I was born in 1961, and grew up listening to everything under the sun, but my penchant has always been rock. I've never liked CSN&Y, and while I enjoyed James Taylor, Carol King, et al, I never collected that genre of music. If it was something my Dad could yell "TURN THAT D*MNED THING DOWN!!" then I listened to it...loudly. My brother and I had bedrooms at opposite ends of a long hallway and we seemed to compete with one another as to who played their music louder. And the funny thing was we had many of the same albums, so we'd play different songs from the same album just to make each other mad. Of course, we mainly did this when Dad was at work... I now have most of the 'albums' on CD, and soon, on my iPhone. The only vinyl I own now is my Dad's old collection...mainly Louis Prima, Sergio Mendez, and Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass.

Hope I can chime in - although I'm not totally comfortable commenting as the pictures are pretty grainy on my screen. I wonder if what is really bothering you is more of a problem with scale and weight/balance. First I should say your curtains are lovely and your sofa and chair with ottoman look so comfy. The table as other's have pointed out did not look or function well behind the chair. However, the chair is rather delicate, and it and the stand next to it are both leggy. This may be partially what is bothering you. Additionally, the lovely picture behind the chair almost overpowers the chair. It's hard to tell from the photos but it might work better if the painting were lowered down to the height of the etegere. I would soften the look on the etegere by substituting the topmost items with one soft and low mounding form like an ivy with some trailing stems...the weight would help balance the heavyish lovely valances, and provide needed contrast to the multiple verticle items on the various shelves. The inside top shelf might look even better empty with the low plant on the next shelf down... Then something to connect the chair to the etegere and painting, which could be a floor plant or a floor vase with some fronds or something with some height but not too cluttery on the floor against the wall to contrast between the stick legs of the stand and the chair, with substantial enough base/weight- not a stick base - but not enough to overpower the delicate chair. Depending on the height of the shelf, you may be able to have a cleared space on the glass near the chair to serve as the place to put a drink and plate and snacks. It might possibly work to substitute a small fat lamp sitting on the shelf for the separate table and table lamp that may just clutter up the room more. Just my thoughts. Whatever you do, have fun! You have such a lovely space!!

I just got my album (it is a CM passport tapestry album) and no I didn't so much get it because of anything but the fact I know I can get more pages for it when I get home. I haven't started yet but I have wednesday off so I think I will get right into it all day. I will be scraping my pictures of my year in the USA so far. starting with me arrival. Wish me luck I haven't done this in a while :o) Felicity

I can't even remember all of the concerts I've been to, but the first was Dave Clark Five. Next I saw the Rolling Stones, then a Dick Clark Caravan of Stars (many groups) The Beach Boys, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, James Gang, Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Moody Blues, Elton John, Ten Years After, Procol Harum, John Mayall, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Jefferson Airplane, The Who (twice), Hot Tuna, The Tubes, Jefferson Starship, Nina Hagen, Stray Cats, Orchestral Maneuvers, The Clash, U2, English Beat, Romeo Void, The Cure, Flock of Seagulls, Bryan Ferry, Pete Shelley, Killing Joke, Love and Rockets, Oingo Boingo, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Crystal Method, Human League, Blondie, Stereo MC, Echo and the Bunnymen, Peter Gabriel, Grace Jones, Jane's Addiction, David Byrne, Air, K.C. & the Sunshine Band, Gang of Four, plus others that slip my mind at the moment. A good portion of these I saw in San Francisco, which was a great place for concerts. I started in San Antonio and then Houston before I moved to SF. I've seen a fair number in L.A. also, but I haven't been to any concerts in quite a few years now. I used to go every other week (or more often) in San Francisco in the 1980s. I used to live next door to the Tubes at one time, and I also lived down the street from Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys just before I left SF.