Musical milestone

When I opened up iTunes last night, I was stunned to see my personal music library now consists of 2,000 songs -- enough to last five and a half days.

Whoa.

I've gotta say the MP3 format has its advantages. It's so much easier now to download just the tracks you want. You can play them anywhere, anytime you've got a portable media player (I love my iPod when I'm running); you can play them in whatever sequence you like; and, of course, share them through CD mixes.

So, what's in George's iTunes vault?

Most played tracks:
"How's The World Treating You?" -- Alison Krauss and James Taylor
"I Still Miss Someone" -- Martina McBride
"When You Say Nothing At All" -- Alison Krauss & Union Station
"Heavenly Day" -- Patty Griffin

Most popular artists:
Alison Krauss
The Beatles
Camera Obscura
Neil Young
Patty Griffin
Susan Tedeschi

Most recently added:
The Tragically Hip
Sade
McKinley
Kasey Chambers

Most recently played:
"He Was a Friend of Mine" -- Willie Nelson
"Slave Song" -- Sade
"100 Years" -- Five for Fighting
"Here For You" -- Neil Young
"Swans" -- Camera Obscura

And of all the tracks I've got, why post a video of NuShooz?
1. "I Can't Wait" is a song with an irresistible hook. Just makes you feel good. Plus, the hairdos and clothes are awesome.
2. The song is getting a second life, thanks to the movie "Hot Tub Time Machine."
3. It's a reminder that you can download music from the '80s just as easily as today's popular music.
4. Valerie Day and John Smith, the lead singer and bass player, are a married couple who (drumroll, please) still live in Portland's after all these years. I'm keeping an eye out for them.

The band has just come out with a new release under the name NuShooz Orchestra. Check it out: "Pandora's Box" Ain't nothing like the '80s. As one reviewer describes it, this one is a compilation of "remarkably sophisticated jazz/funk numbers, complete with horns, vibes and strings."