It seems notoriously hard to find in this corner of the world, but by pure chance I found a brand-new copy at a local record shop. The jewel case was slightly cracked and faded - probably has been sitting on the shelf since its 1999 release. No matter. I got Nightlife, baby! :)
And it's not so bad.
Many other Petheads (at least the ones on the forum) say it's the Boys' weakest album. Yeah, I can see why. Quite a few of the tracks are either showtunes or rejected songs from their ill-fated musical, Closer To Heaven. But even those aren't so bad.
The only song I didn't particularly care for is "In denial". Kylie Minogue's tonal quality just doesn't seem to fit, at least to my ears. I don't know if I can explain it better than that. Sometimes music either resonates, or it doesn't, without rhyme or reason.
On the other hand, I really enjoyed "Happiness is an option" and the album mix of "New York City boy". Love, love, love that instrumental bit towards the end!
- Mood:
bouncy
Pet Shop Boys - I Get Along (CD1)
Pet Shop Boys - I'm With Stupid (CD1)
Pet Shop Boys - Minimal (DVD)
...and I finally won a copy of Drunk! Finally!
In other news, it's Day 2 of the Baha'i Fast and while things are okay... look, I'll be honest, I'm not feeling real spiritual right now. I never feel spiritual during the Fast. While everyone else is (or pretends to be) in a state of prayer and grace, I'm thinking about Krispy Kreme donuts with chocolate drizzle and a nice cappuchino to wash it all down. Yeah, I'll even take a horrid KK cap at this point.
To quote Homer Simpson: "Me so hungeeeee."
I just snagged myself a few vintage PSB singles, courtesy of eBay:
That's "I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Anymore", "New York City Boy", and "Home and Dry"*.
The only reason I get singles is for the B-sides, or "Bonus Tracks" as they're called nowadays. You can't find them anywhere else - not on the album and not even on the official PSB website, where you can listen to just about anything else. And dare I say that PSB B-sides are usually better than the singles themselves.
Keen Petheads will note that "Drunk" is missing from my Nightlife collection. I tried to get that one, too (the entire 3 CD set, no less), but was completely outbid. I can get it a bit cheaper via the Amazon Marketplace, but will have to have it sent to my parents since this particular seller doesn't ship overseas. (grrrrrrrr!)
Oh - a little update on the Please situation in a previous post. UK HMV turned out to be a total bust; as soon as I was ready to buy, they listed it as "out of stock"! Grrrrr. But I finally found it, new and sealed, from a smaller US importer - and at a discount! I bought it, along with Fundamental/Fundamentalism, and it was shipped last week so it should be arriving soon - pending Customs and all that stuff.
* Yes, I'm aware that "Home and Dry" is part of the Release album, not Nightlife.
So far, I've got:
Disco
Actually (2001 reissue)
Introspective (2001 reissue)
Behaviour (2001 reissue)
Very (2001 reissue)
Bilingual (2001 reissue)
Release
PopArt (2CD+DVD bonus pack)
Disco 3
Concrete
I was able to find most of them by scouring the local record shops - interestingly, some copies of the earlier albums had been sitting on the shelves for nearly 7 or 8 years! Guess there aren't too many Petheads around.
Spiritwalker - nice guy that he is - ordered Disco 2 and Disco 3 for my birthday. I received Disco 3 about 2 weeks ago. Disco 2 is still in transit.
Then I decided to use some of my birthday money (thanks Mom!) and ordered two titles from the Australian equivilant of HMV: Please (2001 reissue) and Fundamental (2 CD special edition). Last week, I got two separate e-mails saying that both were out of stock and on back order. No worries... I expected that.
Now, today, I got another e-mail saying that Fundamental is permanently unavailable. *le sigh* I found it on Amazon.com, as (I believe) it's a US edition anyway. Whew!
But now I'm worried I'll get same message for Please. Please is the album I really wanted; it's permanently on my Winamp playlist, and of course I've got all the other reissues so this would complete it. Just my luck, Amazon doesn't carry it. Well, they do, but only via their "Marketplace" which I find terribly dodgy. I want a new copy if possible. Apparently it's been "discontinued by the manufacturer". I didn't realise how lucky I was to find the other albums locally.
UPDATE: "Why don't you check out the UK HMV site?" says the ever-helpful Spiritwalker. So I do, and of course, they've got it in stock! Right now! Shipping in 24 hours or less!
This is a big duh moment. Of course they would. They're the UK HMV and the Pets are UK artists. I admit, I like to exhaust all local sources before going international, but it appears I may have no choice. Now I just have to see how much damage I can do over in jolly ol' England before I get slapped with Customs tariffs. LOL.
Meanwhile, I think I may have found a copy of Relentless! And "only" $70 USD, LOL.
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rantingjules and thenewaussie for reminding me. :)2008 In Review
1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Listen to the entire PSB discography. I never knew they were so awesome! Now I'm positively hooked.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I resolved not to make any New Years resolutions, and I kept it. Make of that what you will. ;)
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My brother's girlfriend had a baby boy in August, and a good friend adopted a baby boy in December.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thank goodness, no.
5. What countries did you visit?
I didn’t leave the country.
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
A proper house and every PSB album I don't already have - but hey, these are non-essentials, really.
7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 17 - my youngest son was admitted to hospital with suspected meningitis, then declared FTT and had to stay for 2.5 weeks.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting through it (mostly) unscathed.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Potty-training Jason... but we're still working on it!
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing that I haven’t been dealing with most of my life.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Oh boy - I bought a lot of things. I can't tell you which one was the best.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Everyone's.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Nope, you're not trapping me with that question. Next!
14. Where did most of your money go?
Bills, credit cards, personal loan
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Ethan getting out of hospital
My parents visiting from the US
PSB announcing their new album title ('Yes', I did actually yell out, "YES!")
16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
None of them.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:i. happier or sadder? ii. thinner or fatter? iii. richer or poorer?
1. About the same. 2. Maybe slightly thinner 3. About the same
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Spending time with the kids. Travel. Writing. Being spiritual. Exercise.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Worrying about what other people think and silly administrative crap.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
We went to a Christmas lunch at one of the Baha'is' homes; it was nice. Other than that, we did diddly squat.
21. Who did you meet for the first time?
Lots of people. I don't really remember.
22. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Yes, with both David and Neil Tennant. (har har - just kidding! I don't perve on celebrities, but I admire their work very much.)
23. What was your favourite TV program?
Doctor Who
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I really don't know. 'Hate' is such a strong word anyway.
25. What was the best book you read?
Falling Into Grace by Justice St. Rain - again for the millionth time. I love that book!
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Peeeeet Shooooop Booooooooyyyyyssssss
27. What was your favourite film of this year?
The Dark Knight
28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I hit the big 3-0. Had a nice quiet celebration at home.
29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Winning the lottery
30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Frumptastic
31. What kept you sane?
Writing, taking time to relax (- yeah, me too!)
32. What political issue stirred you the most?
Entirely too many of them, as far as I’m concerned.
33. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
The most important question is not "who am I?" but, "does it really matter?"
34. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
We're concerned
You're a threat
You're not integral
To the project
"Look, it's Squeaky! It's Squeaky!" - said Jason when it appeared on the TV this morning.
He must be the only lil' Pethead in the universe (and he IS a Pethead, much to Spiritwalker's consternation) who likes this video. :)
I had a strange dream last night.
I dreamed that a much younger version of Chris Lowe came over to my house - of course, it wasn't really my house, but the house that was mine in my dream (if that makes sense). Anyway, he was visiting to promote the new PSB album, titled "Yes", and showed me the artwork. It was a multi-coloured scribble on a black background with 'XXIII' on the bottom.
I asked Chris what he thought of the new album. He said it wasn't very good, and he wasn't happy with it at all. I noticed that Chris wasn't wearing his signature sunnies/cap combo, and there was no sign of Neil Tennant.
Then a horde of screaming fangirls came to the door, demanding to know where Chris was. I told them to wait in the den and he'd come out and sign some autographs. Meanwhile, Chris showed me some unreleased video of Neil singing "Suburbia" dressed in drag, complete with long sandy-blonde hair. I asked Chris if that was really Neil's hair, and he became angry with me and stormed off.
I found him later with the fangirls, signing autographs. I stood on the sidelines and watched.
The end.
Interestingly, I'm not alone. This guy has had a few PSB dreams too.
I don't know who I am anymore.
I just don't know.
It would seem some explanation is needed.
This is difficult to do in such a public setting. But I'll try.
I had an epiphany one day. Or rather, a series of epiphanies.
I thought about all the people I know online, all the blogs I read & comment on, and I wondered... if we met in real life, would these people even give me the time of day? Would I even want to meet them in real life?
Furthermore, who are these people, anyway? They relate such intimacies to a world of strangers, things that I would never share to anyone but my closest friends. Is it a form of bravery, as some inevitably say, or some form of exhibitionism? Are these people for real?
And even furthermore, who am I, anyway? Am I really the outgoing, talkative person I portray? Or am I really the shy and reticent person that people meet when they meet me? The dichotomy both fascinates and bothers me.
I wonder if blogging is inherently exhibitionist. If we want people to know what we're up to, why don't we just... write to them? Call them? Why put it all out there? What's the payoff?
Of course I realise I'm being hypocritical here. But these thoughts are dancing round and round in my head.
And then I remembered something... (cut to private entry)
- Mood:
contemplative - Music:Pet Shop Boys, Very
"White on white, light, sublime, subliminal
The void is clean, a cell but not for a criminal"
I was sitting at a table facing my grandfather, and she was standing behind him. She looked exactly the way I remembered her, except her hair was lighter - almost reddish-brown. She went over and cuddled Ethan, who was sitting in a baby seat beside me. Then she came to me and gave me a hug. I got scared. Even in my dream, I knew she was dead. I pushed away and said, "Go away and bother my mother." That's when she said to me, "Remember. Things are not as they seem."
At that point, I woke up... and, I just knew. I knew it was no ordinary dream, not just a figment of my imagination. She had really spoken to me. I could still feel her presence in the room.
I wonder what she meant. "Things are not as they seem." Maybe she was trying to comfort me about the whole job situation, saying that although things may seem dire it's not really so... or maybe she was trying to tell me not to be afraid of her.
Contact from "the Other Side" has always creeped me out. When I was 4, I was terrified of a ghost in my closet. It would come out at night and scream, "Rodney's going to squeeze you!!!" One night, I dreamed that I chased it away. It never bothered me again.
On our wedding night, Spiritwalker and I could both feel the presence of someone in our hotel room. We told it to "go away, go away, go away" over and over, until it did.
Anyway... lots to ponder there...
At least he's drinking his milk. But it's not enough. He needs to put on weight. I don't want to go through the FTT thing again. Not again... :(
I can't stay up all night long writing applications and resumes, and then get up at 6am (!!!!!!!) to eat breakfast so I can fast all day long, AND take care of boys, AND continue the job search.
Fuck.
My husband's government job contract ran out on February 22. It was supposed to be a temp-to-permanent position, but then they told him sorry, just not enough in "the budget" to hire on another worker. Since then, we have practically papered the town with my husband's resume. He's been on 3 interviews with no joy. The second one was actually pretty close, but he was beaten out by someone else with "more skills". Whatever that means. His employment agency finally got him an assignment doing "admin allrounder tasks" at the local university, but a) it's part-time and b) it's only supposed to last a week. A week-long part-time job isn't going to pay the bills. Speaking of which, they're mounting up pretty fast.
It's occurred to me that maybe I need to think about going back to work. I've resisted up until now - I mean, someone needs to stay home with the kids and I always assumed that it would be me. I love my boys, I love the time I spend with them. And it's never been an issue til now. Spiritwalker works, I stay home with kids until they're both in school, then I get a paying job. That was the plan. Well, we all know what they say about the best-laid plans and all that.
Problem is, I've been out of work for nearly 3 years. In terms of my industry, that's a friggin' lifetime. I've lost contact with the few referees I had before. I might as well just start over and go back to uni. That's kinda what I'd planned to do anyway, before the boys went off to school.
I hate to be so negative, but I feel like I've literally hit the bottom. We send out applications and resumes every single day and it goes farking nowhere. Tell me how in the FUCK can we be living in a city with an "extreme skills shortage", where "the workers have the upper hand" according to the media, and yet not be able to get a permanent job.
Whatever. The bottom line is we need money. We need at least one of us to find work that will pay the bills. I am hurt and depressed because our children are paying the price. They deserve better. They deserve so much better than we can give them right now. :(
I feel so sick.
Now I'd like to talk about my son's hospital stay, FTT diagnosis, and the associated roller coaster ride.
Guess I'd better start at the beginning.
Ethan has always been small for his age. He was born at 41.5 weeks but only weighed 2.65kgs (or 5lb 13.4oz for those using imperial measurements). Immediately after birth, he was lethargic and unwilling to feed, so off he went to the Special Care Nursery and was fed by naso-gastric (NG) tube for around 6 days. During that time, I worked to get him to take the breast - and he did, little by little. On the 7th day, the tube came out and I had to "room in" with him at the hospital so they could determine whether he'd gain weight without it. He gained 60 grams, and we went home the next day. The community midwife came 'round and weighed him every week for the next month, and there was no worries.
At his 2-month checkup, he was 3.7kg
At his 4-month checkup, he was 4.3kg
At his 6-month checkup, he was 5.2kg
Each time I brought him in, I'd get raised eyebrows, a lot of questions about his feeding and development, and then they'd shrug their shoulders and say, "Well, as long as he's happy and healthy and active, we'll just monitor him..."
Then, about 3 weeks ago, he came down with a very high temperature. I casually touched his head and noticed that his fontanelles (the little soft spot at the top of a baby's skull) were bulging. That's not supposed to happen. In fact, that's one of the big signs of meningitis. I rang ParentLine and they told me to immediately take him to the hospital's emergency department.
(getting late.. more later)
Take Me Back To The Sixties
Yes, take me back to the good ol' days when it was a whole lot easier to steal someone's identity and no one had any privacy on the telephone. Back when "coloured people" knew their place, when women stayed home and submitted to their husbands, when cancer may as well be a death sentence, when abuse and molestation were Things You Never Ever Ever Talk About, Ever. Let's go back to the Vietnam War, woo hoo!!
Meh. I admit I was born closer to the 80s than the 60s, but I believe this is the first time I've ever heard anyone refer to the 60s as "a simpler time". Obviously whoever composed this was remembering his/her childhood, and we all tend to remember these things with rose-coloured filters, but I really get put off by the thinly-veiled "we were better people back then" attitude. Oh really? Because you were forced to memorise the Gettysburg Address? And I'd love to know where they got the "illegitimacy was only 3%" statistic. I bet they weren't including kids with a much-older sister who once went away for a few months to live with Aunt Maude. *eyeroll*
Anyway... on a sorta-related note, I was reading a lengthy thread on my website about the quality of life in Australia - specifically, how people feel it differs from that in America. And I get the idea that a lot of people (particularly those who have yet to move here) somehow envision Australia as this wholesome, untouched paradise where morality is more 1958 than 2008 and yet it has all the conveniences of the modern world. I guess I find the notion kind of strange. It's true that Australia is not like anywhere else I've ever been, but we still live in the 21st century and have many of the same problems as any other developed Western nation. Some schools are good and some are bad, some kids are good and some kids are bad, people are murdered and mugged in the big cities, we've got crime and poverty and materialism out the wazoo too...
Not going to do the whole melodramatic "it's not you, it's me" speech, but that's basically what it boils down to. Specifically, my son, Ethan, was in hospital for the past 2.5 weeks with a combination of viral meningitis and "extreme failure to thrive". We didn't realise how underweight he was. :( I didn't keep a diary every day, couldn't be bothered.
So I'm out this year. Best of luck to everyone, and I'll try to write something about the experience a little later.
| In a Past Life... |
 You Were: A Mute Chief. Where You Lived: France. How You Died: Hung for treason. |
http://www.gpats.com.au/php/repository/D
1579 lightning strikes (ie. cloud-to-ground), including 23.5 per minute around 4am. It was really scary.
