I love listening to music. My iPod has thousands of songs. A few hundred of my favourites have also been transferred to my iPhone. At work I’ll load up iTunes to distract me and keep me motivated when the workload becomes too heavy.

When it comes to music my tastes are pretty ecclectic. I love traditional Celtic folk music. Pipes and drums. Blues. Opera. Classic rock. Alternative. Electronica. You get the idea. There’s not much in the way I won’t listen to.

The song is a bit different when it comes to purchasing concert tickets. The price of tickets means that we can’t afford to see all the concerts I might want to so I have to be more discerning.

Over the past year we’ve managed to see Ozzy and Rob Zombie, LIVE, Elton John, and Buddy Guy. Did I mention the Buddy Guy seat was in the 3rd row?

Tonight I picked up tickets to Gordon Lightfoot. The show isn’t until April but the tickets were going fast so the best I could manage to Lightfoot were tickets in the first row balcony. I’m all aflutter.

Now if only Leonard Cohen would tour out west. I’d be in heaven.

But I still think you should spend equal amounts on charitable giving.

Perhaps the reason why I love the Firefly ‘verse so much is because I love cheering for the little guy. The underdog.  The odd man out.  What have you.  I like to shop in the small, unique stores and purchase art from local artists. I support those who do things a bit differently.

Perhaps that’s why I’ve been buying a lot of things over the interweebs lately. Paypal is considering awarding me a shiny crown and scepter (sha ‘right). I’ve bought the Dr. Horrible videos, soundtrack and t-shirts. I’m eagerly awaiting the DVD. I’ve filled my hankering’s for Firefly goodies by supporting Kids Need To Read auctions and have selected and ordered comic prints from HijiNKS Ensue. I’ve got The Guild season one on DVD (well, I will as soon as I get it back from Dr. D) and am eagerly awaiting the release of the Legend of Neil episodes on iTunes Canada. Oh, and I want a T-shirt too Sandeep!

Supporting innovated and talented artists means that they can continue the work they do.  Thus, you can continue to be amused.  I was thrilled to see the announcement of release of The Guild T-shirts over at J!NX.  Imagine how sad I am to discover that the shirts aren’t yet available for sale.  Every time I visit the page I see the “coming soon” message.  ARGH!  I feel like a toddler in a toy store.  I want one NOW!

And so should you.

Buffyfest has defined the ultimate Buffyverse cabinet for election ’08.  If only our southern neighbours could be so lucky…

And for those who long to return to childhood or spend significant time trolling my list of favourite online comics, I highly recommend today’s HijiNKS Ensue.

Minus the snow of course *knock wood*

I know it’s early – but then again, it’s never to early to put your Christmas wish list out there for friends and family to view.

As we get closer to Christmas and the economy seems to be balanced on a knife’s edge, I’d like to suggest that people consider downsizing their own collection of Christmas presents under the tree and consider donating some of the money they would spend on gifts to charity. While charity is a great idea all year long, it is at times like these where we need to do more for those less fortunate.

With so many worthy causes out there it can be difficult to choose who to donate to. If you want to make an immediate impact to those in your own community, consider donating food or $$ to your local food banks, the Salvation Army (or it’s local equivalent in your area), local homeless shelters, or soup kitchens.

If you’d like to make a wider impact on the world, consider donating to one of the many charities I have listed on my left sidebar under the title Wearing a Coat of Brown. For those of you not of the Browncoat persuasion (can it be possible?), Browncoats are a dedicated group of worldwide Firefly/Serenity fans who’s main distinction in the world of TV fandom is that they fund-raise and donate money to a number of different charities. Two of the most popular charities for Browncoats are Kids Need To Read (Nathan Fillion and PJ Haarsma are co-founders) and Equality Now.

Kids Need To Read purchases books to donate to libraries so children have access to books to spark their interest in reading a continue the development of their imaginations.

Equality Now works to end violence and discrimination against women and girls around the world through the mobilization of public pressure.

Looking for something different?  World Vision and Heifer International both offer alternate gift giving.  Purchase school supplies, chickens, goats, etc. for families in developing countries. These gifts offer meaningful ways to make a difference in the daily lives of others.

Interested in Supporting Canadian Troops, both current serving members and our veterans?  Visit your local Legion and make a donation or consider donating to the Sapper Mike McTeague Wounded Warrior Fund or Boomer’s Legacy.

Have an ill family member?  Consider donating to a charity that supports research or services provided to those sharing the same disease.  Having lost my father to cancer in 2006 the Canadian Cancer Society is a pretty popular choice in my family.

Want to kill two birds with one stone?  Need something under your tree but want to do good?  Consider purchasing something from the Kids Need to Read Christmas Store on eBay.  Goodies for you and books for children.  What an awesome combination.

Don’t forget many charities allow you to make your donation in someone else’s name.  Your gift to them could be a tax receipt for your charitable donation.  So many people can benefit from small acts on your part. Do something different this year.  Place fewer gifts under your own trees and add gifts to the lives of others.

Oi! My aching ankle. I’m such a clutz. I tripped over a crack in the sidewalk on the way into Costco this morning. My foot, when it landed, was set down on its’ side and my ankle turned. I then did the wonderful hop-skip motion attempting to catch myself as I was falling. It all seemed to happen in slow motion although I’m sure it was only a few seconds. Drew, lovely individual that he is, tells me I looked silly flailing around trying to catch myself. He claims to have no idea I was about to fall. Thank goodness for me the woman coming around the corner at the time I tripped is far swifter than Drew. She saw the eventual toppling that was about to occur and reached out to break my fall. Overall, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. My ankle aches but isn’t broken. Swelling is minor and I can wander around without too much limping.

And just for giggles, I’ve finally managed to injure my left foot. I’m constantly breaking and straining my right foot. I suppose it’s time I did some damage to the left side…

Of course all this pain and silliness is dwarfed by my plans for this evening. After months of waiting tonight is the night. I’ve loved Elton John’s music since I was a little girl. I’ve a few friends who also enjoy his music. Ok, so RM is a bit of a fanatic when it comes to Elton John. The minute we heard he was coming to down we began plotting to get tickets. RM worked from home the day the tickets became available to get our seats. We’ve had out tickets for months and have been eagerly awaiting this day.

I’m not the only one having fun tonight. Drew is off to see the Eskies play the Ti-Cats. We’re huge Ti-Cats fans in this house and they only come to town once a year. One of my favourite co-workers blessed me with a pair of tickets for my birthday so Drew and I could attend the game. Unfortunately, the game is the same day as the Elton John concert and I’m choosing to see Sir Elton over football today.