My First Memes of 2008

Part I: Friday's Feast
Friday's Feast #175 for Friday, 11 January 2008:

Appetizer What is your middle name? Would you change any of your names if you could? If so, what would you like to be called?
My middle name is Scott. I'm happy with it, as I am with all of my names. I wouldn't change a thing.

Soup If you were a fashion designer, which fabrics, colors, and styles would you probably use the most?
Me? A fashion designer? There's an unsettling thought. But if it were so, I'd stick with durable, comfortable fabrics and solid colors in practical, no-nonsense styles. Which is pretty much what I wear anyway.

Salad What is your least favorite chore, and why?
I hate cleaning the bathroom. I don't really know why, but I can never seem to get motivated to do it. Dishes? Sure. Laundry? No problem. The bathroom? Let me get back to you on that one....

Main Course What is something that really frightens you, and can you trace it back to an event in your life?
My two biggest phobias are needles and heights. I don't recall any specific incidents growing up that led to these fears, except maybe getting tetanus shots after slicing my hand open during a soap carving incident in Cub Scouts.

Dessert Where are you sitting right now? Name 3 things you can see at this moment.
I'm sitting at my desk in our office. I can see all sorts of stuff, most of which needs to be put away. But three specific things I can see are:
1. A painting Granny did years ago; we still need to get it framed.
2. A Lexmark inkjet printer that I no longer use.
3. A carton of strawberry Whoppers I got in my Christmas stocking.

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Part II: Top 5 On Friday
Top 5 On Friday - Week 158 from The Music Memoirs:

Top 5 "Perfect" Albums (Albums that you can play all the way through without skipping a track)


» 1962-1966 by The Beatles
It almost feels like cheating to put such a great compilation in this list, but there's no way I could leave it out. I can go through both disks and never want to skip a single track.


» Roll The Bones by Rush
It's true the group has better albums, e.g., Moving Pictures and 2112, but there are tracks on both of those disks I don't care for much ("Vital Signs" and "A Passage to Bangkok", respectively) and generally skip. This one I listen to straight through, every time.


» Between Sunlight and Shadow by Singularity
This album is essentially a single composition broken down into fifteen segments. Different moods, different sounds, and even different lead singers flow together to create a seamless musical experience. It's definitely worth listening to the whole way through.


» Leftoverture by Kansas
With thoughtful lyrics, impressive musicianship, complex arrangements, and enough hooks to make it accessible without losing any of its depth, this album is one of the great rock recordings of the era. I can put it on and let it play undisturbed.


» Direct by Vangelis
Actually, pretty much any Vangelis disc could go on this list. This is probably the one I listen to most often.