Helping Me at Least Pretend I'm Musically Literate. . .

I believe that I had a rather musical upbringing. My scores in the game Encore are proof enough of that. BUT I have always had a really hard time following contemporary music or remembering the names of artists or the names of the songs they sing, knowing who I like or what songs would be right for my mood or circumstance. Much of this comes from the fact that I've always been too cheap to buy many CD's. And then I had children and the car's CD player was taken over by "I'm Being Swallowed By a Boa Constrictor" and "Mommy's Taking Us to the Zoo Tomorrow" (definitely classics in their own right), and most recently, the Animanics Greatest Hits. Then I found that even when I was alone, I couldn't stomach the radio stations anymore (ads and DJ's) now that I've "matured," so I mostly just listen to NPR or the local news for weather info. How un-hip is that???

That long introduction is to say that I've found (well, Guy found it and told me about it) a website, Pandora.com where you can just enter in an artist's name and it will generate hours worth of music by that artist, and other artists with similar styles. You do have to register on the site but they save the "stations" you create. It probably shows that I spend too much time on the computer if I need to set it to music, but I've had a lot of fun exploring different music without having to spend any money! I've even used it on Sundays, entering in MoTab and getting a collection of Sabbath-appropriate songs. I fell asleep to my Norah Jones station the other night (and actually had to wake up enough to turn off the laptop). There is even a new Pandora app for your iphone (if you have one) so you can go mobile with it.

So, in short, I like Pandora because:
* there's no long-term commitment to anything
* it's easier than putting on a CD to listen to,
* it addresses my Musical ADD by playing songs from a variety of artists.

There is a lot on the site I haven't explored (ie. "Share" features), but I recommend it, and would love artist suggestions if you have any.

Just a Little Personality

These pictures were taken after we dropped Caleb off for his first day of Kindergarten (a couple of weeks ago). Initially, Mitchell really didn't want to leave the school, and then on the walk home, he used his persuasive powers to steal Guy's hat AND sunglasses. The second picture is the reaction I got when I told him to smile for the camera. Naturally, we ended the walk with Guy and I each holding a hand and doing "1, 2, 3, Go!" (though Mitchell would usually skip right to the "Go"), swinging him several steps each time. He gets to swing, and we get home a little quicker (it was a hot day). Win, win.

Joy

I found this great picture when I downloaded from my camera, and it made me happy.