So today's my day off. Not much has changed, aside from a lot. I haven't seen Hideki-chan in a bit over a week. More than a week in fact. And I know he's been busy. The most I can do is to just pray and watch over him from a distance. I hate how I feel though--it's almost like love. It shouldn't be love, so why the f@#k do I feel so... so...
God, it better not be love. Or else my heart's gonna get freckin' shot. I hate it. I'm scared. And the problem is, when someone gets too close... they leave. Either that or, great person but the timing is just so wrong. And I fear that, it's bound to be more a combination of the two. I mean, I really like Hideki-chan. A lot. It hurts. The most I can do is make the best of it and just keep praying for the best.
Speaking of Hideki-chan, I actually wrote a nice letter today. It was small, only two pages, front only. And we're talking a size of 7"x5", wide-ruled! But, the Boss and I did get to talk for a bit and, I think I impressed him pretty decently. I mean, I'm sure Hideki-chan told him about me a bit but, I felt it was a proper idea to introduce myself to him personally and hand him the letter. All in all, noblest thing I've done all week. I can only hope the Boss has something good to say to Hideki-chan about our little chance-meeting this morning.
...but, we haven't spoken in so long... the silence... hurts...
Meanwhile, today is my day off. Hurrah for Wednesdays. And I get to take on my responsibilities as Secretary in my Daughters of the King Chapter. I have, gosh... some 6 to 8 months' worth of notes to sort out for Chapter President Marcia?? Eh, yeah. Thankfully though, she has a copy of every Agenda for the meetings, so I just need to send her the minutes for all the meetings I have. And luckily, they're not that much anyway--it's pretty much notes and what-all's been discussed. Not too much to sort out. So, I think I just might be able to get it all squared away and taken care of and all that. This might be fun.
And, two songs of note. The first one is the Song of the Week: "Put the Message in the Box" - World Party
The other is the Song of the Day--and dedicated to my Choirmaster [because, as I'm continuing what I call the Mind-Expansion Project (which was started back around Christmastime), if Peter hasn't heard this (and I am assuming he hasn't heard it!) then, he's in for a nice musical treat]: "Forever Young" - Youth Group [song originally done by alphaville]
And on *that* whim and bombshell, time to finally take on the notes from all those meetings. Yes, I just spent two hours on the computer in the current "Underground" [still laptop'less unfortunately], and writing out this post and checkin' out YouTube and clearing out some 20-freckin'-million e-mails and... and...
Well, after surviving a 5 A.M.-1 P.M. Monday shift, 12-8 P.M. and Kids Night on Tuesday, OPENING yesterday, and still half-asleep after my 5 A.M.-1 P.M. today, I am getting this done and out of the way so I can get a nap in. Happy Christmas Eve, Underground Citizens. I have to be in the Choir Room at 9:30 P.M. tonight. No, I am NOT spending Christmas Eve with the family this year--I'm too tired, too irritated and sleep-deprived. And if I have to go to Christmas Dinner with the family tonight, someone's gonna get yelled at by a rather irked me. And 'irked' is putting that nicely. I'm sorry but... no. Not this year. This isn't the year to subject myself to extra stress on top of the hell and high water I've already dealt with so far. In fact, I think I've been saying "Bah humbug" more than "Happy Christmas" this year--far more. That's a first--it's also pretty scary too.
Sooo, that said, here's a Thursday Tradition filled with YouTubes of music, fun and holiday cheer. Turn up the tune'age. And raise a cup of cheer for me--or at least, try to anyway, if you're as bleah as me.
"Wonderful Christmastime" - Paul McCartney *Old-School Alternation Song of the Week*
"The Chanukah Song" - Adam Sandler *Dedicated to my Jewish second family. Much love + respect!*
"Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band *Favorite version of the Christmas classic*
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" - James Taylor *Christmas Anthem 2008 + Song of the Week* *Dedicated to family and friends within the Underground, with love*
"Oi! to the World!" - The Vandals *Christmas Anthem 2007* *No Doubt did a fantabulous cover of this tune!*
"Christmas Wrapping" - The Waitresses *Christmas Anthem 2009*
Merry Christmas, with lots of love. Make the best of it, even in face of the worst of it.
Today, after a rather rough week, and not even cheerful in the midst of Choir starting up again and my being Secretary of my D.O.K. Chapter... part of me feels missing. Terribly missing. I don't feel sound, I am not myself. And it hurts. This heart is breaking in the worst possible manner. It... it sucks. It really does. And mind you, it's one month to my 26th Birthday and, to be honest with y'all, I am not really looking forward to it, given the way things have been this past week.
I don't know. Maybe I'm just... I'm just tired. Sick and tired of damn near everything. Part of me wants to scream "Bah f@#king humbug!" and yet, I can't. And between the health-care controversy with the so-called "death panels" [yes, I heard plenty enough about it] and the headache and a half at work [especially with tensions rising, big time, between Manager Carlina and myself] AND perhaps the worst bout of a broken heart... I've come this close to screaming that I've damn-near had it.
*sigh* The longest month of the year has begun. Lovely.
Sooo, for those of us who's missing some part of ourselves... including myself... this is dedicated to us empty souls. *Song of the Week* "One of Our Submarines" ~ Thomas Dolby
Welcome [back] to the 90's!! Yep, that's the theme of this month's all four Thursday Traditions. And it kicks off today with Pearl Jam--whom, I'll admit, I wasn't really a big fan of much. But... they've grown on me now! [I even have a mix c.d. of 19 tracks of awesomeness to show for it!] So, they're probably the one grunge band that I won't tire of. And, they're still going.
That said, 10 of the proper musical gems by Eddie Vedder and the guys, Pearl Jam.
~ "Evenflow"
~ "Jeremy"
~ "Go"
~ "Daughter"
~ "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town"
~ "Corduroy"
~ "Hail Hail"
~ "Given To Fly"
~ "Wish List" *Song of the Week*
~ "World-Wide Suicide"
And there y'all have it--10 good tunes from Seattle's finest, Pearl Jam!
Enjoy the noise ~ next week it's all about Oasis, and the Random 20 returns in full force with this band whose music helped me survive middle school! This promises to be a lot of fun, so tune in next week for some of Manchester's finest!
Alrighty then, gang. Before I get down to the tunage of the day, please, PLEASE excuse me and allow me to admit just how much of an absolute absent-minded ID10T I've been. To put it this way, everyone remembers I did the Thursday Tradition on Toad the Wet Sprocket last week, right? Well... does anyone remember Chapter 202? Aptly titled Temperance? Scroll down a bit, then scroll back up.
...okay, back? Good.
Because, yes... I posted the Spotlight on them. TWICE. >.< Epic FAIL on my part, and major apologies on a repeat performance, fellow Citizens of the Underground. That just about goes to show y'all just how much I was really paying attention between trying to update a blog and preparing for a visit from Roboter last Friday. Go me.
Now, that said, two bands have my almost-undivided attention this week inside the Tradition. One goes by the name of Better Than Ezra, the other goes by the name of Semisonic. This week there will be NO Random 20 Countdown. Instead it's gonna be ten tunes, five from each band as far as my favorites are concerned.
And with that, let's kick things back to the 90's a bit, shall we?
Band: Better Than Ezra ~ ~ "In the Blood" *Song of the Week 1/2*
~ "Good"
~ "Rosealia"
~ "Normal Town"
~ "Desperately Wanting"
Band: Semisonic ~ ~ "Delicious"
~ "Closing Time"
~ "Singing In My Sleep"
~ "Made To Last"
~ "This Will Be My Year" *Song of the Week 2/2*
Aaannnddd, there ya go, folks! Ten quality tunes from the 90's, which probably helped make this not so bad an era. *LOL* You know, I should make May's Thursday Traditions all 90's related, sooo: next week's Thursday Tradition spotlight will be on Pearl Jam!
Yes, Pearl Jam. I *am* a fan of Pearl Jam. What?
So, this is how I'm looking at it for the next month, Thursday Tradition-wise: Thursday 7 May ~ Pearl Jam Thursday 14 May ~ Oasis Thursday 21 May ~ Radiohead Thursday 28 May ~ The Verve
Yes, Pearl Jam, and then the three bands who shaped my school years. I am definitely looking forward to Thursdays this May!! [Which, by the way, starts tomorrow. Already!] In the meantime, enjoy the tunage! I have a funny feeling this is gonna be a fun twist to the Tradition in the coming weeks ahead...
So I've decided to finally put numbers to my Thursday Traditions, starting with today, the first day of the New Year! Happy 2009 to you all, fellow Underground Citizens!! And of course, with the Thursday Tradition you know how random we like to rock things...
The Starian Union Random 20 ~ Thursday 1 January 2009 1] "Your Woman" - White Town 2] "Angel Dust" - New Order 3] "Get Innocuous!" [Soulwax Remix] - LCD Soundsystem 4] "The Perfect Love" - Hibernate 5] "Black and White Town" - The Doves 6] "Transmission" - Joy Division 7] "The Back of Love" - Echo and the Bunnymen 8] "Doctorin' the Tardis" - The Timelords [KLF] 9] "Scratch" - Contagion 10] "New York" - Micro Chip League 11] "Enjoy the Silence" - Depeche Mode 12] "Headhunter" - Front 242 13] "Mizerable" - Gackt 14] "Dominion/Mother Russia" - Sisters of Mercy 15] "Dream of You" - Schiller 16] "Kingdom" - VNV Nation 17] "Who's Your Daddy" - Benny Benassi 18] "Pioneers" - Bloc Party 19] "Sex on Fire" - Kings of Leon 20] "Synthesize and Divide" - The Synthetic Divide
And, my top tune this week--which kinda took me some time to find. I'd forgotten just how awesome the Doves were until today! "Black and White Town" - The Doves *Song of the Week [Final 2008/First 2009]*
Happy New Year to one and all! And who knows? Maybe I'll have more to say in the next handful of days or so. :-)
Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind, a year so long and dreary true, the tears for auld lang syne?
For loved ones come and go so soon that, we've somehow lacked time for memories longer spent so dear which now dwell in our minds.
So now gathering we all now to celebrate the New. Yet for some of us tears still fall for the Old we miss, once knew.
But lift thine eyes, and have a smile, and share a glimpse of cheer-- sweet hope for now and evermore, this sweet, happy New Year!
Lest we forget our guardians now whom once we held so tight, let's breathe a silent prayer for 'em now in eternal light,
And share a smile of faith, hope, love, and happiness--yours, mine, and take that cup of kindness yet for glorious auld lang syne!
May the name of the saintly be for blessing... ~ Ani's mother ~ ~ Rabbit's mother ~ ~ Choir Ducky's niece ~ ~ Connie's husband ~ ~ Corky's husband ~ ~ Hester ~ ~ Juan's dad ~ ~ Jeff's dad ~ ~ Taubin's two pet dogs Lulu and Bozo ~ ~ Ben's dog [forgot the name--sorry] ~ ~ Sissy Too's dad ~ ~ Normita's brother ~ ~ Sarah's daughter's cousin ~ ~ Paul's dad ~ ~ Andie's dad ~ ~ Tabbsy's uncle ~ ~ Shajohnna's aunt ~ ~ Elena's father ~ ~ Anne's father-in-law ~ ~ Melissa P.'s grandmother ~ ~ Bobbie's mother ~ ~ Grandma Sharon's sister in law Aunt Sue ~ ~ Indy's aunt ~
May they and all the souls of the faithful departed, by the mercy of God, rest in peace, and may light perpetual shine on them for evermore. Amen.
...and now, that done... it's time for THE Final Starian Union Random 20 for this year! Before I forget, yes I *will* be returning to the usual Random 20 format possibly tomorrow, just in time for the first Thursday Tradition of 2009! Now, as for today's Special Random 20: this is a 2008 Best-Of and will be a bit on the interesting side because, I have taken all the favorite tuneage that came out this year, put in one playlist, and set it to Random. Except, the first song that played became #20 for the year, the second one #19 for the year, and so on, until there was a proper Top 20. Sooo... y'all ready for the most interesting [and Final!] Random 20 Countdown of the year? Well, so am I, so LET'S GO!!
1] "The News" - Carbon Silicon 2] "Cath" - Death Cab For Cutie 3] "Sirens" - The Whip 4] "Boots of Chinese Plastic" - The Pretenders 5] "Lost!" - Coldplay 6] "The Shock of the Lightning" - Oasis 7] "Sex on Fire" - Kings of Leon 8] "Feel the Love" - Cut Copy 9] "Love Is Noise" - The Verve 10] "Oh My Heart" - James 11] "You Don't Know Me" - Ben Folds + Regina Spektor 12] "Shut Up And Let Me Go" - The Ting Tings 13] "A-Punk" - Vampire Weekend 14] "Synthesize and Divide" - The Synthetic Divide 15] "Happiness" - Goldfrapp 16] "Terminal Boredom" - The Cute Lepers 17] "That's How People Grow Up" - Morrissey 18] "3 Sevens Clash" - Alarm 19] "The Perfect Love" - Hibernate 20] "The Only One" - The Cure
And some proper tunes in particular, for the boyfriend especially, but definitely for all of you to enjoy: "My People" - The Presets
"Talk Like That" [Miami Horror Remix] - The Presets *Remix of the Week [Last 2008/First 2009]*
"Feel The Love" - Cut Copy
"This Boy's In Love" - The Presets
"Happiness" - Goldfrapp
"The Perfect Love" - Hibernate
"Synthesize and Divide" [DJ mix] - The Synthetic Divide
And that'll do it for the final Underground Blogpost for 2008! It's been a madcap helluva year for all of us, between the slumping economy, Mr. Obama's historic election to the Presidency, 20 deaths [and 5 funerals!], the Episcopal Church's chaotic split, and my Quarter-Centurian Birthday. And of course, all the proper makings of a quarter-life crisis. But, all in all, it's been a whimsical year for all of us. So...
Here's to all of us, to 2009! May it be better for all of us, wherever in the world we may be!
Happy New Year 2009, to you and yours, with lots of love from the Trans-Underground Express!
Welcome to the special pre-Christmas edition of the Thursday Tradition. It is approximately ONE BLOODY WEEK until Christmas day, and what way to rock the house than with a quirky celebration filled with a whimsically proper assortment of tunage? I have kinda postponed the Random 20 because, with so much going on, it's a bit insane. But anywho...
Yes, it's time to deck--erm, rock the halls...
"Winter Wonderland" - The Cocteau Twins
"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" - The Pretenders
*Song of the Week!!* "Christmas Wrapping" - The Waitresses
"Christmastime Is Here" [instrumental version] - The Vince Guaraldi Trio
"Frosty The Snowman" - The Cocteau Twins
AND, a little bonus showdown--the original versus the cover! Both are awesome and, quite frankly I'm going for the cover as I heard this before the original. But, hey! I want your opinion about which version's better. Sooo...
The Original: "Oi! to the World" - The Vandals
The Cover: "Oi! to the World" - No Doubt
And there y'all have it, enjoy the tunage and, until the next round... be good... Santa's on the list-checkin' these days...
I think I had too much fun on Friday to even realise what needed to be done [by that I mean this blog--sorry I didn't get on her sooner]; Friday night's concert with the Stetson University Symphony Orchestra was just magnificent. Yesterday's picture-taking drama was a bit crazy [kinda hard to explain] but, it went alright. Not exactly the picture I'd want to send to my out-of-town family and friends but, I'm sure I'll think of something for my holiday pic for this year.
Happy Christ the King Sunday to the Christian Church, the final Sunday of the Church Year. Onward to Advent and, God willing, better things to come.
And on that note... well... I regret to inform the Underground that Aunt Sue did pass away. I spoke with Grandma Sharon yesterday and she'd reported to me that Aunt Sue had died on Friday. Grandma will be leaving tomorrow for Indiana for the funeral; tonight meanwhile will be Thanksgiving dinner at her place.
Another death to note--one of my friends and fellow Choir Altos, Bobbie [she gave me a book with positive thoughts to read; i may need to find that book again], her mother Virginia passed away Thursday at the ripe age of 100 years and 2 days old.
The only song I can think of now for the tears is this one. And it's also how I'm going to close this post until the next round. Words are of no use to me at the moment. "Street Spirit [Fade Out]" - Radiohead
...or, welcome to the special Sisters of Mercy edition of the Thursday Tradition, Underground Citizens. Okay okay, so the title of this week's Thursday Tradition isn't the best or most original but, I've been trying to put this blogpost together for at least a freckin' hour now. And I'll admit, it's not an easy task when I don't have a whole lot of SoM in possession. But currently I have the album First and Last and Always, and a few more of their songs, and if this doesn't delve me further into the gothic side of me then I don't know what band will! [Er, other than the Division, the Cure, the Banshees...]
To start off, a song that I gave some quaint showing-off time a couple of days ago... "Flood II" [from Floodland, 1987]
All I can say is, this song is the ish... "Body and Soul" [from the EP Body and Soul, 1984]
If you can handle all bloody 10 minutes of this, crank this grand goth anthem up full blast, Citizens... "This Corrosion" [from Floodland, 1987]
Now while I'm not entirely fond of this song, hey, it's not that bad. [That's what happens when you try to share a bit of everything in this...] "Alice" [from the EP Alice, 1983]
Another reason why I love that first album by the SoM. "Possession" [from First and Last and Always, 1985]
Taking another '87 tune, I don't understand how this tune didn't get much playing time. It's a very good song, honest... "Lucretia My Reflection" [from Floodland, 1987]
Another early something... "On The Wire" [from the Walk Away 12", 1984]
Something about this song. Can't put my finger on it. "Nine While Nine" [from First and Last and Always, 1985]
Kicking up the adrenaline... just a tiny little bit... "Dominion/Mother Russia" [from Floodland, 1987]
I don't remember what year the original came out, but I definitely like this version better than the original. In any case, the track is class. "Temple of Love" [1992 remake] [from the compilation Some Girls Wander By Mistake]
For me, I'm sorry, but it's NOT a Sisters of Mercy StarMix without this track. Second only to this week's Song of the Week, it's my favorite SoM tune. It was the tune that introduced me to 'em. I'd heard it so many times while at Indie Bar, but never knew who did that or what the song was. I fcuking love this song. "More" [from Vision Thing, 1990]
Song of the Week ~ This song's been replaying in my head since Sunday. I now have the album First, Last and Always and, while much of the album if not all is quite the gothique, I haven't really stopped listening to this track... "Marian" [from First and Last and Always, 1985]
...and there you have it! Yup, between all the hunting and typing and listening to the SoM and catching up... gosh... when did I start putting this together? It's almost 20 after 8 P.M. right now SO... 5:33 P.M.!?
So yes, I spent almost 3 hours on this week's Thursday Tradition. Hopefully it serves the Sisters proud. Or something. I think Roboter will be most humored.
Welcome to the post-Election-Day version of the Thursday Tradition! For one, let me just say, quaintly, that Tuesday was nothing short of fantastic! I voted after work and then, after stopping by the Obama HQ in town, accompanied Kit to the polls. But not before having a pic with an Obama look-alike!
The collage of Election Day [also known as my Facebook pic. lol!] *clicky thumbnail!!*
And on that note, yes, I do believe that it's right about time for our regularly-scheduled whim of the week...
The Starian Union Radio Random 20 for today, Thursday 6 November 2008 1] "Finish Line" - Michael 2] "Thunderstruck" - AC/DC 3] "You Don't Know Me" - Ben Folds featuring Regina Spektor 4] "White Riot" - The Clash 5] "Sub-Culture" - New Order 6] "Little Thoughts" - Bloc Party 7] "Always On The Run" - Lenny Kravitz 8] "She's Lost Control" - Joy Division 9] "Another Morning Stoner" - Trail of Dead 10] "Lost In The Supermarket" - The Clash 11] "$20" - M.I.A. 12] "Setting Sun" - The Chemical Brothers 13] "Who's Your Daddy?" - Benny Benassi 14] "Halo" - Depeche Mode 15] "Every Day Is Halloween" - Ministry 16] "Streets of Philadelphia" - Bruce Springsteen 17] "The Back of Love" - Echo and the Bunnymen 18] "I Want You" - Marvin Gaye 19] "Hip Hop Be Bop" [12" version] - Man Parrish 20] "The Damned Don't Cry" - Visage
*Song of the Week* ~ When I heard this tune earlier this morning I went, OH HELL YEAH!! This is my all-time favorite song by him and, while I'm not quite the biggest fan of his he does have some very good stuff. And this is one of 'em. And it's also a Song of the Week, from the Indie Intelligence files. "Always On The Run" - Lenny Kravitz
From the Old-School Alternation for the Song of the Week, I heard this tune at work today and sang along to it. It felt very good to hear a song like this at work. Because believe me, that does NOT happen very often, or even at all. Almost as rare as hearing the full 10-minute "Disco Inferno" or [even more rare] "Do You Wanna Dance?" by the Ramones...
I think you get the idea... "[Don't You] Forget About Me" - Simple Minds
And speaking of... hee hee... "Disco Inferno" [the full 10-minute version!] - The Trammps
Don't worry--next week it'll get even more random, just y'all watch!!
This week was alright... up until yesterday afternoon, when basically all hell kinda broke loose, so your music post will be up... NOW.
The Starian Union Radio Random 20 for yesterday, Thursday 25 September 2008 Theme ~ Indie Intelligence [Through the Years] 1] "Finish Line" - Michael [2002] 2] "Lost In The Supermarket" - The Clash [1979] 3] "Hang Me Up To Dry" - Cold War Kids [2007] 4] "Radiation Vibe" - Fountains of Wayne [1996] 5] "Fans" - Kings of Leon [2007] 6] "Shut Up And Let Me Go" - The Ting Tings [2008] 7] "Mayor Of Simpleton" - XTC [1989] 8] "Down The Line" - Jose Gonzalez [2007] 9] "Handle With Care" - Jenny Lewis + Watson Twins [2006] 10] "Your Woman" - White Town [1997] 11] "Young Folks" - Peter Bjorn + John [2006] 12] "Don't You Evah" - Spoon [2007] 13] "I Feel It All" [Britt from Spoon Remix] - Feist [2007] 14] "Monster Hospital" - Metric [2005] 15] "Like Eating Glass" - Bloc Party [2005] 16] "A-Punk" - Vampire Weekend [2008] 17] "Australia" [Peter Bjorn + John Remix] - The Shins [2007] 18] "No One's Gonna Love You" - Band of Horses [2007] 19] "Procession" - New Order [1981] 20] "Simple Economics" - Pedro The Lion [2000]
Song of the Day ~ I'd been searching like mad for literally MONTHS for this song. I'd only heard it, er, twice? All I remembered was the "When you're nothing but a boyfriend" line from the chorus. Found it today and I'm so freckin' thrilled! So much so that, it's become my Song of the Day! "Simple Economics" - Pedro the Lion
Song of the Week ~ From the compilation The Emo Diaries - Chapter Nine: Sad Songs Remind Me [which I'd found earlier this week and am listening to like mad all over again], the one song I'd heard on the radio a couple of years ago. Literally. It stuck in my head since. And I just rediscovered this gem--not only is it on the Indie Intelligence StarMix for the Random 20, it's also my Song of the Week. "Finish Line" - Michael
Album of the Week ~ Another gem from the great indie compilation is the 8th track, which I'm utilising as the spotlight on the Album of the Week, which is the aforementioned Emo Diaries 9. A great tune to bop my head along to. "When The Light Becomes Green" - Settlefish
Remix of the Week ~ Another rediscovery is this tune I heard this morning, which I actually hadn't heard in a while. The original, found on the album The Reminder, has been a favorite of mine for a while. Feist does an amazing job with the brilliant acoustic guitar of hers, and the album has her playing the piano too, I think! But there's something about a remix that makes me drift along and hum along and, this does that for me. Britt from Spoon did some proper remixing, and considering I haven't heard it in weeks it sounds pretty new to me. And I love it! It's the Remix of the Week. "I Feel It All" [Britt from Spoon Remix] - Feist
I know I've mentioned Jose Gonzalez before but I am in love with the album In Our Nature which features the song I'd first heard of him by. "Down The Line" - Jose Gonzalez
I remember I first saw the video for this song. I got the nerves scared stupid out of me. I prefer the song!! "Monster Hospital" - Metric
And finally, for some old-school--NO I'm not posting the Clash this time!!--the song I chose is a long-time favorite of mine. This was when the band was still trying to figure out just what the heck they were doing with their music. The year at the time was 1981, a year after their former lead singer Ian Curtis committed suicide. This track is, in my opinion, one of their finest moments in their musical career. "Procession" - New Order
Meanwhile, this week was nothing short of chaotic. National People Week at work. Dubbed McDonald's Crew Appreciation Week, which is basically what it is. Many pictures were taken, which, when I get more energy and time, I will gladly post on here. But yesterday was just too damn trying, and today wasn't really any better. Store Manager Joel knows I'm worse for wear right now, and probably thankful I'm off for the weekend. Except, all I know is that, next week's schedule isn't posted yet, and I'm basically in on Monday A.M. according to Joel. Which means that chances are I'll be off next Saturday, for my Quarter-Century. Which that itself means, I'll be absofreckin'lutely BORED.
Parents will be busy with kid siblings' games. Friends and coworkers busy with work and/or out of town. Boyfriend at a convention. Best friend still in DC. Hometown best friends at work.
And basically, that means I'll be celebrating both before AND after, but not on the day of. And that's really, REALLY going to suck.
I think I shall make myself a copy of this StarMix for the day for myself, an early Birthday present if you will, which I'll gladly listen to on my Birthday. All by my Goddarn lonesome.
To be honest, I was going to wait another week or so before this particular post, but as of lately, let's be honest here:
my heart hasn't felt this sound in nearly ages.
I'm slowly approaching the quarter-century [less than two weeks to go!] and, for all I care, I can't get the words out right. Not when I realize that, there's been someone there for me all this time--11 months and 3 days since he and I met to be exact!! And that, all the while that I'd faced the likes of Cupid being rather stupid... that chances are that we never really stopped thinking about each other...
...isn't that right, Roboter?
So yes, I've had my share of tears--I'd been a girlfriend and all the while been dumped. Time and time again. In the end of things I ended up the friend. And of all my ex-boyfriends, only two are among my best friends in the entire universe-- ~ Pouncer [yes, my best buddy, we dated, got serious, broke up... and realised that we were better as the best of friends after all, and still are to this day!] ~ Hikari [who every once in a while takes me out to lunch so we can catch up on life's drama in our respective corners of the world].
And in the midst of my tears I kept thinking, hoping that there was someone out in this world for me. And I realised some weeks ago that, there really is someone out there for me.
1,200 miles out there for me, to be exact!
For those of you who cheered, It's Roboter, Captain!!, give yourself a cookie and tell 'em I said it was okay. Hell, have two! Or gosh! why not just share the whole damn cookie jar!? I'm in love! I'M IN LOVE FOR GOODNESS' SAKE!!
Because, no one else I know of could ever make me feel like life's worth holding on when the worst of it brings me to tears, when death crosses my path again and again. When work is unbearable on either end and all we can do is lift each other up somehow. When life's dilemmas cause headaches enough for the both of us.
Sunday 19 October will be the 1-year anniversary since--thank you Facebook!!--Roboter and I became friends. Over, of course, this group right here... "Nummern/Computerwelt 2" - Kraftwerk
And between talking Ralf und Florian, Trans-Europa and the recent touring drama [*sigh* STILL no Florian...], after 11 months it's safe to say that, with constant communication a long-distance relationship CAN flourish!! And between the both of us, it's blossoming quite nicely.
Because after Siren broke up with me, mainly over the pointlessness of putting up with long distance [he was in Iowa when that happened... in June... uh-huh], I once thought we could've worked things out when he returned; that never happened because of the implications [full-time student + full-time worker + long-distance between deland and merritt island *WHICH ISN'T EVEN MUCH!!* = next-to-no time for me = siren ~ that's my equation and i'm sticking to it!]. And yet now he's with someone new. But you know... he doesn't matter to me anymore. Not when I realise that, I've proven him wrong over long-distance relationships. And I'm even happier NOW than when I was dating him!! When Siren broke up with me, Roboter was the first to know, and all the while as things were going from bad to worse, he [Roboter] was there for me through the better and not-so-great of times. And we're still holding each other's hand somehow through all of this.
Siren, if you only knew just how much I learned from you so much--that I probably didn't mean as much to you as I thought I meant. That you'd unexpectedly, unnecessarily disregard me as your internship progressed. That you'd break up with me when I didn't need to go through that untimely mess. That you'd ultimately break my heart, over a stupid triviality. Well... yes, you moved on. And thank the Lord above, sohaveI. And happily, because you made me not give up over someone who, I've realised, has been on my side all along, more than you'll ever be for me. He and I have made the effort--more than you'd expect. Just thought I'd send you a little anti-love song your way... "Forget I Ever Knew You" - Clay Aiken
*WHEW!!* Alright, that done, trying to type and talk with my sweetheart is no easy matter right now but, considering it was crazy enough we were on the phone for, er, 8 hours and 15 minutes NONSTOP yesterday... yeah. We had quite a conversation over an assortment of topics, as usual. But it lasted from the time I got home from Church to the time I went to bed at around 10. And it was all the more fun; there seems to be more to talk about now than back in December, though back then we had developed some sort of crush on each other. But now we've intergrated each other into each other's little respective corners of the world, between taking pics of our workstations to texting in the middle of work out of the blue to--my favorite--sharing pictures of our neighborhoods.
I kinda told him last night that, the day we finally meet [and we're praying that God willing it's SOON!!] things are going to be off the wall!! And the way we go about our lives, the way we are with each other, to me it's as if almost anything is possible. 1,200 miles may separate us but, love is the shortest distance between both our hearts. And between us our hearts are as close as it's gonna get!
So yes, I think it is time to say with honest conviction that, I love Roboter and I cannot lie!! Yes, I know, I'm crazy, but so is he and it takes one crazy soul to know one. If only you heard what craziness of the humorous sort occurs in any conversation we have...!
I think this calls for a StarMix for the two of us, which the rest of you Underground Citizens can sing along to and join in the cheer. What say y'all, fancy a sing-along? Or even better, fancy a jelly baby?
Thursdays Roboter goes about his post-work time taking on grocery shopping. I usually listen to this tune on his behalf. I think he likes the song...? "Lost In The Supermarket" - The Clash
And because he absofreckin'lutely LOVES THIS SONG!! "Satisfaction" - Benny Benassi
From our good friend Louise, whom I need to find a proper codename for, by the way; I'm sure we'll probably listen to this on our first date. *sigh* "Neon Lights/Neonlicht" - Kraftwerk
We've had our share of mishaps and ill-temperament at work, we had our minor quarter-life crises, and we're still hangin' on in there for dear life. I'm sending this one out to him 'cause, even though this may be an alt-country cover of a really good song, the lyrics still mean enough. "Handle With Care" - Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins
...oh and, hey Roboter! Everyone! how 'bout a sing-along?? "I'm Gonna Be [500 Miles]" - The Proclaimers
Besides this being my Song of the Week, this is by far my favorite love song. No, seriously. And we all thought being weird was enough on my end. But hell, I've got my own standards for love songs!! "Mayor Of Simpleton" - XTC
And speaking of, to close out this playlist, more Kraftwerk! Hey, it was what we had in common in the first place, so why not? "Computer Love" - Kraftwerk
I can say without thinking twice that, long distance be damned, I'm in love, and I'm loved, and I know it...
One of my favorite shows is Doctor Who. Duh. Everyone kinda knows that bit. Especially Roboter, and those who know who my two favorite Companions are.
Those who don't know, they're Sarah-Jane and Romana II.
For a nutty Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, he's so the brill. The Doctor is just... well... the awesomeness. He travels in a time machine of sorts, aptly disguised as a 1950's blue police call box, codenamed the TARDIS--Time and Relative Dimensions in Space.
He rights wrongs, battles enemies, gains good friends here and there. When mortally wounded he regenerates--he can regenerate up to 12 times, for a total of 13 lives... which is also a proper reason why there've been many actors portraying the Doctor since it first aired on the BBC in 1963. His most formidable foes include the Master, the Cybermen, and the Daleks...
So far the Doctor's regenerated 9 times, a total of 10 Doctors so far, and hence 10 actors portraying him ~ The First Doctor - William Hartnell The Second Doctor - Patrick Troughton The Third Doctor - Jon Pertwee The Fourth Doctor - Tom Baker The Firth Doctor - Peter Davidson The Sixth Doctor - Colin Baker The Seventh Doctor - Sylvester McCoy The Eighth Doctor - Paul McGann The Ninth Doctor - Christopher Eccleston The Tenth Doctor - David Tennant
To celebrate this madcap British series--45 years strong and growing!--here's a StarMix of the classic theme song to the series. In many of its [semi-]unique forms.
The classic, much-loved theme--thank you Delia Derbyshire! ~
The slightly-reamp'd opening... Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker's theme ~
Tom Baker's second--and Peter Davidson's--theme [which I'm starting to love even more the more I listen to it] ~
Colin Baker's theme [which is enough for me to go, wtf!? --no, seriously] ~
1996... yes, the tv movie version... Paul McGann's theme [which, I'll be honest--I didn't really like it much] ~
From 2004, "One day, I shall come back" ~
From 2006, David Tennant's theme ~
And for the grand finale to this Time Punk's StarMix du jour just before the great Music Post [it's Thursday, and the rule for Thursday still applies in the codename series], my song of the day--this one's for Roboter, who--if I'm not mistaken--is a fan of electro. Well, sweetie, crank this tune up a good handful of notches. This goes for those of us who <3 Orbital too! Because... yes... you guessed it... Theme - Doctor Who ~ Orbital
And on THAT note, I think it's time for the Thursday Tradition!!
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Underground, is it wrong to be oh-so-freckin'-wierd?
I prefer to be the wacky, cute and quirky individual that God made me to be, instead of so-called normal that everyone and their socialist cousin too asks of me. These days I've been asking myself, What do I love about this inconstant person called me? Well, it's the quirky things about me, so let me admit to myself [and you Underground Citizens] that...
~ I love--LOVE--listening to the soundtracks from the anime Sailor Moon. I never get tired of it. Seriously. Fan for 12 years, and for ever! ~ What's wrong with being the madcap StarKnight Captain and giving my friends odd nicknames/codenames? ~ I think the nickname Sunshine kinda suits me proper, don't you? ~ I do NOT tolerate arrogance, and I try myself not to show arrogance. Practicing what I preach, preaching by practicing, is the way it should be done. And many a guy has no chance with me because of their arrogance. 'Nuff said. ~ I wear black. Long-sleeves. In summertime. What!? ~ I like my punk with some Bach. Ah, the pride of being a Chorister! ~ Doctor WHO: Coolest. Show. Ever. ~ Tom Baker: Best. Doctor. Ever. ~ I'm all gush-silly over someone who lives in New York. And I love him! ~ My favorite colors are, in the order I started liking them [you read proper!]: blue, black, silver, purple, red and yellow. I just recently started liking pink. YES! Pink!! ~ I had a crush on Billy the Blue Ranger as a kid. And then Adam the Black Ranger. Never really understood why the other girls went after Tommy the White Ranger--HANDS OFF!! he belongs to Kimberly the Pink Ranger, don't you know? And I still think Jason the Red Ranger and Trini the Yellow Ranger made a cute couple. Yeah, I know. I'm a dork. But the old-school Power Rangers are just fcuking awesome!! ~ I like eating cinnamon bread and chocolate syrup sandwiches. YUM! ~ Favorite comfort food: grilled cheese and soup. Especially if Mom's making the grilled-cheese and the soup is chicken noodle or tomato. ~ My music range is [old-school] punk and alternative, new wave, indie, and electronic. Oh, and some classical stuff, especailly if it's choral work with the help of an organ. Or if it's on an organ or harpsichord altogether. Or if Dr. Rickman's on the piano. ~ Anyone remember The Adventures of Pete and Pete on Nickelodeon when we oldies were kiddies? I had a crush on Big Pete. He's better off with Ellen though. And Little Pete and Nona made a cute couple too! ~ I'm terrified of dragonflies but LOVE butterflies! [what?] ~ I have a short temper. Do NOT mess with me. We Hispanic folk have eeeeeeeevil tempers, no? ~ I'm scared of death. Seriously. I'm afraid of it. And when it happens to someone I know the fear goes 10X worse. ~ And did I mention, I'm a self-proclaimed butterball punk of my choir, and damn proud of!?
And to add to being the quirky oddity that I'm proud to be, thank you, Delia Derbyshire, for this classic Doctor WHO treat, which is my Song of the Day: "Chromophone Band" - Delia Derbyshire
Adding to the oddness some more--a song that, mind you, the lead singer of this group is a GUY. Y'all been sorta warned. No, it's safe for work, really. Just... well... yeah. *shrug* "Your Woman" - White Town
Alrighty, I think that takes care of the codename for now, I owe two tomorrow [one for yesterday]. Sunday doesn't count, as I was off one day on my countdown. *lol*
So, the countdown to my birthday is, T minus three weeks from...
tomorrow!? Oh man... where's my PANIC button?
And so, with that in mind, the Chapterness will be on a minor, three-week hiatus so I can really start to reflect on a quarter-century that's developed within me. In this case, I'm recalling to my memory and your know-how 21 minor tidbits about me; they're classified as codenames. And the first in the codename series, TECHNO, blinks towards the side of me that indulges in electronic music. Big time. And that love is rightly--and mutually--shared with one particular person, to whom this post is especially for.
What better way to celebrate the weekend than a post-'em-up-on-the-blog StarMix? It's been a long week--it's time to freckin' CELEBRATE!!
Kicking off the codename series, and this crazy StarMix of my fave techno from both past and recent, is a song that, I swear, Roboter fcuking loves. In fact, not only did he drive me halfway up the wall to where I decided to play the song for him on my darn 'Pod, but this song's been stuck in my head ALL BLOODY DAY LONG!! Thanks a bunches, hunny... :-P Hey, it's all good. "Satisfaction" - Benny Benassi
And while I'm thinking ahead on the industrial tidbit, how 'bout some Combichrist? Now mind you, a couple of years ago before the car died, I would go to Indie Bar twice a week--Saturdays for 80's night, Wednesdays [now Thursdays apparently] for Goth/Industrial night. And this was one of the staples. "This Shit Will Fcuk You Up" - Combichrist
Note--this will NOT be an all-male music post. Welcome aboard, Client!! "Drive" - Client
And now, from Germany with love... And One!! Saw 'em last year April when they opened for VNV Nation. Fcukin' awesome set. This track was one of 'em. "Military Fashion Show" - And One
How 'bout us some old-school industrial? Thank you, Front 242!! "Headhunter" - Front 242
Currently I've got this song on repeat. This is actually my favorite of Benny Benassi's stuff. Roboter's probably gonna be like, OMGWTF...!? "Who's Your Daddy?" - Benny Benassi
Anybody remember this track? --hey, I had a crush on Richard Patrick from Filter at the time this song came out. What!? The tune itself is ace; Richard's just proper eye-candy on the video!! "Trip Like I Do" - The Crystal Method [feat. Richard Patrick]
And... well, since I'm nice and I'm just as big a fan of this song, why the heck not? "Busy Child" - The Crystal Method
Some more Combichrist. Roboter's probably rolling his eyes. Or not. But anywho, this is my favorite Combichrist track. I just... I just bloody love this song. "This Is My Rifle" - Combichrist
Back to some girl-power. More Client!! "I've got my red dress on..." ...yeah, needless to say I have two red dresses, thanks to this song. What? "Lights Go Out" - Client
And while I'm still in a femme-fatales-of-techno, I think the lovely Goldfrapp deserves to be in this StarMix as well. Though my fave track from her is "Ohh La La", I do like this song very much as well... "Slide In" - Goldfrapp
Jumping back a couple of years... okay, maybe about a decade or so... some Chemical Brothers, anyone? Yeah, I know, you remember this one... "Block Rockin' Beats" - The Chemical Brothers
And, going further back, some more Front 242; it's an alright tune but I still consider "Headhunter" as my fave from the Front... "Welcome To Paradise" - Front 242
How about a remix of a good New Order track? I'll have to defo remember to post the original on another codename post in the near future. "Everything's Gone Green" [Martin Buttrich Remix] - New Order
This *ALMOST* trips into some sense of electro. Hell, I'll post it anyway. She's got some good stuff anyway, in my opinion. So hey, why not? Now while she leans more towards the pop/hip hop/r+b genre, this track doesn't really fit in that. And, like I said, it's almost electro. My opinion, but you can judge for yourself. "Kremlin Dusk" - Utada
--oh shoot, I almost forgot Trent. Reznor, that is. "The Perfect Drug" - Nine Inch Nails
Back to Germany for some more And One. And... hey Roboter!! this tune's in German!! "Panzermensch" - And One
Speaking of Germany, how about the band that started it all for electronica? Showing love from the Underground to our beloved Mensch-Maschinen--I would use "Metropolis" but as I'm in a damn good mood...! "Nummern/Computerwelt 2" - Kraftwerk
One last tune and... unfortunately... I do NOT remember the name of the song nor who does it sooo... yeah. It'll be in the unknown territory, but I still love this song. As it was the third track on an industrial mix I had that I still listen to, I'm codenaming this as Track 3. I can't believe I forgot this... damn the fact that I lost the stupid tracklist for that StarMix... Track 3
*whew!!* Alright!! The weekend has officially begun, and so has the codename series too! It'll be an interesting self-analysis upon my quarter-century; I can only hope I don't judge myself all too harshly...
Oh for the love of... it's the weekend. Why am I moping? Time to crank the tunage up!! Happy Weekend in the Underground!!
Mondays start the new workweek. Wednesdays tend to differ, depending on if I need to work or not--usually I'm off, and usually visiting "Uncle" Joseph. Thursdays is the Daughters of the King meeting night. Fridays and Saturdays are normally hectic--never the same drama twice. Sundays = Church day. I update the blog accordingly, with a rant or two, the occasional music post, and sometimes the most random nonsuch.
So stay tuned, because things are fixing to get interesting... and, save your forks--the best is yet to come...
