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Track #4: Kitty - The Presidents of the United States of America
Listen to it on my mixtape!

When I was 10 years old, I bought my first CD. I listened to it a lot for some months, until I had enough. I have tried to keep the album as far away from my CD-shelves ever since. Celine Dion is just not my favourite artist anymore…

The second album I bought in my life, however, is an album I have listened to a lot. The Presidents of the United States of America’s first album was amazingly cool, absurd and definitely something quite different than Celine. The summer I bought the album (in 1995, I think?) I was at our family’s summer house in Bergen. And we all had fun singing about millions of peaches, blue dune buggies, and kitties that had to spend the night outside. Me included - without really knowing what it all meant.

It still is a fantastic album. Tomorrow my parents(!) and I are going to their concert together here in Oslo. I know the band has made some albums over the years. I still hope they know that their first album still is the best one - and will squeeze in at least Dune Buggy and Boll Weevil for me and my parents. And preferably Stranger, Peaches and Feather Pluckn too. If they throw in Body, Kitty, and Back Porch, the night will be just perfect. Ooooh, it’ll be fun!

Download three of the songs from the album for free at Last.fm
Or just buy the album right now :)

VG (Norway’s largest newspaper) tries to teach the Norwegians how to listen to personalized web radios like Last.fm in today’s paper. Me, my apartment and my lovely MacBook Pro do our best to help. “Kristin stopped downloading” says the headline to the right - and it’s true. Organizing, copying and syncronizing files from computer to computer, to external hard drives and iPods became a bit too demanding in the long run. I don’t want to mainly organize my music. I want to listen to it!

I have never been a fan of the traditional radios where they might play me songs I hate - without the possibility to skip it. I end up changing radio stations all the time. With Last.fm I can even ban the songs with the button that says “Don’t ever play me this song again”. Perfect!

However, it’s not that often Last.fm tries to play me really bad tracks. I guess the service “knows” me by now. It has eventually become quite good at recommending new music to me too. Because it keeps track of what I am listening to, I can easily check the history to find information about the songs I have been listening to lately. I still end up buying the whole album when I discover music I really like, though. But when having friends over, I might just as easily let Last.fm be my DJ, than being bothered with changing the CDs all night.

Check out my Last.fm profile
Listen to my forever expanding playlist
Make your own profile

Track #3: The Quiz - Hello Saferide
Listen to it on MySpace!

I am very happy these days. I just love summertime, my wonderful friends, my smart and eager colleagues, my caring family, and …my precious appartment. I really enjoy being alone in it, just reading, drinking tea, dancing in the living room. And I can take care of myself - most of the time.

As of today, I can even cut the grass in my garden all on my own! My dad finally gave in. He drove by my flat and swapped the scary, gas-powered lawn mower he once insisted was perfect for me, with a small, manual one.

Before dad was willing to do the switch, he had to prove to me that the gas-powered lawn mower actually works. It took him 10 minutes, and a huge amount of wrestling to “prove” his point… In the meantime I was halfway finished mowing the lawn with the cutie in the background.

So. Point being: I don’t really need a guy for anything. I can manage on my own (now that I have a manual lawn mower, anyway ;). I miss the feelings that the song ‘The Quiz’ portrays, though:

The Quiz
by Hello Saferide

You look nice alright
and I like the way you nod after everything I say
like it actually means something
to you

And I like your record collection
Townes and Jens with a hint of Rickie Lee
And you’ve cleaned up the bathroom, made a really nice soup
but a bit too much sci-fi in your shelf with DVDs

But there’s some things you need to know about me:
I’m weak right now, real weak right now
I need proof before I dare to open this heart
so I prepared a quiz for you:

Would you freak out if I said I liked you?
Do you walk the line?
Is your IQ higher than your neighbour’s?
And is it very much higher than mine?

Can you sleep when I grind my teeth?
Do you look away if I slob when I eat?
Will you let me be myself?
Can you at all times wear socks?
because I’m still scared of feet

Do you talk in the middle of Seinfeld?
Do you read more than two books a month?
Do you get racist or sexist when you’ve had a few?
Is it fine if I make more money than you?

Have you slept with any people I work with?
Is there anyone you’d rather wish I’d be?
Do you still keep pictures of old girlfriends?
Are they prettier than me?

And if I’d fall, would you pick me up?
If I fall, will you pick me up?

The very beginning of something new. Curiousity, vulnerability and hope.

Check out the song on YouTube.