OK, we're already a quarter of the way through the year, so this is actually the Top 5 Anticipated Movies of the Remainder of 2005.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Harry Potter
Batman Begins
Wallace and Gromit
Star Wars Episode III

Fantastic Four almost made the list but I don't think it's going to be very good. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has a lot of potential, but I'm not as excited about it as the others.

I like my iPod. Its 20-gigabyte drive can hold about 5,000 songs, which makes my commute to work about 5,000 times better. Solitaire helps pass the time while waiting at the DMV. And it's just plain pretty. But the svelte device has a dark side that isn't often talked about.

The problem is that I don't spend quality time with my music anymore. Whenever I used to get a new CD, I would listen to it exclusively for at least a week, learning the melodies, harmonies and rhythms of each song. I'd start humming the first bars of the second track as the first was coming to a close. As I flipped the pages of my CaseLogic, I could look at CD art and instantly know what I could expect from each disc.

Now I have an iPod. There are so many songs (380 albums' worth, at present) that I get overwhelmed by the decision. I cop out and click Shuffle Songs. I still buy physical CDs, but they go on the iPod right away. I listen to the new album a couple times, but then I start feeling guilty for not listening to the other 379 I'm carrying with me. Shuffle Songs only seems fair -- give each one an equal shot at being heard.

Some have praised the shuffle feature for its serendipitous selections -- playing the perfect song for a particular moment. I admit it has it's merits, but I miss the deep associations I used to develop. When I would devote myself to one album at a time, all the events during that time became affiliated through the music. Years later, certain songs are aural triggers for those memories. With shuffle, those musical-memory bonds just don't form like they used to. My temporal lobe lacks the repetition and consistency necessary to develop long-term memories and relationships.

All that said, will I give up my membership in the clan of white earbuds? Not a chance, but I am removing Shuffle Songs from my main menu and setting repeat to all.

Back when I posted my Top 5 Live Shows I had no idea that exactly two months later I would see something that blows every one of them away.

I just got back from watching Break! The Urban Funk Spectacular -- and it was Spectacular with a capital "S."

On the turntables, DJ Shake was incredible. During one portion of the show he handled the wheels of steel with every part of his body. Yes, all 2000 of them. Just before the finale of his set, he picked the mixer out of the DJ coffin and balanced it on the back of his neck, reaching behind his head with his hands to flick the slider back and forth while keeping the records in time. As his momentum built, he was frantically working the turntables and mixer in all sorts of contortions -- behind is back, under his leg, with his nose -- and then brought both records to a stop with his Chuck Taylors, his upper body hidden from view behind the table.

The drummer, Peter Rabbit, was equally mind-blowing. His first set utilized three plastic buckets, with which he made more sounds than one would think possible. The drumming was so fast it sounded like he had four arms -- and at times it looked like it, too, because his hands and sticks were just blurs above the tops of the buckets. Later on, he pounded out rhythms on an actual drum set, but wasn't content sitting on the stool: He stood up, and drummed his way around the set, using every surface of everything he passed by, sides and bottoms of drums, mic stands, the stage... unbelievable.

Then, of course, there's the dancing. The balance, power, grace, humor, speed and rhythm were uncanny. Poppin', Lockin', Breakin' and everything in between, all happening just two rows in front of me.

Before walking into the theater, I expected to enjoy the show. But I didn't think I would step out onto the sidewalk two hours later, shaking my head in silence still trying to process what I had just seen.

Airport Way Family Restaurant
The only 24-hour restaurant actually open for 24 hours. Denny's and, if memory serves, Dillinger's both closed for an hour or two after the bars closed on weekends -- too many incidents.

The Marlin
Convenient (within walking distance of campus) and a good place for music or just hanging out.

Sweet Basil
Best Thai food in town.

Captain Bartlett Inn
The bar at CBI has an actual name, but I don't remember what it is. They serve good food if you're hungry, or you can snack on the free peanuts (and throw the shells on the floor). Overall, a good place to just grab a beer and hang out.

The Blue Loon
They started showing second-run/indie movies, which earns them a spot on the list. They also have the only Galaxia machine in town.