War? WHAT war? Why would I pay attention to a silly thing like that when there are much more important things going on in the world? OK, well, my world anyway. Billboard.com is reporting the following:

a) Lyle Lovett is coming out with a new album of original material in September. Read all about it here. There's also some interesting quotes from Lyle (my husband) about the war and the thing with the Dixie Chicks. Not sure I agree with all of it, but hey. It's Lyle, you gotta perk up and listen to Lyle.

b) A CD/DVD of Merlefest 2002 is to be released June 17. Actually you can get it sooner because they will be selling it at the 2003 Merlefest coming up at the end of April. Still not sure if I can make it this year, but at least I can get someone to snap up a copy for me. Also they're releasing -- no sooner than June 17, I imagine -- a companion CD from the 2003 event, so even if I don't get to go I can get a taste of it. Very exciting. Read all about it (including a track list)
here.

I might die of happiness. It's just too much to bear all at one time.

In other, way less happy, news, there was a big meeting at work today about war stuff. We all came out of it more confused than before, which is the Stripes way, I'm afraid. Someone voiced a revolutionary idea about everyone having everyone's home phone number in case the war starts in the middle of the night and someone finds out by watching TV or something, and it was just mayhem. No one had thought of such a thing before. Some higher-ups seemed to not even like the idea, but I think opinion won out this time. Phone numbers! Imagine! Man, this whole war coverage thing is going to go really smoothly, I can tell. They've definitely thought of everything. And tomorrow the bigwigs are having a meeting in which they will address emergency plans should something happen near our office. There's a crazy dude possibly with explosives on a tractor six blocks from here, the terror alert's at high and we're two blocks from the White House at war time .... and TOMORROW they're starting to talk about this. AWESOME. Sez me.

So I get to take my days off, tomorrow and Thursday, but if I see on the news that the bombs are falling, I have to book it into work. Or, if it starts in the middle of the night (unlikely since it would be daytime in Iraq then, and hot and sandstormy and broad daylight -- as if THAT matters) I'll get a call and have to come in, too. Very pins and needlesy around here. No one wants war, but since it's inevitable now, we just wish it would get started already. Kinda. Ick.

LISTENING TO: Nothing right this second, as I'm sneaking in some blog time at work, except a security alarm going off in some store on the floor below us that has gone off every night this week, very annoying.