Screw the requests, Drew. You're a professional with a ginormous library and whatever you lovingly put together will surely be great and wide-ranging and a bunch of fun.

[Edit: cool number!]

Good lord, I wasn't trying to set something off. But Drew's right: the math is straightforward, so much so that even I can do it. Sixty people, even at one song apiece. Assuming each song is 1963 or before - which is pretty much the last time the average song was under three minutes long - that's 180 minutes, at a bare minimum.

So, three hours right there. That won't fly. Only way that's going to work is if it's pretty much preloaded with stuff and set to shuffle.

Besides, aint gonna stick poor Drew with being glued to the machine all night, damn it. He's going to want to swing his kilt and dance.

And if anyone even looks like mentioning pi to alter the fabric of the math, I will tell the chef to put ipecac in the hors d'ouvres.

edit: and manoman, two hours sleep is not helping the old concentration any. Pete! That design is frickin' perfect.

Bravo Pete! That looks wonderful.

That's a fantablulous looking design. Thanks so much, Pete & Jessica!

But I will absolutely DIE if I don't get to hear "You're the Poke in My Eye" by Stinky Swayback and the Shivs.

But I will absolutely DIE if I don't get to hear "You're the Poke in My Eye" by Stinky Swayback and the Shivs.

Is it a 'wilt to the floor in a swoon' sort of death? Or something more dramatic with choking and flailing and haemoraging?

DOXIE POODLES! DOXIE POODLES!!

Pete, that design is gorgeous and I love love love it!

I also decree that live music is happening. I want to hear.

So sayeth I.

foot stamp for good measure.

I also decree that live music is happening. I want to hear.

Then you need to come to the BBQ at our place on Sunday, after B2B. Because that's where it will be. Honestly, the more I think about it, I really don't want to bring a couple of guitars, uninsured at the moment, aggregate worth between them about fourteen thousand dollars, off to the hotel. For one thing, they might catch a cold in their Humbuckers.

I'm kind of confused. 1) I thought the request for rock'n'roll was met with agreement, 2) the mention of a jam session was met with acclaim, and 3) I thought it was requested that we post what we want to hear. It seemed like suggestions were being made, not commandments.

I guess I'm not sure where the exasperation is coming from.

I guess I'm not sure where the exasperation is coming from.

blink

I'm not exasperated. I'm just being realistic. There are a bunch of math fans in here, do the math: If this party goes, what, eight to midnight? Four hours. The music suggested goes all the way over that. Plus, you want to add swing dancing, belly dancing and Bollywood musicals to the basic mix, you're talking about a kind of long division that simply doesn't worK; it leaves you with a negative number.

Plus, Nic just read over my shoulder and had a few things to say about bringing guitars into that particular scenario. Granted he's just woken up and is grunting rather than articulating, the words in question were still pithy and not encouraging at all.

Plus, again, Drew is not going to be pilloried at the computer all night, playing requests for me, or honestly, for anyone else. Let the boy dance.

So I'm thinking, he has a shitload of suggestions from people. My own suggestion is, load up a mini-iPod or whatever with about seventy five songs, hook the sucker up, and let it go shuffle. That's what I'm planning to do with my own iPod, because I can't and don't dance to stuff my body doesn't vibe to.

But that is not - repeat, NOT - a passive-aggressive request of any kind. I've got my stuff on a teeny little 30 gigabyte MP3 player that will fit in my reticule. I've also got headphones. If I feel the need to relax into the music and dance, I can swirl off into a corner out under the stars, and dance there. Trust me, aint no hardship involved.

edit: Forgot: ND, when you're up and about, can you e me or Nic with just what's needed for amplification for the room?