When these two things land in your inbox almost simoultaneously:

--Your mother gets told by your cousin that he can't believe she's taking 'social and family advice from [Shoe]!... we all know that [Shoe] is and has always been socially maladjusted..."

--BobandRay.com sends you a newsletter offering the latest CD set -- including liner notes by, well ( Read more... )

Meanwhile, somewhere in the midst of all the craziness detailed below, the heavens have opened, trumpets have sounded, and the triumph of my life is complete.

That is, my Bob & Ray liner notes were released last month. And are apparently selling pretty well, if the Amazon rankings are anything to go by --

--*ahem* that is, of course, the CDs are ( Read more... )

Le sigh. So, the vacation's over... the last drop of sun has been soaked, the goodies has been eaten, the couch has a butt-shaped dint... my purse is stuffed with various random purchases I don't quite recall how they got in there...

Spent a day at the zoo with the fam, and contrived to make Oldest Shoephew -- who is thirteen-and-a-half, and ( Read more... )

So I have just seen the final version of my... *ahem* the Bob & Ray CD liner notes. Which my article appears in. Which OH DID I MENTION I AM INSANELY HAPPY ABOUT THIS?

Because I so am. Tempered only slightly by the Grandshoes' refusal to get into the spirit of the thing during a recent visit, especially once they found out I wasn't getting paid. ( Read more... )

So I got the first revision back of my liner notes, and was pleased to note that the changes were mostly minor and make the whole work much better (even if a bit further out yet from the way it reads in my head. *tiny sigh for choice but indiscreet phrases, now goned forever*)

The really pleasant surprise, though, came at the end. I had been offered ( Read more... )

 Well, the liner-note project made it past PopMatters' approval. All that's wanting is the rubber stamp of the CD's producer -- who also happens to be the man who produced their NPR series. And runs their official website. And is pretty much the foremost living Bob & Ray 'spert, to say nothing of a famously, ferociously intelligent and opinionated ( Read more... )

 Heigh-ho, an audiobook publisher has just emailed to say they want to use my article on Bob & Ray for liner notes on a CD they're releasing this fall. I pointed them in the direction of PopMatters' publishers (being not entirely sure who owns the thing at this point, but I've never been sued before and don't intend to start now) and they have ( Read more... )