The Last Candle

Returning to the grind after another fine weekend, during the day sometime I’ll hear at least one variation of the following popular workplace phrase: “Monday! Argh!” (or, a couple days later, “Friday: WHERE ARE YOU?”). I mean, my work is no battle arena of death, but weekends are — y’know, kind of nice. Monday takes that away. <p/> However, I think there’s at least one day of the week that’s more of a pain than Monday; I like to call it “Tuesday.” <p/> On a typical Monday, going to work is not quite the greatest thing in the world (unless it’s a holiday! Hooray!), but there’s still at least little glow left over from the previous evening and two days. By Tuesday, as much doubt that was cast on Monday’s appearance, any weekend luminescence has been replaced with a big pile of tasks being accomplished by a brain with three (and possibly four) nights of poor sleep catching up. <p/> Anyway, now that the big introduction is done, permit me to get to the real meat of this sandwich: complaining about stuff that happened on Tuesday

• Driving in Ann Arbor: I have six days to get the van’s title in registration in my name before I’m cruising sans assurance auto. Alright — just need to head over to the police station embedded in the middle of town to get something checked out. Not quite like a ride in the country, since Ann Arbor is home to quite a few hippies and school folk who sometimes leap out in front of moving vehicles in the name of arrogance, politics, and the scientific method. Additionally, when you’re trying to not run over hippies and school folk, the discerning driver has to watch out for the relentless alternating one-way streets. <p/> Ann Arbor roads aren’t a hassle if a person just needs to get across Ann Arbor, but when you’re trying to reach a particular destination (on the Northern side especially), pathfinding can easily involve revolving around a block or two just to figure out how the heck to get on the right damn street. And then, when you get there…
• Parking meters at the police station/city hall: Having meters in a lot for a civil service building is fairly insulting. I mean, this is Ann Arbor: city tax is no nickle-and-dime affair here — and yet city government still wants to make another fifty bucks a day from people parking in front of their building, a building the supplies unique and essential services to the city. [Cops eating donuts joke]. <p/> At least the meters took nickels — let’s see how my four minutes were used…
• Places that don’t take credit or checks: What the hell is this? Seriously: last week, I was informed by Paul that McDonald’s takes credit cards now, but at the police station — again, unique and essential services to the city — cash only, no have smart machines here, thank you. Grr — fine. Ahh, the kind officer behind the desk directs me to the ATM just outside the door! Let me just draw a few dollars and then-
• Police stations that don’t split “large” bills — like $20: Yes, we’re into crazy-ridiculous by now. $20 was the lowest denomination in the machine, too. A most clever ploy — somehow, somewhere. Also: a homicide waiting to happen.
• Good ideas that good sour: By this point, I’ve wasted a good half-hour of the night simply trying to get close to getting the car checked out to no avail, and my thoughts are turning to disaster recovery: what would be a quick fix to perk the night up a bit, just until I get home where I can cry and slash at the walls with a big knife? Perhaps Zingerman’s Deli and snackhouse a couple blocks away, home to fine treats and helpful cashiers! Indeed! <p/> See above: Driving in Ann Arbor, with the one-way streets and city block revolutions and stuff. See also: Kerrytown parking – none.

So that was Tuesday. Tuesday night has been, thankfully, much better: a good meal and something new and fantastic to watch can go a long way — but still not long enough to last through Wednesday.

A fine addition to the classic “the world is filled with stupid people”:

The world is filled with stupid people, and the Internet is filled with stupid people who think they�re smart.

Courtesy of Jeff Harrell. <p/> A little snarky, yes, but if you read much politics on the Internet — like I’ve been doing since the election (help me) — this is the absolute bittersweet truth.

After a day of careful deliberation (read: \m/), I am quite sure that the great Machinae Supremacy’s Hero is one of my all-time favorite tunes — top 10, even. Just a note. <p/> (And Hero is available for free download, along with about another hour and a half of free metal madness.) <p/> I’ve considered trying to put together a top-blah music list several times over the years, but never garned enough energy to devote the time to make a definitive, comprehensive list. Just the idea of going through my current catalog of music — reading, listening, remembering, rejecting — would take friggin’ forever. Fun, yes — a lot of fun. But hours and hours and hours of work. <p/> Then, after I’ve got my big list of songs to even consider, how to break it down? Simply by genre: power metal takes first, rock next, new age after that? No, of course not. But how? Melody? Tempo, key, energy? Best album art (Deadwing would be my first choice)? Or best memories: Loreena McKennit’s The Highwayman is a top mark for that one, once becoming the only song I could listen to for a whole week. Or: criteria-schmiteria? <p/> On the other \m/, my music preferences have become more picky in recent years, which would probably help to discern the forever-glowing from the minor feel-goods and reduce the total time needed to put the beast together; in the process, I’d probably would reacquint myself with some old uber-favorites at the same time… <p/> …well, seeing as how I’m now listening to Gary Moore, that latter part has already started. No problems there.

…has another good anime been brought States-side and been ruined by awful, awful English voice acting. <p/> (So why did I still cue it up on my Dad’s TiVO, even though Paul and I’ve passed 146 of the Japanese version? I’m a big enough fan, I guess — but not a big enough one to save ‘em after watching once, if it keeps up the standard of the voice acting seen in the clip.) <p/> My list of animes that have better (or at least equally good) English dubbing as compared to the Japanese dubbing has stood at one and a half for years: the half belongs to Outlaw Star; I probably don’t need to mention the “one.”