Every once in a while, I look at my iTunes library and am amazed at the vast and random assortment of music I have managed to collect to date. Right now, my library is sitting at 8,616 songs.* That's twenty-four days worth of auditory goodness, y'all.
Because my music has been on my mind, I thought that just for kicks and giggles, I'd share a little slice of my strange tastes with you. I pulled up the DJ function in my iTunes and refreshed it. Here are the the first ten** tracks that popped up.
"Landslide" (as performed by the cast of Glee)
"A Little More Country Than That" by Easton Corbin
"Just Remember" by Sister Hazel
"Country Star" by Pat Green
"Dance With You" by Bowling For Soup
"The Tracks of My Tears" by Johnny Rivers
"When I Dream of Michelangelo" by Counting Crows
"In Between Days" by The Cure
"You'll See" from the Rent soundtrack (original Broadway cast recording)
"Indian Outlaw" by Tim McGraw
I actually think this gives you a pretty good idea of my overall tastes in music. So, make of that what you will, and feel free to judge me accordingly as you proceed through your Thursday.
*I use the word "songs" loosely, "tracks" might be more accurate as my library does also include more than a few audio books.
*I did skip one audio book track and an instrumental from a soundtrack that appeared on the list.
Showing posts with label iTunes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iTunes. Show all posts
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Apparently It's The Bomb-Diggity
So Game of Thrones, the television adaptation of the first book in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, premiered on HBO this past weekend. I didn't watch it, of course. I don't have HBO, for one thing, and I am only eight chapters into the first book of the series for another.
Still, good lord, I want to see it. I am having a hard time resisting the urge to just buy the season pass on iTunes, tiny non-television-sized computer monitor be damned.
All of the reviews I have seen (that I haven't been able to read, which is killing me just a little bit) seem to be pretty glowing. People that I actually know who watched it have been raving on Facebook about the awesomeness, and several writers and webcomics creators I follow online have been singing its praises as well. The show did so well that HBO even officially renewed it for a second season. After only one episode had aired. Wow.
Everything points to this being a series that is not only awesome by all measurable standards, but also something that I will really and truly love.
Still. I'll be good and wait. It is hard enough not devouring the first book, rather than just reading two chapters a week along with Leigh Butler, who is doing a read-along on Tor's website. But what I have read I have truly enjoyed, even when I have been appalled by the events unfolding on the page. Especially in these last two chapters. Wow. The people were not kidding when they said that Martin is not kind to his characters. I have only had one chapter from the perspective of a certain character and I am dying to get back to her again, because I am quite concerned for her welfare. I already know that not a lot of good happens to her from the not really spoilery comments I have seen online, but still...
I am not sure I will be able to keep my willpower in check as far as reading the books goes (I have already demonstrated that I have precious little of that particular attribute), but I will wait to watch the series until after I have read all of the first book and probably some of the second. Just to avoid spoilers as much as is humanly possible.
So, even though I haven't yet actually seen this show, I am gonna go ahead and recommend it. If you like fantasy, if you like epic story-telling, if you like War of the Roses type succession battles, if you like gorgeous costume dramas, gorgeous British men, or if you like a damn good story that is well-told, then this is for you. Sunday nights on HBO, tune in. Or, if you don't have have HBO or would just rather read a book, get thee to a bookstore! A Song of Ice and Fire, first novel, A Game of Thrones.
You'll thank me later.
Ginia Bellafante can suck it.
Still, good lord, I want to see it. I am having a hard time resisting the urge to just buy the season pass on iTunes, tiny non-television-sized computer monitor be damned.
All of the reviews I have seen (that I haven't been able to read, which is killing me just a little bit) seem to be pretty glowing. People that I actually know who watched it have been raving on Facebook about the awesomeness, and several writers and webcomics creators I follow online have been singing its praises as well. The show did so well that HBO even officially renewed it for a second season. After only one episode had aired. Wow.
Everything points to this being a series that is not only awesome by all measurable standards, but also something that I will really and truly love.
Still. I'll be good and wait. It is hard enough not devouring the first book, rather than just reading two chapters a week along with Leigh Butler, who is doing a read-along on Tor's website. But what I have read I have truly enjoyed, even when I have been appalled by the events unfolding on the page. Especially in these last two chapters. Wow. The people were not kidding when they said that Martin is not kind to his characters. I have only had one chapter from the perspective of a certain character and I am dying to get back to her again, because I am quite concerned for her welfare. I already know that not a lot of good happens to her from the not really spoilery comments I have seen online, but still...
I am not sure I will be able to keep my willpower in check as far as reading the books goes (I have already demonstrated that I have precious little of that particular attribute), but I will wait to watch the series until after I have read all of the first book and probably some of the second. Just to avoid spoilers as much as is humanly possible.
So, even though I haven't yet actually seen this show, I am gonna go ahead and recommend it. If you like fantasy, if you like epic story-telling, if you like War of the Roses type succession battles, if you like gorgeous costume dramas, gorgeous British men, or if you like a damn good story that is well-told, then this is for you. Sunday nights on HBO, tune in. Or, if you don't have have HBO or would just rather read a book, get thee to a bookstore! A Song of Ice and Fire, first novel, A Game of Thrones.
You'll thank me later.
Ginia Bellafante can suck it.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Willpower, I Don't Have It
Well, I did it. I swore up and down I wouldn't, and then I went and did it anyway. For the first time since I stopped working at the cable company we once more have a subscription to premium movie channels, sigh.
So, I may or may not have mentioned before, but I love Torchwood. In fact, the only reason I started watching Doctor Who is that I had learned its spinoff would begin airing on BBC America and I thought seeing the parent show would help me to understand what the heck was going on. Everything about Torchwood just sounded awesome and intriguing to me, and my assumption that I would enjoy it was not wrong.
I mean, come on, they had a freaking pterodactyl in the lab for the whole first season! Also, Ianto, my favorite character (Jack is awesome, but Ianto was just so very...Ianto) had the same birthday as me (day and year) and I thought that to be very cool.
You can imagine my dismay when after the last season (a shortened mini-series), it seemed as if the cards had been dealt and there would be no more new seasons. Bummer, man. But then the news came down that BBC had partnered with the network Starz to fund more seasons and production of the series would move (at least partially) to America and it would indeed continue. Huzzah! Except...it would no longer be airing stateside on BBC America but instead on Starz network. Sigh.
I really thought I would be okay not subscribing to Starz. My original plan had been to just purchase a season pass to the show on iTunes and watch the new episodes with a day or two delay that way. Except. I really don't actually like watching television shows on my computer. I don't even watch that many videos--if it's a "funny video" that is getting passed around the web and it is more than a minute and a half long, I am more likely to just pass than to watch it. Web series, usually clocking in at a maximum of ten minutes long, are the far edge of my patience for such things. I know that TV on the computer is the way of the future and whatnot, but as I have said before, we have our humongous television for a reason: I like to watch things on the BIG screen. This fad of watching television shows on smaller and smaller devices (tablets and phones, for instance) just baffles me. Those screens are so tiny, why bother? But whatever. To each his own and whatnot. My personal preference is to watch it on my television rather than the computer. I know there are ways to watch it through the television from the computer but those are not any ways I want to mess with.
Also, it goes without saying that I will want to get the new season of Torchwood on DVD when it comes out. I really didn't want to shell out the money for the season pass and for the DVD set, that just seemed silly. Still, I would have to pay more than the cost of both on an annual basis to subscribe to the channel. For just one show that seemed even sillier. Then I learned that Netflix actually had a deal with Starz allowing subscribers to view the network's original programming via their streaming services a day or two after it airs. Cool! Perfect solution! Through the magic of our gaming console, we do have Netflix on our television! But wait a minute, Starz, afraid of people not subscribing to their network if they can just watch the shows right away on Netflix, just renegotiated their agreement with the company. As of April first, there is a 90 day turnaround between the show airing and being available on Netflix. Still sooner than DVD, but...three months.
I was resigned to just hold off and wait until the 90 period had lapsed or the show came out on DVD, until all of the campaigning for the series on the internet started up. I just realized I am too excited about the new season. So I did a little searching around with my cable provider to see if there was any sort of good deal I could get, and I found one. For only a dollar more than just getting Starz, I upgraded to the next level of service up, and I get all of the Starz family of channels as well as the Showtime channels, a few other movie channels, and a few other general channels that I am actually interested in. Even better, currently existing customers upgrading to that tier get a three month discount that for me, since it was only a one level jump in service, comes out to getting the new channels for free for three months. Not too shabby I'd say. So I am all set for the new season of Torchwood, and my husband is just shaking his head at me in bemusement, glad I have something to keep me distracted from how many gigs he has coming up.
Still, I would hate to think I subscribed to all of those channels for just one show. That is still pretty silly. Lucky for me Starz just this past weekend started up a new series that I have also had my eye on (but was more willing to wait the 90 days for). I watched the first two episodes of Camelot yesterday and I have to say I am already pretty hooked. I have found the endless variations in Arthurian legend fascinating since my high school days (at least), and I am very curious to see where this goes. Though, wow, they aren't afraid to be showing off some flesh, are they? Oh well, I'm a big girl, I can handle it.
Since I got Showtime in the deal, I thought I might also give The Borgias a try. The first episode is in my DVR waiting to be fired up.
Boo for no willpower, but huzzah for new period dramas!
So, I may or may not have mentioned before, but I love Torchwood. In fact, the only reason I started watching Doctor Who is that I had learned its spinoff would begin airing on BBC America and I thought seeing the parent show would help me to understand what the heck was going on. Everything about Torchwood just sounded awesome and intriguing to me, and my assumption that I would enjoy it was not wrong.
I mean, come on, they had a freaking pterodactyl in the lab for the whole first season! Also, Ianto, my favorite character (Jack is awesome, but Ianto was just so very...Ianto) had the same birthday as me (day and year) and I thought that to be very cool.
You can imagine my dismay when after the last season (a shortened mini-series), it seemed as if the cards had been dealt and there would be no more new seasons. Bummer, man. But then the news came down that BBC had partnered with the network Starz to fund more seasons and production of the series would move (at least partially) to America and it would indeed continue. Huzzah! Except...it would no longer be airing stateside on BBC America but instead on Starz network. Sigh.
I really thought I would be okay not subscribing to Starz. My original plan had been to just purchase a season pass to the show on iTunes and watch the new episodes with a day or two delay that way. Except. I really don't actually like watching television shows on my computer. I don't even watch that many videos--if it's a "funny video" that is getting passed around the web and it is more than a minute and a half long, I am more likely to just pass than to watch it. Web series, usually clocking in at a maximum of ten minutes long, are the far edge of my patience for such things. I know that TV on the computer is the way of the future and whatnot, but as I have said before, we have our humongous television for a reason: I like to watch things on the BIG screen. This fad of watching television shows on smaller and smaller devices (tablets and phones, for instance) just baffles me. Those screens are so tiny, why bother? But whatever. To each his own and whatnot. My personal preference is to watch it on my television rather than the computer. I know there are ways to watch it through the television from the computer but those are not any ways I want to mess with.
Also, it goes without saying that I will want to get the new season of Torchwood on DVD when it comes out. I really didn't want to shell out the money for the season pass and for the DVD set, that just seemed silly. Still, I would have to pay more than the cost of both on an annual basis to subscribe to the channel. For just one show that seemed even sillier. Then I learned that Netflix actually had a deal with Starz allowing subscribers to view the network's original programming via their streaming services a day or two after it airs. Cool! Perfect solution! Through the magic of our gaming console, we do have Netflix on our television! But wait a minute, Starz, afraid of people not subscribing to their network if they can just watch the shows right away on Netflix, just renegotiated their agreement with the company. As of April first, there is a 90 day turnaround between the show airing and being available on Netflix. Still sooner than DVD, but...three months.
I was resigned to just hold off and wait until the 90 period had lapsed or the show came out on DVD, until all of the campaigning for the series on the internet started up. I just realized I am too excited about the new season. So I did a little searching around with my cable provider to see if there was any sort of good deal I could get, and I found one. For only a dollar more than just getting Starz, I upgraded to the next level of service up, and I get all of the Starz family of channels as well as the Showtime channels, a few other movie channels, and a few other general channels that I am actually interested in. Even better, currently existing customers upgrading to that tier get a three month discount that for me, since it was only a one level jump in service, comes out to getting the new channels for free for three months. Not too shabby I'd say. So I am all set for the new season of Torchwood, and my husband is just shaking his head at me in bemusement, glad I have something to keep me distracted from how many gigs he has coming up.
Still, I would hate to think I subscribed to all of those channels for just one show. That is still pretty silly. Lucky for me Starz just this past weekend started up a new series that I have also had my eye on (but was more willing to wait the 90 days for). I watched the first two episodes of Camelot yesterday and I have to say I am already pretty hooked. I have found the endless variations in Arthurian legend fascinating since my high school days (at least), and I am very curious to see where this goes. Though, wow, they aren't afraid to be showing off some flesh, are they? Oh well, I'm a big girl, I can handle it.
Since I got Showtime in the deal, I thought I might also give The Borgias a try. The first episode is in my DVR waiting to be fired up.
Boo for no willpower, but huzzah for new period dramas!
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