I always win

There was a StevieNicks -off on tonight's episode (season premiere) of NBC's Up All Night . Reagan is packing up her office, playing " Edge of Seventeen ". Suddenly, she hears the same song coming from Ava 's office. They're in the middle of a spat. She stares at Ava. Ava shoots her a dirty look, cranks the volume, and throws down: Not to be outdone, Reagan turns her volume up even louder, and holds up the speakers: I love it so much.

I went on a spending binge this week: $683.54 on credit. To put things in perspective, I have no income at the moment. My entire severance went into an RRSP back in December. Since my layoff, I've been living on my vacation pay payout, a non-registered mutual fund, income tax refund, and credit. My EI benefits will kick in next month; until then, things are pretty lean. Why, then, am I spending like a drunken sailor in port? I'm a gay man, so shopping is pleasurable. Groceries are a necessary purchase; many items were picked up at sale prices. The "personal care" category was high this week — I needed sunscreen, which isn't cheap. I broke my Ray-Ban Aviators , so I replaced them with a less-expensive house brand. Justifying the rest of it becomes difficult. Could I have waited to buy the new Tori Amos CD? Probably not. But I also bought CDs by Alphabeat and P!nk , and the new Stevie Nicks concert DVD. I washed my car twice — I'm conv...

Expected. De rigueur. Kickin'! What do we do with our lives? We leave only a mark Will our story shine like a light Or end in the dark? Give it all or nothing! doo doo doo doo doo doo doooo doooo... Tina Turner, "We Don't Need Another Hero" Don't you get sad and lonely You need a change from what you do all day Ain't no sense in all your crying Just pick it up and throw it into shape INXS, "What You Need" Always slipping from my hands, Sand's a time of its own Take your seaside arms and write the next line Oh I want the truth to be known Huh huh huh hu-uh huh I know this much is true Huh huh huh hu-uh huh I know this much is -- true Spandau Ballet, "True" Dusty words lying under carpets Seldom heard, well, must you keep your secrets Locked inside, hidden deep from view? Do I seem all that hard? Is it all that tough? Now I've shown you all my cards, well isn't that enough? You can hide your hurt But there'...

I've loved her voice for almost as long as I can remember... from the light tone of her lead vocal in Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon" (1975) to her lower register in later solo work like "Trouble in Shangri-La" (2001). I had a hard time deciding which song to clip for this post. I decided on "Whenever I Call You Friend" (recorded in 1978 with Kenny Loggins). for more on Stevie, click here