Idioteque (Radiohead)

Ordinarily there would be a picture here, but Blogger is not permitting me to post one at the moment. UPDATE: Got it.

Language: Greek

So, well, the going out of business sale began on Friday. So very many people came in after seeing the giant "GOING OUT OF BUSINESS" signs and asked me, or somebody else, "Are you guys really going out of business?" Sometimes, "Why are you going out of business?" Well why would you think. Money coming in < money going out.

Which, you know. You understand why they're asking: it was sudden for them if not for us. And they're being nice about it, saying that they're sorry and that it's such a nice store and they loved shopping there¹ and blah blah blah. But at some point it gets to be too much. Any one conversation about it is fine, but what they don't realize is that I'm having to have this same conversation every fifteen minutes, and it's hard for me. This is not really something I want to be thinking about much right now.

And no (while we're at it), I don't know what I'm going to do for money now, and no, I don't actually qualify for full unemployment benefits, because I've worked there less than six months, like almost everybody else, and no, I'm not even one-hundred percent sure that I'm going to get paid for the time I'm spending here right now talking to you, as I know the former Human Resources / Accounts Receivable person didn't get paid when she came in on Friday, and the rumor has it that there's a whole department that wasn't paid either. So while I sympathize with the fact that you're going to have to start walking another six or seven blocks to buy your groceries, and this is a terrible, terrible hardship for you, allow me a moment or two to not fucking care. Either offer me a job or shut the fuck up.

Anyway. So here's a song. There's also a video.

-Jessi

¹Impossible not to think, yeah, well, but I guess you didn't love shopping here all that much, now, did you?

Picture (c) Kari Christensen

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(Deposit in whom?
Deposit in whom?)
The women and children first,
and the children first,
and the children.
I will laugh until the toy comes from my head.
I will swallow the toy until it bursts,
until the toy bursts:
it's up to me.

(Deposit in whom?
Deposit in whom?)
I've seen a lot of very --
I haven't seen enough of that. Him
you have not seen.
I will laugh at you until toys come from my head.
The women and children first,
and the children first,
and the children.

Here. I have the authorisation
for all time. In all, the
authorisation is here, where I have
all the time. In all, for

the coming age of ice.
The age of ice that comes
allows me to hear the two sides. Also,
I allowed myself to hear. Also, the two sides
allowed it. Also, I hear my two
coming ages of ice,
ages of ice.
It throws him in the fire,
throws him in the fire,
it throws him.

We aren't worrying about news distribution:
it happens. This is
really happening.
We aren't worrying the distribution.
Really: it happens,
happens.
Mobiles that --
chirp. Mobiles.
He takes the money and runs,
takes the money and runs,
takes the money.

He has the authorisation here,
the time for it, all in all.
Here is where I have the authorization
for time, all in all.

Here I have the authorization.
All in, for all the time
I have the authorization. Here, where
the time is for all

of the first children.

All in the Place of the Relative (Radiohead)

Language: Italian

My evil grandmother (I also had a good grandmother, but she died in 1998) died last Friday, or possibly Thursday night, in her home, following several years of emphysema, which she never admitted that she had. The funeral was yesterday, August 29, so that's where I was yesterday, and what I was doing.

I'm not hugely experienced with funerals. I've been to basically three, all of which were for grandparents, and all of which were also sort of just as well: in this particular case, Evil Grandma had been more or less unable to do anything for a few years, as far as taking care of herself. Also her brain was maybe starting to go, towards the end: she forgot, a couple times, that my mom had changed her name when she got married. Which wouldn't have been a big deal if this had been a recent wedding, but my parents have been married since 1971.

Speaking of 1971 -- when my mom, and the other kids, were going through her house, they found a bottle of whiskey with that date on it. The speculation is that Grandma kept a bottle from my parents' wedding. Since there was no detail about how it tasted, I'm guessing that it was unopened. If the story stopped there, then you'd think, oh, that's kind of cute, or sentimental, or whatever, but Grandma also had several bottles of blackened, dry, eight-year-old ketchup: she just saved everything.

I was never really a big fan of Grandma, as you can probably guess from the fact that I call her evil. There's a certain oddness to that, since she's the grandparent I take most strongly after (neurotic, conceited, slightly OCD), but then, she also tended to be really pushy and bossy and only ever heard things that she wanted to hear, which meant that you couldn't ever really have a conversation with her about anything, and most of the conversations I did have with her were awkward and strained because she always seemed to be trying to manipulate me into doing or not doing stuff. So about every conversation I ever had with the woman went like:

GRANDMA: Don't you want a tomato for your hamburger, Jessi?
ME: No, Grandma, I don't like tomatoes.
GRANDMA: You don't like tomatoes?! Have you even tried one?
ME: Not lately, no, but I don't like them.
GRANDMA: Oh, well you should have a slice or two of these; they're really good. Put some salt and pepper on top, and --
ME: No, I don't want any.
GRANDMA: Come on, one slice of tomato isn't going to kill you.
ME: I don't like tomatoes.
GRANDMA: But you like ketchup, don't you? And ketchup is tomatoes.
ME: But it's different.
GRANDMA: How about I just put this slice of tomato on your plate, and I'll leave the salt here for you --
ME: I'm not going to eat it.
GRANDMA: Well why not?
ME: Because I don't like tomatoes, Grandma, I just said.
GRANDMA: You could at least try a bite or two of this one. It came out of my garden.
ME: Fine. Leave a slice on my plate, then.

And then I'd give the slice of tomato to Dad, eventually.

R. I. P.
L--- I. S------- (1928-2006)

-Jessi

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To the right of kidskin, to kidskin, to kidskin, to kidskin,
of the all, all, all, all.
A relative in just the place,
a relative in just the place,
a relative in just the place,
the right of the place.

Yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon
yesterday I woke up sucking that lemon
yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon
yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon

All, all, all.
A relative in the just place,
a relative in the just place,
the right of the place.

There are two colors in my head,
are two colors in my head.
That's what you are, here. It tries to say that to you.
Which thing was it that you tried to say?
Tried to say, tried to say,
tried to say, tried to say.

All the relatives, just in the place.