Saturday, June 22, 2002

You wanna know something? My brother and I spent more time trying to find something we could stand to listen to on the crappy corporate radio stations that we get up here.

When I listen to internet radio? I -always- _always_ ALWAYS find a station I wanna stick with for ages and ages. I _liked_ listening to commercials on Radio FG, the French techno station. I don't even mind the Live365 spots, or the Try Netflix Today! ads. But the thing I _love_ about listening to internet radio is that it's NOT the same old crap over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over. And over. You get the point.

If you'll excuse me, I have to go write my congressmen.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 7:26 PM |

I just sent the following to my senators and my representatives. Feel free to copy, paste, and send it along, if you like to listen to odd little radio stations on the 'net. (see RAIN and Save Internet Radio for more information; find your senators/representative(s).)

Dear Sir,

I am a fan of internet radio. I am less of a fan of corporate radio (most of the radio stations in this country are owned by the same corporation -- isn't that verging on a monopoly?), as the playlist is the same across the nation, right down to occupying similar spots on the dial. These corporate-owned stations insist on playing music that -I- don't like to listen to. This results in stores carrying more music that I don't actually -enjoy-, as well as most people assuming that what is played on the radio is what everyone likes.

I am not part of the lowest-common-denominator demographic. I am not a tween, or a teenybopper, or a disaffected white suburban male with "issues" that would probably all be resolved by a summer spent working for Habitat For Humanity. I do not like overprocessed pablum, Sam I Am.

My brother an I recently spent an afternoon together, running errands. We were listening to the radio, and we spent more time flipping through stations trying to -find- something to listen to than we did actually just listening and enjoying.

Internet radio offers me a glorious option: variety. A variety of artists, a significant number of whom I would never EVER have heard on any of the stations available here. A variety of styles, from surfabilly to trance-pop to good old rock'n'roll, only in Finnish. Except for finding a style to fit my mood, I -rarely- search desperately through internet radio stations, looking for something I can tolerate let alone actively -enjoy-.

Please, sir, please please please help Representative Inslee and Representative Boucher to enact emergency legislation that will forestall the bankruptcy of the pioneers of the industry, as well as small, independant webcasters.

Webcasters can't afford $.0007/performance in the current advertising environment (much less retroactively), and labels can't afford either of the two most-likely alternatives: (1) to risk having Congress take away the royalty entirely, or (2) to be left with an Internet radio industry that's as consolidated as broadcast radio is.

I don't want to tune into radio online only to hear the same old tunes from the same old stations. I don't want ClearChannel Communications to be the only option online. I don't want to be told that I like what they play, that I like bands with badly spelled names and little girls with their bits and pieces hanging out for the world to see. I don't want to be told that _I_ -like- artists that can't sing.

Please. Help serve the people you represent, and help save internet radio.

Thank you,

Shannon M.

Posted by: Shannon M.: 8:30 PM |

Now that I've seen the tape and caught up with the rest of the world: YAAAAAAAAY South Korea! Whee!
Posted by: Shannon M.: 9:26 PM |

Friday, June 21, 2002

Bleah. I'm unemployed, still; the summer Solstice is -tomorrow-, whoopee; my cat -still- doesn't love my dog; and my local best friend is moving to New Mexico very very soon. Like, end-of-next-week soon.

Mme. Jean and I did the MST3K-Home Movies-Brak Show-Anime Marathon thing at her house this afternoon/evening, ate junk food, drew, and talked about anything, -everything- _except_ the fact that she'll be gone. When I finally had to leave, I got a hug from her mom and a hug from Mme. Jean -- who isn't usually a hugger.

When I arrived, I had presents for her -- a small Cowboy Bebop wall scroll featuring Spike and Faye, smoking; a cool DBZ wallet with Trunks in Super-Sayajin mode (and I figured out that the embroidered katakana said suupa-sayajin! go me.); a Hello Kitty-in-a-monster-suit bag decoration*, and a handful of various Sanrio bandaids. She and her mom, in turn, presented -me- with a Suncoast giftcard, which was so unexpected and -so- sweet... Awww. Awwwwww... I _love_ these people, and they're -leaving-! I'm just kind of numb, at this point. Sigh.

* Sanrio has a whole line of these, mostly Hello Kitty dressed in different outfits (i.e. Explorer, Diva, Monster, Happy Birthday... I think there's a bee, too), but they've also got Bad Badtz Maru, Chococat (with fishy), Nygyao (sp?), and other popular characters that I can't remember of the top of my head. They come in a bubble-thing, like stuff you get out of those machines at grocery stores, but they're sold individually so you can pick the one you want. They're designed to go on backpacks, satchels, laptop cases, things like that -- usually on the strap or an outside zipper. If you watch a lot of anime, you might see girls with little charms on their school bags. Same idea. I have my Hello Kitty Monster on my knitting/miscellaneous bag, currently... I have a stuffed Purin that's about twice as big as the capsule-doodads on my backpack.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:46 AM |

....Now I gotta find someone else to corrupt**, coddle, and quasi-cuddle.

** read: introduce to anime and/or slash and/or yaoi/shonen-ai anime. Heh.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:48 AM |

Well, that's all for right now, I guess. I'm gonna go to bed, I think.

Also? Cowboy Bebop, if you haven't seen it, is -very- cool. And _funny_. It's like a cross between Trigun and Outlaw Star, but unlike either of them at the same time. Hard to describe, but trust me -- it's a jillion and one times better than Master Of Mosquiton.

...Have I mentioned that I'm sorry I insisted on renting that?
Posted by: Shannon M.: 12:57 AM |

Thursday, June 20, 2002

Reason number 539472 to eee-nuhn-seee-eight: when you're doing the voice-over for a movie named 'She Was MaaaaRRked For Murder', it doesn't help your overdramatic delivery to soften that r. 'Cause it makes it sound like she was MoCKed for success, passion, and murder.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 11:24 AM |

Wednesday, June 19, 2002

All right, off to get my new email addy set up. I hope. I still don't know what username I'll end up with... But, as stated previously, I'll let you know.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 2:34 PM |

Allrighty, it's set. In order to avoid spam-related trauma, however, I am switching the email addy to the east, there, to a yahoo address.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 3:08 PM |

Monday, June 17, 2002

...I think I'm falling for Nitzer Ebb. *Blinkblink*

And no, I did -not- make up the band name. Heh.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 1:30 AM |

"You call this adventure!?" ... "Eat foods you don't usually! ...Wild yak is good, if you can catch one."

"Is that scar from a wild yak?"
"Uh, no... A blowdryer."

I love Marriot's latest commercial campaign...
Posted by: Shannon M.: 11:35 AM |

You know what I would like to see? A goth clothing site that's put together in light colors. Say, pastels.

Yes, I know. I'll go turn in my 'wannabe' card and go find a happy fluffy bunny to cuddle. *Snerk*
Posted by: Shannon M.: 10:52 PM |

I get my hair cut tomorrow morning! Yaaaay... Short-short hair for TX.

Today, I found two pairs of shorts and a swimsuit, both of which I've needed for ages anyhow. Much like Reesa, my suit was found at Wal-Mart, it's a pretty color, it does NOT have any ruffles, skirting, or extraneous padding, and it wasn't hideously expensive. This brings the total of Things I Need To Buy For The Trip down to...about five, I think.

Clothing I -do- have:
3 Tank tops suitable for wearing out and about
3 pairs of shorts, ditto
undies/new socks!
T-shirts
stuff to sleep in

Yet To Obtain:
Another tank -- possibly -pink-. Yes, I _am_ a girl. I finally noticed.

I have a list of things to take started -- my mother has passed on the secrets of making lists. Lists are good. Lists tell you exactly what it is that's needed... And they keep -me- at least from just wandering around and whining 'can we -leeeeeeeave- yet?'.
Posted by: Shannon M.: 11:19 PM |

I'm looking forward to the trip, I'm looking forward to seeing relatives (most notably my cousins on my dad's side and my new sibs, particularly Nat), I'm looking forward to visiting a new place and trying new things....

But.

But I am not at ALL excited about airport security and the possibility of getting stopped and searched. (My mother wasn't too pleased with my posited theory of just stripping down right in the middle of the checkpoint, though she -did- agree that it would prove that I wasn't hiding anything.) I'm also not thrilled by the fact that I'm going to have to deal with My Dear Faaaaaather quite possibly/probably in full-blown panic mode. The man would -greatly- benefit from a neurotransmitter, I swear. And if I had enough of my sample pack left over, I'd _give_ it to him. Say it loud, say it proud: I love the man, but he drives me _insane_. *Sigh*

With my luck, I'll be one of the people they 'randomly' choose to help them pretend they're diverse in the range of people they suspect. I _know_ why they'll do it, I know all the arguments, blahblahblah terroristcakes. Do I -look- like a fucking terrorist? Yeah, I'd be the first to advocate open revolt in order to take back my country from the hands of a dictator (and the way things seem to be going, I'm not sure that we -won't- be needing to do that...), but I only want to damage/maim/incapacitate the people that -deserve- it. A bunch of tired, cranky and yes, annoying, schmucks on a 727 to DFW? Feh. I don't want to kill them, but if they annoy me, I may throw something at them. They're not In Charge, and so do not deserve to perish.

I wonder if they'd let me bring my knitting? Probably not my scarf project, unless I moved it on to my circular needles -- the fourteen inch aluminium needles are probably too 'weapon-like' for the FAA's tiny little pea-brains.

...But then again, I'm really dangerous because I think. I have -ideas-. And I -don't- like to be told what I can and cannot read, write, think, say, or do. (The last within reason, though -- 'no killing' and the like are pretty basic, and I don't really -need- to be told not to.)
Posted by: Shannon M.: 11:39 PM |

Sunday, June 16, 2002

Like I was strippin' a Peter Paul's Almond Joy
Lemme show you baby I'm a talented boy
-- Prince, Gett Off

Hee! I _finally_ heard that song again after I don't know how long... *Snicker* The song is good, but it's that line that's just the best.

Posted by: Shannon M.: 11:17 PM |