Oh. Hey. Hi.

Apparently, when I do introductions of myself in text form, I sound like some kind of Match.com ad. I don't know how that happens and I don't want to know why that happens, it just does. Trying to avoid that here, I'm going to just jump right in to the matter at hand: music. And me. Music + me = an oddly satisfying experience.

Oh, see, that sounds Match.com-ish now, doesn't it?

Here's the things you need to know about me, Jill, the new writer here at Audio Overflow:

1. I like to write in list form.

2. (I like to write those after thought type thoughts in here and sometimes I go off on rambles in here.) (I can't help it.)

3. I love music. I spend a lot of time with music. There's always something playing and I'll listen to anything at least once. Twice if someone asks me to. Multiple times if I like it. I assign lyrics and beats to people I know, things they remind me of, specific events. Music is a very emotional thing for me, at times. Deeply personal could be better words for it.

4. I'm okay with file sharing as long as you don't abuse it. (I admit it freely.)

5. When people get to listen to what's on my iPod, I get a lot of "Did I just hear ... (insert a song here) and am now hearing ... (insert a song you'd never expect to hear here)? Really?" And they always laugh because, apparently, they aren't expecting it.

6. I get wordy. Sometimes. Sometimes I'm brief, blunt, and to the point. (Which is handy when I leave a voice mail. Apparently, I am the queen of them. Which has nothing to do with music, but once in line at Starbucks, this nosy woman said to me "I thought you were recording a podcast the way you were rambling into your phone.")

7. I like making mixed cd's. (And I'm always up for a trade.)
7a. I keep each individual mix listed on an index card, in an index card box, on my desk. For handy reference. (I'm that nerdy.)

8. I know things. About music. I can tell you all about how Charles Mingus wrote Pithecanthropus Erectus as a 10 minute tone poem. I can tell you about Carole King and the Brill Building writers. I can, if pressed, give you the entire Tupac catalog off the top of my head. I know lyrics, albums, track times. Like I said, I know things.

9. My iPod is one of those metallic Pink Minis. And it's on it's last leg(s). It has been for awhile. There are currently 995 songs on it and 2 Podcasts. And I have a bad habit of skipping through them.

10. I like to sing along. Especially when I'm wearing headphones.

11. I don't listen to the radio except for those times I'm in the car and there's no iPod capabilities. Which is rare. People, though, like listening to the radio with me because I am a Name That Tune genius. I can usually nail it within a few opening notes. It's a gift. I don't question it.

12. I do not, at all, expect anyone to ever agree with my musical opinions. Ever. This is important to know about me. Because they are my opinions. I like it because I like it and if you don't, it's all good. I do ask, though, that you listen to something I suggest at least once simply because I would do exactly that if you said to me "Hey, Jill, listen to this. I love it!"

13. I listen to everything. I'm heavy on the Jazz. Once a month I pick a different Rap artist and listen to their entire catalog. (I to this day, after listening to the Mike Jones album not once, but four times, still don't know who Mike Jones is.) (See, that's only amusing if you've heard at least two Mike Jones songs. Because the man has this habit..."Who? Mike Jones" ... and it's virtually in every one of his songs.) I like Opera. I like Classical. I like Country. (Some of it. Older Country makes me happy.) Techno, Metal, blah blah blah. You get the point. I listen to it all.

14. I don't go to live shows often, but I do listen to them online, which is going to be my monthly feature.

15. And to round it off, because I'm sure I've been wordy enough already...the first five songs on my iPod when I hit "shuffle song" when I started writing this. Well, six, because the first one doesn't exactly count...

The Sons of Westwood/8 Clap -- the 1965 UCLA Marching Band version (Because I'm a Bruin and it's UCLA/USC week and it's a tradition and it's my ring tone and if you're not a college football fan you're not going to get it. But hey, I think it rocks.)

Senorita -- Justin Timberlake (I like that whole falsetto thing at the end.)

I Left My Heart in San Francisco -- Tony Bennett (One of the saddest happy love songs ever.)

Stronger -- Kanye West ("Since OJ had Isotoners" always makes me snicker.)

Headsprung -- Keri Hilson featuring Timbaland/Justin Timberlake (Currently on my songs that make me want to dance list)

Dreams -- Fleetwood Mac (I grew up with Fleetwood Mac as a musical constant but it wasn't until I was an "adult" did I learn to appreciate them)

Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect -- The Decemberists (It is the only Decemberists song I like. ONLY ONE.)

And with that, I conclude my flagship entry with this: Go vote.