What's with today, today?

I just got a phone call. Not all that puzzling you might say? But you would be wrong. Firstly, it was a phone call to my home phone number in the middle of the day. Secondly, I was already on the phone to Andrew at the time. Now, sad to say, I very rarely get phone calls from people other than Andrew, and everyone seems to call my mobile anyway, particularly in the middle of the day when I might reasonably be expected to be out and about. So I expected telemarketers or a wrong number. What I got was a lack of response when I said hello, and then an elderly voice saying "yes?". I had answered the phone, and at that unhelpful response gave my name, so that they could determine whether it was a wrong number. If I could remember word for word the conversation that followed I would write it down, but all I can remember is my growing conviction that this old lady was waiting for me to give my reason for calling her. She sounded quite confused. I asked her who she wanted to talk to...

So writing a post about fear of death and how I wasn't generally scared, and what happens to me but I get into an accident. Worst car crash I've ever been in, but no-one was hurt apart from the cars. What happened was, Andrew was driving me home to Maroubra, and then this car came through an intersection, we just saw the lights and Andrew braked then it hit us on the side and we spun round, not really knowing where we'd end up. We ended up halfway up on the kerb, facing almost the way we'd come, with the car door smashed in and the rear wheel out of place. We both got out the passenger door. Then it was just a two hour or so wait until the police arrived, they were tied up with a bigger crash in which someone was trapped. So we were lucky, and only scared, but I'm still not sure how much fear of death generally affects me.

I recently read 'White Noise' by Don DeLillo. Every time I would go to pick up the book, that line from 'Gold Mine Gutted' by Bright Eyes would pop into my head. Funnily enough, I always thought of it as "Don DeLillo whiskey", it just recently occured to me that it might be "DonDelillo, whiskey". I thought Don DeLillo liked to include whiskey in his books, or maybe was an alcoholic, and that his name was used as some sort of associative descriptor. Then it dawned on me that this was just a list. Commas make a difference people, but it's hard to hear them sometimes. If Don DeLillo and whiskey did not prove to have any great connections, then Don DeLillo and Bright Eyes certainly seem to. I was listening to the album 'Digital Ash in a Digital Urn', on which 'Gold Mine Gutted' is found while reading 'White Noise', because getting the song in my head was bugging me, and for a sense of symmetry. Doing this was like a revelation...

So, hte beginning of the new year, time to reflect on the old year... Haven't gotten around to posting up books of 2007 yet, but I was voting for the Triple J Hottest 100 today and it made me reflect on the music that I liked so I think I'll try my hand at some music reviewing. Here are some top picks and new discoveries, in no particular order- Bright Eyes- Cassadaga The CD that I have been waiting for ever since I first heard Bright Eyes, since it contains the song 'I Must Belong Somewhere'. This CD did not let me down, it had some awesome songs, and continued the great Bright Eyes tradition while at the same time sounding different to all the other albums. What can I say, Conor Oberst is a genius. That said this probably isn't my favourite Bright Eyes album, it's very good, but I'm not sure if I liked the swirly new age sounds as much as the countrified 'I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning'. Still a great buy. Cloud Control- Cloud Control (EP) I ...