"Baker" by Ivy is a very sad, very lovely song about a man who has wasted so much time in his life, he's now "wasting away." Perhaps nothing symbolizes that kind of waste more than pining away for someone who doesn't love you, who has never loved you.

When I was younger I always seemed to be in the grips of some kind of unrequited love or another. And nowhere was that worse than in high school. But of course when you're that young and naive and (as studies have suggested) your prefrontal lobe has yet to be fully developed, what else can you expect?

I hope that "prefrontal lobe" theory is correct, it certainly seems to be. The last time I made myself sick or made a fool of myself over someone else was back in my early 20s.

It's not to say that just because we handle our feelings more maturely as we get older that our hearts don't hurt just as much as they did way back when. We just put on a better show of seeming not to care...I think.

Just finished listening (for at least the third time) to Mix Mag's "free" copy of an exclusive and new Felix Da Housecat cd. Definitely worth the steep $10.50 price for the magazine.

All of the tracks are awesome, but most awesome are: "Don't Stand...(Dance if U Want To)," "Son of Analogue" (amazing!!) and "Sad Synth Song."

Other numbers, such as "Be There Soon..What Would U Do?" and "What Do You Believe In?" are inspired, Felix says, by Depeche Mode (the former track) and John Carpenter (the latter).

If you are near a Barnes and Noble or Borders that sell MixMag, you should check it out. Part dance, part electronic, part trance...the entire thing is a blast!

I think I might have finally found a way to fall asleep, if not perfectly, then at least better than any previous efforts have gotten me. I put two Celestial Seasons Sleepy Time two bags in water and let the tea sit for a good while before I start sipping.

For added measure, I often have a very light snack of half a turkey sandwhich and a small glass of milk.

It's been a full week since I started trying this before bedtime and I've been sleeping my best sleep in years (knock on wood!)

For more info, check these reviews: on Amazon

A great article from Salon about the power of music:  read here

Been away from writing here for awhile...very busy with work and personal situations, but I'm back temporarily to jot down a few impressions of a magazine I recently discovered at my local Giant (of all places!)

The May 2011 issue of Classic Rock, in particular, has been hard to put down. And the sampler that comes with it is loaded with great covers of classic rock tracks by contemporary musicians. Micki Free's cover of "Voodoo Chile" would do Hendrix proud.

Other stand-outs include takes on Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain" (by Taking Dawn), Pink Floyd's "Lucifer Sam" (by The Luck of Eden Hall) AC/DC's "Kicke in The Teeth" (by Black Spiders) and Queen's "Bicycle Race" (by Mama's Gun).

But really, the whole thing is just terrific and great for listening to while you're out and about in gorgeous weather with the car windows down:)

This particular issue also discusses the 100 Greatest Songwriters...loaded with lots of tributes from one musician to another (i.e. Carlos Santana explains why B.B. King means so much to him, Donovan pays homage to Leonard Cohen)