Laura Randisi: December 2006 Archives

After work, I went to see "Before the Music Dies" at Appalachian Brewing Company in Harrisburg. It was one of the best documentaries I've seen, seriously.

It was made by two music fans, who traveled the country talking to music execs, musicians and fans, examining the state of music. Art versus commerce. Control versus artistic merit. Mainstream versus independent.

With appearances by Erykah Badu, Dave Matthews, Elvis Costello, Questlove and many others, the independent flick examined why the same pop songs rule the airwaves, where is all of the new music and if music truly will become obsolete.

The most powerful part?

The day after Christmas is when you delve into your new presents -- figure out how that thing really works, see if your new clothing actually fits and count up all of your gift cards. One of my favorite presents that Santa left under the Christmas tree was a new silver iPod Nano, complete with earbuds and an armband so I can run with it.

Although now I have to tackle the task of downloading iTunes, choosing the songs and somehow getting them on my iPod. That's all reserved for after my shift today, but it's definitely my silver lining after being one of only a handful of people working at the paper the day after the holiday.

Andybody have any hints to smoothly entering the iPod world?

Martin Nodell, the creator of the comic book superhero Green Lantern, who uses his magical ring to help him fight crime, has died at the age of 91 of natural causes. The idea for the superhero came in 1940, when Nodell was waiting for a New York subway and saw a train operator waving a lantern displaying a green light. Even though the story line has been revised and reborn several times, the entertaining tales made reading fun for many children and adults alike. Who's your favorite superhero and why?

Read the complete story.

Here's a new way of looking at (and pouring) a glass of wine. Seven Valleys resident John Layne is president of Baltimore-area company WineDocs. He and his employees put together wine tastings for professional meetings, retreats, conventions and other private functions. They now fly all over the country, as well as to Canada, the Caribbean and Europe, for different wine-tasting events. Turning a hobby into a career -- what a novel idea! I wonder how many other unique hobbies would fit this category?

Check out the whole story here.