Holiday mix CD 2010

I've been spending this weekend trying to figure out how to get my new Time Capsule to work. Which of course it doesn't, or sometimes and not perfectly. You'd think it would be easty to just power it up and BOOM! you've got yourself af new wireless harddrive for your laptop that also works as a router. I wish. With some jiggery pokery, I did manage to force it into working as a router, only to discover that I have to constantly register my devices including but not limited to my MacBook Pro, iPhone 3G S and an HP media center with my Internet supplier. Of course I can also only access my beloved Time Capsule from my HP media center, which makes complete sense because I haven't installed the AirPort programme that the MacBook apparently requires to set it up. Yes, I'm beyond thrilled.

So this is my first blog entry through this Time Capsule device, and if it's going to be my last you'll never know. Because of all this, I've decided to be a little festive, and steal an idea from the fabulous Tim and do a mix CD. This however will be more holiday related, so if you are all bah humbug you'll have to deal with it. The songs are not in any kind of order as to which one I like the best, although you can imagine about the first one on the list.

1. Kylie Minogue - Let it Snow

This is a new recording from Miss K and I think it's fair to say that it's pretty damn good. I first heard of it on Twitter, and then before long it was available on iTunes bundled with her delightful cover of Santa Baby (performed live at the tree lighting ceremony in NYs Rockerfeller Center 2010).



2. Mel & Kim - Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

This is, to me, a classic. Probably one of the first contemporary Christmas classics I liked. It's fun, it's catchy, the video is hilarious and I liked Kim Wilde. I have memories of dancing around the Christmas tree in our hall to this song wearing a pair of grey leggings and an oversized red jumper. Good times!



Some might prefer the lovely Brenda Lee version to this though. I like that too.

3. Shakin' Stevens - Merry Christmas Everyone

To be honest, I had never heard this one before last year. I own quite a few Christmas albums and how this didn't make it onto any of them is just shocking! Outrageous!



How great is this!

4. Bing Crosby - White Christmas

This is probably THE Christmas classic. I adore this, and it shouldn't be covered because nothing will ever come even remotely close to it. We'eve always heard this at my parents house at Christmas. I even bought the movie White Christmas because of it. This is the essense of Christmas. Funniely enough, it looks like it'll be a white Christmas again this year.



5. Ove Sprogø - Når Du Ser Et Stjerneskud (When You Wish Upon a Star)

The Danish version of Jiminy Cricket (Jesper Fårekylling) When You Wish Upon a Star that features in the Disney From All of Us to All of You show. It's not Christmas eve before you've heard (and seen) this. They show it every year and evil bro and I used to sit and watch it with our crazy aunt. When that song came on, we knew it was not long before the big feast and then it would be time to dance around the tree and get our presents.



Sing along now. Come on everyone!

6. Nat King Cole feat. Natalie Cole - Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire

This is not a song I've ever looked for, but rather one that my mother was really fond of. Sometimes these things rub off on you. It's like Sir Cliffs - Mistletoe and Wine which I am shamefully admitting to liking too. We always heard these songs for Christmas.



7. MC Einar - Det' Jul Det' Cool (it's Christmas, it's cool)

This is a late 80s early 90s Danish Christmas classic. One that I started by thinking was fun, but now it really is kool. A little dated, but kool. It's not your typical romaticising Christmas, but rather dealing with all the over consumption and greed in a very smartly sarcastic way without alienating people. You may just think it sounds weird, and if I were in your place I would have to agree. I have a memory of sitting on the loo singing it on the top of my lungs once I was home alone, and the paperboy came and he yelled at me to shut the fuck up. Of course, at that point it was June.



8. Wham - Last Christmas

There simply is no Christmas without Wham Last Christmas. Everything from the song to the video just screams perfection. I can't hear it enough. It's another song that I've danced around in grey leggings and oversized red jumpers to.



9. Eartha Kitt - Santa Baby

Santa Baby has got to be the most covered Christmas song of all time. Everyone from Ally McBeal to Madonna, to The Pussycat Dolls and Taylor Swift have covered this track. Even Kylie made a delightfully sensual attempt (which I prefer to most of the other versions). Eartha Kitts version is still number one in my book. *PUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR*



10. Britney Spears - My Only Wish This Year

I know. I'm not proud, but I really do like this. I ended up buying a really bad Christmas album called Platinum Christmas back in 2000 because of this one song. I tell you, the rest of the tracks from S Club 7, Steps, Monica, TLC, R Kelly to name a few were absolute crap. This song made up for the $20 it cost. CDs were very expensive back then - and still are around here.



11. Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas

This is another song you just can't get around. The year it was released it was in the Danish top 10 through mid January. There was no denying it. Of course, I waited years until I bought the album. Mostly because I'm not a Mariah fan. Still, this is a delightful little holiday nugget. It's like the Pringles - once you pop you can't stop.



12. Various Danish Artists - Let Love Be Love

Probably one of the only good Danish holiday songs. This also did incredibly well on the Danish chart. It seems we (and by we, I mean everyone else) love our Danish artists. You may recognise SOAP who had that hit Soap is in the air. It's a little sappy, but that's the holidays, isn't it.



Because I'm really nice, I'll include some guilty pleasures as B-sides.

B-Side - Spice Girls - Sleigh Ride

There really are no words.



B-Side - Aqua - Spin Me a Christmas

If for nothing else, their videos are hilarious. This one too.



Until the Time Capsule works again, Merry Christmas my pretties.

My first time

This is my first. My first time.

There are a lot of firsts in ones life. Some more pleasant than others. The first time we spoke, crawled, walked, got an A in a test or on an assignment. The first time you played a computer game, jumped off the 10 meter at the local pool, wore pink, had sex, mixed wine and strong liquor, saw Paris Hiltons coochie, watched Gilmore Girls, saw Kylie live in concert and read that one book that came to mean so much to you.

It's a very long list.

I had another first on Thursday. It was very day. You see, Friday last week, I got an email from a delivery service that confirmed they would deliver my Apple kit Thursday. So, Thursday I was home around 3.30pm because the delivery boys would be by any time between 5 to 10pm. Naive as I am, I thought they'd be by pretty early because I live in the centre of town but by 8pm I was very impatient and pretty much giving up due to the snow. At least they could have called or emailed that they wouldn't deliver, I thought.

Then at 9pm they came. I must say what the delivery boy lacked in beauty, my Apple kit most certainly made up for. Everything was there, except the Time Capsule which will be delivered at some point I assume. Although there's still no news on that.  Anyway, everything is so gorgeous - even the boxes everything came in was gorgeous. There's no excess styrofoam or other junk, everything is precise and luxoriously made just like my MacBook and Apple Cinema.

After unwrapping the gorgeous equipment, I started corrupting it. Most Mac enthusiasts (fantatics?) would call it the abomination, OUTRAGEOUS! even. However, I'm not one to be playing with a Snow Leopard, you could lose a finger or worse. Being an MS Windows gay, and having been for about 15 years it's not easy to change, and you know what they say. A leopard can't change its spots, or something to that effect. Anyway, it proved pretty easy to violate the sanctity of the Snow Leopard, and my MacBook is now dancing with the devil.

Now, I just need to learn how to use it properly. You see, obviously there are no Windows keys, that's a given. However, there is no Del, End, Home or Insert keys either, and it took me a while to figure out how to work out how to correct the whole issue with the ONE button mouse/mousepad.

I promise I'll take a photo of the setup when I'm all done. I was supposed to clean my flat today, but somehow I can't find the energy and inspiration for it.

This is my first blog post I've done on this fabulous MacBook, and I'm obviously doing it from my sofa while watching the show White Collar (first time watching that!). There's just nothing bad I can say about this laptop. It's divine.

I find that I must stroke it every day, the MacBook (you filthy people!). On that note..



THE FILTH!

Now that we know the O faces of the JLS boys, how do you look at that magic moment? Please feel free, to share your photos.

Apple hoor

Around five years ago I bought my first Apple product. It was an iPod Shuffle and I loved it. Of course I was a huge step for me to buy something from Apple. To be honest, I had this hate relationship with Apple products. They weren't proper computers, and they weren't nearly as good as the proper PC's. What was worse, was that they weren't compatible with anything non-Apple. That was probably the biggest issue for me.

At the end of the day, getting an iPod Shuffle wouldn't be a huge deal. After all it was just an mp3 player and it worked with a proper PC. I eventually made the decision to get one, and by goddess Kylie I loved it! It was gorgeous, dependable and easy to use.

It must have been fate, that my iPod passed away shortly before the iPhone was launched here in Denmark. I signed up for the iPhone because it seemed like the best thing since sliced bread. Also I never thought it was going to catch on here. You see, we are like Nokia country (despite Nokia being from Finland) and the iPhone was so pricey. I hate being on the bandwagon when it comes to new stuff, and I weren't really because I'd decided to get one long before it was launched here. Anyway, they skipped the regular iPhone and jumped straight to the iPhone 3G, and I got one. From day one, I loved it!

From then on, I got my current iPhone which is the 3G S model and I love that even more. If that is possible. It is in fact, the best thing since sliced bread! Apparently my talking about the iPhone got my brother to ditch his Blackberry (which he hated with a passion by the way) and get an iPhone. The phone has made me a little more open to Apple products combined with the fact that you CAN actually get Windows OS so you aren't stuck with the Apple one. Whatever that's called.

Now every year around this time, the corporation I work for issue a selection of products and deals that are paid for by your salary before taxes. The Danish tax system allows this, and since I pay 40% tax of all my income it's quite lucrative. Every year I've chosen to buy shares in the company this way.

This year they've included computers in the selection and I have been looking through the list feel like it's time for something nice. A treat if you will. Unlike the deal with buying shares in the corporation, this computer deal is not a one year deal. The computers are paid for over two years, kind of like a leasing agreement where after the two years are up, you are asked if you want to buy it. The purchase price would be one or two installments at the end of the two years.

Anyway, I've looked at the selection and decided which stuff to get. Since I've practically become an Apple hoor thanks to Tim. Well at least he nudged me ever closer to the joys that are the pretty Apple products. I've come to the decision to get these things

1. Macbook Pro 15" i7 2.66 Ghz



2. Apple Time Capsule 1 Tb



3. Apple Cinema 27"



4. and because I'm not completely sold on Apple software, Windows 7 for Mac.

Oh, and possibly a mouse? I am not sure if I should get one for the MacBook Pro.

Anyway I won't be getting the goodies until next year though so I'll be acting like a 5 year old until then.

In slightly more anticlimactic news, I can show you the more precise location of THE FREAKIN' GREEN ELF SHORTS and their journey towards Mr. Donn.

September 28, 2010 10:35 PM Ready for transport to Canada
September 29, 2010 10:53 AM Sent to Canada
October 1, 2010 04:11 PM Arrived in Canada
October 7, 2010 05:31 AM Arrived at distributionscenter Canada
October 7, 2010 12:00 PM Addressee advised to pick up item
October 7, 2010 12:30 PM Addressee being notified

It's all very exciting stuff!