I’ve been trying out quite a bit of new music lately, using a tool called AudioGalaxy. Yes, folks, downloading music can increase the chances of purchasing music. A friend gave me a couple of single tracks and I liked them enough to search out more by the bands. In addition to that, I go each month to KCRW’s 10×5 listings, which shows the DJ’s pick’s for favorite albums each month. It’s a great place to find bands to check out.

So, what did I discover?

Sigur Ros, Ida, Pete Yorn, Schiller, Azure Ray and Silent Poets. What fun. I’m ordering albums by three of these bands this week.

I’m also continuing to read through all the Lois McMasters Bujold books chronologically. I just finished The Vor Game and now I’m on Cetaganda. My favorite so far has been the short story in Borders of Infinity called “The Mountains of Mourning.” I’m having a bit of a hard time deciding whether the novels are as great and as well written as I think they are, or whether I just haven’t read much sci-fi in a while and just love all sci-fi. Actually, a couple of years back I tried to read one of Harry Harrison’s “Stainless Steel Rat” novels and just put it down after a few chapters. It was just so poorly written and the character was so extremely self-congratulatory that I couldn’t help but feel like the author’s own overweening pride at his fairly lousy accomplishment was seeping through to his character like grease from cheese.

Poetry: I bought No Word of Farewell by R.S. Gwynn a couple of weeks ago and have been picking through it. It’s his selected poems from the last 30 years. He does a lot in form, and is both quite witty and approachable (although, to be honest, I’ve found that I like my poetry just two steps to the left of approachable, so that I have to work a little).