Preferred B

They didn't specifically prohibit photos this year, and every past year photos have been specifically mentioned as okay. Video and audio recordings have always been expressly prohibited. I hope they didn't change their minds this year, at any rate. There was at least one Second City photographer throughout. Has anyone mentioned that Jeff did a bit of "Single Ladies" with dance moves? Once again, it was great 24 hours. Nice to see everyone again!

I'm not usually afraid of heights, but this photo (found via Twitter, no idea whose it is) terrifies me: On one hand it's irrational, of course. I mean, how many times have you been sitting somewhere - say, on the edge of a pier - and without warning pitched forward and fallen off? That doesn't just happen. At the same time, I keep looking at the guy leaning forward and thinking, STOP IT! I don't know if it's photoshopped or what. I'd like to believe that it is, but it probably isn't.

I love Bjorn's autumn car one for October, but I find that photos taken in portrait vs. than landscape orientation don't look as pleasing in calendars (designed for landscape format). Does anyone have a suggestion for remedying this? Do you need to use more than one photo? A pleasant background color? I'm sure it's workable, and there are so many great portrait-style photos submitted. It just bugs me that they don't look as good.

I have an excellent single ticket I can't use for the Jeff Tweedy Phoenix solo show, in section A, row 1 (the first row behind the pit, I believe). The ticket was $41, including fees. You can contact me at bmkout-test at yahoo.com, or PM me here if interested. It's a Ticketfast ticket, so I think that means I'd need to print it out myself and mail you the physical ticket.

I disagree about the car! If you yourself drive through a state for hours, I think that's closer than being on a train. (Of course, if you drive through a state for hours and don't stop anywhere, then it's totally your own fault.)

I subscribe to the Trish and gogo philosophy. To me "ground" means "not inside a building or a moving vehicle; actual earth." (Or pavement, or brick, but outside.)

Okay, I'm introducing the Canadian provinces. I included those remphish mentioned, plus my additions of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. American Samoa Argentina Australia Austria Bahamas, The Barbados Belgium Belize Bosnia and Herzogovina Brazil Canada (Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island) Chile Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Egypt Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Guam Hungary Israel Ireland Italy Jamaica Japan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxemborg Mexico Monaco Morrocco Netherlands New Zealand Norway Peru Poland Portu

Shall we count Canadian provinces, too? They can be a subset of Canada. I want to know who has the NW Territories! Or, wait, those are territories. Does that count differently than a province? Canadians?

Argentina Australia Austria Barbados Belgium Belize Canada Chile Czech Republic Denmark Egypt Estonia Finland France Germany Israel Ireland Italy Japan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxemborg Mexico Netherlands New Zealand Norway Peru Poland Portugal Russia Spain Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom United States (49/50)..just missing North Dakota!!! Uruguay Vatican City I added Czech Republic, Germany, New Zealand, Netherlands, Portugal, and Russia. It's more fun to catch this thread early. (remphish, you're ahead of me in states ... I still have 7 to go. Including North Dakota.)

I think we should still say what we're adding in case it gets out of sync. So wait, everybody! I'm replying now!

I haven't gotten around to listening to "Winter," but I hated "The Hands That Built America." However, "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" is an excellent song. And "In the Name of the Father" is one of my favorite songs by anybody. Technically that was Bono and Gavin Friday, I suppose.

Happy birthday!

Ironically, the most detailed explanation I've seen is here ... in a youtube video shot at a concert: (I think this is an exception to the no videos linked on VC rule.) I'm not sure about any interviews.

Got rid of Russia and Portugal. I was so close to Mongolia, but never actually crossed the border. Afghanistan (316) Albania (97) Algeria (76) Andorra (94) Angola (53) Antartica Antigua and Barbuda (108) Armenia (218) Azerbaijan (127) Bahamas (1017) Bahrain (142) Bangladesh (475) Belarus (212) Benin (23) Bhutan (94) Bolivia (227) Botswana (161) Brunei (233) Bulgaria (852) Burkina Faso (47) Burundi (36) Cambodia (348) Cameroon (67) Cape Verde (30) Central African Republic (24) Chad (42) China (10909) Colombia (570) Comoros (29) Congo (Brazzaville) (33) Congo, Democratic Republic of the (75)

Hey, no need to wait for the official contest, P.

Oh wow, Charles! Your photos deserve an entire calendars to themselves. I keep my pics on flickr - there are too many to possibly wade through, but here are a couple sets I've made from some favorites: Travel It turns out I like water. Music (though it's probably bad taste to have a Ryan Adams concert photo in a VC calendar anyway)

Post 'em here! If gogo ends up needing bigger or more complicated versions, I'm sure she will let you know. Or just send them to her (PM? Email?), but that doesn't seem as fun. I'll post a few this weekend, too.

If we don't get enough submissions, do we have permission to look through the VC Photography thread and pick our favorites, asking permission as necessary? I say ... we do.

Best Americana album?

My (Mac) laptop, iPhone, and (Canon) camera battery charger are all able to accommodate European voltage automatically. No switch involved. Since I made use of the hair dryers (or air dried) wherever we stayed, I only needed a really light, cheap plug adapter. But I know most women aren't as cavalier when it comes to the hair routine.

Way to be thankful, guys! I think it would be fun if gogo started invisible-ing posts. What's a holiday without a little abuse of power?

I'm thankful for my family, even if I don't know if I like my siblings quite as much as gogo likes hers for my friends, near and far, and all of the different ways I've met and gotten to know them that I can survive on paltry amounts of sleep for days at a time, and that turning 30 hasn't immediately changed that to have visited five new countries this year to Amoeba Hollywood for having a $25 5-CD Louis Jordan box set that it hasn't snowed here yet that the Dave Rawlings Machine is playing the High Noon in December that Jon Hamm had the good fortune to be extremely hot, and an excellent act

Well, you know, there must be another half, right? Great capper for your trip, Iain! It was really nice to meet you. Scotland is on my ever-expanding list of places to visit ... and now maybe the Shetland Islands, too. (I just looked at a map - there's actually one called Deception? Desolation? Elephant?)

Whew, finally made it home (via Chicago, in fact). I thought that Eindhoven had a great complementary setlist to Amsterdam, and I've realized that there are some songs - "Sonny Feeling" and "You Never Know" come to mind right now - that make me goofily happy throughout. No special reason, they just do. Of course, I loved "Via Chicago" last night ... I was certainly not expecting any sort of birthday shout out! Visiting a new country and seeing some fun shows was my 30th birthday present to myself. But extra special thanks to Wilco for giving me a memory that made me smile intermittently o

Thanks for the good wishes, everybody! It was a really fun day. Being sung to by a crowd of slightly perplexed Wilco fans in Eindhoven made for a memorable capper, that's for sure. Home now and reaping a harvest of birthday cards.