Reviewing old entires, I note that this didn't get posted over new year, like promised...

It's been a strange year for me. A year ago, my job was driving me nuts, I was obsessing after finding a perfect partner without knowing what said perfect partner would be when I saw him (or her), and feeling thoroughly run-down and mopily depressed with myself.

Now? Work is still a pain, but a tolerable pain. I've not only accepted being single, but grown to quietly rejoice in it, and while life isn't a bed of rose petals, neither is it a pillow of rose thorns any more.

What brought about this change? Good question. I marked new year 2002 with a few friends, in Arizona, and came to the blinding realisation that these things were linked, and could be remedied, and a lead for how they could be fixed.

Then came The Journey From Hell. Snow in Atlanta, and a plane crash at Birmingham, and the supreme indifference of Air France to their paying passenger, meant that a journey home that should have taken 18 hours actually took three days out of my life. That, in turn, led to two days hanging around airports with nothing to do but read newspapers and magazines I'd already looked at, try (and fail) to out-snoot French gate staff, and think.

A twelve-step tradition set me rolling, and other broadly similar approaches helped me to sort out my self. For my money, the most important bits were (and are):

1) Weaver must not expect to be perfect. Weaver will err, make mistakes, and learn from his failures.

2) Weaver does not control everything. Some things are out of his command.

3) Big Brother is watching, and listening, and oftentimes attempting to communicate. Communication is a two-way process.

[Disclaimer: Principles outlined above are an inadequate attempt to put complex ideas into short sentences. They are not a full or complete statement of anything at all. Any attempt to apply to other people or situations is entirely at user's risk, and Weaver will deem point 2 binding then blow raspberry. So there.]

Right now, that's brought me to a place where I'm content. Not trying or pretending to be things I'm not. Not railing against things I can't change, but not afraid to speak up when I can make a difference. No longer trapped by the wreckage of a long-lost relationship, able to haul myself out of the wreckage and mend lots of fences.

Right now, being content is good. Tomorrow is another day, and it will bring a sunrise, a sunset, rain, and stuff.

And I'm beginning to get a different sense of my abilities. Carving my own path, not joining in with other people just because they're the crowd, or I like them, or they're meant to know what they're talking about. Being able to put forward a case to the new manager that we might like to consider training up to offer Linux support, and support it with both business and social reasons.

One upshot of this self-analysis is that I've hardly seen my parents all year. Moving into a place of my own during 2001 helped cement my independence, and allow me to live life my way, but I've carved my own path this year, and if they don't like it, they don't like it. Point 1 applies, and point 2 pertains to the parents' emotions.

Anyway. Quite enough of this rambling. Disclaimer applies.

Someone asked why does so much of the current popular music suck so much?

What is popular music at the moment?

If you're in mainland Europe, then it's the products of your national STAR ACADEMY clone, a device for manufacturing easy-to-sell pap.

If you're listening to Contemporary Hit Radio in the US, then it's Eminem and Nelly.

If you're listening to Adult Contemporary radio there, then you're hearing Phil Collins and Faith Hill, as you have been for the past five years.

If you're listening to Adult Album Alternative radio, then Tori Amos and the Red Hot Chili Peppers are top of the pops.

No matter where you are on the planet, you're probably hearing Jennifer Lopez, Las Ketchup, and Tatu.

This is your first clue: Lowest Common Denominator. The stuff that sells across the planet because it's instantly accessible and either easy to market or the marketing's already been done. Oftentimes, the popular stuff appears popular because it's not that good.

Oftentimes, the popular stuff appears popular because it's all a lot of people knows. Not everyone has access to the wide range of experiences we have, or the inclination to do the work required to find something different.

How much do we hate the common cold? Let us count the ways. Maybe not today, for that would require thinking.

Canada's Top 50 of last year. Highlights...

50* Great Big Sea Sea Of No Cares
44 Lifehouse Hanging By A Moment

#50 from the greatest band in the country. #44 the biggest carryover hit from 2001.

33* David Usher Black Black Heart

Probably the best single single in the lower reaches.

28 No Doubt Hella Good
25 Enrique Iglesias Hero
22 Pink Don't Let Me Get Me

#28 the highest of their two in the top 50; #25 was the most played record in the UK last year; #22 is the top of Pink's three.

18* Nickelback How You Remind Me
17* Nickelback Too Bad
14 Enrique Iglesias Escape
13 Creed One Last Breath
12 Linkin Park In The End
11 Five For Fighting Superman

No getting away from ver Back; Enrique puts two in the 25, Creed two in the 20.

10* Alanis Morissette Hands Clean
9* Our Lady Peace Somewhere Out There
8 Puddle Of Mudd Blurry
7 Vanessa Carlton A Thousand Miles
6* Celine Dion A New Day Has Come
5* Chad Kroeger Feat. Josey Scott Hero
4* Avril Lavigne Complicated

That'll be the top Canadian act, then; Céline only made one entry in the 50, Alanis had two.

3 The Calling Wherever You Will Go
2 Sheryl Crow Soak Up The Sun
1 Jimmy Eat World The Middle

Which just goes to prove how much taste the country has (:

Comments for Buffy 701 are hidden behind a Javascript popup. No accidental spoilers here!

In non-spoilered news, Will Smith has been dropped. Not from a great height, but from his record label, so all good news.

Hmm. The BBC launches Collective*, a set of popular culture interviews that can turn into commentaries on popular culture. At least, that's the theory. In practice, the articles are of that annoying length - too long for a Simple Blurb, but too short to actually say anything.

There are links to message boards, but it's not possible to directly comment on the articles themselves. "Oh no, that's not possible,"* says the BBC, worried that some litigious idiot will confuse license-fee funded editorial with intelligent comment from the hoi polloi. This also confuses those who want to take part - are you dissing this week's This Week's Singles, or last week's This Week's Singles? Thanks to the unique* way in which the BBC is funded, you make the confusion what it is.

Of which commercial site is the BBC trying to do a third-rate imitation? Wave hello to linenoise.co.uk, doing this kind of thing for some years now.

Editorial note: * always denotes something Not Strictly True.

Well, the Amos came back to Wolverhampton last night. This is (checks carefully) the third time our paths have crossed, the first in almost five years. Setlist swiped from thdent, with added commentary from yours truly.

Howie Day supports. He had no profile over here. He now has a fair few hundred fans. Venue is all seater, irritatingly; crowd is somewhere over 50% male.

*Wampum Prayer
Even on the record, it feels like an obvious concert opener.

*A Sorta Fairytale
Hmm. Putting the Big Non-Hit second in the running order shows a great confidence in what's to come.

*Little Amsterdam
Bringing a whole whorehouse feel to at least one member of my party.

*Talula
Always goes down well at this venue. An unusual jazzy-bluesy swing to this number.

*Lust
If that wasn't the best in part 1, this was.

*Sweet Sangria
*Past The Mission
Talk about unexpected treats.

*Pancake
*Wednesday

[Band leaves]
[Idiot in crowd hollers]

*Leather
*Cloud On My Tongue
*Desperado
Yes, an Eagles cover. Very sensitive acoustic set.

[Band returns]

*Honey
*Cornflake Girl
Oh, go on, get yer hits out for the lads... Biggest response of the night in the link to...

*Suede Yes, we got it.

*Don't Make Me Come To Vegas
*Precious Things
*I Can't See New York
The light show moved from very good to fantastic here.

*Iieee
Seems to be the standard closer for Europe. Shorter than last time she was here.

[1st Encore]

*Crucify
Dripping with subtle emotion. My personal highlight.

*Virginia

[2nd Encore]

*Mary
*Playboy Mommy
Probably not the one I'd have put as a closer, a bit too downbeat.

It was more of a speaking through the music than speaking in words night, unlike previous visits. There are reasons why the 98 concert sticks out as a significant highlight, and this concert wasn't *quite* as immediate stand-out brilliant. Just, *merely*, brilliant in an understated way.

Accurate observation of the day: costikyan on why Snood is the best game you're not playing. I first came across Snood when Big Brother's Little Sister found it more entertaining that watching Boy Meets World reruns. It's the sort of game one can sort-of half play in the background, and it's complete inside five minutes. Worth reviewing? Certainly. Worth ponying up $20 for registration? Surely.

The old Where Were You When... topic.

1. When John F. Kennedy was shot (11/22/1963)
Not even a twinkle in anyone's eye.

2. When Mt. St. Helens blew (5/18/1980)
Didn't know it had till footage appeared on the news. Such things are good for a six year old to see.

3. When the space shuttle Challenger exploded (1/28/1986)
Missed it, watching COUNTDOWN. Then over to JOHN CRAVEN'S NEWSROUND for the first footage and initial analysis from Reg Turnbull. That night's ADVENTURE GAME got cancelled for an analysis that didn't add very much; certainly far less than the show it replaced, which aired on Challenge ? yesterday.

4. When the 7.1 earthquake hit San Francisco (10/7/1989)
Asleep. It was 1 in the morning, fercryinoutloud, and not massive at school the next morning. Not compared with the news of who was dating whom.

5. When the Berlin Wall fell (11/7/1989)
Out on my paper round, listening to reports from West Berlin and the arrivals from East Berlin. These days, there's just a small strip of metal to mark where the wall was.

6. When the Gulf War began (1/16/1991)
Asleep. Next morning, Simon Mayo cancelled everything - *including* the Identi-Hit quiz - for the news. "The World Is Not Ending," we decided after five minutes of fevered debate, but it is an excuse to have the radio on Scud FM during class, normally a strict no-no.

7. When OJ Simpson was chased in his White Bronco (6/17/1994)
This is Not News. Not even to someone valiantly dodging second year summer courses. Especially when there's also some World Cup -- So-chere.

8. When the building in Oklahoma City was bombed (4/19/1995)
Revising for finals. Not the best distraction.

9. When Princess Di was killed (8/31/1997)
Asleep. These things happen at 4 in the morning, and they never showed the dropped TELETUBBIES in time.

10. When Bush was first announced President (11/7/2000)
Laughing my socks off as Whichever Dimblebore couldn't figure out which one had won, and the DECISION 2000 signs were hastily being repainted to add the letters "IN" at the front. For what it's worth, the BBC coverage carefully said network X reports this, that, and the other; with that amount of indecision, no one would actually be deemed in an advantageous position until Mr Gore finally won in late 2001.

11. When the 6.8 earthquake hit Nisqually, WA (2/28/2001)
It did? C'mon, we had bigger fish to fry. Road crash in Yorkshire, foot 'n' mouth all over the country, significant snow, and you're bothered about a small earthquake in a remote part of the world?

12. When terrorists attacked over the World Trade Center (9/11/2001)
At work, snuffling with a cold.

This is all very Americano-centric. Let's try some British events...

13. When Michael Fish's hurricane happened (16/10/1987)
Safely tucked up in bed. In the midlands, it was a regularly gusty day, nothing hugely out of the ordinary, and not even enough to stop Sadistic PE Teacher from sending us out at 9am.

14. When Mrs Thatcher resigned (22/11/1990)
In an Economics class, and a note was being passed round the rooms telling the news. One could track its progress by the cheers and gasps going round the school.

15. When the lottery launched (14/11/1994)
Ignoring it for all I was worth, not least because I was a student with no spare moolah. A decision vindicated by almost five years of unwatchable draw shows, until they finally came up with WINNING LINES.

16. When Michael Portillo was buried under a landslide (2/5/1997)
On another continent. Didn't see the footage until last autumn.

17. When Rev Tony and Mrs Queen didn't sing Auld Lang Syne (31/12/1999)
Laughing my socks off at Mark Town.

18. When Rev Tony stepped down (17/7/2003)
Oops, wasn't meant to reveal that.

It's the annual Snow Day (well, 100 minutes) In Dallas. It's just snow. It's not anthrax falling from the sky. It will not kill you, and five hours of snow isn't enough to cause any kind of catastrophe that would warrant stockpiling canned goods.

Oh, what horrors hast POP IDLE wrought! Back in the early days of last year, Mr Waterman and the rest of the Pap Panel thought it would be a really good idea to record a set of big band numbers, as this really does test the ability (or lack thereof, Gareth) of a performer. It was unexpectedly hit-mungous, and spawned a top-selling compilation album.

Now, a report on Jewel's site says that she's following their lead. "During a time of tremendous uncertainty and strain, Big Band music offered an escape. People packed into small rooms and lost themselves in the rhythm and swing of the music. The windows fogged from sweat and men pressed their partners up against them and they felt like within the walls of that dance hall everything was OK and that they were young and that their passion was enough to make the whole world seem right. I want the music on my next record to make everyone feel like that."

Where Darius leads... Jewel, The Big Band Album will flop at the end of the year, just like her four previous works (;