Ode To Joy

I just found out that one of my favorite bands is releasing a record in September. You can download a track by the Deadly Snakes over at Said the Gramophone. It's a lot poppier than anything else I've heard by them, but it still has that rythmocentric sound. The horns are a lot happier and cleaner on this track too.
I was at the record store today, my intention was to walk past the record store but I saw that Holly Golightly had a new record out. I rushed in and bought it. I learned a lesson. The record was called "My First Holly Golightly Record" and it turned out to be a greatest hits. Because I've been in deepest truest love with Miss Golightly for about 7 years I already have all these songs. I didn't realize this until I walked out of the record store. I guess I'm not going to complain. I learned a little bit about what she thinks her best songs and albums are. If you are unfamiliar with her work it is a great introduction. Next time I'll read the track list.
While I was at the record store, a clerk, who was eating lunch, came over to help me. I think she smiled a little at me. I was excited. I thought this might be an indication that she might kind of dig me. Now this raises a little bit of a conundrum. The clerk in question is beautiful. She works at a record store so I know she is interested in music. I could see myself getting along with her well. She's almost like my significant barista.
The problem lies in that she works at my record store. She is my pusher. Would she abuse her power to make me do her bidding? B/c if they had an original Rose Tattoo LP I would do her bidding. If things didn't work out would it make the record store uncomfortable? The record store is my place of solace. It's right up their with the coffee shop. I don't want anything to screw that up. Darned beautiful record store clerks.

Urban Outfitters

Via Elenamary, Urban Outfitters is selling a t-shirt with the caption "New Mexico, Cleaner than regular Mexico". Ahh, dirty Mexican jokes are so funny! Anyway, here's the number to their headquarters, 215-564-2313. Call them up and speak to retail operations. Let them know how funny you think racism is and how much you want to buy their t-shirts. Maybe remind them that it's 2005 and they should pull their heads out of their ass.

SCOTUS

I've been meaning to post a little bit about possible Latino candidates for the Supreme Court. The president said he would announce his nomination today so that kind of lit a fire under my ass. Bearing in mind if a Latino doesn't get nominated for O'Connor's position there is still Rehnquist's eminent retirement.
The Hispanic National Bar Association sent out a press release a couple weeks ago about potential candidates. Alberto "Stress Position" Gonzales has been getting a lot of attention, LULAC has actually been a pretty strong supporter. Personally I don't like the guy. I lived in Texas when he was on the court and he wasn't so hot. While Bush was governor, Gonzales ignored the rights of Mexicans on death row and was no friend of the struggling poor. There is also the question of his conduct as a judge. Texans for Public Justice have watched how judges have decided cases involving campaign contributors. Gonzales's record isn't not comforting. If you search TPJ's website you will find a bunch of similar stuff. What bugs me most about Gonzales is that I don't think he's that good of a lawyer. I read the torture memos and his analysis is just wrong. He used domestic law to interpret an international document. That's not how you do it.
Emilo Garza's name has bounced around. He's conservative and on the 5th Circuit but he seems fair and impartial. He also is smart enough to do the job. SCOTUS Blog has a little bit about him. They also have stuff on Gonzales if you're interested and here's an article that does a little comparison between the two.
Garza may be a little of a long shot and the rest of the people on the HNBA memo are even longer. Here's a little bit about Federico Moreno. The ABA has this on Sonia Sotomayor. I think she's my favorite. There's not a lot of info on Jose Alberto Cabranes, Julio Fuentes, Victor Marrero, or Carlos Moreno. I've been meaning to look up some cases they've decided and give you the low down but I guess I ran out of time. So if any actually reads this in the hour before the decision is made it might be helpful.

Harry Potter

Finished it, now back to what I was supposed to be doing.

Bitchin' and Moanin'

One of the downside's of my job is that I have to listen to commercial radio. It's crap. I never thought I'd become one of those people that complain about grammar but the ads are so bad that I am distracted throughout the day. The music is atrocious. It's a shuffle of top 40 hits from the last 30 years. It's garbage. There is no new or interesting music on the whole program. If they play an interesting musician it's often his worse song. I kind of expect all that. What really bothers me is the anti-intellectualism of the whole thing. The callers comments seem to be selected based on the density of the caller's skull. There are little sound bites that say stupid things in between songs. I don't know if it's to sound "edgy" but it's just stupid. One of them today said "Keep your opinions to yourself, rocket scientist." The radio is stupid. I must scrub my ears when I get home. It wouldn't bother me if I were only working part time, instead of overtime, but we won't get into that.
The other thing I want to bitch about is that I had to interview for one of my classes. What the fuck. I pay them 26K a year to take class. I should get to interview the profs to see if they're worth my fucking money. I have to go sit in an office in a neck tie and try and ingratiate myself with the instructors for the pleasure of doing work for the state. I'm trying to pay to provide the government with a free service. These are the choosiest motherfucking beggars ever. I'm gifthorse with my mouth wide open. I'm going to go have a pint at the pub and mellow out.
I'm going to get into the whole part time thing. I signed up for part time. Why the hell am I working 7 days a week. Son of a bitch. They took my Sunday too. Now I have to go to work instead of reading the Harry Potter book. Son of a bitch.

My mom

I called my mom today, b/c it's Sunday and it's part of my Sunday ritual. We talked about the work my dad was doing, my dad works like a slave to please my mom. I talked to my dad and he bragged about the raised beds, ponds, truck loads of mulch, etc he moved so that my mom has the best garden in town. He passed the phone back to my mom so he could shower.
We chatted about food, about work, about pets, and about the weather. My mom asked me if I was seeing anyone. This was a weird question for her. She has never asked, but I think she is jonesin' for a grand kid. She said the way my brother and me were going she wouldn't have any grand kids.
I told her I didn't actually know any girls. The only women I have regular interaction with, that aren't friends, are the baristas at my favorite coffee joints. First I started thinking, then I started blinking, a bridesmaid...
no sorry that's Young MC.
I was thinking. I decided there needs to be a new term for the special relationship between a person and their barista. My baristas are wonderful. I have three steady baristas. They all know me well enough that they fill my coffee, don't ask me any questions. They don't expect me to engage in conversation before noon. They know that cream is antithetical to my idea of coffee.
When I get my afternoon or evening cup they ask me questions about my life and I reciprocate. We chat, I drink the coffee, go see their art shows, they laugh at my bad jokes. From my experience they fulfill most of the best aspects of having a girlfriend. They act like they care about my day to day life, they don't harass me or expect much from me in the morning, they participate a little in philosophical or musical discussion, and most important they smile at me. In turn, I ask about their lives, compliment their art, praise their coffee brewing abilities and let them know about my favorite music events.
So I should probably write this in to the Atlantic Monthly, or the AntMo as I like to call it, and they can make up a word. I think this is a major relationship in many people's lives, or at least in my own life. It needs it's own word. Cafmitment? Caffriend? Esspreciation? Not sure. But I love the women at Ugly Mug, Powells, and Floyds.

Powells and the Germs

I went to Powell's this morning to get some coffee and look for a book for my friend. I love Powell's and try not to bother the people that work there too much. I once worked in a library and know how annoying some people can be. They will ask you for "The book with the blue cover, it's about biology", without bothering to even check the catalog. Anyway I had to ask the worst question you can ask a person who works at a book store. "I heard this guy on NPR about a year ago and I can't remember the name of the book but..." As I asked I could see their eyes rolling in their head. Before I finished one clerk jokingly said "We don't have that book." But they were great about it. I told them everything that I could remember about the book and they all remembered it faintly too. There ended up being about 7 people trying to find the book. They all now share my frustration of almost being able to remember the title. It'll drive us crazy.
Powell's has one of those wonderful signs that tell you how many days until the new Harry Potter book comes out. 6 Days! I have to work that Saturday but not Sunday. I'll probably be able to start reading a couple hours before work, pick it up after work and read through the night and be done by the next afternoon. It's a sickness really but I must read it, and read it all at once.
I stopped by the record store on my way to Powell's to pick up the Talkdemonic cd. There's some good MP3s of the band at 3Hive. They had a used copy of the Germs' MIA cd. My copy disappeared a while ago and the CD isn't really good enough to buy new again but many of the songs are fundamental to an understanding of the 1981 LA punk scene, which is fundamental to an understanding of any music after 1984. So the CD is once again in my collection and I now can rest easy at night. It will also facilitate rolling on the ground and mumbling to myself for those nights when I need to be "punk as fuck" but don't feel like listening to Blatz.

Don't want no sugar in my coffee

I cleaned out the microwave today. We would rather not talk about it. I’m not going to have a salad with Roquefort dressing for a while though.
I’ve been working as a waiter again, and doing some contract work. The contract work is in criminal defense. I’ve done work for an accused rapist, child molester, and murderer. They have been nicer on average than most of my tables.
The neighborhood I work in has fewer coffee shops than my neighborhood. That’s not to say it doesn’t have a lot, but I wanted a cup of coffee today and got angry that I would have to walk at least three blocks to get it. Welcome to Portland, if you can’t see a Starbucks then your eyes must be closed.