SMALL THINGS

Two really great new Tiny Desk Concerts

Wilco
Lisa Hannigan

Six Famous Novels penned in under a month (in honor of National Novel Month!)

Super excited to try Scrivener out for a ride.

Last year I read all but two of the Publisher's Weekly's best Yong Adult books of 2010. I think I'll do it again for 2011's best. Here is what they got so far. Most looking forward to Brian Selznick's Wonderstruck, the Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler collaboration The Future of Us, also The Apothecary, The Girl Who Circumvented Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making (which I started already and wow!) and The Flint Heart, the latter of which I will read with my daughter.

Speaking of reading with my daughter, I bought this book for $1. Should arrive tomorrow. Damn, looks like the price jumped back up to $8.

I wanna take the hat class at Home Ec Studios. But it's $85 and spending that on me right now seems rather selfish.

That said, I think I am gonna splurge and buy myself this Pendelton bag on UrbanOutfitters.com - it's half off, as is a lot of the Pendelton collection. Damn, I want it all.

A very long list of the writers who support Occupy Wall Street.

Five interesting food politics stories that made news this week.

My favorite band is Wilco.



Just with that one little factoid, you now know that I'm a) white, and b) probably over 40. Sad, isn't it? But the reality is, o my mind, no one writes small stories like Jeff Tweedy, no one plays guitar like Nils or drums like Glenn. There is a new Wilco CD coming out in about a month and there is a preview of many new tracks over at Wounded Jukebox. If you love Tweedy like I love Tweedy you will head on over.

The 7 Worlds Collide team performing Radiohead's 'Fake Plastic Trees' at the first show of the tour 05.01.09. A series of concerts where all the profit went to Oxfam.

Ed O'Brien - guitar
Liam Finn - guitar
Jeff Tweedy - vocals/guitar
John Stirratt - bass
Phil Selway - drums
Johnny Marr - guitar

New Jeff Tweedy song performed in Spain recently. Yippee.

BFF Love, Pt. 1

Jeff Tweedy finally went off and punched a guy. Oh Jeff. Tonight, Wilco will be on NPR's online concert series for the second time (the first was February 2005). It's happening in Washington, DC's 9:30 Club. I bet he won't hit anyone tonight and I bet he makes fun of himself but also attempts to justify what he did tonight. It all starts around 9pm but will be archived for a year after its airdate. You can also listen to Jenny Lewis, Built to Spill, Regina Spektor and others that are already archived.

So last month it was my best friend Karen's birthday. With the help of some of her oldest friends from childhood, I put together a CD with a song from every year she has been on this earth. It took three CDs (she's old, ha ha) and I am going to post each volume here, starting with the first, but only for a short period of time. Below, the song list. Beyond that, a downloadable zip file. You should know, Karen grew up in Manchester, England, is generous and gorgeous and hilarious and has made many questionable fashion decisions over the years.

1966 Peter & Gordon, "Lady Godiva"
1967 Aretha Franklin, "Respect"
1968 Nina Simone, "Ain't Got No - I Got Life"
1969 Desmond Dekker & The Aces, "The Israelites"
1970 The Kinks, "Lola"
1971 T.Rex, "Bang A Gong (Get It On)"
1972 Stevie Wonder, "Superstition"
1973 Gary Glitter, "I Love, You Love, Me Love"
1974 ABBA, "Waterloo"
1975 Minnie Riperton, "Lovin' You"
1976 Elton John & Kiki Dee, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart"
1977 The Jam, "In The City"
1978 Buzzcocks, "Ever Fallen In Love"
1979 Gloria Gaynor, "I Will Survive"
1980 English Beat, "In The Bathroom"
1981 Roxy Music , "Jealous Guy"
1982 Dexy's Midnight Runners, "Come on Eileen"

Download the zip file with all the songs.