The Unemployment Pages

This is one of the funniest things I'’ve seen in a long time. Thanks to the son of God for making me aware of this.

Two Birthdays:
*1722 - Samuel Adams, American revolutionary leader (d. 1803)
*1934 - Wilford Brimley, American actor

Bonus: Musicians
1943 - Randy Bachman
1947 - Meat Loaf
1958 - Shaun Cassidy
1982 - Lil Wayne
1984 - Avril Lavigne

______________________________________________________________________________________
One Death:
*1967 - Prince Felix Yussupov, Russian assassin of Rasputin (b. 1887)

Bonus: Musicians
1921 - Engelbert Humperdinck
1986 - Cliff Burton

While browsing the internet today, I stumbled across the shittiest mixtape contest. While looking over the entries I came across a track by Wing. Now, I don’t know much about her other than she’s killing me. I can’t stop laughing! What's better, she's totally serious about all of this.

Wikipedia has written about her and has much to say, including this of her songs: “all of them (are) unencumbered by typical musical conventions like harmony, pitch and rhythm”.

Good stuff.

Check her out here and here.
Download her cover of AC/DC’s Back In Black here.

Britt Daniel, singer/guitarist for Spoon, released a cd, a cassette and a 7” EP under the name Drake Tungsten back in the mid to late ‘90’s. While these are definitely not spoon recordings, they capture Britt’s great songwriting abilities. Two of these tracks would later be re-recorded and released as spoon; Chicago At Night on Girls Can Tell and I could Be Underground on the 30-Gallon Tank single. What more can I say? Download and enjoy.

I have just received word that Negativland will be performing at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Saturday, June 10th.

I've been thinking of how to describe Negativland to those who may not have heard them before and I can't really say it any better than their bio. Here's part of what they say:

"Negativland definitely isn't a "band," though they may look like one when you see their CDs for sale in your local shopping mall. They're more like some sort of goofy yet serious European-style artist/activist collective - an unhealthy mix of John Cage, Lenny Bruce, Pink Floyd, Bruce Connor, Firesign Theatre, Abbie Hoffman, Robert Rauschenberg, 1970's German electronic music, old school punk rock attitude, surrealist performance art, your high school science teacher…and lot's more.

Over the years Negativland's "illegal" collage and appropriation based audio and visual works have touched on many things - pranks, media hoaxes, media literacy, the evolving art of collage, creative anti-corporate activism in a media saturated multi-national world, the bizarre banality of suburban existence, file sharing, intellectual property issues, wacky surrealism, evolving notions of art and ownership and law in a digital age, artistic and humorous critiques of mass media and culture, and, of course, so-called "culture jamming" (a term now thoroughly and somewhat distastefully commodified by ADBUSTERS magazine)."

Download: Negativland - "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (Radio Edit).mp3"

Now, go to their website and see what else they've been up to.

Who Wants False Teeth?

After having a lot of tooth pain last month, I went to the dentist to see what was going on. It turns out that I need to have a root canal. Having a root canal doesn’t really scare me; the part that scares me is that I have no way to pay for it. I’m a student and I am unemployed. This makes it very hard to have either medical or dental insurance. And really, who could come up with $1,500 at the drop of a hat?

I figured that someone would be able to set up some sort of payment plan for me where I could pay off the procedure over a few months. It turns out that the dentists who do root canals expect payment in full at the time of service.

After weeks of calling dentists, looking for someone who could help, I finally called my parent’s dentist. They said they’d be able to set me up with a payment plan since they knew my family. The only bad part is that the dentist in the office that does molar root canals just went on vacation for three weeks. So, maybe I’ll get this tooth taken care of next month.

Mo’ Money

I finally received some money for school. After a long wait, I received some Pell Grant money and was able to buy books and supplies for school. That’s really good news because it’s hard to go to school without supplies. In related news, I should be hearing about my federal student loans later this week. Wish me luck.

In Heavy Rotation

The Jealous Sound
“Kill Them With Kindness”
(www.betterlookingrecords.com)

The Jealous Sound is better that the sum of its parts. Featuring ex-members of Knapsack, Morphine, Shudder To Think, Sunday’s Best, Neither Trumpets Nor Drums and Pulley. Referred to as “The rock you must have” by Spin magazine, this album sound like equal parts Catherine Wheel, the Anniversary and Jimmy Eat World. Standout tracks include “Hope For Us”, “Anxious Arms” and “The Fold Out”. If you’re a fan of any of the bands listed above, this cd is well worth your time and money.

Let Them Eat War

On March 18, 2006, the third anniversary of the “Shock and Awe” invasion of Iraq, there will be anti-war protests worldwide. Come to the rally in San Francisco and show the government what you think of their war on Iraq.

Saturday, March 18 @ 11a.m. in San Francisco
Civic Center, at Grove and Larkin Streets (near Civic Center BART)
(www.answercoalition.org)

• Oral communication of false statements injurious to a person's reputation.
• A false and malicious statement or report about someone.

• A belief or conclusion held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof: “The world is not run by thought, nor by imagination, but by opinion” (Elizabeth Drew).
• A judgment based on special knowledge and given by an expert: a medical opinion.
• A judgment or estimation of the merit of a person or thing: has a low opinion of braggarts.
• The prevailing view: public opinion.
• formal statement by a court or other adjudicative body of the legal reasons and principles for the conclusions of the court.

Foo Fighters - In Your Honor
John Vanderslice - Pixel Revolt

Eny trky kan tango (Any turkey can tango)
Eny trky kan dans (Any turkey can dance)
Eny trky kan tango (Any turkey can tango)
If hy had a chans (If he had a chance)

• Death Cab For Cutie still puts on a very enjoyable show.

• John Vanderslice is a very talented person. Music, photography and audio engineering. Now you can see and hear all of them at the same time. Check out the awesome video for "Exodus Damage" which features John's music, production and photography.

• I think scenesters/hipsters are ridiculous.
  

"When I took that first initial bite there was a great big pop and a burst of juices rushed into my mouth and it was delicious"

*I've been sick with some sort of virus. It acts a lot like strep throat but there is nothing you can do to cure it. The only advice the doctor could give me was to drink a lot of water and take it easy. Because of this virus, my tonsils have been swollen up to the size of golf balls for over a week now. I've had one hell of a time eating, drinking, breathing and even sleeping. However, I am heading to the doctor on Wednesday to see about getting those damn things taken out.

*I've been busy looking for work. Let me tell you, I've sent out about fifty resumes and have yet to hear back from anyone. It's depressing.

*Maggie and I went to see Slint on Friday. It rocked! One thing I will say about Slint is that they don't move when they play. It was like being at an indie rock wax museum. Kinda spooky.

*We've been watching the first season of SCTV on DVD and I've gotta tell you....it's a hoot.

Update:

• I'm back in Santa Rosa and all seems to be going pretty well so far.
  


• My back hasn't been hurting me nearly as much as before, to tell the truth, I don't really notice the pain anymore. Surprisingly enough, the long hours of driving on the way out here didn't hurt my back either.
  


• I've traded my disability checks for unemployment checks. I've even started looking for work which means I may be employed here pretty soon.
  


• I'm close to unpacking all of our stuff and making our room livable.
  


• I've been able to see my family and friends which I haven't seen in over a year. It's been pretty nice.
  


• I miss VH1 Classics and MTV2. I haven't seen a music video, good or bad, in weeks.
  


• I am having a hard time getting used to using a dial-up internet connection after having a cable connection for so long. It takes about a half an hour just to check your e-mail.

Song Of The Day:
"A Sort Of Homecoming" - U2

• Serial killers fascinate me. Not that I'm thinking of becoming one, they're just interesting to me. Why are serial killers the way they are and what makes them do what they do?

• My dad was a deputy sheriff just north of San Francisco while the Zodiac was active. Some of the victims were even taken from or dropped off in our hometown. I found out about all of this when I was younger and I just had to know more.
  

• I really got into the Zodiac case when I was in my early teens. I read that book over and over, trying to piece it all together. I even did a book report or two on this while I was in school. I guess I thought I'd be the one to solve the case.
  

• I grew up in the San Francisco area long after the Zodiac had quieted but there was still the occasional Zodiac scare. Every once in a while some fool would claim to be the Zodiac and threaten to take action and everyone would be on edge for a while. These scares made sure that no one forgot the Zodiac if nothing else.
  

• I used to listen to the Pixies and think that Frank Black was psychotic. He had something seriously wrong with him and could easily have turned out to be a serial killer. I don’t think it would be much of a stretch for him to play the part.

• Maggie and I are moving to California in February and we’ll be able to spend time with my family and friends.

• My doctor has told me that I won’t need back surgery. As soon as I can get my muscles up to speed I can start working again.

• This also means that Maggie and I can now start working on getting a place of our own and living a more “normal” life.

• The Cure - The Cure
• Death Cab For Cutie - Studio X Sessions
• Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
• Green Day - American Idiot
• Jimmy Eat World - Futures
• Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
• Elliott Smith - From A Basement On The Hill
• Systems Officer - Systems Officer
• John Vanderslice - Cellar Door
• Various Artists - Future Soundtrack For America

• Bettie Serveert - Attagirl
• The Cure - Three Imaginary Boys (Deluxe Edition)
• Ex-Models - Other Mathematics
• The Faint - Wet From Birth
• Herman Jolly - Thanasphere
• Pinback - Summer In Abaddon
  
• The Rum Diary - Poisons That Save Lives
• Spoon - The Way We Get By
• Sunset Valley - Goldbank 78 Stack
• U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb

• The Album Leaf - In A Safe Place
• Aqueduct - Pistols At Dawn EP
• Beastie Boys - To The 5 Boroughs
• Charmparticles - Sit Down For Staying EP
• Earlimart - Treble & Tremble
• Explosions In The Sky - Friday Night Lights (Soundtrack)
• Jonny Greenwood - Bodysong (Soundtrack)
• The Helio Sequence - Love And Distance
• Helmet - Size Matters
• A.C. Newman - Slow Wonder
• Nirvana - With The Lights Out
• Tiara - The Summer Of The Lion, The Summer Of The Lamb
• Trans Am - Liberation
• The Verve - This Is Music: The Singles
• Various Artists - Discovered, Covered: The Late, Great Daniel Johnston

1. Ministry - Houses Of The Mole
   

• Being in the mob for a summer job would be great but I’d pass on the full time, permanent position.
• Mobsters don’t mind violence.
• Don’t act like too much of a fool when you’re in Las Vegas.
• You have to act like you have a bigger dick than everyone else at all times.
• Mobsters aren’t good at being faithful to their wives.
• Drugs are bad.
  

• A transforaminal epidural steroid injection is where a very small, curved needle is inserted into your back to apply steroids to the exact disc that is causing the pain. During this procedure, the doctors use some sort of x-ray machine to see, in real-time, where the needle is in your back. Once they have maneuvered the needle around the spine, spinal cord and nerve sack and are next to the injured disc, the steroids are injected and the needle is pulled out. Easy enough. Although it may sound painful, it really isn’t too bad. The worst part is when they pull the needle out of you in one quick tug; it’s about the same as getting a shot from an unskilled nurse. Of course, the doctors do give you an amnesic, which helps you to not care about, or remember, most of what’s going on. . Since they did the procedure on both sides of my back this time, both of my legs are very weak and tired but I will live. The last time I went through this procedure my pain lessened so I can hope for the same this time; I just need to take it easy and not push myself this time

• For a description of a caudal steroid injection, read my 5/31/04 post.

1. I remember, back in the day, when Death Cab tickets were $5 and hardly anyone showed up because hardly anyone knew about them.
2. Since I hadn't received a disability check in over a month, money was tight and we were waiting to get my check before we bought the tickets.
3. I got my check on Monday but we both forgot about getting tickets until last night.

• Went to see Michael Moore speak in Maryville (nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there).
• Went to a fundraising event for the blind where they were selling thousands of records for $1 a piece (we got some good stuff!).
• Went to the Kansas City Zoo (even got to see the lion having his way with several of the lionesses).
• Finally got to see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (I thought it was great).
• Maggie and I got some travel guides from AAA and are planning the move to California.
• Bought a digital camera for our drive out to California (I always get a kick out of electronics).
• Various trips to various thrift stores (everyone knows I love cheap junk and bargains).
• Maggie and I are going to see Death Cab For Cutie tomorrow night.
  

• I am so stressed out about my back that neither Valium nor Ativan will relax me.


• If you are ever in the Kansas City area and are looking for a romantic hotel, check out the Chateau Avalon, it’s awesome.


• Both miniature golf and Skee-Ball are loads of fun for children of all ages.


• The MRI machine at KU Medical center is very small, if you’re bigger than a size large, you will want to go to another hospital.


• I really enjoy the band The Rum Diary. I don’t know why I never went to see them play while I was living in Santa Rosa.


• If you don’t have enough water, you’re hands will prune up like an old person.


• I thought the Teletubbies were weird until I turned on PBS this weekend. Boohbah is one seriously messed up children’s show. I couldn’t stop watching it.


• Maggie and I are planning to move to California soon. Despite the high cost of moving and the higher cost of living in California, I think it’ll be great.


• We got a new bed a while back. Simmons Beautyrest beds are the way to go. And yes, you can drop a bowling ball on one side while someone is sleeping on the other.


• We rented movies about serial killers last weekend and we noticed something: what’s with Wisconsin? Jeffrey Dahmer and Ed Gein were both from there and it appears that John Wayne Gacy spent some time there. Now the police are looking for some guy from Wisconsin in California for a double murder. I never really thought about Wisconsin before but now I do not want to go at all.
  

• I’ve wanted to open my own recording studio for years but I just haven’t been able to come up with the cash to do so. I was going to call my studio Black Lodge Recording (a reference to the David Lynch series Twin Peaks (one of my all time favorite shows)). I was going to paint the interior of the studio red and black, have black furniture and big red velvet curtains everywhere; I even wanted to have a squiggly black and white floor. Hell, all of the recording magazines and catalogs I have sent to my parent’s house come to Black Lodge Recording.

• I’ve never really been into the Get Up Kids. Now this! They’ve lost my vote for whatever positions they may want to run for in the future, them and all of the people in their many side-projects.

• "That's right!" - Maggie (Agreeing with Jay-Z about how hos can really piss off a nigga)

• "Let's go swimming!" - Some random newscaster (In reference to the cold weather in August)

• Catching Maggie while she was dancing in the cheese isle at Dillon’s while Gladys Knight & The Pips “Midnight Train To Georgia” was playing over the store’s p.a. system.

• Finding out that John Vanderslice (everyone's favorite ADHD rocker) has posted one of his live shows on his website for free download. What’s more, there is a live version of “Up Above The Sea” which is a favorite around our house (John didn’t play it at any of the shows we went to though).

• Finding out that there is a place that makes burritos that are so good and so big that not even Devin can eat the entire thing in one day.

• Finally getting caught up on laundry (I found clothes that I forgot I owned).

• Maggie’s most recent post (7/27/04).

Truth Goodness And Beauty
Going Nowhere
This Morning
Fake

“"Ask me why you're feeling screwed
And I'll give you the answer
There's a Colon, Dick & Bush
Justa hammerin' away”"

*When it was mentioned that John Ashcroft lost the election in Missouri to a dead man (it'’s really true)(the whole theater cheered and applauded).

*In the last scene of the movie, George W. attempts to say “"If you fool me once, shame on you; if you fool me twice, shame on me"...Attempts.