This is the song that has me dancing around my kitchen this morning.

I'm almost always listening to music at home. I have mix CDs for housework, exercising, various writing projects. Life should have a soundtrack.

Music isn't just about a good beat or a skilled guitar player for me. It's an emotional experience. I like music that makes me feel something or that paints pictures in my head.

And it's transformative. I listen to The Ramones when I want an energy boost, Sarah McLachlan's Surfacing when I want a good melancholy. With more than 400 CDs in my collection, there's something for just about every mood I'm on, or want to be in.

But I do like a good beat, a bit of ethereal electronica, and something I can sing in my kitchen or my car at the top of my lungs. For reference, I think Seal's "Crazy" is just about a perfect song. We'll never survive unless we get a little bit crazy. Oh, yeah.

Maybe that's why I don't particularly enjoy going to concerts -- because my experience of music is about what's going on in my own head. That, and I can't seem to bring myself to dance in public, so any time I go to a concert I end up sitting there stiffly while everyone around me is tapping their toes and letting their arms fly from the joy of seeing their favorite band live.

I added a widget at the bottom of this blog with a few of my favorite songs for anyone who wants a (very shallow) glimpse into my music tastes. I'll definitely have to add more songs to the list.