I' ve just finished reading this book by Rob Sheffield. He is a contributing editor for Rolling Stone magazine.

He writes about how music has moved him through life and love. Through the awkward teenage years, through dating, through college, through his marriage, and also through the time after his wife died. When the music kept coming, his life kept going, but his wife could no longer experience these new things.

I familiarize myself with the songs he listened to in the 80' s and the 90' s as well as the beginning of this decade. I pride myself in knowing most of them. The others I am on a journey to discover. One of his favorite bands is one called Pavement. I still haven' t found them. Maybe I haven' t looked that hard, but since a line from one of their songs is so important to him I feel like I need to get my ears on it.

The line: "I wasted all your precious time. I wasted it all on you."

Sheffield relates this sentiment to the time he shared with his late wife. I think it' s sweet, even if it is a tad bitter when put into the context of his life' s events.

I also liked the book because Sheffield and I share a common ideal. That is, music in the 90' s was brilliant... and yet so overlooked nowadays. My favorite example is Tammy Wynette' s hit in 1992. A disco song about an ice cream van. So obviously an instant pop thriller. I loved the 90' s, especially the rap music. It was so much better then.

He talks about his fantasies. Like the one he has with every woman he likes: the boy-girl synth-pop duo. He lets her shine while supporting her in the shadows. I think that we all have our own fantasies about those we like. Mine has something to do with a sexy look across a crowded room followed by an even sexier slow dance. In both cases (mine and Sheffield' s) this fantasy has not occurred.

In any case, it was well worth the read. And if you' re wondering, my background noise included Tegan and Sara, Spill Canvas, Cat Power, The Killers, Jack Johnson, and They Might Be Giants. I always enjoy listening to good music in the background while I' m reading or studying. These tunes give cadence to action.