NP: Radiohead, The Bends (CD)

SPSS had better watch out. Rumors are swirling about the imminent demise of MP3.com, and it looks like RollingStone.com and EMusic, which are also properties of the unfortunately-named VU Net USA Music, might not be far behind them. In an ideal world, those properties would revert to their former existence, you know, the one where I have a cool job. This could make it two former employers that have gone under this year, which makes for an even better coincidental scorched earth policy than the time my ex-girlfriend's house was demolished to make room for a condo.

Speaking of that never-ending source of angst and hope in my life, I hate it when I meet stunning women who seem completely my type, except for the fact that they're not single. Happened Saturday night, which also had the ignominy of me having to be "that guy" at a large dinner outing. You know, the one who doesn't drink too much, orders something less expensive (although, I swear, the chicken entree looked good in its own right), and holds out to pay less when the bill comes? I hate that I had to do it, but disciplined spending has allowed me to function without any regular source of income for fourteen months now, so I have to stay the course.

That said, I've got another bailout shot available to me if I need it, and then there are some things that could happen in the next week or two, aside from winning the lottery, that might obviate that need. We'll see.

In the meantime, I'm still nickel-and-diming my way through my life. One fun little project is producing a demo for a couple of friends, which will hopefully help me hone my desktop recording skills. We've tracked guitar, bass and scratch vocals, and I'll be trying to figure out how best to fake some drum parts this week. It doesn't fully qualify for the "things I do for money" list, as my yardstick for that is being paid for it twice, but we'll see. That list is supposed to be on the site at some point, but then, so are a lot of things. I still haven't reviewed a record in something like five years.