Pics, points, and adventures on the iTunes Store (partly inspired by the Journal of Regional Science)
If you haven't noticed, I've been lazy about blogging lately. I'm deep in revisions and rewriting, and I just started my first attempt at a novel. I wish there were two or three more hours in the day so I can fit in all the writing I want to do. Of course I could quit my job; then I'd have eight or nine more hours to devote to writing. Sitting at my computer and toiling over words is my second job, anyway, but it doesn't pay squat. At least right now it doesn't.
For the past month I've been photo-blogging. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words. My three picture posts weren't the most artistic, but they provided insights into my life and everything that's been on my mind. What does a six-pack case of Mickey's Fine Malt Liquor say about me? I'm living cheap compared to my roommate, who has the 50 inch plasma TV and a complete 6.1 stereo system seen in the background. Cheap is the theme in "Dinner!" (Zaterain's jambalaya with fried Polish Kielbasa) and "Who needs a stand when you have the floor?" (my hand-me-down Sony Trinitron on the floor in my room).
Plus, photo-blogging is fun. I enjoy playing around with my digital; it's like I'm a kid with an endless roll of film in my camera, walking around and taking pictures of whatever I find interesting.
Anyway, here's another pic, though it's not mine. I saw it on the New York Times' City Room blog. For the rest of the week, City Room will be running retrospectives on the famous 1977 blackout in New York City, and Robert D. McFadden (in the striped shirt) wrote the remembrance accompanied by this picture:
It shows the city room of the NYT on the night of July 13, 1977, with reporters hammering away at their typewriters by candlelight. No power, but the phones still worked, as you can see from the guy on the far left. It's probably the coolest picture I've seen in a long time (since my stunning portrait of the Mickey's six-pack, of course), and it made the journalist in me smile. McFadden spins some awesome imagery in his City Room story, so check it out.
So what's the point of this post? I'm getting to it, to tell you the truth. I guess I always like to preface myself, introduce what I want to say. When I write I prefer to whet the reader's appetite, like serving an apéritif before a large meal. Now who wouldn't enjoy a little sherry or port before a steaming bowl of jambalaya and sausage?
Let's face it: I'm a little behind the times. Case in point: I'd never used the iTunes Store.
I'd been to the store before when I was curious about certain songs or albums, but I never used it — never bought or downloaded anything. I've been too cheap. When I want new music I browse the "New and Used" selections on Amazon, where I can usually get CDs much cheaper than anywhere else. Plus, I always assumed, since every song on the iTunes Store was 99 cents, every CD would cost
For the past month I've been photo-blogging. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words. My three picture posts weren't the most artistic, but they provided insights into my life and everything that's been on my mind. What does a six-pack case of Mickey's Fine Malt Liquor say about me? I'm living cheap compared to my roommate, who has the 50 inch plasma TV and a complete 6.1 stereo system seen in the background. Cheap is the theme in "Dinner!" (Zaterain's jambalaya with fried Polish Kielbasa) and "Who needs a stand when you have the floor?" (my hand-me-down Sony Trinitron on the floor in my room).
Plus, photo-blogging is fun. I enjoy playing around with my digital; it's like I'm a kid with an endless roll of film in my camera, walking around and taking pictures of whatever I find interesting.
Anyway, here's another pic, though it's not mine. I saw it on the New York Times' City Room blog. For the rest of the week, City Room will be running retrospectives on the famous 1977 blackout in New York City, and Robert D. McFadden (in the striped shirt) wrote the remembrance accompanied by this picture:
It shows the city room of the NYT on the night of July 13, 1977, with reporters hammering away at their typewriters by candlelight. No power, but the phones still worked, as you can see from the guy on the far left. It's probably the coolest picture I've seen in a long time (since my stunning portrait of the Mickey's six-pack, of course), and it made the journalist in me smile. McFadden spins some awesome imagery in his City Room story, so check it out.
So what's the point of this post? I'm getting to it, to tell you the truth. I guess I always like to preface myself, introduce what I want to say. When I write I prefer to whet the reader's appetite, like serving an apéritif before a large meal. Now who wouldn't enjoy a little sherry or port before a steaming bowl of jambalaya and sausage?
Let's face it: I'm a little behind the times. Case in point: I'd never used the iTunes Store.
I'd been to the store before when I was curious about certain songs or albums, but I never used it — never bought or downloaded anything. I've been too cheap. When I want new music I browse the "New and Used" selections on Amazon, where I can usually get CDs much cheaper than anywhere else. Plus, I always assumed, since every song on the iTunes Store was 99 cents, every CD would cost
99 cents X number of songs on the album
so I always refrained from using Apple's groove megastore. An album with 20 songs would cost about $20, right? So why buy it on iTunes when I could get a used copy on Amazon for $6?
On Friday night, my friend dedicated a song to me (aww...how romantic) during his hip-hop show on KRUI: "The L.A. Song" by People Under the Stairs. PUTS is by far my favorite hip-hop group, so the dedication couldn't have been more appropriate. But it made me realize I don't have three of their albums, and I just couldn't function until more of their discography was a part of my iTunes library (not quite, but I am in need of some new music).
Just for kicks, I checked out their album "O.S.T." on the iTunes Store. It turned out the entire CD was offered for $9.99, much less than I thought it'd be (based on my simple equation from above, my calculation was $19.80 for all 20 songs). The cheapest price on Amazon was $10.50.
Decisions, decisions. I let the thought of signing-up for an iTunes account turn over in my stomach and head. Choices regarding money are not easy for me; it comes from pinching every penny to pay my own tuition in college (hence, my preference for malt liquor). But I realized it was time for me to come up to speed on downloading music, and I registered for an account and bought the CD.
I could sound like an old man (or someone who's really out of date) and say, "I didn't have to wait for my CD. The songs downloaded quickly and I was enjoying the music in no time." I did feel that way, since the downfall of ordering from Amazon is waiting for the CD in the mail. But I have to admit the iTunes Store is pretty slick, and I've been missing out for a while. Not only am I grooving to some new beats ("O.S.T." is phenomenal), but I'm also hip and current.
Now I have to hold myself back from downloading all the albums I've ever wanted.
Just for kicks, I checked out their album "O.S.T." on the iTunes Store. It turned out the entire CD was offered for $9.99, much less than I thought it'd be (based on my simple equation from above, my calculation was $19.80 for all 20 songs). The cheapest price on Amazon was $10.50.
Decisions, decisions. I let the thought of signing-up for an iTunes account turn over in my stomach and head. Choices regarding money are not easy for me; it comes from pinching every penny to pay my own tuition in college (hence, my preference for malt liquor). But I realized it was time for me to come up to speed on downloading music, and I registered for an account and bought the CD.
I could sound like an old man (or someone who's really out of date) and say, "I didn't have to wait for my CD. The songs downloaded quickly and I was enjoying the music in no time." I did feel that way, since the downfall of ordering from Amazon is waiting for the CD in the mail. But I have to admit the iTunes Store is pretty slick, and I've been missing out for a while. Not only am I grooving to some new beats ("O.S.T." is phenomenal), but I'm also hip and current.
Now I have to hold myself back from downloading all the albums I've ever wanted.
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