WATER

WATER

Call The cops
Call the Army
Call the Red Cross
My money’s about to disappear
Because it’s raining
And my roof isn’t blocking it
It’s seeping
Through
Into
My most expensive treasures
My computer
My television and stereo
Let me pray
That the water doesn’t fall too hard
Into my home
Run - to the hills! It’s invading my home
NASA what the hell are you doing?
We need out of here!
There’s too much water falling
Not enough money to fix the damage done by it
China will kill us b/c my gov’t can’t get enough money to fix my stuff
To fix my drowning body
Oh, no
What if it falls into my mouth?
I can’t exactly DRINK this shit can I?
Ohhh, no….
I think I’m going to faint
Perhaps I’ll just let myself die
Just go with it
I don’t even care
I’m too beautiful for this world anyway…

just checkin' in...

I heard two of February's obvious "to buy" candidates today, and luckily they're both worth buying...Bayside's 2009 CD SHUDDER was pretty darn boring, IMO. The two prior ones were OK, but nothing compared to SIRENS AND CONDOLENCES from 2004. This new one I haven't listened to more than once, so I don't know if it'll be worth keeping at all; I tried listening to it a 2nd time and was like "is this the same CD?"...
A more recent emo-esque band, A Skylit Drive, released their third full length not long ago, and it's a little bit better as far as staying power goes, but I still didn't feel the same way listening to it immediately after hearing it the first time. If I had nothing else to listen to, it'd be one thing, but there's a ton of stuff out there...
I heard this country song by Avril Lavigne that according to wikipedia, or some other info site, was given to someone else to perform on another album. I'm not against country, but this song was just boring. Her vocals sounded really subdued and the instrumentation was nowhere near as fascinating as the lead single "What The Hell". I really don't know if there's anything about the song 'What The Hell", lyrical or otherwise, that will bleed into her other songs from GOODBYE LULLABY (Mar 8), but I hope so...I really don't think anyone wants to hear a bunch of Frank Sinatra type songs when they run to the store after not being able to get "What The Hell" out their heads...
R.E.M. has an album out the same day as Avril; the track "Discoverer" is, or was, available for streaming on R.E.M.'s website, and it's an OK song. Kind of reminds me of the opening track on DOCUMENT, which could be a good thing if they made the song something more than a catchy piece of alt-pop, but, alas, there's rhythm abound, but not enough melody to sustain the rhythm. I guess I'm spoiled by Oingo Boingo...although I gotta admit sometimes their rhythms are a bit too much..."Dead Man's Party" is probably their best song, "Weird Science" isn't even on that list, even though it was their only hit and was from the same album as "Dead Man's Party"...just goes to show you how necessary it is to dumb yourself down if you want radio success; my honest opinion on that is radio is controlled by advertising. People will listen to the radio primarily for the music, but they in turn have to hear advertisements. Thing is, these advertisements are usually for stuff that people don't need - it is not needed and it is not direly wanted. It's just prompting people to spend money so the economy doesn't collapse - it doesn't matter what you spend your money on, just as long as people think they're earning their money "fair and square". My guess is if everything people bought was something they REALLY WANTED - not something that "seems" like a good idea, or "might be useful someday" or whatever, but just a simple old fashioned WANT - something that isn't essential to your survival but makes it worth fighting for - then jobs would be cut by 30%. And we all know that looking out for our fellow man, and feeding the poor just aren't very American ideals...But anyway...the better the music, the more the audience feels it. If the audience is stuffed with pure emotion, those ads become laughable - the audience realizes "I don't need a freakin' car, I need to go buy that song!".
I actually caught an Onkyo receiver, finally received a refund for it; it was a home theater receiver, so the sound was centered more toward surround sound in movies; I guess you live and learn. I don't know why movies are so important to people as far as sound goes. Stereo speakers gives you plenty ability to hear dialogue and feel the rumble of an explosion if you buy the right speakers. And the best thing is you can hear MUSIC - nothing but sound - more clearly with stereo speakers. The only music you can hear better with a 5.1 set-up is concert DVDs and multi-channel SACDs, both of which are limited in what they have to offer. So here's hoping 2012 isn't the end for us all...maybe I can buy a decent STEREO receiver and enjoy it before I die...
Oh, but I guess that might not happen either;...I'm moving out sometime in 2012, probably early in the year. My mom thinks she'd be less depressed and stressed etc. living w/o me in her domain all the time. Hopefully I won't need to spend my entire Circuit Breaker check on a deposit...if I do that better include a pet deposit, I'd really hate to get rid of Napoleon, and/or Harrison. I'm sure I can find some place that isn't too shabby for $350 or less a month. If it weren't for the toilet issue, my apartment on Lorimier would have been fine, I don't know if he'd allow me to have Napoleon and Harrison w/ me though, since they did a little damage to the apt while they were there...ugh...

freedom...more or less...

The most electric, striking, breath-taking, most beautiful work of art - banned by the land of the free. But it's OK b/c everyone's so stuffed inside themselves to enjoy life? Hey, if you can't enjoy life w/o banning books/movies/music then maybe YOU don't belong here. There's always somewhere you can go if the site of blood and/or nudity is too much to ignore. It's called home. And if you're at work and have to put up with a cuss word here and there, you can always just do your job and get distracted by your goals to not really notice.
It's really weird how society seems to not know WHY cuss words are offensive - they just say "It's negative" or "it shows a lack of intelligence" or "other people find it offensive". ALL THREE of those most common "reasons" are STUPID - EVERYBODY lacks intelligence, some more so than others. There's ALWAYS alternate words to use to say what's on your mind. If negativity is on your mind, venting IS a good thing. In public around 10 or 15++ people? Maybe not, but not all cuss words are negative. "F*** yeah" is like saying "Yay!". Is "yay!" negative? HELL NO! And why spend time being offended b/c someone else is? It only adds more stupidity to an already illogical situation.
And what the heck is wrong with naked people? Do anti-naked people shower and urinate with their clothes on? I mean, is God a pornographic life - casting director for creating children with no clothes? People say "if he wanted us to be naked, he wouldn't have created clothes" - hello? Did the nurses at the hospital somehow mislead you into thinking that blanket wrapped around your newborn came out of your pelvis along with the baby? So if Man kills someone and doesn't say it was for God, then it's a sin but everything else Man does is God's glory? Is playing golf God's glory? Is marijuana God's glory? What about SMOKING marijuana? The creation of clothing is not a Godly act. The only reason people even have clothing on in the summer in the South continental USA is b/c of these irrational thoughts on clothing. Clothes are simply not needed except when it's cooold outside.
SO - with this in mind, unless there's some ACTUAL ground I haven't covered - like a non-vague-as-death quote from The Bible that says "the f word" and "the/those b-word(s)" should be banned from use or hell will be to pay - then what's your defense for thinking a slight majority of offended people equates jail time for those who offend?

"that's life"

It's weird how *certain politicians* who elect criminals to aid them and block the flow of justice are defended by the phrase "that's life". It's weird how *certain people* don't see how realistic justice is. It's weird how people would rather live in a corrupted country and defend it to the death but not die for the sake of a better tomorrow for those who might live to see it.

copyright protection - it's like Communism, except everyone's OK with it...

I'm sick of Hollywood and the music industry using deceit and threats to squash the competition. They tried closing people off from the opportunity to hear GOOD music by killing internet radio, they distribute viruses to people's computers, they sell blu-rays that don't work with anyone's blu-ray player, and now I read that my copy of THE LAST UNICORN is in violation of "copyright protection" laws?
Let's get this straight - I, for one, don't have a job. But that's b/c I would fail, and be fired for it. My eye hand coordination is half-axed, and my ability to concentrate is almost always impaired. And mostly I'm just not motivated by threats, like "shape up or ship out". If this were an accurate description for everyone, I could see how Hollywood's actions could have a valid defense, even a sympathetic one, but the fact is if you have a job, you're supposed to do it - not do something that LOOKS like you're doing it and then fail and then cry to the gov't about not having any money.
If Hollywood wants a valid reason for having a job, they should A) make movies that SOMEONE in this world wants to see B) quit making movies that minimal or no value to ANYONE other than punk kids who just wanna see an "R rated" movie regardless of what it is and C) distribute these movies as they were in theaters, maybe with an option for an "extended cut" or "unrated version" or whatever the situation may call for...And they should look and sound at least as they were in theaters, if not better, w/ no freezes or jumps or anything else that can easily be avoided...
My copy of THE LAST UNICORN is a German import - with "25th Anniversary" Edition picture quality UNCENSORED. Whoever is/was responsible for getting THE LAST UNICORN out on DVD in Germany did it right long before the 25th "Anniversary" of the film - they did it right the first time. The U.S. on the other hand released a super-crumby looking version of the film, then released it again with the picture restored EXCEPT ---- IT'S CENSORED!!!! First off, the MOTION PICTURE Association of AMERICA is supposed to eliminate the need for censorship am I not right? - and second, THE GERMANS DID IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME. But I'm not German, so I can't have it.
Racism might be stretching it - but greed should not be freely granted by the courts. If someone wants to hog what's rightfully theirs, fine, just as long as Dennis Cooper books are still legal, but to stave people away from what is rightfully THEIRS should not be upheld by the courts.
I'm getting a region free DVD player - I'll see you in court if you really want...

"It's true! I chopped him up; but I didn't kill him!"

nowhere (1997), not officially released on DVD b/c some prissy parts don't want their music used in the movie or at least not without monetary compensation or some other b.s....not sure what the deal is. I think New Line Cinema/Fine Line Features gave up on an agreeable settlement between all parties involved in the hold-up...
But the FILM, with the music, and all other aspects herein, is a teen-angst masterpiece. I'm no longer a teenager, old enough in fact to be late in going to college; 27 going on 30...maybe it's b/c I'm a romantic with his head in the sky, but the film resonates with me like a 85 minute music video. The film, for some reason(s) or another, was released in Australia, was available to buy from 3rd party sellers on Amazon, but not anymore; there's also a region 5 DVD (from Germany I think...) but nobody ever offers it for sale. The Australian version is out of print, and I guess the German one is OOP, and has been for a looong time now. There was a French edition on eBay several years ago, with a supposed running time of like 2 hours, there's nothing I've found on the internet since then explaining this...
If you want your normal USA DVD player to play this cult-classic I suggest doing what I did and go to CultCine.com and buy it. Those morons holding up the release have deprived EVERYONE from a proper profit by legally allowing the film to end up in Public Domain, which basically means the anti-piracy laws don't apply...I mean, thank goodness I don't have to keep buying a VCR every 10 years to keep the FBI from being allowed to knock down my door any time they feel like it...
But anyway, there's a book, very colorful cover, that I noticed while shopping on Amazon or some site (I think it was Amazon...), that looked a lot like the book in nowhere, but I had myself thinking "that can't be it!". But as I was watching the film this afternoon I saw the book and recognized the name on the cover and I was like "well, I'll be darned! I FOUND the thing!". And I would not have found it if I had not somehow come across this author by the name of Dennis Cooper, who I guess sponsored the publication of "Dear Dead Person And Other Stories" by Benjamin Weissman.
So, in a nutshell, a curiosity has been fulfilled and if you're a moody teen, find 'nowhere' and see it. It's not wildly experimental, although it is pretty out there considering it's a professionally made film backed by a professional movie studio.
And remember "When all of your wishes are granted, many of your dreams will be destroyed".

finally - attempt 2 - adventures in hi-fi (or "hi-fi" - ?)

I finally bought a replacement receiver; I actually bought it about half a month ago, but didn't get it paid for until the 25th, then I received it via UPS last night.  The speakers are on the way, probably to arrive this evening...so I haven't tested many of its functions, I listened to a little music with my $4 sony headphones I got from WalMart several years ago - not exactly the best test, but I did find the re-mastering in the Japanese mini-LP edition of INVISIBLE TOUCH wasn't anywhere near as bad as I thought - I guess it just didn't import properly to my computer, idk...
  I didn't get a very good speaker set to compliment my receiver, but I think it'll be at least tolerable until I get money to get a better set.  I still need to get speaker wire, which I have not bought yet (will probably buy it later this month...) and HDMI 1.4 cables are also not here yet, they were shipped a couple days before the speakers, but they didn't have the benefit of UPS Ground shipping...(it was shipped with UPS Mail Innovations, which is basically UPS getting from Point A to ALMOST Point B and then USPS gets it the rest of the way...Actually, it's not UPS' fault it's not here yet - USPS received the cables like on Thursday or Friday...not sure what the deal is...).
  Anyway, the receiver will also need some time to "break in" (I don't fully understand it, but then again is there anything I truly understand when it comes to electronics?  Or even the mere existence of electricity for that matter?), so even after I get the speakers, speaker wire & HDMI cables, it won't sound as good as possible...but I'm still relieved to have this!  I think if I'm not satisfied thoroughly with this receiver, I'll just keep it until I can get a new one.  I hate being without a real audio set-up; I mean, a TV & DVD player is fine, but it just seems stupid buying/owning CDs with cover-art if the discs themselves don't do anymore than a CD-R...I figure I might as well just buy a painting(s), which would be more expensive, and would get boring looking at through time...I doubt this receiver will fully utilize all the benefits of the compact digital audio disc, but I'm confident it'll do it justice, or at least something like it...

Two-Faced Bane?

Since Two-Face died in THE DARK KNIGHT before he could even become anything he was in the comics (i.e: crime boss), it's hard to know what the Christopher & Jonathan Nolan's Batman series will make him out to be, but since Warner Bros apparently wants Robin to be introduced to the series, maybe Bane will kill Batman (like he did in the comics back in the early 1990s) and WB can re-start the series anew?  It'd kinda suck, but really, Christopher Nolan will die one of these days, and who wants Christian Bale playing Batman 'til he's 80?  Also, as interesting as the last two were, they weren't perfect.  I think the whole Batman big screen adapting is an experiment still.  People thought the Tim Burton films were untouchable, but then (eventually) everyone saw how great Batman Begins was and by the time The Dark Knight came out on video, Tim Burton's Batman films were out of print.  There'd be a lot of ifs and buts, but I think the public will at least someday have to face the idea of a new Batman series, if not a long-term absence from the big screen.  Batman is more suited for the small screen (i.e.: Batman: The Animated Series) anyhow.  After all, its origins were in comics books, which, at the time, were small stories spread out through even smaller installments.  The closest thing to that is a TV show, which is often used as a way to express movie-sized ideas as well.

The Vietnam Sport

I've never liked sports.  I know they always say winning isn't everything, but why play if you can't win?  And why lose if you're gonna play?  I mean, sports IS a game, is it not?  And like all games, isn't winning the objective?
  Of course, if we as humans were more loving and peaceful, we could show the kids how to play games/sports without getting all hell-bent on winning.  But underneath our clean clothes and skin and conscious minds are a savage beast just inches from the surface, awaiting an opportunity to lash out.
  Hence, sports = war.  If people want to play sports, sure, let them.  It doesn't harm anyone and if you're playing with friends, you'll all get over it.  But schools teach kids the principles of winning by simply having a "physical education" class.  I think things have gotten a little better in this department.  However, instead of p.e. teachers putting pressure on children to win, p.e. class is essentially a waste.  Kids have 55 minutes to learn all kinds of stuff and they don't learn anything.  Instead you learn this in health class.  So, really, p.e. is a waste of money.  Phys ed teacher-material would be better suited in a private business rather than a welfare program; in my semi-small town, there's already two health-centric places where people can exercise and learn.  My town keeps growing, so sooner or later I'm sure another one will open up...
  It just boggles my mind how human beings that grew up in this great nation can find reasons to put thousands of people through such Hell.  I mean, even if the Vietnamese WANTED to expand and take over the world, how the heck could they?  I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure they were one of those countries that doesn't (and still doesn't) have any sort of say in what goes on in the rest of the world.  I mean, if England or Japan or Mexico wanted to become communists, I could understand the argument of sticking with it.  I wouldn't agree with it, especially if the public was against it, but I would understand the argument.  But Vietnam should have been left alone like they were to begin with.  If we had any will to free them from their poverty in some way or another, THAT would have been an accomplishment.  Invading Vietnam, win or lose, is not an accomplishment.  The Republicans talk about wasting money on the welfare of the people, then, to this day, defend Vietnam, every other War that ever happened or even could have happened, as well as greed and selfishness.  Creating jobs is not a top priority.  Having enough money to live and not feel suffocated is.  If jobs are available, great, but how can business be given all this freedom to destroy the unemployment rate while the common man has to go without medical care?

hope for the best, but know it won't happen...

I always thought I'd get a hi-fi music set-up - receiver, probably the Denon AVR-391, although it'd be nice if I had a large enough living space to include the Onkyo TX-8255, since I do mainly listen to my music in stereo.  The AVR-391 would be a comparable space saving solution since it can play hi-fi audio in stereo AND surround sound...I probably wouldn't use surround sound very often, but how can I know?  Aside from the local movie theater (which I have a bone to pick with for cranking the base so high on INCEPTION that I couldn't even hear the dialogue in some parts), I have no experience(s) with surround sound.  But just the concept - movies, which I hardly ever watch, and music DVDs, which are about as hard to come by as SACDs are, unless you're into the more mainstream stuff.  And speaking of SACDs being hard to come by, I don't think there's a single album that is available on SACD that I want to AND will buy.  Toto IV (1982) by Toto is a great album, but it's almost $100 to buy, which is absurd, IMO, and a few others have also come and gone and left outrageous price tags behind - Boston (1976) by Boston, Peter Gabriel's UP (2002)...

I just don't have much to work with financially as it is.
I still can't find any speakers that would go good with the TX8255 NOR the AVR391, although for the AVR391 the Yamaha HTIB speakers would probably be good enough for who knows how long...actually, I can't even find speakers with a low enough wattage to feel safe running the TX8255 at high(ish) volume(s).
 

So I thought the CS 325 by Onkyo would be a good solution, yeah it's a shelf system, but it's an extraordinarily good one, not those crumby $50-$100 ones you find at WalMart.  I had the EC55 by SONY (discontinued by about a year at least now...) & the base on it was just too friggin' high, with or without bass boost.  BASE IS A BACKGROUND INSTRUMENT!!!!  If Korn is all you listen to, tell SONY to make a Korn player.  Or just use the base boost function, will ya?  Anyway, I simply will have to wait at least another year for the CS 325 and I don't think I'm picky enough about sound as it is for me to shell out the extra money for a seperate receiver & speakers.  So I Just recently ordered the far more elegant and sophisticated looking CMTBX20i, made by SONY, which - if looks are at all indicative of the inside - should be a bit more mature when it comes to base/balance/etc.  It probably won't rock my world, and it's probably not worth saving up all my $ for, but I'm tired of feeling like I'm wasting my compact digital audio discs on TV speakers.  And I don't want to have to buy all my music on mp3 and not be able to tell my CDs apart w/o reading a bunch of generic looking labels that I have to take the time to make myself...
  So that leaves my 1940CI that I ordered about two years ago virtually useless.  But I can probably get enough back on it to buy a new (smaller) DVD player AND have $20++ left to myself for whatever (CDs?).  I just hope someone wants it bad enough to take it off my hands in the next week or so so I can ship it and use the funds from my old player to GET a new DVD player (see link above, also a SONY) and use that to watch GHOSTBUSTERS I & II and whatever I rent from the video store...I boxed up the 1940CI, to make sure I could fit it in there securely (fits like a glove!) and now it's sitting on my table behind my TV.  PLEASE TAKE IT!  Luckily I have GHOSTBUSTERS on VHS AND A VCR!!  I've been using my computer for music listening lately anyway, so that's of no consequence...
  I'm sorta counting on my sister to give me some/enough money to pay the majority of the $26 of the CMTBX20i's $128.04 price tag (it was actually $114, but I ordered a Squaretrade 3 year extended warranty with it) that I'm missing, although I actually have another $9.76, but it's on an AMEX gift card, which I can't just deposit in the bank, you see...my mom said this morning that she won't let me buy her a Walmart gift card and give me $9 cash in exchange for it, but she was half asleep when she said that and she got all angry when I acted surprised by her answer, so I'm HOPING all I'm missing is $17, 'cause even if my sister gives me a meager $15, I can get the other $2 from Hastings by selling some stuff....