Know what’s difficult? Being a music blogger who has a computer with a malfunctioning sound card. In what was perhaps not the brightest of ideas, I decided to pick a week where I knew that free time was at a premium (note to self: never make your own Halloween costume again) to fiddle with my ailing computer. All went well, things are running smoothly and faster than before… except for the sound card. It’s tough to listen to music when no sound is coming out. Technology fail. Hopefully I’ll be able to get that sorted out this weekend. Sigh.
I received my copy of Jay Ryan’s Animals and Objects In and Out of Water yesterday, and I can’t actually express how much I love it. The collection of prints combines pretty much everything that makes me happy: animals doing strange things (bears wearing socks, penguins listening to Jeff Tweedy, dolphins in bumper cars), sometimes surrealist art, great colors, awesome bands, and humorous commentary.  As someone who dabbles in art, music, and writing, I’ve got to say that the collection is an absolute gem. I could sit and flip through it all day. If you pick it up, be sure to read the essay at the end of the book, particularly if you like facts. Like, what’s the ratio of bears to dogs in Ryan’s work? How many Unidentifiable Mammals will you find? The essay is both hilarious and informative, much like the book as a whole.
Lilith Fair is coming back. Yep, that’s right, the late ’90s celebration of women in music will be making a comeback, 10 years after it quietly faded away. The festival is set to tour again in 2010, although no specific tour dates have been announced. The initial list of cities includes Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, Washington DC, and many points in between. A line-up and more specific dates should be announced soon.
This may continue to chip away at my taste-in-music street cred, but I am way excited about this. I went to Lilith Fair in 1999 when it rolled through Pittsburgh, and it was an awesome experience. Say what you will about the relative cheese-factor of the festival, but it was honestly pretty empowering to be a teenager, surrounded by tons of other women, watching powerful, successful women perform. While I never did find my inner singer-songwriter (singer, yes; songwriter, big ol’ no), it’s events like that which can help some young girl or woman out there come to believe in herself enough to take a risk to live her dream.
After making my own costume last year (Grumpy Bear), I bought one this year and I feel the convenience has totally taken the wind from my sails (and added to my ever-increasing CC debt). There’s something about making one that can’t be matched and makes it totally worth it. I hope you find the same.
On the computer front, this is a life lesson. With PCs, you have to look into all your components and make sure there are drivers for all your components before changing OSs- especially so soon after the release of a new OS. Your audio card manufacturer had ample time to have a driver by now but they suck. They probably just want you to buck up and buy a new one. Live and learn. Don’t buy one of theirs again.