Unshelved by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum
comic strip overdue media

Wednesday, September 10, 2003

Random thoughts (mostly on music) before heading out for the teleconference

Finally getting an answer about the unemployment has really helped my mood. It'll be tight, but I won't have to rely totally on 20 hours' pay, and that's good. My only concern is my first cheque won't hit till about September 25. But, if I'm calculating right, after that, they'll be on the off week from my regular pay, which actually could help in terms of cash flow. For now, I'll keep looking for a job, but I'm a little more optimistic.

I've been watching VH1 as I've been getting ready. As a result, a lot of my thoughts this morning have been geared to music.

I saw a new video--'White Flag'--from Dido that has David Boreanaz from 'Angel' in it. Bad hair, but he's still got that brooding hunkiness. Of course, since he plays a next-door neighbour who has a photographic shrine to Dido's character in his apartment, maybe it's more than just brooding and more like psycho. See addendum. Oh, and a thumb's up to Coldplay for putting a fairly subtle 'please wear your seatbelt' into 'The Scientist'. The first time I saw the video I missed the car crash because I only saw the first part. I thought the combination of him actually walking backwards (or at least, I'm pretty sure that's the case by the gait--people walk differently forwards and backwards) and yet singing 'forward' mixed with film run-backs was artistically interesting. It's certainly what got me watching the video. Of course, now it's stuck in my head, along with Sting's 'Send Your Love'. I'm also excited to read on the internet news that Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel are reuniting for a US tour soon. I can't imagine being able to afford the tickets, but I'd love to see them--with my mom. I grew up on her records, and as a birthday present to myself a couple of years ago, I bought the CD collection of their albums. When I was growing up, my 'theme' song--or one of them, anyway--was 'Shadows'. Not a pleasant song, certainly, but descriptive of my life. Actually one thing I like about Simon and Garfunkel is that if you listen to the music, it's so peaceful, for the most part, kind of easy going, but if you listen to the lyrics, a lot are about anger and suicide--I don't know for sure, but given his lyrics, Paul Simon seems to have battled depression to me, and I guess that's why it was comforting when I was having so much trouble. By the way, the other song was 'Shilo' by Neil Diamond. Yeah. I was a shy, quiet, depressed kid, but no one talked about it back then, so I didn't know. I just kept in my room and read and escaped through phantasy novels. I guess it was better than going through lots of acting out and suicide, though.

It occurred to me this morning that if I were to cast a movie based on the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter books, I'd cast Michelle Branch in the role. She has the dainty beauty mixed with tough-girl when needed. Her ethnic background's a little different from Anita--Dutch-Indonesian, French, and Irish--but it gives her the same sort of exotic look Anita's Mexican-German heritage does.

Okay, Celine Dion's show is on, now, and I have to turn it off. Don't get me wrong, I like Celine Dion, in small doses. I can't do more than a couple of songs at a time, especially ones geared to a Vegas show. (You know, I always want to type Vega$. Too much Robert Urich as a kid, I guess).

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