I agree that cell phone use in public can be very annoying. The reason being that to all but the phone user, it’s a one sided conversation. The very same can be said for people that think out loud while in public. The tallest black woman in the line is also the most vocal. She expresses every thought out loud, even though the person who she came with left. She was not interested in waiting with her and had probably heard how, ‘She’s gots a jobs now and needs to take her ass to work. So’s it’s about time she gots her license.’ as we have all been informed. Although no one seems to respond, this doesn’t stop her from needling the person ahead of her, asking, “Is you on lunch?” The woman is dressed in nurses scrubs with an id tag hanging around her neck and only needs to answer by nodding to the obviousness of the question.  The loud thinker also informs people who appears to be jumping the line, “The line is back here. We have all been waiting too! What makes you so special?” The truth is, everyone in line does look pained when a new visitor comes in the door and walks straight to the counter, bypassing the line. In this case her directness serves a purpose for the group, since we are all wondering the same quietly to ourselves.

Every time the door opens everyone turns to look at the reaction of the next victim to walk in.  They have a guilty look as everyone stares at them for few seconds and then turn their heads away as the new person settles into line. Or in some cases when discover the length of the wait, they roll their eyes and walk out again, obviously too busy or more likely too impatient to devote an hour of their lives to the privilege of driving legally. North Carolina budget cuts have brought the staff down to three employees in this location, which makes for slow going. The line snakes six feet one way and then the other four times. It has taken me 35 minutes to travel 18 feet. After an hour, I approach the front desk and explain I’m renewing my driver’s license. It feels like being accepted into the Emerald City and then I am graciously allowed into the next room to sit and wait some more.

In the testing room there are many empty seats which makes each one of us who has gotten this far feel very important. Most are careful not to look back at the line like they are on a death march and we have been spared. My number is 186 and I quickly scan the displays to see how long my wait will continue. I half expect the current number to be 12 but I am relieved to see 183 on the sign. The loud thinker is now speaking with an inspector about her needs. The back of her shirt reads, “I’m not a Bitch. I’m THE BITCH. And that’s Miss Bitch to you.” I wonder how she would react if I were to address her in this way. “Excuse me Miss Bitch, you dropped your Social Security Card. Yes, it says so right here, THE BITCH.”

Bing, my number comes up. I read a line of letters, identify some street signs, pay $35 bucks, have my photo taken and I’m done. It seems anticlimactic to have stood in line so long for a process that is over so quickly.

Nowadays I have settled into a nice suburb of Charlotte, NC. I couldn’t be any further away from the city’s center without being considered living in the next town. There are cows just down the road but this is one of those newer developments that have taken over the farm and wooded land as the city’s inhabitants continue to expand outward. As a kid, if I wanted to visit with the neighbors I had a good hike to reach them. The kids on my “block” were spread over a three mile stretch of road, and that was a total of 15 houses. Growing up in a rural setting meant that when I took a job delivering pizzas at the age of 21, I didn’t yet know that one side of the street had odd numbered houses and the other had even. I have definitely been a “country mouse” for the better part of my life. This may be the cause of my antisocial nature.

It’s not that I don’t like people, I just don’t understand why the houses have to be so close together. When I was younger the house next door could have burned to the ground without you knowing it. Today, my neighbor can inadvertently change the channels on my TV with his remote. It’s hard enough to live right on top of each other, but some people go out of their way to be a nuisance. I have a fairly well trained Yellow Lab that knows enough not to bark every two seconds for hours on end. I can’t understand why anyone would want that kind of companion. If the person you lived with would not shut up for a few seconds each hour, you would probably consider having them put to sleep as well.

And to my neighbor; If your little yappy dog is terrorizing my back yard, please get off your cellphone and call it home instead of watching me fight my way to my car to go to work. And if you are going to have a loud party until the wee hours of the morning, at least invite me to attend. My only participation should not be when your guests choose to relieve themselves on my lawn before kicking trash out of their cars and driving home drunk. I don’t feel the need to impose myself on anyone else and I don’t need roommates anymore. But if your activities are going to infringe on my life so much, maybe you should be paying a portion of my rent.

Attribution:

Special Thanks To:
Frank Edward Nora

Music By:
Penmachine – Striking Silver

Penmachine – Fakeout

Brad Sucks – Theres Something Wrong

Brad Sucks – Dropping Out Of  School

Download – copyrightfrankedwardnora.mp3

According to the Recording Industry, giving away copyrighted material for free will always result in the loss of sales. The proof is in the pudding. More and more creative entities are releasing their own property to clamering audiences. Thereby building the loyalty base and word of mouth. Time and time again they are seeing an increase in sales as the free work drives people to want more. Take the case of Monty Python. After so many years of poorly copied VHS tapes traded between fans, and low-quality videos online being the only content people could find, the creators have started their own YouTube channel with high-quality files for free. They are reporting an astronomical increase in sales, boosting them to the top 5 on Amazon.com. Independent artists like Brad Sucks, or main stream artists like Nine Inch Nails are both finding that making their material available online for free, under a “pay what you want” plan is good for business. Even in a resession, Americans want to be entertained. When they are trolling the internet to find something to pass the time, they will start with what is available for free, but when they find something they like, they will pay to get more of it.

Attribution:

Special Thanks To:
POMP

Various Music from:
Brad Sucks

Download – thelandlord.mp3

When two parties enter into an agreement, especially when a contract is signed, a certain amount of ethics are to be expected. The relationship between Landlord and Tenant is not usually a friendly sitiuation, and often times quite confrontational. This is one of those times when everyone is just supposed to trust each other, but those involved rarely do. Pieces of paper do not have much effect on peoples behavior. In most cases it’s only a matter of who will breach the contract first. So each side handles the other like a neighboring war-like country. With diplomatic pleasentries and sutble reminders, whether it’s an awkward phone call or visit to talk about the late rent or non-working appliances. Now, if all goes well, and the full term is reached, then each party goes on their own seperate ways. But all too often, somebody doesn’t live up to their promise and the war begins. Landlords that professionally lease property become familiar with the scenarios that play out in their houses and subsequently very familiar with the laws that attempt to protect their assets. Tenant that habitually rent also become familiar with what they can get away with, and how little fun late-night packing can be. When either side has decided to plant their feet and not cooperate, very little happens next without the intervention of the legal system. Even the law cannot do much to fix these problems as new laws continues to counteract each sides case. And so, it comes down to a staring contest where the first to blink, loses.

Attribution:

Special Thanks To:
POMP

Various Source Tracks by Brad Sucks

Download – newmedia.mp3

Many people are beginning to realize the web can be used for more than just email. They are starting to use their computers as TVs and Radios. Sadly, just as the tide is turning, the internet service providers are attempting to hold our data hostage. They are gearing up to blackmail the US public with downloading limits that could stifle our entertainment. They need viewers to continue to watch and pay for cable TV. They cannot justify quadrupling the price of an internet connection since they have been overcharging for the amount of speed and reliability they currently offer. Their only option is to lie about how much it really costs to deliver the web and act as though the internet can be “used up”. They sell our content like it’s their property. The local governments have been bought and paid for many times over to allow anti-competitive behavior by giving licenses to one company in each area. The companies don’t have to compete, and therefore, have no reason to provide excellent quality of service for a fair price. Since these companies provide a service much like law enforcement or the postal service maybe they should be voted in and out of service like other government entities. They will take the money out of your pocket if you continue to allow them. Demand something better.

Attribution:

“Quit My Day Job” by Geoff Smith

“Almost Forgotten” by Acoustic Rosh

“Big World” by The Whole Tribe Sings

Download Link

My Grandmother used to ask me every time I saw her if I currently had a job. “Nan”, as I call her (short for Nanny), would at this point always tell me the same story as if I had not heard it the 100 times before.

My grandparents, and my father for that matter, were born in Great Britain. I’m not so sure they really ever thought it was all that “Great” but England was where they started out. When Nan was a young girl her father was in and out of work quite regularly as were most working class people before and during WWII. Her family were not the nicest people around and to that end they would ask upon seeing her, “Is your Father working?” as a way to embarrass her and make her feel small. After she married my grandfather, the family shifted the question to, “Is Ken working?” My grandfather was an accomplished bricklayer and moved about the country picking up contract work until the money ran out, the boss got on his nerves or the building was finished. He did spend some time looking for the next job, and did very well once he was employed, but the family would not let her forget when he did not have a paycheck. My own father has rarely taken a day off in his life since starting work at an early age. He was acutely aware of the question on the lips of the family and I’m sure this had a large effect on him. But still the question would be asked, maybe now as a matter of habit, “Is Alan working?” And even when the answer was in the positive, I’m sure they just pressed on to the next bit of bad news.

I myself have followed more in the footsteps of my grandfather. Not so much bricklaying, but working on short-term contract. Much of my career has been in the audio and video field which, unless you own your own company and can keep plenty of clients, means you are pretty much a freelancer. And so, each time my grandmother speaks to my father or mother she asks, “Is young Alan working?” And when she asks me herself, “Are you working?” she relays the story once again. Which I find strange, as she explains how rotten it made her feel, maybe not realizing the perpetuation of ill will. How long do family habits like this continue? Even after all involved can admit it was not for the best?

Well Nan, I have a job currently, though the pays not good, and the hours don’t add up, and I have to work second job as well to make ends meet. I know you will be glad to tell the family, “Yes, young Alan is working. Now get off my back!” once and for all.