What I'm Listening to Now

Raising Sand, an amazing album of covers, performed by rock/blues legend Robert Plant (front man for Led Zeppelin), and folk icon Alison Krauss (together again! for the first time!) Who'd a thunk it? Their voices actually blend really well together. I especially like the opening song, the old blues standard, Rich Woman, and an old Everly Brothers hit, Gone Gone Gone. But there are a lot of other gems here as well, including songs by Tom Waits, Townes Van Zandt, and Plant himself.

Attention Deficit Books Disorder...

I don't know if you are one of those people who can't start a book without finishing it, but I have the opposite problem - I can't finish a book, because, well, life is short, and I keep thinking, "I shouldn't be reading this book, I should be reading that book." It probably doesn't help matters that when I turn off the TV to catch up on my reading, I then proceed to read TV Guide (and wasn't this week's episode of 30 Rock priceless? "Never go with a hippie to a second location." Alec Baldwin is quasi-brilliant!) If I quit my job tomorrow, and spend the rest of my life reading, I couldn't possibly read all the books I own right now, let alone the ones I keep on buying on Amazon. In addition, I also read v-e-r-r-y s-l-oo-w-l-y - pronouncing all the words in my head as I go along - when I read the story about Cecilia Sarkozy's divorce, I even added a French accent!

It's official - I'm obsessed!

If, like me, you're mad about MAD MEN, that show about advertising executives that takes place in 1960, and is about to end its first season this week, you may want to check out the following websites:
Televison Without Pity
What's Alan Watching?
The House Next Door
Unbound Edition

Woof!

Greetings from Princeton, NJ, where I've been visiting with a friend's new baby.There's a whole lot to see and do here, but who cares? There's a puppy to play with! For even more cuteness, try: http://www.cuteoverload.com

I hear music and there's no one there

Today I got to see Mr. "Golden Throat" himself, George Guidall, speak at one of our local libraries on the art (and artifice) of book narration. My favorite "listens" from him are:

• A Widow for One Year
• The Bookman's Wake
• About Schmidt

If you've never listened to him narrate a book, you're in for a treat! He will turn any book into an intimate experience with his dulcet tones. It is no wonder his interpretive skills are superior to most - in addition to acting, he was also a psychotherapist for a number of years. Am looking forward to hearing more from him in years to come.

Keeping up with the Zeitgeist

A plug for Youtube: if you can't keep up with the zeitgeist, see it there! Some things I've seen lately:

• Britney Spears' much lauded (not) performance at the 2007 VMAs
• Kathy Griffin's rather profane Emmy acceptance speech
• Paris Hilton's recent Letterman "interview"
• Rihanna's "Umbrella" video

.....and too many more high points of low-brow culture to mention......what a website....Thanks be to, um, goodness!

My 15 minutes just arrived!

McSweeney's just posted one of my lists. What could be next? A Planet's Funniest Animals t-shirt?

Because I Was Asked

The DL (Disorganized Librarian) asked me to write more about what I'm doing. Well, the cat is sick, I may be out a fair-sized chunk of change from canceling an overseas trip (NOT because the cat is sick, BTW), but at least I've got my health, right? Oops, scratch that! I have just finished listening to Lean Mean Thirteen and am reading Eat, Pray, Love (soon to be a major motion picture starring Julia Roberts) v-e-r-r-y slooowwly, as is my wont. And if anyone out there feels like visiting with me next week in my suburban nightm- I mean, oasis, by all means, give a shout out!