I don't really NEED it to sound good. Just, you know, be profitable.

So, with the help of the good Mr. Rafe(and the off and on help of Daaaavid Smalley) a band has been seeping out of the cracks of our collective gestalt and making itself somewhat heard amongst the three or so other people who've heard our music. Er. "Music" Yeah, the quotes make it far more apt.

Still, though. I've been drawing influences from just about everywhere I can, and everything that I listen to. It puts in some reverb, it puts in some delay, it puts in so much friggin' effects that it's more like I'm making vibrations underwater than actually playing a guitar.

It sounds nice.

Speaking of "sounds nice", the new Smashing Pumpkins single "Tarantula"...doesn't.

I heard it the other day at work, and maybe it was the fact that it was blasting over a radio in such bad condition that the tape deck shoots off if you try to open it, but it was just very blah.

Corgan's voice has either really lost its edge, or he was just straining himself too hard, because it sounded like he was a bit lost in the song. It was more of a "I'm taking a crap that registers as a five on the Richter scale whilst belting out this tune" (Funny how "Stand Inside Your Love" just came on iTunes shuffle. This is one of my favorite Pumpkins songs) and I was just not impressed.

Anyway, time for the picture of the day! Thanks to help from monsieur Rafe I've selected this piece:



I dunno if it's the suit, the very retro feel, or the surrealism placed in such a realistic piece but this picture is screaming "I'M JUST TOO GOD DAMNED SUAVE!" at me in ways that tickle me good.
So, so good.

You can't take it seriously, it's only life.

As a few of you who read this may know, I'm a line cook(though I prefer the term "cheap chef", thankyouverymuch) at a small chain restaurant dotted sporadically around the eastern seaboard of the US. If there's one thing I've learned from working there, aside from how to set a microwave on fire, it's that you can NOT take what other people say to heart. Especially in the middle of a rush. When we've got at least fifteen checks on the board, waitresses clamoring for "MORE COCKTAIL SAUCE. C'MOOON" and more checks coming in, it's not exactly a calm environment. People will get annoyed/upset, and they WILL tend to say things that aren't hunky-dory with what you may think. But you grin, bear it, fire an insult back and get the food out. After alls said and done, everyone is laughing, joking and back together like nothing even happened.

Still though, there are times when the stress can get to you and holding back isn't as easy as normal.

Let's take Wednesday night for example: it's me and two other cooks. Both of which I really enjoy working with. They're both funny, we all get along and we're all comfortable with each other. Still, it got busy. And when that happens, tempers tend to flare. I wasn't exactly having a great night at the time, but I still kept myself calm for the most part. Until one of the cooks who's superiority complex tends to get in the way of his better judgment decided to start to boss me around. I could take this normally, I'd just laugh and get on with work. Alas, that night it wasn't to be. I almost immediately spun, told him that I was already doing what he was asking, and there was no need to tell me to do it. The exchange went as follows:

Him: "It's my job to tell you to do that, Chris."

Me: "It's NEVER been your job. I've never even CONSIDERED it to be your job to tell me what to do."

Him: "I can't believe you feel that way about it. I thought that's how you saw me."

Me: "I don't know what gave you that impression, but I've never viewed you as my superior. You aren't. You're a coworker and that's it."

It wasn't pretty after that. We eventually apologized, but apparently the next night he stormed out on the boss because he felt he wasn't being given the respect he asked for. Everyone else's story seems to point to the fact that he was actually trying to tell the boss not to tell him what to do which followed with a rousing power struggle and a "If you don't like it, leave." which was countered with a stunningly mature "Fine, I will." And that's that.

I can't help but feel slightly responsible. Not to sound egotistical, but knowing this guy, my little rant against his power made him feel like he had to make it up somehow. And he pushed against the wrong person.

Moral: In the workforce, you're only as superior as everyone else lets you be.

Or something.

Today's picture of the day isssss:




The image is just so chock full of foreboding that I almost wish it were a damned movie. The gray scale palette with the hints of the blues and whites plays so well with the robotic features of the lone figure one can only assume is hunting for SOMETHING in the ruins of what could be anywhere.

Moving out tomorrow, so may not update steadily. Still, I shall try.

New beginnings, lakefire and a work of art.

Well, looks like I've got some new digs to wring my brain out on. All that wonderful brain-goo just coating each post like chocolate over a maraschino cherry. Mmm.

It's not that I'm completely abandoning my old journal, it's just that I feel a little less held back to talk about stuff here that gets a bit heavier. And by "heavier" I mean "Not joking around with David about sex with other guys."

Sorry, David.

Now, as I'm perusing through the feeds of the different news sources I have just lazing about at the top of my Firefox browser I keep seeing one word that catches my undoubtedly adorable eye: Okeechobee.

Apparently, the amount of water we've used, coupled with the recent drought has made it bad enough that firefighters are taking out wildfires in the bed of the lake itself. And you know, I wish the blame could lay solely on the drought. I really do. But it's not JUST that, sadly. Two houses down I have neighbors who's boat trips have them coming home and hosing the boat down for about 30 minutes on a daily basis. Not to mention the copious amounts of water we waste at work with waitresses who dump the gallons of sinkwater to wash dishes because "that water was a little dirty."

I wish I could be exempt from this, but me and my 20 minute "I think I'll just laze about in the water" showers probably aren't helping the situation. At least I don't wash my car, eh?


Daily artwork, time! Chances are, I'll never know who the artist of these pieces are. I just know that I think they're brilliant, gorgeous, etc... and thus will be placed here for all the world(or the three people who read my blog) to read.

Anyway, here it is:


Haunting, apocalyptic and holding a strange amount of closure. I can't help but love this piece for the end-of-the-world imagery, and the juxtaposition of the little girl and her mother on the glaring orange/yellow sun.