Music

Update: another good reason not to make top 10 lists, I made the original WIP list back in July and half those bands I don't even listen to now. huh.


Since I was ridiculed many years for only putting 1 album on my "top 10" list I have not made another list. I felt totally justified in proclaiming that Sophtware Slump was so good that it woulda been THAT much better than whatever I could have made 2 - 10. I felt it was a strong statement. Other people, my husband, didn't agree. So whatever. I figure no one gives a shit what is on someone else's top 10, they just want a reason to tell you what's on theirs. The only reason I ever look at someone's list is to make judgements (come on, we're being honest right?) and (less likely) look for new music. If I see something on a lot of lists I may seek it out...

but today as I was rocking out in the car, I figured that since I have a whole tag for "lists" I should use it! And if I make an evolving top 10 list during the year come January I won't have to struggle to remember what I liked and I will already have my list so that you can judge me.

here it is... (I think I was just inspired to make another list; reasons why I have comments disabled)

in alphabetical order by the second letter in the first word:

Jay Reatard, Matador Singles '08
Kanye West, Graduation… it came out in 07, but whatev. I’m lovin it in 08.
The Black Keys, Attack & Release
Gossip, Live in Liverpool
The Kills, Midnight Boom
Times New Viking, Rip It Off
King Khan and The Shrines, The Supreme Genius…
Gnarls Barkley, The Odd Couple
Mudhoney, The Lucky Ones
newest addition in bold

huh, couldn't come up with 10. I'm sure I forgot some. Don't hate. It's my list. You don't have to listen.

the list will evolve assuming something else I like comes out this year, updates in bold. I have high expectations for the Jay Reatard Singles, Clinic and, Spiritualized

I accidentally just broke a girl's heart

We never answer the phone. I happen to think Caller ID is one of the top 5 inventions of the last 15ish years (along with TiVo, HD, Smart Phones, and Online Banking) and it allows me to know when I can ignore the call. So, the other day we get a message from what I assume was a nervous telemarketer with poor reading skills and just deleted it without thinking. I noticed that it was a real phone number though and not blocked or an 800 number which I thought was odd. Just a few minutes ago I noticed the same number pop up and the girl - even more nervous this time - left a message like this

Hi, uhh, this is ______, and I am calling from, uhh, Califo, California and I am looking for, uhhh, Guy Vaughn. It's not, uhh, anything, I , uhhh, just, uhh, am looking for my father who's named Guy Vaughn....

at that point I was so startled but I didn't want the poor girl to go on wondering so I just answered and said "Hi, uhh, Guy Vaughn lives here but he's not your father" - man - HARSH. I wasn't trying to be mean, I was just so fucking surprised. She was clearly disappointed and uncomfortable and I said "I'm sorry" and she said "It's ok" and hung up. I wanted to call her back and apologize and tell her that I've looked up my father and mother too and thought about calling them. I wanted to tell her how courageous I thought she was and good luck with her search. I felt terrible.

But then...

I wondered, man - what if it IS Guy? can you imagine. She sounded sorta young... like coulda been in her teens. Maybe I should have him call her? omg. can you imagine. A search on white pages.com brings up 6 Guy Vaughn's in California, but our phone number isn't listed. Did she PAY to find it? Wow... I am totally not going to be able to sleep tonight. Can we really just assume he isn't her father??? you just never really know right?? can you imagine.

Of course, Guy is out of town so I am processing all of this on my own. Calling him. Hold on. Ok, not sure where he is, so I am just going to keep assuming he needs to call her and figure all this out.

oh shit, I think I just found her on Facebook.

Fuck it, I'm calling her

She was really nice. It's not Guy Guy.... hope she finds what she is looking for. good grief. I need a drink and to go to bed.

I need a new nail salon

So, my current preferred nail place is just too far. It's in Santa Monica, which is only like 6 miles away, but considering I live in Los Angeles and there is probably 750 nail salons between here and Santa Monica there is no real reason to go all the way up there, unless I am meeting Nancy for breakfast, but that's only like half the time. And I'm not talking Main St Santa Monica (south)- I go allll the way up to Santa Monica blvd and 4th Street (north-ish) - so not only is it far, but I usually end up parking wayyy the hell up in one of the 3rd Street Promenade structures. Bad. But I've been happy enough with their service so I make the trek. But today I am reconsidering. I get that the economy is in the shitter and business is probably way the fuck down for businesses that offer what some people, although not me, would consider non-essential.

In the 25 minutes I was there I had to say:
No, I don't want a 10 minute shoulder massage
No, I don't want extra buff
No, I don't need extra hand massage
No, I don't need extra foot massage
No, I don't want hand paraffin
No, I don't want foot paraffin
No, I do not like all this upsell bullshit
Yes, I am sure.

Looking for recommendations close to home to have one.

Writing Class, lesson one

So I have a friend that is taking a photography class and is loving it. And you may know that I really enjoy the picture taking so I looked into his class but quickly realized that taking a photography class would require GOING to a photography class, as in leaving the house, as in getting off of the couch, as in it's fall and will probably start getting cold (altho I did just buy a really cute jacket) and do I really want to drive all the way to Santa Monica after work once a week for 6 straight weeks - the horror. I didn't want to totally give up on the idea of taking a class though and noticed the same people offered online classes. Sweet. Stay on the couch and still feel productive when I can manage to squeak out 20 minutes of motivation. Sooooo anyway, I signed up for a beginning writing class... I've taken a bunch of writing classes and thought a beginning one would be good and not too demanding (I would imagine?) and hopefully get me motivated!

ANYWAY - I figured since I was asked twice about why I haven't been posting (am totally feeling the love btw - thanks bitches!) that I would go ahead and post my writings from the lessons. I hope to continue this but I reserve the right to get lazy and not post, be a total flake and not post or think the assignment was lame or required some personal information or experiences that I don't want to share, and not post.


Lesson 01
Go to Discussion Area 1 and introduce yourself by writing a paragraph that tells us:
Something about you.
What you hope to get out of the Beginning Writer's Workshop.
(yeh - not very demanding, I know - but it's lesson 01 - what do you want? btw you should see some of the frightening replies. here I go judging again. bad cindy)


hello.
by: Cindy
Hi everyone… I am 35 and have a great husband, some pets and an awesome job. My awesome job consumes most of my time and all of my energy. I love to write but many years ago had a terrible experience with an ex-boyfriend reading my journal which contained some seriously personal thoughts and things that could have been very hurtful to people if he chose to share what he read. I signed up for this class hoping to find some motivation and start writing again. I also have absolutely no focus and am very easily distracted – I walked away from this 3 times, went to check my email twice and sent two IM's – so I guess I am also hoping to find some focus through motivation. I also love run on sentences and writing in all lower case, but those are mostly because I am lazy. Oh yeh – I am also lazy. Lesson 1 – check!

side note, i just decided that all blogs should be called blahgs. as in blah blah blah...

At the end of the blog...

The other day I was listening to a friend at work talk about how annoyed he gets when people say "at the end of the day" - I added that I also didn't like when people said "When all is said and done" - I'm watching some terrible reality show right now and someone said "At the end of the day you have to look out for number 1" I just decided I hate "look out for number one" more than the other two.

I have some others that really get under my skin and annoy the shit out of me, usually when I am sitting in a meeting listening to people who like to hear themselves talk.

- get under my skin
- look at something "holistically"
- at the eleventh hour
- FRANKLY (that one usually gets said with a snippy tone or elevated voice
- ANYthing sports related. We're not a football team for fuck's sake
- once in a blue moon

whatever.

Detox day 11, over the hump!

Guest Blog - Sometimes I wonder...

I received this yesterday in an email and felt it was appropriate as a first "Guest Blog" post. Technically, it's an email, not a blog. But thankfully I get make the rules.



by Anonymous Blonde
Sometimes I wonder...

Why is it so hard for the women [at Mattel] to flush the toilet. I wait to see if floaties come back up don’t you? It's the polite thing to do.
Why do they put such a huge roll of toilet paper on that wheel anyway? Don’t they know it wont spin and you fight to tear off one sheet at a time for like half an hour?
A bathroom experience really shouldn’t be that frustrating. I'm just sayin.