This is what happens when I blog on Ny-Quill

Sometimes on Sunday nights, I find myself flipping and finding 102.7, listening to a classic edition of Casey Kasem's Top-40 show from the mid-1980s. Tonight, he mentioned a poll of the five most fashionable female singers, as decided by college students. The most fashionable was Whitney Houston (Belinda Carlisle was #2, Sade was #3, and #4-5 was a three-way tie between Madonna, Susanna Hoffs, and Janet Jackson), and Kasem's description of her - "sleek, sexy, assured, and clean-living" - almost sounded ironic, knowing the state of Whitney today.

It occurred to me that if I were a film producer, I'd try to create a comeback vehicle for both Courtney Love and Whitney Houston. Make some sort of movie with them. Love is a great actress - she captured the screen in The People Vs. Larry Flynt, and Houston held her own in the few films she did. It could work. A Thelma and Louise for the 2000s, something like that.

Courtney Love is on my mind because Hole has been coming up a lot on my I-Pod lately. I've asked for Nirvana's Unplugged in New York DVD for Christmas, and am excited about possibly getting it; it's, for my money, one of the greatest concerts ever captured on CD, and seeing it on DVD all together is something that excites me a lot. But, as far as studio albums go, I'd put Live Through This next to any Nirvana studio album. It's that good. Revolutionary, even. And the songs have been popping up a lot lately on shuffle; they're good workout songs - angry and loud and driving. It's hard to feel like being a little lazy when Courtney Love is screaming, "Go on, take everything! Take everything, I want you to go on, take everything! Take everything!" in your ear (that's "Violet").

I love being at the gym and being in a totally different world than everyone else, a world created by my headphones. The music shifts from Simon and Garfunkle to Nelly, from the Dixie Chicks to Jay-Z as mixed by DJ Danger Mouse, to Ella Fitzgerald to Pearl Jam, and I feel like I'm playing a joke on all of the people there, a joke they don't even know if being played. And I smile to myself, and go on with my workout, totally lost in song.

Speaking of which, someday, I'd like to be able to know Young MC's "Bust a Move" well enough to try to tackle it during karaoke. I might even classify it as a life goal.

I need to figure out an interesting place to celebrate my friend's birthday on Wednesday. One of our usual haunts could work - our "regular three" bars are The Brewer's Art, Joe Squared, and Ale Mary's - but I'm thinking that since it's a special occasion, I should try to branch out. Holy Frijoles could work, but we've been there once this year already, and he doesn't really like Mexican food. I was thinking maybe Ryan's Daughter; I just wish it wasn't so expensive. James Joyce might be a possibility, as I know he's never been there. Or maybe Mick O'Shea's. Or maybe a night of Midtown Yacht Club and then the Spy Club (but the lighting of the monument next week probably will feature this place prominently). Anyone know of any good trivia places in Baltimore on Wednesdays? I do consider myself a bit of an expert on Baltimore bars, but still am coming up empty - any ideas overall? I'd like it to be close to 83, for easy access and exit (even a little bit for me, as I'm there for just a short time before having to go to class).

I am taking a sick day tomorrow, just because I want to know I'm over this thing for real. My fever hit 102 yesterday, and I feel a lot better today, but not all the way. One more day of rest and I should be all set.