In case anyone was wondering where I get it from

Dad: Happy Ides of March!
Me: And happy belated Pi Day!
Dad: Pi Day?
Me: You know, 3.14.
Dad: But that's not accurate.

I love my dad.

And I love my mom, who insists that the only reason she reads my blog is because I don't call often enough.

Bestest parents in the world, they are.

Our mailbox is filled with awesome!

We got a package from daev yesterday, containing (count 'em) four CDs: Avenue Q, a set of obscure Meic Stevens EPs (in Welsh, thank you very much), and two mixes, one for rafaela and one for me.

We squee'd. Hard.

Y'see, as I know I've mentioned before, Dave is an absolute God of mix-crafting. He's the one who taught me nearly everything I know about mix-making, and the ones he puts together are true works of art, filled with (as he puts it) Stuff You've Never Heard, But Will Probably Like. So, yes, we squee'd. The discs in the recent mailing haven't a bum track to speak of. Between the two, he has graced us with a couple of choice Mountain Goats tracks (yes, mgrasso, I'm now horribly addicted), two Runrig remixes, and stuff from everyone from Eliza Gilkyson to Guided By Voices. For the curiosity-seekers in the audience, he also included something by someone named Lucie Idlout that makes simultaneously want to say, "What the hell..." and "Omigod, I must now put this song on every mix I make for the rest of my life," Petra Haden's McFerrinesque a capella overdub version of the Who's "Heinz Baked Beans," "Connecticut Is for Fucking" by Jesus H. Christ and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Richard Thompson and his drunken buddies singing in Okinawan, and some old guy with a concertina who inexplicably enjoys singing Al Stewart covers. At least half the songs are by bands I'd never even heard of, but by God I now must own them all.

Naturally, within hours of receiving these mixes, rafaela and I turned right around and started assembling a pair of discs to send back in gratitude. This turned out to be one of the most challenging mix projects I've ever undertaken, seeing as how the selected tracks had to be:
a) good (no problem);
b) songs we haven't sent him yet (this could be trouble);
c) songs he didn't send us in the first place (uh-oh); and
d) stuff that survived the Hard Drive Armageddon of 2006 (ibuprofen, please).
We each succeeded (Anna had an easier time of it, I think, because she did hers first and USED A FEW SONGS THAT I WANTED, not that I'm bitter or anything. It was only one or two, though, and her mix is awesome. I think mine's quite good, too, although I'm pretty sure that this is the weirdest mix I've ever made, which is seriosuly saying something. Track listing may follow, but not until after Dave gets 'em.

So, yeah. If you'll excuse me, I have some more rockin' out to do....