The doctor�s visit was kind of a wash. After checking me out for bronchitis, pneumonia and appendicitis, it was determined that I just have a really dramatic flu. At least the doctor had the courtesy to term it �in-flu-en-za� in hyper-precise diction so it sounded like a real disease. I suppose this diagnosis is good. But unfortunately, I still have a high fever, still have the feeling in my chest like I ate a peanut butter sandwich too fast. I have just spent my fourth day in bed and I�m getting pretty cranky about the fact that there are no drugs to make it go away. But he did placate me with codeine, so I should be getting some sleep tonight. And on the plus side, I�ve lost six pounds in the last three days. If I can�t be healthy, at least I can be thin.

AJ is having a hard time with this. He�s worried. He keeps standing by the bed while I doze, stroking my elbow and leaning his head on my shoulder. We�ve spent a lot of time snuggling under the covers and watching TV. Thank God for Noggin.

And since I have scarcely left the room let alone the house in the last four days, I�ll spare you any further rambling about the sorry state of my health. Lucky for you fairlywell has commissioned me to participate in the following meme.

1. Total amount of music files on your computer.
311 songs, all online downloads � I haven�t put any of my CDs on. I have a huge CD and LP collection (with a few cassettes thrown in there for good measure) � it�s an occupational hazard � so I haven�t gone too nuts on the downloads. So far. I�m also a serious radio addict. I�ve always liked the randomness of it.

2. The last CD you bought.
I think it was probably Anonymous 4�s final disc American Angels, which I bought for my dad for Christmas. I�ve imposed a moratorium on CD purchases for the moment, as I�m going to need to be buying a bunch of stuff for my class soon.

3. The last song you listened to before reading this message.
Laurie Anderson, �Let x=x� from Big Science on the iTunes randomizer.

4. Name five songs you listen to often or that mean a lot to you.
Hmm. This is tough. There are so many to choose from. I will eliminate the classical music I listen to from the running, because most of it wouldn�t qualify as song. These picks are kind of random � they�d probably be different if you asked me tomorrow. But it�s what seems right at the moment.

1. Sleater-Kinney, �Quarter to Three� from The Hot Rock because I love the guitar riff and it always puts me in a good mood.

2. Mark Eitzel, Caught in a Trap and I Can�t Back Out, �cause I Love You too Much, Baby. Okay, this is a whole album, not one song, but I can�t pick just one. I love Eitzel�s songs, voice, guitar-style, and I have a number of his albums. But this one, for some reason is different. From the very first time I heard it, it had the power to induce an almost trance-like state in me. But it�s a trance of introspection, some kind of freeing of the mind, rather than a numbness. I almost always listen to it from beginning to end and in order � rare for me these days. If my life needed a soundtrack, I�d probably hire Eitzel to write the score.

3. Bronski Beat, �Smalltown Boy.� I don�t remember the album. This one is on the list for its associations. It was on a mix tape a friend gave me in college. This one song simultaneously calls up late-night recording sessions with the friend who gave me the tape, dancing en masse with my friends at college parties, wearing out my shoes on the dance floor of the defunct Revival club in Philly, and driving cross-country to my first real apartment.

4. Lucinda Williams, �Can�t Let Go� from Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. I have rs536 to thank for introducing me to Lucinda Williams. This song kicks ass and makes me feel like kicking some ass. Often a useful quality in a song.

5. Astrud Gilberto, �The Girl from Ipanema.� I can�t think of the name of the album I have this on now. But it�s a classic. What�s not to like? It�s campy, romantic and you can dance to it. I find Gilberto�s voice endlessly fascinating. She does little to decorate the tone and she�s often under pitch and yet I still love to listen. It�s just the kind of voice that I would think would get on my nerves, but, in fact, I keep coming back for more.

5. Who will you pass this stick to, and why? (3 people.)
rs536, because I�d like to know what she�s listening to these days; lass, because she helped me track down a CD once but I don�t know what she likes to listen to; and elgan because I�d like to know what she listens to for fun. Participation is strictly optional of course. And if anyone else wants to join in, please do. I�ve been reading other entries in this meme and I�ve now got quite a list of music I want to try out.

Thanks, fairlywell!

0 people said it like they meant it