Month: June 2009

I definitely should have been covering our yard sale yesterday on Twitter. The excitement of updates like “Some lady claimed $20 for 8 place settings was not a bargain…” or “I just spent 15 minutes trying to prove that a $10 microwave still works – JUST TOUCH THE FREAKING CUP! IT’S WARM!” would have driven my stats through the roof. If only it had occurred to me that my wireless access actually works outside… That’s why I’m blogging now. We’ve got some leftover crap that’s all in the “under 2 dollar” range (much of it free) and I’m stuck playing retailer for any stragglers while The Woman tries to get Kayleigh down for a nap.

But it’s a beautiful day outside – perfect to take advantage of the mobility of modern computing. D’oh! Just lost Internet briefly. Maybe modern computing isn’t as wonderous as though.

As hectic as yesterday was, we did well for such a disorganized bunch (thank you so much to all of our friends that swung by and provided us with help/goods/company/distraction). Cut the money in half and I would still have been thankful just to be rid of so much bulky crap in our basement. There was a little anxiety  towards the end with so many unsold items left, but eventually we ditched 2 air conditioners, a microwave oven, a wet/dry vac, 2 light fixtures, 16 plates, 8 bowls, and 8 mugs. Lots of other little chachkas made their way into other people’s lives, but not having to return large metal devices to their resting place in our basement was the biggest win.

And today, with just a small amount of foot traffic, I can proudly proclaim that both of the large mirrors that taunted me all yesterday have left our possession. Yes, this weekend was a total win!

As much as I’d like to have another go at this later in the year, Craiglist and eBay will most likely be the tools of use for the remainder. The haggling drives me crazy. Going for a bargain is one thing. Acting annoyed because someone won’t sell crystal that’s worth $70 for less than $15 is another. And you know that people who balked at a DVD for a couple bucks will think nothing to pick it up in the store for over ten. At least we didn’t have someone trying to talk us down from a dime to a nickel like last time.

Later today it’ll be back inside to clean up the mess left behind. The only annoying part of getting rid of clutter is realizing just how much more was hiding behind it…

I think it’s safe to assume that you’ve all heard the news. Thankfully I’ve already posted a couple times this month because it would really bug me to break my silence over the death of such a bizarre pop icon. And let’s face it, the jokes are too easy, the tributes are too schmaltzy, and nostalgia is too glossy. But that doesn’t change the fact that a man who touched so many of our lives passed away and that makes us all take a step back for reflection.

Thriller was the first album for me. I was planning a list of the top 10 albums to impact my life, and it was #1 (chronologically at least). This was the album that made me, as a nervous little kid, figure out how to work that record player. I remember looking over the album cover and reading the lyrics while the music played in the background. And what makes that an even greater memory is that so many of us share in it.

A couple years ago there was an article in Paste Magazine about missing Michael Jackson. Not simply missing the talented singer/dancer/entertainer, but missing the concept of the huge pop star that everybody loves. In this day and age of constantly looking for the next great thing, we lose one of the best parts of music and pop culture in general – sharing the experience with other people. We all knew – and still know – Thriller inside and out. Just queue up that song in the middle of any group and someone will start acting out the video – and everybody else will recognize it.

Look at some of the big viral videos the last few years: Indian Thriller, Prison Thriller, A Capella Thriller… Even before those there was Alien Ant Farm’s cover of “Smooth Criminal”. We all recognize and cling to our common past.

Oh crap… am I veering towards schmaltzy?

At this point let me just say that I agree with Chris’s take on MJ. I wanted a comeback (with or without the capital C). I wanted to have a king of pop again. As much as I wanted to dislike everything he did after Thriller, that would ignore “Smooth Criminal”, “Black and White”, “Remember the Time”, “Leave Me Alone”, “The Way You Make Me Feel”, etc. The video for “Bad” turned me off so much, but that didn’t change the fact that I actually continued to enjoy his music – come on, I LIKED MOONWALKER!

I’d like to say that this is the end of an era, but that era ended long ago. We may still cling to it in the 80s revival genre of movies and music, but it’s far from the same thing. Still, there’s a modicum of sorrow no matter how late we say goodbye to the past. At least we can still enjoy the music… and in this case maybe we can enjoy it even more without the bizarre personal sideshow that has plagued it for years.

So I started writing something a couple nights ago. But sleep has a tendency to rob me of those late night posts that I used to… you know… post. So I thought I’d finish it during a break at work. But the rain has just played havoc with some critical lines, and left me with no free time. And then the following night we were faced with a difficult night of attempted baby-sleeping. Which brought me to this morning, when I figured I could finish my thoughts or at least upload some baby zen. But that needs an Internet connection…

Yeah, of course, as soon as I get some time it’s spent fixing something. In this case I was stuck yelling at some automated troubleshooting agent from Verizon… “Are there any lights on the router?” “One” “How many are there?” “ONE!” “I’m sorry, I couldn’t understand you. Did you say fun?” “THERE IS ONE LIGHT YOU STUPID PIECE OF…”

Let’s just say that I’m not a fan. But after 10 or 15 or 20 or whatever minutes they agreed to send me a new router. This would be far less frustrating if I hadn’t just spent a few hours last week taking out my old router and switching back to Verizon’s because of “issues”. Fortunately my other old router (one that Verizon forgot to ask be returned) is acting as a suitable replacement for now.

But in case you couldn’t guess by now, inspiration has totally left the building. It’s been a struggle to get this far and I have no idea what to write… wait a second… inspiration… a new reality show: fat women, old women, strippers and midgets compete for the love of a blind man. That’s so money, baby!

Alright, maybe it’s time for me to shut down for the night…