First of all, yes, I'm still writing about my summer goals. And second of all, looking back on that list of goals, oh my God, I can't believe I didn't play a game of fetch with Cecilia. I especially can't believe it because just now, minutes ago, I realized that I'd let her out, like, um, 45 minutes ago and totally forgot to let her back in. And we don't have a fence. Some things happen to your pets when you have children and one of those things is, well, total neglect.

Anyway, regarding getting into new music: in listing that goal I didn't mean that I needed to get into a "new" band, as in, new to the scene, I just meant that considering the constant NPR soundtrack that is my life, I wanted to listen to some music that was new to me.

J got me an iPod awhile back to replace the one that was stolen from my car (you bastards) and because I have lost the mental capacity to figure out these things for myself, he loaded it up with some music and podcasts he thought I might like.

So I was driving around one day this summer listening to all the songs on shuffle, and the baby - who spent the first two months of his life protesting RATHER LOUDLY at the injustice of being placed in a carseat and taken places - was mercifully asleep, when a song came on that was so immediately catchy and good, that I abandoned my tired-mother "I don't care about anything" persona for a glorious moment.

That song was "VCR" by the xx.

So I listened to the whole album and loved it. And that's how the xx helped me, while in the throngs of second-time-motherhood, remember that there is life beyond babies. And beyond Robert Siegel. Although he is really great, don't get me wrong.