ADMIT ONE

Audio Adrenaline, originally uploaded by echobase_2000.

The year I turned sixteen, Audio Adrenaline started singing songs about Jesus. Somewhere along the line, I stopped listening to them, but last night, I ended up at their show in Laurel, MS. It's their farewell tour, so they sang a lot of old songs. It made me feel melancholy. I sat way in the back, never danced, and barely even clapped. I just listened and sometimes sang along. And I remembered.

Audio Adrenaline was never my top choice in music. But they did find their way into the mix. I suppose I started listening to them because all my friends did. But I got burned out on them. I remember throwing Bloom and Underdog in the trash.

Hearing them again and watching them tell their fans goodbye allowed me to revisit and release a lot of old memories. I can't exactly say I had fun at the concert, but I was glad to join in on the goodbyes.

SIGN THE INTERNET RADIO PETITION

Zenith - Long Distance, originally uploaded by InfraKen.

I got an email alert from Free Press this morning asking for my support in protecting indie internet radio. I signed the petition and now I'm passing Silver's letter on to you. Please consider clicking the link and adding your support:

Online music is in danger. A recent ruling by an obscure regulatory board threatens to put independent and public radio on the Internet out of business.

The "Copyright Royalty Board" is dramatically increasing the royalties "webcasters" must pay every time they stream a song online. Public Internet radio like NPR is especially at risk.

The rules could shut down nonprofit and smaller commercial Internet radio outlets and force larger webcasters to play the same cookie-cutter music as Clear Channel. So much for new online alternatives.

Rescue internet radio. Sign the petition.

This is not just another petition. The Copyright Royalty Board isn't used to hearing from the public, so your action can really make a difference. And we need to stop them before the new charges go into effect.

Artists must be compensated for their work. But the new regulations don't even differentiate between public outlets, small upstarts, and the largest commercial companies. The proposed increase would silence many outlets that play independent artists and musical genres you can't find anymore on the radio dial.

As soon as smaller webcasters start to attract a sizable audience, the royalty costs would be astronomical -- and likely fatal. And nonprofit stations like NPR should not be forced to pay so much money that they actually fear an increase in their listeners.

Industry-wide consolidation has destroyed musical diversity and shut out independent and local artists on broadcast radio. We can't let the same thing happen on the Internet.

The Copyright Royalty Board -- or if necessary, Congress -- needs to fix the rules so that artist and musicians thrive alongside a new generation of Internet radio webcasters. Send them a message by adding your name to our petition.

Tell your friends.

Our goal is collect 50,000 signatures by Monday. Help us get there by telling all your friends that now is the time to take action.

Thanks for all you do,

Josh Silver
Executive Director
Free Press

COLLIERS IN JAPAN...NOW ONLINE

colliers, originally uploaded by Patrick Q.

Alice & Sean Collier are friends of mine who live in Japan. They are sharing their experiences on their new homepage. Thought you might want to check it out.

NEW MUSIC

from behind, originally uploaded by joanna eleanor.

I got an email from emusic yesterday offering 50 free downloads. I was skeptical that I'd even be able to find 50 worth the trouble, since they don't have the same mainstream talent as iTunes. I found out that they do have lots of idie musicians and classic hits - not worth a subscription, but nice for an afternoon perusal.

I was pleasantly surprised when my search for new Christian music turned up Isa Couvertier, pictured above. I'd never heard of her, but her pure lyrics and catchy melodies make her stand out from the pack. She's the newest addition to my Christian singer/songwriter playlist. Finally, there's someone to keep Sara Groves and Matt Kearney company.

I also downloaded some songs from Enter the Worship Circle. I love that series, but every time I buy the CD's I end up giving them away. And I stumbled across the song, "Better than Life" by Julie Meyer - definitely worth the download.

Totally unrelated: The road trip was a blast. Maybe I will move to Oxford someday, or at least Pontotoc... It would be nice to live in a town where generations of my family were born and raised. Walking those streets, I loved feeling a stronger sense of history and connection with the past.

GOOGLE

offee, originally uploaded by Pose.

Google Maps still amazes me. Ryan and I are meeting at Starbucks in Hattiesburg in the morning. Since he's from out of town, I wanted to email simple directions. Two clicks later, and the job was done. They may not have all their ducks in a row, but I have to give them a gold star in geography!

ENTERPRISE HIGH

Mighty storm, originally uploaded by Newsblogpicture.

My thoughts and prayers are with the survivors of this week's storms. Seeing the photos and hearing the news reports struck a nerve, reminding me of Katrina. I was impressed that the Mayor in AL asked everyone watching the news to pray for the town. I thought I'd pass that request on here.

ETSY IDEA #1 & ROADTRIP MANIA

Glitterboard Mansion for Kelsey and Neilio., originally uploaded by icklebird.

I think I've found my first craft idea for etsy. I'm making a note of it here so I remember. The patterns for these retro houses are from the book Vintage Christmas Crafts by Sara Toliver. ISBN #1-4027-2791-7. Su has some construction tips for them on her blog.

Update on the roadtrip: Ryan just called and asked me to drive up to Oxford this weekend to see the University Theatre Department's production of Noises Off. Cool.

FLAMES ON THE SIDES OF MY FACE

Flames on the side of my face..., originally uploaded by Hilly_Blue.

Let me begin by stating the obvious: Madeline Kahn was a comic genius. This screen capture is from my all-time favorite movie scene. Do you recognize the movie?

It's one of those films I used to watch with friends - reciting the lines and laughing the whole time. It's right up there with Monty Python's Holy Grail.

Speaking of having a good time with friends, I'm just about dying to have an old skool road trip. If not to go camping, then at least a day trip to a concert. Heck, I'd settle for driving to Mobile for dinner at a decent restaurant. I just emailed a friend to see if we can put something together.

I finally got around to tweaking my preferences for last.fm; one of the features is a local concert calendar. Check out the three choices it highlighted for next month:

Taylor Hicks (!) @ House of Blues, NO on Wed. the 14th.

Paolo Nutini (Irish-Italian guy who sings with an Irish accent) @ Soul Kitchen, Mobile on Thursday, March 15th.

Shane & Shane (Christian singer/songwriting pair) @ St. Timothy UMC in Mandeville on Sunday, March 18th.

I wish I could attend all three. If I manage to go to one, it will be my first time to do anything majorly social since I returned home from overseas. I don't think I've even been to a movie. (What's playing, anyway?) My big day each week is grocery shopping. When did I start acting like a senior citizen?!

CHRIS WHITE

Please tell me why no talent posers get all the radio airtime and entertainers like this guy have to resort to youtube virals. Down with payola! Up with free enterprise!

PUBLIC DOMAIN SILENT MOVIES @ YOUTUBE

ETSY

120x120etsy, originally uploaded by designsponge.

Not sure if I've blogged about etsy before, but it's great, so check it out. I'm working on some ideas for things to post there, and I think my sis has already started selling there.

SARAH'S MAKE-DO

Primitive Heart Pin Cushion Front 2, originally uploaded by Patrick Q.

I'm proud of my sister. She made this pincushion and uploaded the photo onto my flickr stream. This picture is now in flickr's top 500 most "interesting" photos for Feb 7th. Way to go, Sarah! Can't wait to see some more of your new craft photos!

VALENTINE'S DAY MAILBOX

1970's School Valentine's Day Box, originally uploaded by Neato Coolville.

This box belongs to Todd. He made it back in 4th grade. Can you believe he saved it all these years? I made a box that year, but I didn't keep it. I remember ripping it into a million pieces after school that day.

We had a class contest for best decorated Valentine mailbox. I worked so hard decorating mine, only to come in 2nd place to my friend Reagan. After the party, on the playground, Reagan confessed to me that her mom had made hers. I was so bummed out!

This year, on Valentine's day, I judged a school art contest. The experience made me recall that bad 4th grade memory. As I interviewed each kid, I made sure I asked all the contestants to describe exactly how they made their entries!

FOOD

Even McDonald's is blingy in Vegas, originally uploaded by Fuzzy Gerdes.

I normally avoid fast food, but yesterday when the alarm sounded, I woke up thinking about McDonald's breakfast. The craving was enough incentive to help me drag myself from my warm bed at 5 am. The line was so long at the drive-thru I decided to go inside for my biscuit and Coke. I was hoping to relive one of those childhood moments when the only thing better than the McDonald's food was the happy meal toy that came with it. No such luck. That biscuit was the single-most salty thing I've ever tasted. I can't call it food. It was so bad, I've decided never to eat at McDonald's again. I started heading in this direction after watching "Super-Size Me," but this biscuit was the nail in the coffin.

Speaking of food. Tonight is the final episode of Bravo's Top Chef. Am I the only one rooting for Marcel? Not sure how I got hooked on this show, but I'm surprised by how much I enjoy it.

LADY

2 of the dogs, originally uploaded by Patrick Q.

Dad's dog Lady died today. She was poisoned, we think accidentally. She suffered a lot, and it was one of those rare times when I saw Daddy cry.

I hate times when someone I love is hurting and there is nothing I can do to make them feel better...

STATE OF THE UNION

Bush delivers the state of the Union to Congress tomorrow. I will be sure to watch, but I imagine it will be the same old song and dance. We'll see...

I am finally over the jet lag. Flying was a total nightmare. More on that later...maybe. Seems like I'm a little like Bush tonight - little disclosure and no definite timeline.

What's your opinion of Bush? If you believe the polls, he's the least popular president...maybe, ever.

VOTE FOR JIM, CLASS PRESIDENT.

Obviously, one of my New Year's resolutions is NOT to blog daily. I'm finally getting around to this first post of the new year. Hope 2007 is treating you well (and vice versa, conversely).

Jim Gaffigan is my favorite comedian. I downloaded some of his material and put it on my ipod. When I listened to him at the gym, I ended up falling off the treadmill. I laughed so hard I couldn't keep running.

Anyway, Jim is in a Comedy Central contest and I'd sure like it if he won. If you want to vote for him, follow this link:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Sparkler, originally uploaded by Eric....

We've just rung in the new year. Hope your weather is a bit more suited to fireworks than it proved to be here in Germany - we were forced to brave a freezing drizzle and high winds. (Happy to be back inside, warm and dry.) May you and yours have a very happy 2007!

SNOW

snow day 004, originally uploaded by Patrick Q.

We finally had our first day of snow since my arrival. I threw a snowball at David, and he built a tiny snowman. Now it feels a bit more like Christmastime.

Tomorrow night we are planning a bonfire in the firepit behind the house. We'll cook hotdogs and have smores. It has been raining a lot lately, so we're making the most of the predicted clear night.

Fireworks went on sale this morning, and David was there when the doors opened, Christmas money in hand. I might just be in for my loudest New Year's Eve, ever.

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS