It appears it snowed last night. I had no idea. I was basically half conscious yesterday knocked out on cold medicine. In between consciousness I managed to upload things to my blog. I still feel sick as a dog. My nose is runny. I can’t smell a thing. I’m not sure if I was wearing too much perfume last week. I’m constantly sneezing. I even missed seeing the Miser yesterday at Center Stage. I guess I’ll have to reschedule for another Saturday matinee.

Oh yes, I saw Lord of the Rings, Return of the King a couple of weeks ago. It was fantastic. I went out and bought two Lord of The Rings calendars instead of my usual mini Elvis calendar which I got from K-mart which I can’t buy anymore because the K-Mart closest to me has closed down and is now a discount clothing store called Forman’s Warehouse. True I could have picked up an Elvis calendar anywhere but I loved the ones that were exclusive to K-Mart because they were always in colour. I’m not really into black and white calendars. When Elvis was around colour movies and film was around. I feel that they do the black and white stuff to force the look of nostalgia which never really existed when he was alive. The only thing that was black and white then was the television and the newspaper. Every last one of those phony black and white photos I can find its colour counterpart to. I hate the forced nostalgic look.

Back to My Lord of the Rings calendars. I love them because there are plenty of glossy photos of Viggo Mortensen and Orlando Bloom. Yes, I’m obvious as hell although I doubt anyone really knows it. However, I’ve never bought any of those extremely obvious in your face beefcake calendars because I would feel too embarrassed to leave the store with them. Anyway, I can’t wait for February, the back of Viggo’s crowned head. March, Orlando on his horse. June, Viggo dressed in black. August, Orlando with his bow ready to strike. . October, Viggo’s face. November, Orlando’s face. December, has Viggo on his horse with his army behind him ready to attack. I think I may smile uncontrollably when October and November come as I glance upon the calendar. The people who assembled this calendar did a great job of giving women what they want. Lots of photos of Viggo and Orlando. Last year’s calendar was more diplomatic and boring. Basically, Viggo was featured in only one month. This year I was lucky to have found a larger and smaller version of the same calendar at Towson Town Center. So for the first time ever my home calendar and office calendars are in synch. My usual office calendar was the K-Mart full colour mini-Elvis Calendar. Calendar’s I’ve had up at home have included the 2003 Lord of the Rings Calendar, 2002 Llewellyn’s Witches Calendar, 2001 Ferret Calendar, 1999-2000 Teddy Bears Calendar. So I suppose I have a thing for long haired men in medieval wear and teddy bears.

The cd’s I bought in from home that I played all this week at work were The Best of the BoDeans - Slash and Burn, The Best of Etta James - 20th Century Masters The Millennium Collection, U2 - Rattle and Hum, Frank Sinatra -The Collectors Series, Music from the Television Series Northern Exposure, and More Music From Northern Exposure.

This Weeks cd Commentary

I bought in the Bodeans because their an old standby I love this cd!! Etta James I got because I found it in the discount bin at some record store in Owings Mills. The only song on it I was familiar with at the time was her classic hit which I’m sure everyone has heard even though you may not be aware of the name of the song, At Last. I really have become fond of this cd. She can really belt it out. However song after song it seems like she’s always being left at the altar or the man she loves is marrying another. Overall, great soulful 50’s sound. It like something that Allen Lee would play on Forgotten 45’s on WQSR on Sunday evening. Who knows maybe Alan Lee has played it on his show. It’s been a while since I’ve tuned in.

U2’s Rattle and Hum is obvious at least for me. I love it because it’s like reliving a U2 concert. I also like it because it has my all time favourite U2 song on it, All I Want is You. If ever I should marry. Which I seriuosly doubt will ever happen. I would like to dance with the groom who I suppose would be my husband to All I Want is You. And that ladies and gentlemen has been my perfect imaginary wedding moment.....”sigh”....To dance on my wedding day to U2’s All I Want is You.

I bought in Frank Sinatra because I wanted to play him side by side with Dino. I don’t know I still like the Dean Martin’s That’s Amore: The Best of Dean Martin cd the best. I think what I don’t like about the Sinatra cd is very nitpicky, it starts off with a ballad, I’m Walking Behind You. If I were in charge of production I would have kicked off the cd with something a little more up tempo like I’ve Got The World on a String or South of the Border. Next I’ll see if I can find a Sammy Davis Jr. cd on eBay so that I can reunite the Rat Pack on my cd player.

I like both of the Northern Exposure cd’s because there very eclectic and I’m into eclectic mixes. On those cd’s you have instrumentals that David Schwartz produced exclusively for the tv show as well as little known hits like Don Quichotte by Magazine 60. I’m probably the only person who remembers listening to that quirky song in the 80’s. Both cd’s feature artists like Lynyrd Skynyrd (oddly, one of my blue’s loving dad’s favourite rock bands), Nat King Cole, Miriam Makeba, Etta James (I have 2 copies of At Last!!), Ruth Brown, Brian Eno with John Cale, Big Joe and His Washboard Band, Johnny Nash, Vinx, Basin Brothers, Les Paul and Mary Ford, Simon Bonney, Chic Street Man (who had a show at Center Stage many moons ago), Booker T and the MG’s (my dad has one of there albums on vinyl), and super duper producer Daniel Lanois. There’s also two songs performed by Native American women, Georgia Wettlin-Larsen performing an Ojibway Square Dance (Love Song) and Joanne Shenandoah singing I May Want a Man. Of the two I really love Shenandoah’s clear vocals she kind of reminds me of Judy Collins.