Ok, I am really changing this Meme. Phil tagged me with a Meme that I had already been tagged with, and I didn’t want to post the same thing over again. Phil decided he was going to change it from a “Our Players don’t lie” (The 10 songs on your player with the highest play count), into the songs that he is currently learning to play.

Trying to at least keep it related to music, here is my modified list.

10 Bands that I couldn’t do without

1. Led Zepplin - The classics. They span more than one genre, and I can’t say that there is one single album that I don’t like. How many bands do you know can write a song about Tolkein or Norse mythology, and it still rocks? I don’t care what the mood is, I can pick a Led Zepplin song for it.

2. Cake - Hmmm. Talk about spanning more then one genre, I love Cake. If you aren’t familiar with them, the lead “singer” speaks in tune, and the music is so varied, it isn’t even funny.

Just to give you an idea, the one time I saw them (come back Cake, please), they were with a Bluegrass band, a Rock-a-billy band, and Cheap Trick.

3. AC / DC - Talk about a library to listen to. AC/DC could re-make “The Hokey Pokey”, and it would rock. I still break into a big smile when I hear “Ain’t No Fun (Waitin’ ’round To Be A Millionaire)”.

4. Pink Floyd - This is just a group that I would hate to have to live without. Right now I’m not actively listening to anything of theirs, but I know I’ll always come back to them.

5. Green Day

6. Metallica - No, I don’t like anything since the black album. Yes, I would forgive them if they came out with another album like “Master of Puppets” or even another Garage Days Re-Visited.

7. Black Sabbath

8. Jack Johnson - Especially “In Between Dreams”. Too many memories of Hawaii to eliminate Jacks music.

9. Counting Crows

10. Audio Slave

Some bands that made the list, but then had to be cut.

The Eagles

Train

The Cult

Matchbox Twenty

Blind Melon

Cold Play

Just a little revelation

One thing that happened while I was making this list is that I started thinking of my favorite 10 bands. Somewhere along the line I thought that if I had to throw out / delete all of my music, and for the rest of my life, I could only listen to these 10 bands, who would them be.

It may not seem like that much of a distinction, but one example of a change is Blind Melon. Blind Melon has a couple of my absolute favorite songs, but they just don’t have the library to compare to AC/DC. I mean, AC/DC has like 25 albums, and they all rock. After all, I can’t listen to anything else for the rest of my life, I want to have something of a selection.

Since I already tagged some people with my last meme, I’m not going to tag anyone here. If Scott wanted to chime in though, I would be curious. Hell, if anyone wants to chime in, go ahead and consider yourself tagged.

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Scott over at My Thermos tagged me with a dual theme Meme. The Memes were combined by Kelly, and were “Three Things I Wouldn’t Let Go“, and “Our Players Don’t Lie“. Wow, that’s a whole bunch of links for 2 sentences. Scott’s title was the best though, “Of Mice and Meme“.

It is kind of interesting that I was tagged with two meme’s simultaneously, and then the next day, Phil tagged me with the playlist Meme. I’ll come up with something new for your tag Phil.

Meme #1 - Three Things that I couldn’t get through the day without

I’m going to stay away from the obvious choices, my family, oxygen. food. Scott used a Music Theme, so I figured I should go with a theme as well. I chose three things that I use literally every single day, and on the rare occasion that I forgot them, I feel completely lost.

As a side note, after I came up with the list, and made the post, I realized that each of these were given to me by my wife. That’s got to say something about her mad gift giving skills. Thanks babe!

1. My LeatherMan - If you know me, I bet this was the first thing you thought of.

There aren’t many things that I think of which are as all around useful as a knife. I’ve had a knife on me constantly since about the age of 11, of course back then it was usually a Swiss army knife. There are just so many things that I run across on a day to day basis that need to be cut.

About 14 years ago I was issued a LeatherMan, which is what most people think of when they think of a Personal Survival Tool (PST), you unfold it for pliers, and it contains all sorts of blades for various purposes. Being a Networking guy, it became my entire tool box.

When I grew tired of blades folding in on my fingers, I bought the LeatherMan Supertool. It was a little larger, had some additional tools, and all of the blades locked. It was terrific.

About a year ago, my wife bought me my current LeatherMan, pictured above, which is basically a wonderful knife with a screwdriver bit holder. There are 2 additional bits in the handle, and a carabineer / bottle opener. I still carry my Supertool in my backpack, you never know when you might need a pair of pliers.

One Friday, I left my Leatherman on my desk, and while performing the run of the mill household chores, I had to make so many tips to the garage for tools that I almost went up to work (30 minute drive each way) just to get it.

 2. My Franklin Covey Planner - Yes, I know that “Getting Things Done” by David Allen is the trendy productivity book these days. Yes, I know that the 7 habits is sooo last decade (or was it a decade before that?). Although I am a big fan of the “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, no matter what the system is, you need a planner. I’ve had a planner almost forever, but they used to be those vinyl day planners. I would usually wear them out in about a year. I finally broke down and bought a Franklin Covey planner, and I have had the same one for at least the last 6 or 7 years. It’s well worn, and has even taken a trip sliding down the asphalt after falling off the roof of my Cherokee, but it looks great, and is still in terrific shape.

There have been at least 2 occasions where I left my planner at home. The first time, I just sat there at a total loss about what I was planning on doing that day. I really didn’t have any idea. I never realized, until that day, how much of a bruden my planner takes off of me, freeing me to concentrate on what I’m doing.

The second time I left it at home, I just called my wife and had her read everything off the list for that day.

3. My iPod -  I’m not going to include a picture with this one, I’m sure you have all seen enough of them. My iPod Nano lets me listen to Podcasts and audio books while I’m driving back and forth to work. This single function has added so much entertainment and knowledge to that otherwise wasted time.

The benefits don’t stop there though, when I get to work, I can listen to podcasts or music. I have a whole slew of choices when it comes to what I can listen to, I’m not just limited to the small sampling that I have on my work computer. When I am in the garage working on one of the Jeeps, that another opportunity to listen to good content.

Just as important, my iPod has really taught me that I need time to think, without distractions. Even the times that I decide not to listen to my iPdod is beneficial. It lets me explore what has been on my mind lately. Having the choice makes either decision more worthwhile.

Meme #2 - Our Players don’t Lie

I don’t necessarily think that my playlist is all that telling. I did listen very often to a bunch of stuff, but I then started to try and listen to everything I had at least once. I’m still working on that one, since iTunes hasn’t been on my computer that terribly long, the numbers are of course not a lifetime average.

Anyway, here is the 10 most played songs, according to iTunes.

1. Float On - Modest Mouse

2. The World at Large - Modest Mouse

3. Fly from the Inside - Shinedown

4. Burning Bright - Shinedown

5. Slide - Goo Goo Dolls

6. Name - Goo Goo Dolls

7. Somebody To Shove - Soul Asylum

8. Just Like You - Three Days Grace

9. Better Together - Jack Johnson

10. Yellow - Coldplay

Finally, the evil part. I get to tag some people. I tag Art, Pearl, Sharon, Steven, and Evelyn.

Posted in meme, LinkLove 9 Comments »