Wednesday, 28 Feb 2007

- by Damien Rice

Thursday, 22 Feb 2007

a couple of weeks back I was saddened a bit to see something new on Frank’s storm door - A large sticker warning against smoking because oxygen was in use inside. :( Frank seems like he is a person who has done his share of smoking/drinking in his day, so I can’t say I am suprised, but still - unless he’s opened his own private oxygen bar or has decided to live in an increased oxygen atmosphere I am guessing that his health is deteriorating.

Thursday, 22 Feb 2007

The Traditional New England Weather (TNEW) finally arrived last week. Egads but single digit temperatures with strong winds sure feels ~cold~. Just bitter, even with sweater under coat, gloves, hood over head and buttoned up over mouth. Just cold. cold. cold.

Add a day where it warms up just enough to sleet all day. Not as bad as you would think delivering papers at 4AM in the morning in the driving - ok that’s a bit strong - it was more of a sunday cruising sleet. I actually kind of enjoyed it - it was much warmer than the past few days, NO ONE was out on the roads (even fewer No ones than usual) and the sound of sleety snow hitting the road and the car and my jacket was a unique sound - almost like thousands of insects clapping their (if they had them) hands together in applause.

Stayed home from the RealJob(tm), worked from home so didn’t step foot outdoors until the next morning. Wow. Ice everywhere. On the roads, on the stairs, on my car. Not an ice cream cone dipped in chocolate thick covering thickness, but more of a “who spilled all this molasses in my shoes?” thickness. That day was hazardous. As was the next. And the next. After falling down at least each once each day walking up paths that _looked_ to be free of ice but weren’t which I couldn’t really judge accurately in the dark at 4:30AM, I just started throwing everyone’s paper from the curb to their front door. Sorry, but even if you tip me generously for leaving the paper on your doorstep I am not going to walk up your treacherous walkway and risk serious bodily injury for less than a quarter per day.

Seriously. If you insist the paper be delivered on your top step at your front door, or put IN your front door how about you at LEAST try to clear the walk or your stairs? thank you. If I don’t have my front stairs clear I don’t get mail I don’t complain. I don’t expect postal workers - who incidently get paid a whole heck of a lot more than I do for delivering things to people’s doors - to risk injury trying to navigate icey stairs/walkways. So, if they - with their vastly greater rate of pay and vacation time and sick time and healthcare benefits aren’t going to deliver your mail to you if your walk isn’t clear - what makes you think I - with none of those things - should deliver your paper to you if your walkway isn’t clear?

Monday, 19 Feb 2007

in rough of order of how much I liked these recent video experiences:  Pan’s Labyrinth, Twin Peaks (Season 1), Waking the Dead, Death to Smoochie, Vampire High, Attack from Mars.

Friday, 16 Feb 2007

I’ve heard “ It’s No Good Trying several times recently on a Pandora internet radio station I listen to and never really paid that much attention to it, but I always thought it was Robyn Hitchcock. I know the name, the history have heard he was a huge influence on British rock in the 60’s and onward but now I wonder if I’ve ever really listened to Syd Barrett.