iPod Essentials #29: "Dream on"--Aerosmith

A rock classic, full of angst and hope. Steven Tyler's vocals for this song along with Joe Perry's guitar wail with conviction.

Ends

And so, with a bit of sadness, I finished the last Harry Potter novel a couple of days ago. (Yes, I read the bulk of it in one day. I had to see how the novel ended.)

A few weeks earlier, I had sent my newest Quinn McKay manuscript off to a prospective agent. End of long writing process. I won't hear from Quinn until I begin working on another McKay mystery. (Right now I'm working on a new series.)

As writers, we must face ends: the end of a writing process, the end of a character, the end of a story. Often, these ends are painful. I cried after the completion of my first novel, GOTHIC DOO-WOP.

To grow as writers, we must find ends to our works at some point. We can stay with the same manuscript for twenty years.

iPod Essentials #28: "The Love Parade"--The Dream Academy

I had forgotten about this song until I was driving around town one day, and it started playing on XM's Fred channel (Thank God for XM. I will never return to regular radio!).

The song is like a spring shower, full of gentle synthesizers and harmonies. Its theme is that love blossoms and parades itself through the months of June through September.

'Tis the season.

Boobs

Why has some of entertainment become so stupid? Is it because we've gotten stupider and lazier?

Case in point, previews for a new show on VH1, featuring Bret Michaels, the lead singer of the band, Poison. He's looking for love with all the wrong women. Most of the women are blonde and unnaturally buxom. One idot, in particular, shouldn't be allowed to ever reproduce: "Maybe if we rub our boobs together, we can think better." Perhaps her plastic surgeon has replaced her brain matter with silicone during her breast enhancement surgery.

And then, there's Scott Baio and his new show, Scott Baio Is 45 and Single. Since Tiger Beat posters of him were spread across my bedroom walls when I was in the eighth grade, I was curious to see what age has done to him. He's actually 45 going on 15. He wonders why he can't committ to a relationship, why he is unhappy. He tells his life coach that his idea of a perfect woman is "blonde, big breasts, nice body, good ass.[or words to that effect]." Maybe he's had silicone brain replacement surgery, too.

iPod Essentials #27: "What About Love"--'Til Tuesday

I've always thought 'Til Tuesday was an underrated band. Aimee Mann's smooth alto and complex lyrics were a change of pace in the mid 80's. This song details how hard unrequited love can be to the person whose emotions cannot ever be returned.

I wonder why this great song was never a hit. Sometimes it's hard to figure out the minds of the American listening public.

iPod Essentials #26: "Atomic"--Blondie

Killer dance tune. An oldie but still a goodie. My Pod and I love it. It gets my heart racing at the gym!