Who's who?

I know I have blogged about it once before, but at the moment I just cannot emphasize enough how much a love the fact that people share their itunes libraries freely with others. (Mine, of course, is strictly personal.) Today I spent the day listening to someone’s ‘Arabic groove’ (their words, not mine). Brilliant! Firstly, it is actually very groovy (can one still say that, without being stuck in the 60s?) and very easy to listen to. Secondly, there’s no way I can sing along (highly embarrassing if done aloud) and I can’t even sit and listen to the words, as they mean absolutely nothing to me. Perfect for working!

Normally you can group people’s libraries into one of three categories: the senior academic (listens to classical and occasionally some jazz, the most modern stuff they have is ABBA), the fresh BA student (listens mainly to pop/rock, usually pretty mainstream) and then the ‘alternative’ phd student (who is trying to be a bit more ‘deep’ and ‘difficult’ than the average person – he or she is, after all, doing some serious research – and thus won’t have anything from the hit lists in the library). Of course these can also be divided into subgroups, and a good bit of gender and queer theory could be applied to it, but I am trying to keep it simple here.

I was thus very surprised when I the other day came across someone’s library, which mostly consisted of Disney music! I looked around. Who is this person? I came up with four possible explanations: 1) a stressed parent (most likely the mother) is sharing a laptop with the kids, 2) someone is doing a major research project on the importance of music in Disney stories (I was, after all, sitting in the Rare books and music reading room), 3) someone in my alternative group has gone way too alternative, or 4) Disney music has suddenly become retro cool (I definitely wouldn’t know) and someone from the young student group is like the hippest person around. Go figure!

Just add to the burden

I am panicking quite badly. This is the most stressful week in a long time (or at least since my last deadline, or possibly my doctoral defence). I am finishing a post doc application, a job application, a serious task for a job interview, a book review and two (long overdue) articles. So, I am trying to calm down by listening to Comforting sounds, by Mew. It is for some reason a strangely comforting song. And I am such a sucker for songs that build up to a massive string crescendo!

Thanks

I have the bestest friends. There's nothing better than a great surprise on a day when you really need a pick up. And it's especially good if it's followed by a sweet note. Thank you, Elise, for the CD. It really made my week! Everyone - check out the super cool Norwegian band the Vineyards.

Iceland may have bad finances, but they sure know how to make music

Listened to Björk on the way in to work. The line 'I thought I could organize freedom - how Scandinavian of me', always gets stuck in my head.



(And yes, I have also listened to Sigur Rós half the day - until it got late, and the game between Spart and Furuset began, and I had to switch over to Norwegian internet radio. Sparta is now, after 10 matches, at the top of the table!!! Very happy!)

Music discoveries

One of my fairly recent discoveries is that you in iTunes can access other people’s music libraries. (Stupid people who let complete strangers do that!) This is a great feature, as I am bored of my own music — and too busy to upload anything new, and too poor to buy new stuff. So, when I want new music I just surf around other people’s iTunes. The music is only half the fun, though. The greatest part is to see what weird taste in music some people have (classical and hard core house and Britney — must be someone who shares the computer with a teenage son or daughter), and also to try and guess whose library it is I am listening too (which is really hard, because there are too many people in the library) and what kind of person it is. Today I listened to a library which definitely belonged to a Swede... And a person whose taste in music is more or less the same as mine! It was actually quite scary — it was like looking at my own library, plus/minus a few! Who can it be...?

Work update: polishing on my summary, and waiting for some proofs. Thesis now 555 pages long...

Trying to work

Records I have listened to in one day in the library (with a few songs on repeat): the Beatles ‘One’, Amy McDonald ‘This is the life’, Catatonia ‘International Velvet’, Damien Rice ‘O’, Dave Matthews Band ‘Crash’ and Faithless ‘Outroperspective’ (in that very order). Oddly enough, at the end of the day I normally want anthem-like music, or electronica / psychedelic / techno stuff. It’s nice and repetitive, and the brain is on minimal work (there’s no desire to sit and sing along).

ESC 3 (random thoughts on the final)

Ok, on demand (even Tim wanted me to write this post!), here’s my thoughts on the Eurovision final (very last post on the subject, I promise). I was not surprised at all to see Russia win, although I still think Dima was better in 2006 (or even t.A.T.u. in 2003). Ukraine was no surprise either, but I was quite amazed that Greece did so well. Their song didn’t do anything for me! I thought that there were other countries deserving that third position much more. Really happy about Norway placing fifth, although I still believe the song would have been better if Mira had performed it herself. I’m also a bit surprised that Armenia did so well (and also that Latvia scored as much as they did). Other than that, I think both Israel, Portugal and Iceland deserved a bit more. (Especially Portugal, which I loved until switched on telly text, and got the subtitles for it. It sounded so much more romantic in Portuguese.) Also, having a jury group voting in one song from each semi final was probably not the greatest idea. Poland and Sweden got lousy scores from the people voting in the final (surprise, surprise!). Just drop the embarrassment!

ESC 2 part 2

Alright, my favourite songs made it. A bit surprised that Switzerland didn't (and that Latvia did!), but oh well.

Also, Reynir did a great job, singing 'Valentine Lost' (last year's Icelandic entry). Well done! You deserved to win!

Tomorrow I will keep my fingers crossed for Lisen who will have her second child!

ESC 2

Ok, slightly better mood today. Although I still panic when I think about how I was supposed to be finished a year ago. It is hard to describe the pressure on your chest for anyone who hasn’t been there, but trust me, there are better feelings.

Anyway, tonight will be spent in front of the telly – the second Eurovision semifinal, and then Reynir appearing on the Graham Norton show on BBC (and yes, I suspect it will be about Eurovision. He was on the expert panel on Iceland TV a few weeks ago, and is the reason for half of my obsession with the show.)

And then lots of cleaning to do, since Tim’s mum is visiting this weekend (her first child-free weekend since early February, I fear). Also, will get to see Christina and her mum tomorrow, as they will be in town. Hooray!

(And for those who are interested: tonight I'll be cheering for Iceland, Sweden and Portugal!)

ESC 1 part 4 (Bonus round)

Ok, this is what we would have voted for if we could:

ESC 1 part 3

Congrats Norway! Tim and I are still in shock, though. We are absolutely convinced that it was set up - who was voting for Azerbaijan??? And, may I add: ha ha, Ireland!

ESC 1 part 2

Finland should have stopped after Lordi. That was new and fresh, now it's not so hot! Can't help liking Bosnia&Herzegovina a little bit (but that's probably because I like the White Stripes). Tim says that Norway was wronger than a conger. Ireland, well, they don't even deserve a comment. Poland is a poor Celine Dion wannabe. I really liked Russia's Dima three years ago (probably the only one who did that, ha ha) when he performed with the ballet dancer. This year he was a lot weaker, and could have skipped the ice skater.

To sum up: really amazingly poor quality of all the songs!

ESC 1

Eurovision night, first semifinal.
Ok, eight entries in (and one Kopparberg's cider later) - Moldova and Slovenia best so far. Estonia a big joke, but at least you can tell they don't take it seriously. Low point(s) so far: Belgium, Azerbaijan... and well, most of them.