Yeah that would be complete silence, actually. I have difficulty reading anything if there's noise going on around me. It's as if I need to hear the words in my head in order for them to sink in. That or I have ADD.

But on the other hand if we talk about Music to Bake By, brace yourself for the full-on girl folk explosion (is that not an AWESOME mental picture?). Michelle Shocked ("Making Jam"), Judy Collins ("Cook with honey"), Bora Yoon (just because), Mare Wakefield ("No one really looks like Barbie/She's plastic from her head down to her feet now/No one really looks like Barbie/So come to the table and eat, girls, eat!").

If we're talking about Music to Work Out By, then I confess, I hit the rowing machine while listening to a combination of sea shanties (yes, sea shanties), and the soundtracks to The Pirate Movie, Pirates of the Caribbean and Cutthroat Island. One day I will simply collapse under the weight of my own dorkiness.

Meanwhile, there's a meme going round.

What is the total amount of music files on your computer?

Too many to deal with on a regular basis. I had a couple of different directories I was making mixtapes from, and then I got a Rio and had to feed them all into the Rio control program. Let's say more than 50. And they're all just as cool as the ones listed above.

The CD you last bought?

CD Baby had a $5 sale (buy 3 from the list and they're each only $5) so I wound up with:

• Bora Yoon's Proscenium
• The Jodie Manross Band, Going Somewhere Soon
• Rose Polenzani, Anybody
• Ari Scott, I Was Only Just a Chorus Girl
• Laurie York, Just Like a Texan

What was the last song you listened to before you read this message?

Laurel Braun is coming to play at UVM next month at the free coffeehouse series, and she frequently tours with Liz Parmalee, who has tons of good downloads on her site. The last one I listened to (mainly because it was my favorite) is "Nightlight".

Write down 5 songs you listen to a lot or that mean a lot to you.

1. "Anchorage" by Michelle Shocked. All about moving away, losing touch with people and then trying to get in touch with folks you wish were back in your life through the time-honored snail mail method. Draw your own conclusions.
2. "Music for a Found Harmonium" by Penguin Cafe Orchestra. It's just so peppy and upbeat, it's impossible to stay depressed or annoyed when it plays. It's acoustic Zoloft. It's better than sunlight in winter, it provides a full day's balance of vitamins and nutrients and removes common household stains. There's nothing this song can't do.
3. "So Happy Birthday" by Laurie Anderson. It's not actually a song but a spoken word piece that never gets old. I first discovered Laurie Anderson at our small town California library when I was 11 years old. They had Big Science on vinyl along with other 80s notables like Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians, The Cars, and the Possom Hollow String Band. I have been unable to find any listing for that last band since I last visited the library; it's nowhere Google can find it, and music store clerks just look at me funny when I ask (which is a feat unto itself) so I've stopped asking. Anyway, listening to Laurie Anderson made me understand a lot more about music, language and sound; also mountains and stars and government. "So Happy Birthday" is probably one of the most accessible pieces, as well as being slightly goofy and ironic. No Alannis, the other ironic.
4. "I Don't Mind Driving" by Mare Wakefield. I don't. Mind driving, that is. I like driving, and that came in handy all the times I drove from Sacramento to Corvallis, Oregon and back, along Highway 5. Highway 5 is heavily referenced in the song, and for a long time, those visits were huge highpoints of my life; at one point they were pretty much the only thing sustaining me. The crux of the song is being 29 and driving a long highway and trying to figure out what happened to 10 years of your life. And who among us has not been in this situation?
5. "Latin Goes Ska" by the Skatalites. The quintessential sunny Saturday afternoon, puttering-around-your-house song. Good to cook to, good for gardening, good for paying your bills or watching the sun move across the yard. Fantastico.

Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 persons) and why?

Twinly, because maybe it will make her update her journal;
El Yo, because his journal is very heavy on the technical computer postings and light on the folk girl explosion side;
Deadly Meringue, because doesn't everyone wonder what an ex-music major listens to?