First 10 Songs, 29 July 2013

It's kind of late in the day, but here's my first ten songs from my Pandora shuffle:

1. "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus" (Steven Anderson: History of the Hymnal)
2. "Any Man of Mine" (Shania Twain: The Woman in Me) - I really like Shania Twain, although this isn't one of my favorites. Kind of catchy, though.
3. "Freewill (Live in Rio)" (Rush: Rush in Rio: Live) - OK, is this the only Rush album Pandora has? Again, one of my favorites, but I prefer the studio version.
4. "Never Gonna Fall In Love" (Tom Robinson Band: Rising Free) - Tom Robinson and TRB in its various incarnations has been on the top of my list of great musicians since the early 80's. It's hard to find his work, but well worth the effort.
5. "Ukulele Bros." (Jake Shimabukuro: Peace Love Ukulele) - Shimabukuro is probably the best-known contemporary ukulele artist. His work is anything but traditional ukulele. And, he's coming to town in November! I really want tickets!
6. "Track 1" (Orange Range: Orange Range) - Another J-Pop group. What can I say, it's fun! Sorry, there doesn't seem to be an English language site.
7. "If the Savior Stood Beside Me" (Mormon Tabernacle Choir: Teach Me to Walk in the Light & Other Children's Favorites) - Can't help it, they really do great choral music.
8. "I Am the Day" (Libera: Free) - Another choral group, Libera is a wonderful, long-standing boys' choir. I love the arrangements they use.
9. "Carpe Diem" (Yellow Generation: Jpop CD) - Lots of J-Pop tonight. I'm not familiar with this one, but I like it. Again, no English site.
10. "Whenever You Need Somebody" (Rick Astley: Whenever You Need Somebody) - I'll admit it: I'm a Rick Astley fan.

Susanna Diehl, My Great-Great Grandmother (Updated)

Here's a genealogy post. We've known for a while that my great-great grandmother on my father's side was Susanna Diehl (spelled various ways) of Pennsylvania. She was married to David Rothenberger on 26 September 1867 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. By 1880, the family is in Clinton county, Indiana (according to the 1880 US Census). Susanna dies later that year at the age of 31, leaving behind four children: Peter J. Rothenberger (12 years old), Sallie V. Rothenberger (8), Olville O. Rothenberger (6, and my great grandfather), and Anna A. Rothenberger (2). The names are from the census, and are in some cases known to be incorrect. Anyway...

First 10 Songs, 28 July 2013

It's time to start some music lists again. Instead of what's on my iPod (which I don't use as much anymore) I'll be listing the first 10 songs that come up when I put my Pandora account on shuffle. Today's list has some really good ones:

1. "Yesterday Once More" (Carpenters: Now and Then) - After all these years, still my favorite group, and one of their best songs. I probably have the worst Carpenters crush in history!
2. "One More Try" (George Michael: Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael) - George Michael is another of my all-time favorite singers. I've liked him since the first moment I saw "Wake Me Up" on MTV, lo these many years ago. His voice and range is superb, and his songs always move me.
3. "Be Still My Soul" (The Talleys: Praise for the Ages) - Not sure why this came up. I think I need to review my Pandora stations. It's OK, but not really my kind of music.
4. "Penny in the Well" (Emerald Rose: Bending Tradition) - This is a treat! A song I haven't heard from one of my favorite Celtic Revival bands. If you haven't heard Emerald Rose, you really should give them a listen.
5. "Limelight: Live in Rio" (Rush: Rush in Rio: Live) -  A great song, but this isn't one of my favorite recordings. Let's face it - if you're not actually there, Rush is much better in studio than live.
6. "Caribbean Blue" (Enya: Shepherd Moons) - What can I say? I love Enya, and this is one of my favorites. She's really the closest thing I have to a replacement for the loss of Karen Carpenter.
7. "I Won't Last a Day Without You" (Carpenters: A Song for You) - Clearly, Pandora knows me. Another great Carpenters song today (not that there are any bad ones).
8. "Blue Oyster Cult" (Shonen Knife: 712) - I know, it's strange, but I really like Shone Knife. Maybe it's part of my fascination with all things Japanese, maybe they're just really good! With music like this, who cares?
9. "Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars)" (Stan Getz, with Astrud Gilberto: Getz Au Go Go) - The work Getz did with Gilberto produced, in my opinion, some of his best ever. His smooth jazz backing Gilberto's wonderful voice makes for some delicious music.
10. "Nothing Compares 2 U" (Sinead O'Connor: I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got) - I've always liked O'Connor, no matter what she does. I also really like sad love songs, and this is one of the best broken-heart songs ever.

So there's today's list. Let's see what happens tomorow.

I'm Still Around

I just haven't been around here. I've had some other projects going on. One is my new site about M/M fiction, Gaily Readings. If you like that kind of stuff, and I've got to admit I love it, check it out. I'm also getting ready to apply to graduate school (finally). It's the MLS program at San Jose State University. I'm no longer really in the tech field. I've been moved into reference services at our library, and I really don't miss working with computers. I don't like trying to fix and maintain the darn things. They're great tools, but they're not my life.

Anyway, I'll start bringing other things up to date starting tomorrow. Thanks!