Year: 2006

Here’s a music survey about some of my favorite music. Like Chris over at Kriofske-Mix, where I found this survey, it took me about two weeks to complete. I found it very difficult as I wanted to include as much of my favorite music as I could. Still the results are pretty rewarding.

Name 5-10 wistful/bittersweet songs that come to mind:
The Sundays, “Can?t Be Sure”
Tori Amos, ?Winter?
Jann Arden, ?Mend?
Kate Bush, ?Watching You Without Me?
Chantal Kreviazuk, ?What If It All Means Something??
Emm Gryner, ?Serenade?
Martha & the Muffins, ?One Day in Paris?
Do-Re-Mi, ?The Happiest Place in Town?
Everything but the Girl, ?I Don?t Understand Anything?

The 4 Best Songs Ever Written:
Jane Siberry, “One More Colour”
Jane Siberry, “The Walking (And Constantly)”
Kate Bush, ?Suspended in Gaffa?
The Reivers, ?Once in a While?

3 Current Favorite Songs:
Sufjan Stevens, “Chicago”
And really, isn?t that enough? I am so swept away by ?Chicago.?

Classic Early Evening Drinking Music:
The Reivers, ?Karate Party?

3 All Time Faves That Never Get Old To You:
Abba, “Dancing Queen”
R.E.M., ?Fall On Me?
Martha & the Muffins, ?Danseparc (Every Day It?s Tomorrow)

Song You Want To Play At Your Wedding:
Magnetic Fields, “The Book of Love”

Song You Want to Play At Your Funeral:
Happy Rhodes, ?Save Our Souls?

4 Records You Really Dug from 2005:
Kate Bush, Aerial
Sufjan Stevens, Come On Feel the Illinoize
Gentleman Reg, Darby & Joan
Jorane, The You and the Now

4 Favorite Records From This Year So Far:
Sufjan Stevens, Avalanche
Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings the Blood
Those are the only 2006 albums I have that I can think of!

5 Good Angry Songs:
Nine Inch Nails, “Head Like a Hole”
Tori Amos, ?Precious Things?
Dalbello, ?Baby Doll?
Martha & the Muffins, ?Women Around the World at Work?
Talking to Animals, ?Playground?

One of Your Favorite Lyrics:
“You?re forgettable like 1993” ? Emm Gryner, “Disco Lights”

5 Cover Songs Arguably Better Than the Original:
Emm Gryner, “Pour Some Sugar On Me” (Def Leppard)
Holly Cole, ?I?ve Just Seen a Face? (The Beatles)
Luba, ?When a Man Loves a Woman? (Percy Sledge)
Bette Midler, ?Do You Wanna Dance? (Bobby Freeman)
The Carpenters, ?Superstar? (Rita Coolidge)

Ironic Song to Brutally Murder Someone to in a movie;
Deborah Conway, “Only the Bones”

Great Dance Song You Maybe Never Realized Was a Great Dance song Back in the Day:
Michael Jackson, “Don?t Stop (?Til You Get Enough)”

A Good Album To Put You In the Mood (that is Not Sade, Marvin Gaye or Barry White):
Anything by Morcheeba

5 Good Rock Songs That You Can Dance To:
The March Violets, “Turn to the Sky”
Garbage, “Stupid Girl”
Joan Armatrading, ?Drop the Pilot?
Face to Face, ?Out of My Hands?
Toronto, ?You?re Daddy Don?t Know?

4 Good Dance Songs (any kind):
Martha & the Muffins, ?Danseparc (Every Day It?s Tomorrow)”
November Group, ?Shake It Off?
The Cure, ?In Between Days (Without You)?
Spider, ?Better Be Good to Me?

Songs That Are Too Damn Sad:
The Magnetic Fields, “Acoustic Guitar”
Tori Amos, ?China?
Jane Siberry, ?The Taxi Ride?
Jane Siberry, ?Goodbye?
Jill Sobule, ?Life Goes On Without You?

4 Happy, Life Affirming Songs:
Sufjan Stevens, “Chicago”
Jane Siberry, “One More Colour”
Chantal Kreviazuk, “What If It All Means Something?”
Happy Rhodes, ?Collective Heart

5 Great Love Songs:
Mae Moore, “Because of Love”
Chantal Kreviazuk, “Before You”
Kate Bush, “Hounds of Love”
The Reivers, ?Once in Awhile?
Joan Armatrading, ?Heaven?

Song To Cheer Up A Friend:
Pizzacato Five, “Happy/Sad”

Song To An Ex That Isn’t Meanspirited:
Tori Amos, “Tear in Your Hand”

Song To An Ex That Is Kinda Meanspirited:
Jann Arden, “I Only Wanted Sex”

Song to Listen to While in The Country Looking at Stars:
Syd Straw, ?People of Earth?

Song to Lose Your Mind To:
Dalbello, ?Heavy Boots?

Song To Cry In Your Pillow to:
Wendy & Lisa, “Jonathan”

Songs That Make You Feel Amped and Inspired:
Queen & David Bowie, “Under Pressure”

Great Semi-Obscure B-side:
Eurythmics, “Grown Up Girls”

Song That Makes You Miss Your Mom:
Wendy & Lisa, “Valley Vista”

Tough Break-Up Songs:
The Magnetic Fields, “Oh Yeah”

So Happy It Makes You Wanna Skip:
Book of Love, ?You Make Me Feel So Good?

Feel No Shame: Great Current Pop Songs:
I just looked at Billboard?s Top 100 songs and curiously, I don?t know a single one.

Album No One Would Expect You To Love:
Nine Inch Nails, Pretty Hate Machine

Album No One Would Expect You To Dislike:
10,000 Maniacs ? most of them.

5 Desert Island Discs off the top of your head (30 sec clock):
Kate Bush, Hounds of Love
Fleetwood Mac, Rumours
Sufjan Stevens, Come On Feel the Illinoize
Martha & the Muffins, Danseparc
The Reivers, Saturday

3 Contemporary Artists That Were Your Faves 10 Years Ago:
Kate Bush, Garbage (are they still contemporary?), Jann Arden

Fave Electronic Record You Own:
BT, 10 Years in the Life

Random Album You Loved In High School But Are Afraid To Admit It:
Oh there are so many? how about Styx, Cornerstone

Album You May Have Listened To More In Highschool than Any Other Album:
A toss up: Fleetwood Mac, Rumours or Heart, Little Queen, Side A

If You Could Enter A Wrestling Ring to a Song It Would Be:
Wendy & Lisa, “If I Were Brave?” or
The Tragically Hip, ?Grace, Too?

Album To Clear A Room With:
Veda Hille, Spine

A Billiant Album That’s Also Stark & Lonely:
Suzanne Vega, Suzanne Vega

Hope I didn’t miss any worthy songs or albums, but I’m sure I did.

So, many people know that Scot and I are trying to get all 50 states. Here’s a nifty little website that lets you chart your own map of visited places! I’m doing pretty well. I’ve visited 32 states, and I will be picking up two more in the next three months. Thanks to myxcents for tipping me off to this useful tool

create your own personalized map of the USA
or check out ourCalifornia travel guide

Since visiting New Orleans last month and rekindling my connection with that beleagured yet magnetic city, I have been more attuned to news of the city’s reconstruction. In yesterday’s Boston Sunday Globe I was heartened by a story about five Harvard students working to restore the neghborhood of Broadmoore, in the center of the city.

Repeatedly while the American Library Association took place in New Orleans, residents praised librarians for being brave enough to return to the city and hold our conference there. We were greeted, thanked, even hailed by some as heroes. While I’m not denying that holding the conference, which brought nearly 18,000 people into the city, was a wonderfully helpful thing, it truly is the people who live in New Orleans and return who are the true heroes. The ones who struggle to rebuild and restore the magic of this singularly unique city to what it was. Thanks to the students at Harvard for pitching in and helping out.

Read the story here.

To what does the title of this blog entry refer, you may ask? Could it be the community and city of New Orleans, struggling mightily to return to its former faded glory? Or perhaps it refers to the difficulty of coming back to reality after a steamy, tropical vacation the thoroughly relaxed me and apparently prepared me for one mother of a cold. A little of both, I would say, and while I sit here on my deck, in the slightly reminiscent of the Lion’s Inn sunshine, recovering from this nasty “airplane” cold, I thought the least I could do would be to report a little on the trip before it was lost forever to the whimsies of my mind.

I was so very pleased when the American Library Association decided to hold its annual conference in New Orleans, despite (and perhaps, more importantly, because of) the devastation sufferred from Hurricane Katrina last September. City official assured ALA administration that the city would be ready for the influx of 17 – 18,000 conference attendees. And were they ever. Shop owners praised librarians when they entered their stores. Cab drivers called us heroes for coming to the beleagured city, humbly overlooking the fact that the real heroes are the people living each day in New Orleans and working to rebuild the city.

Other than the fact that the conference was held in New Orleans, it was fairly uneventful. I attended meetings, networked at parties and dinners (those SirsiDynix folks are wild!) visited exhibitors and even caught a program or two. The staff and friends of the Boston Public Library gathered together on Saturday night for dinner at The Marigny Brasserie, where one of the biggest topics of discussion on our end of the table was the curious “mirliton” an exotic squash popular in the city that Elissa, Liz and I were just fascinated by. (And we all thought was delicious in the Crawfish Etoufee).

The conference ran from Friday – Tuesday morning, and during that time I enjoyed some terrific downtime with librarians, had some terrific dinners such as the delicious homemade food at Eat with Cindy and Katie (followed by hurricanes at Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop on Bourbon St. – I couldn’t believe they’d never been there.) I also managed to get away every afternoon for some poolside relaxation at The Lion’s Inn where I was staying. When your meetings start at 8 a.m. and your dinners and receptions go until 11 p.m., there is no way to go straight through. Fortunately, my wonderful Inn not only provided bicycles for us to use to get to and from the Conference, it featured a tropical oasis complete with pool and jacuzzi, hidden away in its courtyard. Just the thing for getting reenergized for a long day at the Conference.

From the moment the conference wrapped to Scot’s arrival on Thursday afternoon, I was a fixture by that pool. The water was delightfully warm, but still refreshing after the strong Southern sun. The lush foliage and flowers provided a peaceful backdrop to the surroundings. An outdoor shower offerred its own provocative sights while sunbathing as well. I haven’t had a tan this good in years. Our innkeeper, Floyd, was a delightful host, bringing me iced water, switching me into the lovely sunroom for Scot’s arrival, recommending lunch spots (like the delightful Elizabeth?s) when I was able to rouse myself. The number of people staying at the Inn dwindled after the conference, but all were quite delightful and fun to talk with.

After Scot arrived, he quickly succumbed to the leisurely pace and need for relaxation. We did spend one touristy afternoon on the Honey Island Swamp Tour where Scot finally got to see some ?gator (the last time we took this tour was in November when the alligators are more dormant. July makes for a much livlier look at the swamp, with gators everywhere, and so many beautiful wading birds. We also saw some of the effects from Katrina in the swamp, where fishing camps were picked up from their pilings and tossed downriver. Many have begun rebuilding, but some are just gone forever. But other than that we enjoyed the sun, the pool, and most importantly the hospitality of a fine bunch of people.

Some highlights included:

Richard ? Richard should be crowned Hospitality Queen for the city of New Orleans. His assistance began weeks ago when I e-mailed and asked for suggestions first of places to stay run by locals. Then I followed up with the good restaurants question, and the nightlife question. He answered all enthusiastically and with the economy and efficiency of a trained reference librarian. After meeting at Elizabeth?s for brunch on Saturday, he promptly took me and Scot on a tour of the 9th Ward, an area of New Orleans still devastated by the storm and only new beginning to show signs of life. Hearing Richard tell his stories, the sense of community, and the spirit that we, who are not residents, worry may not return, is so evident that my worries faded away. It will take work. It will take great effort. But people like Richard will make sure New Orleans comes back, its sense of history and community intact.

Later that night we met Richard at Mimi?s on Marigny for a couple of drinks with the intention of going to a party across the street from his house that we were invited to by friends of Floyd. Around 11 p.m., Richard suggested that we skip the party for his own tour of the slightly-seedy underbelly of the French Quarter?s gay nightlife. We were pleased to take him up on his offer. First stop, The Corner Pocket where a surprising amount of hustlers dance for a bizarrely eclectic crowd. Richard pointed out to us the hustlers? girlfriends, often hovering nearby while some ?lucky? customer was receiving a lap dance. After indulging Richard and tipping a few of the boys, we moved on to Le Roundup, where the trannies hang out. Things were surprisingly slow there, and the bartendress made a point of ignoring us, so we wrapped things up at Caf? Lafitte in Exile where Richard shared the lowdown on how to do Mardi Gras right, and told us about Pandora.com. It was very gracious of Richard to spend so much time with us and show us around the city, as I am sure he?s a busy guy, much in demand. He and his boyfriend Jonno (who was spending hurricane season in San Francisco) are practically web-celebrities, and we very much appreciate the time he spent showing us a good time. Thanks, Richard!

Philip & David ? Philip and David are friends of Floyd?s who run the Royal Street Courtyard around the corner from the Lion?s Inn. They have only been running the inn for two years, and this last one has been tough. They were frequent poolmates, beating the scorching afternoon heat, and bringing friends along. Philip took care of me one night before Scot arrived when I actually ventured out to a neighborhood bar by myself. Philip was there, seemed to know everyone, and introduced me to some of his friends. The four of us hit it off very well, and they certainly made our trip very memorable.

Lance ? This vision of loveliness in denim and a cowboy hat manages the neighborhood bar Cowpokes, a friendly, beautifully renovated establishment that offers everything from country dance lessons, lube wrestling, drag shows, and legitimate theatre. I first met Lance at Floyd?s pool (where one seems to meet most of the local boys) and was taken by his easy smile and easy conversation. He?s quite a looker, but there?s no attitude there, and he was just a delight to spend an afternoon with. Okay, he?s a bit of a flirt as well, and I rose to the occasion, flirting right back. It was a lot of fun. We enjoyed a drag show at Cowpokes, where it was quite evident that Lance takes care of his customers. Everyone had wonderful things to say about him, and the show was a lot of fun too! (I?ve never met such friendly, easy-going drag queens. They were so refreshingly free of attitude! And Titty Toulouse brought down the house ? or at least Scot?s part of it ? with a scintillating rendition of Bette Midler?s ? as the Rose ? ?When a Man Loves a Woman? complete with spoken introduction!) Oh, and this picture of me and Scot with Lance did require a little judicious cropping? see what I mean about him being a flirt?

Okay, I think I?ve rambled on long enough. Suffice it to say, that we had such a good time, and I am so pleased that I have reconnected with New Orleans after years away, that we?re planning on trying to make it an annual event? or at least semi-annual. And if Richard?s invitation stays open, we might even do Mardi Gras in style one of these years.

Sometimes I’m so far from being an early adopter that I’m a little embarassed. Well, thanks to Richard, I may finally be sliding into the realm of online music. While visiting New Orleans, Richard told me and Scot about Pandora Internet Radio, a nifty little service created by the folks who are responsible for the Music Genome Project. Basically, you enter the music you like into a playlist, either by artist or by song, and using the Amazon.com recommendation model, Pandora will play your favorites and offer up suggestions of other artists who fit your taste. So while it’s great fun to hear Pizzicato Five’s “The Night is Still Young,” segue into Fleetwood Mac’s “Over My Head,” I’ve also been hearing some interesting new music by artists I’ve never heard of before. Obviously there are some misses as well, especially with my first attempt to build a radio station and just tossing artists I like on willy-nilly with no common style.

The categories are interesting… it’s quite true that I enjoy music that features a subtle use of vocal harmony and mixed acoustic and electric instrumentation, but I don’t think I’ve ever put it that way. The biggest problem is the selection of artists provided. Many of my favorites, like Emm Gryner, for instance, are not listed, probably because their music isn’t available through itunes? Hopefully that will improve, but it will be a stumbling block in my enjoyment eventually if lots of my faves are unavailable. Naturally, the idea is for you to buy the music you hear through Amazon or itunes, and perhaps that will happen next. In the meantime, I’m actually listening to music off the computer while I work… something I don’t usually do.

What’s next? An MP3 player?