It's Friday, my A/C is humming away (had to wait this year for our A/C guy to come out and refill our refrigerant -- we have a very slow leak that needs to be repaired at some point), so I am no longer sitting at my desk sweating all day long, and I'm smiling. Why am I smiling? Because I logged on to blog about a particular topic, only to find my Neil Finn-loving doppleganger Cathy Zielske (ok, yeah, I know, we look NOTHING alike, but personality and likes-wise, it's getting a little bit scary how much we have in common) beat me to it. And she name-checked me too.

So, what's it all about? Neil Finn, bay-bee. The video for the new Crowded House single can be viewed online (go here: Don't Stop Now) and I really think you need to watch it. And not just because it's Neil and Co. looking especially dapper in suits (which, of course, Cathy and I had to discuss) and playing in a faux forest. No, it's because the backgrounds and images in the entire video remind me of PAPER PIECINGS! It's like a quirky, freestyle scrapbook page behind them as they play! Right? Am I right? Yes, I am! I said to Cathy as we emailed back and forth about the video yesterday, that I couldn't shut off the scrapbooker/designer in my brain even when I'm watching a rock video from my favorite songwriter. Am I the only one who walks around noticing design and scrapbook-y stuff everywhere? (Stuff like, "Gee, those flowers over there would make awesome embellishments... why don't I have my camera?" or "Gosh, that pile of dirt is a really cool visual texture...")

Neil. Yeah. Good video. I actually had to watch it on Mike's computer because my REAL Player wouldn't play it and my Windows Media Player is totally wonky lately (even after a reinstall). I also had to watch the Coachella Crowded House clips Cathy so wonderfully sent me links for. (If you are interested, they are here [click on Coachella and select Crowded House from the side menu that pops up].) The "Silent House" clip is great... I got a kick out something Mike said he saw somewhere and the journalist said something to Neil about covering the Dixie Chicks (who covered "Silent House" on their last album) on the new Crowded House album, and Neil was like, "Uh, I wrote that song." It's an amazing song... he should be very proud of it.

And I have heard snippets of things from the new Crowded House album and am loving what I've heard. I can't wait for it to come out now. And I especially can't wait to see the two NYC shows in August. I broke down and bought tickets for two shows at the Beacon Theater. One was pre-sale and I was really bummed I couldn't get better seats than I did. I took my chance on regular sale with the second show and got similar seats, just a bit cheaper as I got the first "cheaper row" in the orchestra section. Front row was going for $350 per ticket on Stub Hub when Mike checked just for fun. I love Neil, yeah, but I can't swallow shelling out that kind of money for front row seats (neither can my checkbook). I got SO SPOILED on the last solo tour. I got front row seats on pre-sale, which ruined me for ever being further back in the crowd for him.

Ok, I didn't log on JUST to talk about Neil today, honest. I actually have something else to share with you that I think is WAY COOL (I read about it on my writer pal Jeff's blog yesterday). HELVETICA: THE MOVIE. Yes, it's a feature-length film about a font. A font we all know and love. I'm going to have to watch this. I know, I figured if ANYONE would understand my fascination with fonts, it would be you guys, right? Hands up who else wants to see this now that they know about it? It's not just about Helvetica (well, it is), but it really explores the world of design. Here's what the site says about the film: "a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which is celebrating its 50th birthday this year) as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives." How could we not want to watch that if we have any interest in graphic design? I'm a font junkie. I'm the person whose PhotoShop takes five years to load because I have so many fonts. This one could possibly be an Academy Award-winner in my book, and I haven't even seen it yet. So, look for it at an art movie house near you. Me, I'll probably get the DVD when it comes out. To anyone else, that would sound REALLY DORKY, but I know you guys get it.