My mouse died.

Sure it’s no big deal to you.  Everyone has a dead mouse now and again.  But this mouse…this mouse was much more to me.  It was a mouse.  Don’t you get it?  A mouse.

Yeah, guess I’d better go to the office supply store.

Amazing Wine Labels

My morning routine of late was to fire up the computer first thing, get a cup of coffee and sit down for a long read.  I’d open up iTunes and put on KCUR for the news, not really paying attention to any of it, but it was good background noise whilst I woke up and tried not to drool my coffee all over the laptop.

One day, I didn’t turn on KCUR and you know what?  I found that I didn’t miss the news.  Seems as if it was nothing but foreclosure notices, stupid political infighting news and more budgetary downfalls for pretty much everyone, everywhere.

I did find it comforting, I think, as background noise.  It was there you know?  Not really in the forefront but there.  A solid something to wake up to/with.

And with this break I’ve pretty much broken all ties with broadcast media.

In the car there’s no reason any longer to even have the radio on.  With the various iPhone apps you can listen to music until it runs out of your ears, drips all over the new seat covers that you just got at Target and puddle on the floor in a mishmash of tunes.

KEXP from Seattle happens to be my current favorite.  They play a really eclectic mix from Johnny Cash to A Tribe Called Quest, they’re all over the place but in a really, really good way. There’s also Indie 103 from Los Angeles.  Not quite as good as KEXP, I think due to the quality of the DJ’s really.  Seems as if the jocks on Indie 103 like to think they’re still terrestrial and on air.  They do tend to run off at the mouth a bit more than the people at KEXP.  Also the music mix on Indie 103 is really not quite as eclectic.  Not as mixed up, still decent though, especially on Saturday morning for Retrograde.

Alas, thanks KCUR for the good times but people move on, you know?  Nothing personal and I’m sure that you’ll find a new listener in Blue Springs. There has to be at least one other person out there who will listen.  Good luck, really.

Note: on second read this hasn’t been the strongest post in the history of everness.  Well, we can’t hit every pitch out of the park then can we?  Every now and again a slap single over the 2nd baseman’s head will suffice.  This is very definitely one of those times.

EL GUINCHO | Bombay from MGdM | Marc Gómez del Moral on Vimeo.

Kidding.  No naked pictures.  Unless you really want to get in good with them.

On top of all the mass suckage comes news today that they’ve screwed up again and started secretly adding apps to your profile.  No biggie you say.

Think again Einstein.

Now according to an article on PC World, when you visit certain sites, apps get installed to your profile.  You don’t have to have a Facebook window open, be logged in, think about Facebook or really even have a Facebook account.  This is such suckage that if you don’t have a Facebook account, and you visit these sites, if you ever do get a Facebook account, this stuff will automatically be added to your profile, emails will be sent from your account stressing your love forDonny Osmond (not Marie) and that you like to wear womens clothing.  Which really isn’t so bad, but TO CHURCH.

You can’t get away from this stuff either.  You can delete the apps but next time you visit the site, BANG.  Instant appification of your profile.  Don’t like it?  Okay, go ahead and delete it.  It’s gone.  Right?  No.  Not really.  Facebook just likes to punk you, flip you off and dare you to do something about it all while calling you a pussy.

What can you do?  Nothing really.  Like one of the George Bushes said about rape, if it’s inevitable you might as well sit back and enjoy it.  Tell Facebook what a stud you think it is, how manly and big it is and how it really, really satifisfies you.  Then if you feel like it, you can kick it in the balls.  Won’t do much but hey, you’ll probably feel better.

Facebook contacted PC World and said, basically, “our bad dude.  Like we’re really, really totally sorry.  Total bummer dude.”  They’ve made it so that it won’t happen again.  ”Dude, like we’ve totally made it so like it won’t happen again and shit.  Really sorry yo.”

You’ll still have to manually remove any crap that’s there.  I’m sure, totally sure that Facebook, really, really didn’t count on that.  Really.  They said so.

Great writer, smart, witty, kind of a smart ass at times.  What I wish I could be, only with more hair.

One Car Jam

Tom Petty sang it much better than I ever could begin to.

Waiting.  It’s hard.  It’s terribly hard.  For many, many people these days, myself included, waiting is the new national pasttime.  Send the resume, wait.  Resend the resume. Wait.  Get an interview!  Hurray.  Go to interview.  Go to second, and third interviews.  Wait.  Wait some more.  Send “hey, Hi there…um…remember me?” letter.  Only worded much better than that.  Wait.  Go mow the yard, paint the walls, scrub the floors.  Wait.

Phone rings.  Try not to pee pants, realize it’s your mother.  Gibber and jabber with her for a while, promise all is well, everything is fine.  Hang up.  Wait.

Check phone to make sure it’s charged and on.  It is.

Wait.

Send resumes, call people who might be able to help.  ”Sure, send my your resume and I’ll pass it on.  Swear to god”.  Send resume.

Wait.

It really has become the national pastime with so many people out of work.  In March, according to government statistics 9.7% of the population was out of work.  6.5 MILLION people were unemployed for more than 27 weeksw.  That’s a Houston sized city of people sitting around watching Spongebob.  While I”m sure that we all enjoy Spongebob, I think that I can speak for many of us when I say we’d rather watch it on TIVO after we get home from work.

What’s funny/irritating?/bothersome/etc.  is the amount of people who offer advice that they all swear is the best.  Go network, go to job fairs, always be working to get that new job, always be on your best behaviour, dress like your going to an interview, wear clean underwear, brush your teeth, cut your hair, network, network and network.  While this is all pretty good advice, I think that people are getting a little tired of being networked.  Also when I’m mowing the yard I don’t generally wear coat and tie.  I mean…sure sometimes it’s nice for a change to dress all fancy to cut the grass, but when it’s hot, it’s pretty uncomfortable.

I wish us all luck.  Everyone of us who is looking for work.  If you’re not looking for work because you’re one of the cool kids who actually have jobs, then more power to you.

In the mean time think I’ll wait around and do some networking.  With the cats.