Anyone who has spent more than ten minutes around me in the past six months has heard my phrase, "a nasty thing for…"

It can mean many things. Generally I use it to refer to something that I really like, past the point of reason or comprehension.

As in: "I've got this nasty thing for…"Common endings to that sentence are:

• brunettes (don't ask me why; I've always favored them. maybe I just don't want anything that could be construed as competition to my strawberry blondeness?)
• geekboys (ever since I encountered one at age fifteen they've made my toes curl)
• Jonatha Brooke (because she writes killer lyrics)
• John Cusack (even I can't explain this one…)

Being the junkie I am, I pre-ordered both the DVD and the CD of Jonatha Brooke's newest album, Steady Pull. From the real audio track of the song "Linger" (posted on her website) I've just been purring—the same way I was a few years back when her album Plumb was released.

Part of the goodness is that I got to download good-quality audio tracks of three songs this evening. (Wasn't expecting that, but it's a bonus.) One I'm iffy about, one I think is pretty good, but the title track I think is just smashing.

Now, there's evidence I've been here, but no one knows how long
My change is in your pocket, and the whisper of my song
My clothes are in your closet and my books surround your bed
I wonder what you expected, and what you got instead,
What you got…

'Cause I feel the steady pull of things I can't see
and I like it
I feel the steady pull of things I can't see
and I like it, I like it, I like it

Or maybe it's the retro groove. Hey, I don't know, and my current temperature of 99.5 is worthy of blaming my indecision on.

Either way, the stereo's playing the song loud enough that I can enjoy it but not loud enough that it will annoy a very tired Jeff, who is sprawled out in the living room.

Such is being married. Actually, those words describe it pretty well.