I've been tagged! Hooray. I think this is as good an excuse as any to finally get back to updating my blog. Now, what was I tagged for?

Oh, yeah: Report on 7 Songs I am Into Right Now: (in no particular order)

1. "My Father's Gun," Elton John. Back when my grandpa died and i went back to nebraska for the funeral the whole experience gave me a very strong Elizabethtown feeling, so I re-watched it one night after I got back. There's a lot of good music in the film (i always enjoy what Cameron Crowe picks out) but this one stood out. Now, it wasn't my father who had died, but the song still really hit me. Even though I've been to a number of funerals and unfortunately have known a number of people who have died, this was the first major family death I've experienced. The whole experience of flying back home and driving back to Nebraska and all of it made me feel adult in a way that was new to me. I had never thought much about what happens to the flowers that get sent, or how much there is for family members to do in the midst of their greif after a loved one dies. as I'm an only child, the only thing I have ever been truly afraid of is my parents' death, because all that shit will be on me - I have no siblings to help shoulder the burden. Also, my grandpa's funeral was the first one I have been to at which all the men in attendance took a shovel full of dirt and dumped it into the grave. I'd seen that in movies, but had never imagined myself doing it. Anyway, all this stuff has been kind of stuck in my mind for the past month and all these thoughts are scored with "My Father's Gun."

2. "Down By The River," Neil Young. Because Dave Matthews Band has started covering it. I'm not sold on their version yet, but hearing it reminded me how much I enjoy the original.

3. "In The Waiting Line," Zero 7. Woke up to it the other day.

4. "Still Fighting It," Ben Folds. Another song about getting older. There is a theme developing, and it's depressing.

5. "Even Better Than The Real Thing," U2. because I have been rereading "Glamorama" and the "we'll slide down the surface of things" quote becomes a very powerful refrain in the club-opening scene. Ellis' books tend to have one line that afterward I always strongly associate with the book. For Less than Zero, of course, it's the opening line "People are afraid to merge on freeways in Los Angeles." For Rules of Attraction it's the quote that gives this blog its name. American Psycho is "this is not an exit," and the U2 quote is the one for Glamorama.

6. "Can We Still Be Friends?" Todd Rundgren. Another one from a Cameron Crowe movie. This is the somehat javial sonding tune that disjointedly plays over the scene of Tom Cruise smothering Cameron Diaz in "Vanilla Sky." Brilliant scene. I love when disturbing action is set to an otherwise pleasant score, makes it so much more upsetting. Back in college, I knew a guy who couldn't even listen to that "Stuck In The Middle With You" song without nearly vomiting thanks to "Reservoir Dogs."

7. "Someone Saved My Life Tonight," Elton John. God, more Elton John. But this song is awesome. I learned not too long ago that it's about how Elton almost got married (yes, to a woman) but a friend talked him out of it and encouraged him to continue pursuing music. Turned out OK for him, I guess.

I tag everyone I know who hasn't already done this.