Cassette conversions:
* Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Junk Culture: (10 songs) Memorable, containing some of the best OMD hits from the 80's. Includes Tesla Girls.
* Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - The Best of OMD: (14 songs) A compilation containing, as you can only imagine. The best of...
* Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Crush: (10 songs) The worst offered by one of my favorite bands. Far to pop. Only 'So in Love' is of note.
* Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - The Pacific Age: (10 songs) The last OMD album to feature Paul Humphreys. Not a very good album.
* The Parachute Club - The Parachute Club: (9 songs) Another one of those 'one hit wonder' bands of the 80's. Three albums later, and they were forgotten by most.
* The Plimsouls - Everywhere at once: (11 songs) The bands biggest release, contains their biggest hit - 'A Million Miles away'. They added a Brit sound to the New Wave explosion of the eighties. The psychedelic, post-punk, new wave rock was infused with a touch of country.
* The Police - Synchronicity: (11 songs) With only five albums, this band had more impact on the sound of Rock than a hundred others. Here's their last album as a band. This album was the most commercially successful, and it spawned sold out concerts - Just before the band disbanded. Will there be another Police album? Who knows, with the strength of a reunion tour, we might see two or more albums.
* Pseudo Echo - Pseudo Echo: (10 songs) The debut album of a band that sounded a lot like Ultravox and Duran Duran. This is my favorite of their albums.
* Pseudo Echo - Love an Adventure: (10 songs) These predecessors to Depeche Mode charted an electronica landscape previously inhabited by very few bands. Unfortunately, they switched gears when they should have stayed the course with their danceable electronic driven tunes.
* Psychedelic Furs - World Outside: (10 songs) One of my favorite bands from the 80's. Garage band turned commercial success. This album wasn't one of their better ones.
* Public Image Ltd. - This is what you want... This is what you get: (8 songs) Johnny Rotten / aka John Lydon left the Sex Pistols, and continued rocking under this name. Here's a very early compilation of the bands work.
* Public Image Ltd. - Greatest hits, so far: (14 songs) A more complete greatest hits album, this one has all the major hits. The landscape is very broad, and this is more of a sampling than a career spanning compilation.
* Rank and File - Sundown: (10 songs) I really dig the sounds on this debut release. Little did I know, that the lead guitar work (and some vocals) is Alejandro Escovedo. An artist I would discover later on. Here are some of the cow-punk roots which fueled the Alt-country sounds that I love so.
* R.E.M. - Fables of the reconstruction: (11 songs) R.E.M. was a powerhouse 80's band, and I dug that sound. Here's their third album. A bit different from the first two, but a great album in it's own right.
* R.E.M. - Document: (11 songs) A great breakthrough album for the band. With the success of "It's the end of the world...", the band went on to enjoy huge levels of commercial success.
* R.E.M. - Eponymous: (12 songs) A compilation of the bands best hits under the IRS label. Some excellent early work, washed aside by the changes wrought by commercial success.
* R.E.M. - Out of time: (11 songs) Some of the bands best work appears here. With hits like; "Shiny Happy People" and "Losing my religion".
* R.E.M. - Green: (11 songs) This debut on a big time label, showed a huge variation in sound. Trying to be both folk and rock was a strain on this album.
* R.E.M. - Automatic for the people: (12 songs) The last album I bought by this band. A great album, by a band who had successfully completed transition from Folk-Rock indie to mainstream rulers of the rock arena.
* The Replacements - The Shit Hits the Fans: (24 songs?) This is a TwinTone release of a bootleg made by a fan during a live concert. Quality sucks, but it's a fair representation of the bands live presence. There are a lot of covers here. Only 10,000 produced (cassette only!), and I've got one of them?
* The Replacements - Don't Tell a Soul: (11 songs) The band seems tamer in this more commercially mainstream offering. The songwriting remains the strong point in this work.
* The Replacements - All Shook Down: (13 songs) The last album as the Replacements. Solo in all but name. Only Paul Westerberg remains on this effort. Great acoustic work.
* Simple Minds - New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84): (9 songs) Synthesizer driven New Wave. This Scottish band is one of my favorites from the 80's. Here's one of their earlier works.
* Simple Minds - Once Upon a Time: (8 songs) The band finally breaks into American mainstream with this effort. Unfortunately, the work that followed pales in comparison to this and previous albums.
* Simple Minds - Empires and Dance: (10 songs) Very early Simple Minds. I bought this cassette in Italy. Sounds a lot like Howard Devoto lyrics crossed with Danceable beats ala Gary Numan wound up to Roxy Music speed.
* Simple Minds - Sparkle in the Rain: (10 songs) My favorite from this band. This album was a great pop effort, just short of their mainstream breakout. Synth driven beats with passion behind every anthemic lyric.
* Simple Minds - Real Life: (12 songs) The album which made me turn away from this band. After Once Upon a Time, the bands sound changed. I gave them a second try in '91, with this import. They blew it. This album was mediocre at best.
* The Smithereens - Blow Up: (12 Songs) Here's another album that turned me away from a band. After their 'Green Thoughts' import set me on the track, my next purchase found me buying this mainstream pop pap. I didn't dig it.
* Siouxsie and The Banshees - Superstition: (11 songs) Far too tame for Siouxsie and The Banshees. Here are releases with the edges filed off. Designed to fit into America's idea of pop/mainstream music. It got them airplay with "Kiss Them For Me", but it didn't do much for me.
* Social Distortion - Social Distortion: (10 songs) Not the bands first album (their third), but their first with a major label. This California band had a great sound. Split between Rockabilly/Roots rock, and raw punk. The sound found itself in a sweet spot for me.

iTunes downloads:
* Wall of Voodoo - The Index Masters: (16 songs) A compilation of the bands earlier works. There are a lot of live recordings here. Awesome stuff. Need more! (fyi no Mexican Radio)
* Kaiser Chiefs - Yours truly, Angry mob: (14 songs) The second album from a band I like a lot. This release isn't as good as their debut, but it certainly was worth the wait. As a bonus, iTunes only charged $7.99 for this release!

3hive and website downloads:
* The Thermals - Various: (5 songs) Discovered through 3hive.com. Five songs from three albums/EPs. High octane post-punk pop that moves forward with aggressive guitar and drum. All the energy of a high school band.
* All Save One - The Leap Home E.P.: (3 songs) A band recommended by a co-worker. Very good stuff from Austin, Texas.
* All Save One - Delicate Constitution: (7 songs) My co-worker introduced me to this band. Nearly all their material is available for a free download.
* All Save One - The Flux E.P.: (4 songs) Truly independent, with music licensed under the Creative Commons Music Sharing license.
* All Save One - Demos 2001-2002: (3 songs) The talent behind this solo/minimalist act is truly a computer geek (according to his friend - A guy that I work with).
* Cereal Box Killers - Teenage Heart-Throb Band: (12 songs) A post-punk band from Austin, Tx. This is the band that Scoop (of All Save One) played in before ASO.
* Cereal Box Killers - Free Friend With Proof of Purchase: (14 songs) This band broke up in 2001, and I'm just discovering them now..
* The Atari Star - Various: (9 songs) A band I discovered by listening to the IndieFeed podcast. Several releases from the bands website. Post-punk pop with spunk.
* The Bird and the Bee - I Hate Camera: (single) Discovered on 3hive.com. This single is off their debut album. Unfortunately, this artist isn't available on eMusic. Electronic pop with great lyrics and light instrumentals.

Newsgroup/BitTorrent downloads:
* Magazine - Second Hand Daylight: (9 songs) Howard Devoto lives on, most recently spotted reunited with Buzzcocks for some shows and recordings. The best work was here with the band named Magazine. The music is great. I can't get enough. Too bad this stuff isn't available for download on eMusic of iTunes.
* Magazine - Scree, Rarities (1978-1981): (16 songs) Magazine, the band didn't last very long, but for me their legacy is every song they recorded. Here's a collection of rare stuff.
* The Smithereens - Green Thoughts: (11 songs) An import, and the album that turned me on to this band. Some great alternative pop tunes from this British band.
* The Traveling Wilburys - Volume 1: (10 songs) Super groups seldom live up to the hype. Here's an occasion where they didn't try, and it worked out for the best.
* The Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols: (12 songs) Twelve tracks that sparked a musical revolution. Angst and socially arrogant nihilism delivered in snarling simple chorus, peppered with stunningly simple instrumentals. Downloaded via Bit Torrent. Took several (8+) hours to complete the download - That sucks!

eMusic downloads:
* Bare Naked Ladies - Michael Brennan: (single) Here's a great song, about the person who snagged the 100,000,000th eMusic download. An eMusic exclusive (free to eMusic subscribers), but a great song. Lucky bastard got a great song written about him. Michael Brennan rules!
* Rubber Records - Sampler 2007: (11 songs) One of the great things about eMusic. Free downloads for subscribers. Here's a sampler full of great Alt/Punk music.
* Art & Crafts - SXSW 07 Sampler: (7 songs) South by SouthWest (SXSW) is an annual arts festival held in Austin Texas (I think?) Here are some free tracks from the bands featured during this years festival.
* The System Dozen - eMusic Sampler: (12 songs) Here's a variety of eMusic dance talent. Electronic/Dance, Trance/Techno bands featured at eMusic. Maybe I'll find something new to download.
* Zouk - Cantos: (16 songs) Various artists with a Caribbean flavor. Another free download from eMusic. Well, it was free for a while...
*Rock the Earth - Sampler 2: (10 songs) Exclusive to eMusic? eMusic label? A sampler of some great Rock talent.
* Hit the Switch - Domestic Tranquility and Social Justice: (12 songs) An entirely free download for eMusic subscribers. A punk band from So-Cal, living up to the legacy.

These are just some of the items I added to my music collection during the month of March. Since returning from Japan in 2001, I've been starting to rediscover my appreciation for music. I really picked it up again in September of 2005. Since then I've been slowly adding, revising and updating my music collection. If you have a comment or a question regarding my music collection, please don't hesitate to send me an email.

The Adventurers journal:
The tale of our adventurers. A series of journal entries from various party members. This document contains details of their encounters. Victory, defeat, desire and glory. Here is the tale of S.C.R.E.W.O.F.F.S., a group of adventurers who set forth from Whillip seeking fame, fortune and the defeat of evil in these lands. Thanks to a contribution from Lee, I was able to post a journal update from Tanar's point of view.
<https://www.robsworld.org/ajournal07.html#mar24_2007>

Monsters encountered:
As a result of the meeting on the 24th of March, I added two new entries to the monster page - A Boneleaf is a creature that looks like a tree, but it's got an appetite for flesh. An Elder Taint Elemental is a huge monster composed entirely of coagulated corruption. Foul, powerful and mean, it's one bad monster. The monsters page is a listing of monsters that the party has encountered, read about or heard of.
<https://www.robsworld.org/monsters.html>

Where Now:
I added another location to the page. The Monastery of the Hallowed Doctrine. This monastery is home to group of people (priests, warriors, scholars), dedicated to the eradication of corruption and depravity. Healers both physical and spiritual, the residents offer sanctuary, services and sermons intended to bolster the spirits of those afflicted by the scourge of evil in the shadow of these mountains. "Where Now?" is a listing of various places the party has visited or researched.
<https://www.robsworld.org/wherenow.html>

3rd Edition Campaign:
I updated the campaign page. This is the first stop for information on the campaign that I'm currently running. Here you'll find information regarding our next meeting, some notes, and an index of web pages and documents that are important to our campaign. I updated the next game date.

This session also introduced the party to something called 'Taint' a powerful manifestation of evil. Taint can affect characters in two different ways. Physical corruption and mental derangement. This taint can injure your character permanently, it's influence can even turn a holy Paladin into a gibbering servant of evil. Thankfully there are remedies to taint, and the party is currently on their way to a 'Monastery of the Hallowed Doctrine'. A sanctuary for those who fight taint.

Our next gaming date is 07 April, 2007, and I'm sure that there will be lots of thrills and excitement in the months to come. Hopefully, we won't be missing quite as many players the next time we play.

She's leaving!
On Friday (23 March 2007), a moderately large group of coworkers gathered (appx 12 people) at the Buffalo Wild Wings near the Park Meadows mall. We had a bit to drink, some light snackin' food (all you can eat wings for $9.99), and a good deal of conversation. We gathered there to see off a friend; a going away for one of my coworkers. I'll bet I'm going to see a lot of these in the years to come. Last nights party was for a co-worker who I grew to respect and like. Natalie is on her way to Omaha, Nebraska, for her final tour with the AF. Natalie will most likely end her Air Force career when she relocates to Ohio, to be with her husband (who was stationed with me in the past), and have their baby. Good luck Natalie, you deserve all the best. We'll miss you. Bravo crew just won't be the same.

Thunderstorms mark the end of winter:
Surely winter is over now. Winter officially ended on the 20th of March, and the thunderstorm on the 23rd pretty much sealed the deal. The weather has been quite warm over the last few days (in the 60's and 70's). On the 23rd and 24th of March, we had rain and thunderstorms. It rained all day on the 24th, and I'm itching to get back on the bike. The weather is definitely agreeable. It won't be long now. Winter was long, cold, and we had a lot of snow. I hope that the rest of the year isn't as severe as this winter has proven to be.

A new hard drive:
Recently, one of the hard drives in my computer has been giving me problems. I was using a 200Gb hard drive as a back-up drive. As of 13 March, I officially declared the drive dead. It stopped mounting on the desktop, and I couldn't get my disk utility application to recognize it. I didn't like the idea of having no backup, so I order a new hard drive. I ordered a new 200Gb hard drive. Another Maxtor drive, nearly identical to the one I was replacing. Hopefully, this one will last long me until I upgrade my computer. I'm planning to upgrade my computer in approximately a year and a half. It took me five minutes to replace the drive, and fifteen minutes to get the computer in and out of my desk.

The Adventurers journal:
The tale of our adventurers. A series of journal entries from various party members. This document contains details of their encounters. Victory, defeat, desire and glory. Here is the tale of S.C.R.E.W.O.F.F.S., a group of adventurers who set forth from Whillip seeking fame, fortune and the defeat of evil in these lands. Thanks to a contribution from Mark, I was able to post a journal update from Solmar's point of view.
<https://www.robsworld.org/ajournal07.html#mar10_2007>

Monsters encountered:
As a result of the meeting on the 10th of March, I added one new entries to the monster page - The Phantasmal Slayer is the most horrific creature one can imagine. The monsters page is a listing of monsters that the party has encountered, read about or heard of.
<https://www.robsworld.org/monsters.html>

Who's Who:
Two updates to the "Who's Who?" page. I added two entries for residents of a Duerger community. Thastick, 'The Guardian', and Jatani the gem cutter. The "Who's Who?" page is a listing of characters, both player characters and non-player characters.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ewhoswho.html>

Where Now:
I added another location to the page. 640 is a Duerger community. A Dwarven fortress amongst the Nether Mountains. The party found shelter here after defeating a monster which was threatening this community. "Where Now?" is a listing of various places the party has visited or researched.
<https://www.robsworld.org/wherenow.html>

A new D&D player:
As the players in our D&D group know, some new guy's been hanging out at our meetings these last couple of sessions. He even got his hands on Tanar for a session. He's demonstrated a great degree of tenacity and a measurable amount of Role-Playing 'Skilz' over the last few weeks. You should see his character proposals! Well, I've been pinning over it for some time, considering the pros and cons. The only significant con is space. Thankfully, our current table is much larger than the previous gaming situation, and if you've ever gamed in a dormitory room, you really know the premium on gaming space. The pros are; an added degree of experience, another character to hold back the hordes of chaos (Not that chaos is necessarily bad mind you. It's just that the hordes of chaos are, well... You have to draw the line somewhere!), and an expansion to the groups social dynamic. i.e. the more the merrier! The pros have outweighed the cons, and I've decided to add an eighth player to our table. So move down a little, and set your books on the floor behind you, because Lee is here to stay.

With no further excuses or trepidation, I'd like to welcome Lee to our party. I'm sure that his presence at our gaming table will be a benefit to all. His character (of his own devising) will enter the campaign as soon as I can find a logical and convenient way to introduce him. Until then, Lee will gladly fill any role, play any character, and support our group as best he can.

Please join me in welcoming Lee to our group.

Our next gaming date is 24 March, 2007, and I'm sure that there will be lots of thrills and excitement in the months to come. Sometimes it takes a little extra effort to produce these web pages, and I have to give credit to Mark for taking time out of his very busy schedule in order to make these journal entries possible.

DVD acquisitions:
* Calvaire (the ordeal): A traveling musician makes a mistake when he stays at a rural inn. A horror movie in the tradition of Texas Chain-saw massacre.
* Rolling Family: Four generations of a family are crammed into a camper as they travel cross-country in South America, in order to attend a wedding.
* Kill Your Idols: A documentary about the punk scene of the late 70's and early 80's.
* 13 Tzameti: An illegal betting ring, where the contestants put a single bullet in the chamber, aim the gun, and wait - for the lights to go out!
* The Heart is deceitful above all things: Can a young woman with no values clean up her act long enough to become a mother?

Mac OS 10.4.9:
On the 14th of Mar, 2007, I updated my operating system. The upgrade from 10.4.8 to 10.4.9 is a fairly significant update. It includes numerous .mac service improvements, bug fixes, improvements to Bluetooth and other synchronization services, addresses multiple network and modem issues, resolves some printing problems, and addresses numerous other issues. This upgrade went painlessly, and it only took less than an hour to get everything installed, rebooted and back in business.

As a result of my OS update, the following pages have been updated. myfavs.html, feedback.html, mycomputer.html.

D&D update:
We played D&D on the 10th of March, 2007. We were only missing one player during this session, but we had an extra player. Lee showed up, and he played Tanar for Stephen. During this meeting (on the 10th of Mar, 2007), the party continued their quest to help Tanar locate his father. Missing for the past twenty years, Tanar's father, Nigel, has gone gone in search of some magical gateway. So far, the party has reached the town of 'Longbridge'. They helped the local lawman track down some rapists, and they witnessed some rather unusual animal activity. They found a hunter willing to lead them to a mountain trail. The trail led up into the mountains. Eventually they came upon two very large gates in the side of the mountain. While they searched for a way into the mountain, they were attacked by an unusual creature. These mountains seem to spawn strange beasts and cause madness in the animals living in it's shadow. Once I've received a journal update for Saturday's meeting (10 Mar 2007), I'll post another journal update. Until then, here's some other updates I posted:

Cassette conversions:
* Escape Club - Wild Wild West: (10 songs) A one hit wonder from the 80's. The band's debut album features their only real hit 'Wild Wild West'. It's too bad they didn't make it.
* Eurythmics - Greatest Hits: (14 song compilation) The Eurythmics came along at the rise of the 'New Wave', and they rode it long and hard. The unique vocal and instrumental combination gave them something that other bands couldn't match - Combine that with terrific lyrics and it's no wonder they lasted as long as they did.
* The Fabulous Thunderbirds - Powerful Stuff: (10 songs) Another band that sat in that American niche. A sound I appreciated in the 80's. Blues, R&B, Rock, Rockabilly, all fused together to make for some excellent music.
* Falco - 3: (10 Songs) Some german bands made an emergence in the American market during the 80's. This wasn't one of them. Falco was an Austrian band. With catchy synth pop sounds and rock like lyrics, Falco lasted longer than some of their German contenders. This import was a big hit in America.
* Fine Young Cannibals - The Raw & The Cooked: (10 songs) This particular album is arguably the bands best. It captures many genres of music while retaining a unique flavor.
* The Fixx - Reach the Beach: (10 songs) Definitely the bands best effort. Stylish, danceable new wave. Synth pop on the rise, with a unique vocal style.
* The Fixx - Ink: (11 songs) Lackluster ending of a great band. This album pretty much ended the groups career. The songs on this album proved that they'd run out of ideas. Following this album, the band folded up shop for seven years.
* The Fixx - Walkabout: (10 songs) Another fine release from this London based British band. Still synth driven, this album failed to put songs on the U.K. charts.
* The Fixx - Calm Animals: (10 songs) Here we find the Fixx trying to redefine their sound. Here the synthesizer is moved to the back and the sound is more guitar rock than their traditional synth new wave. I didn't like it that much. Their only release on RCA records.
* The Flesh Eaters - Forever Came Today: (9 songs) Post-punk stylings from a mad poet. This album featured two rare tracks (due to a production flaw on the LP). The last two tracks on side one of the LP were prone to skipping (all the way to the end). I need to get an LP player in order to capture the second to last track (Shallow Water).
* The Fleshtones - Fleshtones vs. Reality: (10 songs) Self produced, this album was a good effort. Party mixes with a 60's psychedelic flavor. Too bad it's mostly covers.
* Genesis - We Can't Dance: (12 songs) From Kim's collection. Admittedly, I liked Phil Collins and Genesis. This album returned to an earlier sound with a more prominent role for drums and guitars.
* Hoodoo Gurus - Magnum Cum Louder: (11 songs) An Australian band meant to be played loud. The lyrics were crazy, zany and well matched by the frenetic instrumental style.
* General Public - ...all the rage: (10 songs) Formed in the aftermath of the 'English Beat' breakup, General Public was an excellent idea. With their combination ska and pop, they generated some good music. Unfortunately, it was all just a little too - mainstream for me. I didn't buy the subsequent releases.
* Hoodoo Gurus - Mars Needs Guitars!: (10 songs) More of that 60's sounding garage rock with trailer trash lyrics. Great lyrics and an upbeat mood.
* House of Lords - House of Lords: (10 songs) I'm not quite sure how or why this album ended up in my collection. A hard rock band, produced by Gene Simmons (of KISS)?
* Iggy Pop - Brick by Brick: (13 songs) Pop oriented rock from a god-father of punk rock. Iggy Pop sounds great on this ballad about the decay of modern America.
* Iggy Pop - Blah, Blah, Blah: (9 songs) Reuniting with David Bowie, this work is one of my favorite Iggy Pop albums. It marks a transition into American mainstream.
* INXS - X: (11 songs) The seventh album from this Australian band finds no change in the bands tested formula. As a result it's nowhere near as good as some earlier work.
* INXS - Live Baby Live: (16 songs) A live album which put it all into perspective. INXS wasn't going anywhere. Nothing new, and very little energy. The studio stuff is better.
* INXS - Kick: (12 songs) This album (coming just after 'Listen Like Thieves') brought us some great hits with the bands signature sound. A strong album with much promise.
* David Arkenstone - Island: (11 songs) Something I bought for Kim. David Arkenstone was a foundation of the 'New Age' movement in music. Despite the acoustic guitar work of Andrew White, this album wasn't one of Arkenstone's better works.
* The Jam - Greatest Hits: (19 songs) One of the great bands to emerge from Britain's early punk movement of the late 70's. The Jam proved the 3 minute hook-driven guitar rock formula. This album is a great introduction to the band.
* Jason & The Scorchers - Fervor: (7 songs) The debut EP from this amazing band. Every song was excellent, I must have played this tape a thousand times, I'm surprised it survived.
* Jason & The Scorchers - Lost & Found: (11 songs) Defining 'Cow-Punk' this alt-country sound was something I couldn't put down. Harder than the Americana I'd already started listening to. This band had a lot of energy, and this was an excellent album, containing many memorable songs.
* Joe Jackson - Big World: (15 songs) An excellent effort. Unfortunately some of the work is ponderously political. A bit to heavy for the musical style of Joe Jackson.
* Kraut - Whetting the scythe: (9 songs) A speed-metal thrash band. A fusion of punk and heavy metal. The guitar work is stunning, the drums on fire, the lyrics raw and charged.
* LeAnn Rimes - Blue: (11 songs) Yuck. Kim bought this. I'm embarrassed to say I own it. I actually had to listen to the whole thing while digitizing it. Debut of a 15 year old country singer when country was dying of stagnation.
* John Lennon - The John Lennon Collection: (19 songs) Do I really need to introduce this artist? This compilation was released two years after his death.
* Level 42 - World Machine: (1 song) I was missing one song from the album. The newsgroup download was missing the track 'Good Man in a Storm'.
* Lone Justice - Lone Justice: (10 songs) This band generated a lot of buzz around their debut, but overproduction and lack of staying power doomed this Alternative country act with a strong rock roots.
* Lords of the New Church - Is Nothing Sacred?: (11 songs) Goth rock. This is rock on the edge of darkness. Moody, born out of punk, and inspired by the Rolling Stones.
* Love Tractor - This Ain't No Outerspace Ship: (10 songs) Born of the Athens Georgia college/jangle rock scene. This album marked the introduction of lyrics/vocals to their sound.

Website and newsgroup downloads:
* U2 - Joshua Tree: (11 songs) I don't own all the U2 albums, but this is one of my favorites. This album sounds a lot like the anthem rock they scored big with in 'War'.
* Prefab Sprouts - Steve McQueen: (11 songs) An English pop band that never broke through into the mainstream market. This album was produced by Thomas Dolby. This album was released in the U.S. as 'Two Wheels Good', due to legal problems with the estate of American actor Steve McQueen.
* Eminor - Nevermind blue: (single) An award winning single. Part of a contest sponsored by 3hive.com/BeatHive. eMinormusic is an unsigned talent (as of Mar 2007) on myspace. This folk-pop music brings back a sound reminiscent of 'Wall of Voodoo'. I like it. If he can build on this release, he could really break out.
* TransAlarm - The Future: (single) An award winning single. Part of a contest sponsored by 3hive.com/BeatHive. TransAlarm has a haunting sound that reaches up out of Indie obscurity to shake you by the collar, calling out 'Look out! Here comes your future'.

eMusic downloads:
* Shrimp Boat - Speckly: (14 songs) Alt-country, American, really good stuff. Widely ranging sounds with no pretentious overproduction. Discovered by eMusic recommendations.
* The Rapture - Mirror: (8 songs) On the edge of danceable electronic. Techno synth with an eerie undercurrent of funky punk tendencies. Discovered through 3hive.com.
* The Cansecos - The Cansecos: (12 songs) Experimental, alternative, beat crazy. Electronic sound with hip-hop folk tendencies. Now that's a combination you can groove to.
* So Many Dynamos - Flashlights: (6 songs) Discovered using 3hive.com. Caution: Potential energy could cause spontaneous combustion. Powerhouse progressive pop leaps at you like a crackhouse exploding. Barely restrained lyrics are backed by energetic instrumentals. Downloaded the remaining songs from this album.
* Anti-Flag - Die for your government: (17 songs) Good old-fashioned punk rock. Throwing rocks at the glass house. Charged lyrics coupled with instrumentals that charge straight forwards. Discovered by listening to a friends podcast (thanks Troy).
* Fugazi - Repeater: (14 songs) Alternative/punk with vicious lyrics and ripping instrumentals. Discovered through eMusic recommendations.
* Radio 4 - New song and dance: (11 songs) A 3hive discovery. So far I've downloaded three albums from this band. Here's a pop band with a danceable post-punk sound. Brings back memories of Wire, Gang of Four and The Dickies.
* The Flesh Eaters - No Questions Asked: (8 songs) Partial download of an album from a band I recently rediscovered. While the lyrics are poetic, and the vocals delivered in a quirky catchy style, it's the uncompromisingly raw instrumentals that are the star here.

These are just some of the items I added to my music collection during the month of March. Since returning from Japan in 2001, I've been starting to rediscover my appreciation for music. I really picked it up again in September of 2005. Since then I've been slowly adding, revising and updating my music collection. If you have a comment or a question regarding my music collection, please don't hesitate to send me an email.

Friggin' Hot!
We've had some unseasonably warm weather over the last couple weeks. On the 5th of March, we had temps up into the mid 60's. Accompanying this warming trend was a significant thaw. I no longer have any snow in the back yard. On the 10th of March we had rain, and plenty of melting. On the 11th of March, the temperatures actually got up into the 80's for a short time. Most of the day the temps hovered in the seventies. A lot of melting occurred. The snow in the front yard is almost completely gone. The trees around here are starting to bud. That's probably not a good thing though, as we're likely to have one or two more cold spells before the end of the month. It was so nice out that we were able to get out the hose and wash the vehicles.

D&D update:
We played D&D on the 10th of March, 2007. We were only missing one player during this session, but we had an extra player. Lee showed up, and he played Tanar for Stephen. During this meeting (on the 10th of Mar, 2007), the party continued their quest to help Tanar locate his father. Missing for the past twenty years, Tanar's father, Nigel, has gone gone in search of some magical gateway. So far, the party has reached the town of 'Longbridge'. They helped the local lawman track down some rapists, and they witnessed some rather unusual animal activity. They found a hunter willing to lead them to a mountain trail. The trail led up into the mountains. Eventually they came upon two very large gates in the side of the mountain. While they searched for a way into the mountain, they were attacked by an unusual creature. These mountains seem to spawn strange beasts and cause madness in the animals living in it's shadow. Once I've received a journal update for Saturday's meeting (10 Mar 2007), I'll post another journal update. Until then, here's some other updates I posted: