its Bar The Doors Day

I don't want to give the impression that I'm antisocial or can't abide a crowd.  I like a good party as much as the next girl, and have even been known to go to the mall on December 23 (when this was a Saturday, no less).  But there are times that, living here in Our Nation's Capital, you cannot drag me to where the people are.  At the moment, I can just think of two such times:

• January 20 (quadrennially)
  -- Yeah, when I can I actually flee the city on Inauguration Day.  In 2005 I was out of the country anyway; in 2001 I buggered off to Boston to visit my brother.  In 1997, I watched the thing on TV, but I'm sure I didn't leave the house.
  
• July 4 (annually)
  -- A couple of times I've gone down to the Mall for esti626's get-together.  Or, more accurately, tried to go down to the mall.  At least once I succeeded; at least once I got hung up in traffic and watched the fireworks from (admittedly air-conditioned comfort in) the car on the GW Parkway.  Anymore, I feel like I haven't yet been offered the amount of money it would be worth to get me out into those mobs on this day.  I've seen fireworks and I've heard the NSO, know what I mean?

So my plan for today has been to keep the door closed and not wander outside.  And yet, it looks like I'll have to see if the grocery store is open so I can go get some milk and juice.  Think the cookout crowds will have cleared by now?

today's project of geekery

So I'm going through my iTunes importing album artwork for, my hope is, everything in there.  (Only about 5700 tracks.  No worries.)  The 'tunes can find some of the artwork on its own, but in a lot of cases it can't, for whatever reason -- but it allows me to add whatever artwork I want.  I'm doing pretty well with Wikipedia and Uncle Google finding album covers, but in a couple of cases so far I'm hitting a wall.  These are items I got from someone else, so they're CDs I've never had myself, or I'd just scan them in and be done with it.  Failing that, I'm hoping someone in here can help me.  :-)

One is Ann Taylor Breast Cancer Benefit - 2000, which I can't find anyplace. Anyone know where there is a visual record of such an album?  In the meantime, I'll shove in a graphic of a pink ribbon, just so there's something in there.  The other insists that it's a recording of Beethoven's 9th Symphony by the Seattle Symphony conducted by Gerard Schwarz, although I can find no evidence that the Seattle Symphony ever recorded the 9th.  Anyone care to correct me -- or, hey, if I send you the track, any chance you can listen to it and tell me whose recording it is?  :-)

ooh, an independence day meme from jgesteve

When you see this, quote 1776:

FRANKLIN:  Oh, John, you can dance!
ADAMS:  We still do a few things in Boston, Franklin.

Just under the wire.  Hurrah!