Dear eMusic ... I'm sorry, we're breaking up

Look, I know we've had a great relationship for going on five years now, and I know that we've both changed in that time, but after today's visit, I'm afraid I don't know you anymore.

It really comes down to the money.  I used to get a lot of bang for my buck with you. In fact, when I started, we're talking songs were as low as 17 cents ... based on how I purchased and paid ... and there were lots of other options.

Lots of great music at cheap prices ... albums as low as $3.00 and exclusive tracks that nobody else had, not to mention that there were bands that nobody else had in a digital format.

Then, as you grew, you got more expensive .. but you were still the best bargain around ... even at 40 or 50 cents, you were great.  Your catalog was expanding, your exclusive tracks and impressive collections of whole discographies were amazing to me.

Then you had to big-time us.

Adding Columbia and RCA and all sorts of major labels that, quite frankly, none of us wanted.  As a bunch of introverts who would stare at our own shoes, mixed with the occasional extrovert who stared at other people's shoes, we wanted our indie rock legal, and cheap.

We wanted Ryan Adams, not Bryan Adams.  Bruce Cockburn, not Bruce Springsteen.

The final straw, though, was switching from download credits to actual cash ... I'd rather get my 30 credits at 50 cents a month than a flat out $12 dollars and 89 cent songs.

You've become Amazon without the selection. iTunes without the iPod. I see you heading down the same road as the download services once offered by WalMart and Sony and Napster ... you went from a niche player that ruled your market to the smallest fish in your pond.

And I'm taking my tackle box and leaving.  Good luck to you.

Take That, Spawn of the Smiths!

(click on the picture for full effect)

Song of the Day

"What Love Was"

~Kate York

So you stopped the rain
And you turned the spout
And you took the sun
And your wrung it out
So it falls on me
When I'm in this place
And I'm overwhelmed
With this life to face

'Cause I didn't know what love was
No I didn't have a clue
No I didn't know what love was
'Til I found you

Then I could only dream
Of things to come
To be so sure
But to come undone
Cause it starts so small
Like scattered blue
Then it pierce the skin
Now it runs me through

'Cause I didn't know what love was
No I didn't have a clue
No I didn't know what love was
'Til I found you

And I leaping flame
that was once it spark
and It swallowed up
And now it pierce the dark
And I leaping flame
that was once it spark
and It swallowed up
And now it pierce the dark

'Cause I didn't know what love was
No I didn't have a clue
No I didn't know what love was
'Til I found you

My 'other' 2010 wap-up

RANDOM:


Stayed single the whole year?
No. Fell in love with an amazing woman :D

Were involved in something you'll never forget?
Absolutely ... several things!

Dyed your hair?
Yeah. I l thought I  looked to old to date her ... she said she'd break up with me if I ever dyed it again.

Came close to losing your life?
We're all day-to-day.

Saw one of your favorite bands live?
Many of them. And often.

FRIENDS:

Did you meet any new friends this year?
Absolutely

Did you hate anyone?
No. When you hate someone you give them a piece of you that you never get back.

Do you have any regrets when it comes to your friendships?
Nope. Actually reconnected with a couple of great people that were previous regrets.

BIRTHDAY:

Did you have a cake?
No

Did you have a party?
No

Did you get any presents?
A kick-ass stick-figure video from my daughter. And that's better than presents.


YOU:

Did you change at all this year?
A few things. For the better.

Did you change your style?
I have style??  Actually, I started working at home in September, which has seriously reduced the number of days a week I wear pants.

Were you in school?
School of life

Did you get good grades?
I'm still living.

Did you have a job?
Yeah, and I worked far too many hours.

Did you drive?
Yes! Lots of places.

Did you own a car?
Yes. Ivy ... the pine green Saturn with the "Chewie Is My Co-Pilot" bumper sticker.

Did anyone close to you give birth?
No, but I have two great friends who will have babies in 2011.

Would you change anything about yourself now?
Can't change what's happened. Why worry about it?

MORE:

Was 2010 a good year?
2010 was a very good year


Do you think 2011 will top 2010?
Yep

Kissed in the rain?
Yes. Comfest. With Sarah!

Had your heart broken?
No

Done something you've regretted?
No ... I don't regret, I evolve.

Painted a picture?
No

Wrote a poem?
Yes

Ran a mile?
No. Walked 2.5 miles a couple of times. Rode my bicycle 1.8 miles quite a few days. And other days rode it 21 miles.

Visited a foreign country?
No.

Cut in a line of waiting people?
Yeah, but I'm gangsta like that. I was in and out of Wal-Mart on Christmas Eve twice without ever having stood behind anyone in line.

Told someone you were busy when you weren't?
Ask me about my crippling social anxiety

Cooked a disastrous meal?
Yes. Had a recipe for something in an 8x8 pan and made it in my 9x9.  It pretty much sucked.

Lied about how old you were?
No.

Disappointed someone close?
Yes. But was to take it back, as we learned from "The Green Mile"

Hid a secret?
No. I was seriously honest and open with somethings in my life that had been hidden secrets for far too long and it really felt good to get over them and move on.

Pretended to be happy?
Nope.

Slept under the stars?
Nope. I have sleep apnea. Camping means we have to have power.

Kept your new years resolution?
Don't make them.

Forgot your new years resolution?
Don't make them.

Pretended to be sick?
Sick days are vacation days, too

Lost something expensive?
No. But I did burn out some sectors on my iPod screen.

Learned something new about yourself?
Absolutely

Stayed up til sunrise?
Yes.

Cried over the silliest thing?
Yeah, but I always cry when I see babies born.

Spent most of your money on food?
Depends on your definition of food.

Had a fist fight?
No ... but there are several I'd like to punch in the face.

Gotten sick?
Yes.

Liked more than 5 people at the same time?
No.

Wrapping up 2010 with 50 Questions

So here's my End-O-Year Roundup. Last time I ddi this was for 2006. So, if you're a blogger, fill this out yourself.

1. Was 2010 a good year for you?
It was a very good year.

2. What was your favorite moment of the year?
Falling in love. And realizing it before I let her get away.

3. What was your least favorite moment of the year?
The hours I worked.

4. Where were you when 2010 began?
Playing Apples To Apples with my daughter and some great friends.

5. Who were you with?
Cammi, Cindy, Mark, Alex, Donna and a bunch of other kids.

6. Where were you when 2010 ended?
In Columbus at a New Year's Eve bash that featured lots of friends, a gang fight, gunshots in the parking lot and kicking off 2011 with the love of my life!

7. Who were you with when 2010 ended?
All sorts of friends who I won't name or tag to protect the guilty, but Sarah was there so my 2011 started off super!

8. Did you keep your new years resolution of 2010?
I don't make resolutions.

9. Do you have a new years resolution for 2011?
No, as I said, I don't make resolutions. Here's why

10. Did you breakup with anyone in 2010?
Sarah. Because I'm stupid like that. Luckily she took my dumb ass back!

11. Did you make any new friends in 2010?
A whole shitload. I'm social like that.

12. Who are your favorite new friends?
Favorite friends? What are we, in high school? (Okay, Sarah, Amber, Megan, Brian, Mike N, Mike J, Jen R and most of the rest of the new friends I made!)

13. What were your five favorite moments of 2010?

1. March. Met Sarah. Nuff said. My daughter turned 12 and my friends are seeing how much like me she is now that she's on Facebook and cracking them up, too.
2. May.  Sarah kissed me for the first time. And stole my heart.
3. June.  Sarah and I went to a lesbian wedding in Cincinnati and a Pirates game in Pittsburgh the same weekend and followed that up with our first Comfest the next weekend.
4. October. Vacation with Sarah and Aidan when we spent my birthday weekend hitting Delaware, Maryland and Virginia with my daughter and Aidan got to visit his first lighthouse.
5. December. Getting back together with Sarah after getting over some serious personal bullshit I needed to deal with.

14. Did you travel outside of the USA in 2010?
Nope. I'm getting xenophobic in my old age. I'd rather explore what greatness our country has to offer.

15. How many different states did you travel to in 2010?
Seven. PA, WV, MD, VA, KY, NY, DE

16. Did you lose anybody close to you in 2010?
No, I don't think I did. A couple of friends, they're alive, but we're not friends anymore. Which isn't always a bad thing.


17. Did you miss anybody in the past year?
No. I'm a heartless bastard. (Yes, of course, everyone misses someone, so I'll pick Mary!)

18. What was your favorite movie that you saw in 2010?
Zombie Women of Satan

19. What was your favorite song from 2010?
"Fuck You" - Cee-Lo Green and "You Were Always The One" - Patrick Park

20. What was your favorite new album from 2010?
Two Cow Garage "Sweet Saint Me"

21. How many concerts did you see in 2010?
Hahahahaha. No idea. Lots. Lots. Lots.

22. Did you have a favorite concert in 2010?
Madison Square Gardeners at Rhumba when Aaron basically fell into my arms during a guitar solo. That was kick ass.  Sarah had never seen me in Rock-Out mode until that night.

23. Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2010?
Depends on your definition of a lot.  I'll say I drank more than some and less than others.


24. What was your favorite joke from 2010?
A Tennessee couple, David and Rebecca Kosmitis, both self-admitted rednecks have nine children. They went to their family doctor to see about getting David 'fixed.' The doctor asked why after nine children they decided to get this procedure done. David replied that they had heard on the Glenn Beck show that one out of every 10 children being born in the United States was Mexican and they didn't want to risk having a Mexican baby because neither of them spoke Spanish.

25. What was your favorite photo you took in 2010?
 Jim Stratton of Gingerspittz that I shot at at VexFest. 

26. What was your favorite party of 2010?Probably me, the night I crashed the Women's Only dance at live music trivia at O'Donalds. It also involved me throwing my Chicago Blackhawks jersey on backwards to dance to Kriss Kross's "Jump" and forgetting my friend Brian was there when I saw him a couple of days later.  Sadly, NOBODY got video of that event.  Luckily, I wasn't driving.

27. What was your favorite holiday of 2010?
St. Patrick's Day.  Kegs and Eggs at 5:30 with Natalie & Pat followed by all sorts of fun, a nap, and a return to hang out with Leslie.  And again, luckily, I wasn't driving.

28. Did you do a lot of drugs in 2010?
Nothing illegal. 

29. How many people did you kiss in 2010?
I don't kiss and tell, but Sarah was the best and most fun to kiss!

30. Did you do anything you are ashamed of this year?
Nope. If I'm gonna do - or say - something, I'm not going to second guess, regret, wallow or feel shamed after.

31. What was the worst lie someone told you in 2010?
I don't like movies.

32. Did you treat somebody badly in 2010?
Depends on your point of view. He probably thinks so.

33. Did somebody treat you badly in 2010?
Again, depends on your point of view. I think I was treated fairly this year by the lack of "Dear (person/place/business), Fuck You. No, seriously, fuck you." blogs.  But I was tempted. (See #32)

34. How much money did you spend in 2010?
(Checks W2 to see how much money he made in 2010. Checks bank account. Yep, about that much).

35. What was your proudest moment of 2010?
Getting over some serious personal bullshit that has been holding me back in relationships for a long time.

36. What was your most embarrassing moment of 2010?
Answering the door at home (and nobody but Sarah ever visits me) to find a pollster asking me to sign a petition, then saying "Well, with that shirt I doubt you'd be interested."  For the record, I was wearing a shirt that says "I shaved my balls for this?"

37. If you could go back in time to any moment of 2010 and change it what would it be?
I can't, so why bother ... but maybe signing her petition anyway.

38. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
Happier. Much happier.

39. Compared to this time last year, are you thinner or fatter?
About the same, really

40. Compared to this time last year, are you richer or poorer?
About the same.

41. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Wow, I did so much in 2010 than I've ever done I really can't answer this.

42. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Been an ass.

43. What was your favorite TV program?
Flash Forward.

44. What was the best book you read?
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

45. What was your greatest musical discovery?
British Sea Power.

46. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
Casual ... or well, since I work at home now, pantless.

47. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Same as the past 20 years - Julia Fordham.

48. What political issue stirred you the most?
How shitty the media is. Or our new governor overlord killing high speed rail in Ohio.

49. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010:
You can't change the past. So pack it away and move forward.

50. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
"You shot through my anger and rage
To show me my prison was just an open cage
There were no keys no guards
Just one frightened man and some old shadows for bars"
    Bruce Springsteen - "Living Proof"