I've finally decided to take the plunge and join Twitter. Can the Massive please recommend people to follow for music (especially new music and reviews) and sport (particularly football)? Many thanks.

The piece about the Top 40 show in this month's Word got a friend and me reminiscing about charts of old. I remembered how I always used to be late back to school on a Tuesday afternoon because I listened to the new chart before taking my hastily scribbled report back to the 5th form history massive to be dissected while we were supposed to be learning about the Industrial Revolution (other revolutions are available). I remember The Jam coming in at No.1 with Going Underground to be a particularly exciting event.

Now I neither know nor care what it No.1 these days but what I did remember is that I used to do my own charts (singles and album) based on what I was playing at home at the time and these make very interesting reading today. Did I really play The Best of Rainbow and the Buggles that much? Surely I was into The Clash and other cool bands much more? What I also remember was (like the charts today) that I had an evolving methodology.

For example, originally I moved my albums and singles into a separate section when I played them, and then moved them up a certain number of places when I played them again:

Albums - 10 places for a complete play, and fewer points depending on the number of tracks played (this got quite complex over time)
Singles - 1 point per play, 3 points if I played the 'A' and 'B' side together. Thus rewarding singles with good 'B' sides. There were also rules for EPs etc...

Over time it emerged that as I got more and more singles and albums then it became difficult for 'new entries' to get high in the charts because they had to get many plays to even get in the top 40, so I introduced a rule where anything outside the top 40 came straight into the chart pushing out those at the lower end. This allowed for a more 'realistic' reflection of what I was playing at the time, and also allowed for re-entries.

I have to say that this did, on occasion, mean that I played something more to get it up the charts; but it also meant that I got to know my music much better.

Finally I also had my own 'Top of the Pops' playing new and re-entries, fast risers and, of course, that all important No.1. Although it was never much of a surprise.

Somehow the iTunes most played playlist doesn't have the same joy as my charts of old, but I'm probably too old to care about that sort of thing. Plus the amount of music I have would require a complex methodology (and possibly some specialised charts too).

Still it's good to look back fondly on a youth where music mattered so much, and a joy in the knowledge that it still does - albeit in a less anal way.

And in case your interested my current iTunes top 3 is:

Anyone Who Had A Heart - Shelby Lynne
Rhythm of Cruelty - Magazine
Hell Bent For Leather - Judas Priest

The FPO and kids are having a couple of days with the uber-FPO, leaving me to my own devices. I've ha a blast catching up with some of the discussions on the blog, which I so rarely get time to do, while listening to my ABCDEFGH iPod playlist, as well as catching up on some dvds, ordering take-aways, not getting out of my 'house clothes', listening to lots of stuff very loudly and generally slobbing about. Don't get me wrong I've also got some fresh air, what are windows for after all. So apologies if this has been discussed before, but I'm surely not alone in descending into torpor when the FPO is away.

I should say though (and I think I can on a blog that has discussed men's grooming products so extensively) that while I've had a lot of fun for the last few days I'm also looking forward to her return.

Following David Hepworth's subscribers letter in today's Word magazine arrival I see Andrew Collins' point about reading on holiday. I've barely read 5 books all year, but managed to read the two I took with me (Woody Allen's Complete Prose - highly recommended; and John Connolly's Book of Lost Things - ok), I was forced to choose from the English language selection in Karlsruhe train station and ended up with The Ghost by Robert Harris (definitely not his best). Particularly galling as I have both David Simon books on my shelf to read (but thought they were too thick to get through).

Last night I had a head MRI scan for a long-standing health complaint. The letter from Leeds General Infirmary provided me with the tantalising information that I was able to bring a cd along to listen to during the procedure. Having quickly discounted the above offering from Lou Reed, and Metallica's latest, I sallied forth on an exploration of my cd collection for something suitable. It should be relaxing without being soporific; poppy without being grating, familiar but not played to death, uplifting without being over-excitable. Various ideas came and went: Girls Aloud, Missy Elliot, Ryan Adams, Leftfield, The Stone Roses (to name but a few). In the end I settled on Dusty in Memphis. Even if I do say so myself it was an inspired choice with the time flying by as Dusty's voice seductively crept through the various noises of the machine and kept me relaxed during the whole affair.

Happy New Year everyone. I bought an Internet Radio for Xmas, a Pure Evoke Flow - a fine looking and sounding machine, and now I'm keen to explore the many stations that are now available. Does anyone have any recommendations for good radio stations? My ideal station is one that plays an eclectic selection of sounds I haven't heard for ages and new stuff I may well wish to go out and buy. I like rock, soul (but not contemporary R&B), electronica, and the Girls Aloud end of pop... pretty much what gets covered in the Word. Thanks.

While enjoying the entries for the worst record ever made I thought I'd share my favourite comedy sketch, which gets me every time despite having seen it on occasions too numerous to count. Spike, when on form, is simply unbeatable.

The other string on the blog about foreign language films somehow got me wondering about, on the one hand, watching movies to be entertained, and on the other watching serious films that make one think. For instance my 2 favourite films are 'Some Like it Hot' and 'Festen'. I'll leave it to you to decide which is which. This recently came up in our household when we put off watching 'Hotel Rwanda' for weeks while we watched a succession of action and comedy movies. When we did finally watch 'Hotel Rwanda' we were very pleased that we had done. While it was not exactly a feelgood movie it certainly did not leave me as depressed as when I watched 'Requiem for a Dream' which left me in quite a bad way after watching it. I don't think any film has ever come near it in terms of the effect it had on me. An extraordinary film.

I never know which is which when it see David and Mark on TV. They are the Ant and Dec of music journalism. Are there other Ant and Decs I wonder?