My class is done (final today). My cold is better. I still have the sexy-scratchy voice. Christmas gift buying is coming along slowly but surely. Yay!

Yet, I still don't have a Christmas tree. When I finally get one, it's going to last me through January.

Being sick last week really put a crimp in my plans. But, it didn't stop me from going to Deck the Hall Ball when my friend Craig told me he scored tickets. It was a night of music fun, starting with Pete Yorn at 5pm and ending with Snow Patrol around midnight. I'll try to recap in one paragraph.

The Yorn was yornirific as always. He wore a stupid hat but sounded great, and he played lots of oldies from Music for the Morning After, which made me very happy. I love MFTMA--every single song--so much that I now realize it is one of my very favorite albums. He didn't chomp gum into the microphone this time or start things off by saying "Hey, cats and chicks!" The Yorn did, however, have a clever little harmonica holder attached to the side of the microphone stand. Craig and I ended up snagging empty seats next to Em and her friend, and Em informed me that she is going to stick a harmonica holder to the side of her computer so she can just grab it and play whenever the mood strikes. I was still cracking up/wheezing about that well into Angels & Airwaves. I have to say that I was curious to see A&A, since I was a big fan of Blink's Blink 182 album. It got a lot of play in my car for many months, and I was also curious about Tom DeLonge after reading about his motivation for A&A. While I admire his message, I am not on board with his approach. After a couple of (annoying) mini-sermons during the show, I started to think of him as the Pop Music Evangelist. He's polished. He's confident and earnest. He's charismatic. He knows his pitch. But, I think he is also so alarmingly wrapped up in his message that he has lost sight of how to communicate in a real way with his audience. It all felt so rehearsed. Plus, the music is disappointing, pretty much sounds all the same. I forget what it's called, but some of the background music and vocals were taped, not live, and the whole set just sounded off most of the time. Oh dear. I need to pick up the pace. Jet totally rocked! I love them now. Great energy. Can't wait to see them again, hopefully in a smaller venue. I felt a little bit sorry for Gnarls Barkley. They put on a cute show in their Austin Powers costumes, but their sound system was total crap and the audience was lukewarm. I adore St. Elsewhere and enjoyed hearing the songs live anyway, but I could tell it was tough on them. When I think about Taking Back Sunday, the little voice in my head goes uhhhhhhhhhhh. Adam Lazzara likes to pirouette and leap and do complicated moves with the microphone. He constantly tossed it around on stage, while the little junior high girls in the stands hurt our ears by screaming "I love you, Adam! Ahhhhhhh!" I wonder if he ever clunks any of his bandmates in the head with that thing. I giggle when I imagine him practicing in his kitchen. With all his fancy footwork and stunts, I feel like he is primed for an off broadway musical if this whole band thing doesn't work out. I'm ambivalent, bordering on dislike, about them and My Chemical Romance, who followed. I just don't see the appeal in the music. The Shins are pretty much perfect in my book, and I'm excited for the new album (January!) after hearing a few of the new songs. Gary Lightbody's voice can make me weak in the knees, and he has the whole big head, lanky body, cute accent thing that just works and is terribly attractive. Snow Patrol is coming back for another show soon, and I'm bummed that they are now so big that they are playing the Key.

Whew.

And, Em and I saw Lily Allen at the Croc this weekend! She is really lovely in a normal sort of way, which makes me like her even more, and she sounded great. An added bonus is that she has a band of very fine looking men. Hubba. We met a couple of interesting people and just had a funny night out. I would tell you about it, but I'm sooooo tired and will save that story for another time. For now, I must do ballet leaps into my bedroom.