*taps on screen* Anyone still out there?

It’s been quite a while since I last updated, but I’m sure you’ll all be delighted to know that I feel terribly guilty about it on a daily basis! Life has been fairly hectic, and whilst I have been cooking, the results have either been completely unphotogenic or the camera batteries have been flat. Sod’s law, eh?

I have a batch of cookie dough chilling in the fridge just now, and I’m hoping to make time to cook a few tomorrow. Maybe I’ll even manage to take a few decent pictures! Also, I’m heading out to a travelling French food market with a friend tomorrow; I’m hoping that there’ll be some great goodies there that I can tell you guys about.

Debbie, from Words To Eat By, tapped me last month for the music meme that’s been going around. I must be the last person to respond to this, and given all the erudite music that everyone’s been talking about… I’m a little intimidated!

What is the total amount of music files on your computer?

26 Gigs (rounded down). I have no idea how many songs that translates to as everything is in directories.

The CD you last bought?

I think it was “Ride The Lightning”, by Metallica. You can’t beat a good long, twiddly guitar solo!

What was the last song you listened to before reading this message?

Hmm, the last one I remember listening to was Aerosmith/Run DMC’s “Walk This Way” on Kerrang! TV. I especially remember because the advert that ran a few minutes before described it as a melding of metal and hip-hop. My nose still hurts from inadvertently snorting a mouthful of Diet Coke.

The last song I actually played, was “Fight Fire With Fire”, Metallica. Are you sensing a trend yet?

Write down 5 songs you often listen to or that mean a lot to you.

1. “Love Letters”, Alison Moyet version. This reminds me and Dave of the year I spent working in Amsterdam (nothing sleazy, thank-you!). We exchanged lots of IMs, emails and the occasional love letter. Admittedly we had to pull out a magnifying glass to decipher each other’s handwriting, but I still have those love letters tucked away.

2. “Outlaw Torn”, Metallica. (See, I’m not erudite at all!) Soaring guitar solos, great lyrics, and just a generally awesome sound. I hated the Load album when I first heard it, but it’s turned into one of my most often played albums and I’ve been known to loop this track for the best part of an afternoon.

God, this is hard work….

3. “Welcome To The Jungle”, Guns ‘n’ Roses. GnR were my introduction to hard rock and then metal. Sleazy lyrics at their best and who could forget Axl’s terrifying bird’s nest hair-do?

4. “Cocaine”, JJ Cale. My dad was a huge fan of JJ Cale, Ry Cooder, Eric Clapton and Dire Straits when I was a kid. I grew up on those, in lieu of the pop music that was around at the time. On the plus side, I missed the mass hysteria that surrounded the Take That break-up, but on the minus side, my conversation was pretty limited when it came to drooling over pop stars. Cocaine has one of the catchiest riffs ever. Love it.

5. “Money for Nothing”, Dire Straits. This is just pure nostalgia. I still adore the video, although my eyes do tend to gloss over Mark Knopler’s headband these days. Thankfully my knees no longer go weak either.

Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 persons) and why?

Absolutely no one. I can’t think of any food bloggers who haven’t been tapped yet. There’s always gotta be a killjoy!