Not Too Busy to Be Grateful

I've been negligent in not pointing y'all toward my current sponsor, Opinion Journal's Political Diary. Be sure to click once, twice, three times a day.

Oh, Hey

Don't forget to click on the Hunger Site ad today and every day to translate mere seconds of your time into supplies and resources for people who need them.

(And if you've got something to advertise, don't forget to click the "advertise here" link below the ad to translate mere dollars into supplies and resources for a particular blogger who needs them.)

A Charitable Reminder

Be sure to click over to the Hunger Site through the advertisement at left! It costs nothing other than a few seconds of your time.

Advertising for Good

The Hunger Site and all of the related pages have been part of my daily online routine for years — ever since I paused, in my gray-walled cubicle, to read an email from my aunt in late '99/early '00. From the very beginning, the main page of Timshel Arts has had a link. It still amazes me that the Internet can turn virtually no effort into resources for people who need help.

So I'm thrilled to offer the site BlogAd space here on Dust in the Light to spread the word further. Please make it a part of your own daily online routine. And if you stop by here, first, to click through, your time will help one more family in need.

ADDENDUM:
Readers may also have noticed the four text-ad links under the Sponsors heading, which is also a paid advertisement. As a general policy, advertising doesn't necessarily equal endorsement. If I've experience with an advertiser's product, I'll certainly write about it, and if I need something that an advertiser has on offer, I'll take the opportunity to try it out. I also welcome feedback from readers about their own experiences.

Tuesday Slips on Buy

I just got off Mr. Mom duty a short while ago, and blogging will commence after I catch up with my daily reading and reshevel myself. (Yes, I made that word up.)

In the meantime, there's been no movement in career limbo over the past few days, and I've concluded that I just don't have it in me to pursue another beg-a-thon, so if you'd like to help us out, or even (hey why not?) if you'd just like to read more of my work, please consider picking up a book:

Or two:

I sign all books with some sort of personal message. Just imagine the dollar amount when your great grandchildren bring the book(s) to Antique Roadshow in the next century! No matter the appraisal, their reactions could hardly be more excited than mine whenever somebody thinks enough of my work to pay for it (even at my supremely reasonable prices).

And even if just a fraction of the people who stop by here each day buy a book this week, I'll be able to relax about that looming mortgage thing.

Well, I Am a Capitalist

As you may have noticed, I've gone ahead and signed up with BlogAds. In the various blog rankings, Dust in the Light has been climbing steadily, and while the post-election season will probably bring a general blogosphere dip in traffic (although I think folks are overguessing it), my individual activities are starting to look promising for keeping the numbers up.

If you've something to hawk to the audience of a Catholic conservative artist writer New Englander type, please consider taking out an ad. If you fall on the consumer end of the spectrum, please take a look at what the sponsors have to offer; I do intend to be responsibly discerning with respect to the ads that I accept.

22 Soundtracks for Living

More CDs on eBay. Please bid. High. Often.

Billy Joel, Piano Man
Billy Joel, 52nd Street
Billy Joel, An Innocent Man
Billy Joel, The Bridge
Billy Joel, Souvenir (5-CD boxed set)
Billy Joel, Voyage on the River of Dreams (3-CD boxed set)
Elton John, Madman Across the Water
Elton John, Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player
Huey Lewis & the News, Sports
Dave Matthews Band, Everyday
Paul McCartney, McCartney
Don McLean, American Pie
Steve Miller Band, Greatest Hits 1974-78
Keb' Mo', Just Like You
Thelonious Monk, The Best of the Blue Note Years
The Moody Blues, The Story of the Moody Blues... Legend of a Band
Tom Petty, Full Moon Fever
Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here
Pink Floyd, The Wall
The Police, Every Breath You Take, The Singles
Radiohead, The Bends
R.E.M., Automatic for the People

33 Ways to Help

Surely nobody will be surprised that I've decided that it's necessary to break the barrier to auctioning off the 200 or so CDs at the top of my pile. If you see anything you like, please bid.

Traffic, Shootout at the Fantasy Factory
T.Rex, The Slider
U2, Pop
Various Artists (including Jimmy Buffett), Chameleon Caravan Tour Sampler CD 1993
Various Artists, Rebel Rousers! Best of Southern Rock
Soundtrack, Reservoir Dogs
Various Artists, 70's Greatest Rock Hits Volume 2: The South Rules
Various Artists, 70s Greatest Rock Hits Volume 10: Hitchin' a Ride
Various Artists, Slow Jams Volume 1: 60s
Various Artists (2CD), The Atlantic Group Spring Breakers '93 promo
Various Artists, A Winter's Solstice IV
The Allman Brothers Band, A Decade of Hits 1969-1979
India Arie, Acoustic Soul
The Beatles, A Hard Day's Night
The Beatles, Beatles for Sale
The Beatles, Help!
The Beatles, White Album
The Black Crowes, Shake Your Money Maker
Blues Traveler, Travelers & Thieves (+ bonus CD)
David Bowie, ChangesBowie (+ bonus CD)
Jimmy Buffett, Havana Daydreamin'
Jimmy Buffett, Songs You Know By Heart
Nick Cave, Let Love In
Creed, Weathered
Crowded House, Recurring Dream, The Very Best of
The Doors, The Doors
Peter Gabriel, Shaking the Tree, Sixteen Golden Greates
Jeffrey Gaines, Jeffrey Gaines
Grant Lee Buffalo, Fuzzy
George Harrison, Best of Dark Horse, 1976-1989
Don Henley, Actual Miles, Henley's Greatest Hits
Bruce Hornsby, Hot House
Jethro Tull, Aqualung

Batch 20

Here's the twentieth batch of CDs. Please bid!

R.E.M., Out of Time
Santanta, Supernatural
Schubert, Die Winterreise
Schumann, Symphonies 1 "Spring" & 4
Seal, (first album)
Spin Doctors, Pocket Full of Kryptonite
Cat Stevens, Mona Bone Jakon
Cat Stevens, Numbers
Cat Stevens, Izitso
Cat Stevens, Footsteps in the Dark, Greatest Hits Vol. 2
Sting, Fields of Gold, Greatest Hits 84-94
Sting, Brand New Day
Stone Temple Pilots, Core
Richard Strauss, 5 Great Tone Poems
The Subdudes, Primitive Streak
Tears for Fears, The Seeds of Love
Tears for Fears, Raoul and the Kings of Spain
Temple of the Dog, (first edition)
John Tesh, Monterey Nights
Toad the Wet Sprocket, Coil

Giving to Receive

The auctions are going reasonably well, and it's helpful to have a little bit of extra money coming in. Here's the latest batch. If you've the means and desire, please bid.

Elton John, Honky Chateau
Elton John, Too Low for Zero
Judybats, Pain Makes You Beautiful
The Kinks, Greatest Hits
Lenny Kravitz, Mama Said
Dean Martin, Best of
Dave Matthews Band, early promo
Paul McCartney, Unplugged: The Official Bootlet (limited edition, numbered)
Sarah McLachlan, Mirrorball
Mendelssohn, A Midsummer Night's Dream
George Michael, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1
George Michael, Older
Steve Miller Band, Best of 1968-1973
Mott the Hoople, Greatest Hits
Mozart, Symphonies 29 & 35 "Haffner"
Tom Petty, Wildflowers
Pink Floyd, Atom Heart Mother
Pink Floyd, A Momentary Lapse of Reason
Primus, Pork Soda
Radiohead, OK Computer

Last Call for This Batch

I've extended the auction durations on the following CDs (and lowered the prices of some):

The Doobie Brothers, Best of the Doobies
Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits
The Eagles, The Very Best of the Eagles (German import)
Fishbone, Truth and Soul
Peter Frampton, Frampton Comes Alive! (2CD)
Grant Lee Buffalo, Copperopolis
Chris Harford, Be Headed
Jimi Hendrix, Smash Hits
INXS, Welcome to Wherever You Are
Billy Joel, Cold Spring Harbor
Billy Joel, The Nylon Curtain
Billy Joel, Fantasies & Delusions

I dropped the price a little on this one, but the auction still ends tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon:

Elton John, The Tumbleweed Connection

And these finish up tomorrow afternoon, with bids already placed:

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, So Far
Dvorak, New World Symphony (RCA Victor)
Extreme, III Sides to Every Story
The Grateful Dead, One from the Vault (2CD)
George Harrison, Cloud Nine
Harvard University Choir, Alleluia! Sacred Choral Music in New England
Billy Joel, Glass Houses

Please bid!

Soundtracks for June

And the liquidation continues. If you see anything you like, please bid.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, So Far
The Doobie Brothers, Best of the Doobies
Dvorak, New World Symphony (RCA Victor)
Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits
The Eagles, The Very Best of the Eagles (German import)
Extreme, III Sides to Every Story
Fishbone, Truth and Soul
Peter Frampton, Frampton Comes Alive! (2CD)
Grant Lee Buffalo, Copperopolis
The Grateful Dead, One from the Vault (2CD)
Chris Harford, Be Headed
George Harrison, Cloud Nine
Harvard University Choir, Alleluia! Sacred Choral Music in New England
Jimi Hendrix, Smash Hits
INXS, Welcome to Wherever You Are
Billy Joel, Cold Spring Harbor
Billy Joel, Glass Houses
Billy Joel, The Nylon Curtain
Billy Joel, Fantasies & Delusions
Elton John, The Tumbleweed Connection

More Time to Bid

Obviously, it wasn't the most opportune weekend to begin selling CDs on eBay, again, but necessity is what necessity is. I've extended the auctions on the following CDs until Thursday, and reduced the price on most:

The Band, The Best of the Band
Barenaked Ladies, Rock Spectacle
Barenaked Ladies, Stunt
The Beatles, With the Beatles
The Beatles, Magical Mystery Tour
The Beatles, Let It Be
The Beatles Abbey Road
The Beatles, 1
Brad, Shame
The Chieftains, The Long Black Veil
Counting Crows, Recovering the Satellites
The Cranberries, Everybody Else Is Doing It...

The following discs already have bids, but you have until a little after 5:00 p.m. tomorrow (Tuesday) to get yours in:

Allman Brothers Band, Where It All Begins
The Beach Boys, Endless Summer
David Bowie, Young Americans
Jackson Browne, I'm Alive
Jimmy Buffett, Son of a Son of a Sailor
Jimmy Buffett, Hot Water
Nick Cave, The Boatman's Call
Phil Collins, No Jacket Required

Please bid!

Ah, My Misspent Youth

A few months back, I managed to find some freelance work and was able to stop eBaying my CD collection away just before I got to the tier at which it would become painful. Well, the freelance project is over, with none to replace it, and I haven't yet succeeded in finding full-time work, so...

Please bid — and overbid:

Allman Brothers Band, Where It All Begins
The Band, The Best of the Band
Barenaked Ladies, Rock Spectacle
Barenaked Ladies, Stunt
The Beach Boys, Endless Summer
The Beatles, With the Beatles
The Beatles, Magical Mystery Tour
The Beatles, Let It Be
The Beatles Abbey Road
The Beatles, 1
David Bowie, Young Americans
Brad, Shame
Jackson Browne, I'm Alive
Jimmy Buffett, Son of a Son of a Sailor
Jimmy Buffett, Hot Water
Nick Cave, The Boatman's Call
The Chieftains, The Long Black Veil
Phil Collins, No Jacket Required
Counting Crows, Recovering the Satellites
The Cranberries, Everybody Else Is Doing It...

The Gift of Patronage

Birthdays have long been just-another-days on which to look at some pretty cards and eat a little (extra) cake. The gifts, when there are any, have become more practical — often things I was going to have to buy anyway — and at our level of income, money gifts are more likely than not to cover a shortfall.

So, if you're inclined to make my birthday not just another day, but just another good day, not a day of ecstasy, but a taste of the days that I wish every day could be, perhaps you'll consider picking up a book:

Or two:

If you'd rather, I'd also welcome outright donations (although I'll probably offer to send you a book anyway). Or, you can head over to Confidence Place and pick up something other than the books pictured above. I sign all books by me, with some sort of personal message. And my repeated sales pitch remains true:

Just imagine the dollar amount when your children or grandchildren bring the book(s) to Antique Roadshow toward the end of the century! No matter the amount, their reactions could hardly be more excited than mine whenever somebody thinks enough of my work to pay for it (even at my supremely reasonable prices).

Tripped by Taxes

Well, for anybody who's curious, my little fundraising venture brought in a grand total of $0.00. That's fine; I just like to rattle my cup occasionally to see what happens, and my readership still isn't on the level at which other bloggers seem to start earning money. It might be wise, nonetheless, for me to raise my threshold for such extensive posts as the one on Scandinavian marriage.

But...

I just paid my weekly bills, and thanks to the check to Uncle Sam earlier this month, I'm $25 short for the month. I figure I've got about $5 of spare change in my coffee can. If you'd like to help me make up the difference please do. If not, hey, I understand. Times're rough all around, as they say.

ADDENDUM (04/25/04 12:05 a.m.):
Before I head off to bed, I want to post a quick thank you to the two people who've helped me cover this month's deficit, even leaving the coffee can free of all but a very light skim. Notes of profuse thanks will go out tomorrow, but I thought it important to avoid encouraging further donations on false pretenses.

Bills are relentless, of course, and I'm still a long way from avoiding the fees incurred by dipping below the monthly minimum for my bank account, so further contributions would still be extremely welcome. But the bills can be paid, and for that, I'm beyond grateful.

I'll do my best to keep my budget balanced, henceforth.

Softening the Sting

Although it was interesting and will benefit me in ways that aren't easily quantified, I spent way too much time on the previous post. If you thought it was worth the effort — or if you think the blog as a whole is — please consider clicking the following button and help to take a little of the sting out of my lost hours:

Of course, I'd be just as (or more) happy to send you a book or two (signed). So, please consider that option, as well. I'm not looking for much. Just enough to give me a silver lining when my wife asks what I did all Thursday.

Resting to Go Forward

It's been awhile, I believe, since the last time I went a whole weekend without a single post. In part, the lapse was a result of being busy combining with a new schedule that actually works rest into my week.

But it wasn't just me, this weekend. Whether everybody's just burnt out from all the Clarke nonsense, or whether we've all taken an anticipatory breath before something big happens (preferably good), the Internet's been relatively quiet. Up here in the Northeast, longing for spring is surely playing a role.

Anyway, beyond habitualizing myself into behavior appropriate to the realization that my life is as it is and as it will be for the foreseeable future, I've been edging along projects that will enable me to put the whole Timshel thing on autopilot until I get some sort of breakthrough — working, in the meantime, in whatever job helps pay the bills. This weekend, incidentally, our debt dipped below a long-anticipated line. It isn't significantly less massive, but it's nice to watch the numbers tick away over the years.

If you'd like to help us out, or if you'd like to help maintain my drive (particularly for blogging), or even (hey why not?) if you'd just like to read more of my work, please consider picking up a book:

Or two:

I sign all books by me, with some sort of personal message. Just imagine the dollar amount when your children or grandchildren bring the book(s) to Antique Roadshow toward the end of the century! No matter the amount, their reactions could hardly be more excited than mine whenever somebody thinks enough of my work to pay for it (even at my supremely reasonable prices).

From the Blog to the Bank

Glenn Reynolds is praising Blogads. That's understandable, considering that the four that he's got on his main page right now are earning him — on top of his professorial salary, freelance writing payments, speaking gigs, and whatever his wife makes — a little bit more than the total income on which my family of three (plus dog) currently lives.

Don't get me wrong; I don't begrudge Prof. Reynolds a dime of what he makes. It just seems as if riches pile on top of riches. Me, I'd be happy just making a living doing the sorts of things that I don't consider to be drudge work. And the methods of earning income through a blog that John Hawkins recommends not only add a layer of administrative effort, but they seem to require an approach that I am reluctant to take. I'm not averse to advertising, as a practice, but it moves the emphasis from the conveyance of my ideas to you and toward the channeling of your money to an advertiser.

Not that my readership is such that advertising would be particularly lucrative, anyway. But there has been an increase in the number of people who visit Dust in the Light, so perhaps it's worth taking the opportunity of this post to mention the way in which I would prefer to make money through this blog if I could: Confidence Place. Perhaps you'll consider picking up a book:

Or two:

Whether your purchase is motivated by an interest to read or just to contribute, you can be assured that the boost to the author's spirits will far exceed the dollar amount. And hey, since I don't anticipate additional print runs (at least in the books' current form), perhaps you'll acquire what will one day be a collector's item — and autographed, too.

The End of Tier 4

Well, here're the last 15 tier 4 CDs. Please bid.

Violent Femmes, Violent Femmes
Vivaldi, The Four Seasons
Various, Album Network, Tune Up 29 (2 CD)
Various, Classic CD 11
Soundtrack, Faraway, So Close
Soundtrack, Hair
Various, Heck on Wheels Vol. 2
Soundtrack, Honeymoon in Vegas
Various, One in Spirit
Various, Psychedelic Mind Trip
Various, Rock Goes to the Movies in Dreams
Various, 70s Greatest Rock Hits Vol. 3: High Times
Various, 70s Greatest Rock Hits Vol. 6: FM Hits
Various, 70s Greatest Rock Hits Vol. 12: #1 Groups
Soundtrack, Until the End of the World

And the Campaign Continues

The Get Me Out of Debt campaign, that is. Please bid.

Thelonious Monk, with John Coltrane
Tom Petty, Let Me Up (I've Had Enough)
Grant Lee Phillips, Ladies' Love Oracle
Pink Floyd, Selections from the Box (Shine On)
Pink Floyd, Pulse (2CD)
Primus, Frizzle Fry
Lou Reed, Transformer
R.E.M., Eponymous
Saigon Kick, The Lizard
Boz Scaggs, Some Change
Schubert, Complete Symphonies Vol. 1 (2CD)
Frank Sinatra, Duets II
Elliott Smith, Elliott Smith
Elliott Smith, Roman Candle
Sonia Dada, Sonia Dada
Soundgarden, Badmotorfinger/SOMMS (2CD)
Soundgarden, Superunknown
Spinal Tap, Spinal Tap
Bruce Springsteen, The Ghost of Tom Joad
Cat Stevens, Foreigner
Cat Stevens, Greatest Hits
Sting, "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot"
Sting, "You Still Touch Me"
U2, "One"
Verdi, Rigoletto (2CD)

Back in Business

Putting up the new page layout made it a good idea to hold off on announcing the CDs that I listed on eBay on Thursday. If you're interested in any of them, the clock is ticking:

Leo Kottke, Live
Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin IV
Led Zeppelin, Houses of the Holy
Led Zeppelin, The Song Remains the Same
Lemonheads, It's a Shame About Ray
Live, Throwing Copper (promo)
Lynyrd Skynyrd, Gold & Platinum (2CD)
Bob Marley, Songs of Freedom (Limited Edition, 1992, 4CD)
Carl Orff, Carmina Burana