 Yes, what's this 'about...'?
It's a little teaser for you and a reminder to me, at the end of a week when the log's seen much backstage activity, to maintain the variety and keep that tight grip on the pursestrings between now and next year!
With the exception of those by Eliane Elias and Emma Daumas, every album pictured has been among the releases of this year alone, each awaiting a write-up and mostly by singers I've yet to mention. The others came out last year and in 2003 respectively. They'll be featured too in time, along with others from the iTMS, or like this lot off shelves in what's become the "music room" as well as my small flat's living room and what the French call an "American kitchen".
Lending with care
A click on each thumbnail will take you to the Amazon page at one of the stores I'm in partnership with. I also wanted to remind friends within range the collection behind the scenes of this site is a partially public library and I've begun -- only begun -- to extend that offer to other friends further afield, inspired by a couple who made specific requests and live in places where shopping isn't exactly as easy, apart from basic commodities, as in the industrialised world.
The trust placed in you then is, of course, considerable, not only to respect me but musicians who would have even less cash than I set aside for the music budget if everybody stole their creative work. I log that conditional offer again because when I did so a few months back, with one loathsome exception who was duly hounded down people responded with behaviour that didn't surprise me but was good for my faith in that "human nature" some are far keener to portray at its blackest than I can.
Prudence and iPods
Of 'To Do' lists mentioned early this week, I've managed much more than planned, except for an iPod fix for someone that's very perplexing since I've got the thing back on best behaviour apart from occasional freezes whose cause I just can't suss out. I won't be pleased -- and nor will its owner -- if it has to go back to Apple again. The other neglected thing is the logged 'To Do' list challenge set by the friend who gave me a "reset" so kindly when being very ill at the start of the week got me down so much, but I look forward to this some night after work when in need of light relief.
"Resets" are vital for the health of your iPod and given their proliferation among those who obviously and quite rightly just want them to work, I also postponed chasing up Apple about wretched practices in favour of another offstage task.
iPods are complex machines, for sure, that need regular maintenance and care like your computer or car. But as you'll see from the reading list -- as long as that title remains in it -- on this page, to be sure of what I'm doing I need 'iPod and iTunes: The Missing Manual' by Jude D. Biersdorfer, now in its 3rd edition (April 2005).
That "missing manual" series is well-named! Apple did go astray when it started failing to provide such texts itself.
When I have time, I want to make available via this site some key reference points to help music-lovers through the thicket of information out there on looking after your iPods.
Christmas is coming
I never thought to headline that, being no fan of the consumerism and super-marketeering that make the "festive season" a bore and a chore for some people. It makes others feel like lonely ghosts at the feast, while though a personal emotional sting in it disappeared when a long repressed memory came back, that childhood recollection still dampens my enthusiasm!
However, a decision last year to "abolish Xmas", for me anyway, because of that side of it was a little extreme. If the albums above give you generous notions, that's great. In the next few weeks, a number of entries will be logged with the "giving season" in mind and I'll do the reviews mentioned before of the latest strong CDs from "chart-topping VoWs".
The idea of a 'Best of the Year' is still one I'm not keen on, but to deny 2005 has been a great one for outstanding new albums would be absurd, so I'll think of a way to promote a few picks of my own between now and the next week when I can spend plenty of time on the log, which is likely to be the second one in December. Knowing me, you'll probably get a "best of least known voices" if any!
9:01:28 PM link 
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