Thursday, September 23, 2004

Bad Taste in Music

I have bad taste in music. Tell me some good songs to listen to.

Wednesday, September 22, 2004

Quothe StellarMel

"You can't jack up a car and steal the tires in the span of one Captain and Tenille song."

Monday, September 20, 2004

Overheard in Baldwin Hall

"Beef jerky is not a vice!"

Tuesday, September 14, 2004

Robot Wishes

I am a robot
that wishes. For death
and closure affect me not.
I am a robot
that lives, as it seems is my lot,
long past my love's last breath.
I am a robot
that wishes for death.

Thursday, September 09, 2004

Minimum Rage Job

INT. - CHECKOUT COUNTER OF A SUPERMARKET



Mark rings up item after item, bored with his menial task. He doesn't smile, talk to, or even acknowledge the presence of the customers. Like a zombie moonlighting as a cashier, Mark is emotionless except for the unrelenting desire to crack open the skull of the next annoying, nagging customer in his seemingly never ending checkout line. The customers fly by in fast motion, stopping for some highlights:



MAN 1

I think you scanned that twice.



Fast forward.



WOMAN 1

Oh, wait. I have a coupon for that.



Fast forward.



MOM 1

Writing a check while her young crying child tugs at her shirt

Pick out some candy. Pick out some candy. Pick out some candy. Nicolas, pick out some candy. Pick out some candy.



Fast forward.



MAN 2

Oh hell! I left my wallet in my car, can you hold on a second?



Fast forward.



WOMAN 2

How much?



MARK

$103.54.



WOMAN 2

How much?



MARK

$103.54.



WOMAN 2

That can't be right....



Fast forward. A smiling Old Woman stands staring at Mark, watching him scan her items. The register beeps with a slow and steady beat.



OLD WOMAN

Out of nowhere

Why don't you smile, young man?



MARK

Because I don't want to.



OLD WOMAN

You're not a very personable young man. And kind of rude.



MARK

Looking up from the scanning mechanism at the Old Woman for the first time.

I don't get paid to smile. That costs extra.



OLD WOMAN

In a huff.

Well!



MANAGER

Walking by and seeing something is wrong

Is there something wrong, ma'am?



OLD WOMAN

You're cashier here was just rude to me!



MANAGER

Mark?



MARK

What?



MANAGER

Gives Mark a stern look



MARK

Sighs. Deciding it better to avoid a conflict, turns to Old Lady

I'm sorry, ma'am. I was rude.



OLD WOMAN

Well, you've almost ruined my day. How much do I owe you?



MARK

Your total is $32.91.



Old Woman hands Mark several bills, and in turn Mark gives her change. All the while Manager watches.



OLD WOMAN

I hope you don't treat all of your customers like this.

Walks off perturbed.



MANAGER

I'm sorry, ma'am. I'll have a talk with him.

To Mark

Mark, what was that?



MARK

She told me to smile, and I told her I didn't want to.



MANAGER

Mark, part of your job is customer relations. You are the last face that the customer sees before he leaves the store.



MARK

What about the greeters at the door?



MANAGER

Mark, focus. You can't be negative, or the customers will leave here with a negative impression of our store.



MARK

OK.

MANAGER

You have to smile, Mark. And you have to talk to them.



MARK

Like what? I don't have anything to say.



MANAGER

Small talk. Talk to them about the items they're buying. Anything. Just make them feel comfortable, and they'll walk out of here wanting to come back. And hopefully soon. Do you understand, Mark?



MARK

I guess.



A customer puts her items on Mark's counter. Manager looks at Mark and gives him a nod and points to his smiling mouth. Mark puts on a strained smile. Manager nods in approval, then motions for Mark to continue.



MARK

As he begins to scan the woman's items, he holds up a bag of apples

So. . . . Buying apples, huh?



WOMAN 3:

Yep.



MARK

Mark looks to Manager for help. Manager looks at Mark as if to say, "Keep going."

Well, uh, you know what they say about apples: An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Manager smiles in approval



WOMAN 3:

Smiles

It's true. I love apples.



MARK

Struggling to continue the conversations, he looks to Manager and then to the next item in his hand, a box of douches.

And you know what they say about douching: A douche a day keeps the . . . uh. . .



Woman 3 looks at Mark disgusted and embarassed. Manager shakes head and releases a deep sigh.

Tuesday, September 07, 2004

Computer Teachers

Cynical McBrother: I'm going to sub tomorrow.
Mr. McBastard: for whom?
Cynical McBrother: an elementary computer teacher
Mr. McBastard: they have computer teachers now?
Cynical McBrother: yeah
Mr. McBastard: what's next cyborg guidance councilors?
Cynical McBrother: *beep boop beep* you're good at math, Mr. McBastard. *beep beep boop* you should be an automechanic boop

Monday, September 06, 2004

With Me

"most of all, i want some one that is willing to build a relationship. a health and stable relationship.


with me." --Terry Anna

Book Meme

From farkleberries:

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 23.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.

"In particular, they are adept at finding various sorts of similarities among patterns, at recognizing repeated (or almost repeated) patterns, at filling in the missing parts of incomplete patterns, and at transforming patterns into others with which they have been associated."

--John Haugeland, "What is Mind Design?" Mind Design II

Saturday, September 04, 2004

life.pl

$life = "bitch";
if $life = "bitch" then {
die;
}

Friday, September 03, 2004

Walking Down the Sidewalk

I am hard. I am stone-faced. I smoke cigarettes and squint into the sun. I don't smile and I don't look anyone in the eye. How dare you, Cute Girl I Don't Know, to say, "Hi," to me and grin.

Wednesday, September 01, 2004

Breasts

One day Sven woke up with breasts. They hadn't been there the night before, but they were there now, and he liked them.

He spent fifteen minutes in the shower jiggling and juggling them, squeezing, turning, and gently bouncing them. He smiled.

Getting dressed was difficult; he didn't have a shirt that properly showed off his new assets. Everything he had was so loose. No one would even be able to see them! He looked over to the bed. There lay his sleeping wife. He'd always been jealous of her breasts He snuck over to her closet, took one of her blouses, and rushed out of the room.

On the way to work Sven almost wrecked his car. He was too busy ogling himself to notice the traffic around him. He was so pretty now. Pretty breasts. Pretty blouse. Pretty close to rear-ending that car! Sven took a deep breath and took his foot off the break.

Circa Now