For starters, this isn't Mark Saleski. This is a humble and somewhat jealous Sir Mary filling in for the vacationing Sir Saleski. As you all know, Mark's been doing the Friday Morning Listen for three years now, relaying tidbits of his life, and the music that allows him to contemplate, celebrate, or just plain cope.

I know that often Mark's 'listening' occurs on his drive into work on those Fridays. What a great idea, but my work commute consists of the few steps from the kitchen to the sunroom. I do get out and drive around on various errands during my day, but for months now I've been stuck with whatever I can find on the radio, as my CD player is broken.

However, I can relay what I might listen to as I work, which is a whole procedure itself. Sometimes I'm extremely picky when I'm writing. I suppose the closer a deadline looms is directly proportionate to what I listen to.

Anyway, lets swing over to my Windows Media Player, set it to 'shuffle, and take a listen to some of my favorites:

"Sogno" - Andrea Bocelli. Not that conducive to writing, as I tend to just close my eyes and practically weep when ever I hear it. It's just that gorgeous. But it puts me in a reflective state, and that's not a bad thing.

"Music for a Found Harmonium" - Celtic Fiddle Festival. This unassuming little instrumental caught my attention when I became enamored with the movie Napoleon Dynamite. I heard this piece near the end of the movie and was captivated by its simplicity. As soon as I could, I searched the 'net high and low to find the soundtrack. Well, finding the soundtrack wasn't that hard, but this song wasn't on it! Finally I narrowed it down to a version by the Penguin Café Orchestra. Not bad, but it wasn't what I thought I heard in the movie. Actually, I thought I was hearing something of Latin origins, probably because the song continued through Pedro's election celebration scene. I think part of the appeal of this piece is that it assumes different flavors in different settings. Wow, tofu music!

Another piece from 'across the pond' is Babyshambles' "Bollywood to Battersea." Now, I've been hearing lots about this group from the rest of my Mondo comrades - and a while back I randomly downloaded this piece. What a charming little song - reminiscent of early British Invasion, kind of Dave Clark Five-ish. However, I read that other Babyshambles selections range from punk to reggae styles - overall, something I think I'll need to be purchasing sooner rather than later.