Winter’s Bone

So I saw this movie today.

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) sets out to track down her father, who put their house up for his bail bond and then disappeared. If she fails, Ree and her family will be turned out into the Ozark woods. Challenging her outlaw kin’s code of silence and risking her life, Ree hacks through the lies, evasions and threats offered up by her relatives and begins to piece together the truth.

Based on the novel by Daniel Woodrell.

I don’t know that I enjoyed it, quite. It was really interesting to watch. The story was mundane and scary at the same time. It felt more like watching a documentary than a movie. Not in a voice-over narrative way, just in that the things in the frame were so… normal. They were so everyday. There was no Hollywood there, nothing was pretty or freshened up or clean. But at the same time the dirt and the mess and the cheap, falling-down ugliness of it all was not overdone. It just… was. My thought while watching it was that 100 years from now, if someone wants an accurate picture of this slice of Ozark life, then this will be the film to view. Or an accurate picture of what the heck people in America actually look like. What they wear and what their hair looks like and what they do. People with no money for highlights who can’t afford to buy whatever they want, even at Wal-mart. This was a movie about those people. And I think it more accurately reflects modern American life than a million rom-coms sets in Manhattan where people with no jobs live in giant apartments. This is a place where the front yards are littered with dogs on chains, and empty bottles of Mountain Dew. Where no one’s clothes match, and they’re just there to keep the elements out. Where people are fat and wrinkled and scarred and grimy.

I recommend it highly, not because it will make you feel either sad or happy, or that it will transport you to another place, like wonderful movies do. Just because it was such an odd feeling to see something so real up on the screen.

Housekeeping note: an old lady sat NEXT TO ME at the theater. NEXT TO ME. NO seat in between as buffer. How many laws does this violate? Naturally I got up and moved. What the hell, old lady?

Things I Am Pondering Today

I am not sure whether I feel like even typing up all my thoughts into sharable words right now. But what I am lately pondering is:

• My belief that all photographs are lies.
• The ways in which we connect to and disconnect from other people.
• The concept that I am a person with a past and a future, and that this is just one moment in my arc. AKA: Why does everything feel like it’s the only thing that ever happened?

My head is busy, but also kind of content. Which is I guess why I don’t feel like writing it all up.

SOTD – Bel Canto, Spiderdust

Goddamn, I love Bel Canto. Not one of those bands I think of as a favorite, until I realize how many of their albums I have, and how many of their songs I adore. They’re just that band that’s always around, doing great things in the background.

I particularly love how many languages they sing in. That might be part of their charm, they have a poetry to their lyrics that comes from not being native English speakers. They put words together based on how beautiful they sound, without thoughts constrained so much by meaning. Phrases like:

• Hodgepodge for haunted lusts
• Sixteen rifts inside of me, inside this solid tube, inside is solitude, inside this solid tube…
• There is a chapel in the woods where from the farthest-seeing senses rule

Are not typical English constructions I think. And that makes them beautiful because they can mean whatever you want them to. A little bit of the magic of Cocteau Twins and earlier Dead Can Dance, probably.

I think “Dreaming Girl” is probably my favorite song of theirs – but that changes based on my mood. Today it’s this one. Anyway, not an official video here, but just a way to let you hear the song in case you have not ever.

Bel Canto – Spiderdust

she lived in limbo
time showed no mercy
til an ingrate gave her
doses of a sweet poison
Ooh she got ooh she got hoodooed, voodooed
Ooh she got ooh she got finally released
she stirred huge cauldrons
with toads and henbane and…
spiderdust, spiderdust!
hodgepodge for haunted lusts
spiderdust, spiderdust!
hodgepodge for the evil-eyed
spiderdust, spiderdust!
hodgepodge for spellbound lusts
spiderdust, spiderdust!
Ooh she got ooh she got hoodooed, voodooed
Ooh she got ooh she got finally redeemed
she stirred huge cauldrons
with toads and henbane and…
spiderdust, spiderdust!
hodgepodge for haunted lusts
spiderdust, spiderdust!
hodgepodge for the evil-eyed
spiderdust, spiderdust!
hodgepodge for spellbound lusts
spiderdust, spiderdust!

she bred toads
she got burnt

Wednesday Playlist, Beth and Bellers Wedding Songs Edition

Holy shit you guys it’s Wednesday! You know what this MEANS? It’s time for #wednesdayplaylist! In honor of @cbellers & @zsb3′s engagement, please recommend a song to be played at their wedding. Smart ass entries are naturally allowed & expected, as are actual romantic ones.  I am going to go with the seriously romantic here, and put forth Ryan Adams’ “Two” #somethinginmyeye #wednesdayplaylist

violentecstasy – @superbadgirl Sam Kinison’s Wild Thing immediately popped to mind, though I can’t explain exactly why. #wednesdayplaylist

_bunny_ – @superbadgirl Motorhead – In the Black #wednesdayplaylist It’s actually a love song. . . of sorts.

cvbarnhart – @superbadgirl Muse – Invincible #wednesdayplaylist

El_Dickman – @superbadgirl “Weird Science” by Oingo Boingo and “She Blinded me with Science” by Thomas Dolby.

H_Wallbanger – @superbadgirl Romantic? I’ll Throw out Rainy Night in Soho by the Pogues just ’cause I think it’s pretty much the most romantic song ever.

jamietoonart – @superbadgirl It’s The End of the World As We Know It – R.E.M., Miracles – I.C.P. #wednesdayplaylist, #onlysmartasssongsbyacronyms

The_Cyr – @superbadgirl Slow Ride by Foghat. Love Gun by KISS. Also, Beth by Kiss and Good Hearted Woman by Willie Nelson

_bunny_ – @superbadgirl Family Ties theme “Without Us” by Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams. #wednesdayplaylist #shalalala

cbellers – @superbadgirl I’m mad no one has offered November Rain by GnR . :D

k_del – @superbadgirl Late as usual..and unusually sappy: THe Way You Look Tonight- Frank Sinatra

cbellers – @k_del @superbadgirl Thats cool, I was going with Sinatra doing They Cant Take That Away From Me.

UnclePilot – @superbadgirl Anything by Otis Redding. #wednesdayplaylist

zsb3 - A little late, but: Beyond the Sea by Bobby Darin #wednesdayplaylist

Recurring Dreams #fridayfive

I put this here because pink clouds remind me of dreaming. I do not know why, don't ask me why. Just look at the fucking clouds, OK.

Superbadgirl Hey it’s time for #fridayfive! What are 5 things about which you’ve had recurring dreams? (Or just dreamed about if you don’t do repeats.)

superbadgirl – Amusement parks/roller coasters, having my HS diploma revoked, someone stealing my dog, moving, sexytimes. #fridayfive

Lorizs_tweets – @superbadgirl Bridge to nowhere, can’t find the bathroom, naked in a big city, chased by fruit of the loom guys, killer kool-aid man #fri5

Grave_Danger – @Superbadgirl sugar, elvis, derby, sex, drinking

cbellers – @superbadgirl #zombies #kickingass #flyinglikesuperman #teethcrumblingoutofmymouth #hotsweatysex

agingdragqueen – @superbadgirl tornadoes, fleeing from EVIL people, this one house inhabited by WITCHES that’s several stories, sex, flying. #fridayfive

jeniburns – @superbadgirl Alf, Michael Myers chasing Brodie, driving w/ Lyndi in a 1948 Caddy Convertible, a posessed doll, & grass #fridayfive

UnclePilot – @superbadgirl Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, and The Last Starfighter (Curly Sure would be too creepy). #fridayfive

H_Wallbanger - @superbadgirl Sorry…can’t play this Friday. Don’t dream.

cvbarnhart – @superbadgirl talking cats, semi-controlled flight, other drivers on wrong side of road, fighting unreasonable people, getting the girl

ZSB3 – @superbadgirl scary things dancing around the bed, flying, wearing armor and riding into battle, falling, being lost #fridayfive

El_Dickman - @superbadgirl I remember dreams where I have almost-flight bouncy powers like a Kung-Fu movie, but not much else.

Joule – @superbadgirl 1950′ish movie monsters (swamp thing, mummy..), being dead, being killed, apocalyptic underground cities, sex, haunted houses

Joule – @superbadgirl also, I can’t count. #fridaysix

superbadgirl – @Joule We can combine two into one. “Underground apocalyptic sex.” maybe.

Joule - @superbadgirl I’ve definitely had that dream.

laurabean – @superbadgirl teeth falling out, unable to dial phones, unable to shut doors, sesame street hamburger ppl, boring stuff with random ppl.

_bunny_ – @superbadgirl Flying (like treading water), small ferocious animals, warehouses, record stores, railroads. #fridayfive

VforVero – @superbadgirl gorillas in cages,falling teeth, sex w/ strangers, people changing from one person to another & so much more! #fridayfive

stevodarkly – @superbadgirl Teeth falling out, able to levitate/fly, in school but forget to attend class, can’t find bathroom, car accidents. #fridayfive

butterflyfish_ – @superbadgirl I have that teeth dream all the time.

justwannawrite – @superbadgirl I have!! I also dream about weird skin things sometimes.

_bunny_ – @superbadgirl Oh, and long trips by foot. #fridaysix

thatcesareguy – @superbadgirl Drowning, alone in a big black space, waking up when I’m not, riding a large animal I can’t see all of, sex #fridayfive

The_Cyr – @superbadgirl Going to the office to find out I was fired months ago. Sex with my wife. Going to the office naked. Dying. Peeing. #friday5

violentecstasy – @superbadgirl Work, dystopian living arrangements, flying over backyards, sex with strangers, vacations on the beach #fridayfive #dreams

k_del – @superbadgirl Driving off cliffs, fighting badguys/zombies/Republicans, boy/dogs dying, can’t dial phone, being abandoned (Neurotic much?)

SgtHotpants – #fridayfive Driving from my back seat, falling, apocalypse, hanging out in Mexico, lovin’ on Boyfriend.

Song of the … everytime. October Project “Wall of Silence”

This has been my second favorite song for at least 15 years. Probably I could assemble a whole playlist of songs about disconnecting from people, because that theme has always loomed large in my mind. But this has to be the most beautiful, and the most representative of how I feel. You have connection and you have disconnection, all in cycle, and it makes you wonder if anything has ever been real. Did it ever really matter, if it doesn’t last? Are things that are temporary worth anything? Isn’t everything temporary?

I saw October Project play live one time, before they disbanded, and I wish you could have been there. They were magical.

October Project – Wall of Silence

I’ve seen that life
Touches us with pain
And we change
Becoming strangers to our friends
Tell me what happens along the way

I thought of us
Hard to talk these days
Did we change?
Or were we strangers all along?
Tell me what caused us to turn away

There’s a wall of silence
Miles across
A wall between us
Holding back
Holding back our loss

I moved ahead
Thinking you’d be there
But it changed
And now we’re strangers to our past
How did I lose you along the way?

I’ve seen that life
Touches us with pain
And we change
Becoming strangers to ourselves
Tell me what happens along the way
How did I lose you along the way?

A lot of the time, I really have to wonder if the rest of you are only pretending to be OK.

Wednesday Playlist – Songs From Your Childhood Edition

superbadgirl – Time for #wednesdayplaylist! Give me a song from your early childhood of which you have fond memories, perhaps one your parents listened to?

superbadgirl – I listened obsessively to my Mom’s 8-track with the Shangri-La’s “Leader of the Pack” on it. #iMetHimAtTheCandyStore

jeniburns – @superbadgirl The one that sticks out the most for me is Carly Simon’s Comin’ Around

H_Wallbanger – @superbadgirl Well, I did listen to Puff The Magic Dragon even before I figured out it was about weed.

El_Dickman – @superbadgirl “Tuesday Afternoon” by the Moody Blues. Yeah, they were hippies. I love the ethereal feel to it. #wednesdayplaylist

narcise – Wild World -Cat Stevens #wednesdayplaylist

H_Wallbanger – @superbadgirl Also, anything by Buddy Holly since my dad both had those glasses and listened to him.

cvbarnhart – @superbadgirl John Denver – Take Me Home, Country Roads #wednesdayplaylist

ieincognito – @superbadgirl My parents had a 60′s folk tape we listened to constantly on trips. Pete Seeger did the “Little Houses” song on there.

Lorizs_tweets – Wild World -Cat Stevens It is the only song I remember my Dad singing along to, still hear his voice when I listen to it #wednesdayplaylist

cbellers – @superbadgirl blondie – Rapture #wednesdayplaylist

The_Cyr – @superbadgirl Locomotive Breath by Jethro Tull.

p_tea – @superbadgirl “Sunshine on My Shoulders” by Bob Denver #wednesdayplaylist #momlovedthatsong

sDonoho – @superbadgirl Johnny Paycheck – Take This Job and Shove It

UnclePilot – @superbadgirl Meat Loaf – “Paradise By The Dashboard Light” #wednesdayplaylist

Grave_Danger – @Superbadgirl “A Fifth of Beethoven” from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack let me know my parents were going to party.

_bunny_ -@superbadgirl Harry Nilsson – Coconut. My dad’s LP (the cover reflected his style perfectly). Endless interpretive dance. #wednesdayplaylist

communique – @superbadgirl queen of hearts by juice newton #wednesdayplaylist

agingdragqueen – @superbadgirl Moody Blues – Tuesday Afternoon #wednesdayplaylist

thatcesareguy – @superbadgirl Anything off of “Magical Mystery Tour” for dad, as it was the sole 8-track that still worked. Anything by The Cars for mom.

jamesblackwood – @superbadgirl “Mountain Music” Alabama, “Ocean Front Property” George Strait, and anything by the Oak Ridge Boys #wednesdayplaylist

k_del – @superbadgirl Rock Island Line- Johnny Cash (grandpa was a engineer) #wednesdayplaylist

stevodarkly – I remember listening to “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass on my parent’s 3-ton cabinet stero. #wednesdayplaylist … Eventually this led to me buying the “Whipped Cream etc.” CD as an adult. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP7EzJtXWQM

Joule – @superbadgirl My dad’s obsession with Graceland led to my obsession with Graceland, so I’ll go with the title track. #wedplaylist

jamietoonart – @superbadgirl “Hotel California” and “Nights in White Satin” via my parents, “Don’t Dream It’s Over” via KHTR

hipntrendy – I had a fixation for my mom’s Glenn Miller, I Got a Gal in Kalamazoo for #wednesdayplaylist

_bunny_ – @superbadgirl Also, the companion song to my previous (in *my* mind anyway) James Taylor – Gorilla. From my mom’s rekkids. #wednesdayplaylist

ZSB3 - @superbadgirl “I Love a Rainy Night” by Eddie Rabbitt. My dad and I used to sit on the patio and watch storms roll in.

Friday Five Sites You Visit Daily

Been wondering lately about how my web usage has evolved. I just do not use the internet the same way I did five years ago, or even two years ago. For one thing, I rarely visit actual websites, at least not purposely. I don’t check in at say… CNN.com anymore for my news, I get my news through aggregated news sources like Google Reader and popurls.com. I don’t go to message boards to interact with my friends, I see them via twitter and facebook. I wondered if everyone else was doing the same. Let’s find out:

And here’s a #fridayfive for your listing pleasure! What are five websites you visit daily? (I am interested to see how much these overlap.)

superbadgirl twitter, facebook, popurls, google-related (gmail/reader/maps etc.) and my own blog. (Is everything aggregated now?) #fridayfive

cvbarnhart – @superbadgirl Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, AEBN (NSFW) #fridayfive

bengoldman – @superbadgirl Woot, DieselSweeties, BBC, Gmail, theFWA. Oh, and that one you’re updating the landing page on. #fridayfive

cbellers – @superbadgirl gmail, google, slashdot, zombie squad, penny arcade #fridayfive

El_Dickman – @superbadgirl icanhascheezeburger, iGoogle, yahoo news, The Onion, facebook #fridayfive

H_Wallbanger – @superbadgirl Do porn sites count?

superbadgirl - @H_Wallbanger Whatever. Your day is all about: sadbastard.com, pervybastard.com, howtomowthelawn.com, geritol.com and dudesincardigans.com. Oh, I forgot usedtobepunkbutnowjustkindasleepy.com

jamietoonart – @superbadgirl Twitter, Facebook, Woot, G-Mail, Yahoo #fridayfive

violentecstasy – @superbadgirl iGoogle (reader, gmail, twitter aggregated–is that cheating?), Facebook, Etsy, ZS forums, GoodReads #fridayfive

H_Wallbanger – @superbadgirl You totally forgot plottingtheslowpainfuldemiseofsuperbadgirl.com

Grave_Danger – @superbadgirl email, texts from last night, fb, fml, whatolddudeslike.com

jeniburns – @superbadgirl renderosity (duh), facebook, etsy, huffingtonpost, ravelry #fridayfive

thatcesareguy – @superbadgirl at work it’s these, due to filters: Neatorama, Mental Floss, Nerd Approved, Yahoo News Comics, Huffington Post #FridayFive

thatcesareguy – @superbadgirl On days off: Facebook, Yahoo (mail’n stuff), Ugliest Tattoos, The Onion, Cracked.

ZSB3 – @superbadgirl Twitter, Yahoo, Facebook, IRC chat, ZS Forum

trmink – @superbadgirl huffpost, ESPN, CNet, boardgame geek, Indy Star – (Not counting music streams like Radio Paradise)

_bunny_ – @superbadgirl Twitter, Facebook and Gmail tabs open, and my RSS feed. That’s 4. Do people still visit actual websites? #fridayfive

SgtHotpants – @superbadgirl Questionable Content, Twitter, Gmail, LiveJournal, Craigslist.

not4prophet – @superbadgirl questionable content, dinosaur comics, ms paint adventures, overcompensating, and FB i guess.

SOTD – This Mortal Coil “Another Day”

This Mortal Coil “Another Day”

The kettle’s on, the sun has gone
another day
She offers me Tibetan tea on a flower tray
She’s at the door, she wants to score
She dearly needs to say

I loved you a long time ago, you know
Where the winds own forget-me-nots blow
But I just couldn’t let myself go
not knowing what on earth there was to know.

But I wish that I had ’cause I’m feeling so sad
that I never had one of your children.

And across the room inside a tomb
a chance is waxed and wanes
The night is young, why are we so hung up
in each others chains
I must take her, I must make her
while the dove domains

and feel the juice run as she flies
run my wings under her sighs
as the flames of eternity rise
to lick us with the first born lash of dawn.

Oh really my dear I can’t see what we fear
Sat here with ourselves in between us.

And at the door we can’t say more
than just another day
and without a sound
I turn around
and I walk away.

Stay Off the Damn Front Porch

Gunmen on bicycles shoot two, kill one in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis man was fatally shot early Sunday morning by gunmen on bicycles, police said.

Juan Almanza, 37, of the 4000 block of Dryden Avenue, was shot multiple times about 1:30 a.m. after an argument with two men, police said.

Almanza and another man, 35, were sitting on a porch in the 3100 block of Utah Avenue when two men rode by on bicycles, stopped and began arguing, police said.

One of the bicyclists then pulled out a gun and shot the two men, police said. Almanza collapsed and died at the scene. The second victim was shot in his leg and ran off.

Police had made no arrests Sunday.

How This Day Pissed Me Off/Ductwork

So, day starts normally. It’s raining and I would have preferred to stay in bed, but whatever. Work. It’s actually nice as my boss in out of town this week, and I have a shit-ton of work to do, so going in didn’t suck too badly. Lunchtime came and I determined to go the book store and browse around. Before I went to the book store I determined to go the bathroom, because browsing the book store with a full bladder is never a good time. After I wash my hands, I feel a weird twinge in my stomach, which rapidly becomes a wave of spreading, throbbing, dirty pain. I feel simultaneously like I am going to throw up and pass out. I start sweating. I bend over the sink for some stability, and notice that my hands are shaking. Hooray for me, 5 months after having my gall bladder out, I am still passing leftover gallstones through my ducts.

I have to stay in the bathroom for about five minutes, as I can’t possibly walk. I can’t describe what the pain is like really. It’s not like anything else. It’s not sharp, it’s not like something you can rub away or stretch out or anything. It comes from the middle of your body, it comes from everywhere. It doesn’t even seem like it can be real, that pain. The whole time you’re feeling it you’re wondering if it’s even happening. Perhaps you’re just hallucinating your insides trying to escape. And there’s nothing you can do to relieve it. Just nothing. No position you can assume or thing you can massage or anything. It is a nauseating, breathtaking, just stand and sort of try to keep breathing until it goes away kind of pain. It makes me feel like an animal, caught in a trap my body is making. I just stand and pant and stay really still so the pain might forget I am there, and leave me alone.

Apparently there are lots of tiny tiny little ducts in there that never make it into the medical illustrations, and mine are all full of sludge and bits of leftover gallstones! Hooray!

I finally wobble back to my office, covered in sweat and scary pale. I sit for about another ten minutes, trying to stop shaking so that I can drive myself home. I finally think I can, so I tell my staff I am sick and leaving, and go home. I fall asleep at home, and when I wake up I feel somewhat better, except – wait, no I don’t. I have another attack around 4pm, not as bad as the first, but not at all nice. This time I take some industrial strength pain killers, and then I go lay down for another hour.

Now I am better, maybe. I feel as if I have been kicked in the abdomen by something really angry, and I can’t move very well, but I am OK. Unfortunately I am also high on painkillers and rather out of it. Which fucking blows. I wanted to do some shit tonight, but now I am too high to even watch a fucking movie, much less read a book or do some housework, which were my other plans. So basically, thanks so much body, for ruining my day and not letting me get my work done at work, and then ruining my evening too.

And all I can think is that if this is going to keep happening, what if it happens when I am out, or around people? It’s bad enough that I have to go through this, but what if I am in the middle of something and have some kind of fucking attack and have to like, flee the area and can’t? One more thing to add anxiety to my going out of the damn house. And there’s no point in calling my surgeon, he’s just going to tell me what he told me last time, that the leftover shit in my system will take time to clear, how much time he cannot say. If I have intense pain for 24 hours, go to the emergency room, blah blah blah. Thanks for nothing.

So I am crabby and pissed off and scared and resentful that this is happening to me. Go away, fucked up ducts or whatever the fuck. Seriously. I feel extremely childish and want to throw a tantrum and there is no one at whom to throw a tantrum. One more way in which being an adult sucks a giant bunch of donkey balls.

Wednesday Playlist – Get Your Creative Groove On Edition

City-Wide Open Studios is a week-long event dedicated to the community of working artists in St. Louis. Free and open to the public, this event offers a unique opportunity to explore these creative spaces and enjoy one of the most exciting aspects of contemporary art—the chance to discuss art with the artists themselves.

http://openstudiosonline.org/

superbadgirl - You guys know it’s Open Studios this Sat., right? So for #wednesdayplaylist what music gets you in your creative groove? (topic via @narcise)

Grave_Danger – @Superbadgirl Define “creative groove”.

superbadgirl – When I sit down to write or make artz for an extended period, I usually turn to Loreena McKennit’s “The Book of Secrets” #wednesdayplaylist

El_Dickman – @superbadgirl “The Passion” by Peter Gabriel. #wednesdayplaylist

superbadgirl – To clarify for @Grave_Danger and others, any music that makes you feel inspired to do whatever thing you do best = creative groove. :-)

H_Wallbanger – @superbadgirl Miles Davis: Kind of Blue album works pretty well.

H_Wallbanger – @superbadgirl OH wait…I was thinking more work-related. Thing I do best? I don’t think I wanna answer that.

jamietoonart – @superbadgirl Combichrist, Ladytron, Aphex Twin #Wednesdayplaylist

superbadgirl – @H_Wallbanger Someone believes way too much of his own hype.

narcise – Studio music has been all about Fugazi lately. End Hits, Repeater, and The Argument have been in VERY regular rotation. #wednesdayplaylist

Grave_Danger – @superbadgirl I always liked having classical music in the embalming room. It was a must.

cbellers – @superbadgirl Zero 7, Shostakovich, Mozart. #wednesdayplaylist

bengoldman – @superbadgirl Depends a lot on what mood I want the art to have. Pretty much anything in my library can work. #wednesdayplaylist #lameanswer

violentecstasy – @superbadgirl Usually if I’m sewing or cooking (as close as I get to artifying), I’m listening to audiobooks. #lame #nerd #wednesdayplaylist

communique – @superbadgirl air’s “moon safari”

trmink – @superbadgirl Shake Yourself Loose by Vickie Winans. http://iLike.com/s/44kQ

jamesblackwood -@superbadgirl Pell Mell, something about the guitar kicks my brain in gear.

_bunny_ – @superbadgirl Trent Reznor’s Quake soundtrack. #wednesdayplaylist

Hope I got everyone, doesn’t seem like a lot of responses. If I missed you out, let me know or leave your info in the comments.!

Best Thing in My World at the Moment

So here’s the best thing in my world right now. Last year, I found the ultimate pair of sandals. They were flats that were not thongs, and stylish enough to wear to work and casual enough to wear out and SO comfortable even on my stupid formerly broke foot. They’re about as close as you can get to not wearing shoes at all.  I bought them, and I wore them every single day from May to September, until they were scary, smelly tattered messes. And this year I have searched fruitlessly for some kind of replacement for them, finding nothing. I couldn’t bear to part with the old, perfect sandals, even though I could also not wear them, as the lining had ripped out. And a week or so ago, I was on ebay, and what did I find? THE SAME SANDALS. And I ordered them! Above you will see my fresh, clean new sandals, the receipt of which allowed me to finally toss out the old, horrible disgusting sandals. I paid probably twice as much for the replacements as the original ones, and I do not care at all, they are totally worth it.

SO! Simple things that make me happy – here is one. Hooray, sandals!

Couldn’t Decide

Couldn’t decide which of these Sad and Useless comic panels I liked the best, so just going to gank them from there and post them here. But you should totally follow Sad and Useless, as they are awesome, and continuously posting fantastic things that make your heart sing.

Why MSD might have issues collecting funds

When I moved into this house four years ago, I set up an auto-pay account with MSD (St. Louis’s Metropolitan Sewer District, for those lucky enough to have never heard of them before.) I have pretty much ignored it ever since. Periodically they take some money out of my account, my sewer continues to work, and that’s about how much thought I want to put into the whole affair.

A few months ago they sent me a letter, saying that all the old recurring bill payments were being discontinued, due to “maintenance.” Which, that’s a pretty shitty maintenance if you ask me. The kind of maintenance you do that means money stops coming at you automatically is stupid fucking “maintenance.”

I noticed lately in my MS Money register that I had a bill coming up from MSD. So I assumed they’d, you know, BILL me, since they’d discontinued the way that I used to send them money. But no. They did not. So now I start to worry that they’re going to try to not bill me, then charge me a late fee. That sounds about their speed, given the level of ineptitude they’ve evinced so far. So I go online and try to log into my old account. No dice – discontinued. I try to set up a new account as they’ve asked me to do. I come up with a new user id (TEN characters? That’s really long. Isn’t the standard six? Perversely, the password only has to be four characters. Don’t ask me, it makes no sense.) and give them my email address. But no, want to set up new online profile, but can’t do it. To set up a new online account, you need your account number. I have no idea what that might be, as I do not have any old bills (do I even GET mailed bills which would have my account number on them? I don’t remember getting them. I would hope I don’t get mailed bills even though I pay online, but who knows.) and naturally they have helpfully NOT INCLUDED MY ACCOUNT NUMBER IN THE LETTER THEY SENT TO MY HOUSE.

They HAVE included a customer service number, which I call. It has an option for online bill pay setup. It tells me to go online and set that shit up. Helpful! Thanks! The other option is to request a form be mailed to me for online signup. Since I am not my own grandma, I skipped having them mail me the online signup form. Those being the only two options, I tried to back out of that part of their phone system. Helpfully, at this point they disconnected me. Not to be daunted by this, I called them again. This time I pressed the options that would lead me to a customer service worker with whom, it was promised, I could discuss my bill. I thought that I could at least pay by phone this time, and then get the online bill pay set up. Or maybe she could give me my account number. Nope! Their call center is only open from 9-5 on Monday thru Friday! That is SO HELPFUL OH MY HOLY JESUS.

So I give up for today, thinking I will call them on Monday and get this sorted, and that they are assholes. Then five minutes later I get an email from MSD congratulating me on setting up my new online account! :-/

What the fuck MSD, you totally fail at taking my money.

Feed Issues

OK, for everyone saying that the feed is borked, I agree, the feed is borked and I am sorry. I’ve done what I can to correct it, but I don’t know that I can really fix it. If you subscribe to http://x.superbadgirl.com/blog/feed via Yahoo, you get the full feed. Through Google Reader? Truncated. I do not know why, I do not know whose fault it is. I cannot fix it, and I pretty much feel like smashing someone’s face in about the whole fucking thing, as every entity involved claims that it’s not their issue. So, sorry about it, especially for people who are blocked from my site via their work filters and whatnot, but there’s nothing I can do.

Or, wait, now it’s showing full feed in Reader? I don’t know, subscribe via that link up there and maybe it will work, maybe it will not. It’s a fucking crapshoot.

Friday Five – Who Don’t You Want to Deal With?

Like all registered introverted misanthropes, I have a certain amount of dread and natural dislike for dealing with various types of people. Many times, the way I dread dealing with them impacts what actions I am willing to force myself to take in the world. For instance, my dread at the thought of dealing with repair people means that I have a bucket to catch the water that leaks in from my roof, instead of a roof that does not leak. My dread of having to deal with doctors means that I have to be pretty close to dying before I will go to one, etc. I was wondering what types/groups of people other people don’t want to deal with. I opened it up to “types of people” because I figure not everyone’s like me, and many people might not have a dread of dealing with professionals who are offering them services. Anyway, results below:

Time for #fridayfive! What five groups of people (or professions) do you most dislike dealing with? In order, most dislike to less dislike.

superbadgirl – Doctors, the overtly religious, law enforcement, advertising sales reps, repair persons. #fridayfive

cbellers – @superbadgirl Salespeople, religious people, political wingnuts (both sides) too-fucking-hip people, lawyers. #fridayfive

cbellers – @superbadgirl and by too-fucking-hip I mean the assholes who are actively cooler than you, not the kids with horrible sunglasses, dumb hats.

ieincognito – @superbadgirl The willfully ignorant, the overly bubbly, the duplicitous, the incompetent, those with disingenuous affectations #fridayfive

cvbarnhart – @superbadgirl Aggressive Interrupters, Mushmouths, The Self-Important, The Faithful, Anti-Intellectuals. #fridayfive

El_Dickman – @superbadgirl Fundies (any of them), customer support, “global resources” (outsourced personnel), piss-poor drivers, spare changers

billstreeter – @superbadgirl sales reps, bureaucrats, religious nuts, Libertarians (could be lumped in with religious nuts), idiots of any sort

superbadgirl – For everyone inquiring, yes, @p_tea can be his own category for today’s #fridayfive

p_tea – @superbadgirl Close-minded people of all persuations x5 #Fridayfive

_bunny_ – @superbadgirl My family, lawyers (ptew!), police, teenagers, Libertarians. #fridayfive

Joule – @superbadgirl Aggressively judgmental “authoritarians”, bureaucrats, plastic people, collection agents, the sensory offensive #fridayfive

ieincognito – @superbadgirl Can’t believe I forgot folks with a misplaced sense of entitlement. I may be amending all day to limit to #fridayfive

CDCyr – @superbadgirl Swingers who cant keep their swinging to themselves, partisans, believers, racists, panhandlers #fridayfive

jamesblackwood – @superbadgirl My doctor, Todd my goiter, my thyroid, members of my endocrine system, Curly Sue.

jamietoonart – @superbadgirl Political know-it-alls, Corporate customer “service”, self rightous carnivores, Price shoppers/cheapskates (at work), drivers.

cassiland – mean people, corrections officers, my employers, people that dislike kids/dogs, people with unbending convictions @superbadgirl #fridayfive

thatcesareguy – @superbadgirl interupters, self-dubbed experts, the overly political, open-mouth chewers, people who speak in meme #fridayfive

VforVero @superbadgirl racists, close minded people, self centered people, bad drivers & girls named Magan #fridayfive

ZSB3 – @superbadgirl Salespeople, the student DJ’s on 89.1FM, Tom Shane, racists, over-zealous religious people.

Grave_Danger – @superbadgirl Religious hypocrites, doctors office receptionists, liars, apathetic complainers, the terminally negative

trmink – @superbadgirl alumni association, auto dealers, tech support, “patriots”, librarians, local news team

SOTD – Swans “I Remember Who You Are”

This song is the song of the day purely because this morning I could not get it out of my head, despite not having listened to it in ten years. So whoever, wherever I read what triggered this song to replay in my head all morning… Thanks? Anyway, now I give this to you:

Swans “I Remember Who You Are”

When other people say
You’re someone to misuse
Shut in behind your young girl’s face
And helpless in your bed of thorns
I’ll remember who you are
Yes I’ll remember who you are
I’ll remember who you are:
A young girl, unchained
Come back here now
I know you’re somewhere still alive
Strong behind your young girl’s tears
I know you’re somewhere unchanged
Oh I remember who you are
Yes I’ll remember who you are
I’ll remember who you are
A young girl, unchained
There stands a young girl naked
In her innocence unused
And she holds me in her small hand
And she smiles down on me
I am innocent in her dark eyes
I will lose my heart in the sand
You’re cruel but you’re good for me
And you hold me in your young girl’s hand
I Remember Who You Are
Yes I Remember Who You Are
I remember who you are
A young girl, unchained