Opiniatrety

happy birthday, Matt! I was going to not add a comment but mail you directly to make it look more like I knew it was your birthday, but that seems a little manipulative even though it's true. I wonder how old people who read your blog think you might be.

Happy Birthday Matt!

Something nice: my playlist yesterday, furnished by this Starbucks-marketed CD. Corporate coffehouse music, OK, but still had several interesting tracks. (Though Rufus Wainright's Funny Valentine, which opens the disk, struck me as weak.)

Of course I was listening by candlelight with my new sweetie (!), on whom it had exactly the desired effect, so perhaps my judgement is not to be trusted.

Congrats, Anders. How was the cover of "Love Will Tear Us Apart?"

cara, I don't think it would have been manipulative if you'd been going to do it anyway, though this gets into interesting philosophical waters. Maybe. I'm not sure about the second question.

Compilation is now in possession of said sweetie, so I haven't been able to revisit it. "Love Will Tear us Apart" was pleasant as I recall (but should it be?); that song was never a special favorite of mine. I do remember liking "There is a Light That Never Goes Out". Interestingly, that had become the favorite music to blast while driving with a past sweetie (in spite of the lyrics), owing to a Smiths tape left in the used car's cassette player when I bought it.