I love reading into baby pictures. In that one, lori, she's coldly insistent that she not be ignored just because she can't wail like her brother.

She slept all through my visit last week, and her brother was too caught up in setting his monitor's alarms off. I can't believe how much different they look just seven days later.

On the list of things I shouldn't be doing: Reading this list of the 25 saddest songs in the world.

My personal saddest list would have "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye" and "Strange Fruit" (although I've never heard it all the way through) and a touch more music from my own childhood, which is to say reggae.

Why are top X lists so addictive? Now I have to go read all the others on that site.

Man, good day for pictures of babies!

Oooh, I don't know, Jen, but I'll check now.

You can have lots of fun reading into this one.

See, they aren't always cute. Just mostly.

Nope, still cute. tragical, but cute.

Listening to Space Oddity thanks to ita's link. I had a Major Tom-like dream once, except I got to come back from my lonely (though not deadly) space exile to go to the drugstore. So, sort of a different ending.

"Strange Fruit" (although I've never heard it all the way through)

You've never heard it all the way through?

You should read the book about it. It's fascinating how that song came to be.

Scariest moment? Billie Holiday explains what it means to Maya Angelou's young son.

You've never heard it all the way through?

Quite deliberately not. I'm a delicate little flower sometimes.

That list is very late-20th-century American centric. What does it say that the three saddest songs I can think of are all early 20th century (or earlier) Irish? Danny Boy Grace A Pair of Brown Eyes (OK that one's from 1985 but still. It's f*ckin' sad. Oh wait, I forgot about The Green Fields of France

But the very saddest song ever is Australian And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda

Listening to Space Oddity thanks to ita's link. I had a Major Tom-like dream once, except I got to come back from my lonely (though not deadly) space exile to go to the drugstore.

Just a few days ago, my iPod (on shuffle) played "Space Oddity" and Peter Schilling's "Major Tom" back to back. I love both of those songs, but I think I love Bowie's sequel to "Space Oddity," "Ashes to Ashes" even more.

I never done good things
I never done bad things
I never did anything out of the blue, woh-o-oh
Want an axe to break the ice
Wanna come down right now

Ashes to ashes, funk to funky
We know major toms a junkie
Strung out in heavens high
Hitting an all-time low