So...Anyway...

You Are An ISFJ

The Nurturer You have a strong need to belong, and you very loyal. A good listener, you excel at helping others in practical ways. In your spare time, you enjoy engaging your senses through art, cooking, and music. You find it easy to be devoted to one person... a partner who you do special things for. In love, you express your emotions through actions. Taking care of someone is how you love them. And you do it well! At work, you do well in a structured environment. You complete tasks well and on time. You would make a good interior designer, chef, or child psychologist. How you see yourself: Competent, dependable, and detail oriented When other people don't get you, they see you as: Boring, dominant, and stuck in a rut

I am starting a new blog. I will maintain this blog for topics that I might want feed back from friends on but don't want the whole world to know. Who knows. We'll see what happens. If you're a regular reader, I hope you follow me on the new site.

The problem with getting the flu shot is that it doesn't prevent you from getting the flu. It just seems to prevent you from getting violently ill.

I've been feeling like shit for the past couple of days: with fever/chills, nausea, and gastrointestinal issues. I keep telling myself that I'm lucky as friends who have had this flu have had problems with vomiting. I'm also lucky in that I have started reading 2666. So, being at home isn't so bad right now.

1. Continue with the lavalife thing, but find other ways to branch out and meet new people/men.
2. Read the following books: 2666, Count of Monte Cristo, Gravity's Rainbow.
3. Continue to whittle down debt load.
4. Make chèvre.

I managed to figure out my top 10 list of albums released this year.

10. Midnight Boom - The Kills
9. Momofuku - Elvis Costello
8. Mr. Love and Justice - Billy Bragg
7. Little Honey - Lucinda Williams
6. Golden Delicious - Mike Doughty
5. Stay Positive - The Hold Steady
4. Third - Portishead
3. Party Intellectuals - Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog
2. I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too - Martha Wainwright
1. A Piece of What You Need - Teddy Thompson

My number one album would have been Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten but it apparently was released in 2007. And I would have chosen it despite that iIt would have seemed to be an odd choice as there isn't any new musical material on it. However, the selection of songs, their order, and the inclusion of snippets of dialogue construct an auditory portrait of Joe Strummer equal to any biography or documentary out there.

And shock of all shocks, neither Joe Jackson nor Paul Weller made my top ten. 2008 was a year of me branching out and discovering new music rather than clinging to musicians that have populated the landscape in the past.

Last year at this time I was clinging to the inner rim of the depression pit, kicking at the invisible hands that were trying to grasp hold of my ankles to pull me down.

This year, I'm running around in the field that surrounds the pit, knowing that it has been fenced off.

Please tune in and listen to A Thompson Family Christmas, which will be available for another 5 days. The concert includes Kamila, Teddy, Richard and Linda Thompson on stage together. It's the type of Christmas concert I'd love to go to and thought I would share it with who ever reads my meandering thoughts as they appear on this site.

"Drink a lot, eat too much, spend some time with the ones you love."

Guess which urge won out?

It's very lovely to be able to lay on the chesterfield and watch fluffy flakes of snow drift to the ground. I've watched as the branches of the tree outside my window have become heavier with their cold white blanket while snuggled under my warm downy one. And I've found myself contemplating bundling up and heading out in the cold to trudge through the ground cover searching for interesting images to capture with my camera. I'm torn between staying warm and dry and being creative. Hmm. Which urge will win out.

As there are 12 days left in the year, I thought I'd start compiling my selection of albums from which I will be drawing my "Lue's Top 10" lists.

This year I purchased a number of albums that were not only new releases, but new bands (to me at least). Included in the list are:
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
Hold Steady - Stay Positive
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Fred - Go God Go
The Kills - Midnight Boom
The Last Shadow Puppets - Age of the Understatement
Matt Mayes & El Torpedo - Terminal Romance
Mother Mother - O My Heart
Martha Wainwright - I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too

I discovered the genius of a Marc Ribot, although I had been hearing him play on other artists' albums for years and picked up:
Marc Ribot - Exercises in Futility
Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog - Party Intellectuals

I'd be remiss if I didn't thank blue_lotus for hooking me up with some Lucinda Williams that lead me to pre-order her latest album, Little Honey.

To top it off there were several albums released by artists I love:
Mike Doughty - Golden Delicious
Billy Bragg - Mr. Love & Justice
Paul Weller - 22 Dreams
Teddy Thompson - A Piece of What You Need
Portishead - Third
Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell
Elvis Costello - Momofuku
Joe Jackson - Rain

And the kick ass "music from the movie" cd, Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten.

As I look over the list I'm a little shocked at how much new music I purchased this year and I think people will be a little shocked by what my list will end up looking like. Who makes the cut? Who gets left off the list?

Don't worry. You won't be force to read a list of all the books I've read this year.