This is my response to spending well over an hour trying to hunt down mp3s of some Dowland songs I'm trying to study. OMG. WTF? I've heard some very strange things passing as professional recordings of this stuff. One included someone who sounded as if they were either being tortured, or in the throws of passion. ACK.

OK, I'm no professional recording artist, but do these people have no shame? Some of them clearly aren't trying for anything like a period performance. A couple that were sounded awful - the lute and voice only agreeing on some of the notes. Ick ick ick! BTW, this was all on Amazon and iTunes - two places you don't find a whole lot of "amature" music, unless you're listening to someone's pod cast.

*sigh* When I got the Sting album, I thought his performances passible. It was making the music more accessible to the masses, by having a pop star sing it. OY. Turns out, the thing is worth more to me than I thought. At least Sting doesn't sound like a pompus operatic tenor, trying to sing music his voice just seems too big for... and doing so at the speed of a funeral dirge.

Ok, end of rant. Back to trying to find a recording that isn't revolting...

UPDATE - I found some. I was specifically looking for three songs:
The Lowest Trees Have Tops
Clear or Cloudy
Wilt Thou Unkind

Warning - this is philosophy and ranting, all wrapped up together...

For a while, I have been struggling with a strong sense of injustice. What's this, you say? Quite often, I find myself wishing people would behave differently - people not doing 85 and trying to run me off the road, for instance. People truly encouraging one another, rather than competing to see who can beat who...

( Here's the rest... )

OK, let's see:
Finished two pouches for my prize contribution for this weekend's tournament. ( more about those )

Still have to finish Autumn's new camicia. Man, am I dumb. I made it too big, so I'm trying to gather it down a TON. ( more about fixing that )

I have some SCA related angst that I would like to sort out, but I wish to tread gently. ( more about that )

I saw an ad for peaches that sounded like a good deal. 55 cents a pound, for a 20 pound lug. That sounds like a good amount for jam or something. Maybe Sunday I can go get some. Thursday night I may hit Farmer's Market in SLO and try to get some other things. I need to make some more sorbet, so maybe more strawberries?

OK, the house is nearly clean. I say nearly because I've done what I could manage on my own, and the house cleaners have finally arrived. ( Maundering about people being late, followed by sewing and fabric concerns, and oh, yeah, pictures on Flickr... )