it is over...

So hey, guess what? I got a job! No, strike that, I got TWO jobs to choose from. So, in the end, I have one job, but... you know what I mean.

The first job is the one at the floor store, part time, which was offered when my boss found out I got the other job. The other job is at a hotel, as a nighttime receptionist. Full time. I think I might take it. I think. I mean, working night is really demanding, not just on your psyche, but on your social life as well. But still, it's a full time job, and I need the money, so...

I still have some time to figure it out. I'll keep you posted. Yay! Now, I'm off to Pop Quiz at the pub.

Crazy Jack-Face 15

"Hnnnngh!"

living in a state of conformity...

I promised that I'd write about my job when I had the energy. Wait, job? No, I wouldn't call it job. A job gives you money when you give them your time, energy and your services. I'm not getting any money (yet) so I'm not sure what to call it. "Limbo"?

Ever since I got unemployed, people from everywhere started telling me what to do, how to look and what to think. People I don't know. The unemployment office, interviewers, community workers. Forcing me to attend programs that only costs money and doesn't amount to a damn thing. Basically, I felt like I was being treated like a fucking child most of the time. Telling me things I already knew, repeatedly. "Fall in and march, motherfucker"! It hasn't really bothered me until recently. I'm not sure why, but I bet it has something to do with this godawful weather. I can't stand it.

I guess it won't stop until I get employed somewhere. Then maybe I can start living my life again.

my first day...

completed my first training day at the floor store. so... very... tired. can't even... begin sentences... with capital letters. i'll write more about it another day, when i get into it.
the first day is always the hardest, right?

Crazy Jack-Face 14

"I don't care whether or not they called you... you made a mistake!"

yes, it is true...

NOT work-safe.

one floor, two floor, three floor, four...

I got a trainee-position today, which could very well lead to a full-time job. It's not a very stimulating job (basically secretary work and helping out in the store), but it could bring in some serious cash my way. Besides, it's easier getting another job when you already have one. Kinda like getting a new girl when you already have a girlfriend.

The company sells and installs floors, by the way. Hardwood, linoleum, tiles, stuff like that. I guess it's not that bad.

Hi, my name is Ricard. I sell floors for a living.

_fuck fuck ^fuck fuck _fuck fuck ^fuck fuck _fuck fuck ^fuck fuck _fuck fuck ^fuck fuck _fuck fuck ^fuck fuck _fuck fuck ^fuck fuck _fuck fuck ^fuck fuck _fuck fuck ^fuck fuck _fuck fuck ^fuck fuck _fuck fuck ^fuck fuck _fuck fuck ^fuck fuck _fuck fuck ^fuck fuck _fuck fuck

Needless to say, I'm pretty pissed off today.

everything will be ok...

if i act like myself everything will be ok
if i tell her what's in my heart everything will be ok
if i eat salad everything will be ok
if i work my ass off everything will be ok
if i smile everything will be ok
if i am supportive everything will be ok
if i drink everything will be ok
if i wear proper clothing everything will be ok
if i am talented everything will be ok
if i have friends everything will be ok
if i clean my room everything will be ok
if i listen everything will be ok
if i am funny everything will be ok
if i forgive everything will be ok
if i erase my mind everything will be ok
if i smile everything will be ok


shamelessly stolen and modified from http://happyllama.livejournal.com/

just for the fun of it...

I forgot these clips in my last post, so here they are.



Oh, awkward...


Exaggeration, hm? Like everything you say is one of those "lies"?

come on, doesn't everyone enjoy a good rape joke...?

In light of the public whoopsie Vladimir Putin made recently, I'd like to show two clips of world leaders who actually have a sense of humor. Enjoy.





(Maybe the last one counts as multiple whoopsies. I dunno. What do you think?)

hell on earth...

What's more depressing than actually being out of a job? I'll tell you; being forced to work for free, which is what is on my agenda for the next month. I have a week to either get a trainee-position myself, or being put to work into the community workshop, which I hear is worse than death itself. I guess I'm just gonna have to bite the bullet and hope that something good comes my way. Maybe I can try to weasel out of some hours, but still... It's gonna be really frustrating. And depressing.

I'm gonna buy a lottery ticket tomorrow, and hope for the best.

little people scrub and clean my teeth when I sleep at night...

Well, I'm all better now. The cold has gone bye-bye. Nice knowing ya. Don't come back, ever. Enough about that, let's talk about a little something that was dropped through my mail-slot this morning.

Don Hertzfeldt is an amazing film-maker. His unique style, his meticulous attention to detail and sense of humor has captured the hearts and minds of many many many, and mine as well. The first time I got exposed to Don's work was when I saw his short "Billy's Balloon", a sadistic portrayal of an evil red balloon and a boy who is subject to the balloons torture. I was about 16 or 17 when I saw it on TV, I think, and I kicked and cursed myself repeatedly for not recording it so I can show it to my friends.


"Billy's Balloon", 1998

A couple of years later, I saw a movie called "Rejected" on TV. Shorts like these don't usually get aired on Swedish TV. I don't know what the reasons were for showing "Billy's Balloon", but in this case I can make a qualified guess, although I don't really know for sure. I may be wrong. Anyway, the animated shorts that are nominated for an Academy Award usually become a part of SVT's (Sveriges Television - Swedish Television) Oscar Evening, which means that SVT airs the nominated shorts before the actual show. "Rejected" was nominated, so I guess it was aired for that reason. I wasn't aware of this at the time, but it has been so the last years I've followed the Oscars. I, once again, failed to record it, so I did the kicking and cursing myself again. Hard.


"Rejected", 2000

So, I was watching "Rejected", and I knew I recognized the style from somewhere, but I couldn't figure out from where. I wrote Don's name down on a piece of paper, so I would remember it, but I lost it somehow. It wouldn't occur to me until years later that Don had done both movies, when I stumbled on to a link to a video online. After a long time downloading (56k dial-up, woo) I saw that I had stumbled upon a low-quality version of "Rejected". For what it's worth, at least it made sure I would remember Don's name from now on. Searched it on the IMDb, and the rest is history.

On to what fell through my mail-slot this morning;
"Bitter films - vol. 1", a collection of all the animated shorts the Don made during 1995 to 2005. This DVD really has everything one could ask for regarding Don's shorts, and more. Once you see his movies back to back, you really take notice on how he has developed as an animator. From the somewhat simple and geniusly wicked "Ah l'amour" to the playful cinematic parody that is "Genre".


"Genre", 1996

The misery of two humans is portrayed in "Lily and Jim", which is about an awkward blind date gone terribly wrong. On to his most evil film, "Billy's Balloon" which I mentioned earlier, and his most popular film to date, "Rejected", which is about the fictional mental breakdown of Don himself as an animator, and about the evil of commercialism that is jammed down our throats on a daily basis.
Buy more. Buy more now. And be happy.


"Lily and Jim", 1997

Last feature on the DVD, but definitely not least, is the overwhelming piece of art that is "The Meaning of Life", which explores the past and future evolution of humans, where we are going, and where we are now. Are we nothing more than ants on a hill, droning and strolling around the world, or can humanity rise to be something more?
The question is asked, but left to the viewer to answer.


"The Meaning of Life", 2005

As if these digitally remastered shorts (supervised by Don himself, who "hated every living second of it", according to the back cover) weren't enough, there's tons and kilos of special features to explore. Everything from camera notes, script pages, sketches, pencil tests, to photographs, audio commentaries, a trivia subtitle track, a documentary and much more. The sheer volume of interesting content that was put on this DVD is a really amazing effort. Simply put, if you're a fan of Don's, a fan of animation, or just a fan of film, you'll want to have this disc. You need it. You really do, you just don't know it yet.

Don is just about done with his latest movie, titled "Everything Will Be OK", which is part one in a future trilogy. If he's moving in the direction that "The Meaning of Life" was pointing to, I think that Don may very well become one of the most creative filmmakers ever.


"Everything Will Be OK", 2006

Visit http://www.bitterfilms.com to order "Bitter films - vol. 1" and for more info about Don Hertzfeldt and his movies.