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.

Exhaustion

So, my mother-in-law passed away on Monday, so it's been kinda bizarre. I did my semi-hibernation, but figure it's time to come back up for air, so here I am. Although Jimmy and I have been married over a decade now, I only met his mother a handful of times due to her living in Florida. It's a bit strange to mourn someone you mainly knew long distance. Overall, not the best of weeks...

It also brings up all sorts of unwanted memories of my own father's death, so I really wasn't prepared for that. I guess it's kind of selfish of me to feel that way, but I'm dealing with it. It's just tiring and I'm sick of being surrounded by death.

Anyway, it's time for me to de-stress by killing stuff on World of Warcraft. Ironic, isn't it? (well... that and kind of geeky, but I'm sure that's not a surprise to anyone...)

One year later...

So, today it has officially been one year since my dad died. The past two years have been the most difficult years of my life, first with Dad's cancer and his slow decline, then with the year after going through so many milestones... The first post-dad Christmas, birthday, Father's Day, etc... And it sucked. It really, really sucked. Words cannot express it.

Which is why I was so surprised to find myself waking up this morning actually feeling pretty good. I'm not sure why I feel good, but it was a pleasant surprise. Maybe it's because I made it through all those first milestones already and this was the last one. Either way, I'll just take the gift for what it is. I still miss my dad and still often feel angry that he's gone, but I guess that's just how it is. Either way, I'll toast to his memory.

An open letter to the guy who keeps sending me right wing spam

First of all, if you're going to send me a chain letter, at least check it out on Snopes.com to make sure it's true. I know it's really hard to do and those ten seconds could be better spent sending another e-mail, but try it. Just so you know...

• President Obama is not a muslim. Nor is he the antichrist. Though if he was muslim, why is that such a big deal? Seriously...


• He does however, wear mom jeans.

So if you want to mock him for this, have at it. He does look pretty silly. Maybe he can hire Sara Palin's fashion consultant for all those clothes she had to return after the election.

By the way, he really is an American citizen. There was no grand conspiracy. Please don't send me an April Fools joke that you weren't sharp enough to pick up on...

• The ACLU is not trying to take away the military's right to prayer and they aren't planning to. Believe me, I know. I was in the Army and remember all too well reading the entire New Testament in basic training because the only things we were allowed to read were our handbooks and religious material. Of course, the minute we were allowed to read civilian material again, I was all over that...
• Gay marriage is not going to destroy your marriage. I certainly haven't started contemplating divorce just because two guys want to get married. And if you truly think that gay marriage is a real threat, maybe the real problem is that your marriage isn't that strong enough to begin with...
• Iraq wasn't involved in 9/11. In fact, most of the people involved were from Saudi Arabia. In case you weren't aware, Iraq and Saudi Arabia are completely different countries.
• George Carlin did not write the Bad American piece you keep attributing to him. Please stop. I'm sure he would've appreciated that.
• The President is also not a socialist... or a marxist. In the words of Inigo Montoya, "I do not think that word means what you think it means."
• If you actually think a mass e-mail is going to change my political stance, it's not going to work. If anything, it's probably just going to annoy me.

Bargain Bookshelf Time

I just can't decide which cover is more awesome...