Saturday, September 29, 2007

Big Winner

More Songs About Buildings and Food
What band has a higher percentage of awesome album covers?
And don't say "Pink Floyd."

Big boys' night out last night for me and little b. We went to Coney Island and I paid for $1.25 for a little Coke in a bottle and it was so worth it. B spun around on his counter seat as he ate his bunless hot dog, holding it like a microphone. The dishwashers in the back were just then discovering the first Strokes album--how old is that now? I forget.

And then we stopped by Borders to look for a new collection by Mark Strand which of course they don't carry because it doesn't have "Heartsongs" in the title. But it was "Educators' Weekend," where they get teachers to sign up for junk mail. Usually, I resist, but a raffle was coming up and I felt lucky for some reason. I tell the Borders guy at the sign up table that didn't have any I.D. to prove I was a teacher, and he says "that's okay--people generally don't lie about being teachers." Was that offensive? Probably just funny but true, I guess.

And then I won. The secret is to stick around. The first teacher who won must have moved on to World Market or something because they drew again, called my name, and awarded me with a bag filled with five pounds of red tissue paper, a bag of SBC coffee beans, and a travel mug. It doesn't even bother me that the cosmic list tallying how many more I'm allowed to Win in this life has been reduced by one for such a silly reward--it's just nice to be Chosen every once in awhile. Me. Chosen.

And in another strange twist, last evening the Talking Heads' More Songs About Buildings and Food passed '77 for my favorite Talking Heads album. Their positions had been reversed for the last eighteen years at least, and now this. Pretty shocking.

13 comments:

countvonsexy said...

Better than '77?

Psssshhh...you must be some sort of little girl.

LOVE, DAVID

Mr. Hill said...

Sorry, that's just the way it is:

1. More Songs
2. '77
3. Fear of Music
4. Remain in Light
5. Little Creatures
6. Stop Making Sense
7. Speaking in Tongues

And if that's not audacious enough, let me suggest this as well:

1. Peanut Butter
2. Jelly
3. Bread

I am nothing if not a lightning rod for controversy.

mbh said...

this has nothing to do with this particular post but have you by any chance heard the new AC songs on their Youtube videos? They are great. They did a performance at the "Midi Festival" somewhere in France. Check it out. Im so stoked on AC.

Mr. Hill said...

Oh yeah, I've seen a few of the Midi festival videos and they're really cool. I've been going back and watching some of the old live videos of the songs that are on Strawberry Jam, too. Not many groups are that far ahead with their song writing.

You've been doing some cool work on the tv show--glad you're adding some humor to it.

sarahjane said...

we took advantage of educator's weekend last night (yes, librarians count). all i bought was a magazine, and i didn't enter to win anything. darn.

Mr. Hill said...

Well. They'll let anybody who knows how to read call themselves an educator these days, it appears. :)

I almost bought one of those great $10 English gardening magazines, but the line was so long that I took my winnings and kid and scrammed.

mbh said...

oh yeah thanks! its pretty fun making the intros.

Unknown said...

And the cover art is about all Talking Heads have going for them.

Sorry.

Mr. Hill said...

Oh my. I just thought of a new assignment for you.

sarahjane said...

I don't even know how to read.

Joshua Robbins said...

Cracked me up with the Heartsongs VS. Strand comment. Did you happen to know that at one point I was the Sales Manager for a Borders? Yeah, I saw to it that Heartsongs was reduced to two copies and we had all in-print editions of Strand including, at one point, a display dedicated to "Man & Camel." Love that last poem. What's it called? "Poem After the Seven Last Words"? "Genius," that's what I call it.

By the way, congrats on winning the raffle, but you got screwed on the prize. If I were you, I'd go back and demand your free JellyBelly dispenser and beans, promotional books, cookies, and more coffee. That Saturday's Blend and the regular SBC are delicious. I just got the Autumn's Blend but haven't ground any yet. Tomorrow maybe.

Yes. I am still a Borders automaton. And yet, if I ever need a job....

I go back and forth with the Talking Heads and those particular albums as well. Mostly I think 77 is better live and that's how I keep them both at number 1.

"Do you have your Borders Rewards card with you? If not, I can start you one right now and it's free!"

Yep, I still got it.

Joshua Robbins said...

Oh, I also added you to the blogroll.

Mr. Hill said...

Oh, that's funny; I knew you ran a shop, but because you always referred to "rearranging the poetry display," I assumed that it had to be an independent. To carry on like that in a Borders is almost a subversive act, or it would be here, at least.

Hey, thanks for the add!