun excuse to play around with Garage Band. It's a minimalist rendition and the result isn't as bad as I feared. I share it to show the powerful effect a positive message can have on somebody who typically never sings in public. After hearing it, you'll know why I'm no American Idol.

Here's an mp3 of it, just in case you aren't able to see the embedded file, and below are Ze's lyrics.

And this is the song that I sing when I'm scared of something,
I don't know why, but it helps me get over it.
The words of the song just move me along,
And somehow I get over it.

At least I don't suck at life,
I keep on trying despite.
At least I don't suck at life,
I keep on trying despite.

On Friday, I visited downtown San Jose to see the San Francisco Symphony perform in Plaza de Cesar Chavez at noon. It was a free concert and the park was packed with between 700 and 1,000 orchestra groupies (according to SiliconValley.com).

Benjamin Schwartz conducted the symphony through four pieces...

1. Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland
2. Short Ride in a Fast Machine by John Adams
3. Suite from Romeo and Juliet by Sergei Prokofiev
4. Cuban Overture by George Gershwin

They actually performed four pieces from Romeo and Juliet: the Introduction, Dance of the Knights (a.k.a. Montague and Capulets), Romeo and Juliet (Juliet's Bedroom), and the Finale (a.k.a. Death of Tybalt).

It was a fun and relaxing way to spend part of a Friday afternoon. I know it's San Francisco's symphony, but I hope they return soon. I also hope Symphony Silicon Valley (San Jose's orchestra) will jump on the wagon and put on their own outdoor concert.

While I was hiking to the top of North Dome a couple of weeks ago, I kept humming "The Way I Are" by Timbaland to keep any potential mountain lions at bay. Empirical data from the hike shows that the humming worked. As a small thank you to Timbaland (and Keri Hilson), a clip of their song accompanies the video I shot at the summit and embedded here for your amusement...

(Or, What Had Me Laughing and Bopping to the Beat Yesterday Morning)

Song on my mind... "Spring Love" by Stevie B

Springtime love is on my mind and I won't forget
The way we shared, the way we cared and I don't regret

When I heard this song, I had sudden flashbacks to artists like Jocelyn Enriquez ("Do You Miss Me?"), Angelina ("Release Me"), and Linear ("Sending All My Love") and a time when I listened to radio stations like Hot 97.7 and Wild 94.9 to hear something upbeat and repetitive. Freestyle was good studying music.

For your Friday enjoyment, here is the "Spring Love" music video I found on YouTube...

Song on my mind... "Ticks" by Brad Paisley

Hey that gives me an idea
Let's get out of this bar
Drive out into the country
And find a place to park.

'Cause I'd like to see you out in the moonlight
I'd like to kiss you way back in the sticks
I'd like to walk you through a field of wildflowers
And I'd like to check you for ticks.

On trips to Yosemite, after we've gotten tired of listening to the soundtracks from The Lord of the Rings (I keep forgetting to change the CDs kept in the car), we end up listening to a country station based out of Modesto. I can count on them to play a few amusing tunes, including the classic mentioned above.

It's now the song I hum when checking for ticks on a hike, while silently praying I don't find one.

Of course, if Mr. Paisley were to actually find a tick on the poor girl he took out to the country, I'm thinking that would kind of kill the mood. When you get right down to it, romance and ticks really don't mix.

Song on my mind... "The Story" by Brandi Carlile

All of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am
So many stories of where I've been
And how I got to where I am
But these stories don't mean anything
When you've got no one to tell them to
It's true...I was made for you

We saw her last night at San Jose's Music in the Park. She is one of those singers whose recorded voice doesn't do her justice. She put on such a good show, I'm tempted to pay to see her perform the next time she passes through.

If I had a chalkboard, I would write one-hundred times, "I shall not mention music I dislike in my journal". It's an unhealthy habit. Since I don't have a chalkboard, I will have to make amends some other way. To that end, I thought I would mention a song I like tremendously. It's Jonathan Coulton's "Octopus". He released it last week and it is the first original song he has shared since the end of his Thing-a-Week project nine months ago. If you haven't heard it yet, it's a catchy underwater break up song I think you'll enjoy.

I still remember the words you said
They were hard enough to leave a mark
And now they echo inside my head
As I spiral down into the dark
I windmill upside down
Knowing you’ll come at me again
And I feel your shadow pass above me

Octopus, some kind of octopus
Tearing my shell apart
Letting the sea get in
You make my insides outside

Song that has burrowed into my head like a giant tick... "Don't Matter" by Akon (song automatically starts)

Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you babe
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you babe
Cause we gon' fight
Oh yes we gon' fight
Believe we gon' fight
Fight for our right to love yeah

There more I despise it, the deeper it goes. Somebody needs to invent tweezers for extracting unwanted songs

Song on my mind... "Angel With an Attitude" by The Ditty Bops.

I got a chip on my shoulder
And a halo on my head
I'm an angel with an attitude
And my favorite color's red
I got God on my side
Who's that? Hell, I don't know
But I practice my religion
While I'm stepping on your toes
Goodness knows
I gave more than I took
Goodness knows
I ain't no saint, I ain't no crook

I wouldn't have heard of them if Bon Ton hadn't mentioned them. They have a sound that is old and new at the same time and I love their instrumentation and harmonies.

On a hunch, I checked to see if they had performed on A Prairie Home Companion and was delighted to discover they had two years ago.

Song on my mind... "Thou Shalt Always Kill" by Dan Le Sac Vs. Scroobious Pip. They also have a MySpace page, but I didn't want it to be the first place I linked.

When I say “Hey” thou shalt not say “Ho”.
When I say “Hip” thou shalt not say “Hop”.
When I say "he say, she say, we say, make some noise" - kill me.
Thou shalt not quote me happy.
Thou shalt not shake it like a polaroid picture.
Thou shalt not wish your girlfriend was a freak like me.

I've been listening to this tongue-in-cheek song repeatedly ever since I read about it on Metafilter last week. It's wickedly funny. If you need a good laugh, they released the music video on YouTube.

I just saw the Alanis Morissette video parody of "My Humps" by The Black Eyed Peas (BEP). If you haven't heard the original Grammy-winning song (or seen the video), you might want to watch it to gain some context before viewing Alanis's send up.

The video is hilarious because Alanis not only mocks BEP and their silly song, but she also pokes fun at her sometimes overwrought and serious style (remember "Everything"?). From what I can gather, she recorded the song and video as an April Fools' Day joke. It's pure genius.

Update:

I just read the comments on YouTube and Perez Hilton. It seemed most people understood that she did it all in good fun, but as with every joke, there were a few who just didn't get it. They didn't find the video funny. Rather, they saw it as a personal attack on Fergie.

Feeling their music idol had been pwned, the Fergian Brigade charged in to defend her. They threw all sorts of insults at Alanis. Some called her whiny and ugly. Others called her jealous and a has-been.

Some claimed she had no right to skewer the stupidity of a BEP song since she had written "Ironic", a song they consider stupid because it doesn't contain irony like they expected to... (Isn't it iro...? Forget it.)

Anyway, a few members of the brigade claimed Alanis completely missed the point of "My Humps". The song was tongue-in-cheek to begin with, they said. It was originally written as a joke. This argument made me pause.

The more I think about it, the more I wonder if I'm the one who doesn't get it. Obviously, any song that refers to humps, lady lumps, and junk inside your trunk was never meant to be taken seriously. And thinking about the BEP video again, clearly, anybody dressing the way they do isn't trying to be cool. They're obviously aiming for laughs.

Wait, I just had an epiphany. Every BEP song I've ever heard must have been a joke. I thought they had been mere ear candy, but they are actually self-aware songs filled with social commentary encrypted in mindless rap lyrics (Let's get retarded. Ha! / Let's get retarded in here!). Their videos aren't simply eye candy. They're really anti-youth culture statements full of symbolism hidden in hand signs and interpretive bump and grind dance moves.

This point of view sheds a whole new light on other mainstream pop hits. Fergie's "London Bridge", Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend", and Beyonce's "Irreplaceable" (To the left / To the left / Everything you own in the box to the left) suddenly make sense. They're bad and dumb on purpose, and they aren't reflecting the culture, but mocking it.

Wow, this is a mind blowing. I'm going to have to let this all sink in. Forget what I said about Alanis's video being pure genius. It's mean-spirited idiocy. I thought I got it before, but now I really get it and I'm glad I'm not one of those who just don't get it.

Update #2:

Please ignore the previous update. When I miss an episode of American Idol, I become extremely susceptible to stupid arguments. The Alanis video is classic.

(a.k.a. High on a Hill With the Lonely Goatheard... Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo)

American Idol is down to the final ten contestants, which is a long way from the thousands we started with weeks ago. That should mean only the good singers are left and for the most part that's true (except for maybe one, but I won't mention names or words that rhyme with those names (like papaya)).

Anyway, this week, the contestants got the opportunity to work with the legendary platinum blonde yodeler Gwen Stefani.

I got home late last night and missed the beginning of the show, so I have no idea how LaKisha did, but let's assume she blew everybody away. She has a great voice, but she isn't one of my favorites. I predict, though, that she'll be in the final four.

Chris Sligh let me down. He sang "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic". The guy can sing, he just can't seem to sing with the music. Maybe he needs to try singing a cappella. Give the band a break while he does his thing. That might help. His personality (and hair) might pull him through this week, but I fear he'll be in the bottom three.

Gina Glocksen rocked with "I'll Stand By You". She's my favorite female performer, but I don't know if she has the fan base to make it into the final four. Maybe the top five if she continues to improve.

Sanjaya was the next to perform. I think he sang. I don't really remember since I was too busy scrambling around the house looking for my camera to take a picture of his fauxhawk.

I give the guy (whose name coincidentally rhymes with jambalaya) props for having the most innovative hairstyles every week. He's untouchable in that department. I was almost tempted to vote for him just to see what wondrous things he would do to his locks next week. Almost.

Next up was Haley. I don't remember what she sang, but I do remember Simon saying her performance was forgettable, so I don't feel so bad. I also remember Paula calling her a pretty girl, which is Paula's way of telling somebody she didn't do so well. Haley will be in the bottom three.

Phil "Daniel Powter" Stacey sang Sting's "Every Breath You Take". I don't particularly like his voice, but he did an amazing job with the song. It will be enough to keep him in the competition another week.

Melinda delivered yet another strong performance. If she isn't in the final four (or final two for that matter), I'll be shocked and disappointed. She is all energy and charisma on stage when she sings. It's a joy to watch.

Blake sang The Cure's "Love Song". A couple of weeks ago, the judges criticized him for trying too hard to give a song his own twist and I was afraid he would do it again, especially since this was a slower song. Fortunately, he remained true to the music and pulled off the best performance of any of the guys. Paula called him the dark horse of the competition and I have him in my final four.

Jordin sang No Doubt's "Hey Baby". As Randy would say, "The whole thing was weird for me." I didn't get the arrangement or the vocals. I know Gwen praised her before the performance for "adding musicality to the song", but I wonder if she was actually cringing during the performance. Jordin will be in the bottom three.

Last up was Chris "Timberlake" Richardson. He sang another No Doubt hit, "Don't Speak". It was okay, but nothing special. I actually wish he would sing a Maroon 5 song. His voice and range would be perfect for "She Will Be Loved". I think he's safe this week, but don't expect him to be around much longer.

Tonight is the results show. Gwen will yodel, Ryan will stretch thirty seconds of material out to thirty minutes, and we'll say goodbye to Jordin.

Song on my mind... "Down to Earth" by Barenaked Ladies

Some people are just all show
I don't mind that if the show is worth watching
But it's all bark, and no tree
What's more ironic than a hippie in Versace?
It's all peace and love and limousines
You've got the right message but the wrong intentions
How can you be touchy-feely when you've lost touch?
I think it's time we had a little intervention with you

Hey now, wake up
And lose the makeup

She makes you want to know her
When you don't know what it's worth
Now you really want to show her
How she's just so down to earth
Via satellite

This morning, the folks on one of the local radio shows were talking about the young woman who has been on a hunger strike in an effort to eliminate Sanjaya from American Idol. While anyone can see it's an urgent cause du jour with greater consequences than poisoned pet food, the Alberto Gonzalez attorney firing flap, the crisis in Darfur, and global warming combined, I don't think voluntary starvation is the proper course of action here, especially when everyone knows how grueling and fatiguing constant (and simultaneous) redialing and text messaging can be over a two-hour, post-Idol period. I think she's in need of a new strategy; either that or an intervention because I don't think she can survive eight more weeks without food.

Ed Robertson from the Barenaked Ladies posted nearly twenty music videos on YouTube in a series known as The Bathroom Sessions. They aren't your typical MTV-style videos. It's just Ed playing his acoustic guitar and singing in front of a camera in his bathroom (a very nice bathroom).

A majority of the songs are from the band's last two albums, but there are a few others thrown in. They're rough and low budget, but fantastic. I can't get enough of them. They remind me why I dig BNL's music and Ed's voice.

I especially like the last video in the series. Since Steve can't get Ed out of the bathroom, he joins him on "Some Fantastic"...

Song on my mind... "Slavonic Dance No. 7 in c minor (Skocná), Op. 46" by Antonín Dvořák

It's a much catchier tune than the name implies. I heard it on KDFC yesterday while carpooling to work. The song is a little over three minutes in length and it's one of eight pieces that make up Dvořák 's Slavonic Dances, Opus 46, the work that brought the composer to prominence.

With the weather so nice this week, I've wanted to relocate my cubicle to one of the nearby parks. It wouldn't be that difficult in theory. My chair is on wheels. I don't need much surface space. I'm sure I could find rocks to keep any papers and files from blowing away. The only trouble I might run into is with the computer tower and 18" CRT monitor. They aren't really made to be lugged around. Plus, I would need one long extension cord to power everything. This is when having a laptop as a workstation would come in handy.

I found the following Calvin & Hobbes text on my PDA that I had forgotten to post...

Calvin: Popular culture isn't to blame for selling twisted values. Movies, records and TV shows reflect the reality of our times. Artists depict hatred and violence because that's what they see.
Hobbes: Why don't they see things of beauty and value?
Calvin: Because boring stuff doesn't sell.
Hobbes: Such vision and integrity.
Calvin: There's nothing like a good gunfight to uplift the spirit.

Before yesterday's episode of The Show with Ze Frank, I had never heard of Jonathan Coulton. It features the two men performing acoustic versions of a few of the songs Ze wrote over the course of his show, which began last March and ends next week.

Coulton puts me in mind of They Might Be Giants or Weird Al (his original pieces) - well-written songs with hummable melodies and funny lyrics.

For a year, starting in September 2005, Coulton wrote and recorded a song weekly as part of his Thing a Week project. I've only listened to a few of them so far, but the ones I've heard are inspired. I especially like "Code Monkey", "Kenesaw Mountain Landis", and "Tom Cruise Crazy"...

Tom Cruise is so in love with Katie
At least all his people tell him so
And while he thinks that she’s a very special lady
It’s probably not the way he’d choose to go
And a lifetime of longing looks would cause too much distraction
Good thing that he’s not gay anymore

Tom Cruise is Tom Cruise crazy
Just be glad it’s him not you
If you had Tom Cruise’s troubles
You might be Tom Cruise crazy too

If you need cheering up or want something to make you smile, treat yourself to one of his songs. The ones I mentioned above are good places to start.

If you want something more serious and inspirational, I suggest listening to "A Talk With George". It's my favorite Coulton song and my favorite song about George Plimpton ever. I especially like the last two verses...

Enjoy yourself, do the things that matter
Cause there isn’t time and space to do it all
Love the things you try, drink a cocktail wear a tie
Show a little grace if you should fall

Don’t live another day unless you make it count
There’s someone else that you’re supposed to be
There’s something deep inside of you that still wants out
And shame on you if you don’t set it free.

This week's tentative theme is "guilty pleasures". American Idol falls in that category, as does Chris Daughtry's "It's Not Over".

This season's A.I. is down to the Top 24, which means the real competition begins next week. The guys perform on Tuesday; the girls perform on Wednesday.

I'm rooting for Paul Kim. He's a local boy from Saratoga, California. What's more, 8 Asians claims he's the anti-William Hung.

By the way, if you haven't seen the previous strips, they've been corralled into one convenient Flickr set for your viewing enjoyment.

The first time I saw Jake Shimabukuro play the ukulele was four years ago on a PBS special. He was performing with The Makaha Sons.

I remember being extremely impressed with his mastery of the instrument and his lightening fast fingers. I also remember having the toughest time pronouncing his last name.

A year later, I bought a ukulele in Hawai'i and attempted to learn how to play it. It was a disaster. Give me a piano and my fingers have no trouble running across the keys. Give me a ukulele and my fingers trip and stumble over every string and fret. The frustrating experience made me appreciate Jake's skills even more.

Around that same time, I remember searching music stores for his albums, but I could never find a copy for less than $20, which was discouraging.

Every once in a while, he would pop up on television, blow me away, and inspire me to try my hand at the ukulele again. Usually, though, my hand would refuse to relive the humiliation. Actually, both hands would refuse, but that's not important.

I hadn't heard or seen Shimabukuro play for while, but yesterday, a video of him appeared on the Yahoo! front page. The video is from a year ago and it shows him playing an astounding rendition of George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"...

After watching it, I stumbled across what I consider a more amazing performance. In the following video, Jake plays a song called "Let's Dance"...

According to his site, he'll be performing in San Francisco and Monterey next weekend. I've been longing to hear some live Hawaiian music, so I'm very tempted to buy tickets just to see him play.

Every year, Rich challenges folks to create an end-of-the-year mix CD consisting of songs representing their year in music. Many accepted his challenge and a group of them met just a few days ago to swap CDs. A few posted their playlists, including Rich, who is the master with three mixes.

Inspired by their efforts, I made my own mix. You should know it's smaller and features more mainstream artists than the mixes I linked to above. This is because most of what I listen to is still radio-fed. I want to change that this year. I want a broader (if not better) musical experience in 2007.

What follows is the track listing of my 2006 mix with a note about each song. For a short time, you can grab a copy of the mix (zip file with mp3s) for your listening pleasure. The mix includes:

1. "Fanfare For The Common Man" by Aaron Copland: Last year, I rediscovered Copland and since Time's Person of the Year was you (and me, too, I suppose), this triumphant and hopeful song seemed appropriate to kick off the mix.

2. "Into the Ocean" by Blue October: This song has grown to become my favorite on their album. A sad message wrapped in a happy melody.

3. "Trouble Sleeping" by Corinne Bailey Rae: I like Rae's soothing, laidback sound. When I listen to it, I think of a leisurely bike ride in the country on a sunny day, which leads nicely into the next track…

4. "Another Sunny Day" by Belle and Sebastian: I love the song's imagery. You've got the attic window looking out on the cathedral / And on a Sunday evening bells ring out in the dusk

5. "Under The Weather" by K.T. Tunstall: Most people know her faster songs, but I prefer her slower, softer tunes.

6. "Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)" by The Decemberists: A love story of a Civil War soldier and the girl he left behind told in a song. Great subject and sound.

7. "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley: The most addictive song of 2006. I don't know what else to say about it.

8. "Bank Job" by Barenaked Ladies: The group's trademark humor comes through in this song about a robbery gone wrong from the point of view of the getaway driver.

9. "Crystal Ball" by Keane: An uplifting anthem by one of my favorite bands.

10. "Whatever You Want" by Vienna Teng: It's a song that stuck in my head the first time I heard it. It echoes how I feel at times.

11. "You Could Be Happy" by Snow Patrol: When I listen to this song, I imagine someone finding a jewelry music box in an empty house, opening the box, and being overcome by memories and emotions as the music plays and the ballerina turns slowly.

12. "Pancreas" by Weird Al Yankovic: I liked his entire album, but finally chose this song because it's a tribute and send-up of Brian Wilson's masterpiece, Smile.

13. "Linus and Lucy" by Vince Guaraldi Trio: As with Copland, I rediscovered Guaraldi last year. I included it because this was the song I listened to in December and I wanted to finish this mix on a joyful note.

When I was a kid, my parents owned a huge, pale green station wagon. Before my dad traded in his Ford Maverick for a Chrysler Caravan, the station wagon was the family car and we would all pile into it whenever we visited my mom's parents in Santa Cruz or went on road trips.

What I remember most about that car (besides the fact that it was huge, pale green, and a station wagon) is that it had an eight-track tape deck. As soon as we lost radio reception, my mom would play one of three tapes she kept in the glove compartment: ABBA - Gold: Greatest Hits, Go West by Village People, or Grease - The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.

For most of my childhood, I grew up believing my parents only owned three tapes. It wasn't until much later that I discovered the tapes in the car were just my mom's half of the collection. My dad's half was kept tucked away in a bookcase drawer in the living room. He had more than four dozen tapes by artists like Gladys Knight and the Pips, The Temptations, The Association, and The Lettermen.

To this day, I don't know why we never listened to my dad's tapes (in retrospect, I wish we had), but what I do know is that as a result, my mom's half of the collection had a monopoly on the car tape deck. And because of that, I have a love-hate relationship with the music and artists from those three albums.

Whenever I hear "In the Navy", I'm simultaneously drawn to it because of the happy car trip memories it recalls, but also repulsed by it because of the sheer number of times I've now heard the song in my life. It partially explains why I was tempted to buy The ABBA Generation by A*Teens when it first came out, but vehemently dislike Madonna's "Hung Up", which borrows heavily from the group's "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!". It also begins to explain why I've been watching the BBC-produced Grease: You're The One That I Want on television after so many years of actively avoiding anything related to the musical or the movie.

For those who don't know, the show is an American Idol imitation, but instead of choosing who will be the next Idol, America gets to choose who will play the lead roles of Sandy and Danny in an upcoming Broadway production of Grease.

There is nothing extraordinary about the show to merit watching it every week other than the fact that the music is so ingrained in me that it almost seems as though I would be denying who I am if I didn't watch it.

Okay, that's not true, but that's the line of reasoning I'm going to use the next time someone gives me a disapproving look when I mention the show. It's your typical blame-the-parents defense and it fits perfectly with one of my favorite quotes from A Mighty Wind: "There was abuse in my family, but it was mostly musical in nature."

Last night was a two-hour episode of the show. After three weeks of hearing David Ian, the obligatory British judge on three-judge panel, tell contestants, "You [long pause] are not Sandy/Danny" or "You [longer pause] are the one that we want", the field of contestants has been narrowed down to fourteen finalists - seven Sandys and seven Dannys. From this point forward, the Sandy and Danny receiving the least number of votes each week is eliminated.

Right now, I'm rooting for Max (nicknamed "Slacker Danny"). He seems to be the underdog of the bunch. He has the talent, especially the vocal talent, but the judges keep harping on his looks. Of the women, none of them really stand out, but if I were to root for one, I would probably go with Ashley S. ("Ballerina Sandy") because her dance experience sets her apart.

Song on my mind... "Never My Love" by The Association

You ask me if there'll come a time
When I grow tired of you
Never my love, never my love

You wonder if this heart of mine
Will lose its desire for you
Never my love, never my love

What makes you think love will end
When you know that my whole life depends
On you

Never my love, never my love

You say you fear I'll change my mind
I won't require you
Never my love, never my love

How can you think love will end
When I've asked you to spend your whole life
With me

Song on my mind... "Rainy Days and Mondays" by The Carpenters

Hanging around
Nothing to do but frown
Rainy days and Mondays always get me down

It isn't Monday yet, but that didn't keep the song from sneaking in my left ear and making itself at home in my head. It slipped in while I was observing the darkening morning sky and thinking about how nice it would be to hang out and read somewhere dry and warm on a rainy day. (This is the danger of installing a pet idea door. It's great for letting your favorite thoughts come and go as they please, but every so often an unwanted stray wanders through.)

I spent the day at San Jose Market Center and Santana Row in San Jose. I was your typical flâneur, merrily café-hopping from Panera Bread to Starbucks to Peet's Coffee, reading and drinking coffee with abandon (I was too absorbed in my book to notice if it was reckless or not). I call today's activity Aggressive Loafing. Done properly, it is taxing on the body, which is why I took a break after midday for some nourishment at L & L and another one late in the afternoon for a stroll along the Row.

After an entire day of Aggressive Loafing, I was exhausted. The drive home sapped the last of my strength and I barely had enough energy to crawl to my favorite recliner for a nap.

Another November day is nearing its end and I'm a little closer to reaching the 50,000-word milestone. I wrote today's installment in a Starbucks on the east side of San Jose.

I think it's safe to say the coffee chain's Christmas conversion is complete. It has been for the past two weeks, but today was the first day I was immersed in it.

The sight of my red cup with white-silhouetted figures gathered for a holiday feast got my eyes in the spirit of the season. The smell of my peppermint mocha got my nose in the mood. The taste of the drink got my tongue in the swing of things. My fingertips were too busy typing to care much about the holidays. Only my ears felt left out in the cold by the store's festivities for the senses.

To stop their whining, I bought them the soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas to listen to while I typed. They've always been suckers for Vince Guaraldi. By the end of the first track ("O Tannenbaum"), they had settled down enough for me to write in peace and reach my daily quota.

David Armand is one of four members of The Hollow Men, a sketch comedy group with their own show on Comedy Central. One of Armand's creations is a character named Johann Lippowitz, an interpretive dancer from Austria. I wanted to thank figure/field for pointing out this hilarious video of Lippowitz's interpretation of Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn" that he performed at Amnesty International's Secret Policeman's Ball. The dance is a crack up and brilliant.

Song on my mind... "Hands Open" by Snow Patrol

It's not as easy as willing it all to be right
Got to be more than hoping it's right
I want to hear you laugh like you really mean it
Collapse into me tired with joy

I can't verify it, but I believe some of my best writing occurs when I'm listening to music. To help me this November, I've been listening almost exclusively to Snow Patrol, Corinne Bailey Rae and Haydn. The three combined create a mellow soundtrack that I can listen to for hours without tiring or getting distracted.

Song my mind... "Polkarama!" by Weird Al

His polkas are accordian-intensive medleys, musical snapshots, capturing the pop music landscape of the day. His latest polka is like a distilled version of a Now That's What I Call Music! album, but with more oom-pah. Just for my own handy reference, the artists and songs featured in "Polkarama!" include (to the best of my knowledge):

• Black Eyed Peas - "Let's Get It Started"
• Franz Ferdinand - "Take Me Out"
• Weezer - "Beverly Hills"
• Coldplay - "Speed of Sound"
• Modest Mouse - "Float On"
• Gorillaz - "Feel Good"
• Pussycat Dolls - "Don't Cha"
• The Killers - "Somebody Told Me"
• 50 Cent - "Candy Shop"
• Snoop Dogg - "Drop It Like It's Hot"
• Rihanna - "Pon De Replay"
• Kanye West - "Gold Digger"

Because I had so much fun making the first video, I made a second one just for laughs. I apologize ahead time, knowing full well that what I present will likely offend anyone with a sense of taste. It will likely also offend anyone with eyes or ears. If that happens to be you, I'm sorry. Of course, I could simply call this Art and thumb my nose at an unappreciative public that simply "doesn't get me", but I think I need a minimum of three videos to qualify as a Misunderstood Artist. Once again, enjoy!

The embedded video you see below is my experiment with iMovie and GarageBand. I took a clip I shot at the top of Alta Peak, added sound effects and assembled a jingle to go with it. I say assemble because all I really did was take various drum, bass and banjo loops and piece them together into one fine mess. Enjoy!

Song on my mind... "Dead Man's Will" by Iron and Wine / Calexico from the In The Reins EP.

Give this ring to my lover
I was scared and stupid not to ask
For her hand long before

May my love reach you all
I lost it in myself and buried it too long
Now that I come to fall
Please say it's not too late
Now that I'm dead and gone

I'm bringing sexy back

It's Monday again, but on the upside, it's the first Monday of autumn. Soon, there will come cooler weather, fall colors and soft rains.

On Friday, I watched Eight Below and survived. Of course, some of the less trusting folks out there might be thinking, "Oh, sure, you quote unquote watched it, but what does that really mean? For all we know, you could have had it playing on the television while you stared at the ceiling and hummed "SexyBack" over and over again."

While I have no witnesses to vouch to the contrary, I can only give you my word that I didn't zone out and sing a Justin Timberlake tune while the film was on. And no, I didn't watch it while napping, reading or surfing the web. I sat on the couch with my eyes open and focused on the movie, which wasn't half as bad as I thought it would be.

Take 'em to the chorus

The snow-covered vistas captured on film were incredible and the sled dogs did a fine job of acting. Anyone who has a soft spot for dogs (or pets in general, like cats or kinkajous) will likely find himself or herself drawn to the dogs' plight and the protagonist's quest to rescue them.

The human acting left something to be desired, but I thought the one bright spot in the cast was Bruce Greenwood. He's been in numerous television shows and movies, but I'll always remember him as Thomas Veil from a short-lived show that aired a decade ago called Nowhere Man. The show's first (and only) season is available on DVD and is now at the top of my queue.

With the excitement of Eight Below out of the way, I can now return my regular television viewing.

Go ahead, be gone with it

If you're in need of something to make you laugh, Weird Al can help. Two days ago, he released a hilarious music video on YouTube. The song is "White and Nerdy" and is a parody of Chamillionaire's "Ridin'". The cameos are classic and I especially like the scene where he pays for a "special" video tape (watch for yourself).

Shopping online for deals on some writable media
I edit Wikipedia
I memorized Holy Grail really well
I can recite it right now and have you ROTFLOL

I got a business doing websites
When my friends need some code, who do they call?
I do HTML for 'em all
Even made a homepage for my dog

Song on my mind... "Hate Me" by Blue October

Hate me today
Hate me tomorrow
Hate me for all the things I didn't do for you
Hate me in ways
Yeah, ways hard to swallow
Hate me so you can finally see what's good for you

Those who've been tuning in for the past month may have noticed that I've had quite a few songs on my mind recently - "Whatever You Want", "Steady, As She Goes", "Don't Download This Song", "Crazy". I'm not sure what has brought about this fresh bounty of catchy tunes, but I'm not complaining. It's just amusing to see them all jostling for position as the song on my mind.

It's a bit like watching twenty teenagers crammed into an antique phone booth, trying to be the one to make a call. Blue October's Justin Furstenfeld finally squeezed past Weird Al (ingloriously flattening his face against the glass) and grabbed the receiver from The Raconteur's Jack White (a relatively easy task since Jack barely had a three-finger hold on it).

Anyway, I've been listening to their latest album (a b-day gift) almost constantly. Besides their fated to be overplayed single, I also like "You Make Me Smile", "Into the Ocean" and "Let it Go".

It's hard to believe that it's been over three years since I saw Blue October perform live at San Jose's Music in the Park. They're actually back in the area this weekend to play at Alice's Now and Zen Fest. I won't be able to catch them this time around, but maybe I will the next time their tour passes through.

Song on my mind... "Whatever You Want" by Vienna Teng

Whatever you want
Whatever you want
Whatever you want is fine by me

Whatever you say
Whatever you say
I'll do what you ask me
I'll do what you ask me
Whatever you say
Whatever you say
But do you know who's listening?

Her new album, Dreaming Through the Noise, recently came out, but I still haven't gotten it. I will at some point; I'm just not sure when.

It's the same story with Snow Patrol's Eyes Open. Speaking of which, the other day, I saw the video for "Chasing Cars". It's a pretty standard video as long you overlook the fact that the lead singer sings most of the song laying down. And it seems he isn't very choosy about where he lays - on a bed, on leaves, in the middle of a wet road.

Actually, as the video progressed, I went from saying, "That's a bit odd," to exclaiming, "He isn't going to lay there, is he?" Now, whenever I hear the song, wherever I may be, I immediately envision him nearby, horizontal and singing.

As I drove home from last night's blogger gathering at Barefoot Coffee Roasters, I heard the catchy "Steady, As She Goes" by The Raconteurs for the first time. Now I can't get the song out of my head. (Of course, it doesn't help that I keep replaying the song from their site.)

Find yourself a girl and settle down
Live a simple life in a quiet town

Steady as she goes (steady as she goes)
Steady as she goes (steady as she goes)
So steady as she goes

Your friends have shown a kink in the single life
You've had too much to think, now you need a wife

Steady as she goes (steady as she goes)
So steady as she goes (steady as she goes)

Well here we go again
You've found yourself a friend that knows you well
But no matter what you do
You'll always feel as though you tripped and fell

So steady as she goes

On Tuesday, I watched Celebrity Duets, Simon Cowell's latest televised talent show. It's the singing version of Dancing with the Stars.

The show begins with eight celebrities. Every week, they perform duets with various "music legends" and every week, one celebrity gets the boot.

Most of the duets were mediocre, two were superb (both involving Gladys Knight) and the rest were so awful they kept me hooked, hoping to see something worse.

Wayne Brady is the host and I admit he's the reason I watched. He is one of the few hosts that could actually win the show if he were competing instead of hosting. If the producers are smart, they'll give him a chance to sing before the show is over.

Like every other talent show on television, Duets has a panel of three judges. It's an unwritten reality television rule that every panel must have a grumpy British judge, a generic technique judge and a loony, possibly drunk, possibly medicated judge. Duets doesn't stray far from the formula with David Foster, Marie Osmond and Little Richard.

True, Foster is American, but he is undeniably grumpy. Osmond fits her role perfectly with vague observations about pitch and "relatability", which my dictionary says isn't an actual word. Following in the footsteps of American Idol's Paula Abdul and So You Think You Can Dance's Mary Murphy (who began using her hand as a puppet in the last few episodes), Little Richard sets the new standard for all future loony, possible drunk, possibly medicated judges.

Instead of describing his style of judging and for the sake of coherency, let me give you a paraphrased example. After Hal Sparks and Gladys Knight finished singing "I Heard it Through the Grapevine", Little Richard said something to the effect of, "Grapevine, grapevine. Oh yes, I heard it. I heard it in Georgia, where Gladys and I both grew up. Oh yes. My my my. Through the grapevine. Oh my. Oh yes. How I heard it! My my my."

If you missed the season premiere, there's no need to fret. Fox is showing a repeat tonight. It's your chance to see Lucy Lawless belt with Michael Bolton, Cheech Marin rock with Peter Frampton and Chris Jericho, the prettiest wrestler I've ever seen, sing a ballad with Lee Ann Womack. On the other hand, the second showing could be your chance to miss it again and stick it to reality television.

Song on my mind... "Don't Download This Song" by Weird Al

Once in a while maybe you will feel the urge
To break international copyright law
By downloading mp3s from file-sharing sites
Like Morpheus or Grokster or Limewire or KaZaA
But deep in your heart you know the guilt would drive you mad
And the shame would leave a permanent scar
'Cause you start out stealing songs, and then you're robbing liquor stores
And selling crack and running over school kids with your car

So don't download this song
The record store's where you belong
Go and buy the CD like you know that you should
Oh, don't download this song

Song on my mind... "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley (song starts playing automatically)

I remember when
I remember, I remember when I lost my mind
There was something so pleasant about that place
Even your emotions have an echo and so much space

And when you're out there
Well, out there, yeah, I was out of touch
But it wasn't because I didn't know enough
I just knew too much

Does that make me crazy?
Does that make me crazy?
Does that make me crazy?
Possibly

This past weekend, San Jose held its second annual Grand Prix. The streets of downtown were closed to let eighteen professional champ car drivers zip through the heart of the city. On race day (Sunday), I could hear the roar of engines all the way from south San Jose.

Competing against zippy racecars was the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival. Although I didn't attend, I could smell the "festivities" from Highway 101. Thankfully, I couldn't hear the singing from Garlic Idol, a new contest they held this year.

Because I dislike the crowds, noise and odor they generate, I usually avoid both events and have actually discovered that it's better to experience them from a distance, usually a distance measured in miles. It's what I like to call remote enjoyment.

So, this past weekend, we stayed away from San Jose and Gilroy and visited Carmel instead. We chose Carmel because we heard celebrities were attending Rupert Murdoch's conference in neighboring Pebble Beach and we thought there might be a chance of catching a glimpse of Bono or Arnold Schwarzenegger or Nicole Kidman or the Clintons around town, if they happened to tire of mingling on the links and decided to escape to Carmel's art galleries instead.

Okay, not really. We were actually there to attend Carmel's Bach Festival. Although, I must admit that it tickled my brain to think I might cross paths with Tony Blair or Al Gore if they happened to like classical music.

Anyway, it was foggy and muggy all day Saturday. There was so much moisture in the air that if I had a bottle of shampoo on me, I could have washed and rinsed my hair in the time it took to walk from the car to the cafe. As it was, I had to wipe down my glasses twice just to see where I was going.

We luckily found seating under an awning at the cafe to shield us from the mist and keep our books from growing damp. After finishing a salad, sandwich and cafe au lait, we wandered around a little before settling down in another cafe (across the street from the first one) for more coffee. The previous sentence covers about three hours of real time, just in case I gave anybody the impression that I was chugging coffee non-stop.

For dinner, we tried a restaurant called Sushi Heaven, which is located on Dolores, between 7th and 8th Streets. The sashimi was mouth-watering, the service was swift (even with a full house) and the prices were cheap by Carmel standards (or moderate by "real world" standards).

Afterwards, we walked a block over to the Sunset Center to listen to some music. Before every main concert, the festival offers a free twenty-minute concert, known as Tower Music, which showcases a brass sextet performing in the outdoor courtyard. Because of the misty conditions, the festival organizers moved the concert inside for the evening.

With the festival being called the Bach Festival, one would think most of the music performed (if not all of it) would be from J.S. Bach's vast body of work, but that wasn't the case. In fact, only two of the seven weekly concerts featured his music and even then, he had to share top billing with Mozart and Handel. It's almost as though the planners were intentionally trying to diss Bach at his own festival. Even the music played during the free concert wasn't written or inspired by Bach. Instead, we heard pieces by Ottorino Respighi.

Afterwards, we purchased tickets for Tuesday night's concert called Encountering Mozart - The "Aha!" Concert (aha!, not a-ha), which highlighted Mozart's music to honor his 250th birthday.

Jumping ahead to Tuesday evening, we drove to Carmel after work and dined at La Dolce Vita, a small Italian restaurant less than a block away from the Sunset Center. The food was so-so, the service was slow (they seemed to forget about us after serving the main course) and the prices were moderate by Carmel standards.

We arrived at the theatre about fifteen minutes before the concert began. I bought a souvenir program for five dollars and then we took our seats in the balcony, which isn't very far from the stage because the hall is cozy (read "not very big, but in a good way").

The program was a combination of arias (from Idomeneo, The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni) and symphonies (No. 36, 40 and 41). In between pieces, a narrator read selected letters Mozart wrote to his father and friends. The orchestra was small (roughly thirty members), but filled the hall with spirited music. The singers were also amazing. The standouts didn't shy away from letting their personality and humor show through, which added a sense of joy to their performance.

Carmel's Bach Festival is a three-week event that began July 15 and ends August 5 (this Saturday). So, if you're interested in listening to wonderful classical music by composers other than Bach, you still have two days to do so. As for me, I can't wait for the festival to return next year.

My sister pointed me to the following YouTube video yesterday. It's the alternative Pearl orientation video the Hanso Foundation didn't want you to see. This is perfect if you need a good laugh and a Lost fix to start your week.

Song on my mind... "My Cubicle" (a parody of "You're Beautiful") by somebody who sounds a lot like James Blunt. It's been on the web for a while, but you can find the song in a couple of places, if you want to hear it for yourself. It's a great laugh for those who know what it's like to be one of the cube crowd. Weird Al has his own parody of Blunt's ubiquitous song. It's called "You're Pitiful" and it's hilarious, too.

My job is stupid
My day's a bore
Inside this office
From eight to four

Well, nothing ever happens
My life is pretty bland
Pretending that I'm working
Pray I don't get canned

My cubicle
My cubicle
It's one of sixty-two
It's my small space
In a crowded place
Just a six by six board booth
And I hate it
That's the truth

Well, I give a sigh
As the boss walks by
No one ever talks to me
Or looks me in the eye
And I really should work, but instead
I just sit here and surf the internet

In, my cubicle
My cubicle
It doesn't have a view
It's my small space
In a crowded place
I sit in solitude
And sometimes
I sit here nude

There were only two baristas working behind the counter at the busy Starbucks I visited this morning. Although they were rushing around, they were smiling. Their disposition was so cheerful, it worried me. It seemed unnatural, as though I had entered The Outer Limits.

Busy baristas aren't supposed to be happy. They're supposed to be impersonal and rude. They aren't supposed to say your name with a smile and a thank you. They're supposed to shout your name, avoid eye contact and start the next drink. I've seen it enough times to know how these things work.

So when I saw the happy baristas, I immediately knew something was wrong. I tried to determine the cause of their suspicious behavior, but couldn't place my finger on it until I took a moment to listen to the music playing in the background.

It was Tony Bennett. He was singing “The Way You Look Tonight”, an old standard that never fails to lift my spirits. I love playing it on the piano, something I regrettably don’t make time for these days.

It was obvious the crooner had charmed the baristas with his velvet voice. My only hope was that his spell would last until I left the coffee shop. Luckily, it did. I barely made it out the door with my grande caramel macchiato when the song ended.

Of course, their happiness may have been due to it being Friday, but that seems like such a dull reason. I would much rather believe it was due to the music.

Some day, when I'm awfully low,
When the world is cold,
I will feel a glow just thinking of you,
And the way you look tonight.

Song on my mind... "Celebrity" by Brad Paisley

Someday I'm gonna be famous, do I have talent, well no
These days you don't really need it thanks to reality shows
Can't wait to date a supermodel, can't wait to sue my dad
Can't wait to wreck a Ferrari on my way to rehab

I'll get to cry to Barbara Walters when things don't go my way
And I'll get community service no matter which law I break
I'll make the supermarket tabloids, they'll write some awful stuff
But the more they run my name down the more my price goes up

'Cause when you're a celebrity
It's adios reality
No matter what you do
People think you're cool
Just 'cause you're on TV
I can fall in and out of love
Have marriages that barely last a month
When they go down the drain
I'll blame it on the fame
And say it's just so tough
Being a celebrity

I caught him singing it at the end of The Today Show and thought it was the most hilarious song.

Song on my mind... "Universe and U" by K.T. Tunstall

A fire burns
Water comes
You cool me down
When I'm cold inside
You are warm and bright
You know you are so good for me
With your child's eyes
You are more than you seem
You see into space
I see in your face
The places you've been
The things you have learned
They sit with you so beautifully

They played the song in the background, during last night's season finale of Grey's Anatomy, as Dr. Shepherd and Dr. Webber sat in a dark hospital room - their accidentally mutual sanctuary - and tried to gain perspective on their respective situations. Since I don't want to ruin it for those who may have saved the episode on their TiVos to watch later, I'll be cryptic and say that flawed characters are frustrating (especially when I'm rooting for them and they do dumb things), but I still love them. Every good story needs them for tension and resolution. Last night's finale delivered plenty of the former that will need the latter next season.

A Quick Aside: The other song that caught my ear came at the end of the show. For the life of me, it sounded like Snow Patrol. I visited their site and learned it was "Chasing Cars", one of the songs on the album they just released last week.

I recently purchased Tunstall's album, Eye to the Telescope. It currently shares the honor of My New Favorite CD with Daniel Powter's self-titled album. Tunstall's record came out two years ago in the U.K., but I only became aware of it recently because radio stations have "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" in heavy rotation and Katharine McPhee sang it not too long ago on American Idol. I still think it's funny that some Idol fans believed the song was a McPhee original.

Her performance of "Black Horse" withers when compared to the recording of K.T.'s live performance when she visited NPR a few months ago. I believe her MySpace site also has a video of one of her performances.

Instead of having a band support her, she supports herself with the help of looping machine. She presses a pedal with her foot to start recording, taps her guitar for a few beats and presses the pedal again to stop recording and start the loop. Then, with a good sense of timing, she repeats those steps with a tambourine, a hand clap, some short guitar melodies and some vocal harmonies.

The whole process takes about forty seconds. It's fascinating to hear the creation of each layer of sound and listen as they come together to form the familiar shape of the song right before one's ears. Perhaps it is merely a stage gimmick, but I think it shows she has more musical aptitude than your typical pop star or Idol finalist.

Besides "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree", my other favorite tracks include "The Other Side of the World", "Under the Weather", "Silent Sea", "False Alarm" and "Suddenly I See". That is half of the album, which makes it worth the money in my eyes.

You know there's no need to hide away
You know I tell the truth
We are just the same
I can feel everything you do
Hear everything you say
Even when you're miles away
'Cause I am me, the universe and you

Swing batta batta,
Swing batta batta,
Swing batta batta,
Swing!

Those are the lyrics to the chorus of Trace Adkins' "Swing", his new country song about men picking up women using baseball metaphors. Because of its references to the game, somebody thought it would be a great marketing idea to release the song on MLB.com before releasing it on the radio. It isn't a bad idea because I know I wouldn't have heard of it and wouldn't be writing about it now if Adkins had released it through traditional media.

As for the song itself, it flows in the same vein as most of my favorite country songs. It's corny, yet catchy. It's tongue-in-cheek fun that follows in the footsteps "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk", the only other Adkins song I can think of at the moment.

I really dislike the previous paragraph, but I'll keep it in to benchmark the standard that all lazy writers should strive for in their own writings.

Anyway, "Swing" is one of those songs that I would secretly tap my foot to and sing along with in private, but would adamantly deny liking if asked in public. I would also deny attempting to perfect my imitation of the song's opening line, "Take me out to the ballgame." Although, I must admit that I nearly have Adkins' distinct baritone drawl down.

Test Question: What was the significance of the Erie Canal?
Calvin's Response: In the cosmic sense, probably nil.
Calvin: We "big picture" people rarely become historians.

When I read this morning's Calvin and Hobbes (originally published on this day, eleven years ago), I thought somebody was playing a practical joke on me because I just happened to finish reading a book about the Erie Canal late last night. Coincidence? I don't think so. Obviously, Bill Watterson drew the strip knowing that Peter L. Bernstein would write Wedding of the Waters ten years later and that I would come across the book at the library a year after that, read it and complete it this week.

The construction of the original Erie Canal in New York took eight years and seven million dollars to complete. The 363-mile manmade waterway connected the Hudson River with Lake Erie (and the Mississippi River beyond that). When it opened in 1825, it not only revolutionized New York's economy, but America's economy as well. It was a catalyst for westward expansion and international trade. Considering the tools and technology available at the time, the Erie Canal was an engineering marvel and is one of the most impressive public works projects in American history.

I remember learning about the Erie Canal in the fifth grade. The memory is quite clear because I remember the teacher playing the piano and having us sing an old folk song called "Low Bridge, Everybody Down". As I recall, the teacher was very fond of playing the piano and increasing our appreciation of music. Her classroom must have been one of the few in the school that actually had an instrument in it. Anyway, the first verse was always my favorite part of the song.

I've got a mule, and her name is Sal,
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal.
She's a good ol' worker an' a good ol' pal,
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal.
We've hauled some barges in our day,
Filled with lumber, coal, and hay,
And we know every inch of the way
From Albany to Buffalo.

Song on my mind... "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter (note: song plays automatically)

Well you need a blue-sky holiday
The point is they laugh at what you say
And I don't need no carryin' on

You had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day

On Sunday, I was listening to the radio and heard this song for the first time. When it finished, I switched stations and heard it again. It grew on me right away and brought a smile to my face. With today being another gray-sky day, the latest in a gray-sky month, Powter's uplifting melody is the perfect blue-sky holiday.

Whenever we attend a symphony concert in San Francisco, we usually arrive in the city around thirty minutes before the show. It allows us just enough time to park the car, walk to the music hall and find our seats. It also tends to stress me out since I end up feeling rushed. It's a silly thing to stress about, but it's true. Anyway, I promised myself the next time we went to the symphony that we would do something different. We would arrive early.

The next time turned out to be last Friday. To ensure we had plenty of time to spare before the 6:30 concert, we arrived in the city nearly two hours beforehand. I was so proud of myself that I would have been content to stand in front of Davies Symphony Hall for an hour or so, marveling at how early we were, but M thought we might make better use of our time finding somewhere to eat.

Fortunately, I had already scouted out a dining possibility on the web, so we didn't have to wander aimlessly for food. Instead, we ventured two blocks west of Davies to a little Italian restaurant called Caffe Delle Stelle.

When we reached it, there was already a line of five or six patrons waiting for the doors to open. Promptly at 5:00, they did. Although we didn't have reservations, we were seated, something I'm most thankful for since Plan B involved searching for a Burger King on Market Street. "It's still early enough in the evening," the host said before she showed us to our table.

The food and service at Caffe Delle Stelle were excellent. The staff was quick, but courteous, and obviously accustomed to the symphony-dining crowd. We were in and out of there within an hour without ever feeling hurried. Afterwards, we strolled over to the music hall.

The evening's program was part of San Francisco Symphony's Friday 6.5 Series. It featured Haydn's The Storm, his Symphony No. 96 (Miracle) and Mozart's Coronation Mass. They are two of my favorite composers, so their pairing was perfect.

What made the performance even better was that Martin Haselböck, the conductor, gave a short introduction before each piece, offering insights about the music and the composers. At one point, he joked that in Mozart's day, people loved music so much that they didn't attend services for the sermon, but for the music the composer wrote for the services.

He also mentioned Vienna a number of times, which made me long to visit it (and Salzburg) again. He said the city had 52 orchestras and that one could attend a concert every night of the week if he or she wanted. My biggest regret was never attending a symphony performance while we were in Austria. I hope to return to correct that one day, hopefully with an evening of Haydn and Mozart.

Song on my mind... "The New Year" by Death Cab for Cutie

I wish the world was flat like the old days
And I could travel just by folding a map
No more airplanes or speed trains or freeway
There'd be no distance that could hold us back

Okay, I know it's March, but in my defense, this song has been playing in my head (not continuously) since the start of the new year when I first listened to it.

This weekend, I:

> finished watching Gettysburg. This was a big feat only because the movie was over four hours long. The film, based on Michael Shaara's novel, The Killer Angels, which I've yet to read, was made in the early nineties and starred Martin Sheen (General Lee), Tom Berenger (General Longstreet), Sam Elliot (General Buford) and Jeff Daniels (Colonel Chamberlain).

Shot on location at Gettysburg National Military Park, it featured thousands of Civil War re-enactors and dozens of artillery pieces. Between relatively bloodless battle scenes, I felt like I was watching a Greek drama with heroes delivering emotional monologues or philosophizing on the battlefield. That element of the movie I can forgive only because the film strove for and achieved authenticity in every other respect, especially when it came to facial hair.

Of the many men waxing poetic, Buford moved me the most. An excerpt of his "speech", as he stood on the outskirts of town the day before the battle and observed the Confederates approaching, is at the end of this entry.

> watched part of Super Bowl XL. I missed the first half, but caught the half-time show and most of the second half. With no real interest in either team, it didn't matter to me if Seattle or Pittsburgh won. Because I'll soon forget, Pittsburgh prevailed 21-10 and the quarterbacks were Hasselbeck (Seahawks) and Roethlisberger (Steelers).

The Rolling Stones were the much-hyped half-time performers. The most impressive thing about their act was the stage, which was in the shape of their logo (the big lips with the big tongue hanging out) and surrounded by hundreds of screaming fans. During their first song, "Start Me Up", the tongue rippled until it finally fell away to reveal more screaming fans underneath.

I've never been much of a Stones fan. I'm sure they are great musicians and performers, but I just don't find them or their songs very likable. Considering that football's biggest event was happening in Detroit, I would have rather listened to the sounds of Motown.

The best commercial I saw was a MasterCard spot featuring Richard Dean Anderson reprising his role as (Angus) MacGyver. The closing scene of him at the grocery store buying tube socks, paper clips and chewing gum and stuffing them in his pockets was classic.

> finished reading C.S. Lewis: A Biography by A.N. Wilson. I read this book because of my renewed interest in the author since the release of the Narnia movie.

The film rekindled the battle between those who wish to deify Lewis and those who wish to demonize him. Instead of listening to either side, I hunted for an unbiased biography. Wilson presents Lewis in a fair light, revealing his strengths and weaknesses, providing the reader with a realistic picture of the man.

Lewis was a brilliant literary critic whose theological writings were most powerful and accessible when rooted in allegory and imagination. At the same time, he was an inferior poet (his first professional aspiration) and philosopher (his second) who could see the talent of others, but was blind to his own.

The most surprising thing I learned about Lewis was his thirty-plus-year relationship with a woman twenty-seven years his senior, who he claimed was his adopted mother, but was most likely his lover. My favorite (and probably the most famous) story is the one concerning Lewis' late night walk through Oxford with J.R.R. Tolkien and Hugo Dyson, which eventually led to the writer's conversion to Christianity.

> finished reading Der Ring des Nibelungen by Richard Wagner (translated by Andrew Porter). One of Lewis' childhood influences was Wagner, specifically his Ring operas, which were inspired by Nordic and Germanic mythology. Normally, I actively avoid anything related to opera, but once I read the basic storyline, my curiosity led me to read the English translation of the German libretto (in book form) and listen to the first two operas (Das Rheingold and Die Walk�re) in the four-opera cycle.

Although I'm still not a fan of operatic singing, I must admit that Wagner has me hooked. I'm blown away by his prodigious array of leitmotifs to represent characters, places and themes. I'm also taken with his effective, if sometimes excessive, use of alliteration (Stabreim), which I learned from one of the essays was a very old German form of rhyming.

While I was intrigued by the story's underlying mythology, I was most struck by some of the similarities between it and Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien didn't come anywhere close to plagiarizing Wagner, but one can tell that he was aware and likely influenced by the German composer. With a quick search, I was able to find a great New Yorker article comparing the two sagas.

"Meade will finally attack, if he can coordinate the army. Straight up the hillside, out in the open... in that gorgeous field of fire. We will charge valiantly and be butchered valiantly. And afterward, men in tall hats and gold watch fobs will thump their chests... and say what a brave charge it was. Devin, I've led a soldier's life... and I've never seen anything as brutally clear as this. It's as if I can actually see the blue troops in one long bloody moment... going up the long slope to the stony top... as if it were already done... and already a memory. An odd, set... stony quality to it. As if tomorrow has already happened and there's nothing you can do about it"
- Sam Elliot as Brigadier General John Buford

Song on my mind... "Recycled Air" by The Postal Service

I take a breath
Pull the air until there's nothing left...

I watch the patchwork farms
Slow fade to the ocean's arms
Calm down, release your cares
The stale taste of recycled air

Then he said to the man at the bus stop, "And that's why flamingos only dance the samba."

Sorry, I just wanted to see what it would be like to stumble into the middle of a journal entry the same way I stumble into the middle of conversations. What I really meant to post was my Top 5 favorite Christmas songs:

• "O Holy Night"
• "The First Noel"
• "Winter Wonderland"
• "Jingle Bells" (The Barenaked Ladies or Bing Crosby version)
• "Little Saint Nick"

Today, I'm wearing my navy blue Rob Thomas concert t-shirt under my white, black and blue plaid button-down shirt because I'm a rebel like that. Admittedly, a very mainstream and uncool rebel, but a rebel nonetheless. A rebel can also wear khaki slacks and black steel-toed boots, can't he?

Anyway, I'm wearing the shirt because M and I went see the lead singer of Matchbox Twenty perform at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland last night. I feel it's important to mention the shirt more than once because I shelled out $30 for it and any article of clothing that expensive better come with bragging rights or at least a guarantee to last thirty years.

Getting to the venue was easy. We parked in Fremont, rode BART to the 19th Street station and exited on 20th Street and Broadway, across from the theater. I didn't pay much attention to its exterior, but its interior was stunning. I loved the simple, streamlined look of the art deco design. The only aspect I didn't like was the carpeting, which was too dark and cluttered for my taste.

Anna Nalick was the opening act. I'm told she performed nearly every song from her CD, including "Breathe", the only song I really recognized. She was barefoot and liked to twirl around in her blue flowing skirt. She had a strong voice and great rapport with the audience. At one point, she noticed a woman holding up a cell phone, letting her friend listen to the show. In between songs, Anna asked for the phone and chatted with the fan right there on stage. The classic moment came when she said, "Well, I have to go. I'm kind of in the middle of something."

Thomas started just after nine and I knew it was going to be a great show right away. There were flashing lights, screeching guitars, pounding drums and enough bass to shake the theater and liquefy my innards. I now firmly believe that if live music doesn't make you feel like your lungs are collapsing and your ears are retreating into your head, then the artist isn't doing his or her job.

Despite feeling overpowered by the amplified instruments, the show was excellent. Thomas had such energy and presence throughout the night, but I thought he was at his best during the encore, when he mellowed out and sang "Leave" and "Push" with only his acoustic guitar as accompaniment. He's the type of singer that sounds almost exactly like he does on his albums, which is a good thing. What you hear is what you get.

He wore black pants, shiny black boots and a faded black t-shirt. When he sang, he often tapped his chest with his free hand. When he was done, he sometimes scratched behind his right ear. Why I remember this, I don't know. He would also cough right before or after every song, which makes me worry that his smoking will eventually catch up with him and ruin his ability to sing.

He performed at least one song from each of the Matchbox Twenty albums and omitted only two songs from his solo album. I don't recall his set in exact order, but these were the songs he played:

• 3 AM
• Push
• If You're Gone
• Leave
• The Difference
• This is How a Heart Breaks
• Lonely No More
• Ever the Same
• I Am an Illusion
• When the Heartache Ends
• Something To Be
• Problem Girl
• Fallin' to Pieces
• My, My, My
• Streetcorner Symphony
• Not Just a Woman
• You Know Me
• Let's Dance (a David Bowie cover)
• Smooth

The only other thing I wanted to mention was the audience. For the most part, everybody was considerate, enjoying the music in ways that didn't ruin the experience for others, but there were a few that had no concept of common courtesy. I'm all for people dancing to the music, but if the dancing is going to block everybody else's view, it's plain rude, as is using cell phones, using camera phones, kicking the chairs of those using camera phones and telling off the ushers asking you to stop dancing.

Anyway, to summarize: the theater was splendid, Anna and Rob were great and I'm an uncool rebel with an expensive t-shirt.

Song on my mind... "Don't Talk" by The Beach Boys

I can hear so much in your sighs
And I can see so much in your eyes
There are words we both could say
But don't talk, put your head on my shoulder

Come close, close your eyes and be still
Don't talk, take my hand and let me hear your heart beat

Being here with you feels so right
We could live forever tonight
Lets not think about tomorrow
And don't talk put your head on my shoulder

Come close, close your eyes and be still
Don't talk, take my hand and listen to my heart beat
Listen, listen, listen

Song on my mind... "To Make You Feel My Love" by Billy Joel

When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love

When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love

There are days when I wallow in the waters of self-pity that have flooded the basement of my mind. On such days, I'm thankful for songs that help drain the negative feelings, that act as a musical sump pump so I can deal with the source of the emotions and try to repair the damage. Music only provides a temporary relief, but it's a welcome relief.

Song on my mind... "Make Your Own Kind of Music" by The Mamas And The Papas

Nobody can tell ya
There's only one song worth singing
They may try and sell ya
Cause it hangs them up
To see someone like you

You gotta make your own kind of music
Sing your own special song
Make your own kind of music
Even if nobody else sings along

Two episodes into its second season and Lost doesn't seem to have lost any momentum or mystery. As the show answers old questions, it asks new ones that are as intriguing as the ones that had me hooked last year.

I think one of the keys of the show is its sense of pacing. The writers have a difficult task of maintaining mystery while maintaining interest. When should they introduce or resolve certain issues? How much should they reveal? For me, they aren't always successful. There are times when I wish they would move faster, but I don't know if it's because they're slow or I'm impatient. All I know is that I can't get the song from the premiere out of my head.

Song on repeat... "The Race Is On" by Sawyer Brown

One day I ventured in love never once suspectin' what the final result would be
And how I lived in fear of waking up each morning finding that you're gone from me
There's ache and pain in my heart for today was the one that I hated to face
Somebody new came up to win her and I came out in second place

Now the race is on and here comes pride in the backstretch
Heartache's goin' to the inside
My tears are holdin' back
They're tryin' not to fall
My hearts out of the runnin'
True love's scratched for another's sake
The race is on and it looks like heartache's
And the winner loses all

Song on my mind... "Night Drive" by The All-American Rejects

Take me
Break me
Every mile further there�s a part of me that slips away
One day
You'll see
Even if you got down on your knees you couldn't make me stay

Drive all night
Never gonna get me
Night by night
To get away from it all
Fight fight fight
All you wanna do is hurt me
You wrecked my life
So I'm gonna have to drive all night

Last week, I began shaking the music from their new album through my audio sieves to separate out the songs into ones I loathe, tolerate, like and love. Like your typical soil sieve, it took some time and a number of passes to achieve proper gradation. I have this nasty tendency of loving everything I hear the first few times. That leaning is probably due to the underlying hope that I paid good money for good music. I try not to dismiss anything as tolerable or loathsome without giving it a fair shake.

Anyway, "Night Drive" came out as one of the songs I love. The lyrics are laughable, but they express the way I've felt on certain days. The melody is rather monotonous, but the energy and beat are exhilarating. It's in standard time with a long-long-short-short-long drum rhythm. They throw in handclaps during the intro and bridge to give the jam a rally song feel. It reminded me of "Crash and Burn" by The Bangles or the beginning of "I So Hate Consequences" by Relient K.

Song on my mind� "My Paper Heart" by The All-American Rejects

Summertime, the nights they are so long.
The leaves fall down, and so do I into the arms of a friend.
Winter nights. My bedside is cold, for I am gone.
And spring blossoms you to me.

Their self-titled debut came out two years ago and it's one of the few albums I can listen to repeatedly from beginning to end. The band has a knack for writing upbeat sad songs. I've been waiting for them to come out with new material for a while and the wait is nearly over. Their second album, Move Along, hits physical and virtual shelves tomorrow. Maybe they'll surprise me with some upbeat happy songs this time around.

When I'm up with the sunrise
I want more than just blue skies
I want more than just okay

I open my eyes and another day is under way. I can't stop staring at the sky. It's as though Thomas Kinkade painted the clouds this morning. They're aglow.

If there was a map of life, I'd unfold it, circle the places I wanted to visit, highlight the most scenic route, call up that somebody and say, "Would you like to take a road trip with me?"

The temptation to see The Movie on the day of its release grows stronger. A midnight screening seems less ridiculous by the hour. Of course, the prospect of having to get up early for work the next morning will likely prevent me from being impulsive. Besides, my lightsaber won't be fully charged by then.

Last night's season finale of The Bachelor was disappointing. The latest bachelor presented the final woman with a "promise" ring and the line, "I'll be the best boyfriend ever." The lack of commitment confuzzled me. I thought the original concept behind the show was for the man to end up on bended knee, hold out a ginormous diamond ring and propose. Perhaps they should just change the name to The Boyfriend next season.

I've been listening to Weezer's latest album almost every day since it came out last week. "Beverly Hills" is the single on the radio, but it isn't my favorite track. That honor currently goes to "Perfect Situation", a song that just happens to have a baseball reference.

What's the deal with my brain?
Why am I so obviously insane?
In a perfect situation,
I let love down the drain
There's the pitch, slow and straight
All I have to do is swing
And I'm a hero
But I'm a zero

Song on my mind... "Ever the Same" by Rob Thomas

just let me hold you while you're falling apart
just let me hold you so we both fall down

fall on me tell me everything you want me to be
forever with you
forever in me
ever the same
call on me
i'll be there for you and you'll be there for me
forever it's you
forever in me
ever the same

you may need me there
to carry all your weight
but you're no burden i assure
you tide me over
with a warmth i'll not forget
but i can only give you love

The office has been hectic this week. I took Monday off and that's the only thing preventing me from making a break for the sunshine. All I have to do is survive until Captain Saturday comes to the rescue. But before he and his sidekick, Sunday Boy, arrive in the Weekendmobile, I thought I'd quickly review last weekend's highlights.

Last Saturday evening, I attended a South Valley Symphony concert. They perform primarily in Gilroy, at Gavilan College, but for one night, they played at the Advent Lutheran Church in Morgan Hill. The orchestra is about thirty instruments strong and all of the musicians are volunteers, which is neat. It isn't the same experience as seeing the San Francisco Symphony perform at Davies Symphony Hall, but it has its own charm.

The music director and conductor, Henry Mollicone, led the orchestra, which performed three pieces:

1. Concert Waltz #1 by Glazunov
2. Violin Concerto by Sibelius
3. Symphony #4 "The Tragic" by Schubert

Admittedly, I wasn't familiar with any of the pieces and the only composer I recognized was Schubert. Despite the lack of name recognition, I liked the first two pieces more than the third. The waltz was lively and drew the audience in for the violin concerto, which was dark, tragic and featured Dale King, the solo violinist, who was brilliant. Because of the small venue, he stood no more than twenty feet away from us. Actually, all of the musicians were so close that it felt like we were in the orchestra pit with them.

During intermission, instead of paying eight dollars for a glass of wine, like we would in San Francisco, we paid two dollars for bottled water and Reese's Pieces. Thinking about it makes me laugh. I enjoyed the small-town symphony experience.

On Sunday, after dim sum (which I refuse to give up no matter what they say), I took my dad to see Sahara. It was the second half of his birthday gift. The first half was the book the movie was based on. I gave that to him back in February, much closer to his birthday. Clive Cussler is one his favorite authors and I thought he'd get a kick out of seeing Dirk Pitt on the big screen.

The film itself was entertaining. It made no sense whatsoever, but was action-packed, dumb and funny. It's one of those movies where the hero just happens to be wherever he needs to be just in the nick of time or manages to escape certain death at the very last second, multiple times. What's hilarious about Dirk is that in his attempt to save the girl and the world, the girl ends up saving him and his trusty sidekick saves the world.

Steve Zahn, who played the sidekick, Al Giordino, cracked me up. He greeted everybody with a "Hi, how ya doin'?" Of course, he was usually greeting bad guys, so he'd follow that up with punch to the noggin.

On Monday, we drove down to Fresno. Did you know that Fresno State has a farm and a rodeo? That was news to me. The campus is huge, but most of its acreage is lawns and parking lots. When we arrived, we stopped at Uncle Harry's New York Bagelry and Coffeehouse. I had espresso and a chocolate-chocolate chip bagel, which was delicious. Before we left, we dropped in again for toasted sandwiches. With Yosemite and Kings Canyon National Parks so close, we were tempted to make a run for the woods, but the voice of reason and responsibility prevailed and we made our way home.

That was about it. This weekend will be shorter, but I hope to cram as much excitement and relaxation into it as possible without things oozing out the sides. Okay Captain Saturday, anytime you want to rescue me...

Now would be good.

Or now...

Please?

Song on my mind... "Enough to Go By" by Vienna Teng

I've built a lot of castles
built a lot of blazing speed-of-light machines
but it doesn't matter, you know
they all crumble in the winds of change
so I turned back to breathing
I learned a few good reasons to cry
and I finally called home
praying you weren't out of range

carry the weight
I'll carry the weight of you, I swear
carry the weight
I'll carry the weight of you

Every now and then, I find myself returning to a certain album and playing my favorite tracks repeatedly. When I came back to Waking Hour, which I took out of circulation to prevent it from being completely worn out, I programmed the player to run through eight of the thirteen tracks. After a few cycles, I found myself repeating and listening to "Enough to Go By" more often than the others.

I don't know what it is about the song that had me gravitating towards it. Perhaps there was something in the words or melody that I needed to hear. Maybe it said something that I've been trying to express lately. I can't really say. All I know is that I was drawn to it.

I sometimes believe that we crave certain songs for the same reasons we crave certain foods. Our bodies know what they need and while they don�t always know the most efficient way to get it, they usually point us in the right direction. And if they can't do that, they at least point us to the nearest gallon of ice cream.

Sometimes we come back to the same song and we hear it differently. If we're lucky, we may even come to understand it more deeply. It's as Vienna said in another song...

this is the same place, love
no not the same place we've been before

Song on my mind... "Time in a Bottle" by Jim Croce

If I had a box just for wishes
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty
Except for the memory
Of how they were answered by you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
I've looked around enough to know
That you're the one I want to go
Through time with

On April 19th, Rob Thomas, the lead singer of Matchbox Twenty, will debut his solo album, Something to Be. While driving around town the other day, one of the radio stations played "Lonely No More", his first single. It's sounds like classic Thomas, which is another way of saying that it sounds good. I'm eager to hear the rest of the album when it comes out.

What if I was good to you?
What if you were good to me?
What if I could hold you till I feel you move inside of me?
What if it was paradise?
What if we were symphonies?
What if I gave all my life to find some way to stand beside you?

Before falling asleep last night, I diligently programmed the VCR to tape Late Night with Conan O'Brien. They Might Be Giants were scheduled to perform and I didn't want to miss it. With the excitement of a kid on Christmas morning, I woke up early and rewound the tape to watch them. They played "Alphabet of Nations" from their children's CD, Here Come the ABCs. As is the case with most music for kids, the song is sticky ear candy. Once I heard it, I couldn't get it out of my head.

The alphabet of nations!

Algeria, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Dominica, Egypt, France, the Gambia
Hungary, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Libya and Mongolia
Norway, Oman, Pakistan
Qatar, Russia, Suriname
Turkey, Uruguay, Vietnam
West Xylophone, Yemen, Zimbabwe

Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Canada
Australia, Belgium, Chad
Afghanistan, Brunei, China, Denmark, Ecuador
Fiji, Guatemala

Song on my mind... "Sleeping In" by The Postal Service

Again last night I had that strange dream
Where everything was exactly how it seemed
No concerns about the world getting warmer
People thought that they were just being rewarded
For treating others as they'd like to be treated
For obeying stop signs and curing diseases
For mailing letters with the address of the sender
Now we can swim any day in November

Don't wake me I plan on sleeping in

I love Benjamin Gibbard's vocals on the whole album (the backing vocals rock, too). His voice is strong, but soothing, a quality I can appreciate after watching two nights of American Idol (auditions in New Orleans and Las Vegas). I still wish some of the contestants would show more respect and talent and less attitude.

Hiya Journal,

It's Friday again. You'll be glad to know that I didn't have to rush to catch the train this morning. No, instead, I stood on the platform and froze quietly, hands in gloves, sipping hot coffee from a tumbler while waiting for the train to appear through the fog. It was nice, actually. Well, except for the part where I was freezing.

I must admit, I've been rather negligent about keeping you updated on my weekends and whereabouts. I'm sorry that I haven't even posted any photos taken in 2005. That's just wrong. I promise to get my act together and share some soon.

You should know that I've been reading quite a bit this month, trying to stay true to one of my resolutions. I just finished a book called Rain Storm by Barry Eisler. The story is about John Rain, a "natural causes" assassin hired by the CIA to take out an arms dealer in Macau. He's Japanese-American and a judo master with a knack for breaking necks. He also likes single malt whiskey and jazz. You two would probably hit it off if he weren't imaginary and you weren't so, you know, electronic. The book isn't my favorite in the series (it's the third of three so far), but I like it.

You should also know that I've made a commitment to refrain from purchasing any new CDs or books until I've finished all of the unread novels still stacked on the floor at home. I'm telling you this to so you can help keep me in line should I come close to slipping up while cruising the local book and music stores.

Because I know how much you like music, I'll leave you with a verse and chorus of "Look What You've Done" by Jet. The song has been on my mind for the last few days and you'll probably dig it.

Give me back my point of view
'Cause I just can't think for you
I can hardly hear you say
What should I do, well you choose

Oh, look what you've done
You've made a fool of everyone
Oh well, it seems likes such fun
Until you lose what you had won

Well, Journal, the train is pulling into the station. It's time for me to go and earn a living (or a close approximation of one). I'll write more later. More what, I don't know, but it'll be written later.

Until then,
David

Song on my mind... "Run" by Snow Patrol

I'll sing it one last time for you
Then we really have to go
You've been the only thing that's right
In all I've done

And I can barely look at you
But every single time I do
I know we'll make it anywhere
Anywhere from here

Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you dear

You'd think I'd have more holiday-related songs on my mind, but let's consider this one Christmassy during December.

Song on my mind... "Footprints" by Barenaked Ladies

I followed footprints in the snow
Never knowing if I was right behind you
Looking down no one would know
I wasn't walking hand in hand beside you
For your footprints lead the way
To a hearth where hearts we made surround you
You're awash in all it's glow
I'm still standing in the snow

I stood and watched the lights go out
While the snowflakes settled all around me
Though it filled my heart with doubt
Couldn't move and this is where you found me
As our footprints disappear
Snow erasing how I came to be here
I've got nowhere else to go
Now you're standing in the snow

Look for understanding in the snow
You look just outstanding in the snow
Standing in the snow

Song on my mind... "Pepper" by Butthole Surfers

I don't mind the sun sometimes
The images it shows
I can taste you on my lips and
Smell you in my clothes
Cinnamon and sugary
Like softly spoken lies
You never know just how you look
Through other people's eyes

The song has been on my mind since the beginning of November. Where did it come from? I don't know. Not from a CD. I don't own anything by Butthole Surfers. Not from the radio. I was hearing it in my head two weeks before I came across it on the dial. Maybe from the shower. That's where I first found myself humming it. Wherever it came from, I wish it would go back. I need to find a way to get rid of it.

I wonder if it's a mental itch. In this case, an itch caused by a song from the mid-90s about various people dying. I did a quick search for "why songs get stuck in our heads" and found a relevant article about it. The research identifies three "characteristics of music that make them memorable"...

1. repetition
2. musical simplicity
3. incongruity

From that short list, I would say the chorus of "Pepper" is memorable because of its incongruity. The melody uses only a few notes, but the timing of the notes is irregular, which is probably why it tickles my brain.

While that's all fine and interesting, the song is still on my mind and I'm not sure how to free myself of its melody. The article says "the only way to 'scratch' a cognitive itch is to rehearse the responsible tune mentally". That doesn't sound fun at all. Instead, I'm going to try a different two-pronged approach:

1. counter it with another memorable song (like "Jingle Bells")
2. write about it and hope the itch scratches itself away

They were all in love with dyin'
They were drinking from a fountain
That was pouring like an avalanche
coming down the mountain

Song on my mind... "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" by Green Day

I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me and I walk alone

I walk this empty street
On the boulevard of broken dreams
Where the city sleeps
And I'm the only one and I walk alone

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
Till then I walk alone

With the prospect of NaNoWriMo on the horizon and a few folks already discussing story ideas, I'm on the hunt for a few stray thoughts myself. As I was telling someone last night, if J.J. Abrams hadn't already created Lost, a show I'm head over heels about, that would have been the story I'd tell.

The current working title of my non-novel is "SMiLE", which is blatantly stolen from Brian Wilson's recent release. It took 37 years for SMiLE's completion, so I'm paying a small tribute to the masterpiece. I've listened to it repeatedly and it's hard to believe the musical soul of the album was created when the man was just 24-years-old.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I might revise my working title to "SMiRK" since whatever I accomplish won't be anywhere near "masterpiece" or "instant classic" status. And while I'm here, I might as well combine it with Abrams' show and retitle it something like "Lost in Your SMiRK". Hmm, I could then combine that with one of my favorite movies and call the whole thing "Raiders of the Lost SMiRK". Ah, the possibilities are endless. Don't mind me, just being a dork.

Song on my mind... "Feels Like Home" by Randy Newman, as sung by Chantal Kreviazuk.

Well, if you knew
How much this moment means to me
And how long I've waited for your touch
And if you knew
How happy you are making me
I never thought that I'd love anyone so much

It feels like home to me

The notion of home is a simple, but powerful one. Happiness and love associated with a place and then a person. The song moves me everytime I hear it.

Slow down, you move too fast,
You got to make the mornin' last,
Just kickin' down the cobblestones,
Lookin' for fun and feelin' groovy.

"The 59th Street Bridge Song" by Simon and Garfunkel was on my mind all weekend. If every day was a road, then weekends should have a lower speed limit than weekdays. In between all of the places to go, people to see and things to do, there's hardly a chance to stop and reflect. By the time the chance appears, so much else has occurred that the desire to record the details disappears. That's not going to happen to this weekend.

On Friday, I saw Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. It seems strange for a new movie to use today's technology to simulate the look and feel of a movie made seventy years ago. It's like producing a 2005 version of King Kong and making the CGI gorilla look like a man in a monkey suit instead of hiring a man in a monkey suit. Yet, I liked the film. It reminded me of movies like Indiana Jones, The Mummy and The Rocketeer. The visual effects were snazzy and well done. Other appropriate adjectives include spiffy and neat. The music was heroic and the banter between Joe (Jude Law) and Polly (Gwyneth Paltrow) cracked me up. During a this-may-be-our-last-moment-on-Earth scene, Joe says to Polly in exasperation, "Just once, can we die without all this bickering?"

After the movie, I tried North Beach Pizza in San Mateo. I understand it has delicious pizza. Too bad I was in the mood for lettuce. Instead of trying the Golden Gate Special, I opted for the North Beach Chicken Salad. It was decent as far as lettuce is concerned.

On Saturday, I checked out the Half Moon Bay Wine Walk, a charity event to raise money for local schools. Sponsoring wineries set up booths along Main Street and sold glasses of wine. The name of the benefiting school hung above each booth. I don't know, but it seemed weird to say, "Hey, go check out John Doe Elementary! They have a great Cabernet." Because of Sunday's run, I only browsed the wine selection. Afterwards, I had dinner at Two Fools Cafe & Market and tried the salmon special with orange jalapeno sauce. The sauce made the dish.

After Sunday's run, I went to the Pacific Coast Fog Fest in Pacifica. It started out foggy, but eventually the sun won out. Vendors lined the length of Palmetto Avenue. I didn't acquire any ooga booga sticks, dawgkerchiefs or other everyday items, but it was pleasant to simply slow down and "window shop". On a sad note, it bummed me out to see the surf shop I photographed during last year's festival had gone out of business. That just seems wrong in a coastal town.

Each day I live
I want to be
A day to give
The best of me
I'm only one
But not alone
My finest day
Is yet unknown

I want one moment in time
When I'm more than I thought I could be
When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away

In 1988, during the Summer Olympics in Seoul, it was Whitney Houston's "One Moment in Time" that choked me up. The first time I heard it was on the television over an emotionally charged montage showing athletes in their moments of glory and agony. The lyrics captured the spirit of the games and expressed the innermost desire of every athlete there. I was fourteen and so inspired that I even bought the album on tape. To this day, whenever the Olympics come around, I rediscover the song's power. Like a Christmas carol that is most potent during the holiday season, the games add resonance to her song.

For Olympic athletes, these two weeks are the culmination of years of hard work, drive and struggle. This is their decisive moment and the possible realization of dreams, which is why the games are so special. It's where potential comes to be transformed into something tangible, like a chance to stand upon a podium, receive a medal and watch the flag rise as the anthem is played.

What would it feel like? I ask that every time I see a medal ceremony. Last week, I was at the gym, running and watching the television directly in front of me. I've tried to watch the set off to the side, but that requires turning my head, which is just asking for trouble. My head and a steering wheel have too much in common and turning is generally not recommended on a treadmill.

The noise of the various cardio machines drowned out the announcers, but the closed captioning informed anyone paying attention that the broadcasters were discussing the drama surrounding Aaron Peirsol's second gold medal. They then cut to his ceremony.

Perhaps it was adrenaline or the effects of running, but watching that particular ceremony at that particular moment was a bigger rush than usual. For a second, it raised my own Olympic hopes (mainly of the delusional sort) and an inside voice shouted, "Beijing in 2008, baby!!" Without the link, of course. My senses returned shortly afterwards.

My other uplifting favorite is John Williams' "Olympic Fanfare", which is played at the beginning of each prime time broadcast. I love how the trumpets make the melody soar. I could listen to it all day, but that would likely drive my coworkers insane, so I try to limit myself to once an hour (or whenever they step away from their desks). It's only a temporary addiction. I hope.

Anyway, this entry was inspired by an entirely different song. As I was getting ready for work this morning, I was listening to Switchfoot's "This is Your Life", which has now become my favorite track from their latest album. Switchfoot may not be as gung ho as Houston, but they express the same sentiment of seizing the present and making the most of it. I wouldn't mind it at all if NBC assembled an Athens montage displaying highlights set to their song.

Yesterday is a wrinkle on your forehead
Yesterday is a promise that you've broken
Don't close your eyes
This is your life
And today is all you've got now
And today is all you'll ever have
Don't close your eyes

This is your life
Are you who you want to be?
This is your life
Is it everything that you dreamed that it would be
When the world was younger
And you had everything to lose?

Song on my mind... "Just Like You" by Three Days Grace

I could be mean, I could be angry
You know I could be just like you

I could be fake, I could be stupid
You know I could be just like you

You thought you were standing beside me
You were only in my way
You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you

You thought you were there to guide me
You were only in my way
You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you

Song on my mind... "Only One" by Yellowcard

Here I go
Scream my lungs out and try to get to you
You are my only one
I let go
There's just no one that gets me like you do
You are my only
My only one

The song's video shows the band members leading a group of anti-war protesters and has an ending sequence that reminds me of the lone protester who stood in front of the tank column near Tiananmen Square. If you were to watch it without the sound, you would never guess the song was about breaking up with a girlfriend. Interesting, but confusing.

Ah, the beauty of simply rambling. I wanted to set goals for this entry. Be original. Be funny. Be well thought out. Be articulate. I was about to lay down the law, but had the sudden realization that journal entries, like children, see rules as a challenge, something to defy. They would rebel against everything I told them. I'd set a four-hundred-word curfew and they would break it and try to sneak in a few extra sentences. They would grow up to be multi-paragraphed scribblings that resented their author. So now, I'm just sitting here, letting the entry write itself. The only way it's going to learn is if I allow it to make its own mistakes. The best I can do is to be here to support it. It's called the laissez-faire approach to writing.

Yesterday was my parents' 31st anniversary. To celebrate, they saw a performance of The Producers at the Center for Performing Arts. My sister and I saw it last week (she snagged comp tickets) and we liked it so much, we decided to buy them a pair of tickets. It's Mel Brooks. It has dancing Nazis, a Swedish bombshell, a gay singing Hitler and a chorus line of old ladies with walkers. My parents are conservatives, but they got a kick out of it. It's the best musical I've seen since Les Mis�rables came to San Jose last year.

I heard part of the All-Star Game broadcast on the radio Tuesday night. I listened as Roger Clemens was shelled by the American Leaguers. He gave up two three-run homers and faced nine batters including Oakland's Mark Mulder, the winning pitcher. The A.L. will again have home field advantage during the World Series. I guess that means San Francisco will have to take the first two from Boston to minimize that advantage. Thursdays are good for making brash predictions.

Last night, we had dinner at Cafe Gibraltar, a Mediterranean restaurant in El Granada, a town just a few miles north of Half Moon Bay. Depending on where one sits, there's an amazing view of the ocean, which probably looks phenomenal at sunset. If you were me, there was an amazing view of the slightly disturbing paintings on the wall. The bread and soup were tasty. For the main course, I had the Gnocchi con Funghi, potato dumplings with mixed mushrooms, which sounded enticing, but was disappointingly bland.

Tonight will conclude my three-day whirlwind peninsula dining tour. Tuesday was Chevys in South San Francisco, yesterday was Cafe Gibraltar and tonight will be sushi at Fuji in the city. To provide balance, next week will probably be a five-day dine-in affair, a home stand if you will, filled with leftovers, Happy Meals, reality television and Netflix.

That last paragraph was noticeably brief, which must mean this entry is nearly tuckered out and ready for bed. After it brushes its teeth (and flosses), I'll attempt to sing it a little Gavin DeGraw, a few lines of lyric expressing how I feel, and then wish it a good night and sweet dreams.

I don't mean to be so strange
But my life just took a change
'Cause I just found someone special
And that's really something special
If you knew me

Song on my mind... "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane

I came across a fallen tree
I felt the branches of it looking at me
Is this the place we used to love?
Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?

Oh simple thing where have you gone
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

And if you have a minute why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go
Somewhere only we know

Just as songs can bring us back to happy moments in our lives, moments shared with someone, perhaps someone special, so too can places. And when we hear that melody again or return to that spot, we experience echoes of what was and from them draw hope and strength.

Song on my mind... "She Will Be Loved" by Maroon 5

Tap on my window knock on my door
I want to make you feel beautiful
I know I tend to get so insecure
It doesn't matter anymore

It's not always rainbows and butterflies
It's compromise that moves us along
My heart is full and my door's always open
You can come anytime you want

Traffic: Light. No accidents on the 101 or 280.
Weather: Clear skies with a slight breeze. Feels in the mid-60s.
Sports: Giants sweep the Dodgers and have a six-game winning streak.
News: Today is Friday. That's newsworthy, right?

Whenever I go to a 50's style diner that offers a wide selection of burgers, it's amusing to order a salad. The grilled chicken salad at Peggy Sue's isn't bad.

As soon as I got home, I sat down at the piano and opened the cover. I wiggled my fingers and shook my wrists to loosen things up and played an 88-key chromatic scale. It sounded beautiful and in tune. Keys were no longer stuck and major chords no longer sounded minor. A music book rested on top of the piano and I pulled it down to play the first official piece. It was open to "My Foolish Heart" by Ned Washington and Victor Young, a song written fifty-five years ago for a movie of the same name.

Speaking of movies, I'm trying NetFlix for the next two weeks. People have been raving about the service and I was searching for somewhere that had a better selection than the local Blockbuster. The first three DVDs in my queue are supposed to arrive tomorrow, so if anybody sees me hanging around the community mailbox, that's the reason. If the mail carrier happens to deliver them while I'm making a quick Starbucks run (because he or she has been waiting for the strange guy to move away from the mailbox), I'll hopefully find upon my return...

1. Seven Samurai
2. Step Into Liquid
3. The Triplets of Belleville

On an unrelated note, I really like the animated United Airlines commercials. They are warm sixty-second stories set to George Gerswhin's "Rhapsody in Blue" and contain almost no dialogue. My favorite has to be "Interview" by Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis, about a man flying to an interview and realizing, too late, that his shoes don't match. The artwork and music make the ad an enjoyable one to watch.

After two months of waiting, somebody finally came to tune the piano. The wait would've been much shorter, but we wanted my parents' piano tuner. He first tuned theirs some twenty years ago. My folks were so impressed by his diligence, professionalism and, above all else, reasonable rates, they called him back every other year or so to retune it.

I remember he would spend about an hour cleaning keys, repeatedly playing the same notes and chords and adjusting strings until everything sounded just right. My sister and I would watch him from another room, in rapt fascination, for about five minutes before boredom set in. We would then run outside, ride our bikes or play in the backyard while he worked.

Eventually, a flourish of music would burst from every open window and door, which meant he had finished. We would rush back, sit by the screen door and listen to him play. Every note sounded so fresh and crisp. Before leaving, he would write the date on one of the keys and sometimes leave us a songbook of classical music.

My mom would dust and wax the piano, giving it a new look to match the new sound. We would slide across the slippery bench and then start practicing again with renewed vigor. I really can't wait to get home, try out the piano and hear how it sounds. It's such a small thing, but it's still exciting.

Song on my mind... "Take Me Out" by Franz Ferdinand

So if you're lonely
You know I'm here waiting for you
I'm just a crosshair
I'm just a shot away from you
And if you leave here
You leave me broken, shattered I lie
I'm just a crosshair
I'm just a shot then we can die

I know I won't be leaving here with you

I love the tempo change after that line. There is tension between these two people where something of personal value is at stake, yet both would rather take a bullet than take a chance and fail.

Oh, this is the start of something good
Don't you agree?
I haven't felt like this in so many moons

With the exception of the forgotten card, this weekend rocked. One of the highlights was Alice's Summerthing held at Speedway Meadow in Golden Gate Park. San Francisco was cloudy and a bit cool when we got there. It was perfect weather for shorts, if one prefers cold legs.

Gavin DeGraw led off the festivities. He played a fun set of songs that included "Follow Through", "Chariot", a cover of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" and his biggest hit, "I Don't Want To Be". While we listened to him, we would glance over at ordinary people attempting the trapeze provided by Trapeze Arts. It was mostly amusing, but sometimes disconcerting, especially when parents allowed their toddlers to swing unassisted on bars too big for their hands.

When Berlin took the stage, we went to have our body fat tested. Don't get me wrong. They have many good songs, including "Take My Breath Away", but we were curious. We could hear the band perfectly fine as we stood in the long line. For the record, according to the Futrex-5000, I have 16.1% body fat, which is considered "Good". I wonder about the accuracy of the test.

Besides listening to great music, there were many vendors at the concert. One was giving away advanced copies of Wild Animus, an interesting looking book I'm adding to my lengthy reading queue. Starbucks was serving frappuccino samples and an olive company was handing out free visors on an overcast day.

We made it back to our blanket in time to hear Five for Fighting finish their set. I loved John Ondrasik's vocals and the way he played the grand piano. The band performed "100 Years", "Superman" and a number of songs I wanted to recognize.

Smash Mouth was the headliner and to prove how cool they were, the sun decided to break through the clouds and shine upon us as they began performing. I briefly felt vindicated for wearing shorts, but then felt dumb again once the wind picked up. I might have been warmer if I had twenty-percent body fat. Either that or pants. They played songs from all four albums including "Then the Morning Comes" and "Can't Get Enough of You Baby", two of my favorites.

My heart cries out more baby
It feels so nice
I want your arms to wrap around me twice

Song on my mind... "I Don't Want To Be" by Gavin DeGraw

I don't want to be
Anything other than what I've been trying to be lately
All I have to do
Is think of me and I have peace of mind
I'm tired of looking 'round rooms
Wondering what I've got to do
Or who I'm supposed to be
I don't want to be anything other than me

I love his voice, the song and especially the video, which showcases Shiri Appleby from Roswell. DeGraw will be on Pepsi Smash in a couple of weeks. I remember first hearing of him when he performed on that show last summer.

when I close my eyes
I can see forever
and the leaves on the trees
are a brilliant green
my heart hears the sound
of a distant calling
the wind on my face says to me
I've got to live my life differently

- "When I Close My Eyes" by The Basics

The sun is out and summer is only two weeks away, so following in Elke's footsteps, here are my Top 5 favorite sun songs...

1. "Warmth of the Sun" by The Beach Boys
2. "Island in the Sun" by Weezer
3. "Soak Up the Sun" by Sheryl Crow
4. "Sunshine on My Shoulders" by John Denver
5. "Walking on the Sun" by Smash Mouth

Song on my mind... "Dare You To Move" by Switchfoot

Welcome to the fallout
Welcome to resistance
The tension is here
Between who you are and who you could be
Between how it is and how it should be

Maybe redemption has stories to tell
Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell
Where can you run to escape from yourself?
Where you gonna go?
Salvation is here

I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
Like today never happened

I've been listening to and watching a lot of Alanis Morissette lately. So-Called Chaos, her new album, comes out on May 18th. I can't get enough of her latest video for "Everything".

It's a simple journey down a straight two-lane road in the middle of nowhere. The camera continuously retreats as Alanis walks towards us and sings. I love how she is seemingly moving and standing still simultaneously. People come and go throughout the song, some make repeat visits, similar to the way people do in our own lives. The ones we see are specific to her life: the media, her adoring fans, a group of musicians. Day turns to night and then back to day. There are moments when she expresses elation, annoyance, appreciation and discomfort. Everything is constantly changing.

My favorite part comes when somebody hands her a manila envelope. She pulls out a blank piece of paper and red crayon, scribbles something down and holds it up for us to see. Written are the words, "thank you". She then folds the paper into a plane and tosses it into the sky. Simplicity in expression and message.

You see everything, you see every part
You see all my light and you love my dark
You dig everything of which I'm ashamed
There's not anything to which you can't relate
And you're still here

On Saturday, the family went with my sister to pick up the U-Haul truck she had reserved online. While she insisted on completing the paperwork and performing the vehicle inspection herself, she readily handed the keys over to my dad to let him drive. Like FBI agents assigned to escort precious cargo, my mom and I followed them in a dark-colored SUV. Our tiny caravan made its way to a small house in Campbell. We were there to pick up a piano.

It was a dark brown Ludwig upright. Its exterior showed some signs of aging. The instrument had accumulated its share of nicks and scratches over the years. Lifting the top revealed an interior full of dust and cobwebs. A date scrawled just beneath the lid indicated the piano was last tuned in 1945.

It was only an upright, but moving it proved to be a challenge for the three of us. My mom supervised. As we tried to figure out the best approach, images of an old Laurel and Hardy movie flashed across my mind. If it had been a baby grand, I don't know how we would have gotten it out of the house.

As it was, the easiest route required moving the piano up two steps to the entryway, down a step to get through the front door and then down the porch step. From there, it was a matter of steering around the garage and down the driveway to the truck ramp.

There was plenty of grunting, sweating, "Hold up!" and "On the count of three!" I learned that pianos are surprisingly sturdy instruments. Fortunately, we didn't ruin any flooring, crush any toes or destroy any family heirlooms in our less-than-graceful efforts.

We secured it in the truck and then drove residential speeds all the way to my place, even on the highways. It was much easier unloading the piano and rolling it into the garage. After cleaning it thoroughly, we'll move it into the dining room and have somebody come out and tune it.

My sister and I have an understanding that this is her piano. In exchange for keeping it at my place, I can play it anytime I want. Whenever I think about my dream house, I always envision a piano. This addition, however temporary, finally gives my place a feeling of home and I'm stoked.

Based on how quickly I hit my remote control's help!-get-me-out-of-here button, I believe and fervently hope that John, Jon Peter and Camile will be in the bottom three tonight. Averting eyes, covering ears and cringing in agony are all part of the Idol experience, but not this late in the competition.

Jon Peter sang "Rocket Man", a song that also appears on William Hung's newly released album. It often looks like multiple people are controlling JP's body and he isn't one of them. His free arm shoots out a beat after it should, his head swivels oddly and he seems to lurch across the stage.

John Stevens performed "Crocodile Rock" and I fell off the couch when he went into his falsetto. While he should be the one going home tonight, his adoring fans will likely prolong his public humiliation and send Camile Velasco packing. I like her, but her rendition of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" was horrendous.

While some of the women continue to impress me with their strong performances, Mr. Huff was my favorite. He took "Take Me to the Pilot" and gave it his trademark jolt of exuberance. He looks nervous when he isn't performing, but once he starts doing his thing, he looks like a natural. I hope he sticks around until the end.

I have two hours before the American Idol results show airs here on the west coast, so I thought I would write up a spoiler revealing who will be sent home tonight.

For those who missed last night's two-hour episode, here is a biased recap. The eleven finalists sang country songs. As always, La Toya London rocked. My favorites? John Stevens with Roger Miller's "King of the Road" and Fantasia Barrino with Willie Nelson's "Always On My Mind". The rest were "aight", but forgettable. Simon's latest phrase, "Let me finish, let me finish..."

Cut to tonight's show. It'll be 29 minutes of stall and 1 minute of results. Yet, I'll still watch it. Seacrest, as he affectionately refers to himself these days, will be smooth with Randy, suave with Paula and snide with Simon. The finalists will sing a medley of country tunes and attempt to line dance (again). There'll be a break.

Seacrest will "accidentally" bump into Peter Gallagher, who sits patiently in the audience, waiting to promote The O.C.. Kimberley Locke will then perform her latest single. Another break.

One by one, Ryan will tell each contestant if they are "safe" or not. He'll say something like, "Jon Peter Lewis. J-P-L. Randy said you were tall, Paula said you were short and Simon said, 'So what?' America voted and... you'll find out what they said after the break."

After the break, Camile Velasco (I like her, but I'm only 5 votes) and the stunned Diana DeGarmo join the tearful Jon Peter in the bottom three. After a quick break, Seacrest tells Diana that she is safe. Holding hands, the two remaining contestants will await the outcome.

"With more than thirty million text messages and phone calls, America spoke and... Jon Peter, I'm sorry, America has decided to crush your dreams. On the bright side, it took thirty million votes to crush them! Now, if you could pull yourself together and sing the song that failed to impress last night's audience. That would be nice. Thanks, everybody. Seacrest out!"

Song on my mind... "Cannonball" by Damien Rice

Stones taught me to fly
Love taught me to cry
So come on courage
Teach me to be shy
Cause it's not hard to fall
And I don't want to scare her
It's not hard to fall
And I don't wanna lose
It's not hard to grow
When you know that you just don't know

Day after day, you hear the same song playing on the radio, never grabbing your attention or moving you. Then late one night as you drive home alone, along a quiet road, lost in thought, the song begins to play and you are suddenly struck by it. Maybe it's the quality of the voice, the sentiment expressed or simply your state of mind. You can't pin it down exactly, but something causes the song to stay in your head, long after reaching your destination.

Song on my mind... "The Reason" by Hoobastank

i'm not a perfect person
there are many things i wish i didn't do
but i continue learning
i never meant to do those things to you
and so i have to say before i go
that i just want you to know

i've found a reason for me
to change who i used to be
a reason to start over new
and the reason is you

It took me longer to write about this than I expected or wanted. On Sunday, I went to Vienna Teng's concert at Cowell Theater in Fort Mason. If you're familiar with the corner of the blogiverse known as the Rice Bowl Journals, then you've probably read multiple accounts by now. The benefit of posting late is the ability to link to most of them in one entry.

From Clayton, I made it to San Francisco in good time. I rarely enter the city from the east bay, so it was fun to cross the Bay Bridge, two dollars worth of fun. When I arrived, there was plenty of free parking, which was a pleasant surprise. The 437-seat theater was filled to capacity, but thanks to V, we had great seats. I sat in the seventh chair of the seventh row.

Before the show began, I worried about falling asleep after the long day of hiking, but once the music started, I was engrossed. Noe Venable was the special guest act. Her voice was melodic and most of her songs were haunting. I wish she had mentioned some of the song titles. There were a couple of sound equipment difficulties, but she handled them gracefully.

This was different from any Vienna performance I had seen. This time she had a band, which was a blend of modern (drums, electric bass) and classical (violin, cellos) instruments. The addition of talented musicians gave her live sound a new dimension that I enjoyed. Yet, I'm still most taken when it's simply Vienna and a piano, which is why "Mission Street" was one of my favorite songs of the evening.

Since it was a CD release show, her set primarily featured tracks from Warm Strangers, but she also revisited pieces like "The Tower" and "Unwritten Letter #1" from her first album. She finished the show with the uplifting "Harbor" and then performed "Green Island Serenade" and "Gravity" for an encore.

After the show, I braved the crowd to get an autograph before hitting the road for the long drive home. I had spent the day enjoying the great outdoors and the night listening to wonderful music. Few things can beat that.

It had been a few months since the little town I live in had live music. By chance, I saw a flyer in the cafe advertising a free show on Saturday night. I decided to go out of curiosity and because it was so close to home.

Ben Arthur and Jennifer Marks were the billed headliners. To keep things fair and avoid bruised egos, they took turns performing. Without the aid of microphones, they sang over the hiss of the espresso machine. Arthur's set started out slow, but ended strongly with a catchy tune called "Mary Ann". Marks had the more pleasant voice and I liked "Live", one of her upbeat songs.

More impressive than either one of them was a young woman named Rae, who drove all the way from Sacramento to play just three songs, two original pieces and then a beautiful cover of Radiohead's "Creep".

The show made for a decent Saturday night, but was only a warm up, a way to whet my musical appetite for an eagerly awaited concert on Sunday.

He was killed by a cellular phone explosion
They scattered his ashes across the ocean
The water was used to make baby lotion
The wheels of promotion were set into motion

And so begins one of my new favorite albums by Fountains of Wayne. It came out last June, but I only recently purchased a copy. During the Grammy Awards, I was rooting for them or Evanescence to grab Best New Artist, because we all know the importance of that distinction.

And the bourbon sits inside me
Right now I'm a puppet in its sway
And it may be the whiskey talking
But the whiskey says I miss you every day

I love their storytelling, the geographical references and Chris Collingwood's voice. The album is an eclectic assortment of humorous, somber and pointedly critical songs. My favorites include "Bright Future in Sales", "Hey Julie" and "Hackensack". A couple of the more unique topics include a waitress who takes too long to serve coffee (which is just wrong) and a football quarterback making a single pass.

He looks to the left
He looks to the right
And there in a golden ray of light
Is his open man
Just like he planned
The whole world is his tonight

I can listen to this great little record for hours. Now I want to hear some of their earlier work.

Songs about shaking things have been around a long time. Elvis had "Shake a Hand" and Pam Tillis sang "Shake the Sugar Tree". The Beatles, U2 and others have sung about it, but shaking things that shouldn't be shaken seems to be a recent phenomenon.

A couple of people have mentioned that Polaroids need no shaking, contrary to what the catchy (and now overplayed) Outkast song recommends.

On Tuesday's episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, William Hung sang "Shake Your Bon Bon". It might have been better if his bon bon had remained unshaken.

Then, on yesterday's installment of Ellen, J.C. Chasez, of *NSYNC, sang about shaking soda. It won't take long for Coke and Pepsi to issue statements reminding people not to do that to their carbonated drinks.

While it's exciting to sing about things everybody knows they shouldn't shake (like their fists, my nerves, rattlesnakes...), dumb people will be tempted to try it and hurt themselves as a result. To prevent injury and potential lawsuits, here is a handy list of safe, shakable items songwriters can use in their music:

1. snow globes
2. spray cans
3. a stick
4. tambourines
5. a salt shaker (it's even in the name)
6. Gatorade (product placement is key in today's songs)
7. an Etch-a-Sketch (retro products are even better)
8. Shakira's hips
9. a leg (unless it isn't yours)
10. a present (unless it contains a rattlesnake)

Song on my mind... "Everybody's Fool" by Evanescence

look here she comes now
bow down and stare in wonder
oh how we love you
no flaws when you're pretending
but now i know she

never was and never will be
you don't know how you've betrayed me
and somehow you've got everybody fooled

without the mask where will you hide
can't find yourself lost in your lie

i know the truth now
i know who you are
and i don't love you anymore

As I sat in traffic on Highway 87, I saw...

a burgundy electric scooter, which sat in
a black trailer that was hitched to
a speeding burgundy Camaro, which was driven by
an elderly woman with curly, gray hair and sleek, black sunglasses.

If only I had a camera with me. On the radio, Channel 104.9's morning DJ, Ayo, was saying, "Here's something from Three Days Grace. It's a Valentine's song."

Only when I stop to think about you, I know
Only when you stop to think about me, do you know

I hate everything about you
Why do I love you?
You hate everything about me
Why do you love me?

The song has been on high rotation for some time now, but it still manages to crack me up. It's great to sing along with while sitting in traffic. By the time it was finished, I was near my off-ramp and fully energized to take on the day.

It's so clear and sunny today, which is a shame. This is the kind of weather best saved for the weekend and not wasted on a day when most of us are stuck in an office. The five-day forecast calls for rain this Friday, which got me thinking about my Top 5 favorite rain songs...

• "Words Like Rain" by Maya Marin
• "Only Happy When It Rains" by Garbage
• "Here Comes the Rain" by The Mavericks
• "Rain" by Dana Glover
• "Day Without Rain" by Enya

Song on my mind... "One Thing" by Finger Eleven

If I traded it all
If I gave it all away for one thing
Just for one thing
If I sorted it out
If I knew all about this one thing
Wouldn't that be something

Over the last five years, my CD collection has grown tremendously. I would like to believe greater musical awareness and appreciation nurtured its development, but I fear it simply stemmed from the poor pairing of financial independence and extremely bad taste. Unfortunately, as the collection grew, favorites emerged and an increasing number of albums were neglected.

A CD, by its very nature, wants to be played. It enjoys being heard. Spinning inside a player, whether in a car or on an armband, is sheer bliss for a little disc. How sullen it becomes when it returns to the cramped confines of a jewel case.

One day, as I walked by the CD carousel, something caused me to pause. I could sense the yearning of every disc and guilt overcame me. How could I continue listening to the favored few while the rest remained silent? At that moment, I decided to reacquaint myself and spend some quality time with each one. With any luck, I will finish listening to the entire collection sometime in February.

Song on my mind... "Elusive Butterfly" by Bob Lind

You might wake up some mornin'
To the sound of something moving past your window in the wind
And if you're quick enough to rise
You'll catch a fleeting glimpse of someone's fading shadow
Out on the new horizon
You may see the floating motion of a distant pair of wings
And if the sleep has left your ears
You might hear footsteps running through an open meadow

Don't be concerned, it will not harm you
It's only me pursuing somethin' I'm not sure of
Across my dreams with nets of wonder
I chase the bright elusive butterfly of love

The Top 5 CDs most often found in my player last year.

• Fallen - Evanescence
• Meteora - Linkin Park
• Waking Hour - Vienna Teng
• The All-American Rejects - The All-American Rejects
• More Than You Think You Are - Matchbox Twenty

On Sunday, I saw Vienna Teng and Emily Lord perform at the Little Fox Theatre in Redwood City. It is a wonderful and intimate music venue.

This was the third time I saw Vienna perform live and she is consistently amazing. She had about four songs planned and then took requests for the rest of her set. She played a couple of songs from her next album, which comes out in February. "Shasta", a new song to me, was one of my favorites. She also covered "Cannonball" by Damien Rice.

For the past week, I've been listening to John Denver's The Rocky Mountain Collection a lot, particularly "Annie's Song". It's been on my mind lately. Vienna sang that very song for her encore. It was unexpected and a little freaky and beautiful. I wonder if it's a sign.

I'm glad I stuck around to hear Emily perform. She had some great songs. "I Bet She" and "Indian Dancing" were a couple of memorable ones. To end the fantastic night, she and Vienna sang another Denver classic, "Leaving On A Jet Plane".

just want to be living as I'm dying
just like everybody here
just want to know my little flicker of time is worthwhile

- from "Homecoming"

Thursday ended with the Sounds of Hawai'i at the Flint Center in Cupertino. It was a blend of Hawaiian and Christmas music. Brook Lee hosted and a local hula studio, Na Wai Ola, danced.

The opening act was Makana, a young and amazing slack key guitarist. It was incredible to hear so much music coming from one instrument. I recognized "The Poi Song", but I loved the third song he performed. It had intricate finger work and he sang the two vocal passages with a hint of vibrato, his head tilted slightly upwards and his eyes closed. Something about it felt so spiritual.

Na Leo were the headliners. Their harmonies and voices were beautiful, especially Lehua Heine's. My favorite songs were "Ave Maria", "North Shore Serenade" and their finale, "I Miss You, My Hawai'i". For an encore, they sang "O Holy Night". I had been hoping to hear it the entire evening.

While sitting in my car this morning (after work errands and a write-in are my excuse), Outkast's "Hey Ya" came on the radio. Every time I hear the song, I imagine people around me suddenly stopping, dropping everything and dancing. It gives me a kick and makes me laugh with lines like...

• What's cooler than bein' cool? Ice cold!
• Lend me some suga', I am your neighbor!
• Shake it, shake it like a Polaroid picture!

Heaven bend to take my hand
I've nowhere left to turn
I'm lost to these I thought were friends
To everyone I know
Oh they turn their heads embarrassed
Pretend that they don't see
That it's one wrong step one slip before you know it
And there doesn't seem a way to be revealed

The song has a beautiful melody and Sarah McLachlan has such a soothing voice. She says what I've wanted to say for a while now, but she expresses it so well. Her new album is a gentle escape.

During college, I grew accustomed to studying with music on in the background. It began with generic and mellow melodies, like the ones piped into grocery stores and elevators. Eventually, it progressed to the sounds of live indie bands and singer/songwriters who performed weekly on the small stage in the basement of our student center. Studying in silence soon felt foreign.

Today, I'm almost always listening to music while I work, read or write. Quiet time is good, but living life on a bed of music is sometimes better. I believe it can boost productivity and creativity, so here is my Top 5 types of music for getting the creative juices flowing:

1. classical (typical, but effective)
2. trance (like Digitally Imported)
3. house (Terence Patrick mixes work really well)
4. surf instrumentals (Dick Dale, for example)
5. Hawaiian (slack key!)

Song on my mind... "Another Postcard" by Barenaked Ladies

You can't imagine so many monkeys in the daily mail
All of them coming anonymously so they leave no trail
I never thought I'd have an admirer from overseas
But someone is sending me stationary filled with chimpanzees.

Another postcard with chimpanzees
And every one is addressed to me.

Whenever I find too many songs on the radio beginning to sound alike, I can always count on BNL to sing something unique, rapid-fire and off-the-wall. They have way too much fun with music.

Let's move on to something happier. I purchased Dido's new album last night. After the first listening, "Life For Rent" became my new favorite song and it quickly found itself on track repeat.

I've always thought that I would love to live by the sea
to travel the world alone and live more simply
I have no idea what's happened to that dream
cos there's really nothing left here to stop me
it's just a thought, only a thought

but if my life is for rent and I don't learn to buy
well I deserve nothing more than I get
cos nothing I have is truly mine

Last night, after dinner and the premiere of 8 Simple Rules, I headed up to the Hemlock Tavern in San Francisco. Surprisingly, I didn't get lost and easily found parking. Having written that, it will never happen again.

Seattle's Jen Wood Trio didn't begin until around 10:30. Guitars from Washington apparently don't like the California weather. She apologized for having to tune it numerous times. Most of her songs were slow and personal. I especially loved the vocal harmonies.

Odessa Chen's songs had a haunting, yet comforting feel to them. It's hard to describe. I especially liked the percussionist who accompanied her on drums. Using brushes and what looked like soft timpani mallets, he never overpowered the melody. On a couple of songs, he would run a bow along the edge of the cymbal, creating an eerily cool effect. I had never seen that before.

A more positive entry is in order.

From August 16th through November 2nd of this year, the San Jose Museum of Art will be exhibiting Surf Culture: The Art History Of Surfing. If you like surfing and are around the Bay Area, it might be cool to check out.

Speaking of surf art, this month's issue of 28mm has a gallery of surfing photos. I learned about the magazine from a journal whose author had some of his own cool work featured.

Tonight is Music in the Park. Blue October and Eve 6 will be performing. Blue October's "Calling You" has been on my mind for the last couple of days.

I thought that the world had lost its sway
It's so hard sometimes
Then I fell in love with you
Then came you
And you took that away
It's not so difficult
The world is not so difficult

Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday.

On Saturday, I went to the Sounds of Hawai'i held at the Shoreline Amphitheatre. I thought I would miss the show, but fate cleared my schedule.

After visiting various vendors and buying a couple of CDs for autographs, I spent the rest of the afternoon in the shade of the Hukilau Bar, which featured local talent like the Pupule' Boyz and Aloha Brewed.

Before the evening show began, Brook Lee (Miss Hawaii and Universe 1997) and Sam Choy, the hosts of the evening, took forever praising and introducing one another. The music itself was good, so good. Ten Feet and Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu (of Lilo & Stitch fame) were part of the lineup. When the Makaha Sons (of Ni'ihau) sang "White Sandy Beach", accompanied by graceful hula dancers, I was overcome with a feeling much like homesickness, a longing to return.

Robi Kahakalau and Raiatea Helm both sang with the Makaha Sons. Raiatea blew away the crowd and I'm a little taken with her. She also sang a duet with Ten Feet, a cool cover of the Bee Gees' "Islands in the Stream".

The signs at the venue should really read, "No cameras allowed for those gullible enough to believe cameras aren't allowed." Next time I'll know better.

A new music show called Smash premiered on Wednesday. I had taped it and decided to watch it last night. It comes on right after Boarding House, which ends next week (bummer!). The surfumentary has been one of my summer favorites. I can't wait to follow the triple crown of surfing this November.

Anyway, Smash has live performances from various "big name" artists. This week's episode included The Ataris, Black Eyed Peas, Monica, Gavin DeGraw, and Evanescence. I dig the first and last groups in thr list, but the others I barely know, which is part of the show's appeal. It's great to hear something familiar and discover something new. Now if there was a series showcasing local and indie groups, that would be sweet.

The hosts were the hot and cute (or cute and hot) Emily VanCamp and Gregory Smith of Everwood. The weakest moments of the show were the interviews. Maybe they could copy Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ and have a couple of quick-thinking comedians (like Downtown) host, interview and play games (like Jenga) with the artists.

I love quirky songs and Fountains of Wayne has my heart with "Stacy's Mom". It's sounds so sweet and innocent with tight harmonies and hand claps, but the lyrics tell a different story. It's a hilarious song.

Stacy's mom
Has got it goin on
She's all I want
And I've waited for so long
Stacy can't ya see?
You're just not the girl for me
I know it might be wrong but
I'm in love with Stacy's mom

Song on my mind... "Think Twice" by Eve 6

Think twice before you touch my girl
Come around I'll let you feel the burn
Think twice before you touch my girl
Come around no more

She spreads her love
She burns me up
I can't let go
I can't get out
I've said enough
Enough by now
I can't let go
I can't get out

I heard the song on the radio the other night and couldn't identify who it was at first. I didn't find out until this morning, when the DJ back-announced the song. It's seems like forever since their last single. I still love the lyrics from "Inside Out"...

Want to put my tender heart in a blender
Watch it spin around to a beautiful oblivion

They'll be giving a free performance at Music In The Park on August 14th. That should be a good show.

Song on my mind... "White Flag" by Dido

And when we meet
As I'm sure we will
All that was then
Will be there still
I'll let it pass
And hold my tongue
And you will think
That I've moved on

Her new album isn't out until September, which seems way too far off.

Song on my mind... "Faint" by Linkin Park

I am
A little bit of loneliness
A little bit of disregard
A handful of complaints
But I can't help the fact
That everyone can see these scars

I am
A little bit insecure
A little unconfident
'Cause you don't understand
I do what I can
But sometimes I don't make sense

On Thursday, we went to the America Festival. We got there just in time to see Chantal Kreviazuk, who performed early enough to get sunburned. My favorite song was her cover of Randy Newman's "Feels Like Home", which apparently appeared on an episode of Dawson's Creek.

Josh Kelley, who I hadn't heard before, performed next and was quite good. He didn't get burned, but did need sunglasses to avoid being blinded by the setting sun.

Dana Glover was the last act and had the luxury of the night sky. She could really belt and it worked on songs like "Rain". It's hard to believe one person, singing and playing keyboard, can generate so much energy.

Song on my mind... "Happy Face" by Destiny's Child

I woke up this morning,
The sunshine was shining
I put on my happy face
I'm living, I'm able,
I'm breathing, I'm grateful
To put on my happy face

I've been playing this song way too many times over the last couple of days. It seems especially appropriate for this beautiful weather.

Some time ago, I told E about my hope of buying a keyboard (88 weighted keys and all) when I saved enough money. So last night, she thought it would be fun to window shop for one at Starving Musician and Guitar Center. I don't know why, but it seems strange to visit stores with no intention of actually buying anything.

While it was fun, it was also torturous to be surrounded by such beautiful Rolands and Yamahas that I knew wouldn't be coming home. To console myself, I purchased a book of Beach Boy songs for piano and guitar. If nothing else, it can be a source of motivation while I'm saving up for a keyboard of my own.

Song on my mind... "The Secret of Life" by Faith Hill

The secret of life is a good cup of coffee
The secret of life is keep your eye on the ball
The secret of life is to find the right woman
The secret of life is nothin' at all

I wrote a line of this chorus on my dry erase board at work a day or two before the softball game. I don't know why, but I thought nobody else would guess where it was from. Everybody else who read it thought it was a baseball quote. So when she came in and wrote a different line of the song, I was surprised. It was a small thing, but it made me smile.

Song on my mind... "Headstrong" by Trapt

Back off
I�ll take you on
Headstrong
To take on anyone
I know that you are wrong
This is not where you belong

Song on my mind... "No Thinkin' Thing" by Trace Adkins

Forget mathematical equations
Self help psychology
Gray matter don't matter much darlin'
When it's gettin' down to you and me

This ain't no thinkin' thing, right brain, left brain
It goes a little deeper than that
It's a chemical, physical, emotional devotion
Passion that we can't hold back
There's nothin' that we need to analyze
There ain't no rhyme or reason why
'Cause this ain't, this ain't no thinkin' thing

This is what I get for listening to country music in the morning... again.

On Saturday night, I saw Matchbox Twenty perform at the HP Pavilion. We sat some thirty rows back from center stage.

The opening act was American Hi-Fi, a band I didn't recognize until they sang "Flavor of the Weak" and their latest single, "The Art of Losing".

Sugar Ray followed and played a solid set, including their most recent single, "Mr. Bartender (It's So Easy)". A tiny bar was set up in the middle of the stage, complete with bartender, for band refueling.

Mark McGrath, the lead singer, put a charge into the audience with his high-energy performance. During their last song, "Fly", he jogged a lap around the arena, plucked a young girl (named Lisa) from the stands and coaxed her to sing a line or two. Of their set, my favorite had to be "Chasin' You Around", a song from their upcoming CD.

Matchbox Twenty eventually took the stage. While the night was expectedly dedicated to their latest album, More Than You Think You Are, they didn't forget the radio-friendly singles of their two previous efforts. Every few songs, the stagehands would roll out a grand piano for Rob Thomas to perform a song like "Bright Lights". For variety, he sang a mellow rendition of "If You�re Gone" with only Kyle Cook providing support on guitar. The band did a choice cover of Tears For Fears and closed the night with "Push".

In the middle of one song, Thomas suddenly pointed at an upper section and asked, "Does anyone else see that giant pig?" The crowd turned to discover somebody dressed in a pig costume standing nonchalantly by one of the entrances. Thomas invited the surprised pig down and stalled for time by singing an improvised verse about wanting to see a pig dance across the stage. A few minutes later, a pig was dancing across the stage. It was a bizarre but memorable moment of one cool concert.

Song on my mind... "The Scientist" by Coldplay

Nobody said it was easy
Oh it's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be so hard
I'm going back to the start

In the event of something happening to me
There is something I would like you all to see
It's just a photograph of someone that I knew

Have you seen my wife, Mr. Jones?
Do you know what it's like on the outside?
Don't go talking too loud, you'll cause a landslide, Mr. Jones.

And now that I can't get their songs out of my head, here are my Top 5 favorite songs from the Bee Gees...

1. "New York Mining Disaster 1941"
2. "How Deep Is Your Love"
3. "I Can't See Nobody"
4. "I Started A Joke"
5. "Massachusetts"

Last night, I was happy to discover that the kids on American Idol would be singing hits from the Bee Gees, a group I came to appreciate after watching their PBS special a few years back. They can be overly sentimental, but I love their songwriting. They also happen to be one of my sister's favorite groups. (She has four eclectic favorites and maybe I'll list them someday, but back to the subject...)

Robin Gibb was there to help "judge". I'm still waiting for a guest judge to be more critical or even lambaste somebody. "You ruined my song! That was the worst rendition I've ever heard! Worse than William Shatner!" Telling everybody that they are brilliant, when some of them obviously aren't, doesn't help anybody.

Clay's "dance" moves made me shudder and wish he had sung "To Love Somebody" again. It was the song of the night. To later hear Josh's contrasting country version of the same song only reinforced the feeling that he should be going home tonight. Kimberley was there, but not spectacular. After the music drowned him out the first time, Ruben returned with a fine performance of "How Do You Mend A Broken Heart".

Yeah, I pay way too much attention to the show. But I figure that this entry will amuse me someday, when I want to revisit these simpler and more innocent times.

Song on my mind... "You Were Right" by Badly Drawn Boy

And songs are never quite the answer
Just a soundtrack to a life
That is over all too soon
Helps to turn the days to night
While I was wrong and you were right

As I drove to work, I was listening to KSCU, a college radio station that comes into range on the outskirts of San Jose. It's a nice alternative to the commercial-filled, chatter-heavy morning shows. Along the way, they played the song by Badly Drawn Boy. While I've heard of him, I must confess that I didn't really notice him, until I saw Nick Hornby's About A Boy. Now I'm rather interested in listening to one of his albums.

A quick observation... I'm developing the unshakably bad habit of hitting the snooze button one too many times, gaining an entire seven minutes more of sleep in the morning. I really need to ask myself if those extra seconds are worth a missed train. Hopefully, the bed will see me seven minutes earlier tonight.

My brain just went kaput. There are things that I want to write about, but I'm hung up on the way to write them. To loosen the locked gears in my head, I scrounged around for an unrelated writing prompt. I found it in the Weekly Wrap-Up.

1. Do you like to sing? Why or why not?
I do, really. The fact that I can't doesn't stop me. I honestly believe that singing or just humming can relieve stress.

2. Where do you like to sing? Why?
Pretty much anywhere nobody else will hear me. Some of my favorite places include home, the car, the beach, and congested downtown streets (car engines drown out singing quite well).

3. Do you sing in front of people? Why or why not?
Real live people?! No. I believe that other people deserve happiness and my singing would only increase their suffering.

4. What's your favorite song to sing along with? Why?
"Don't Worry Baby" by the Beach Boys is one of my favorites. It's easy to sing along with either the melody or harmony of the song. It also offers a quick boost to my spirits when I'm feeling low.

5. What song is your guilty singing pleasure? Why?
It's usually the latest infectious tune on the radio. The last one I heard was "The Anthem" by Good Charlotte. Like candy, it may not have much nutritional value, but it can be awfully addictive.

Song on my mind... "Big Yellow Taxi" by Joni Mitchell

They took all the trees, and put them in a tree museum
And they charged the people a dollar and a half to see them
No, no, no
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone
They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot

I've probably heard this song any number of times over the last couple of weeks. The latest cover by Counting Crows is in high rotation. It kept reminding me of Earth Day, which happened two days ago.

Of course, Earth Day makes me quite self-conscious about a couple of my environmentally-unfriendly habits like the tall paper cup in front me. I really need to remember to bring my reusable and spill-proof mug when getting coffee.

I also have it in mind that my next car will be a hybrid vehicle like the Toyota Prius. Hopefully, by the time I'm in the market for a new car, there will be a better selection than the handful of choices now.

Growing up, the parent-controlled radio was usually on during breakfast. It was tuned to the easy listening channel, which nobody changed since it was my mom's favorite station. Also, the radio was strategically stuck behind bags of music books that were stuffed next to the piano, making it difficult to reach.

Top 5 easy listening artists I remember hearing growing up...

1. The Lettermen ("Goin' Out of My Head")
2. John Denver ("Annie's Song")
3. The Carpenters ("Top of the World")
4. Richard Clayderman ("Ballade pour Adeline")
5. Roberta Flack ("Killing Me Softly With His Song")

fix me now
I wish you would
bring me back to life
kiss me blind somebody should
from hollow into light

things don't have to be this way
catch me on a better day

- from "Fix Me Now" by Garbage

Song on my mind... "When I Grow Up" by The Beach Boys

Will I dig the same things that turn me on as a kid?
Will I look back and say that I wish I hadn't done what I did?
Will I joke around and still dig those sounds
When I grow up to be a man?

Will I look for the same things in a woman that I dig in a girl?
Will I settle down fast or will I first wanna travel the world?
Now I'm young and free, but how will it be
When I grow up to be a man?

Some days there is a part of me that says, "Grow up already! Act your age." While the other part of me replies, "Do I have to? Come on, one more year, pleeaase?"

I have other things that I want to write about, but this was simple enough to type and post in between other activities. A Friday Five for entertainment purposes only.

1. What was the first band you saw in concert?
Sublime.

2. Who is your favorite artist/band now?
The flavor of the week is Linkin Park with an Evanescence aftertaste.

3. What's your favorite song?
Today it's "Like A Stone" by Audioslave

In your house I long to be
Room by room patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone

4. If you could play any instrument, what would it be?
The dobro, think Jerry Douglas.

5. If you could meet any musical icon (past or present), who would it be and why?
Although he hasn't reached "icon" status yet, I would say Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty. He is one of many talented songwriters that I admire.

Song on my mind... "Numb" by Linkin Park

All I want to do
Is be more like me
And be less like you

Can't you see that you're smothering me
Holding too tightly
Afraid to lose control
'Cause everything that you thought I would be
Has fallen apart right in front of you

Song on my mind... "San Francisco" by Scott McKenzie

If you're going to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you're going to San Francisco
You're gonna meet some gentle people there

All across the nation,
such a strange vibration
People in motion
There�s a whole generation,
with a new explanation
People in motion, people in motion

Last night, I was listening to live music at a local cafe. The anti-war sentiment ran deep amongst the performers. Songs from a past generation came back to life with Bob Dylan leading the way. Woody Guthrie and Kingston Trio songs made brief appearances. Original compositions expressed in words and melodies what activists attempted to express in the streets. The same message conveyed differently and received openly.

On a random note, somebody brought in a didjeridu, gave a brief history about the instrument and then played a few songs. It was entirely unexpected, but quite appreciated.

The "happy" song I heard this morning that is still on my mind... "Creep" (radio edit) by Radiohead.

Whatever makes you happy,
whatever you want.
You're so very special,
I wish I was special,

but I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo.
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here,
I don't belong here.

I first heard this song during college and immediately grew attached to it. Can you believe that it was released ten years ago? Eesh!

I was in a rather blah mood this morning. It was dark and overcast. There is a strong possibility of rain later today. I missed the train and drove to work, which didn't improve matters.

Sitting at one of many stoplights, I switched the radio over to a country station and they were playing Travis Tritt.

Yeah I think I'll make me some homemade soup
Feelin' pretty good and that's the truth
It's neither drink nor drug induced
No I'm just doin' alright

And it's a great day to be alive
I know the sun's still shinin' when I close my eyes
There's some hard times in the neighborhood
But why can't every day be just this good?

Here I was being all sullen, while this guy on the radio was so darn... cheerful. I couldn't help but laugh. A happy song is a great way to start the day.

The following was inspired by LuckyKat's excellent journal entry about her experience with the piano.

When I was around six, there was an assembly at school where a man, from the local music store, performed on a small Casio keyboard. To me, it was a new toy that made music. I thought, "I want to play that!"

I rushed home and told my mom all about it. Soon enough, I was taking group keyboard lessons, first at school and then at the store. I had only been learning for a short while when my little sister became interested in playing too.

Song on my mind... "Girl All The Bad Guys Want" by Bowling for Soup. In the video, they spoof Staind, which gets me everytime.

And when she walks, all the wind blows and the angels sing
But, she'll never notice me

Cause she's watching wrestling
Creaming over tough guys
Listening to rap metal
Turntables in her eyes
She likes them with a mustache
Racetrack season pass
Driving in a Trans Am
Does a mullet make a man?

Now I'm watching wrestling
Trying to be a tough guy
Listening to rap metal
Turntables in my eyes
I can't grow a mustache and I ain't got no season pass
All I got's a moped

It is a larger than usual crowd for open mic night in the small cafe. Guitar cases lay about, scattered between chairs and tables. A single speaker sits upon a table in the corner. Its power supplied by an outlet above a neon sign that reads, "Espresso Bar".

A girl sings an a cappella rendition of Bush's "Glycerine", a bold but very loose rendition. The audience is supportive as they applaud and give words of encouragement. She basks in warmth.

The garage band in the back jeers during the performance, making off-colored remarks. They are a group of teens who complain about the lack of good drummers in this little town.

Song on my mind... "All My Life" by the Foo Fighters

All my life I've been searching for something
something never comes never leads to nothing
nothing satisfies but I'm getting close
closer to the prize at the end of the rope

All night long I dream of the day
when it comes around and it's taken away
leaves me with the feeling that I feel the most
feel it come to life when I see your ghost

This morning's Wake Dat Ass Mix on KDON nearly drove me crazy. It starts around 5:30 AM and is powered by DJ Rich Laxamana. True to its name, it does wake my ass up.

He must have been clearing out the dust-covered archives today. I was still groggy-eyed when L'Trimm's "Cars With The Boom" came on and I had the sickening feeling that I had time warped back to the 80s. I never got out of bed so quickly.

We like the cars, the cars that go boom!
We're Tigra and Bunny and we like the boom!

Song on my mind... "The Lucky One" by Alison Krauss + Union Station

Well, you're blessed, I guess
by never knowin' which road you're choosing.
To you the next best thing to playin' and winnin'
is playin' and losing.

You're the lucky one,
I know that now.
Don't ask you why, when, where or how.
You look at the world through your smilin' eye,
and laugh at the devil as his train rolls by.
Give you a song and a one night stand,
and you'll be lookin' at a happy man.
Cause you're the lucky one.

Song on my mind... "A Praise Chorus" by Jimmy Eat World

are you going to live your life wondering
standing in the back, looking around?
are you going to waste your time thinking
how you've grown up
how you missed out?
things are never going to be the way you want
where's it going to get you acting serious?
things are never going to be quite what you want
even at twenty five you got to start sometime

On Saturday evening, I drove up to San Francisco to see Maya Marin and Vienna Teng perform. It was the second time I had seen Vienna live.

Whenever I get into San Francisco, two thoughts cross my mind. First, I think of how I would love to live in the city with all of its culture, food and bustle. Second, I think of how I would last only three days with my current driving skills. There may have been one point where I assumed that a two-way street was really a one-way street. I quickly got over that misperception.

The house concert was being held at Eric's pad. It is a very cool place with high white walls tastefully covered by large photograph prints. I got there a little later than everybody else, so after putting down the cookies I brought, I took a seat up in the loft. A grand piano stood near the staircase with rows of chairs facing it in a recital-like formation. It was exceptionally intimate and comfortable with about fifty or sixty people there.

Maya was the first to perform. Most of the songs she played were from her new album, Waiting Here. She did perform one song called, "A Girl", that wasn't on the release. My other favorites from her set included "Do You Remember?" and "Words Like Rain".

At the break, I got her CD and complimented her on a wonderful performance. I often wonder how artists take such comments. Do they expect it? Do they grow tired of it and hope you say something meaningful or insightful? I would be a disappointing fan, since all that pops into my nervous head is the generic, "You were so great!" I did somehow manage to ask both women for their autographs. No wimping out this time.

After the break, Vienna performed. She played quite a few songs that were not from her album, Waking Hour. My favorites included "My Medea", "Gravity (Lake Version)" and "Green Island Serenade". Just so I won't forget the names of the other non-album songs, they were "Maya", "Mission Street", "Rain Walk Song" and "Boy At The Piano".

I left shortly after the encore performances. Everybody there seemed to know at least one other person and I was feeling out of place. It was an amazing night, seeing such talented people in action, and it made my whole weekend.

February 11, 2003 - I wrote this shortly after the Maya and Vienna performances. I am not hiding this, I swear. I am just backdating it to the time it was written.

I don't want to forget this feeling. The one that started less than five hours ago and is slowly fading away. It is one of utter joy mixed with yearning. It has been so long since I have experienced these emotions. I am sure this will sound completely ridiculous in the morning, but it's how I'm feeling right now. It is hard to express everything.

For two hours, I was immersed in music. One piano and one voice. Intoxicating and beautiful. The whole room seemed to disappear and the only thing left was the music. It was a combination of many things: the setting, the instrument, the voice, the lyrics, the melody, the frame of mind. They all seemed to come together.

There were moments when I anticipated certain notes and when they were played, I couldn't help but smile. When an unexpected chord filled the air, I couldn't help but laugh. And when a particularly touching song finished, I couldn't help but let out a sigh of contentment. I didn't want it to end.

Let me try to explain it another way. Growing up, there was music in my parents' house. My sister and I began playing the piano at a young age. I was about six and she was maybe four. As soon as we got home from school, it seemed that somebody was on the piano. The music would go on until dinner was served.

It has been a long time since then. With me moving out and my sister focusing on graduate studies, the piano sits idle and the house is quiet. Tonight, it was like I was transported back many years. Looking down from the loft overhead and listening to the music, I felt at home.

On the drive back, I couldn't bear to have the radio playing. I didn't want to lose the feeling. Deep down, I yearn for the music and piano. It is something that I have repressed and forgone for what now seems like forever.

To be able to play it again and feel it again, with consistency, would mean so much. In my darkest moments the piano brought me comfort, lifted me up and brought me focus. It was a way to meditate, become centered and allow everything else to simply fall away. How I miss it.

The 1960s seems to be the source of this morning's theme music. The gym was playing classics from The Beatles, somebody mentioned an old Sinatra song and the cafe where I got my latte was playing "Up On The Roof" by The Drifters. Odd, but cool.

When this old world starts getting me down
And people are just too much for me to face
I climb way up to the top of the stairs
And all my cares just drift right into space
On the roof, it's peaceful as can be
And there the world below can't bother me

Top 5 favorite artists whose albums I don't own... yet.

1. Alison Krauss + Union Station
2. The Goo Goo Dolls
3. No Doubt
4. Live
5. Simon & Garfunkel

I had depressed myself by thinking about Jack and Jill. I really don't know why I did that, but it seriously dampened my mood. On the way home, while listening to a college radio station, I heard about live music going on Friday night at the Quarter Note in Sunnyvale.

The Quarter Note is a little bar and grill hidden amongst commercial offices. Off to one side are two pool tables, a foosball table and shuffleboard. On the other side of a glass-topped divider are tables for two, a small dance floor and the corner stage.

The three-man garage band from Lodi, Jacket Weather, started things off. The memorable song from their set was called "Tires Me Out". They were followed by a young San Jose rock band called The Woods. They were a little fresh and probably need more stage time to settle their nerves.

After them were The Kirby Grips, a three-girl rock band from San Francisco. So far, they have two albums released. All three shared lead vocal responsibilities and really rocked. The most noticeable song was the slower-paced country-inspired "Needless".

The night wrapped up with the high energy reggae/ska band named Pacific Vibrations. With a combination of covers intermixed with their touching originals, like "Compassion", they had the place jumping from the first song until the grand finale.

What happens when you bring only one CD to work? You end up listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers for the whole day. The song that has really grown on me is "Throw Away Your Television". Oh, if only I could, but then how would I watch Smallville or feel guilty about indulging in The Bachelorette?

Throw away your television
Take the noose off your ambition
Reinvent your intuition now
It's a repeat of a story told
It's a repeat and it's getting old

So Billy Joel has been in the headlines recently due to crashing his car into a tree. When I was really young and had only been playing the piano for a couple of years, I dreamt that I would someday write and play songs like Billy Joel.

Being heavily self-conscious, I never pursued singing lessons, but I did continue piano lessons and practicing his songs. I bought the sheet music for his greatest hits and played them constantly, much to the annoyance of my sister who would practice Rachmaninoff and Chopin for hours on end.

I remember playing "Just The Way You Are" for a high school talent show and playing "She's Always A Woman" to impress a crush back then. In both cases, my heart was beating so rapidly and my palms would not stay dry. But in the second case, I actually thought I would die.

Chicago had only two showings in town this weekend and I was lucky enough to catch the second one. What it is about musicals that makes me love them so? I can't fully put it into words, but is like a feeling of elation, being caught up in the rhythm, the vocals and the emotions of the moment. A musical can draw you in with melodies and stories and bring everything closer to your heart in ways that a regular play or movie cannot.

This Fosse, Kander and Ebb musical movie adaptation was captivating. I loved Catherine Zeta-Jones' singing and dancing, especially in "I Can't Do It Alone" and "Cell Block Tango". And while I was hoping to see more of Taye Diggs, I got a total kick out of John C. Reilly and his "Mister Cellophane". This is a movie that will be joining my small DVD collection. I have never seen the stage production of Chicago, but now I'm itching to go.

I tell ya
Cellophane
Mister cellophane
Should have been my name
Mister cellophane
'Cause you can look right through me
Walk right by me
And never know I'm there

Whenever I get low, like I've been over the last 24 hours, I usually dig through my small collection of music to find something uplifting or comforting. This morning I listened to Pet Sounds from the Beach Boys. I find solace in songs like "That's Not Me". They serve as gentle reminders of truths so obvious that I've forgotten them.

I had to prove that I could make it alone
But that's not me
I wanted to show how independent I'd grown now
But that's not me

I could try to be big in the eyes of the world
What matters to me is what I could be to just one girl

I went through all kinds of changes
Took a look at myself and said that's not me
I miss my pad and the places I've known
And every night as I lay there alone I will dream

I once had a dream
So I packed up and split for the city
I soon found out that my lonely life wasn't so pretty

Song on my mind... "Momentum" by Vienna Teng

would you help me rise up
touch my face and watch me try to breathe again
would you let me do this
burn down the final wall

overcome me baby
all I'm asking is to be alive for once

One of my favorite songs from 2002 has to be Sheryl Crow's "Soak Up The Sun". It just captures summer and brings a smile to my face. I can't help but think of girls on the beach, surfing, sunrises, and bright sunny days. Carefree and light, a throw back to the classic Beach Boys. Crow is an artist that has grown on me over the years. C'mon C'mon is the first album of hers that I purchased, but her other ones are most certainly on my wish list.

I don't have digital
I don't have diddly squat
It's not having what you want
It's wanting what you've got

I'm gonna soak up the sun
Gonna tell everyone
To lighten up
I've got no one to blame
For every time I feel lame
I'm looking up
I'm gonna soak up the sun

So I am watching Ed and thinking that this is a pretty good episode. The second to the last scene is set in a restaurant where Carol, Molly, and Nancy are having lunch and talking about Carol's failed date. In the background, a song is playing and it sounds oddly familiar. I listen closely and realize that it is "The Tower" by Vienna Teng! I am then thinking that this is a very good episode. I was completely blown away.

My exact expression was "Holy crap! That's Vienna!!" You would have thought I was hearing my own song. I know, I know, I don't really know her, but I did see her play live in San Francisco a couple months back. She is a local Bay Area artist who recently released a new album. It was just very cool to hear her song on national network television. Wow.

I turned on the radio to some generic country station with the idea that it might do the trick and help me nod off. Randy Travis was singing (his voice is very distinct). I wasn't really paying much attention to the lyrics until it got to the chorus a second time. The words are simple and the message is nothing new, but there is something about a good old country song like "Three Wooden Crosses" that gets me everytime.

A farmer and a teacher, a hooker and a preacher,
Ridin' on a midnight bus bound for Mexico.
One's headed for vacation, one for higher education,
An' two of them were searchin' for lost souls.
That driver never ever saw the stop sign.
An' eighteen wheelers can't stop on a dime.

There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway,
Why there's not four of them, Heaven only knows.
I guess it's not what you take when you leave this world behind you,
It's what you leave behind you when you go.

After a few more songs, my eyelids grew heavy and I finally got a couple hours of much needed sleep.

Song on my mind... "Bring Me To Life" by Evanescence

wake me up inside, wake me up inside
call my name and save me from the dark
bid my blood to run, before I come undone
save me from the nothing I've become

now that I know what I'm without,
you can't just leave me
breathe into me and make me real
bring me to life

I feel the dream in me expire
and there's no one left to blame it on
I hear you label me a liar
'cause I can't seem to get this through
You say it's over, I can sigh again, yeah
Why try to stay sober when I'm dying here

And I am aware now of how
everything's gonna be fine one day
Too late, I'm in hell
I am prepared now,
seems everyone's gonna be fine
One day too late; just as well

- from "Fine Again" by Seether

I really wish it could snow around here, unfortunately that is almost a physical impossibility. Song on my mind... "Snowfall" by Claude and Ruth Thornhill. sigh

Gently
Softly
Silent
Snowfall

Covering trees
Misty lights
Velvet breezes
'Neath my window

Drift down
Drift down
Drift down
Snowfall

I haven't been able to get Eminem's "Lose Yourself" out of my head. It is on the 8 Mile soundtrack, which is now on my music wishlist. Here is a taste of the chorus...

You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo

The song resonates with my current frame of mind. Undertaking something without holding back, pursuing a goal or vision, taking the risk, taking the chance, all because the rewards are just too good to pass up, because the alternative isn't an option.

This entry will be done in the time it takes me to finish this latte.

I'm sitting in the Tennant Avenue Starbucks in Morgan Hill. I'm listening to Christmas music and enjoying a venti eggnog latte a week before Thanksgiving. I would be home right now watching Ed, but I really don't feel like being home right now.

I just drove back from the Second Harvest Food Bank in San Jose. Volunteers were sorting through the barrels from the Holiday Food Drive. Folks from KLIV and Cisco Systems were there along with dozens of other kind people who came out to help. There was a girl there that I thought looked familiar, though we had never met before. "Evangeline" was the name on her tag, but I couldn't place her face.

Okay, sidetracking... I'm amazed how many people come out to Starbucks at 9:00 PM on a weeknight. There must be at least twenty people here and it is just a constant flow. Pretty cool.

You left a stain
On every one of my good days
But I am stronger than you know
I have to let you go

- from "Disease" by Matchbox Twenty

I just got their album, More Than You Think You Are, this afternoon. I tried to listen to it at work, but the office noise drowned out my computer speakers. As soon as I get home, the CD is going into the player.

I am in a room full of people... talking to one another, sharing with one another and enjoying each other's company. There is perhaps one other person in the cafe, besides myself, who is all by themselves and looking rather lonely. I wonder if I am projecting. I feel like I should go over and introduce myself, but that feeling is fleeting. Fear quickly takes over. I sit here and continue to type, justifying my solitude. I typically welcome and appreciate the solitude, but at this very moment, it just makes me sad.

The latte is done and so am I.

These lyrics have been bouncing around my head for the last couple of days. I think it is appropriate to what I've been feeling and where I have been...

I think you are blind to the fact
That the hand you hold
Is the hand that holds you down

- from "Everything to Everyone" by Everclear

Yesterday, Vienna Teng's CD release party was on my mind. The album, Waking Hour, was out on Tuesday, but the release party was set for Wednesday, up in San Francisco. Just before leaving work, I made up my mind to go to the party. I would grab a bite to eat at home and drive up to San Fran. On the train, though, I started having second thoughts. I eventually talked myself out of it. In the middle of making dinner, I suddenly stopped. I thought, "What the heck am I doing? I complain and whine about my life being in a rut, but I do nothing about it." Either through frustration or determination, I decided to go.

I made good time getting up to the city, but once there I got very lost. I was trying to get to the 5th & Mission Garage and had trouble finding the garage entrance. It is one of the coolest parking garages ever. As you arrive on each level, there is an electronic sign that indicates if the floor is full or not. If it is not, then it tells you how many spaces there are on the left and right sides.

After a little trouble finding the Hotel Utah Saloon's front door (noticing a pattern?), I managed to get inside and catch the last few songs of Reba Hasko's set. She bangs out a mean tune on the piano and I wish I had gotten there sooner to hear more. My tardiness caused me to miss Jamie Jenkins entirely, but I was able to catch Carvell Wallace. His songs were soulful, political and honest.

Vienna was soon to follow. She must have come on around 10:30 PM. She was well worth the wait. While the recorded songs on the CD are wonderful, nothing compares to hearing them live. Every song was so full of melody and flow. There was a richness in the piano chords and progressions and a calmness in her vocals. Some of my favorites from her live performance included "Lullaby", "Enough to Go By", and "Homecoming". I was in awe. Admittedly, my view from the balcony was not the best seat in the house, but I could hear just fine and she rocked.

From my regular weblog visits, I recognized a couple people there, which was very similar to celebrity sightings. It was cool, but a little weird. I was way too quiet and was nearly sat upon, which is never a good thing. I also bumped into more chairs than I want to recall. I was shyness personified and that bummed me out. Even so, I'm still glad I went. I loved the music and the commotion that my life typically lacks.