Good Morning. Hello. How are you? #1562
Doctors doctors doctors, old ads rattling in my brain, the new Chameleons, OnlyFans posting strategies and Trump tax policy, Patreon ghosters, Marc Maron's charity of choice.
Hello hello hello. Good morning. Friday. Emma let me sleep in, she took Jane to school today, that was nice. It does not seem to have made me more awake, alas. But still. Very nice, A+, no complaints.
Programming update: Made a very unfortunate typo in my sentence about Melissa Hortman, implying she was impersonating a copy. No no no. Killed by a cop impersonator. I updated the web version. I also left out the plot against Josh Shapiro, and the shootings at the homes of four Dem officials in New Mexico in ‘22.
Got a doctor’s appointment in 2 hours where they pump my neck full of muscle relaxers through 30 or so tiny little shots. I love it so much. Does it do much? Nah, not really. Maybe a 10-20% improvement in neck pain for maybe 3 months. Insurance will only cover four sessions a year. So, you know, yeah. It does a little something, a little. Intermittently. but it is not nothing.
Rounding out the week of doctors, in between my finger doctor appointment Wednesday and the pain doctor today, I took Jane to the doctor yesterday. Well, Emma took her there, but while Emma was there, CVS called and told Emma they had the COVID vaccine for the next hour or so then they would run out. So I went to the doctor and covered for Emma while she went and got the COVID vax. She made it and got one. You have to have a prescription in this state, it sucks. Emma said there were a bunch of old people in line trying to get the vax and their prescriptions had not gone through yet. What a way to treat the elderly, what w way.
Jane’s appointment was fine, she took blood for some tests, and got her flu shot. Doctor confirmed my suspicions the cough wasn’t much and she could go to school with it. I assume she did not argue this morning because I woulda heard the screaming from bed but hey who knows. Hopefully this little refusenik session is behind us.
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We are listening to the new album by the Chameleons aka Chameleons UK, out today, entitled Arctic Moon. Having grown up a stone’s throw from the arctic, I approve of this name. My friend Todd is in the band and reading between the lines lines of the liner notes it seems that he gets songwriting credits along with the rest of the band, so a) props to Mark for doing this and b) fucking congrats Todd, that is awesome, you got songwriting credits on a band we loved when kids how fucking crazy is that. Amazing.
Anyway, I’m only on track 3, had already heard track 1 on an advance single, but I am liking the record so far. And props to the band or their label or whomever for sending me my vinyl copy to arrive the night before official release date that is some all-pro logistics right there.
Oh shit I used the word “logistics” I instantly have that old UPS ad in my head:
Top ten Rick head-canon ad right there. Shit let’s see what is the top ten Rick head-canon ads? Let’s see if we can do it.
In no order:
That’s Logistics
Where’s the Beef, the OG
Hooray Beer, though we got to work on that campaign so that feels like cheating but that was later in the campaign so maybe it does count
Hrm you know what? My brain is going to “good” and “important” ads like Milky Way and Cog and that’s not what I’m going for here. I’m going for decades-spanning brainworms. But this list might take a while, and I gotta go to the doctor so I can’t spend an hour on it. But this list needs expansion. Will keep a note handy and try and capture them all, all those ads rattling around in my brain.
Numero group is issuing an anthology recording of X-Cetra, the band of 9-11-year-old girls who made an awesome pop dub trip hop dream pop album in the year 2000 or so. One of the girls in the band is Ayden Mayeri, who went on to achieve semi-fame in Veep, Afterparty, that Fletch movie and a bunch of other stuff. The album is very good and cute.
But I am writing here just to say that I want some sort of award because I did not buy it. I resisted. It has been a long time since I resisted buying a record, we have definitely had a bit of a relapse these last few months.
So I would like an award please. Thanks.
This Trump thing. Face totally looks like a stroke. They’re using cheap AI or morphing technology or whatever to patch together multiple takes of video messages, dude had a stroke right, he’s dying, etc.
BUT, couple counterpoints;
1) Democratic NC governor Josh Stein says he talked on the phone to Trump yesterday about hurricane relief funds. Claims Trump is finally gonna send the money they shoulda sent six months ago, politely thanked him in his Skeet, etc etc. The promise for funds is also kinda BS, but who’s shocked about that. Now, I mean, Stein and the state of NC is captive to Trump here, we need the money, you can’t piss off the king when he’s blackmailing you. And Stein is no Newsom or Pritzker he’s not exactly an online governor, so I don’t know he would Skeet anything out, like, “also that dude sounded bad, he is totally dying.” But it does seem pretty clear Trump is performing his duties, alas. It’s kind of crazy to even think Trump would bother talking to a Democratic governor, but we are the battleground state of next election cycle, what with our senate race, so Trump has generally been treating our state with kid gloves.
2) News reports last night had Trump talking to his press pool. Now, he was saying batshit things like we should kill all dems or whatever, but he was there, saying them, and no one reported “also his face was falling off.” I don’t have the most confidence in the White House press pool but there are still one or two intrepid reporters in it, and again: evidence the dude is functioning.
So, you know. Might be a while.
Marc Maron is competing on the finale of Who Wants to be a Celebrity Millionaire, and the charity he’s choosing is the awesome big cat sanctuary down the road from us, in our county: Carolina Tiger Rescue. This place is awesome and I have zero idea how or why Marc Maron has chosen it but we are so, so excited. They are hosting a viewing party. My god, I hope he wins. That would be amazing.
If you ever come visit, beg us to take you to Carolina Tiger Rescue we need an excuse to go again.
I recently learned that Trump’s tax laws, specifically the one giving tax breaks on tips, is having an impact on OnlyFans, and how OF workers present their work. There are three ways to buy things on OnlyFans: subscriptions, video-on-demand purchases and tips. And now tips have special tax treatment. Or are going to? Actually I don’t even know if the law is in effect yet, but it is already having an impact. Creators are moving away from subscriptions to tips, which are tax free. Which means subscribing to creators isn’t really worth as much to subscribers. All very interesting.
Semi-relatedly, I have noticed a tendency of, let’s say Patreon creators, of just… disappearing? Like they don’t say to you “oh hey I am done creating. I turned off your subscription.” They just ghost, while still collecting the money. It is pretty frustrating! It has happened to me three times now. I do not have the mental capacity to do some sort of double-check every month. I mean, I do, but I shouldn’t have to! It feels very scammy and I am sad about it.
Jane and I had a nice time on her sick day. She bothered me more than she should have, but that was okay I was not too too busy at work. We did lots of snuggles in my desk chair. She was good the other night about teeth and jammies so she got her reward Real Civil Engineer and we watched him play some Cities: Skylines and work on traffic, which is a thing she loves watching.
Maybe she will be a traffic engineer.
Justa mix for you today and I have ordered it from newest to oldest — five new songs out today: Michael Hurley, Midlake, Chameleons, Saintseneca and Jeff Tweedy. I don’t know how Michael Hurley has a new song today either we will have to investigate that. Saintseneca is coming to town I think I might go see them loved their last album. Midlake came to a party at my house once. Wait was that Midlake or Clearlake? Midlake, I think. Last couple weeks we’ve had Anamanaguchi and Mago Price and Suede. Then we get to some older stuff that’s been rattling around in my head the last few weeks. And X-Cetra, of course. From 2000. I am not actually sure of the Scrawl dates don’t @ me I just started listening to them this week I am a bit late there.
All right have a lovely weekend we are going to lay so much type-X sheetrock on the floor of the studio it is going to rule. I’ll tell you all about it Monday.
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Good Morning, Hello, How Are You vol 1.