I'm home sick today, and feeling rather bored. Seeing as how I like lists (and the response my 100 things list has garnered) I thought I'd list a few of the things that have made my day a bit more interesting:
01. Microsoft designs the iPod package (Thanks for the link, Johnny)
02. "If I were a Simpson... I'd look this this."

(click on the pic to see what you'd look like)

03. Hello iPod HiFi. Can I have you for my birthday?
04. Rufus Wainwright and Ben Folds cover "Careless Whisper" live in concert. How appropriate, given George Michael's most recent run-in with the law. Play it below.
05. Can you tell the difference between a Serial Killer and a Computer Programmer? Test yourself.

Sadly, though, it seems like Calvin Carl's Postage Project is on indefinite hold. But, he has posted some art that I sent him in thanks of sending Krista some art. I really like the idea of anonymously dropping culture, be it music, art, or books into people's lives (if you haven't checked out BookCrossing.com yet, you really should). It's a great way to spark discussion, dialogue, and just make someone's day a little brighter, and more interesting. Thanks, Calvin, I've enjoyed following the Project.

I've had this idea for a little while now, and have seen it on other sites. Since I can't think of anything else to blog about, I thought I'd give it a go:

100 things about me

001. I was born on Easter Sunday, April 22, 1973.
002. Until the age of 21, my birth certificate listed my official name as "Jimmy"; after that it was "James Anthony".
003. Right now, as I type this, I am aware that the house is silent; odd, since I almost always have music on.
004. I just started playing my iPod on random in iTunes; "Heavy Metal Drummer" by Wilco. That's better.
005. I'm a nervous blogger.
006. I am the oldest of two children, although sometimes I act like the youngest.
007. I have a Siamese cat named Rufus.
008. I studied drama and theatre arts at university.
009. I love making top ten/twenty/etc. lists but this is ridiculous!
010. My favourite desert is cherry cheesecake.
011. I'm a chronic nail-biter.
012. My first and favourite toy was a stuffed Curious George doll, and I still have him.
013. I never cared much for toy cars; Star Wars figures were more my speed.
014. When I was younger, I used to think that Darth Vader was outside my room at night waiting to kill me.
015. The first song I remember loving was Dolly Parton singing "9 To 5". I've never seen the movie it's from, though.
016. The favourite role I've ever had on stage was Amos Hart in Chicago; it's also the only time I've ever sung in public. A solo no less.
017. If you ask me to sing "Mr. Cellophane" (my solo), I'll say no and be shy and bashful; but secretly would love to sing it.
018. I regret not trying to make it as a professional actor after university.
019. I like being a teacher, but I don't think this is my last career.
020. I sometimes have up to six coffees a day.
021. I should be doing work stuff right now.
022. I didn't wear jeans until I got to grade 9.
023. I enjoy washing dishes.
024. I hate doing laundry.
025. I've been editing this list as I go along, rather than putting down the first things that come to mind.
026. I have an autographed copy of Corey Hart's first album, the one with "Sunglasses At Night" on it.
027. I hate spiders.
028. I love Spider-Man.
029. I used to read comics as a kid, and love watching all the comic-book inspired movies that come out.
030. The first movie I ever saw in a theatre was "Superman" with Christopher Reeve.
031. I can start crying at the drop of a hat when watching movies and TV.
032. The last movie I watched was Donnie Darko. I didn't like it.
033. I own enough plaid to be a lesbian.
034. I'm not a lesbian.
035. In 2005 I thought I had suffered a heart attack; it turned out to be pericarditis. Be aware of it.
036. I prefer Coke to Pepsi.
037. I prefer Wings to The Beatles.
038. My favourite books are To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee) and The Color Purple (Alice Walker).
039. My favourite movies are Rear Window, The Color Purple, To Kill A Mockingbird, and The Wizard Of Oz. There's other i probably love more, but these are the ones I remember now.
040. Forgot one: Ferris Bueller's Day Off; I think I've seen that movie more often than any other.
041. I listen to CBC Radio One every day.
042. I sleep lying on my back with my hands folded across my chest.
043. I feel naked without a watch on, or an undershirt.
044. My alarm clock is set 20 minutes faster than any other clock in my house.
045. Blue is the predominant colour of my wardrobe.
046. I own a piano but I can't play it.
0047. I wish I learned how to play piano when I was a kid.
048. I've never participated in an organized sports league.
049. I almost burnt down a supermarket once.
050. "I am a little man and this is a little town but there must be a spark in a little man that can burst into flame." -John Steinbeck
051. I think I'm lactose intolerant, but I've never been tested.
052. I've been to Paris, Rome, Montego Bay, New York City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Halifax, Montreal, and Miami.
053. In high school I had articles published in our local newspaper.
054. I'm a sucker for a good pop song.
055. I've had six different jobs in my life.
056. I think Ethan Hawke is a really good novelist (yes, Ethan Hawke the actor).
057. I sleep better in a bed with clean sheets.
058. I can only shave in the shower.
059. I sucked my thumb well into my teen years, although later in life it happened only when I was asleep.
060. I've never had a broken bone.
061. I'm not a TV fanatic but I like(ed) the following: Twin Peaks, Six Feet Under, Arrested Development, Lost, Leave It To Beaver, I Love Lucy, and Dif'frent Strokes.
062. I've seen David Bowie live twice.
063. I've seen Morrissey live twice, too. And I own a small piece of a shirt he wore at the second concert.
064. I had to shed a bit of blood to get that piece of shirt.
065. Potato chips and popcorn will be the death of me.
066. I can't drink beer or red wine.
067. I'm a funny drunk.
068. I'm afraid that I'll hurt young babies if I hold them.
069. I own more books by Douglas Coupland than any other author.
070. The only Douglas Coupland book I don't own is his first, Generation X.
071. I like being the only person I know who is a fan of a band or musical artist.
072. I never had a great relationship with my dad and I miss him now that he's gone.
073. I've spent good money on psychic readings.
074. I find it difficult to keep friends when I move away from them or lose touch for an extended period of time.
075. I liked The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons.
076. I get excited about a new Harry Potter novel.
077. I'm not much of a cook.
078. I have had the same thing for breakfast almost every morning for the last three years: Canadian back bacon, 1/2 cup egg white on rye bread with almond butter.
079. At my most I weighed around 235 lbs.
080. I'm not saying what I weigh right now.
081. I love The B-52's--Cosmic Thing was the first CD I ever owned, and I wore out a cassette copy of it before that. I'm listening to The B-52's right now.
082. I've never forwarded a chain e-mail, and delete most of the ones I get without ever reading them.
083. I always feel guilty about deleting the ones that say "I better get this back!!".
084. In third grade my mother made me wear a pair of green suede Buster Brown imitation shoes, and the kids in my class called them my Kermit shoes.
085. I've made 93 posts to this blog since August 27, 2005.
086. I didn't get my driver's licence for a year after I was eligible.
087. The first time I got drunk was a week before my 19th birthday, when I would be legal.
088. The best birthday gift I ever got was a framed picture of the Queen, just because I asked for one.
089. I am surprised when people from the past remember who I am.
090. I need to take medication for my cholesterol every day.
091. I find it hard to stay awake while driving.
092. I'm afraid of heights and confined spaces.
093. I've had more auto accidents than I care to admit.
094. I believe I have a wounded inner child.
095. I get disappointed if I don't find mail in the mailbox when I come home.
096. Most of the time I don't think I really know what I'm talking about.
097. I eat for comfort.
098. I had an 'episode' the day I moved into my own house and realized I was responsible for it.
099. I just realized that the numbers in this list will be uneven when I get to 100. and am going to go back and add zeros so that the numbers will be aligned.
100. I struggled to complete some parts of this list, but now that I'm at 100, I'm sad I can't add more.

One of the first accessories I bought for my iPod mini was an iTrip FM transmitter by Griffin Technology. I loved the idea of broadcasting my own personal radio station right from my iPod to any radio within the area. Since first getting it, my iPod has rarely gone without the iTrip sitting atop it (I actually think the iPod looks naked without it). Lately, though, I've been experiencing a phenomenon I refer to as cross-Podding--when I begin to pick up other people's FM transmitter-fitted iPod's on the frequency I use to hear my own. This is usually how it happens: I'm driving in the car listening to the iPod when I arrive at my destination. I turn the car off, leaving the radio on, and cutting power to the iPod, so it eventually goes to sleep. When I get back in my car and start it, the radio turns on, and instead of the usual static that's on the frequency when I'm not using the iPod, i hear a broadcast from someone else's iPod, presumably in a car near me. The first time it happened i was dumb-founded: I was in a (practically) deserted parking lot, and when I started the car I heard the strains of a Morrissey's "Late Night, Maudlin Street" from his Viva Hate album. There was no one in the cars around me, so I'm guessing that the broadcast was coming from one of the cars on the road. After a moment or two the sound began to fade and I eventually lost it, but not before I bolted out onto the road and tried to find the car whose personal listening experience I was now eavesdropping on. And that's what it really boils down to, isn't it? Should I feel guilty about it? Is it any different then getting crossed wires on a telephone line? What harm is there in hearing someone's music player by accident? I'm not sure why I even bother to ponder the issue--it's only happened a handful of times, this evening being the latest one (broadcast content: unidentified female country artist singing about being a redneck--come on, country music on an iPod? That's just soo wrong). But what will happen when those FM transmitters start to bog down the airwaves with random broadcast bursts. Sometimes the signal has been so powerful as to actually block out my own in-car transmission. I suppose that with iPod docks becoming integrated in so many new car models, the FM transmitter is going to go the way of the cassette deck car kit, but then again... I wonder if I've ever cross-Podded into someone else's broadcast? I wonder what they made of my music? {Listening to ''I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor'', by Arctic Monkeys}

{Listening to ''Why Not Nothing?'' by Richard Ashcroft}
OK. so I've been doing a lot of soul-searching about what blogging means to me, and what it should mean to me, and what a blog should really be like, and here's what I've decided: a) so what if no one is reading it, I'm not trying to make a buck off this site; b) what I am really doing is giving myself an outlet to share my thoughts, share my work, and if anyone wants to come along for the ride, bonus; c) I really enjoy doing this, and I think it's necessary for me. So, if you want to know what's going on with me, then I suggest you click on the RSS (Really Simple Syndication) button below the Archive links to keep abreast of new posts to this blog, or bookmark this page directly (if you haven't noticed, it's no longer the site index). Also, I've decided to syndicate some of the other pages like heavy rotation, have you heard? and playlists, so if you're interested in them, subscribe to them, too.
As for me, today has started out a bit slow--a late wake-up, a lack of motivation to do any real work (not that blogging isn't important!) and the snow covered driveway is none too appealing right now, either. I know if I wait long enough, the sun is going to eventually melt it, so I'll just let Mother Nature do her thing. Which is fine, because I'll need my strength in a few hours when I hit the gym. One of my new year goals is to hit a specific weight target by my birthday (no, I am not going to tell you what that target is, or where I'm starting from! A boy has to have some privacy, right?). Actually, today I hit my interim weight target: I'm setting small, (hopefully) attainable goals on my way down to my target weight. This latest mini-target has eluded me for a few weeks, but I think I'm back on track. Anyway, the gym is undergoing some major renovations, which I'm sure is going to mean some major renovations to my fee by the time it's all over. I will really have to evaluate whether it's worth the cost. I mean, exercise and fitness are definitely worth any cost, but there are less expensive alternatives for me; it's just a matter of making the change. The thing is, I find great motivation at the gym, and the more I go, the more I want to go, and that means the better off I am. It's a Catch-22. Maybe I could just stop doing everything, start ballooning in weight, and then go on Dr. Phil and get him to ass-whip me into crying and committing myself to an asylum for the dietarily deficient.
Or I could just go to the gym.

I said I'd start it, so here is my letter to the .Mac folks concerning the development of a .Mac users community:
I've been maintaining a blog/site on my .Mac account for over six months now, and I appreciate your service, and commend you on the development on iWeb (and hope that you will continue to make improvements to it).  I have been using RealMac's RapidWeaver to publish my blog, and have really enjoyed exploring other people's work at their Site Showcase.  Even though I'm interested in what others create with RapidWeaver, what I would really love is to see what others are doing on their mac.com sites.  I get quite a few hits from Google searches for "site:mac.com" which tells me that people are just as interested in viewing other mac.com sites as I am.  Recently on my blog, I posted about the concept of a .Mac Communities group/web site where links to mac.com web sites could be gathered and shared.  Imagine searching for other bloggers/web sites by category and topic, or even geographic location?  With iWeb's ease-of-use for the inexperienced site developer, there are sure to be thousands of sites, many of them sharing the same passion for Apple products and services.  Why not give them a home, or at least a starting point to meet, explore and share?  You could call it Mac.Comms: Mac.com User Communities.  iShare.  Point.  Click.  Connect.  
Just a thought.  keep up the good fight,
Jim Di Gioia
OK, now it's your turn. Go here and mail.

... does anyone really care? I'm not bitter, but suddenly over the course of this past week, as I have meticulously tried to reinvent/redseign this blog and work out some of the kinks, I have come to the realization that no one is reading it. When I first created it, I added the blog address to the RapidWeaver Site Showcase, where people who used RapidWeaver to create their blog could post their work for others to see. I was getting quite a few hits from there, and I have popped up in a few Google searches too, but lately it just seems that the site counter isn't moving like it used to. Which leads me to my next point... you see, I updated my counter also, and now it doesn't include any hits from my own computer to the site. So, now I have learned two things: a) I am my own biggest fan, and b) that's pretty pathetic. It's made me wonder about other people and their blogs, and just how much interest can a regular blogger like me generate? I'm not part of a Blogger chain, and as far as I know, there's only one person who has linked to me from their own blog, so how much traffic can I seriously expect to get? I would say, "Hey, other bloggers, leave your comments on blogging in vain below," but, will I get any? Is there somewhere a blogger can go and feel welcome?

Why doesn't Apple offer a .Mac site showcase, or .Mac users community?

Is there anyone who would care if I stopped all this tomorrow? Does the James Spader tribute blog get more hits per day than mine? Who can we turn to?
Why doesn't Apple offer a .Mac site showcase, or .Mac users community? How hard can it be to organize? How many letters have to be written? Well, I will be the first. I will be the pioneer! I am not asking for a .Mac Users Community, I am DEMANDING one! Spread the word; link to this blog (!!!); quote my post (man, that sounds kinky), and .Mac users let us unite! The letter writing campaign begins!
Tomorrow. Have to go now, Survivor is on.
UPDATE: All of three minutes after posting this, I came across a post on Seth Godin's blog that is of interest. Interested readers can go here. The post is called "How can I get more traffic?"

The Life Pursuit by Belle & Sebastian There is always an element to a Belle & Sebastian record that makes the listener feel like a voyeur; and awkward eye-witness to moments of lost innocence, painful bullying, and shy first steps to romance... more

It's been a leaky few days on the 'net. All the way from Forum Music Village Studios in Rome comes "I Will See You In Far-off Places" the opening track on the forthcoming Morrissey album, Ringleader of the Tormentors. Click on the song title to hear the track (if the link stops working, let me know, and I will try and update i). It's a little middle-eastern in flavour, and very drama-heavy and the horns at 3:30 min are very un-Morrissey but by no means sound out of place--which sort of sums up the track. It's so not what I expected after You Are The Quarry, but it is still distinctively Morrissey. I can't wait for the rest of the album in March. Lead single, "You Have Killed Me" should hit the stores (or the web, whichever comes first) in a few weeks time. For now, here's the track-listing being reported by Wor[l]d of Morrissey:
1. I Will See You In Far-off Places
2. Dear God Please Help Me
3. You Have Killed Me
4. The Youngest Was The Most Loved
5. In The Future When All's Well
6. The Father Who Must Be Killed
7. Life Is A Pigsty
8. I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero Now
9. On The Street's I Ran
10. To Me You Are A Work Of Art
11. I Just Want To See The Boy Happy
12. At Last I Am Born

I just finished watching the first season of Arrested development, and I must say, I am smitten. Sharp wit, smart, funny, fast and, in the case of Michael Cera's character's name, the best Wham! joke in the history of TV. Even after some 20 odd episodes, it still makes me chuckle anytime someone says "George Michael". At Matt Kappenman's blog, he mentions how his Netflix membership is some of this best spent money every month, and I would have to concur about my Zip.ca membership. I wasn't sure whether it would be worth it at first, but I really do enjoy having the movies available when I want to watch them, not feeling the pressure to have to return them in 24 hours (although it did take me a little while to get over it), and with a little effort managing my ZipList, I get some qulaity movies, documentaries, TV shows, and the gems from the past that I've missed out on. I'm looking forward to season 2, and am so sad that season three is their last. Bye Bye, Buster.