CBC is my ipod consultant...what does that say about me?

I am not a technology luddite...really.

Being without my cell phone ranks neck-and-neck with finding I'm without my watch...
it's wrenching and makes me feel like I'm walking around without all my clothes. That last time I suffered a cell casualty (note to file: unlike Oreos, cell phones will not generally survive a dunk in tea...although they will reliably utter the same snap, crackle and pop sounds we associate with a popular cereal...)

The Irish cousins taught me to text -- a handy little pursuit I've learned to love.
In a pinch, I can take a photo with a phone...and I have a dozen of the inside of my car that prove that. I lost the striking one of the elk from Banff during the sad tea incident.

The i-Pod adventure is one I've grown fonder of as I go. I tend to think of different additions
my collection requires while I'm driving...and I tend to forget what I thought it would be a good idea to add by the time I've navigated the last Highway 6 cut.

Hence, my affinity for certain CBC programs and personalities who have put me
onto some of the best and newest additions to my collections. Andy Barrie was an early i-Pod devotee...and shares his favourites regularly. Emma Lee (That Sinking Feeling) was his suggestion...and I replay that one often.

Michael Franti and Spearhead hit my shuffle after Michael had a very thought-provoking discussion about spirituality with Mary Hynes on Tapestry. Say Hey I Love You is a brilliant track -- and it's impossible to hear it without wanting to tap your feet.

Then I discovered the team at GO post the songs performed by their musical guests for free downloading. They feature a lot of new talent -- which has been pretty impressive so far -- but they also regularly host performers including Molly Johnson and Martha Wainwright. Not bad folks to include on your playlist.

My total index is...eclectic. Clancy Brothers selections (keep in mind, official training for St. Patrick's Day opened yesterday, January 17 - please don't tell my Sainted Mother)...The Cure...The La's (whose brilliant track There She Goes Again is actually a devoted tune about - kid you not - heroin. I got that from Terry O'Reilly - also at CBC - who hosts a show about advertising called the Age of Persuasion. Perhaps someone should tell those nice kids Sixpence None the Richer - the Christian band who made the cover of this one popular in the late 90s).

Lyle Lovett can coexist peacefully with The Northern Pikes. Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson fit in nicely too. The Charlie Brown Christmas songs are a good fit too.

It's curious how many artists pair lively little tunes with lyrics so far from lively that you can't get your head around it. Lyle Lovett's LA Country probably gets top billing for this in my books. So there you are, humming along with this energetic, twangy tune...until you realize it's all about a stalker who follows his old girlfriend to LA and splatters her all over an altar as she's marrying someone else. But you still can't help singing it...cheerfully...

Emma Lee is a bit the same. That Sinking Feeling coaxes you in with a great melody but it's all about a woman who goes about merrily rehabilitating romantically bruised boys. As soon as they're back on their feet, they're gone. But you smile singing it. The poor girl should start fostering cats or squirrels or something because if this keeps up, she'll need the company.

I can hardly wait until Rex Murphy starts offering up his suggestions...
After all, he taught me to Twitter (sort of...)