* Half-gallon milk $4.79
* Loaf of bread $1.49
* Gallon of gas $2.79
* Six-pack of Bud $6.59
* Can of Coffee $11.49
* Adult bus fare $2.00
* Bathroom tissue 4ct. $3.99
* Head of lettuce $1.29 lb
* ATM fee $1.75
* Ground beef $3.69 lb
* Dozen large eggs $2.69
* Zoo Admission $6.00
* Road Runner svc. $44.95

Brandi Carlile - Someday Never Comes
Kathleen Edwards - Pink Emerson Radio
Leona Naess - Weak Strong Heart
Rachael Yamagata - Collide
Aimee Mann - Humpty Dumpty
Shannon McNally - Down and Dirty

What amazes me about this list is that not only didn’t I have any of these songs a year ago, but I hadn’t even heard of the artists.

Access to music sure has changed in recent years. There was a time not so long ago when one relied on the radio to release a new song or to introduce a new artist or band. If you were lucky, a friend or sibling would buy a recent record or an entire album, and you would listen to it until the needle on the player wore out.

I remember on more than one occasion buying an album based entirely on one song I heard on the radio. It was a hit or miss proposition, sometimes the rest of the album turned out to be just as good, other times not so much.

I can’t recall the last time I turned on the radio to listen to music. It’s possible to hear an entire disc in the comfort of your home without commercials and without spending a dime for it. And with all the music sites on the web, and with every artist and band having their own websites, it’s entirely possible to discover new music every single day of the year. How cool is that?

What new music are you listening to?

So why is it with all the rave reviews am I unwilling to walk down the street to see the movie? Yeah, I know the film has been described as “the gay cowboy movie”, but I’m open-minded about different lifestyles and sexual orientations other than my own. And I’m all for equality down the line.

I’ve always loved the western genre. There’s something special about the stories of the old west. In watching the trailer of Brokeback, I was surprised to see that the setting is not of the old west, but rather set in current times. Oh sure, the guys wear cowboy hats and ride horses, but that’s where the connection to the western genre ends. I just assumed if it were a cowboy movie, it was a western.

So if Brokeback isn’t a western, then what is it? In reading the reviews, I discovered that it’s a romance drama. I image the tag of a gay cowboy movie is a publicity move, as it would understandably grab more attention than would a gay romance.

It’s safe to say that I’ve never gone to the theater by myself to see a romance film. I don’t want to see all that sentimental lovey-dovey stuff between a man and a woman, a man and a man, a woman and a woman, or any other combination. As open-minded as I like to think I am, I still don’t want to watch a chick-flick.

Leslie Sbrocco explains that building your wine wardrobe is not unlike building your clothes wardrobe.

According to Jody Rosen of Slate, the recent Mary J. Blige album may be her finest, and one of the best R&B records of the last 15 years. I currently have No One Will Do, MJB da MVP, and One, her duo with Bono on replay.

Panda Cam. Because we love them.

A while back I caught a feature on the Food Network about Via Elisa. Since then I’ve had pasta on the brain.

You can help Any Soldier stationed overseas. Click on the name of Any Soldier and read their email requests. Some requests are for simple things such as toothbrushes, liquid shower soap, feminine hygiene products, and refrigerator magnets.

North Shore Shirts has a new line of Valentine’s Day shirts to fit any body and any mood.

Post Secret is an ongoing community art project where people mail-in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard. And now, Post Secret The Book.

The Birth of Frodo

Pandora: Helping you discover the music that you like. (via Tyd)

And finally, Elmo and Martha Stewart discuss the hurricane that recently hit Sesame Street.

Have a Fun Weekend!

On most occasions I wouldn’t give the matter a second thought. However, when another birthday looms just days away, much can be made from such a moment. A passing moment of easily being surpassed becomes yet another reminder that I’m getting old.

The reminders are many, more than I care to list. But they are there. While I don’t necessarily feel old per se, apparently I’m aging faster than I walk. I have reached that age where in all probability I’ve surpassed the halfway mark. How strange it is to write that, or to even think such thoughts. Long ago I counted the years ahead of me; how many years until I could drive, drink legally, move from home. Now when I count the years, it’s how long do I have left? That’s the gift of age, and it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

There’s still so very much that I want to do, see, and experience, and all before I lose the ability or the inclination. More than anything else, I want to travel the States once again, this time taking lots of photographs and writing whatever comes to mind. I’d also like to go to Europe and Asia and wherever else the wind blows.

In my youth I traveled the States. I hitchhiked and roughed it at times, and walked lots and lots of miles. When one is young such things are doable. While I’m certainly far from young, I’m at that age where I can still be considered relatively young. The big difference in the two is that I’m wiser and not so naive. Also, my vision is weaker, but I see more clearly. And it may take a little longer for me to move from point A to point B, but at this stage I’m much more interested in the view than in the speed of getting there.

Barring an unforeseen bombshell at the judiciary hearings, I imagine Alito will be confirmed. Still, I’m concerned that the highest court in the nation is being packed with conservative corporate-leaning judges.

If Alito is confirmed, what are the odds that his new nickname will be Alito Supreme? We can only hope that Alito Supreme will think outside the bun.