Spine tingles 

You know when you hear something that sends pleasureable tingles up the back of your neck? This is one of those - Ray Lamontagne's song Trouble. I also found it as a video.

I've had two other such experiences recently. One was Antony and the Johnsons' song Fistful of Love. The snippet there is mostly the schmaltz talk at the beginning (I am a bit dubious about that aspect of the mp3s there), whereas most of the song isn't like that. As someone said, his voice nails you to the wall.

The other was an Australian group called Aajinta. They are a trio who make atmospheric or ambient music with cello, clarinet, didgeridoo and harmonic voices. On 6th October they are launching a CD called Harmonic Spheres which will be featured on Lucky Ocean's 'The Planet' on the same night. Their address for ordering is aajinta.

Did you ever see Janis Joplin's wonderful Maybe on the Ed Sullivan Show? I only saw it recently. It is so absolutely intense that every time I see it I get tingles and goosebumps and feel like a wrung out rag after watching it.

Coo! 

The neo-natal manager at a hospital special care baby unit says "Cooing should be a thing of the past because these are little people with the same rights as you or me." I can see the thinking but it just makes me laugh because babies are designed to be cooed over! Its a cunning part of the process of interaction which allows babies to survive, engage, learn, talk and become social beings. When I was involved with public radio in the early 80's, the sound engineer at the station remarked that the soundproof studio doors would hold out all sounds except a baby's cry, because their cries are designed to get our attention no matter what. Its the same deal. Go to Goodhappyfun and mouse over the main links. I bet you can't help smiling. I even get those spine tingles at the back of my neck that I was speaking of before.

I don't particularly buy the infection argument either. In normal circumstances I would go with the 'boosts natural immunity' outlook.