Odd Obsession

The summer of 1987, I was living in a house with a bunch of other college students. One of them had an elaborate set-up with the stereo connected to the TV. This was when TV shows broadcasting in stereo was a new thing, as was having a real soundtrack for a mere TV show with songs viewers had heard before and enjoyed. I was amazed every time Crime Story came on how awesome it was to hear "Runaway" in stereo. Of course, I didn't have a real stereo then, just a boombox , so I couldn't create it myself (I had this funny portable record player where you put the LP in sideways). In 1990, I finally purchased a stereo system, a Sony receiver and dual tape deck and a Technics turntable. I didn't start buying CDs until I got a computer for grad school in 1995, because I objected to how much more expensive they were than LPs . Then I hooked up my computer to the stereo. I only had a cheap crappy CD player for a few years until it died, then just used my DVD player after

I saw this in 2 places , so I guess I can't deny it anymore. Here goes: THE 99 THINGS MEME Things you’ve already done: bold
 Things you want to do: italicize 
Things you haven’t done and don’t want to - plain font 1. Started your own blog. Yay me! 2. Slept under the stars. I assume they mean like a tent. If so--of course, I grew up in the Midwest. It didn't take, though. If they mean literally sleeping with just a sleeping bag protecting them from the elements--no, that's just insane. What kind of magical fairyland do they live in where that's a good idea? 3. Played in a band. No, but I played cello in the orchestra for a while--badly. I was thanked on the liner notes of an obscure demo tape for setting up a gig in my sister's basement. 4. Visited Hawaii. Nature--not for me. 5. Watched a meteor shower. No. Leave me alone already with all the nature. 6. Given more than you can afford to charity. That's just silly. Do they mean, "more than you think you can

This I ripped off from library guru Walt Crawford , who got it from SF author and uber-blogger John Scalzi . From whom I learned that AOL still exists and that there is a paid version of LiveJournal. Who knew? And why Rhapsody? Who are these people who are willing to pay every month to rent music that could be taken away from them at any time? Those who don't want the option of making a mix CD or tape do not love music in any way I can understand. I was glad that some of Scalzi's commentors mentioned library subscriptions. Don't pay for any online encyclopedias or magazine articles if you can get them free with your library card, people! The f ree Encyclopedia Britannica subscription for bloggers is also awesome. 1. IpHouse for Internet with Qwest DSL. I could save by bundling with Qwest and get msn.com email (ugh!), but IpHouse has given me such great support over the years and I can always get someone on the phone right away. 2. Netflix (4 movies-at-a-time grandfather