Sometimes it's who, not what you do

I know I'm meant to be constantly blogging about my preparations for SXSW, but it turns out that much of my time has been taken up by preparations for SXSW. Oh, the irony!

There are day parties, there are evening showcases, there are free shows and house parties and they all want you to RSVP. If you have cruise director tendencies like I do, it can be overwhelming. Nevertheless, I'll be heading to Austin a mere two weeks from tomorrow so the planning has to end sometime.

As I finish my planning, I'm trying to keep a few pointers in mind:

• Have a lot of options - With dozens of bands playing shows at any one moment, you shouldn't waste your time waiting in line for a show. Bands often play more than one showcase so unless you just absolutely have to see them, move along and catch something else. Who know, maybe you'll find something new.
• SXSW is for new bands - It's tempting for me to want to see The Strokes or Bright Eyes who are both playing shows this year. I've seen both of them in concert before so I'll try to use that time to see a new band instead. It'll be hard to pass on Bright Eyes, though, so that might be a game-day decision.
• Wear comfortable shoes - I've been told there is a lot of walking. A lot.
• There is never free food - Most of the parties advertise free food, but like the mysterious sasquatch, no one has ever seen it. Food goes early and I'm pretty sure it's just one guy with a burrito. Go find a food cart and keep your blood sugar up. This is a marathon not a sprint.

I'll have a list of the top 10 bands I hope to see at this year's SXSW later this week. That is unless I'm busy RSVPing for stuff.

It's well advised that you follow your own bag in the year of the chewable Ambien tab

For almost three years I paid $15 a month for a subscription to the music download site, emusic.com, but last month I put my account on hold with the intention of quitting them for good. They went from being one of my favorite web services to my online nemesis through a path that is not unfamiliar to people who are early adopters of cool web services only to watch them crumble under a series of compromises (I'm looking at you lala.com.) but this one angers me the most.

The interwebs tell me that emusic was founded in 1998, but didn't really take off until the early 2000s. It was different from other music sites because a set amount of money got you credits for mp3 downloads each month. When I first signed up, my $15 got me 50 songs from a large library that consisted mostly of indie labels and old jazz and blues. It wasn't for everybody, but if emusic's selection matched up with your musical tastes it was an amazing bargain.

Things were going great until the summer of 2009. That's when emusic signed a deal with one of the "big four" labels (Sony BMG, Universal Music Group, EMI and Warner Music Group). Emusic would carry music from Sony artists that was two years old or older. So you couldn't get the new Kings of Leon, but you could download the Bruce Springsteen back catalog. In return, customers found out their $15 suddenly didn't buy as many credits. Sony wanted more money for their songs so now I was getting 37 songs a month for my money. It was annoying, but I was willing to take the hit for a larger selection of music. Besides, Michael Jackson had just died and now I could download all of his songs that I thought I already owned with minimal effort.

For me, November of 2010 was the beginning of the end. Emusic signed a deal with Universal to offer their entire catalog on the site, but along with the new music came some major changes. Suddenly my $15 didn't buy credits, it got me $15 worth of music with different songs being offered at different prices. Some songs were $.69 and others were $.99 album prices were all over the place but seemed to run $5 to $8. It was still cheaper than iTunes, but other things were lost along the way, too.

Several indie labels left the site shortly after the Universal deal was announced. Also emusic's customer service seemed defensive when customers voiced their concerns. They didn't seem to understand that I was more interested in the new Arcade Fire album than having access to hundreds of thousands of Justin Bieber and Black Eyed Peas tracks. After years of cultivating an indie audience, emusic seemed happy to let them fall by the wayside.

And I'm happy to oblige. Bieber fans don't pay for music anyway, and I hope emusic will discover that one day and change their tune. They're not the first web site to alienate their original customers in an effort to expand their audience, but few have done it quite as callously as emusic. I've decided to take my money and spend it on a Netflix subscription instead. So far, it's been worth it.

My private life is an inside joke

I really must get back into this blogging thing if I'm going to be ready for SXSW. In fact, I leave for Austin exactly two months from tomorrow! I have a lot of homework to do, like figuring out which of the 2,000 bands I want to see. I'm thinking of picking of at least one band solely based on their name. A Norwegian band called, Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson is an early front runner in that category.

But I still have a couple months to discover obscure bands. What I'm excited about right now are new songs from a couple of old favorites. Bright Eyes (who is also playing at SXSW!) has a new album coming out February 15th and if the first song from the album is any indication it's gonna be pretty good. You can listen to it over there in my music player on the right or go here and download an mp3 of your own.

Alas, The Decemberists aren't coming to SXSW this year, but I only have to wait until Tuesday to get their new album (or you can listen to it all right now at NPR Music). When I heard it the other day it gave me the warm fuzzies and a little tingle down my spine that I don't get too often these days. It sounds like a great new R.E.M. album that we'll never get from R.E.M.

Speaking of R.E.M., they have a new album coming out soon too and their new song "Discoverer" (it's over there on my music player again) is getting everyone excited and ready to say the band is finally back to its old form. I've been down this road before, people, and I'm not about to be fooled again. Their last album, Accelerate, was supposed to be their big comeback. While it was definitely better than anything they've done in the past decade, it was not as awesome as we all wanted it to be. I won't hold my breath for this new album either.

So that's all for now. Coming soon: Why I quit emusic, more SXSW planning and my addiction to Parks and Recreation

Lookin' like Saint Nick, so clean, so fresh

I'm a sucker for Christmas music. Every November, I wrangle up all my holiday songs and create a Christmas playlist on my iPod. These days it's up to 721 songs. I'm not picky, I'll take every kind of Christmas music, especially if it's free.

Which brings me to today's awesome find. I heard this fun Christmas song that had all the twee tinkling and clever lyrics that makes a tune irresistible to me. The Shazam app on my Droid told me it was "You'll Never Find My Christmas" by Bishop Allen, one of my favorite indie bands. My searches on Amazon and iTunes failed to find the song, though. It wasn't until I used the power of Google that I solved the mystery.

That song and 13 others is part of a compilation from Target. I probably would have bought the album, but they're giving it away FREE on their website. So go download it and start rocking out to your hipster Christmas. I especially love "Toy Jackpot" by Blackalicious. It looks like I have a few more songs to add to my Christmas playlist.

Carol of the Meows

Tippy and I had an exciting 30 minutes in the photo studio at work today. Much like any supermodel, even the power of tuna couldn't make him completely comfortable in front of the camera. Bil managed to get some really fun photos, though, which has actually motivated me to send out Christmas cards this year. Here are a couple you might enjoy:

So, which one should go on the Christmas cards?

What's Occurin'?

Tap, tap, tap...

Is this thing on? *blows dust away*

It's true. I'm blogging again, for a couple reasons.

1. Lost is off the air so there's not much good on tv anymore.

2. I'm going to South by Southwest next March and I need some place to write about it all.

So, what have you missed? Let's see, I'm back in journalism, I moved to York, PA and Tippy is still awesome. In fact, we're getting our Christmas card photo taken this weekend. hopefully he'll be at his best that day.

While I sort through hundreds of songs and plan my SXSW adventure, I'll try and post updates about music and other stuff I enjoy. Here's a list of a few things I've been loving lately to get us started:

• The Walking Dead - You're watching this new show on AMC aren't you? Aren't you? I know I said tv wasn't as good since Lost left, but I may be changing my mind. This past Sunday's episode went by so fast I couldn't believe an hour had passed. Now that I think of it, the show is a lot like the zombie season of Lost that Darlton always promised us.
• Mumford & Sons - Sad, British folk rock meets early Wilco style alt-country? Sign me up! Start with "Little Lion Man" and go from there.
• Looking in windows - The end of daylight saving time make this easier. I don't mean staring in windows in a creepy way, just that quick glimpse of others' lives you get as you drive by their lit up windows in the dark. All those other people going about their business on a chilly evening - I find it comforting.
• Gavin & Stacey - You know how the British come up with all these funny, heartwarming sitcoms then the Americans remake them and ruin everything? I fear it's only a matter of time before that happens to this great show about an odd couple and all their friends. You can stream it on Netflix, or sometimes catch it on BBC America. Either way it's a sweet little show worth checking out.

Razzle Dazzle!

I don't know if you've heard, but the sixth and final season of Lost starts on Tuesday. I know, I know it might help if there was an ad on TV every 5 seconds so we could be warned about these things.

Way back in season three (I think it was three, maybe it was two) Jeff and Meggan and I would meet every week to watch the show. Snacks and drinks were involved and soon our own informal drinking game developed. Mostly it was a way to deal with the constant bellowing from Michael about "My Boy!!!" but it adapted to new characters and themes as the seasons continued.

So in time for the season premiere, I give you the unofficial Lost drinking game. Since the writers keep promising the return of old characters, I'll include some suggestions for them as well. Feel free to offer your own pointers and be sure to have a beer or two on hand Tuesday night.

Take a drink whenever:

Jack

• cries

Sawyer

• calls someone by a nickname
• gets beaten up
• takes off his shirt

Locke

• breaks his leg
• acts crazy

Hurley

• calls someone "dude"
• talks to a dead character

Kate

• joins an expedition even though they tell her not to come
• makes out with Sawyer
• makes out with Jack

Daniel Faraday

• gives someone his "crazy eyes"
• tells someone that it's too complicated/he doesn't have time to explain a theory

Desmond

• calls someone "brother"

Miles

• talks to a dead character

Charlie

• sings "You All Everybody"
• does heroin

Claire

• mentions "My baby!"

Michael

• mentions "My boy!"

Sun

• mentions "My husband"

When any character

• mentions any version of "we have to go back"
• asks, "Do you know what lies in the shadow of the statue?"
• sees The Numbers (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42)
• sees Vincent

Finish your drink whenever

• anyone actually leaves the island
• a main character dies

Of course, there's always room for additions, especially as the sixth season continues. Let me know if I missed anything!

I remember when you were here and all the fun we had last year

I guess I could write a long post and tell you all about the rest of my trip across the country in October. How I went to DC for an unsuccessful job interview (but a very successful visit with Melissa and Carrie and Melvin) then went to Michigan State to check out its business school. I could also go into great detail about my trip back to Tucson with Tippy and my parents and the fit Tippy threw one night in our hotel room in Roswell, New Mexico. I might mention the last couple of months that I've spent studying for the GMAT and working on MBA applications and how annoying it all is. Instead, I will just say Merry Christmas and post a picture of Tippy looking dandy in his new tie.

Fight Tigers, you will always win

Except when you don't.

It was ugly last night, folks. The Tigers never looked like they stood a chance against Colt McCoy and his awesomeness. We did, however, get to sit behind a guy with a crazy hat. I can tell you from my trip to the campus bookstore that this bit of fashion can be yours for just $49.95.

Why yes, those are beads. Don't you really want one?

What we did have, however, was a great homecoming parade full of tractors, teeny marching bands from tiny mid-Missouri towns and more than one kid in their best tiger costume. The adorableness level was off the scale.

That kid is almost as cute as the photo of me in my Mizzou Snuggie. Just sayin'.

Truman did seem a little distracted during the parade. I should have seen this photo of him blowing off a little kid as a sign that things wouldn't go well Saturday night. His head just wasn't in the game.

So all I left Columbia with was a belly full of Shakespeare's Pizza and a cold. I spent today blowing my nose and chewing cough drops as I drove my way to Fayetteville, Arkansas. Tomorrow I'm checking out the Supply Chain Management program at the Arkansas business school (that would be the Sam M. Walton College of Business). Everything in this town seems to be named after a Walton or a Tyson. I should keep a tally.

So I'll go on about business school a little more in the future. I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet, but I've decided to stop waiting for the phone to ring. The future is mine, people! Mine! Of course, that might just be the Theraflu talking.

Have the guts, got the glory

Why, you may ask, are those frat boys dressed like sheep? It's house decs night at Mizzou, of course!

I know not every school has house decs (short for decorations) as part of their homecoming festivities, but it's one of my favorite parts of homecoming weekend. In short, fraternities and sororities around campus team up and build a set for a skit in their front yard. Everything has to be pomped (covered with little wads of tissue paper) and a skit is written to match the homecoming theme. This year's theme was "New Fight, Same Bite" but it pretty much boiled down to "Beat the Longhorns." Then for four hours on Friday night tons of people show up as the Greek houses act out the skits over and over again for the mulling crowds. Confused yet? Don't worry, I have video!

See? Super hokey fun! Maybe you just have to be here.

So tomorrow's the big day. There's a parade in the morning then some sort of football game or something in the evening. My friend and fellow Mizzou alum Sarah is meeting up with me, so now all the Tigers have to do is win. Should be easy.