Is It Really That Hard? Concert Etiquette

Is there an etiquette guide to attending concerts? Because if not, there definitely should be.

Keith and I went to the Regina Spektor concert a few nights ago. We got there close to 9 o'clock—after the opening band, and just 5 or 10 minutes before Regina took the stage. It wasn't too crowded; most of the audience was even seated at small tables. We found a standing spot behind one table that wasn't too far back, nor too far to the side. We were pleased.

Until the people in front of us started behaving like idiots. What really struck me is that they didn't seem there to be at the concert. Their actions made it seem like they were hyper-aware of themselves as being people at a concert. If that makes sense. Like when they started singing along (which happened at regular intervals), it wasn't a natural, spontaneous thing. It felt, to me as an observer anyway, like this person had decided singing along at just this point is what one does at a concert. Do you know what I mean?

Anyway, it reminded me of some basic concert etiquette questions that bother me nearly every time we go to a semi-large concert. (And I mean "semi-large" very loosely— we were still at a pretty small venue with just a few hundred people, I would guess.)

1. Why sing along with the singer at the top of your voice? Do you honestly think you're going to sound better than the act you paid to see? Do you imagine everyone around you standing and clapping for you? Perhaps you'll get offered a record contract on the spot?
   
   Not going to happen. I can understand mouthing the words, or singing softly to yourself. Because you obviously enjoy the music, and feel connected to the singer. But this is the 2nd concert in recent months (the other being the Decemberists, not that that's relevant) where we were near to concert-goers who tried to outsing the band. Not cool.



2. Are you really so carried away by the music that you have to wave your hands/arms in the air, mid-song? Blocking the view of everyone behind you? I don't believe it.



3. If you're going to pretend to be a Superfan, then stick with that persona. You can't cheer and scream excessively at the first few chords of every other song .... and then talk LOUDLY over the rest of the song. Are you telling me that this is your favorite song to converse to? Because that's just stupid.

If you're this type of concert-goer, you're still more then welcome to go to concerts. Just don't sit by me. Or—even better—don't go to my concerts. Stick with popular acts at large venues and we'll all be happier.

Benefits of Budgeting

Lately, I've been trying to convince a close friend of mine of the benefits of keeping a personal budget. So far, she's not entirely convinced. Or rather, I think that her better half remains unswayed. Of course, extolling the virtues of a budget makes me consider why, exactly, I think it's so important.

For me, not budgeting is not an option. Call it a personality trait/quirk/flaw/what-have-you, but I feel a very strong need to be as in-control of my little corner of the universe as possible. The files in my home filing cabinet are color-coded. I have spreadsheets to track my calories, my running, my to-do list, my Christmas card and present lists, and—of course—my spending. The budget is such an easy area to track, for my personality type NOT tracking it is really not an option.

But let's say you're more laid-back. You can more readily go with the flow and see where the wind takes you. (Meanwhile I have checked the weather forecast, saw that it would be a windy day, and dressed/planned accordingly.) Why should you budget?

In my opinion, as a natural-born saver, the main benefit to budgeting is the difference between knowing and not-knowing. This particular person's argument is that, as a couple, they spend very little. Their default mode is saving; therefore, if they budgeted, they wouldn't be saving any more than they currently are.

Let's give them the benefit of the doubt and say this is true. (I know it wouldn't be for me. I may have a tendency towards saving, but we all have our weaknesses. Mine are books and fancy coffee drinks.) The only benefit in this case to budgeting would be that you know how much you're saving. You know that every month, you're putting $x towards your emergency fund, $y goes towards your vacation/Christmas spending, and $z is funneling into retirement. Or however you choose to break out your savings categories.

You know that, if a minor emergency such as a car breakdown happens, you can cover it. You know that you'll need to replace your roof in a few years, and when you get to that point, you'll already have enough money saved to pay for the new roof in cash. You know that, if you continue saving at this rate, you'll be able to live your chosen lifestyle in retirement. You know that, if you want to have kids, one of you can stay home and you'll have enough money to cover your costs.

All of this knowledge is very important to me. This knowledge—and the fact that we do have money put away for a rainy day—helps me sleep at night. Without knowing exactly where we stand, financially, I would be so stressed out that I don't think I could function.

So, completely independent of any benefits gained from budgeting related to increased savings, just this knowledge alone is worth the relatively small amount of time I spend every month on keeping my budget up-to-date. Is it worth it to you?

Mix Tapes 3.0

We all have fond memories of mix tapes. My friend Judy referred to them as the relationship-builders of the '80s and '90s.

In July, I traveled to Indiana for a gathering of my high school friends. Todd, who gave us a ride, also happened to have a sweet collection of mix tapes in his car. (Because "sweet" is the best adjective for mix tapes.)

These were mix tapes that were made annually by a friend of the family. Not only did this guy carefully record all of the hottest songs of the '80s, he also added in voice-overs, talking about the songs and the artists.

Ever since then, I've been toying with adapting his idea to the year 2007. I really like the idea of having a record of what songs I listened to in a particular year. Music can inspire so much nostalgia; when you're ready to re-live a fond memory, just find the album for that year and you're all set!

Obviously it would be on CD instead of cassette. I love mix-tapes, and I lament that making them is a dying art. But I'm also a busy woman.

I also think that I would drop the voice-overs. Keith thinks I should definitely add my own. At first he said, "We should totally do it!"

"We?" I asked, eyebrow arched.

"By 'we' I mean you talk, and I hold the microphone," he amended.

So the voice-overs probably won't happen. But I'm thinking about adding some kind of data file or album cover that talks about either the artists, or the years' biggest news, or my personal thoughts about what that year has meant to me.

I've thought about it long enough that I've decided to get started. Which just means writing down some of the songs I want to include. Keep in mind—these are songs that I've listened to in 2007. That doesn't necessary mean the albums came out in 2007 or that they were chart-toppers (most likely none of them will be.)

I think I'll put them in roughly chronological order. Meaning, these are songs I was hooked on in January, and then we went to this concert in February ... you get the idea.

Here's a few of the current contenders:*
"Flatheat" by The Fratellis
"Baby's Got Sauce" by G. Love and Special Sauce
"Sons and Daughters" by the Decemberists
"Hamoa Beach" by Gomez
"That Time" by Regina Spektor
"Black Horse & the Cherry Tree" by KT Tunstall
"Seventeen Years" by Ratatat
"Summer Skin" by Death Cab for Cutie
"Thickfreakness" by the Black Keys
"Bullets" by Bob Schneider"


What would you put on your 2007 mix?

*All links are to purchase albums at lala.com

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Yesterday afternoon, I was talking to a co-worker about the events of the day. He said he'd been in late that day because he spent most of the morning with his daughter's elementary school class, on a field trip to the planetarium.

He waxed enthusiastic about this trip—how this newer planetarium had so many capabilities, the "guide" was so knowledgeable and interesting, the kids really enjoyed it ...

"Have you been to the planetarium?" He asked.

I answered in the negative, only remembering a few minutes later that I had, indeed, been to that planetarium. I just wasn't awake for it.

I love planetariums. I have an enthusiastic, amateur's interest in nearly all scientific topics. I love hearing about the history and advances of science, and learning a little bit more about our world. Unfortunately, I retain very little of it afterwards. But I still find it exciting.

And I feel the same intellectual excitement about planetariums. The bad thing is that the dim lights and soothing ambient music overrides my mental fervor, and I find myself slowly slipping into a light sleep. The "sky" fades from twilight into darkest night, and my eyelids become heavier and heavier.

Just a few days ago, Keith and I were commenting on how well we could see the stars on early morning runs. We both could clearly pick out Orion's belt—something I've never been able to identify before. I was strictly Big Dipper/Little Dipper, and any other constellations were beyond me.

So hopefully, even though I've slept through the majority of the presentations, I've managed to retain a few kernels of knowledge from my many trips to the planetarium. And I'll keep going, with eternal hope that one day I'll actually stay wide awake for the entire thing. At least I'm catching up on my sleep in the meantime.

Going the Distance, Not Going for Speed

My run the other morning sucked. Really, REALLY sucked. And I can't even blame it on Beckett's tugging—I was running by myself.

I know why it sucked; there's actually 2 reasons. Firstly, Keith and I had gone out to eat and to a movie the night before, in celebration of our anniversary. So I had eaten entirely too much of the wrong kinds of food, and not drunk nearly enough water. Secondly, it was supposed to be an 8-mile run.

Back in the days before this half-marathon training program, that would have been considered a looooong run. The kind that is undertaken at one's leisure on a weekend day, with no pressing appointments scheduled for the several hours following. Just in case things don't go as planned.

But now, apparently, 8 miles is just an early morning, pre-work jog distance. So I found myself setting off about 5:40am, admiring the stars still clearly visible in the not-yet-morning sky.

I was pretty proud of myself for even going at all. But that didn't last long. Soon, fatigue and general feelings of crappiness were setting in. My calves started to tingle—the kind of sensation you usually get if your legs are falling asleep. I didn't think that was a good sign. By mile 5 or so, throwing up was a distinct possibility. Soon thereafter, I checked my mp3 player to see that, although far short of the distance, I had used up my allotted time. I was going to be late for work. Again.

So I packed it in and headed home. And berated myself the entire way, and for the rest of the day. I was so disappointed that I quit! But I didn't really see anything else for it. Even with quitting, I was a half-hour late to work. This is the problem with early-morning runs.

But the good news is that, this morning, I set off at 5:30am to do the same thing. Last night I had eaten better and drank plenty of water, and I was determined to succeed.

Thankfully, I did. My legs were tired, but other than that I felt okay and made it the whole distance. Which is a good thing, because I don't think I could handle attempting that distance 3 days in a row.

Doggie Master of His Domain

I don't know why, but for some reason it seems to be the week of the dog blogs. Beckett is just so inspirational!

I'm happy to report that we've pretty much transitioned Beckett to spending his day not in his crate, or even in the attic, but throughout the entire house. When we first got him over a year ago, there was no way we'd do this. If we left him alone for 5 minutes, something would be destroyed.

I think, now that he's over 3 years old, he's calmed down a smidgen. True, we're currently on dog bed #5, but he destroyed dog bed #1 in the first few days, and it took weeks for him to annihilate dog bed #4. Now that's what I call progress!

So, over a few weeks and some minor setbacks (dog bed #4, Keith's lunchbag, a couple tipped trash cans), the transition is complete.

How can I know for sure that we're committed to leaving him the run of the house all day? Well, because Beckett has decided it is so.

Since we started leaving him out and about, I've tried a couple times to go back to locking him in the attic. And he's broken out. I return home to be greeted by him at the back door, tail wagging. The attic door is not looking good.

So I guess that means we agree, as a family, for the good of the dog and the attic door, he is now allowed full run of the house. Except the dog bed gets hidden in the closet before I leave. And the cat has cast a dissenting vote, but I think she's been overruled.

*The photos are of Beckett, snuggled into bed. As anyone who has lived with/watched Beckett for us knows, he prefers to sleep under the covers. Oftentimes in the morning when we get back from our run, he heads back up to bed. The first image is his attempt to get under the covers. In the second one I took pity on him, and lifted up the covers so he could get settled. (He's the lump at the foot of the bed.)

Who's Running Who, Indeed

Monday afternoon, Beckett and I went for our run. The majority of the time, we run in the morning before work. But this day, I couldn't drag myself out of bed in time. Plus I knew I only had to go 4 miles, so I could do that after work.

What I'm getting at here, is that when you run after work, you see a different group of people. To my mind, these runners and walkers are much chattier. More ... awake. In the murkiness of pre-dawn, a short head nod suffices as a polite, almost gregarious greeting. But the harsh, full light of late afternoon apparently requires more acknowledgment.

So Monday afternoon, Beckett and I were running. Not only other runners, but Beckett is also more enthusiastic in the afternoon. So enthusiastic that my leash arm seemed precariously attached to the rest of my body. And 8 inches longer than the other arm.

We passed a runner heading the other way. The runner looked at us once, and then again. He grinned and called out once we were close, "Who's running who?"

I grimaced and hoped it passed for a smile. Does he not know that I've heard this many, many times before? I don't understand why I'm supposed to find this amusing.

He's saying I can't control a 40-pound dog. Which is true. I know it, but I don't particularly like to acknowledge it. Or have it pointed out by a complete stranger.

Yesterday, I ran in the morning. Even though I could have slept in and run in the afternoon, it wasn't worth it. And for the record: I'm the one holding the leash, so I'm in charge.

BlogRush Addition

Loyal Readers,

As fascinating and witty as my content is, your ranks don't seem to be swelling appropriately. So I've decided to give another widget a try.

It's called BlogRush, and you'll notice it on the left-hand side of the page, below labels and archive (although I think that's a little too far down, so I need to figure out how to change it). Its purpose is to bring like-minded readers to similar blogs.

So I've gone to BlogRush, and told it a little about my blog. It brings up other blog titles of a similar nature in the box on my page—these are blogs you might be interested in reading. Similarly, on other blogs across the world, it will sometimes display my blog title as a link of potential interest.

Honestly, I have no idea if it will generate any traffic or not. It's a brand new service, so the jury's still out. But I thought it was worth a shot! Next up: raffles for a hand-knitted scarf!

A Sad Farewell to Fiona

I can't believe I haven't written about this yet, but I thought you should all know that Fiona (my Chrysler Neon) has moved on.

Last November, when she was stolen, I was devastated. I didn't get a chance to say good-bye! Then, miraculously, I got her back.

I had planned on driving her for many more years. But at her 100,000 mile check-up over the summer, I got bad news: the frame is severely rusted from so much salt over last winter. According to the mechanic, Fiona wouldn't make it through another winter.

"You can't tear the frame apart with your hands yet," he reassured me. "But it would come apart with a wrench, for sure."

Great.

So, since early summer, we've been saving money for a down payment and considering our options. We figured we'd get something used, that would last for many more years. We also hopefully wanted something a bit bigger than our two compact cars.

Finally, last week, we took the plunge. Thursday we looked around and found a 2003 Toyota Matrix that had okay mileage and a decent price. Friday morning I drove Fiona to work as usual. After work we drove Fiona out to the car dealership and left with the Matrix.

It was almost easier, in a way, when I didn't get a chance to say good-bye. I felt so terribly guilty for getting rid of her when, to this point, she's been a great car. And no matter how much I tell myself a car is an inanimate object, I can't help but think about the many good memories we "share." Or that I have, with that car.

As we drove off in the Matrix, I felt terrible for betraying Fiona after her years of faithful service. She was my first car. We've been together in Dayton, Cincinnati, and now Cleveland. Ahhh, the memories!

I know it had to be done. It was better to move on before I started having problems and was faced with pouring money into the car just to keep it running. I know we did the right thing.

But I'm still sad when I open the garage door and she's not there. I guess it'll just take some mourning time. The Matrix is a nice car. I know we'll be happy with it. But I still need some time to get over the loss of Fiona.

Writing Group Angst

My writing group meeting yesterday lasted almost 3 hours. Not because of an enlightening discussion on literary techniques, nor was it due to a heated conversation about one member's work. Most of the meeting was taken up with deciding whether or not to admit a new member.

I am the newest member of the group. So this whole process was new to me. For my "induction," I thought the process was relatively painless. I submitted some writing, attended a group, had my writing critiqued and also participated in the discussion about another writer's work, and was told, a week or so later, that I was in.

This time, it hasn't worked out like that. When the potential new member came to a session, the critique of her work went on, and on. And on. For whatever reason, the atmosphere felt tense and uncomfortable. Although there wasn't one glaring fault with the writer or her work, in the end (after hours of circular discussion) the group decided that it wasn't a good fit.

I think that this was the right decision, primarily because if we need hours of discussion, it's probably not a good idea. A small, mean part of me was also jubilant to realize I'd been accepted into a writing group that actually does, on occasion, decline to offer membership to applicants. (I'd like to think that was a very small part of me, however.)

This has been dragging on since July, I think, so mostly I'm just relieved that a decision has been made and it's all over and done with. Until another new member is proposed—which happened at the end of the meeting last night.

I agree with another group member who suggested that we "stop dating" for awhile, until we work through our current issues and get settled into a comfortable pattern. And usually, a relationship opportunity appears right when you're not looking for it. Although this is obviously a very different kind of relationship, all of last night's discussion and emotions made me even more glad to be very happily, very permanently, married.

Surprise Revealed

Well, Keith and I had a great time on Saturday at The Big Surprise: aka, Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens.

It was somewhat tricky—I had told Keith it was a place he'd never been before. Which was true in that he'd never actually toured the house or grounds. But we had been there last summer to see a performance of Shakespeare's Macbeth on the grounds.

At that point and several times since, we'd discussed how Keith had never actually been in the house and that we should go sometime ... but had never actually done it. So last week, I decided that we'd waited long enough! I figured we'd talked about it enough that I knew he'd be interested in going, and I could get away with making it a surprise.

Once we got there, I was also pleasantly surprised. Even though I'd visited a couple times before, I didn't realize how much I hadn't seen yet. We spent a lot of time wandering through the grounds, seeing the Great Garden, birch alley, Lagoon, Japanese Garden, and the Dell. Unfortunately, there was a wedding party taking pictures in the Walled English Garden, so we couldn't go in there, but I decided it didn't bother me too much because it just left something for us to see next time.

Before we left, we bought a book that lists all of the flowers planted on the grounds at Stan Hywet. It gives a picture of each, plus information about amount of sun needed, when they flower, how tall they grow, etc. I'm looking forward to re-creating a bit of the Great Garden in our own front yard.

Surprise!

I'm so ready for the weekend. Why do the short weeks always feel so long?

Earlier this week, I told Keith that we had plans for this weekend. He doesn't know what they are yet—I've just told him that he's busy from noon to 4:30 on Saturday. I'm pretty excited about it. For obvious reasons, I can't go into more detail here.

But I'm just sitting here at my desk, thinking about how much I love surprises. The thrill of anticipation, wondering and guessing about what it might turn out to be .... of course, I already know. (Or do I? Maybe my big plan is to take a nap on the couch or there is no plan except to not make plans.) But I think of Keith guessing, and I still get a vicarious thrill of anticipation, hoping that he likes the surprise. Also hoping that he doesn't pull the dreaded, nonchalant response to the reveal of, "Oh yeah, I thought it might be this."

So, fingers crossed that Keith's in the dark. And when the surprise is revealed, he is as excited about it as I am. I'll update you all next week!

New Specs

I have seen the light, and I'll never go back to buy glasses the old way again.

I've been putting off getting new eyeglasses for a long time. And I mean a loooong time. I mean that my glasses were about 2 or 3 prescriptions old (which is what? Like 6 years?). The lenses were all scratched up, and the screw on one side kept working loose, so I would have to remember to occasionally tighten it or my glasses would fall apart. They were in bad shape.

But glasses are so expensive! And I had a hard time justifying the expense when I already buy new contacts on a regular basis--did I really need new glasses, too? I mean, I could *pretty much* read road signs. What's the big deal?

I really did want new glasses. But every time I thought about it, I could also think of many other things that I'd rather spend a couple hundred dollars on. And I'd convince myself that my old glasses were good enough.

Then I had a brainstorm. Which was actually very overdue, considering how much time I spend online: Why not buy my glasses online? I figured if you could get contact lenses on the Internet, then why not glasses, too? It was at least worth a shot.

So I looked around and found a ton of eyeglass vendors online. The deciding factor: Zenni Optical was cheap. Dirt cheap. So cheap, in fact, that I could get a pair of prescription glasses, plus shipping, for under $20.

At that point, I figured: why not? I ordered my glasses, they arrived in about 2 weeks, and they're great! At first I was shocked at how much stronger the prescription was than my old glasses, but it just reinforced how sorely overdue this glasses purchase was.

I chose these glasses, in blue. I like them, but the frames are a little bit wider than I was expecting. In the future, I would recommend measure the frame width/height of a pair of glasses you like, so you can compare those measurements to the glasses you find online. I'll probably do that for the next pair of glasses I buy.

And at prices that are actually affordable, I may be buying another pair very soon! Anyone driving around the Cleveland area can rest a little easier now.

Resolutions: Checking In

It's been a while since I've given any updates on my New Year's Resolutions. Not that any of you are particularly interested, but knowing I'll report on them here keeps me somewhat honest and slightly more motivated. Of course, not too motivated, because I know there's several I won't achieve and a few more teetering on the edge of oblivion.

1. The Year of Nonfiction Writing
So. Not. Happening. More like The Year of Talking about Writing.

2. Start a business with Keith
Check! Bloom Web Solutions is a registered Limited Liability Corporation, we've had several clients (including one that actually pays us!) and our website is up.

3. Read 50 books (8 classics, 6 biographies)
Similar to last year, I think I should do okay with reaching 50 books (I'm at 39 now), but my classics and biography goals are in jeopardy—I'm currently at 4 and 3, respectively. Now that Harry Potter is out of the way, I'd better get cracking ...

4. Run sub-30 min 5k
Check! I'm pretty excited about this one. After trying—and failing—to achieve this for 3 years, I race a 5k in June and finished at 29:15ish. Even better, I ran a 5k on Monday morning in under 29 minutes, so the first one wasn't just a fluke. I may actually be getting faster!

5. Lift 6 times/month, keeping track on Fitday
Nope. I managed to keep this streak alive until August, when I only did 5 strength training sessions. I'll still aim for 6x/month for the rest of the year, but sadly this resolution is kaput.

6. Visit 12 new places in Cleveland area
I think this shouldn't be a problem. I've got 9 or 10 checked off already. Mostly all restaurants, but there's nothing wrong with that!

7. Actually stick to a budget for 4 months
I'm ashamed to say it, but this one is also in question. We've managed to be in budget 2 of the past 8 months. Can we squeeze in two more months before the end of the year?

8. Volunteer/give money to charity
My friend Halle found the perfect volunteer opportunity, helping middle-school students with literacy. Unfortunately, I just don't think I can commit the time with started our own business. We have given some money to charity, but it's been sporadic and spontaneous and I'd still rather formulate a well-organized giving plan. I'm guessing this resolution will not be accomplished.

9. Visit Sara and Jason in Toledo
Check! We had a great time seeing their house and hanging out with them. Dare I resolve to do this two years in a row? That's probably asking too much.

So, out of 9 resolutions, 3 are already accomplished, 2 definitely won't happen (#s 1 and 5), and 4 are possible. Not too bad for September, I think.

The End of Harry Potter

So I finally finished. In the space of a month, I re-read books 1-6 and then devoured book 7.

I'm very sad to have finished. To know that Harry, Ron, and Hermione won't be having any new adventures. To know I won't be taking the Hogwarts Express with them, suffering through Snape's classes, and cheering at the Quidditch matches.

I don't want to say much more, because I'm actually not the last person in my group of family and friends to finish the book (Moms, I'm looking in your direction). After managing not to have the ending or any major plot points revealed, I don't want to be that spoiler for someone else. Interestingly enough, I was impressed how hard it's been to find spoilers online. Since I've finished the book, I've been trying to get others' reactions to and thoughts about it, and I've had difficulty finding articles that discuss the actual events in the book—not just the hoopla surrounding the initial release.

I've also found myself being very jealous of J.K. Rowling. I would love to create a character like Harry, whom millions of people around the world have followed diligently and have incorporated into their lives. I would love to actually write full-time, instead of trying to fit it in around everything else that's going on.

Oh, and living in a castle outside Edinburgh and having a million kajillion dollars wouldn't hurt, either.

Grocery Store Epiphany

*Sorry this post is so long in coming. I really did start it on the 28th, but never got around to finishing this or the next one. Like potato chips they might be slightly stale, but still enjoyable!

Walking down the frozen foods aisle yesterday made me realize how much our eating habits have improved.

Junior year of college is the first time I really remember having to fend for myself in the way of nutrition. Until then, I had been living at home or on the university's meal plan. But with living in a house, I went off the meal plan and started to cook independently.

I use the word "cook" very loosely, however. Junior and senior years of college, we thought a home-cooked meal meant that you took pizza/pasta/stir fry out of the bag or box and heated it up. The amount of sodium I consumed over those years is probably enough to rid a third-world country of iodine deficiency. Plus, we probably ate delivery pizza at least once a week, and Coke was one of our main food groups.

Once I got an apartment, I worked at "cooking" a little harder. I upgraded from box meals to frozen meals--the main difference being that the frozen meals also contained meat and vegetables. I also started packing healthy frozen entrees for lunch. This is when the cycle of addiction to / deprivation of soft drinks started. (And, unfortunately, continues to this day.)

Before our wedding, Keith and I worked hard to get in shape and eat more healthfully. I think that was the biggest turning point for us. Since then, our eating habits sometimes slip, but overall I think that they have changed for the better.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, all of this came to me at the grocery store. It's a strange layout--a very small store with anything requiring refrigeration packed around the perimeter. The first few aisles are the frozen foods, and I realized that I was passing right by them without picking up one prepared entree or ready-made lunch. I did get some soy crumbles for tacos, and also some fudgsicles as a low-cal treat, though.

I also walked right past the prepared, non-frozen foods. I spent most of my time in the bread and cereal aisle (getting actual cereal NOT cereal bars, which were an old staple) and picking out fresh fruits and vegetables.

I know there's still room for improvement. If I could ever completely break my addiction to soft drinks, it would be a miracle. But it was a really good, concrete reminder that I've made a lot of progress!

Bumbling Scientist

Yesterday, while weeding in the front flower bed, I was stung by a bee.

I had noticed this bumblebee hovering around, but I was hoping that if I just ignored it, he'd go away. Instead, he started to climb up my shorts. I found this situation unacceptable. I swatted at my shorts, desperate to get rid of him before I got stung in an unmentionable place. Instead, he stung me just under the nail on my middle finger, which I find infinitely preferable to the alternatives.

Especially since it's meant that, over the past 24 hours, I've often eagerly held up my two middle fingers to Keith for comparison, saying, "Doesn't it look swollen?" And then I giggle.

But I also think it's strange that, after the initial pain and annoyance, I'm fascinated by the fact that I was stung by a bee. I haven't been stung since I was a kid--if I've ever been stung at all. This is all new to me.

I started observing my own symptoms. The immediately affected area turns red and swells? Fascinating! And, of course, I started looking up information online. Did you know that, according to a WebMD article, there's no antidote to bee venom? You can only treat your symptoms--antihistamines for itching, ibuprofen for pain, and ice for the swelling. Very interesting!

Today my finger is still red and swollen, although not as bad as yesterday. I think it's safe to say I won't be having a major allergic reaction. But that won't stop me from holding up my fingers to Keith when he gets home tonight and asking how they look. Then giggling.

It Was A Dark and Stormy Morning

I can't avoid it anymore—I have to admit that the days really are getting shorter.

Of late, when Beckett and I have gone for a run before work, I've noticed that it seems a little darker out. But I always managed to blame it on the weather. It's been raining a lot lately. Or, if not rainy, then at least overcast.

But not today. We walked outside into the dusky pre-dawn light, and I could see enough to know that it was a clear sky. No clouds to block the light. Daylight just hadn't arrived yet.

It's interesting because Fall has always been my favorite season. But that was before I started getting up to run before work. This new habit has definitely changed my outlook on the weather, and the seasons. I remember last Fall, how short the days were by the end of November.

I quit running, pretty much, after the Thanksgiving Day race and didn't start again until March. But even so, I still had to get up and walk the dog. And I found the dark mornings utterly depressing, not to mention treacherous if I was running and happened to miss an uneven sidewalk in the dark.

So this year I'm conflicted. I'm looking forward to the changing of the leaves, the crisp, cool air, and apple cider. But I'm not looking forward to the dark mornings.

New gadgets!

My cell phone has been dying for a while now. Sometimes the battery charges. And sometimes, it just ... doesn't.

The battery used to fall out, but Keith solved that with an attractive piece of duct tape, slapped across the back of the phone. Yup, the phone's getting old.
We'd talked before about getting new phones, but that would mean signing another 2-year contract, and we didn't really want to commit.

But a couple days ago, the battery wouldn't charge. Again. And all of the tricks that had worked in the past failed us. On Keith's initiative, we went to the local Radioshack, signed a new 2-year agreement (which, to be fair, is the same monthly rate and better terms than what we'd been doing), and walked out with two shiny new phones.

It takes pictures! It can text! But, most importantly, I can charge it. Something I hope never to take for granted again.

Poetic Justice at the Office

I was trapped. This is why I never bother bringing a book to read at lunch. Because I look forward to it all morning, and then don't get to read because I have to listen instead.

Not even take part in conversation, because I rarely say anything. I just listen to other people drone on. One guy in particular is notorious for telling and re-telling the same stories to the same people many, many times.

This time, it was a story that was new to me, yet still incredibly boring. Everyone was leaving the lunchroom and I was getting ready to pick up my book. I was looking forward to Harry Potter and I having the lunchroom to ourselves for a full 15 minutes. But he stopped on his way out and turned. "Did I ever tell you about my son's marching band drums?"

I froze. What's the right answer? If I say "yes," even though the true answer is "no," can I get away with it? Will he leave? I don't remember what I said, but whatever it was, apparently I gave him enough encouragement that he gave up all pretence of leaving and talked away the whole 15 MINUTES with an inane story full of details I couldn't care less about. It was so painful. My book was inches from my right hand, sitting closed up on the table. So close! And yet so far.

Anyway, it's poetic justice because another co-worker slipped out right after "Did I ever tell you about ...?" giving me a grin and a waggle of the fingers as he escaped. The next morning, he came over to my desk to glumly inform me that, after his joy at escaping the lunchtime lecture .... he got caught AFTER work and had to listen to this guy drone on for an hour. AFTER WORK. Not that I would wish that on anyone, but he was very gleeful about leaving me in Chatty Cathy's clutches, as it were.

I didn't bring my book to lunch today. I wasn't even going to risk the despair. Instead, I spent lunchtime staring off into space, dreaming about when I get home and sit on the couch and read uninterrupted. No matter how talkative Gomez is, I won't let her keep me from Harry's adventures.

Travel Envy

I think I meant to blog about this last week, but forgot, and was reminded again by a recent phone call.

Last week, my friend Laurie emailed me a link to her honeymoon pictures from Ireland. The pictures were gorgeous. They went to nearly all of the places I'd visited, and more. It gave me a severe case of travel envy and I was depressed for the rest of the day. I wanted to be seeing these fabulous places, and having these amazing experiences! I wanted to log onto a travel website and buy a ticket to some exotic destination. (Asia, perhaps?;)

But I got over it. I've had many amazing trips, and I'm sure I'll have many more. We didn't travel far this summer, but we had a LOT of trips, and I got to see Louisville and New York City. There's quite a few reasons that we can't have a big trip every year—financial, logistical, and more.

And then today, I had to call a contractor about an inspection service. And the person I spoke to was from the UK. Not just from the UK, but he was from Northwest England, near Liverpool. Talking to him brought back all the memories from our amazing* trip last Fall for Elaine's wedding. This time the travel envy was even worse—and I was jealous of myself! Right now I'm incredibly jealous and wistful, remembering that at this time last year we were planning everything. And knowing what a wonderful trip it would turn out to be, I want to be there again. Experiencing the anticipation and the trip itself.

But I've looked through the trip photos in Keith's Picasa album and reminisced enough. I need to get out of the travel envy funk and remember that we chose to put in a deck instead, plus we had enough small trips that a big one really wasn't an option. I think once I get home from work, and have a glass of wine and read for a bit on the deck, the travel envy will abate.

These trips are so amazing in part because of their rarity, right? So if I traveled all the time I couldn't really appreciate it like I do now. I just have to remind myself of that from time to time.

*I know, I'm totally overusing the word "amazing." I just can't help it! It's the perfect adjective.

The Net Effect of Knowing Net Worth

I had originally written the post below as a guest post on a personal finance blog. But it was supposed to appear sometime in July ... so I've given up waiting on the other blog and just decided to post it here.

Since reading personal finance blogs, I've noticed that the author often updates readers on his or her net worth status. If it's gone up (and it usually has, since the person cares enough about personal finance to blog on it), or if it's gone down, and why. There's even an option of getting a free account at NetworthIQ so that your financial health is displayed in all its chart and graph glory.

I'm lured by the pretty colors and many, many tables. But still I hesitate. As I see it, there's two main reasons for me to not go down the NetworthIQ path.

1. My blog readers are mostly composed of family and friends. People I speak to on a regular basis, and with whom I have a personal relationship. My blog often deals with random incidents and thought-provoking questions (think Jack Handey-esque) that occur to me throughout the day. I mention personal finance, but it's not a big topic. And I don't think I'm comfortable sharing my net worth with everyone. I think it could get awkward.


2. But wait! You say. You can get a NetworthIQ account and keep it private. So really, it's just for my eyes only. Top Secret. And I thought about doing this for a while. I started to think about where my net worth might fall .... and it's not looking good.

I'm pretty young—"nearly 30" as my Mom helpfully tells people—but I'm not quite there yet. And, like most people my age, I have a lot of debt. Between my husband and me, we're shouldering a substantial amount of student loan and mortgage debt. Supposedly "good debt," but a negative number just the same. And assets? Do my cheerful smile and wicked sense of humor count? No? Well, not a whole lot of assets then.

So I'm afraid that, if I took the time to sit down and figure out my net worth, it would be very depressing. It just might make me give up on the little bit of saving that we've managed to be doing and throw in the towel on this whole "personal finance" thing. Blow my Roth IRA on a trip around Asia.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm underestimating our assets. We've both been contributing regularly to our 401(k)s and/or IRAs since our early-20s. Maybe I'd be pleasantly surprised by a positive number for our net worth. But what then? Maybe it makes me think I don't need to save so much. Maybe I stop saving, and instead I blow that money on a trip around Asia.

For now, I think I'm going to avoid the temptation of putting an exact number on my net worth. We'll keep paying down our debt and saving for short- and long-term goals. Maybe someday I'll figure out my net worth. Maybe right after I finish financing that trip around Asia.

Board Bash

I finally took the plunge, and met some of my Internet friends this weekend.

I've been posting very sporadically on the boards at woxy.com since 2004. I had never gone to any of the previous Board Bashes, where boarders meet up in person, because I'm not really a joiner. But then the station was going off the air last Fall, and I figured it was either now or never, so Keith and I met some Cleveland-area boarders to drink and mourn the passing of a fabulous, unique radio station.

And then the station came back! I'd kept in touch with one boarder, who is even the one who invited me to her writers' group ... so I had, unwittingly, become a joiner after all. And this past weekend was the Cleveland bash, organized by Sushi. Somehow Keith and I ended up hosting a few people, and shuttling them from one place to the next. How did this happen?!?

But it was a good weekend. It was great to put some faces/real names to the board pseudonyms. AND we went several places in Cleveland that I'd been meaning to visit, but hadn't gotten around to yet--the West Side Market, Great Lakes Brewpub, and Edgewater Park. It was also good to see Cleveland from a visitor's perspective, and hear all the good things they had to say about our city.

I don't know what this means for my future participation on the boards. Does this mean I'll start posting more than once a month or so? Maybe. Will I go to another board bash? Probably. Will it be the one that takes place in Brazil or Europe? That would be nice ...

The Deck Finale

Even worse than having to clean the house (and that's saying a lot), Keith and I were both disappointed that the weather's been so crappy that the writing group last night spent the whole time in the air conditioning, instead of enjoying our gorgeous new deck.

Keith had been working nearly every night on the deck, to get it ready in time for our meeting. And then: 60% humidity and temperatures in the 90s. Never mind about being outside, then!

But the writing group meeting went well. And--with no prompting on my part, I swear--one of the members asked for a tour of the house. Of course, I was more than happy to show off our abode--especially the deck. Everyone was jealous about our full attic, big bathroom, and partially finished basement. I even heard the term "house envy" a few times. It was great!

Now if only the weather cools down/dries up, we can have our inaugural cook-out on the deck.

Dinner Party of Writers

I suppose it would be more correct to call it "munchies, finger food, and writers" but the other title sounds more dignified.

I'm hosting my writing group for the first time tonight. It's been a while since we've had anyone new over to the house, and the novelty of showing off Our House has not yet worn off, so we both ran around like ninnies yesterday to clean all the "public" areas (our room is still a complete mess) and present our best foot forward tonight. And I must say, the house looks fabulous.

I think I'm excited to have people over, but mostly I just feel tired from going to sleep at 1 o'clock last night and getting up at 6 o'clock this overcast, gray morning to run 4 miles with the dog. Who apparently is completely immune to humidity, because whereas I was gasping for breath, he was still jauntily tugging my arm off at full throttle.

After work I have to stop by the store because I somehow completely forgot to get French bread last night (grr), and then whip together some scrumptious food. Food that's good enough, they don't even notice that I didn't get a chance to read the piece we're discussing tonight--to be fair, it was only sent out late Monday night. Food that keeps them from being offended when my eyes droop, because I really, really just want a nice long nap. Or to be in bed by 8 o'clock. I guess that's asking a lot of the food, though.

Baby Carrots Demystified

I was talking about this to someone last week, and promised to send them a link to the article. For the life of me, I can't remember who it was--Sorry!--but I'm hoping if I turn it into a blog post, I'm covered.

We eat baby carrots all the time. The process is something like this. I'm in the grocery store, wandering through the produce section. I think to myself, "We really need to eat more fruits and vegetables." Then I take a look around. What's easy? Because I know if I have to spend time preparing it, we'll avoid it and end up letting it go bad and throw it out. I'm not proud of this tendency, but I know it well.

So I see the baby carrots. Already peeled and washed! Conveniently finger-food size! I grab them and go.

Even though I do this often, I always had a sneaking suspicion that this was just too easy. Surely that meant either I was overpaying for the convenience or that, possibly, the baby carrots weren't as nutritious? According to some, both counts are true.

At the Wise Bread blog, this baby carrots entry tells the history of the baby carrot, which I found very interesting. It also argues that baby carrots as they currently exist are wasteful, less tasty, and less nutritious. The Reno Gazette-Journal says that baby carrots have less beta-carotene than normal carrots.

I have been swayed by the tales of waste and loss of nutritional value. Last time I was at the grocery store, I picked up a bag of normal carrots instead of the babies. But I'm still concerned that my lethargy when it comes to the kitchen might prevail. I thought about packing carrots in my lunch several times last week, but stopped when I remembered I'd have to wash, peel, and cut them.

However, this morning I did prepare a couple of carrot sticks and am looking forward to munching on them later. If they're tasty enough, perhaps the baby carrot and I have parted ways.

July Budgeting Quirks

As one of my New Year's Resolutions, I wanted to stay in budget at least 4 months this year. Which should be easy, and yet ... we're in the 8th month and it's only happened once. Yikes!

July was particularly bad for a couple reasons. In the realm of personal spending, we both went to the dentist a few times. This is money that should be coming back to us from insurance (at least most of it), but we had to pay upfront and they wait a month or so and then reimburse us. For the house category, well, you've seen the fabulous deck. And in the miscellaneous and transportation categories, wedding-related expenses pushed us over the edge.

Strangely enough, the ONLY category in which we didn't blow our budget last month was groceries. I can't figure it out. We're generally TERRIBLE at sticking to the grocery budget. We've only stayed in grocery budget 5 of the last 12 months--and one of those was because we started shopping with a calculator and putting things back. That month we stayed within budget by a slim $1.74 margin.

And yet, by some miracle, in July we were under budget by a whopping $39. For us, that's huge! I'm wondering what made the difference. I don't think we ate out any more than usual, and we bought our usual foods too (not just 100 packets of Ramen noodles). We weren't out of town any more than usual (which is to say, we were still gone a lot).

I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the fact that I did a lot of the grocery shopping at the store that's on my way home from work. Is that store really so much cheaper? Or is it because I'm in a hurry so I don't throw as many random purchases into the cart? Maybe something about one person shopping instead of two--we can't talk each other into needless buys?

Obviously, it's too soon to say just based on one month. But I'm interested to see how August shapes up. And somewhat nervous--I'm already thinking about how I'm hosting writing group next Wednesday, people will be visiting the weekend after that, and of course we have to have a cookout! Maybe I'll consider myself lucky if we stay within grocery budget by $1.74 again.

The Home Improvement Edition

Keith has been very busy of late. I'm pretty excited--our first real home improvement project! Ever since moving in last summer, we've discussed many, many ideas. But there was always those pesky issues of "money" and "time" that seemed to get in the way.

But, with our 2nd summer in the house waning, we threw caution to the wind and decided that we'd just go ahead and build the deck, and figure out how to pay for it later. So far it's only taken him two weeks, with being gone last weekend even, and it's just about finished. My Dad helped out tremendously with the purchases and framing, otherwise we'd still be standing at Home Depot, scratching our heads and trying to figure out how to get everything transported home.

Since taking these pictures, we've filled in the frame with gravel to suppress the weeds, covered the top with boards and screwed them all in. All that's left to do is cut the top boards to the octagon shape. Then we'll leave them for a few weeks to dry out/settle, and then stain them.

Last night we even ate dinner on the deck for the first time. It was fabulous! Keith also saw Beckett reclining on the deck later that evening, so I guess he's given his seal of approval, too.

The hyper-organized, task-oriented part of myself can't resist asking, now that the deck's nearly done, what the next project will be. But I'm trying to ignore that voice, and spend some time just appreciating our fabulous new deck.

10-Year Class Reunion

Even though it's already Wednesday (and August!) I'm still sitting at my desk, fondly remembering this past weekend.

One of my high school friends, Ellen, decided to organize a get-together, since we got shafted on our 10-year reunion. Conveniently, her parents had recently bought a lakehouse in Indiana so way back at Christmas we all agreed on a weekend in the summer to meet. In the past few weeks, Ellen has been busy with email updates--she even sent actual mail through the post office! That's how organized she is.

And her organization paid off. There were 19 of us total--11 ALHS grads, 6 significant others, and 2 wee offspring named Audrey. I can't remember the last time that we've all been in the same place at the same time. It was wonderful, relaxing, fun, and reinvigorating.

It was just a reminder of how lucky I was and still am--to have had this great a group of friends in high school, and to still be in touch with them over 10 years later. I also feel the need to quantify this--we're not just in touch because we all moved back to our same hometown after college. Only 4 of us are currently in the Cleveland area, and only 2 of us have made the commitment to buying a house here.

We all grew up, went in different directions for college and after, but still have enough of a friendship to drive 3-4 hours, to a lakehouse in nowhere Indiana, to spend a weekend together. It was an amazing weekend, and one I hope we get to repeat soon, and many times in the upcoming years.

A Self-Reflective Post

Loyal readers that you are, you may have noticed the addition of labels on the left-hand side. They may move on the page (I kinda want to see them on the right, instead) but I think the concept is here to stay.

I wonder sometimes what happened why Right Gapesnest makes it big. Somehow, someway, it gets linked to from Salon or some other site that's ridiculously popular. All of a sudden, I'm flooded with new readers, eager for my words of wisdom. Where will they go? What will they do?

Now that I've finally become a blog reader myself, I realize how useful labels can be when you arrive at an existing blog and want to wander around previous posts. So, to help my hapless future readers, I'm adding them here. So far I only have a few months' posts labeled. If you can't find your absolute favorite post, never fear. And if you have any suggestions for labels, let me know! (Keep it clean, kids.)

Dollar Dog Night

For my dad's birthday yesterday, we (me, Keith, and my parents) went to an Indians' game. Although it rained earlier in the day, it turned out to be great weather in the evening--cool, with a slight breeze.

The Indians lost a close game to the Red Sox. But it was enjoyable because the stadium was full and the crowd was rowdy. Of course, the reason we were all there: Dollar Dog Night.

After last night, there's two things I'd like to share with you:

1. My friends, I ate wayyyy too many hot dogs, all covered in spicy stadium mustard. Seemed like a good idea at the time. And probably will next time a Dollar Dog Night rolls around. I have a short memory for the ill effects of a food coma.
   
2. Just in our small section, we saw two women wearing pearls with their t-shirts and jeans. What's the deal with that?
   

Geeked Out on HP

Friday night, we did go to a small local bookstore for the arrival of Harry Potter Book 7. And I loved it!

Originally, we had planned on going just to experience the HP book release mania for the last time. (Well, our first time, but the last chance.) But on Friday afternoon, Keith broke down and decided to reserve a copy of the book. I pre-ordered mine from Amazon.co.uk about 10 years ago, but it won't arrive for another week and he decided he just couldn't wait that long.

So we weren't just spectators--we were also participating in the big event. And it was a big event, I thought. Hundreds of people were there. They showed the first HP movie on a large outdoor screen, on a grassy hill between a school and the library. A nature center brought several owls and other large birds. There was a Sorting Hat, a House Cup trivia tournament (Slytherin won, unfortunately), hat making, and more. My friend had finished judging the costume contest when we arrived, so the three of us got some food and meandered a bit.

The best part was all the people wandering up and down the street, many in costume, all talking about the book and its characters and what will happen next. I've heard people argue that the books aren't well written and they're bad for society (because, you know, anything that the masses enjoy is bad for us). But seeing everyone there enjoying themselves, I just wondered how this could be anything BUT great news for bookstores and libraries. I doubt the bookstore owners had ever imagined, in their wildest dreams, having hundreds of people queue up at midnight waiting for a book release.

But actually, that wasn't the best part. The best part is that we got in line super early since 1) we're geeks, and 2) we had all brought reading material with us, so reading in line was just as good as reading anywhere else. This meant that my friend was #2 in line, and Keith and I were #3. For quite a while, it was a sad, short little line. But slowly it grew until, by midnight, we couldn't see the end but had heard rumors it wrapped around the end of the block.

Right: So, the best part was when they counted down the seconds, opened the door, and ushered us in one by one to pick up our books. All of the first few customers (ourselves included) had prepaid for the book. It was just a matter of walking up to a little folding table, surrounded by boxes of pristine copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and giving your name, receiving your copy in return.

When we left, Keith and Susan clutched the mammoth tomes tight. We had to walk by the entire line to get to our cars, and were joking about the chances of someone in line tackling us to get the books. I mean, we were mostly joking, but also keeping an eye out.

As we walked past the line, a murmur went through the crowd. Hundreds of eyes behind fake Harry Potter glasses turned to us. "They have the book!" Someone shouted. "Hold up the book!" Susan did, and people cheered.

So this is what it feels like to be famous, I thought. It was absolutely crazy. Everyone was watching us. Everyone was jealous because we had The Book.

Of course, this lasted about 3 minutes, until we passed the end of the line and continued onto our cars. But it was a great feeling, and a fantastic night. Even though I'm not what you would call a "joiner" I'm glad I did it this once, and got to experience the full Harry Potter mania once.

Now I just need to read the book.

The End of Harry?

Even if you're not a fan, it's hard to avoid hearing about how the last Harry Potter book comes out tonight at midnight.

I am most definitely a Harry Potter fan. I think I started reading about when Book 4 came out--ever since then, it's been hard to wait for the latest books to be published. But of course, the wait for Book 7 has been bittersweet. And it will all be ending shortly.

I may have to wait a bit longer, because I ordered the Adult Edition from amazon.co.uk. But it will arrive soon, and I'm torn. I don't want to read it right away, because I want to make the anticipation last as long as possible. I keep saying I'll re-read the first 6 books before I read 7 ... but I haven't started that yet, so once the new one arrives the temptation might be too great.

But I'm also quite swayed by the argument that Harry Potter is currently a cultural phenomenon because we're all readers waiting to find out what happens. Once that's gone and we all know, it'll change. I think that's true to some extent, and that makes me feel like I should really be a part of it and read it as soon as the book comes out, when the rest of the world does.

So maybe I should read it right away and go to the party and participate in the Potter festivities, because I have the opportunity to and my children won't. A friend is judging a costume contest at a small local bookstore, so we'll probably head over there. My Mom had The Beatles, and I have a book party for Harry Potter. Such memories!

Plus, if I wait to read it, there's a very good chance that I'll find out what happens. Who dies?!? I don't want to know that in advance. But how can I avoid it? Stay off the Internets? That just won't happen.

Or maybe it should .... I have been pretty terrible about blogging lately. Maybe A Right Gapesnest will dark for a while, while I try to maintain the illusion that the wizarding world of Harry Potter is real, and I'm not a muggle after all.

Good Web Design

Whew! After that last post, I'll keep this one short.

Keith and I have been hard at work on our web design/development business, and it should be ready to officially "launch" soon.

I think one of the areas that--how shall I put it?--offers me the greatest growth opportunity in terms of knowledge and skill. (aka my weak point) is web design. So I've been reading up on it, experimenting, and also spending a lot of time looking at other websites to see what works and what doesn't. The majority of my design experience is in print, so it's been challenging/interesting to learn how to apply that to the web, and also finding out what doesn't translate.

I was just wondering: In your opinion, what makes a website attractive or professional and why? What are some examples of your favorite site designs? What are the worst designs?
* I know the image doesn't have a lot to do with this topic, exactly. But when I searched in Microsoft Word on "design," the results were all sorts of cool, abstract images. This was one of my favorites.

Save Net Radio

Okay, this is a post I've been meaning to write for ages, but I kept putting it off. Mostly because I don't feel qualified to address the issue in a holistic way.

But I need to try anyway, so here it goes. As most of you know, I'm a big fan of Woxy in particular, and the concept of Internet radio in general. It has introduced many people to all different bands and types of music that they may never have heard through their limited, terrestrial radio stations. Personally, since I've started listening to Woxy, I've pretty much stopped listening to normal radio because I only really like maybe one song an hour or so, and it's just not worth it. With Woxy's niche audience, the playlist can actually be tailored to what this group enjoys and is also not tied to payola and just repeating the top 20 countdown playlist.

This would seem like an excellent development for the recording industry. More people listening to more music = more music sales, right? With the Long Tail theory of economics, even bands with a very small listening audience should be able to get played on Internet radio and attract enough worldwide listeners to make a decent profit. Everyone wins!

Except the recording industry doesn't see it that way. I don't understand all of the nuances of this issue, but from my reading it seems that the industry is not concerned with these smaller webcasters who have a limited audience. They're just focused on huge ones, like Yahoo, Pandora, AOL, etc., and all of the royalties they could be getting from these huge web streams.

So in comes SoundExchange, who collects and distributes musicians' royalties. They proposed a different fee structure for terrestrial radio and Internet radio. Traditionally, terrestrial radio stations pay NOTHING to play songs on the air, because it's considered advertising for the artists and is, therefore, exempt.

Presumably due to the vast audience (aka revenue) that can be reached by the Internet, the RIAA chose not to view Internet radio stations as exempt but instead is attempting to charge the hell out of them. Directly from the Save Internet Radio website:

• Broadcast radio, an industry with $20 billion in annual revenue, is exempt and pays no performance royalties to record companies or recording artists.
• Satellite radio, which has approximately $2 billion in annual revenue pays between 3 and 7% of revenue in sound recording performance royalties.
• The six largest Internet-only radio services anticipate combined revenue of only $37.5 million in 2006, but will pay a whopping 47% (or $17.6 million) in sound recording performance royalties under the new CRB ruling. In 2008 combined revenues will total only $73.6 million, but royalties will be 58% or $42.4 million.
• Small Internet radio services are essentially bankrupted by the CRB ruling, with most anticipating royalty obligations equaling or exceeding total revenue.

What it comes down to is: small Internet radio stations cannot afford this rate increase. They would cease to exist, and the offerings on Internet radio would end up being the same as what's available on terrestrial radio, because only the largest corporate Internet radio could pay the royalty rates and continue operating.

I really, really don't want this to happen. There's currently legislation for consideration by both the House and the Senate to repeal these new royalty rates. Because the Copyright Royalty Board has approved these rates and denied any appeals, legislation is the only option left. Visit Save Internet Radio, call your representatives, and ask them to sponsor the legislation. I'm also writing a letter this weekend, so if you would like me to send you the letter to copy and put in your own contact info, I'd be happy to do that.

For more information, visit:
"Save Net Radio" blogs at Wired
Save Net Radio: About

The Croc Discussion Continues

Why is it that people only seem to remember the posts where I rant and rave on completely inane topics?

Almost a year ago, I blogged about my hatred of Crocs. Surprisingly enough, even though I pronounced them an abomination, they're still around and ridiculously popular. And people are still writing articles about them (including me, I guess) and I've received a few links lately.

I was reminded of them when Keith and I went to Cedar Point this past Saturday. As we walked up to the front entrance, I began scanning the crowd to play one of our favorite Cedar Point past-times--spot all of the couples who have dressed alike. Why is this so popular? I don't know. But it always happens at Cedar Point, and it gives you something to think about while waiting in line for rides, which is very, very important.*

This year, Keith also suggested we count all the pairs of Crocs that we see infesting the park. I was surprised to notice that most of them were sported by young (adolescent and under) kids. Does this mean that adults have seen reason, but that Crocs will continue to live on because the younger generations have embraced them whole-heartedly?

Either way, they're still ugly and I hate them. Recently Amy sent me an article from the Washington Post called "By Executive Order, Crocs Aren't Chic." If Bush wears them, that is NOT changing my attitude.

After Croc-spotting at Cedar Point (which is a sport, unlike line jumping), Keith saw an article this morning at Slate.com about "How Crocs Conquered the World." Apparently everyone agrees that they're ugly. The real question is whether the comfort is worth it. But this article quotes podiatrists as saying they're not good for your feet--their fabulous comfortableness is just an illusion of supportive footwear.

So, in conclusion, Crocs are still the ugliest footwear around and now you don't even have the excuse that they're good for your feet. Don't wear them. End of story.


* Surprisingly, we didn't see all that many couples dressed alike, or a platoon of Crocs. Instead, everyone was wearing shirts with "Hollister" emblazoned across their chests. Who knows what will be the de rigueur Cedar Point garb next time we go?

No Need for Novocain

I had a dentist appointment the other day. The dentist is a really nice guy--coincidentally, also the husband of my boss. It was kinda a risky move, going to him, but I think it worked out for the best. He really is good at what he does, and my boss has definite proof that, when I say I have a dentist appointment, it's true.

I had gotten the semi-annual check-up a few weeks ago, but had to go back and get some indents at the tops of my teeth filled in/smoothed over. I won't get into the dental mechanics, but pretty much I clench my teeth a LOT and that's made some of the enamel break off at the tops of a few of my teeth, near the gumline. Because the uneven surface could gather germs / cause decay, he wanted to fill it all in and smooth it over.

He commended me on taking excellent care of my teeth. (Anyone who needs some pointers, read the comments on this post. My former co-worker's tip about flossing just the week before your visit has worked like a charm!) He said they were in such good shape that he didn't even need to clean them before the procedure. In fact, it would be such a simple procedure that I wouldn't even need Novocain.

If your dentist every tells you that you don't need Novocain, in my experience, you should politely disagree with him. I didn't. I figured no big deal. By the time it was painful enough that I decided I REALLY wanted some numbing action, it was too late. I don't think he noticed the grimace of pain on my face as I tried to tough it out.

I didn't cry at least, which is something. But next time you're at the dentist's, TAKE the Novocain. I know I will.