What? Two entries in two days? Don't get used to it, I just wanted to make up for a distinctly quiet last week.

It's awesome that I now have a solution to the "I Want to / Don't Want to Tell You What I'm Listening To Everytime I Write an Entry" problem. Now that I have an iPod, the answer to "What are you listening to?" is "Everything," all the time. It's on shuffle right now. I'm currently on track 2 of 3675 songs. So huge. Last night officially marked the end of me ripping my own cds (until I buy some more cds, which won't be until next month. The gaping hole left by the purchase of the player has to be filled in a little by time before it can be widened by more purchases).

And now I'm doing something I never really wanted to get involved in: Downloading whole albums from my friends to put on my iPod. Right now I'm justifying it in the following way: I'm only downloading music from a) individuals who are fabulously rich or b) albums where proceeds from purchases would go to someone other than the person who should get the money (do I really believe that Jimi Hendrix's brother should get money from purchase of Jimi's albums? No.) I will admit, (b) is on somewhat shakey ground, so I haven't exercised that dubious right so much thus far. But I definitely have a couple of Beatles albums I shouldn't, and I'm planning on downloading a Bowie album tonight. In case you are wondering, they fall into (a), the fabulously wealthy category.

NB: This blog entry is in no way an exhortation to stealing music. It is morally reprehensible behavior which should not be tolerated by right thinking people.

But that's neither here nor there. I just had something to get off my chest (which I'm not really sure I should, since the parties involved definitely read the webpage. But I don't think they are interested in my personal blog (Which is funny, 'cuz it's my parents). Anyway, I had plans to head to my family's place in the Adirondacks this weekend, alone. I would really like a chance to get away from the city, phones, people, even my (gasp!) computer for a little while. Just want to do some reading, maybe write a bawdy poem or two for the site, listen to and make some music in peace. In chatting with my parents yesterday, they told me that they just realized that it was Columbus Day this weekend, and so they were going to head up as well. But since they knew I was planning on heading up there and they didn't want to "cramp my style," that they would stay at the house of a friend of the family, on an adjacent lake.

This caused a number of things to run through my head. The first was that I really didn't think people used the phrase "cramp my style" anymore. The second, somewhat more relavent thought is that now I'm not really sure that I want to head up there this weekend. First of all, regardless of how hard they try not to bother me at the house, I know they have to do things at the house (put away the boats, winterize the water pump, etc etc). And I was looking forward to a weekend of complete isolation. But more important than that is the fact that it definitely feels really weird that I (the individual least responsible for the fact that we have the place at all) am keeping my parents (the individuals most responsible etc etc) from using the house (the place most responsible for being the place). So I'm a little uncomfortable with the entire thing right now.

Of course, that's not the main problem. The main problem is the fact that if I now decide not to go up, they are going to feel bad since it'll be clear that their heading up is the reason I'm not going. And I don't want anyone to feel bad about anything, all I want is to be left alone for a few days. So now I'm left with the choice of (a) going on a trip I'm no longer in the mood to go on and getting annoyed, (b) not going on said trip and making my parents feel bad or (c) not going on said trip and lying to my parents about why, making myself feel bad. Such a disaster.

On the other hand, I've definitely had worse problems than deciding if I want to spend my three-day weekend relaxing in the North Country or partying in New York City. In any case, I have a sneaking suspicion that the real reason I wanted to go on the trip is so I could sit in the car and listen to a 4.5 hour playlist on my iPod. Given that as a truism, I could just sit in my car in the driveway for a few hours with my headphones on. The likelihood that I'll hit a deer is way lower, and I won't have to pay for gas.