Ric Ocaseks Quick Change World (1993) is some of his best music ever. That is a very meaningful statement, because Ric Ocasek has created a lot of music over his lifetime — the majority of it excellent. This CD is a perfect example of dedicated musical talent, defined by the apparent and actual Need of the artist to create, whether to popular acclaim or not. I have always been amazed at the quality of Rics solo work, and the relative lack of airplay it met. Much of the music by the band the Cars is still being played, and the fact that Ric Ocaseks solo work was given something of short shrift made me aware of many things, not least of which being this: radio leaves a lot to be desired, and always has. One more reason to love the internet.

So. As far as Mr. Ocasek is concerned, Music just Happens, and not only is this process ongoing, Rics music also grows, continually getting better and better and better. Unlike many older musicians attempting to make comebacks, it can be said without doubt that Ric Ocasek never left us, and for those lucky enough to be privy to this fact, I say run, don\’t walk, and get Quick Change World as soon as possible. I would be surprised if you have not already.

It is excellent to be a fan of Ric Ocasek, because we are never disappointed.

A lot, if not all of the music by the group The Cars was actually Ric Ocaseks sound, therefore many new listeners to much of Rics solo work find the two indistinguishable, and they can of course be forgiven. Quick Change World sounds a lot like a new Cars album to those who are hearing it for the first time, and several people I have discussed the CD with have agreed, with the sole exception being that the compositions are even more developed than The Cars music, if such a thing is possible. Unlike certain stark departures that took place on CDs like Beatitude, and several other of his Solo works, QCW seems to be a refinement and development par excellence on the characteristic and signature music of this oh-so talented personage, Ric Ocasek.

From Riding Shotgun (My Favorite), with its ever distinctive vocals, and further developed musical sounds (The guitar work rips), to the impressive Hopped Up (car car car got a red red car…take it out on the streets, take it to the stars…I\’m a real live wire), the CD Quick Change World is eminently listenable, and not to be missed.

1. “The Big Picture”
2. “Don\’t Let Go”
3. “Hard Times”
4. “A Little Closer”
5. “Riding Shotgun”
6. “Feeling\’s Got to Stay”
7. “She\’s on”
8. “I Still Believe”
9. “Come Alive”
10. “Quick Change World”
11. “What\’s on TV”
12. “Hopped Up”
13. “Help Me Find America”

Other Solo works by Ric Ocasek:

Beatitude
1982 -

This Side of Paradise
1986 -

Fireball Zone
1990 -

Getchertikitz
1996 -

The Next Right Moment
1997 -

Troublizing
1997 -

Nexterday
2005 -

——————–

Visit Ric Ocasek at his Myspace page:

http://www.myspace.com/ricocasek

Bill Gallagher, Hachita NM

http://www.autodidactics.com
http://www.myspace.com/luxefaire

Do you ever dread the thought of giving best man speeches? Anyone who has ever had to give a speech in public will know the situation; your heart starts beating faster and faster, the butterflies in your stomach multiply enough to inhabit an entire rainforest and your mouth goes completely dry at the exact moment you least need it. Then you get to your feet and find your legs are like jelly.

In fact I used to be far worse than this when getting up before an audience; whenever I had to give guitar recitals at school when I was a kid, I could feel my knees trembling.

And this continued into adulthood; giving presentations at work, even in front of a few people was enough to keep me awake all night. And when I spoke, instead of demonstrating how well I knew what I was talking about, my voice quivered, sounded thin and weak.

These days I can get up in front of 100 people and - shock, horror - enjoy it in some kind of perverse way. I may still have some nerves beforehand, but once I get going and I have the audience on side, there is no stopping me. So, what is the difference? What did I do to make this transition?

It\’s quite simple really:

1. Make sure your really know what you are going to talk about. For a best man speech you\’ll probably have selected a funny story or two to embarrass the groom, so make sure you know the stories inside out, including your punch lines.

2. Memorize how you\’ll start and how you\’ll finish. I always find that any kind of presentation is easier once you\’ve got the audience to laugh - after that you can relax a bit - so go straight for something that\’ll make them laugh.

3. Don\’t take yourself too seriously. Self depreciation helps break down any barrier between you and the audience and so you can make yourself the butt of a joke too.

4. Have your speech written out for you to reference while speaking. The usual advice is to make notes to remind you of your speech, but I always take the whole thing with me and refer to it when required. I don\’t read from it - that is a mistake as it sounds stilted - but just remind myself of where I am and what comes next.

5. Improvise. If you can think of anything funny while giving the speech and you feel like it, why not stray from your plans. This adds spontaneity and can help with your confidence too.

6. Relax. Once the wedding ceremony is over you\’ve done the difficult bit, providing you didn\’t drop the ring. Everyone wants to enjoy themselves and so they\’re on your side instinctively.

7. If you start and find your voice is shaky then make a joke of it - the PA isn\’t working or something similar and go for a laugh. Most people find it difficult to speak in public and so will empathize with you and you\’ll probably find you relax once you\’ve got that off your chest.

It\’s that simple; that\’s all there is to be able to give one of the most memorable best man speeches the wedding guests have ever heard.

If you enjoyed this article you might like to read more about what Jeff has to say about giving the most memorable best man speeches the wedding guests have ever heard.

With many consumers today suffering from to much debt and bad credit many companies have started to appear on the market promising to show you how to increase your credit score with tradelines. However great the advertising sounds or how many promises the companies make you should be aware of the dangers of using this method of credit repair.

The biggest concern about this method of repair is the fact that you are putting your name and social security number on a complete strangers financial accounts. Although it may not sound like a big deal at first you have absolutely no control over how the person pays there bill once you are added. If the person for whatever reason starts paying late after you are added to the account it can increase your chances for a further damaged report.

The three major consumer reporting agencies have also recently caught on to these companies and their techniques and have changed the way they determine credit scores. So paying 200-$500 to be added to someones established tradeline will really not buy you much of a score increase anymore, your money can definitely be spent more effectively.

Instead of letting a fly by night company try and sell you on how to increase your score with tradelines consumers should instead look at an affordable self credit repair kit. Repairing their credit report will allow them to not only increase their scores by removing negative accounts they will also be able to apply and be approved for their own credit accounts. The best part is that it will cost much less money and be a permanent fix instead of a short term band aid.

Want to know the best way to get a Higher Credit Score? Go to http://www.diycredithelper.com for the answer.

Your car is among the single biggest purchases most people will make in their lives. It makes sense to try and save money in this area if possible while maintaining quality and of course, reducing the cost of ownership.

When I bought my last car, I utilized three main resources. One was the Consumer Reports magazine annual automotive issue, which comes out around March. The second was the Lemonade Guide, published annually, written by Phil Edmonton. And the third was the Auto Trader website.

I will never buy a new car. In 2005 I bought my 2003 Chevrolet Malibu for about $9000. A new 2003 Malibu would have cost me about $28,000 and if I wanted to sell it now, I would probably get about $6500 - $7000 for it, therefore, my car has depreciated about $2500 in the last three years. So here is how the math works out. My car lost about 62% of its value in the first 2 years of its life. In the next 3, it lost about 28%. That is taking into consideration, the accumulated mileage and age of the vehicle.

When I was a child, I remember my father telling me that a car loses a third of its value as soon as you drive it off the lot. It occurred to me, even then, that it would make more sense to buy a car that has just been driven off the lot. Then there was my mother telling me later in life that if you buy a used car, you are just buying someone Else\’s problem. What is a child to do about all these mixed messages?

If you do your due diligence and apply a few simple techniques to weed out the lemons, you will learn how to buy a used car and still win in the long run.

When I purchased my car, I looked in the Consumer Report and the Lemon aid Guide, Used car edition. I found the best quality car that I could afford based on the criteria that I was searching for, which mainly had to do with quality, reliability and lower cost of ownership. Then I went to the auto trader website to find the best deal for my car. I found a two year old car that was just off a lease, indicating that the previous owner was required to carry out routine maintenance.

Since then, I have only done my own routine maintenance, and have had no other problems in the three years. I will never buy a new car.

The author has other articles designed to help you save money at http://www.squidoo.com/save_plan_invest