From the Friday Feast:

Appetizer
What is your favorite beverage?
Dr. Pepper is my caffenated drink of choice.

Soup
Name 3 things that are on your computer desk at home or work.
1. A CD of software I need to install soon.
2. my optical mouse
3. A stack of CD-R's (burned).

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how honest do you think you are?
8

Main Course
If you could change the name of one city in the world, what would you rename it and why?
I'll have to get back to you on this one.

Dessert
What stresses you out? What calms you down?
Project deadlines do; I tend to have 3 or 4 going.

A CD of smooth jazz helps me to calm down.

I just changed some things in this blog's design. Not only was it looking too busy with all the extra graphics, but they were slowing down the load time.

I think I'll be making a new page for the Red Cross donations though... it's been over 3 years since 9-11, but there's still much in the way of need for help.

either leave your answers or a link to your webpage with your responses.

Would you rather:
1. eat an entire costco sized chocolate cake OR a full bag of double-stuff oreos?

Neither, unfortunately. I can't digest chocolate.
2. win a $500 gift certificate to starbucks OR best buy?

Best Buy. I'm a real tech geek.
3. have the whole day off to read and listen to music OR go hiking?

A day to read and listen to music (jazz, of course!). I'm not terribly physically active.
4. take a trip to another continent for a week OR drive across your own continent for two weeks?

Another continent. I've seen enough of North America... time to see more of the world.

Finally, a set of music-related questions!

1. Do you prefer just audio or video/audio of your favorite songs?

Most jazz (at least the older classics) exist only as audio. Some of the classic stuff is on tape, and I see it on CoolTV though.

2. What do you like to listen to in the car (radio, CD, mp3 playlist...etc)?

Since I'm always a passenger it depends what the driver is listening to. More often than not it's AM radio (many of my drivers are Haitian, so I hear a lot of CPAM, which is on the AM band). A few have CD players in their cars though.

3. Do you lean more towards a LIVE version of songs or the studio release?

I have to go with the studio record release on the album usually, but jazz sounds best live, say at the Montreal Jazz Festival. Only live can you hear an artist experiment with their tunes.

4. What is your ideal concert venue?

It doesn't exist as such anymore, but the Montreal Forum was great.

5. What's your favorite format (vinyl, cassette, cd, mp3 etc)?

Usually, CD has the best sound to me. I have some jazz recordings on cassette, none on vinyl - mind you, I don't have a record player, so those would be wasted.

Bonus: You can only see one concert this year. Who would it be, and where would the concert be.

It may surprise you, but my dream concert would be a supershow with Queen (when Freddie Mercury was alive) and Billy Joel. They aren't jazz, but these are the folks I've listened to since I was a child, and are my favorites.

CKLX (the new jazz radio station in Montreal) has now been testing their broadcaster for more than three weeks!

Either they're currently using a different recording of music, or I'm hearing the songs I haven't before. Regardless, it's very disappointing to ultimately keep hearing the same things.

From the Thursday Tattle:

Telephones

Do you like to talk on the phone?
I don't go out of my way to call people, but I have been known to spend a good deal of time on when I do

Do you talk for a long time or like to get off quickly?
That goes back to my answer to the last question.

Who uses the phone the most in your family?
I have to say it's my mom... though not intentionally (supposedly). Whenever I call her she's just finished a ton of other calls.

Do you have to look up peoples numbers or do you know most of them by heart?
Some I do have to look up... but the people I call most often I know by heart.

Are you good about returning someone's phone call?
Generally I am.

Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation : Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation Mourns the Death of its Chairman Christopher Reeve

His death has brought a wealth of sorrow... his wife Dana deserves all the condolences and thanks we can give.

From the Monday Madness Website:

(I know these have little to nothing to do with jazz... I just prefer to post something to this blog - anything! - than to just leave it stagnate for weeks or months like I did before.)

Name 3 things....

1....your ideal salad has on it.
My ideal salad has to have mushrooms and English cucumbers on it... I guess the third ingredient would be: onions. I love them. OK, so this list isn't terribly unique...

2....you do religiously in the morning.
Bush my teeth, shave (I get prickly fast)... and have my morning cereal.

3....you look forward to doing in your spare time.
Surfing the Web, catching up on the TV shows I've taped, and listening to the radio.

4....you've never done before, but think you will at some point in your life.
Travel to Australia, have a novel published, have a screenplay accepted.

5....you love to do while on vacation.
Visit some of the city I'm in, take notes on the local color for future projects, talk to a local.

6....you took pictures of in the last month.
My aunt's cats (I have tons of cat photos; I love the critters), my nephew and nieces at our Canadian Thanksgiving, friends and family after we broke the fast for Yom Kippur.

7....you have to do before the end of the day.
Try to get the next draft of my writing project done, start to make a rough outline for this year's NaNoWriMo project, feed my cats supper.

8....you like about your best friend.
He doesn't judge my MS, he's seen me at my worst - yet still talks to me!, he's not afraid to tell me flat out what he feels.

1. RE: Your blog – when did you start and what made you do it?

I was an early adopter... I started this blog in late 1999 - early 2000 after I heard about blogs. That's why there are so many posts.

I got a LiveJournal 2 years ago, and my post quantity here suffered. I'm trying to change that.

2. RE: Someone else’s blog: Is there someone who runs a blog that inspired or inspires you to start and maintain your own? Who are they and what is so special about them?

Surprisingly, Wil Wheaton inspired me. I couldn't stand the Wesley Crusher character on Star Trek: The Next Generation, but Wil has turned out to be a far cooler person as he grew up.

3. Show me the linkage! Give us some blog linkage that contain some of your favorite posts and content – - who are they? Why are you linking them?

Peter David has a cool blog. I enjoy his writing, and his blog is no different.

This week's Friday Fiver:

Q1: If you were granted the power to create and then use a "Panic"/"Stop" button, what are three things you’d use it for?
The easiest answer: I'd use it to stop the planes from crashing into the World Trade Center on 9/11.

Second, I'd use it to stop Mark David Chapman from assassinating John Lennon. (yes, I was around in the 1980s)

Third, I'd use it to pause the death of Ray Charles, at least long enough so that I could see him in person.

Q2: If you could afford it, would you take a ride into space before the end of 2005?
Without hesitation! I'd love to regale my descendants with stories of that trip.

Q3: If you were given the talent to be considered "world-class" at something which you currently know little to nothing about, what would it be?
That would most likely be being able to play jazz saxophone or clarinet. It would be great to be able to play the jazz music I love.

Q4: Has anyone ever called you by the wrong name, like a clueless co-worker or a family member? If so, have you corrected them or just let it go? What was your reaction and how did it make you feel?
Folks have often mis-spelled my last name, BOWMAN instead of BOMAN.

It bothered me for a long time, and I did always try to correct it. Now, I just leave it. If I can't win, what's the point?

Sigh.

Montreal's new Jazz radio station has been testing their transmission power for several weeks now. Said testing means they are just playing the same tape of songs over and over. I'd like to hear some OTHER materials already!

How ironic... the Tuesday Twosome this week also deals with time management:

1. Two things you procrastinate the most about:
As I already stated, my writing projects are one thing. The other is showering... I get it done each day, it just takes me some time to get to it.

2. Two things that take priority in your time management:
The first and topmost thing is getting my cats food. They will never go hungry on my watch!

The other thing that gets high priority is the shows I set my VCR to tape. With my writing taking up so much of my time, I time-shift a lot.

3. Do you usually arrive on time or late?
I try to arrive on time. With my habit of always reserving my Transport Adapté to get me somewhere at least 30 minutes before a schedule, I usually can. I have the genes to get somewhere late though; my mom is habitually late for things, and I inherited that, so being on time can be a struggle.

4. Do you get annoyed when other people arrive late or you really don't care?
I think it would be hypocritical for me to be upset with others about it!

5. What two things would you change/delete about your daily schedule in order for you to have more "down" time?
First off, I'd get to sleep a little earlier. I've been a Night Owl for many years - but if I could be up early and more alert, I'd probably get more done, as well as to have more appropriate rest time.

Secondly, I'd try to get myself more determined when I sit at my keyboard to write. I'd get more done while I'm there, and have better justification to relax.

From the Tuesday Iffer:

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

With no hesitation I say it would be my drive to get things done. I've been realizing how much longer it's taking me to complete a project than I thought at first. I've been procrastinating too much.

How the music biz can live forever, get even richer, and be loved | The Register

I'm "preaching to the choir" here, but I've always had electronic downloads of music as a sub-theme here.

This article is from England, so the monetary figures might be off for you.

From The First Four:

I know, it's a day late!

In honor of the upcoming release of the special edition DVD, what are the first four things you think of when I say

Star Wars

Well, it's actually out now, but my first thoughts:

1. A story that brought the Joseph Campbell Hero's Journey into cinema very prominently
2. The film series that brought my imagination to soar
3. Return of the Jedi should really have been named Return of the Muppets
4. I don't intend to ever buy the DVDs, just try to encode my tape collection. Firstly, I won't buy another copy of the films. Secondly, I won't support George Lucas' BS about re-editing the classic films

From Unconcious Mutterings, here's my free association for this list of words:

1. Courage:: Christopher Reed
2. Stamina:: Bill Kazemeir
3. Leader:: Nelson Mandela
4. Idea:: the X-Prize
5. Rockstar:: Mick Jagger
6. Dew:: Mountain
7. Guards:: Crimson
8. Lenny:: Bruce
9. Alliance:: Reform
10. Cigarettes:: allergic

My thoughts on Dew are almost linked to jazz: Mel Torme did an ad for it near the end of his life...

The Pieces of You site asked:

What is your idea of Utopia? What would your Utopia have that this world doesn't?

Hmm, let me see... in my idea of Utopia, my favorite music plays constantly... plus, I see again the people who meant much to my life (my 3^rd and 5^th grade teacher Mrs. Hope Hoey, who really encouraged my creativity), family I never got to meet (I never met my zeide Jack. He died many years before I was born. Also, bubie Anna, who was a large part of my life - and I'd want her to see her husband again without disability), my mom and dad (mom's parents were killed in a car accident when she was a kid... I'd hope she could see them again), all my beloved pets, and people who inspired me (like Isaac Asimov).

Illness and disabilities would be gone, and there'd be no stress or tension either. That way, neither zeide or I would have limitations.

I found the spot on the radio dial where our new jazz-themed radio station will be.

I say "will be" because it's still in a testing mode, so they just play a loop of 4 songs daily.

One disappointment is that it appears it'll only broadcast in French. I'm bilingual, so I can understand it... but mental translation makes for lousy wake-up alarm stuff.

3x Thursday gave me questions that fit my blog theme nicely again:

1.When you listen to music, do you focus on the music or the lyrics? Both? Neither? Why/why not?
Most jazz is actually more musical than lyrical (obviously not counting the songs). As a result, I easily focus more on the music - especially for songs repeated from other versions. I like to compare how the newer versions to the old, how they handle the chord progressions and so on.

2. Do you have a particular favorite instrument in which you focus on when you're listening to music? Are you able to pick out a part and concentrate on it?
I really like the sound of horns, specifically the clarinet and the trumpet. I do focus on them when they are part of the piece, as I find them very sensual and evocative instruments.

3. How important is it to you that band be able to play their instruments well? Why/why not?
That's an easy question! If the musicians in a jazz group don't play their instruments well, the arrangement won't sound terribly good no matter what the band leader does to it.

Bonus Question for Comments: Would you be a good music critic? Why/why not?
I'd have to answer not. While I can critique if I do or don't like a performance, I've found - especially during the various Idol shows - that I'm often off from the musical tastes of other people.

From the Monday Madness site:

Name THREE of your........

1. Pet Peeves: Folks who need anger management, people who use their disabilities as an excuse NOT to do better in life, people who don't listen to what you say.
2. Favorite Sounds: raindrops, cat meows, babies
3. Desk Items: Chequing statement, one of the anime DVDs I reviewed, CD-Rs
4. Biggest Fears: To be alone in the end, to not achieve enough in life, that my cats are ever in pain
5. Biggest Challenges: Achieving more and more publishing success, staying mobile, making my bi-monthly Comicopia deadlines (to continue my 14 year + unbroken streak)
6. Newest 'Toys': (Soon) an 8X DVD-RW drive, Knoppix 3.6 on CD, a diskette of my current project updated
7. Most Used Words: basically, actual, virtual
8. Most Mispelled Words: apartment, ad, neibor
9. Favorite Disney Characters: the geni from Aladin, Mickey Mouse, Goliath (from Gargoyles)
10. Bookmarks on Your Homepage: My LiveJournal, RPG.net, Skinz.org