Random Sputterings: 1/7/2002

elSicomoro · 01-07-2002, 11:22 AM

I want to go to sleep, but I can't. They say my car will be ready by 1 or 2 o'clock. If I go to sleep now, I am 99.999% certain that I would sleep through that phone call, and wind up not getting my car back until tomorrow.

Rolling on the 84: I've been trying to get my car up to snuff in the past week, b/c it desperately needed routine maintenance, and this is the first time that I've had time to get it done. Not to mention, plate renewal is due this month, and emissions is due in April.

Given that we only have one car, I've been planning my car's repairs at conveniently located places, accessible by my 2 sturdy feet or by SEPTA. Both places I found were along the route of the 84 line.

Route 84 starts at Frankford Terminal (the end point of our "El"), and meanders through Northeast Philadelphia, ending at either Franklin Mills Mall or at the Philadelphia/Bucks County line on Bustleton Ave. It's a nice enough little route. I'll call it a "character route."

--The buses that are used on the 84 line are a mess. The one I was on Thursday night had trash strewn all over it. The interior of the bus could use a new coat of paint, and it looked like someone urinated on the floor. (Granted, I've seen it on other lines too, but I see it on the 84 damned near every time I ride it!)

--The 84 line is the only line that runs past the city's lockup facility on State Road. During the day, I have noticed that the bus is pretty full when leaving Frankford Terminal, and drastically empties once we pass the jail. Going southbound, the bus fills up dramatically at the jail stop. Rho rides the line more than I do...she probably has some good stories.

Now, to my neighborhood...

--My beloved neighborhood of Torresdale/Morrell Park is built on a series of hills. BIG mo' fackin' hills! We live on one of the smaller slopes in the neighborhood.

--I dropped my car off at the service station this morning and found myself in a conundrum. The way our complex is set up, it is only accessible by the main streets. No real shortcuts to use when walking. So, I had two choices:

1--Wait for the 84 bus to take me up and down the hills to my front door...a distance of about 7 blocks.

2--Walk up one of the 2 main streets available to me...one is a series of highs and lows, the other a long incline followed by a leveling off.

Given that it was 7 in the morning and I had been up all night, I opted for the 84.

Gotta love coffee: When I first started at CVS last year, we were right next to a Dunkin Donuts. I was quickly initiated by the management into the coffee ritual. We took turns buying everyone coffee every day (i.e. I bought for the 2 other assistants one day, another bought for the assistants the next day, etc.). This generally occurred twice during a shift. This continued when I moved to another store, as there was a Dunkin Donuts across the street from our store. Unfortunately, I was then moved to a store that was not so close to a Dunkin Donuts. So, we suffered with coffee from the Snow White diner at 19th and Chestnut. Damn...that shit was nastier than McDonald's coffee.

Today, I had the fortune of having a nice hot cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee on the way home from the service station...the first cup I've had from there in almost a year. Oh man! That was some damn fine coffee! I think I'd still take Starbucks overall, but DD is good coffee...and about 40 cents a cup less.

I'm easily amused: The image below is the front of a menu of a pizza place in my neighborhood. Every time I look at it, I laugh because:

--The leprechaun guy. I find it amusing that they use an Irish "mascot" for a pizza joint. I wonder if one of these days, a leprechaun will actually deliver my pizza.

--The "Don't do Drugs" note at the bottom. It reminds me of the video games from the 80s that had the "Winners don't do drugs" messages. Also, one can only suspect what the leprechaun has in his pipe.

Should I buy that CD?: Since I've been watching more TV than usual lately, I've been seeing a ton of commercials for CDs being offered for sale, such as:

--"Songs Mama Used to Sing": A collection of spiritual songs.

--"The Very Best of Rod Stewart": Truth be told, I like some of Rod's songs. But every time I see this commercial, I think of the South Park episode where he was lampooned.

--"Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd": I definitely wouldn't mind buying this. I happen to see these commercials primarily late at night. It makes sense: It's 3 in the morning, and you're in the midst of being higher than God and satisfying your munchies. You're getting ready to break out "Dark Side of the Moon," then you see the commercial. I bet my friends from high school are breaking their necks to try and grab the phone to order the 2CD set.

--"Mob Hits": They must have paid Jerry Vale gonzobucks to do this commercial. Features various songs used in mob movies, like "Casino" and "The Godfather."

and my favorite...

--"Maximum Booty": A collection of great butt songs, like "Baby Got Back" and "Rumpshaker." They were offering a free sticker with your order that said, "I brake for Maximum Booty." While I like most of the songs, I just want the sticker for shits and grins.

That'll work for now...

elSicomoro · 01-07-2002, 11:57 AM

Have any of you seen those commercials for Valtrex (a prescription used to treat genital herpes)?

I was thinking...are they using people that actually have genital herpes, or actors (as I'm suspecting)?

The reason I ask is: If they are actors, do you think that these commercials have an adverse effect on their social lives?

*looks out his balcony* Did I just see someone climbing a tree? What the...??? Great...now I'm imagining things.

MaggieL · 01-07-2002, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sycamore

--"Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd": I definitely wouldn't mind buying this. I happen to see these commercials primarily late at night. It makes sense: It's 3 in the morning, and you're in the midst of being higher than God and satisfying your munchies. You're getting ready to break out "Dark Side of the Moon," then you see the commercial. I bet my friends from high school are breaking their necks to try and grab the phone to order the 2CD set.

That's a really plausible scenario...if they don't have most of those cuts on CD already. "When the Tigers Broke Free" was never released on an album, so even the most devout Floydfolk probably won't have it, even on vinyl. I know I don't. My Floyd buying got kind of erratic after the Dark Side tour (*amazing* concert for its day when they hit The Spectum; although the preceding Echoes concert at The Tower was mindbending as well), with Animals, Temporary Lapse and Wish You Were here being the highlights. The Wall just never grabbed me right...not sure why. I eventually became a Todd Rundgren fan. Now he's kind of hit the skids too.

Even though it's an appealing title, I kinda wish they'd called the collection something else. It's the title of an original album and a cut *on* the album as well. "Echoes" the cut was kind of "our song" for Bronwyn and me. I still love it.

elSicomoro · 01-07-2002, 10:03 PM

*Sycamore picks up his car and returns home for sleep. After 5 hours of sleep, he assesses his situation.*

Hmmm...50% functional. Need more sleep.

G'night!

01-07-2002, 11:22 AM	#1
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	Random Sputterings: 1/7/2002 I want to go to sleep, but I can't. They say my car will be ready by 1 or 2 o'clock. If I go to sleep now, I am 99.999% certain that I would sleep through that phone call, and wind up not getting my car back until tomorrow. Rolling on the 84: I've been trying to get my car up to snuff in the past week, b/c it desperately needed routine maintenance, and this is the first time that I've had time to get it done. Not to mention, plate renewal is due this month, and emissions is due in April. Given that we only have one car, I've been planning my car's repairs at conveniently located places, accessible by my 2 sturdy feet or by SEPTA. Both places I found were along the route of the 84 line. Route 84 starts at Frankford Terminal (the end point of our "El"), and meanders through Northeast Philadelphia, ending at either Franklin Mills Mall or at the Philadelphia/Bucks County line on Bustleton Ave. It's a nice enough little route. I'll call it a "character route." --The buses that are used on the 84 line are a mess. The one I was on Thursday night had trash strewn all over it. The interior of the bus could use a new coat of paint, and it looked like someone urinated on the floor. (Granted, I've seen it on other lines too, but I see it on the 84 damned near every time I ride it!) --The 84 line is the only line that runs past the city's lockup facility on State Road. During the day, I have noticed that the bus is pretty full when leaving Frankford Terminal, and drastically empties once we pass the jail. Going southbound, the bus fills up dramatically at the jail stop. Rho rides the line more than I do...she probably has some good stories. Now, to my neighborhood... --My beloved neighborhood of Torresdale/Morrell Park is built on a series of hills. BIG mo' fackin' hills! We live on one of the smaller slopes in the neighborhood. --I dropped my car off at the service station this morning and found myself in a conundrum. The way our complex is set up, it is only accessible by the main streets. No real shortcuts to use when walking. So, I had two choices: 1--Wait for the 84 bus to take me up and down the hills to my front door...a distance of about 7 blocks. 2--Walk up one of the 2 main streets available to me...one is a series of highs and lows, the other a long incline followed by a leveling off. Given that it was 7 in the morning and I had been up all night, I opted for the 84. Gotta love coffee: When I first started at CVS last year, we were right next to a Dunkin Donuts. I was quickly initiated by the management into the coffee ritual. We took turns buying everyone coffee every day (i.e. I bought for the 2 other assistants one day, another bought for the assistants the next day, etc.). This generally occurred twice during a shift. This continued when I moved to another store, as there was a Dunkin Donuts across the street from our store. Unfortunately, I was then moved to a store that was not so close to a Dunkin Donuts. So, we suffered with coffee from the Snow White diner at 19th and Chestnut. Damn...that shit was nastier than McDonald's coffee. Today, I had the fortune of having a nice hot cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee on the way home from the service station...the first cup I've had from there in almost a year. Oh man! That was some damn fine coffee! I think I'd still take Starbucks overall, but DD is good coffee...and about 40 cents a cup less. I'm easily amused: The image below is the front of a menu of a pizza place in my neighborhood. Every time I look at it, I laugh because: --The leprechaun guy. I find it amusing that they use an Irish "mascot" for a pizza joint. I wonder if one of these days, a leprechaun will actually deliver my pizza. --The "Don't do Drugs" note at the bottom. It reminds me of the video games from the 80s that had the "Winners don't do drugs" messages. Also, one can only suspect what the leprechaun has in his pipe. Should I buy that CD?: Since I've been watching more TV than usual lately, I've been seeing a ton of commercials for CDs being offered for sale, such as: --"Songs Mama Used to Sing": A collection of spiritual songs. --"The Very Best of Rod Stewart": Truth be told, I like some of Rod's songs. But every time I see this commercial, I think of the South Park episode where he was lampooned. --"Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd": I definitely wouldn't mind buying this. I happen to see these commercials primarily late at night. It makes sense: It's 3 in the morning, and you're in the midst of being higher than God and satisfying your munchies. You're getting ready to break out "Dark Side of the Moon," then you see the commercial. I bet my friends from high school are breaking their necks to try and grab the phone to order the 2CD set. --"Mob Hits": They must have paid Jerry Vale gonzobucks to do this commercial. Features various songs used in mob movies, like "Casino" and "The Godfather." and my favorite... --"Maximum Booty": A collection of great butt songs, like "Baby Got Back" and "Rumpshaker." They were offering a free sticker with your order that said, "I brake for Maximum Booty." While I like most of the songs, I just want the sticker for shits and grins. That'll work for now... Attached Images

01-07-2002, 11:57 AM	#2
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	Postscript Have any of you seen those commercials for Valtrex (a prescription used to treat genital herpes)? I was thinking...are they using people that actually have genital herpes, or actors (as I'm suspecting)? The reason I ask is: If they are actors, do you think that these commercials have an adverse effect on their social lives? looks out his balcony Did I just see someone climbing a tree? What the...??? Great...now I'm imagining things.

01-07-2002, 10:03 PM	#4
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	Sycamore picks up his car and returns home for sleep. After 5 hours of sleep, he assesses his situation. Hmmm...50% functional. Need more sleep. G'night!

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