on being a semi-luddite (not to mention profligate)

Current work: Med duo
Listening to: Silje Nergaard (on YouTube until my CDs arrive)

Now, I’m known for having a few CDs… (Oh, all right, so we need another floor-to-ceiling unit as I’ve been a bit of a bad puppy lately – waves to Kate W, who says I am profligate as well as scary.) YouTube has been utterly brilliant (waves to India, who has introduced me to wonderful music via YouTube) because it means I can browse an artist’s work and see what I think of the body as a whole, instead of buying an album for just one song and maybe ending up a tad disappointed.

Buying an album for one song, when I could buy just one song for 80p or whatever it is on iTunes? Am I mad?

Er, no. Thing is, my hearing loss involves frequencies, so I can’t hear music properly without my hearing aid. (For example, the title track of Coldplay’s ‘X&Y’ sounds discordant without it, but I can hear the harmonies with it.) MP3 players seem to work on in-ear headphones – which means I wouldn’t be able to wear the hearing aid. So I wouldn’t be able to hear the music properly, so loglically there is no point getting an MP3 player. Yes, I know I could get a player with speakers etc, but why bother when I already have a really good sound system in my office that includes a digital radio? And I can make myself CD mixes using my PC, so playlists aren’t an issue. (Plus… where can I store the MP3s safely, without taking up huge amounts of my hard disk or copying to, ahem, CD? And from what I’ve read, CDs are superior in sound quality to the MP3 format anyway.) So I’m sticking to the technology that works for me.

My other source of inspiration this year has been blogging. Other people who have a similar music habit have posted what they’re listening to, and I’ve dipped in and out. Ray-Anne in particular has inspired me (this is the point where I say thank you, Ray-Anne), and through her I discovered the Norwegian singer Silje Nergaard yesterday. I think she’s in the same area as Norah Jones and Joni Mitchell (and the odd bit of Lene Marlin – and I have several albums by those three artists) so, yes, I had another little album binge yesterday. (Only two. And my daughter will enjoy them as well. And…)

In the meantime, I’m thoroughly enjoying my current heroine. And I’m especially enjoying her taste in music. Especially because of said rather hot YouTube singer. (Shall I be nice and share?)
Out last night to see friends (Madam’s still a bit under par and went clingy on me before falling asleep on my lap – normally she’s a daddy’s girl; then she kept us awake half the night when she woke wanting a cuddle and coughing, sigh…).

Plan for today: work like mad while DH is out doing last-minute shopping, see my parents in the afternoon to drop off pressies, and see DH’s brother this evening to drop off pressies.

Plan for tomorrow: work in morning while simultaneously cooking the cheese stars and cookies, cousins round for tea (and talking weddings). And then it’s Christmas Eve. Where is the time going?