Technical Difficulties

I was planning the "Matt and Dave Video Show," where I would share clips shot at the recent Matt Nathanson and David Byrne concerts at Wolf Trap, but every time I try to upload via Blogger, the thing hangs indefinitely. While I explore the options of setting up a You Tube account or rolling forward with my Apple account for iWeb (vote early and often if you have a preference), I will revert to the O/CD tally for a bit.

Today's Topic - CD swapping.
After I check to see if a CD I no longer want is worth anything on amazon, I take the cast-offs to the trade-in store. The ones that they don't want, I've been putting up for trade on SwapTree.com. (Look for comment from cousin John to follow soon, touting his preference for lala.com; tho' I've signed up there, too, I haven't really explored it.)

In the course of the last few weeks, I have sent off about a dozen CDs I didn't care to keep, got a few DVDs in the bargain and was pleased to receive the following Wanted Music:
RADIOHEAD - I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings (Capitol)
Replacement for a CD stolen from Hubby's suitcase during a business trip.
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL - Soundtrack (Disney)
2-disc special edition, the second being instrumentals for karaoke. I still haven’t seen a full movie from the HSM series, though I’ve enjoyed the You Tube mash-up of Zac Efron's golf course scene with “The Sound of Music.” The daughters and I saw “17 Again” for Mother’s Day and all agreed that Efron is adorable - but I think Grad Girl would take Matthew Perry first.
The SECOND WAVE - Various Artists (Hear Music)
Great compilation of new wave songs from the Costello/Heads/Madness hey dey from the Starbucks people. While I have most of the songs already, it's a great car CD for days when I want to relive the NYC Glory Days.
LOGGINS & MESSINA - Mother Lode (Columbia)
Doesn't hold up as well as I remembered it, but the band is doing the reunion tour thing later this summer, with my dear Gabe Dixon Band opening, so I'm prepping for the show.
POSTAL SERVICE - The District Sleeps Alone Tonight (Sub Pop)
Nice little EP I didn't know existed until I saw it on the swap site.
PILOT SPEED - Into The West (Wind-Up)
First CD from a Canadian band that Hubby and I are just getting into. The sound is very Coldplay/U2, and the band has yet to prove that they have their own musical vision, but there's catchy material here and real potential that starts to show in the second CD, which a press rep sent about the same time (will have to check whether I tallied that one yet...)
BRIGHT EYES - Lifted, Or The Story is In the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground (Saddle Creek)
Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band will be opening for Wilco at Wolf Trap in July - whoa! - so I'm boning up on my Bright Eyes catalog. And once again, the packaging is great - a 30-page booklet and classy slipcase.
DEL AMITRI - Change Everything (A&M)
Replacing a cassette from times past; includes some great songs - “Be My Downfall,” “Surface of the Moon,” “Always the Last to Know.”
LOUIS ARMSTRONG - At Pasadena Auditorium (GNP/Crescendo)
A 1986 release from a swinging show that was light on vocals but high on fine rhythm.
ANNIE LENNOX - Songs of Mass Destruction (Arista)
My first-ever swap. I love the woman's voice and vibe, tho' I've yet to have a song from this one stick to me.
The MONKEES - Self-titled debut (Rhino)
My most recent swap. Disappointing, not for what it contains - the 1994 reissue of the original 12-track album plus 3 bonus tracks - but for what it doesn't. The swap listing said this was the Deluxe edition, but it doesn't include the second disc with unreleased alternate mixes, demos and a Kellogg's jingle that comprised the 2006 reissue. But since all it "cost" me was a reused puffy envelope, $1.90 in postage and a Sesame Street CD that I'd already ripped to a hard drive, c'est la vie.

and thus, the O/CD Tally: 184