Coldplay single – Violet Hill

Coldplay cover art

It’s been almost 3 years since X&Y, and all I can say is, it’s about freakin’ time Coldplay!!

The band is debuting their new album with a special offer to their fans. Make sure to wander over to the band’s website at 12:15pm (UK time) for a free song download!

http://www.coldplay.com/index.html

(for us Seattleites that would be Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 4:15:00 AM, but who’s counting?)

The album, Viva La Vida, is packing 10 new songs and, in the words of the band, 

“the powers that be tell me it’ll be available for general consumption on June 16/17, depending on where you live.” 

Of course, not everyone is as excited as me about the new album. The NY Times gave it a blistering review, “10 Reasons to Avoid the New Coldplay CD.”

http://www.antimusic.com/news/08/april/1410_Reasons_To_Avoid_The_New_Coldplay_CD.shtml

My personal favorite was from Pitchfork, describing Coldplay as, 

“the self-described “very heavy soft rock” troupe you know and your mom loves…”

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/49891-coldplay-reveal-iviva-la-vidai-tracklist

Despite negative press, I am excited for the new album. Coldplay may not be my favorite band, but they are chill enough for a good writing atmosphere, upbeat enough to keep me awake (I don’t agree with the critics’ snoring complaints), and also great for road trips (X&Y still conjures great memories of a cross-country trip in Norway, summer ’05, Coldplay on the player and a car full of friends).

Viva La Coldplay!

Published in: on April 29, 2008 at 1:32 am  Comments (2)  
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Gas money, Where art thou?

For the first time in my life, I paid over $50 to fill my car. I realize this may be substantially less than you pay to fill yours, but it got me thinking.

Where is all this money going?

 

Burj Dubai Mega Skyscraper

 

This is the mighty Burj Dubai, dubbed as the world’s tallest mega skyscraper, it is soon-to-be home of the rich and privileged. 

The official Burj Dubai website says, 

“Burj Dubai will be known by many names.

But only a privileged group will call it home.” 

http://www.burjdubai.com/

 

Burj Dubai Hotel

 

This is the gorgeous Burj Dubai hotel, dubbed as the best hotel in the world, it is the exclusive guest resort of the rich and privileged.

The official Burj Dubai hotel website says,

“With your chauffeur driven Rolls Royce, discreet in-suite check in, private reception desk on every floor and a brigade of highly trained butlers who provide around-the-clock attention, you can be assured of a highly personalised service throughout your stay.”

http://www.burj-al-arab.com/ 

 

Palm Jumeirah

 

This is the exotic Palm Jumeirah, dubbed as the eighth wonder of the world, it is the exclusive vacation destination of the rich and privileged. 

The official Palm Jumeirah website says,

“Three times the innovation. Three times the ingenuity. Three times the ambition.”  

(three times the price?)

http://www.thepalm.ae/

 

What if you are interested, like me, in visiting or owning a spot in one of these beautiful locales?

Burj Dubai Mega Skyscraper - Apartments available for $555…per square foot

Burj Dubai Hotel – Average price for 2 adults is $2,349…per night

Palm Jumeirah – Condos available for $500,000…per one-bedroom (I realize I can’t use per here, but I didn’t want to breakup the flow). And don’t forget air conditioning, which is not included in the price of these desert condos, and can run you up to $1,586…per month. 

It’s nice to know that with oil prices skyrocketing at $119 per barrel my hard earned cash is benefiting…the rich and privileged. 

If you need further fuel for outrage, check out this article in the Guardian.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2008/apr/26/travelnews

 

 

 

 

 

Published in: on April 26, 2008 at 4:43 pm  Comments (5)  
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Post 14 Excerpt

Post 13 Picture taken by me in Seattle

“Do you hear that?” Lyle continued. 

We leaned closer.

“It’s her voice over the bridge. It swallowed her up, but she’s still in there, frightened and alone. You hear?”

I heard one of the girls gasp.

“It’s her warning,” Lyle said.

I listened closer than most. When Lyle first told me his plan, rather impromptu at the party, I was skeptical, but intrigued. We had spent many nights in our dorm room telling ghost stories when we should have been typing papers. I had heard Lyle tell some truly terrifying tales, but he was on top of his game tonight. Even I thought I heard a girl’s voice.

“It’s game time boys and girls,” he said.

“What do you mean?” I asked (My response was planned, of course).

“I dare someone to go to Post 14 and back.”

Lyle and I exchanged glances quickly.

“What’s Post 14?” one of the girls asked.

“The trail’s marked,” Lyle explained. “Every 100 feet there’s a wooden post with a yellow number on it, tells you how far you’ve gone. Here.”

He led us to the edge of the trail.

“There’s Post Number 1,” he said.

He pointed to the wooden marker. It leaned precariously in the marsh, like an accusing finger from hell.

“That’s over a quarter a mile!”

“What are you crazy?” 

“I’m not going in there!” 

It was the loudest our group had been since we left the cars. 

“Do we get a flashlight?” one of the guys asked.

“Sure,” Lyle answered.

“You gonna do it then?” Terry asked (Terry went with us later. He drove the Ranger). 

Before he could answer, another boy interrupted.

“I’ll do it,” he said.

We were all surprised, me most of all. 

I hadn’t expected anyone to take Lyle’s dare seriously. 

-This is an excerpt of a story that is “finished” but still awaiting editing. It has been far too long since I promised it to readers of The Horror Experiment, and so I decided to give you a taste of a small edited portion. 

-If you like what you’ve read, feel free to comment on the site, or send me an email: rivene@hotmail dot com

 

 

 

Published in: on April 24, 2008 at 5:02 am  Leave a Comment  
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Gender Bender

An embarrasing situation at work today.

I was speaking with a customer, asking her to confirm her contact information – info that is input by a co-worker – when I reached a tab called Gender.

“That can’t be right,” I said. “They have you listed as a female, and you don’t sound like a female.”

“I am a girl.”

“Oh,” I said, “Well, that’s not a great way to start the morning, is it?”

I then apologized and told her I felt like an ass (and yes, I actually used the word ass). She was actually cool with it. She said it happens all the time (which somehow made me feel worse, not better).

The newbies around my cubicle were laughing. My other co-workers were laughing. But the good news is, the GIRL herself was also laughing.

There. I’ve embarassed myself for your benefit.

When dealing with people over the phone, and unsure about gender, just skip it and move on.

Published in: on April 17, 2008 at 11:50 pm  Comments (2)  
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death by blogging

Far Side Comic

-Far Side Comic

Read an interesting article in the NY Times today.

Excerpt..

“They work long hours, often to exhaustion. Many are paid by the piece — not garments, but blog posts. This is the digital-era sweatshop. You may know it by a different name: home”

“A growing work force of home-office laborers and entrepreneurs, armed with computers and smartphones and wired to the hilt, are toiling under great physical and emotional stress created by the around-the-clock Internet economy that demands a constant stream of news and comment”

Click here to read the rest of the article http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/technology/06sweat.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

What do you think? Are we too plugged in? Too connected? Has our home desktop become the new sweatshop?

 

Published in: on April 15, 2008 at 10:35 pm  Comments (2)  
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