Best songs since 1999 (not since "1999")

Here it is- the very last day of September and I'm back.

I was without internet for a few weeks- the router was broken here at my house.

Luckily, there hasn't been much to report so you haven't missed anything. One thing I wanna talk about tonight, though, is songs from the past decade that I really love.

Last night I was on YouTube and I kept looking up videos for songs that really got a strong emotional response out of me over the last 10- 12 years. Songs that I consider beautiful and near- perfect, and- in some cases- kind of get me choked up.

One of the first songs I thought of was 1999's "My Love Is Your Love" by Whitney Houston. A second ago I said "near- perfect"; this song might be perfect. I'm not a big Whitney fan. Then again, I grew up with her music and there are a lot of her songs that I'm very, very fond of:

"I Wanna Dance With Somebody"

"Moment of Truth" (the B-side of the previous song)

"How Will I Know?"

"I Will Always Love You"

"I'm Your Baby Tonight"

"We Didn't Know" (duet with Stevie Wonder)

While "My Love Is Your Love" wasn't a huge hit and a lot of people have never heard it, I think it's one of those songs that everyone who has heard it, loves it. Right now, I think everyonwe considers "I Will Always Love You" to be her signiture song, but I believe that in the future, "My Love Is Your Love" is the song that she will be remembered by. From the very first lines it has something special.

One song that reminds me of a certain time period in my own life- around 2004- is the Sarah McLauchlin song "Fallen". While it's a bit over-produced it still hits its marks. It's sad and regretful. It's like a serious blues song. And I think a lot of people can relate to it. And even if it doesn't reflect your own life, I think that for four minutes or so you can imagine that you relate to it.

I never bought a Dido album and I only know her singles. I don't know why I've never sought any of her other songs. It' strange because the Dido songs that I've heard are so good and they really hit me. I know three Dido songs. The most popular is probably the weakest of the three: "Thank You". But it's a great song. Then there's 'White Flag". I love the sentiment. I'd really love the song but something doesn't match up. Maybe I just don't belive what she's saying. And for a song like that you have to belive that it's true and not just a love song.

I'd say that Dido's best song is the first of her's that I heard: "Here With Me". With this song I belive that she means ever word she says and this song still gets to me.

There's one song from the past decade that really hits me hard. I love all the songs from Kristin Hersh, Tanya Donelly, Aimee Mann, and Jenny Lewis. But it isn't a song from any of them. It's a big, commercial, radio song that really gets to me and puts a lump in my throat.

One summer- either trhe summer of 2008 or 2009- there was this big hit on the radio called "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis. I heard it a few times and didn't understand the appeal. I still don't.

A few months later, Lewis released another single, this one called "Better In Time". I fell in love. This song is so sad and so sweet and Lewis sings so beautifully. I feel two things when I hear this song. I relate to it because I've been through it and I understand it. And at the same time, I feel so bad for Leona Lewis. When she says "Gonna smile cause I deserve to" I get choked up.

Anyway, there are a lot of great songs that I've enjoyed over the past dozen years but those are the ones that hit me hard.

These days

I can't believe it's already September 4. This summer- this whole year- has flown by. The sad thing is, I have nothing to show for it. I feel like spring and summer are the time when you've got a lot of energy and daylight and you accomplish a lot so that when the weather turns cool you can relax knowing that you've done what you need to in order to prepare for the winter. You reap what sow and falltime is harvest-time. I've got very little to harvest cause I've done next to nothing in 2011. I certainly have no savings.

But I guess it's not too late. Really, it's still summer, so I can still get things done.

I want to-

1) Save money

2) Do spring cleaning. I'd like to clean and organize my bedroom and take inventory and get all my clothes into order.

3) Have a sexy summer romance (That's not gonna happen. Next.)

4) Be in the moment, so that time stops passing me by

So, this Friday I'm taking a train to Baltimore. I've never been to Baltimore and I've never been on a train before- this is gonna be a big weekend.

Roger Clemens

I was just reading a story about Roger Clemens in USA Today. It turns out that he's gonna be re-tried for perjery. The defense is saying that the prosecutors purposely introduced banned evidence so that they could start fresh- one of the jurors said he believes that the government has no business investigating steroid use by ballplayers- and, of course, he's right.

I think they should leave Clemens and the other baseball players alone, but anyway- I liked something I read in the story. The defense is accusing the prosecutors of having a "win-at-all-costs" attitude. Maybe the prosecutors should try some steroids.