A Use for Pennies

Coinstar. That machine in grocery stores that converts coins to cash (while deducting a 8.9% fee, I might add). I had used it once before. I was loaded with coins and Chuck E. Cheese was closed. So I dumped in my nickels and dimes and took my cash, never to return--or so I thought. Months later, my friend (who happens to have a blog, "A Complicated Viking Tale" that you should check out) told me coins could be converted to Amazon or iTunes gift cards. What a perfect way to create my own music buying allowance. Sound like an infomercial? But wait, there's more! Unlike Shamwows and Snuggies, it's free! So I proceeded to cash in all my coins and buy five CDs. I am planning to purchase music only with my coin fund. So while that tunes spree may sound nutrageous, I am hoping it saves me dough in the long run. And in case you're curious, the five CDs (bought with about $50 worth of coins) were: Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Stadium Arcadium," Queen's "Greatest Hits," The Killers' "Sam's Town," Phoenix's "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix" and Death Cab for Cutie's "We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes." Will I review these? Why, of course. For three easy payments of $19.95, that is.

Opening Pandora's Box

I checked out Pandora internet radio for the first time a couple of weeks ago and all I can say is I love it. It quickly joined Facebook and fantasy baseball in my procrastination toolbox. You can create your own stations based on genres, artists and even songs. You can even mix stations to form an ear-pleasing casserole. The commercials are minimal and it can even be used via cell phone. Oh yeah, and unlike XM or Sirius, it's free. This is the future of radio, folks. If not Pandora, then internet radio in some form. It will probably become car-friendly in the coming years. In fact, there are already devices that can play Pandora without use of computer. Whether you're looking for new ways to discover music, trying to find the right background tunes or you're just sick of AM/FM, check it out.

Fantasy Baseball Update

So, as mentioned earlier, I decided to take a stab at fantasy baseball this season for the first time. I started off in a surprisingly horrendous fashion. After the draft, most of my peers agreed that with my lineup, I was nearly assured of victory. However for the first month or so, I was unable to escape the leagues basement. 20 moves later, I am now in fifth place (out of 10) and hoping to move even further north. Time shall tell, but one thing was initially apparent: I was right. This thing is as addicting as hell. Only without the flames and eternal damnation.

Note to Self: That's at least the second time you've used the phrase, "eternal damnation." Must try to reduce use of this shibboleth to prevent readers from reaching Satanic conclusions.

Note to Self II: Don't use the word, "shibboleth." Correctly answering that question on your vocabulary test does not give you the license to use it.

Note to Self III: Notes to Self are fun. :)

Note to Self IV: Did you just use an emoticon in a blog post?

Note to Self V: Yes I did. You got a problem with that, IV?

Note to Self VI:  [CENSORED]

Note to Self VII: To be continued...

Long Time No See

Dear Reader(s),

Sorry for the long break. I've been overwhelmed by end-of-the-year activities/procrastination. While I am not yet ready to name the best band starting with the letter A, here are my opening thoughts:

AC/DC, Aerosmith, AFI, Against Me!, Alicia Keys, All Time Low, The All-American Rejects, The Allman Brothers Band, Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, Audioslave and Avenged Sevenfold, to quote my iPod.

More thoughts and a winner to come. Soon. I (and hopefully you) hope.