In praise of the mixtape

So, recently I was listening to Pandora and an old song popped up on the radio that I hadn't heard in years. I probably wouldn't have recognized if it hadn't been a mixtape that a friend made for me well over a decade ago. Good lord I'm old... (And in case you were wondering, it was March of the Pigs by Nine Inch Nails.)

Anyway, this got me thinking about how this specific mixtape was filled with songs I didn't know, but really ended up opening me up to new music I probably wouldn't have discovered on my own... Which led me to thinking about mixtapes in general. Anyway, I really miss mixtapes. Thanks to the wonders of technology, the mixtape has been made obselete and that's sad. Sure, you can make a playlist for your MP3 player or burn a CD, but a mixtape is a labor of love.

Whenever I made a tape, I spent hours agonizing over it. The tape had to have a theme to start with, no matter how obscure. Then the songs had to relate to the person who'd be receiving the tape, what you already know they liked, what you think they should like, etc. The songs had to flow with each other and be a good mix of fast and slow, so you don't end up in a lull. Then it took even more planning to make sure you so you don't up with blank space and technical problems or annoying thuds when you switch between songs. So yeah, that was a lot of work. But I really enjoyed the process and the time I put into it.

And yes, I recognize that this same point was probably better expressed by John Cusack in High Fidelity, but it sure is true.

Tops never stops...

Misspelling signs.

The more things change, the more they stay the same

So I was slightly disappointed that Tops bought out the local P&C because I figured that would be the end to my catalogue of misspelled signs. I'm glad to see that my fears were unfounded...

Make my brain stop hurting...

I really do try not to get involved in political topics so I don't get myself in trouble... I really do. And I especially try to avoid anything Sarah Palin related because she's basically the political equivalent of Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt.

But then I caught a post on reddit that mentioned that she told her supporters to stop people in their cars with Obama bumper stickers and ask them how that "hopey changey" thing is going for them. My first thought was that it just had to be a hoax. I mean really, why would anyone ask their supporters to do something so mind numbingly boneheaded? Then I checked it out. And it's true...
Palin inciting future road rage incidents...

Anyway, I'm going to ask some very serious questions right now. WHY? Why do people respect Sarah Palin's opinion? What is her appeal? I listen to her and I can't get past all the statements that make ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE or are just outright meanspirited and blatant attempts to troll for angry responses. And yeah, maybe I'm just adding fuel to the fire by feeding the trolls but I am genuinely confused why anyone would truly respect her. She has proven time and again that she has no idea what she is talking about. She has proven time and again that she will say practically ANYTHING to get more press. Why do people continue to support her? Seriously. Help me understand this cause I just don't get it...

Easter's on it's way...

It's been a while since I've posted any P&C signs... Sadly not because there hasn't been any (because there sure have been), but more out of my own laziness. Anyway, it's probably about time... Enjoy.

Every episode of House, as told by Jaime

1- The people get a patient.
2 - They think the patient is getting better.
3 - Boom! The patient almost dies.
4 - They either kill the patient or the patient is saved.