Vicky Misa’s Blog

As gas prices continue to climb mercilessly, I’m beginning to consciously think of where I’m driving and how necessary the trip is, or what other things I can accomplish while in the area. I never used to do that. I realize now how spoiled I’ve been and I wonder how people are making it these days. I am fortunate enough to have a decent job and kids old enough to go to school. I keep imagining what it would’ve been like back in the day when I had to have a sitter and only made minimum wage. I don’t know what I would’ve done. It concerns me deeply that things appear to be pretty much permanent or gradually becoming worse. What then? Can we really function as a society for very long when few can afford to get to work or drive the kids to school or buy groceries? I know that we can survive on much less than we have right now … that we are merely upset at the inconveniences that we are facing at this point, but how long before it becomes a serious issue? I’m afraid that more than a few are already there.

This whole blog thing has really got me a little mixed up. As a self-proclaimed non-computer-savvy person (even though I am forced to work on computers 24/7), I really find it difficult to generate any kind of routine when sites and blogs are continually changing. I don’t get enough practice with one before it shifts into an unrecognizable tangle of something else entirely. I’m not used to it enough to be able to navigate my way around. For instance, I just spent the last 30 minutes trying to figure out how to post a blog from my own site! I realize that makes me sound so utterly stupid, but there it is. I wish I had the time to run a daily blog and really get settled into it. I think there is great potential for this sort of thing. But I just can’t seem to get it together with this. As the years go by I have more and more addresses, passwords and logins to remember that I can’t keep them all straight. (Hence the problem tonight …) I am always in such a hurry to get everything in my daily routine done that I never manage to slow down long enough to actually learn things like this that I visit only rarely.

Hopefully I will get better at this as I practice.  I have got to find a way to make my schedule work better so I can make this work.

Well, now I’m just rambling and sounding even more idiotic … guess it’s time to quit for one night (and hope like crazy that I can find my way back to this place again so I can practice some more!)

I really hate feeling like a moron. Why is this particular thing so hard for me to grasp? I guess I take for granted all the ease I have with most things and this is just going to take a little more effort. (Kind of like algebra in the sixth grade … I was completely clueless for the first few weeks, but then a ‘light bulb’ in my brain came on and from then on it was a breeze.) Let’s hope it does it again … soon.

Until then, please feel free to ignore my pathetic attempts at blogging.

I have to admit that I have become a big fan of downloading iTunes. I used take pride in my massive CD collection, but now when I hear a favorite song on the way to work I can just download it immediately — without the remaining ‘B’ tunes and, better yet, without the price of a whole album.

Back in the day, when cassette tapes were the big thing, the music industry toyed around with the idea of single sales like this. Problem was, they were way too greedy. At that time albums had an average of only 7 or 8 songs and you would pay roughly 8-12 bucks. When the singles came out they charged $4 for 2 songs; since it was a tape there was still some random ‘B’ tune on the back. Though it was cool to get a hot single a little cheaper, it still made more sense to buy the whole album, because, let’s face it, the bands back then typically had several great tunes on each album. I’m certainly not saying that today’s bands can’t crank out anything more than one-hit wonders, but it sure is nice to have the choice to buy one song that you know you want and not be saddled with an entire CD that sucks for the most part.

Perk number two is that the tunes go straight to your iPod or computer. I remember having to download all my favorite CDs onto my laptop years ago. It took me weeks to get my best stuff on it. I don’t think I’d survive if I ever had to go through that again.

My husband laughs at my tunes list because it’s getting more eclectic than ever before. I love all kinds of music, so it completely depends on my mood when I decide what to listen to and sometimes I’ll repeat the same song 50 times in a row. He tends to stick with only one or two genres. What’s funnier is that I don’t generally compartmentalize my music. I can have White Zombie next to Frank Sinatra and The Psychedelic Furs next to Aldo Nova. I know that’s kind of strange, but, on the up side, it keeps my husband from ‘mistakingly’ picking up my music player.

I’m always looking for new tunes and bands to get into, let me know your favs!

Here I am, once again, trying to set up a blog on our site. The last one went OK for awhile but, as usual, my many distractions often get the better of me. Sadly, I never seem to have the self discipline it takes to stay on track with this sort of daily journaling-type stuff. Pretty sad really, since I’m a writer.

Oh well, bear with me, I’m going to try again.