Got a few things to talk about... and you know what that means! I'm gonna number my items!

1) Neil Finn: So it should probably come as no surprise that I have Google Alerts and Yahoo Alerts set for both Neil Finn and Crowded House... that way I can read everything being written about the man (OCD much?). So recently, I stumbled upon a blog post by a girl named Annie, who, apparently loves Neil as much as I do. I love finding these sorts of random blog posts that really seem to justify what I already know and hold dear: Neil is a songwriting god. Well, it turned out Annie was at the same NYC show I was, and one of her friends was sitting right next to the guy who was hollering at some of us to sit down. It's a small, small, small Neil Finn world, isn't it? So, Annie... hi, and nice to have "met" you! You have most excellent taste in music!

2) Creative Team: My creative team member, Lilian, posted this visual loveliness recently, using some of my designs:

(full credits here)

3) My designs: Holy Hiatus, Batman, could it be true? Why, yes, Robin, it is indeed correct. Krista has DESIGNED SOMETHING!!!!!! Ok, I'll stop talking about myself in the third person now. I have a new paper pack in the Altered Art Chicks and Scrapbookgraphics stores. It's call Boo! and it's my take on some basics for Halloween. In great Halloween-y colors so that the costumes in the photos on your layouts can really shine... And, frankly, any of these could be used for non-Halloween layouts too (so it's a very versatile pack). And it's on sale right now for $2! Here's a preview:

4) Altered Art Chicks: look for the official site launch at Halloween time complete with a freebie (preview coming soon). And Audrey is having a warehouse sale on November 10th. I'll post an ad for it later this week. If you are anywhere near Rahway, NJ, you'll want to come by... she's going to have all kinds of great stuff on the cheap... have to make room for new stuff we're doing at Altered Art Chicks!

5) Porcupine Tree: This past Saturday night, Mike and I roadtripped down to Atlantic City to see one of his favorite bands, Porcupine Tree, in concert. We'd just seen them the week prior for his birthday when they played in NYC, but we missed a big chunk of that show because we got caught in insane traffic due to road construction. So a trek down the shore was in order big time. I have to say PT is not a band I likely would have found on my own... although I do have an affinity for prog rock (I like me some funky time signatures sometimes!), I doubt they would have shown up on my radar if Mike hadn't introduced me to them. The more I listen, the more I like them. Some of the stuff is a bit hard rock, some of it dreamy and soundscape-y, all of it very compelling. I'll leave you today with a clip of a song of theirs that I love called "Lazarus"...

And if you wanna hear a heavier song of theirs, check out this from their latest album, a song called "Fear Of A Blank Planet"...