Saturday, July 31, 2010

Just a little technology can go a long way....

1. I finished a DVD series, recommended by my brother, called Wonderfalls.

Apparently the show was on television in 2004, and since I wasn't watching television at the time except for General Hospital (*tee hee*), I totally missed it. (See photo at left as to why I watched GH for so long..... )

If you like well-written and humorous tv, Wonderfall's for you.




2. Sarah, a former student, came over last night to hang out while her parents went to see Peter Frampton and the Steve Miller Band. They didn't actually "intend" to see that concert, they were actually working the concession stand for their daughter's high school band, but that is too much information. I think Sarah said her mother is working the venue for Sugarland. I'm thinking that band boosting has changed.

Never mind.

Peter Frampton before ---- and after.....






Anyway, while Sarah was here, I told her, as a graduate of KMHS Magnet School of Math and Science and Technology, that she should teach me how to "hot" link to videos, pictures, and other media to my blog.

In two seconds, I was learned.

*twirls*

Ha.

So, I'm practicing using "hot" links -- because of this.

and this guy's comment:

"It's music over the phone while you are on hold that makes me want to kill someone. Atrocious. It's one thing to have wait on hold for "5 minutes to 20 minutes" and then have this sonic assault permeate my mind in between getting hustled for new way to have my money removed from me."

The two most memorable (scarring) experiences I've ever had with forced ambient music were:

I. I went to see a popular film on opening day once, I can't remember what it was. I arrived at the theater early in order to get a good seat. I waited in a very long line before the doors of the theater were opened. I was able to get a good seat. The problem was, the film didn't start for over an hour, and once I had the seat I couldn't get up because someone would take it. I hadn't brought my portable music device and this was before the days of iPhone, so I simply had to wait. I suddenly noticed that the theater was playing Christopher Cross's "Arthur's Theme"– you know, the song that has the chorus that begins: "When you get caught between the moon and New York City...". Now, this is a hateful song from a hateful artist, but I could tough it out for a couple of minutes until the song ended.

That grateful moment arrived, followed by a brief silence. Then the same song started again! I assured myself that it must have been a simple mistake and waited until it mercifully finished for the second time, followed by a welcome silence and the murmur of the still-arriving audience.

Then the song began to play again

"...when you get caught between the Moon and New York City..."

And then again.

"...I know it's crazy, but it's true..."

And then again.

"...the best that you can do..."

The song played over and over and over again for the entire hour and twenty minutes until the movie started. Someone threw a drink at the screen, but missed. A baby cried. A few people gave up their seats and left, then came back during the previews and sat on the floor in the front.

Sometimes, even today, I "...wake up and it's still with me..."

II. Once in the late 1980s I was at Hershey Park, an amusement park in Hershey, Pennsylvania, home of the delicious cheap chocolate, waiting in line to ride a then-popular roller coaster. The park was crowded, the line was long, snaking through seemingly endless wooden corrals. A recent addition had been made to the waiting areas of the more popular rides at the park: television sets, suspended from the ceilings of the ride corrals at intervals, so there wasn't a single place the entire length of the line where you couldn't see and hear one of the televisions. The idea, I suppose, was to try to alleviate the boredom and misery of waiting in a very slow line on a humid summer day. I also suspect that the park got money to play promotional content on a loop. And what was playing on those televisions, visible from every part of the line, and audible through multiple low-fidelity speakers? This. And no, this isn't a tiresome use of a completely played-out internet joke. That was really what was playing. Over and over and over again.

For almost two hours.

I totally laughed until I cried because back in the late 1980's, I went to Six Flags over Georgia, and I was waiting in line for the Scream Machine, and this same video was on loop as I waited under the cover of that pavilion with its 16 lanes of human line waiting-- I totally forgot it till I saw this guy's comment.

Bravo. LOL

Sarah.. thanks for the tip. :)



3 comments:

  1. Gillhamlicious, do you still have that picture of you and him in that frame I gave you

    ReplyDelete
  2. Brandonlicious -- you know I do...

    How are you, cave man? Email me -- let me know how you are....

    ReplyDelete