Your life, the soundtrack.

You are making a feature film about your life. What songs do you select for the soundtrack? You'll want at least one song for each major stage of your life, the highs and lows, significant relationships, educational and career milestones, etc.

It starts with Mickey Mouse Disco, 1979. That's the first record I remember listening to over and over. The theme songs from Dukes of Hazzard and Knight Rider would come next, followed by - I know you had a copy of this, too - The Thriller album. We can wrap up the eighties with Axel F - the theme from Beverly Hills Cop - the first song I learned by ear and showed me playing the piano can actually be fun (which it still is).

Fast forward to high school so I can embarrass myself with titles such as Keep on Movin, It Takes 2, and Bust a Move. By the time I was out of high school, U2's Joshua Tree was constantly in the Discman. From then on (and still today) it became transitional/travelling music. Whenever I was on a long road trip or going somewhere new, U2 was along for the ride. Still the best album ever.

College was grunge: Pearl Jam's Ten album - the whole thing ought to do it. Late nineties would be a few songs from the ska band I was in, the Jinkies. I was 24, had a "real job" and I was in a band outside of school. At that moment I felt like I had made it. Funny what silly things you think when you're 24.

The soundtrack of my life for the past 5 years or so would be an odd mix between chilled out funk from the Meters, chilled out ska from the Skatalites, and chilled out electronica from Groove Armada and St. Germain, among others.

Last week I picked up 3 new titles in the funk and soul category: Budos Band II, Stanton Moore III, and Greyboy Allstars' What Happened to Television? I highly recommend all 3.

Aaron, Lee, Jodi, it's your turn. And pass it on.

Catching up part 2

I have been meaning to get this up for a long time. It's come up in a few conversations recently so I guess it's time. I went to India in March of 2006 to train some Dell employees. These are entries from my journal while I was there. Previous post: Part 1


Tuesday, March 7, 2006
Qutab Shahi Tombs, Golconda Fort - Hyderabad, India

I left for the fort around 10 am. First the driver insisted we stop at the Qutab Shahi Tombs. Got some very good pictures there, but we were a little hassled by a pushy “tour guide” who wouldn’t take no for an answer and continued to follow us around and try and engage us in conversation. He wanted money at the end for doing "his job". Ultimately I didn’t pay him and I don’t think he liked that.







With little free time that morning we moved on to Golconda Fort. More than a fort, it’s really a small city surrounded by walls. You pass through four gates before arriving at the entrance to the fort itself. Once there we were approached many times by more "tour guides" wanting to give us the full tour. Even after saying no, they will still follow you around and offer information until they know for sure that you're not paying. Turns out the self guided tour was sufficient. We hiked to the top to take in a great view of the city. The walls of the fort are very impressive, built right into some enormous natural boulders on the hillside.







Had time after for a refreshing dip in the pool, then got absolutely stuffed at the buffet. Crazy hot Thai seafood soup, almost too hot to eat, but very tasty.

Check out my version of the recipe.

Read Part 3...

Catching up part 1

I have been meaning to get this up for a long time. It's come up in a few conversations recently so I guess it's time. I went to India in March of 2006 to train some Dell employees. These are entries from my journal while I was there.

Monday, March 6, 2006
Hyderabad, India

After 19 hours of travel I arrived from Amsterdam a at about 2:00 am. My first impression was the feeling of humidity and the large crowds waiting to greet their travelers. I was aware of the stares, and had been informed that this was common. Indeed, I was the subject of gazes wherever I went.

The cab to the hotel took less than ten minutes. I checked in and went to sleep around 3:00. I met up with Gavin from Corel’s UK office for lunch, then went to the Dell office. Work at Dell was rather monotonous. 3 pm to midnight or later each night Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I stayed up until at least 3 each night, trying to sleep in each morning, but that didn’t work too well. I grew more and more tired each night we worked. Perhaps it was the repetition of delivering the same material to 7 or 8 groups per night...


The Dell office is in the "Hi-Tech City" area of Hyderabad.



Read Part 2...