off-topics

The result of all this bitching about my cd collection is twofold. One is that people often express surprise or jealousy of my racks of cds. Really it’s rather unfounded, because it’s not as though a spend a significant amount of time or cash on my collection; it’s at least a third comprised of singles and has been accumulated over nearly six years. Given those facts and my obviously love of music, i don’t think someone whose favourite artist is “umm… probably Nirvana” should begrudge me my collection.

The second is that when browsing through through my cds see absolutely nothing they’re interested in listening to aside from Alanis Morissette or Madonna. Earlier this summer evilViktor and another OL were polling my cd collection for something listenable and came up emptyhanded. The random OL naively asked me if i had any Whitney Houston and i nearly kicked him out of the room. Viktor then discerned that Garbage was tolerable, but was baffled to find that i had 22 of their cds when they only had two released albums. I didn’t even bother to try to explain Ani DiFranco to him.

I know people who have so many varied cds that their entire rooms are devoted to them. On the other hand, i know people with a cherished few who don’t buy very many other ones at all (or who just use Napster like the selfish whores that they are). I fall somewhere in the middle, with a largish but unvaried collection. Ani DiFranco, Tori Amos, and Garbage count for aproximately a third of my cds, and my not many of my other ones range far afield from the artistic ground covered by those three. I have never waited more than two weeks to buy a cd that i’ve truly wanted. Call me spoilt, but i call it budgeting; as soon as i learn a release date i schedule the $15 into my monthly wages as if it were a utility bill. Very rarely am i scraping the bottoms of my pockets for cash for cds. The downside of this is that i don’t have very much of a classic collection, especially when it comes to classic rock and early alternative. Adding Weezer to my collection (finally) was a huge step considering that i only own two Nirvana albums out of the big three of Seattle (N, Pearl Jam(blah), and SoundGarden (yum).

I wish i could describe to you the amount of stuff i have. It’s unreal… well, the unreal bit is that i refuse to leave anything behind when i move from one place to another. And the worst part is that mum bitches me out about it constantly when she’s been known to bring a car full of stuff with her for a three-day vacation. I’m simply very materialistic and it has an effect on the things i consider essential to my life. Before anything else, i need my computer, because every piece of important information is on it. Next comes my guitar (which is equivalent to my sanity). After that it’s a mish mosh of CDs, important papers, and clothing. I have quite a bit of all three, though i certainly know plenty of people with CD collections dwarving my own.

In further personal development, i am working more towards developing my inner bitch for times when i need her. First, though, i need to regain the intelligence that i seem to have misplaced over the years. When explaining myself lately i have shown a tendency to fall into multiple tangents before ever coming to a point, but today i saw several occasions where that was conquered. Also, i seem to have developed a flair for telling my mother off whenever she does something rather unintelligent (like locking us out of the apartment in the midst of our move), but i obviously need to extend that to encompass other people. The two ultimate tests will come tomorrow as i do combat the with the phone company for the 4th time, and when i get my schedule for next week from work. And then friday i can die… err, … rest. And then i haven’t got a day off until December. I’m looking forward to it.

I would reccomend breaking a collarbone to anyone. If you think about it, a collar is the most convenient bone in the body to break. None of that fuss with wheelchairs and crutches that you have with breaks from the waist down, no notable physical disfigurements as with facial breaks, it doesn’t constantly rebreak in the way a rib does, and you don’t lose the mobility or dexterity of an arm or hand. Of course, since your collar is connected to your neck, your back, and your arm, you’ll find plenty of ways to be uncomfortable in the weeks after your break. And, since the bone is not isolated in the way an arm is, there’s no cast (meaning that you’re break may heal slightly crooked and there’s nothing anyone can do about it).

Worst of all, even after your bone feels better you still can’t lift anything. It was pretty much a given that my left arm was around just for show in the weeks following the break, but soon i felt well enough to play guitar and soon thereafter i gained back most of my normal function. However, due to the fact that my break is still gradually healing i’ve been told by plenty of doctors not to lift anything that would put a strain on my shoulder. So, i’m basically limited to carrying things i can support from my elbow. That’s fine for bookbags or shoes, but the lack of power and leverage can be a real pain in your day to day travels. I had to sit out of games at our outdoors training for Orientation (after almost dropping someone in an attempted trust fall), and i missed much needed pay from work at the coffee shop for weeks.

As of now i can’t take out trash or mop at the coffee shop, and i’m absolutely useless at moving from place to place. I am the sort who usually tackles hard-to-transport objects very agressively, and it’s ultimately very frustrating to hear my mother whimper about moving things that i would attack without a grimace. Even though i reccomend the injury to those in the market for one, i would rather it just get over with.