Positively Puzzled

the glass cage , originally uploaded by lorrainemd . her pain is exposed for the world to see... and she can see all that she can never have. From the day's playlist... Chameleon─Herbie Hancock─ Head Hunters Händel: Sonata for 2 Violins in A Major, Op.5─London Baroque Don't Bother Me─The Beatles─ With the Beatles You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)─The Beatles─ Past Masters Godchild─Miles Davis─Birth of the Cool Victor Herbert: Cello Concerto No.1 in D Major, Op.8─Lynn Harrell, cello; Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; Neville Marriner, conductor

Mel Does the Twizzle , originally uploaded by I, Puzzled . I'm a huge fan of The Dick Van Dyke Show , and this scene cracked me up. From the day's playlist... Meine Seele erhebt den Herren, BWV 648─Hans Fagius, at the reconstructed baroque organ in Kristine Church, Falun─ Johann Sebastian Bach: Organ Works Complete Hang Up Your Hang Ups─Herbie Hancock─ Man Child Der verlassene Mägdlein─Chamber Choir of the Berlin Academy of Music; Christian Grube, conductor─ Hugo Distler - Mörike-Chorliederbuch Crow Waltz─The Be Good Tanyas─ Hello Love Granados: Valses Poeticos─Stephen Hough, piano ─ Stephen Hough’s Spanish Album François Couperin: Troisieme Leçon a deux voix─Judith Nelson & Emma Kirby, sopranos; Christopher Hogwood, chamber organ─ Couperin: Trois Leçons de Tenebres For You Blue─The Beatles ─Let It Be

Last night I watched the 1972 film Lady Sings the Blues starring Diana Ross (photo) as Billie Holiday. It is an extraordinary performance. And I mean extraordinary. She sings all the songs herself and makes them her own, without consciously attempting to imitate Billie Holiday's singing style. At first I found this a little disappointing, but ultimately I think it was the best creative choice. It pays off in the course of the film. Her acting delves deeply into the character of the jazz legend, absorbing the experiences endured. Gradually, as the story unfolds, the songs reflect more and more of the character and spirit of Billie Holiday's hard life, taking form in the expressiveness of Ross' singing. Toward the end of the film we readily imagine that it is Billie singing, notably with Don't Explain , Strange Fruit, God Bless the Child, and the title song, all Holiday compositions; this is when the signature nuances come through, naturally, as a result of a compl...

Winners of Theme of the Week: Still Life , originally uploaded by I, Puzzled . 1st Place: Garden in the window 2nd Place: Early Harvest 3rd Place: Still Life With Bottle, Cookbooks, Sunscreen and Tape Theme of the Week From the the weekend's playlist... This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)─Arcade Fire I Need You─The Beatles─ Help! Aquellos Ojos Verdes─Ibrahim Ferrer Pay Day─Mississippi John Hurt─ Legend Alphabeta─Herbie Hancock─ Future 2 Future Nobody Cares for Me─The Be Good Tanyas─ Hello Love Chorus: for Unto Us a Child is Born─The English Concert & Choir; Trevor Pinnock, conductor─ Händel : Messiah Hallelujah─ Imogen Heap The Passion according to St. John─Schola Cantorum Basiliensis; Die Basler Madrigalisten; Fritz Näf, conductor─ Alessandro Scarlatti: St. John’s Passion

Buoyant Boy, June 26, 2005 , originally uploaded by I, Puzzled . Hurray for the return of swimming pool season! From the day's playlist... Andreas Späth: Introduction and Variations for clarinet and orchestra─Dieter Klöcker, clarinet; Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava); Gernot Schmalfuss, conductor─ Clarinet and Orchestra Beethoven: An die Hoffnung─Ian Partridge, tenor & Richard Burnett, piano─ Beethoven - Songs Arvo Pärt (b. 1935): Summa (Credo)─Theatre of Voices, Paul Hillier, conductor─ De Profundis Meiron Williams: Aros mae’r mynyddau mawr (The great mountains remain)─Bryn Terfel, bass-baritone; Annette Bryn Parri, piano─ Songs of my Welsh Home All I’ve Got to Do─The Beatles─ With the Beatles Sie Liebt Dich─The Beatles- Past Masters

free cupcake , originally uploaded by view-askew . This photograph always cheers me up when I see it. From the day's playlist... Lullaby─Jack Johnson─ Sing-A-Longs & Lullabies For The Film Curious George Love You To─The Beatles─ Revolver When You’re Gone─The Cranberries─ To the Faithful Departed I’m Only Sleeping─The Beatles─ Revolver The Shower─Worcester Chathedral Choir, Donald Hunt Singers─ Edward Elgar: Complete Choral Songs Good Day Sunshine─The Beatles─ Revolver Suite Revenge─Herbie Hancock─ Death Wish (soundtrack)

big moon rising, cormorant, cloud , originally uploaded by I, Puzzled . From the day's playlist... It Ain’t Me Babe (Janis Joplin - live, w Bob Dylan 1964) J.S. Bach: Partita Nr. 2 d-moll BWV 1004 - Giga─Yehudi Menuhin, violin─ J.S. Bach: Sonates et Partitas. Menuhin 1934-1936 So Happy Together (Frank Zappa - Fillmore East, June 1971) O Ry Fody An’ Ala Ê! O!/Tribute To The Cardinal Of The Forest─Hiran-D Razafimahefa─ Music of Madagascar - Classic Traditional Recordings of the 1930s A Hard Road─John Mayall

fantasy land mural , originally uploaded by I, Puzzled . Julian, October 2002 A mural in downtown Santa Cruz. From the day's playlist... Eve of Destruction─Barry McGuire, vocals; Phil Sloan, harmonica─ Eve of Destruction Ruby Tuesday─The Rolling Stones Blues Harmonica─John Mayall Tupelo Honey─Van Morrison─ Tupelo Honey F. Couperin: Leçon de Ténébres à 2 voix─Le Concert des Nations; Jordi Savall, conducting─ Tous les Matins du Monde (soundtrack) California Dreaming─Mamas & Papas Bad Moon Rising─Credence Clearwater Revival Schumann: Variations on Chopin’s Nocturne in G Minor, Op.15, No.2─Wojcich Kocyan, piano─ Reflets dans Chopin: Wojcich Kocyan Plays Liszt Mompou, Schumann, Saya

Winners of Theme of the Week: Pets , originally uploaded by I, Puzzled . 1st Place: Twitcher ( Katz41 ) 2nd Place: Lazy Sunday ( bbudke ) 3rd Place: Can't touch this! ( Olympic snow ) Created with fd's Flickr Toys . Winner Discussion Thread From the day's playlist... Anonymous: Lamento di Tristano: Rotta, Prelude, Lamento, Rotta (reprise)─Alla Francesca; Pierre Harmon; Carlo Rizzo, tambourines & vocals─ Istanpitte: Festive Music for the Visconti Court Sanya Sugagaki─Katsuya Yokoyama, shakuhachi─ Japon: L’art du Shakuhachi The Book Of My Life─Sting, with Anoushka Shankar Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)─The Beatles─ Rubber Soul Springfield, or Bobby Gota Shadfly Caught in His Hair─Sufjan Stevens I Scare Myself─Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks Every Little Thing─The Beatles─ Beatles for Sale Maiden Voyage─Herbie Hancock─ Maiden Voyage

From today's playlist... I’ll Take You There─The Staple Singers Sun Touch─Herbie Hancock─ Man Child Por Los Siete Dolores (siguiriyas)─Antonio Mairena─ Flamenco Hey Nineteen─Steely Dan─ A Decade of Steely Dan Sari─Nellie McKay─ Get Away From Me I’ve Just Seen a Face─The Beatles─ Help! The Inner Light─The Beatles─ Past Masters, Volume Two I Almost Had a Weakness─Elvis Costello and the Brodsky String Quartet─ The Juliet Letters Locatelli: Sonata in C Minor Aria with 3 variations ─Philharmonia Virtuosi─ Musical Evenings with the Captain: Music from the Aubrey-Maturin Novels Lullaby of Birdland─Sarah Vaughan Rancag─Uking Sukri, Burhan Sukarma, Ajan Warjan, Dedi Sobandi, Dodi Suriadi─ Musiques Savantes-Musique Et Chants Classiques Time to clear out my Recently Seen Movies list... Another Thin Man (1939) Top Gun (1986) Amadeus (1984) The Boys of Baraka (2005) The Cocoanuts (1929) The School of Rock (2003) The Skin Game (1931) Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1974) Diva (1981) Eraserhead...

Today and tomorrow we're celebrating Single Parent Weekend, a very local holiday. The fun began suddenly and spectacularly at about 2:00 this morning when Julian, from his top bunk aerie, demonstrated the devastating effects of pandirectional projectile vomiting. I will not describe the extent of the noxious devastation, but imagine the worst possible scenario. No, it was much worse than that. I was up until 4:30 cleaning and laundering. As a result, I am seriously sleep-deprived, and plagued with lingering gastric odors that hang over the whole house and lodge in the farthest reaches of my olfactory epithelium. Julian is feeling much better this morning. The excess of a chocolaty rich muffin as big as a sow's heart consumed at his grandmother's house last night seems to have been the cause of his stomach upset. I promised the kids a trip to the pool today. The first of the season. Maybe we'll go for a hike, too. I wish I felt more robust. I love May weather...

My daily playlists are my personal indulgence, because I love music, and taking note of what I'm listening to, should it happen to spark a synaptic positron of "oh, I like this" in my brain, is my way of pausing in my diurnal activities to usher in the olfactory assets of rosaceae , so to speak. I forget why I mention this, except that I sometimes feel self-conscious of the fact that instead of the intended word-based exposition of my blogitious expressions, my daily offerings principally consist of a photo I happen to like and a list of music that floated my boat. Er, so, moving right along... This morning when Cream's classic 1967 rock album Disraeli Gears popped up at random in the MP3 shuffle, Gabriel marched into the room with a big grin on his face and declared, "It's School of Rock !" I thought about it, and figured there was a good chance that indeed the song we were listening to was featured in the Jack Black movie, but I wasn't absolute...

Kundan on the trail... , originally uploaded by DaveSinclair . The Johar Valley, Kumaon , India - on the way to Nanda Devi .

playing the cat , Meera and Yoshe rasslin' From the day's playlist... Mendelssohn: Herr nun lässest du deinen Diener─Kammerchor der Universität der Künste, Berlin; Christian Grube, conductor─ Mein Odem Ist Schwach...Konzertmitschnitt vom Herbst 2002 Diet of Strange Places─k.d. lang─ Reintarnation John Dowland: Lachrimae Pavin─Hopkinson Smith, lute─ John Dowland: A Dream Villa-Lobos─Bachianas Brasileiras No.5: Aria─ Rene Fleming, soprano; David Grusin, piano; Lee Ritenour, guitar─ Rene Fleming: By Request Dino Saluzzi: El titere─Dino Saluzzi, bandoneon; Anja Lechner, violoncello─ Ojos Negros Maya Ne Jal Bichhaya─Master Labhu─ Vintage Music from India Chaakar Raakho Jee─Anuradha Paudwal, vocals─ Meera (Bhajans) For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her (Live)─Simon & Garfunkel All of Me─Billie Holiday

A sunny day in New York City , originally uploaded by elephipelephi . Be sure and look at this in a larger format. From the day's playlist... Mendelssohn: Venetian Boat Song─Keola Beamer, guitar─ Ka Hikina O Ka Hau (The Coming of the Snow) Louise─Tom Waits & Ramblin’ Jack Elliott El Corazon del Inca─Urubamba─ Urubamba Classic Andean harp and violin music from Ayacucho, Peru─Ayllu Sulca─ Music of the Andes Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber─Passagalia for solo violin─Andrew Manze, baroque violin, member of Romanesca─ Biber: Violin Sonatas (8 Sonatae 1681, etc) John Philip Sousa: Stars and Stripes Forever─Guy Van Duser, guitar─ American Finger Style Guitar

I bought about a hundred dollars' worth of blank books the other day. I was nearing the end of my current journal volume (about a year and a half of entries) and, much to my surprise, I discovered I'd used up all my blank books already. The last time I bought a bunch of blank books, Meera seemed bemused; it would take years and years before I'd ever fill them. Well, it did take several years (they passed very quickly) but I did it! The fact that there's very little in there besides a whole lot of self-therapy, and comments on how I did or didn't enjoy my breakfast, is neither here nor there. The fact is, it was very gratifying. And so, in anticipation of many more pages to fill, I overdid it again in procuring a fresh ample supply of blank books. I want each book design to be unique. I loved those inexpensive Benedikt Taschen blank books with paintings by well-known artists on the cover. (Here's a photo of me , displaying the insides of one in 1993) T...

COURBET , originally uploaded by lucesensibile . Gustave Courbet's 1866 painting L'origine du monde" , at the Musée d'Orsay, Paris. From the day's playlist... Guillaume Dufay: Mass Se La Face Ay Pale: Agnus Dei─The Early Music Consort of London; David Munrow─ Dufay: Se La Face Ay Pale Morten Lauridsen: A Winter Come: When Frost Moves Fast─Jane Thorngren, soprano; Ralph Grierson, piano─ Northwest Journey J.S. Bach: Aria (Soprano I, Alto I, Chorus): «So ist mein Jesus nun gefangen»─Frans Brueggen; Orchestra Of The 18th Century─J.S. Bach: Matthaeus-Passion (I love this duet...with its extended vocalisiacal melismas and it's restless chorus erupting into a tense fugue.) Bridge Over Troubled Water─Simon & Garfunkel─ The Essential Simon & Garfunkel Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?─Ray Charles & Bonnie Raitt (with a shout out to neeka!) Sableyalo Mi Agontze─The Bulgarian State Radio & Television Female Choir─ Le Mystère Des Voix Bulgares Elsa─Bill Evan...

Winners of Theme of the Week: Work , originally uploaded by I, Puzzled . Winner Mosaic Title , 1st Place: construction construction , 2nd Place: Pescatori all'opera , 3rd Place: Work Created with fd's Flickr Toys . Flickr's Theme of the Week group is here . From the day's playlist... sweet judy blue eyes─crosby, stills, nash, and young Two of Two─Wayne Krantz (with a shout out to Sir Realist!) Scott Joplin: Solace: "A Mexican Serenade"; Paragon Rag─Alexander Peskanov, Piano─ Scott Joplin Piano Rags Summer in the City─Lovin Spoonful The Revolution Will Not Be Televised─Gil Scott Heron While My Guitar Gently Weeps─The Beatles─ Love Sogna Fiore Mio-Il Trillo, w/Lucilla Galaezzai (with a shout out to Mary1971!) Kylä vuotti uutta kuuta-Värttinä─ Musta Lindu (with a shout out to lionlady!)

bobo. , originally uploaded by sacrary . perfected cappucino. The Lobby @ Claska Hotel. Tokyo, Japan. 05/08/07.

big wave , originally uploaded by I, Puzzled . From the day's soundtrack... Jorma Kaukonen─Genesis sweet judy blue eyes─crosby, stills, nash, and young He Shall Feed His Flock─The English Concert & Choir; Trevor Pinnock, conductor─ Händel : Messiah Händel: Harp Concerto in B Flat Major/─Frances Kelly, harp; The Brandenburg Consort; Roy Goodman, conductor─ Händel: Organ Concertos [sic] Adelaide─Ian Partridge, tenor & Richard Burnett, piano─ Beethoven - Songs Homeward Bound ─Simon & Garfunkel─ The Essential Simon & Garfunkel William Byrd: Sixth Pavan and Galliard─Glenn Gould, piano─ The Art of Glenn Gould Dufay: Mass Se La Face Ay Pale: Credo─The Early Music Consort of London; David Munrow─ Dufay: Se La Face Ay Pale Moten Swing─Bennie Moten’s Kansas City Orchestra─ Smithsonian Collection Of Classic Jazz

exercise your tongue , originally uploaded by I, Puzzled . Since the family photo on Meera's blog shows Gabriel as such a wee babe, I was inclined to post a more recent shot of him. From the day's playlist... Bach (JS): Cello Suite #3 In C, BWV 1009 - 1. Prelude─Yo-Yo Ma, cello─ J.S. Bach: Six Suites For Unaccompanied Cello Pour La Danseuse Aux Crotales─Martin Jones, piano─ Debussy Complete Piano Works Vol. 5 Bach: Aria: "Höchster, mache deine Güte ferner alle Morgen neu"─Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum Leipzig; Ludwig Güttler, conductor─ Bach: Cantatas with Corno da Caccia Courtyard Lullaby─Loreena McKennitt (with a shout out to Nicola O!) You Brought a New Kind of Love─Fred Sokolow, guitar; Mike Rose,sax; Jeff Falkner,bass; Russell Bizzett, drums─Jazz Quartet Rachmaninoff : All-Night Vigil, Op.37: Vespers & Matins─Estonian Philharmonica Chamber Choir; Paul Hillier, conductor─ Rachmaninoff: All-Night Vigil, Op.37: Vespers & Matins My Lovin’ (You’re Never ...

Pink plumeria , originally uploaded by superhero . To date: Viewed 356,077 times, 1,290 people call this photo a favorite. Flower pictures on Flickr don't get much more popular than this one. From the day's soundtrack... Anonymous: Salterello; Isabella─Alla Francesca; Pierre Harmon; Carlo Rizzo, tambourines & vocals─ Istanpitte: Festive Music for the Visconti Court Who Needs Sleep?─Barenaked Ladies─ Stunt Oliver's Army─Elvis Costello Five Childhood Lyrics: 2. the Owl and the Pussy-Cat─The Cambridge Singers─ Fancies: Music by John Rutter Morten Lauridesen: Dirait-on, from the collection Les chansons des roses ─Polyphony, Stephen Layton, conductor─ Nocturnes Radiance Part VI─Keith Jarrett ─Radiance Street Spirit (Fade Out)─ R ADIOHEAD Change the World─Nellie McKay─ Get Away From Me

Wowl! , originally uploaded by nicebiscuit . Have you see this one? One of my all-time favorite Flickr photos. The owls are not what they seem. From the day's playlist... Garden State Stomp─Dave Van Ronk Evil Woman Blues─John Mayall & Peter Green Alpha Blondie─Brigadier Sabari Old Man River─Ray Charles J.S. Bach: Chaconne, from Partita No. 2 in D Minor for unaccompanied violin ─John Holloway, baroque violin─ J.S. Bach: The Sonatas and Partitas You Learn─Alanis Morrisette Otto Wood the Bandit─Doc Watson─ The Best of Doc Watson 1964-1968 St. Louis Blues─Bessie Smith─ Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz

Spoiling Sugimoto , originally uploaded by I, Puzzled . Meera told me this morning how much she loves this shot, so, voila! c'est une blogule. And you can go here check out Hiroshi Sugimoto . Yesterday she launched her blog, Boulder Crecian , so we're both off and running. Check it out! * * * My thinking hasn't been very cohesive the last several days, so my blog has been all photos and background music. Too many distractions, an attention span too short. I meant to file a lawsuit against the United States Congress for abdicating their power to declare war and ceding it to a clearly incompetent president, such a glaring violation of the Constitution. The case is a slam dunk, really...but I had laundry and dishes to do. And since Clinton Proposes Vote to Reverse Authorizing War , I hope there's some progress on the issue without my help. The article says: Mostly, Mrs. Clinton appeared to be trying to claim a new leadership position among the Democratic presidenti...

This Week's Theme of the Week Winners, originally uploaded by I, Puzzled . Winner Mosaic Title , 1st Place: PERFECT STRANGERS - Nicholson VIC Australia 2007 , 2nd Place: Sheep grazing.... , 3rd Place: Canola Field Created with fd's Flickr Toys . From the day's playlist... Hurtin’ Love─Bobby "Blue" Bland (single) Chorus: Worthy is the Lamb That Was Slain - Amen─The English Concert & Choir; Trevor Pinnock, conductor─ Händel: Messiah You Learn─Alanis Morrisette Hyotikos Manes (If I Were the Hem of Your Skirt)─Yangos Psamatyalis─ Greek-Oriental Rebetica, Songs & Dances Aangan Mein Mat Sove─Shobha Gurtu, vocals; Sultan Khan, sarangi─ Shobha Gurtu Woman and Child─Sheila Chandra─ The Zen Kiss

knitting for warmth , originally uploaded by I, Puzzled . At the California Shakespeare Festival production of Nicholas Nickleby September 2005 Meera, my darling wife since 1998. From the day's playlist: Pastorale─Camerata Köln─Georg Philipp Telemann: Essercizii Musici Luci serene e chiare─Polyphony with Britten Sinfonia; Layton, Stephen, conductor─ Morten Lauridsen: Lux aeterna · Madrigali · Latin Motets Beethoven: Piano Trio in E Flat Major, Op.1, No.1─The Gryphon Trio: Annalee Patipatanakoon, violin; Roman Borys, cello; Jamie Parker, piano Partida─Djosinha─The Soul of Cape Verde Never On Sunday─Pink Martini─ Sympathique John Williams─Elegy for Cello and Orchestra─ Yo-Yo Ma, Cello; Recording Arts Orchestra of Los Angeles, John Williams, conductor─ Yo-Yo Ma Plays the Music of John Williams Samuel Barber: Agnus Dei─The Cambridge Singers; John Rutter, conductor─ Images of Christ Bird On A Wire (Leonard Cohen)─k.d. lang─ Hymns Of The 49th Parallel Somebody To Love─Brittany Mu...

Julian Asleep and Gabriel Pretending , originally uploaded by I, Puzzled . Gabriel hasn't quite figured out yet that open eyes are a giveaway, though. Our boys, Julian and Gabriel.

Foggy Forest Series, 23 , originally uploaded by I, Puzzled . It's been so cold this morning, thank ye sun for coming out and warming the place up! From today's playlist... Ghost Riders In The Sky─Johnny Cash Waiting─Sheila Chandra─ The Zen Kiss Lalayaran─Burhan Sukarma, suling (flute) Fuse Box (AlexKid’s Dub Remix─Mychael Danna─ Monsoon Wedding apex─Robert Bailey─ Northern Lights Mama na Milka/Pajdusko─Medna Usta; Ruth Hunter, lead vocal─ All Dressed Up: More Songs from Surf City O Ry T’Siriry Mandalo An’ Itasy!/Bird Flying Above Lake Itaosy─Hiran-D Razafimahefa, valiha─ Music of Madagascar - Classic Traditional Recordings of the 1930s Vilambit Gat In Tintal─Debashis Bhattacharya, guitar; Samir Chatterjee, tabla

Martini-1 , originally uploaded by I, Puzzled . Even though she hates gin, my dear wife quite enjoyed this excellent NYT article on the art of the martini, and brought it to my attention. As I am rather fond of this cocktail and the author of the article seems to know his stuff, I thought I might as well blog the sucker. I'm rather fond of Tanqueray ordinaire , and for premium sipping gin, I enjoy Hendrick's straight (from the freezer) in a small shot glass. I have yet to try many of the fancier varieties discussed in the article. They didn't discuss the olive component, though. The traditional pimiento-stuffed variety doesn't do much for me. Perhaps I'm gauche, but the flavor flair of garlic-stuffed is my favorite. Less often I'll go for olives stuffed with a cube of bleu cheese, or a chunk of jalapeño . From today's playlist: Papa pique, Mama coud─Charles Trene─ Trenet: Boum! (Greatest Recordings, 1937-43) Brigadier Sabari─Alpha Blondie Be...

Mr. Sandman...... , originally uploaded by Soffia Gisladóttir - www.soffia.net . pretty flickr photo du jour

Playing the Glass Armonica , originally uploaded by I, Puzzled . I found this photo on the Internet here . I was just listening to the glass armonica, played by Dennis James , featured on a Naxos recording of Mozart's Adagio and Rondo. A wonderful ethereal sounding instrument. The one pictured here was invented by Ben Franklin. Another kind of glass armonica is comprised of wine glasses tuned by water level, shown here on YouTube in a performance of a well-known Bach bourrée. Check it out, it's wonderful! Perhaps you've run a wet finger around the rim of a wine glass to get this unworldly sound. If not, try it sometime. I'm thinking of buying the CD Music for Glass Harmonica . From today's playlist... W.A. Mozart: Adagio and Rondo for Glass Armonica , Flute, Oboe,Viola, Cello,K.617─Salzburg Soloists; Luz Leskowitz, conductor─ Mozart: Oboe Quartet-Oboe Quintet J.S. Bach: Motet "Jesu, Meine Freud", BWV 227─La Chapelle Royale, Paris─ J.S. Bach:...

E non cessa di girare ... , originally uploaded by !!! k2208 . Now that I've blustered into bloghood and established myself (sort of), I'm finding that I'm suddenly very timid about posting here. I want to have content worthy of my few kindly readers, and lately my cerebral output seems to be of the tediously mundane variety...but here goes anyway, nothing profound or creative to see here today. I do want to mark this day. It's the first anniversary of my having joined the legions of iPod owners. It was kind of an impulse buy. I was very trepidatious, self-conscious that it was a gratuitously frivolous expense. In retrospect it made perfect sense, and has since proven to be worth every penny. I adore a wide variety of musical styles, have a large CD collection, and 60 gigabytes is ample room to store lots and lots of stuff for glorious easy access. In the past I wouldn't get around to enjoying a lot of this music, because─now get this─the effort of retrieving...

Tag! You're IT! , originally uploaded by Blazingstar . Okay, I'll bite, and thanks to O'Donovan for tagging a newbie. I have been in something of a blogger slump ever since someone a few days ago kindly remarked upon how prolific I've been since I started this little misadventure almost two weeks ago, so a lovely meme on 5 reasons why I blog is just the thing to get me going again. I hope I'm doing this right , said the rube to the farmer's daughter. My five reasons why I blog. Let's see...the reason I started a blog was so I could comment on a friend's blog, so thanks go to Xtinpore for getting the ball rolling, but I only posted once and didn't post again for more than a year, so that doesn't count as why I blog. I blog to run with the crowd. So many of my writerly friends have blogs and it's fun and rewarding to read what they write. Invariably I've learned things about them that I didn't through my previous modes of ...