Kanye West: Runaway (2010)

[Kanye West:]
And I always find, yeah, I always find something wrong
You been puttin' up with my shit just way too long
I'm so gifted at finding what I don't like the most
So I think it's time for us to have a toast

[Kanye West:]
Let's have a toast for the douchebags
Let's have a toast for the assholes
Let's have a toast for the scumbags
Every one of them that I know
Let's have a toast for the jerk-offs
That'll never take work off
Baby, I got a plan
Run away fast as you can

[Kanye West:]
She find pictures in my e-mail
I sent this bitch a picture of my dick
I don't know what it is with females
But I'm not too good at that shit
See, I could have me a good girl
And still be addicted to them hood rats
And I just blame everything on you
At least you know that's what I'm good at

[Kanye West:]
And I always find, yeah, I always find
Yeah, I always find something wrong
You been puttin' up with my shit just way too long
I'm so gifted at finding what I don't like the most
So I think it's time for us to have a toast

[Kanye West:]
Let's have a toast for the douchebags
Let's have a toast for the assholes
Let's have a toast for the scumbags
Every one of them that I know
Let's have a toast for the jerk-offs
That'll never take work off
Baby, I got a plan
Run away fast as you can

[Kanye West and Rick James:]
Run away from me, baby
Ah, run away
Run away from me, baby (Look at you, look at you, look at you)
Run away
When it starts to get crazy (Look at you, look at you, look at you)
Then run away
Babe, I got a plan, run away as fast as you can
Run away from me, baby
Run away
Run away from me, baby (Look at, look at, look at, look at, look at, look at, look at you)
Run away
When it starts to get crazy (Look at you, look at you, look at you, look at you)
Why can't she just run away?
Baby, I got a plan
Run away as fast as you can (Look at you, look at you, look at you)

[Pusha T:]
Twenty-four seven, three sixty-five, pussy stays on my mind
I-I-I-I did it, alright, alright, I admit it
Now pick your next move, you could leave or live with it
Ichabod Crane with that motherfuckin' top off
Split and go where? Back to wearing knock-offs?
Haha, knock it off, Neimans, shop it off
Let's talk over mai tais, waitress, top it off
Hoes like vultures, wanna fly in your Freddy loafers
You can't blame 'em, they ain't never seen Versace sofas
Every bag, every blouse, every bracelet
Comes with a price tag, baby, face it
You should leave if you can't accept the basics
Plenty hoes in the baller-nigga matrix
Invisibly set, the Rolex is faceless
I'm just young, rich, and tasteless, P

[Kanye West:]
Never was much of a romantic
I could never take the intimacy
And I know I did damage
'Cause the look in your eyes is killing me
I guess you knew of that advantage
'Cause you could blame me for everything
And I don't know how I'ma manage
If one day, you just up and leave

[Kanye West:]
And I always find, yeah, I always find something wrong
You been puttin' up with my shit just way too long
I'm so gifted at finding what I don't like the most
So I think it's time for us to have a toast

[Kanye West:]
Let's have a toast for the douchebags
Let's have a toast for the assholes
Let's have a toast for the scumbags
Every one of them that I know
Let's have a toast for the jerk-offs
That'll never take work off
Baby, I got a plan
Run away fast as you can

Rihanna, Kanye West, Paul McCartney: FourFiveSeconds (2015)

Kanye West - Only One (2014)

Tell Nori about me, tell Nori
I just want you to do me a favor

Tell Nori about me...

Kanye West: Jesus Walks

Don't cancel free-thinking artists.
Cancel the Fascist group-think Democrats instead, and every media platform that supports them.
Vote November 8 for Free Speech.

Paul McCartney "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five" (1974)

Rishi Sunak to become Britain's 1st prime minister of color

What's the point of having a country if the descendants of the country's creators are not in charge of running it? Why have "countries" then? Imagine if an Anglo were to run for leadership in India---he'd be laughed out of the contest because that country has a concept of its own heritage. Why is the UK not allowed to have the same?

Was Lincoln REALLY a "great" president?

Was watching a bio of Jefferson on the "Story" basic-cable station. Though Jefferson, a tobacco farmer, did own slaves, he also, back in the 1700s, advocated for a "gradual emancipation," granting freedom to all slaves at a certain age (and also attacked slavery in his original draft of the Declaration of Independence, which was voted down by "committee decision" in order to get the Southern states to sign on to the Declaration).

Lincoln, on the other hand, led the country into a civil war and then issued the abrupt Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which has resulted in 150 years of racial turmoil. (Yes, slavery was/is wrong, but---was forcing Southerners, post-war, to be ruled by former slaves in their legislatures really the right decision, or was this the key to decades of ongoing conflict? I'd never heard of Jefferson's "gradual emancipation" before, but this seems like it would have been a wiser course, started back in the 1700s.)

I grew up reading in schoolbooks that Lincoln was one of the "Top Two" presidents---he and Washington. But is leading the country into a civil war really worthy of being considered "great"? A civil war in the country seems like the ultimate failure for any president.

p.s. And today's Northerners needn't feel so superior: During the Civil War, New York City attempted to secede from "the Union" so it could continue to trade with the South. And young men in New York rioted to avoid conscription into a war that they had no desire to fight.

What's the actual US inflation rate right now?

Official stats as of September 2022: 8.2%.  
Now, this in and of itself is HUGE---the highest rate of inflation in 40 years.

But, the thing is: 8.2% is far from correct. It's actually much higher.

Average price of a gallon of gas in January 2021 = $2.39. Today = $3.99. That's a 66% inflation rate.

Average price of my groceries every 3 weeks from January thru April 2022 = $186. From April thru October 2022 = $228. That's a 22.5% inflation rate.  (I'm anal, and I write down what I spend on groceries on my wall calendar. Just went and averaged everything I'd written down all year. And, no, I haven't changed my shopping habits between pre-April and post-April.)

My rent up until April 2022 + tacked-on utility bills = $1473. Post-April 2022 = $1712. That's a 16% inflation rate.

I just received my quarterly report for my 401(k) retirement account: Despite the money that I and my employer have been contributing, my account is DOWN 21% in the past 3 months. In the past year, the money I've been contributing, and that my employer has been partially matching, has simply disappeared.

You can calculate the percentage increase in your bills at this site: http://www.alcula.com/calculators/finance/percentage-calculator/#gsc.tab=0

p.s. According to CNBC, a far-left news site, benefits for food stamp recipients have been increased by the Federal Govt by 25% as of October 2022. If the inflation rate is only 8.2%, why the increase of 25%?

TÁR Trailer

TÁR - Teaser

I haven't been to an actual movie theater to see a new film in I don't know how long.
But I'm definitely going to be there for this! (Opens in Austin today, 10/20.)




https://www.metacritic.com/movie/tar-2022/critic-reviews

Bob Marley: Redemption Song (1980)

Old pirates, yes, they rob I
Sold I to the merchant ships
Minutes after they took I
From the bottomless pit
But my hand was made strong
By the hand of the Almighty
We forward in this generation
Triumphantly

Won't you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
'Cause all I ever have
Redemption songs
Redemption songs

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds
Have no fear for atomic energy
'Cause none of them can stop the time
How long shall they kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look? Ooh!
Some say it's just a part of it
We've got to fulfill the book

Won't you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
'Cause all I ever have
Redemption songs
Redemption songs
Redemption songs

John Lennon: You Are Here (1973)

From Liverpool to Tokyo
What a way to go
From distant lands one woman one man
Let the four winds blow

Three thousand miles over the ocean
Three thousand light years from the land of the rising sun

Love has opened up my eyes
Love has blown right through
Wherever you are, you are here

Three thousand miles over the ocean
Three thousand light years from the land of surprising sun

East is east and west is west
The twain shall meet
East is west and west is east
Let it be complete

Three thousand miles over the ocean
Three thousand light years from the land of the morning star

John Lennon: Nobody Loves You (When You're Down And Out)

Nobody loves you when you're down and out
Nobody sees you when you're on cloud nine
Everybody's hustlin' for a buck and a dime
I'll scratch your back and you scratch mine

I've been across to the other side
I've shown you everything, I got nothing to hide
And still you ask me do I love you, what it is, what it is
All I can tell you is it's all show biz
All I can tell you is it's all show biz

Nobody loves you when you're down and out
Nobody knows you when you're on cloud nine
Everybody's hustlin' for a buck and a dime
I'll scratch your back and you knife mine

I've been across the water now so many times
I've seen the one-eyed witch doctor leading the blind
And still you ask me do I love you, what you say, what you say
Everytime I put my finger on it, it slips away
Everytime I put my finger on it, it slips away

Well I get up in the morning and I'm looking in the mirror to see, ooo wee!
Then I'm lying in the darkness and I know I can't get to sleep, ooo wee!

Nobody loves you when you're old and grey
Nobody needs you when you're upside down
Everybody's hollerin' 'bout their own birthday
Everybody loves you when you're six foot in the ground

John Lennon: Surprise Surprise (Sweet Bird Of Paradox) (Alt. Version)

My second-favorite song from "Walls and Bridges."

Sweet as the smell of success
Her body's warm and wet
She gets me through this God-awful loneliness
A natural high, butterfly
Oh I, I need, need, need her
 

Just like a willow tree
A breath of spring you see
And, oh boy, you don't know what she do to me
She make me sweat and forget who I am
I need, need, need, need, need her

Well, I was wonderin' how long this could go on, on and on?
Well, I thought, I could never be surprised
But could it be that I bit my own tongue?
Oh yeah, it's so hard to swallow when you're wrong

A bird of paradise
The sunrise in her eyes
God only knows such a sweet surprise
I was blind, she blew my mind
Think that I, I love, love, love, love, love her

John Lennon: Going Down On Love (1974)

This was the first John Lennon album I ever bought, with my allowance, in 1980 (age 15)---pre his December 8 murder. This was, at the time, my favorite song from the album.

"Somebody please, please help me
You know I'm drowning in a sea of hatred..."

Am I suddenly in an alternate universe?!

Back in June, I took my car in for what I thought would be a routine inspection + oil change. (Oh yeah, and the engine light was on --- but that had happened a few times before; usually solved by tightening the gas cap.) This time, though, the auto shop couldn't figure out why the engine light was on, and so could not pass my car for inspection. They ended up doing endless "diagnostics" and finally determined that they had to send off to both California and Canada for some random hoses. After a month of taking my car in and out of this shop 3 times, the final bill was over $800. For 4 hoses that did not threaten the safety of either myself or my fellow drivers on the road but were somehow necessary for my passing the State inspection.

Luckily, I had money to pay for it. But I DID leave a very disgruntled review on Yelp. Something along the lines of: "Very nice staff, and I appreciate their shuttle service back to my apt each time, but... Why did this take a month to fix? And why did 4 hoses cost me over $800? A rip-off with a smile..."

I thought that was that. I'd gotten ripped off, but I at least got to vent on Yelp (big whoo!).

Today, though, three months later, the manager of the auto shop called me and said he'd just read my review on Yelp---was there anything he could do? (Wow! Is this a fantasy conversation, or what?!) I politely explained my exact feelings about the whole thing: Why did I have to keep re-bringing my car into the shop 3 times? Why did 4 hoses + "diagnostics" end up costing me over $800? I understand about Covid and "the supply chain" and such, but...

This very nice manager's reply: "If we could offer you a partial refund, what do you think would be fair?" WOW!! Really?! I told him I felt guilty about quoting any price, because I didn't want to seem like I was blackmailing him over a Yelp review... but then...he had called ME! So I quoted him a price of $200---and he agreed to refund that amount to my bank account! I got a receipt tonight showing that refund amount (still hasn't shown up in my account; takes a few days). And, yes, I'm going to change my Yelp review, which is what he wanted---and which is what he deserves, given his fantastic customer service!

I completely understand that the manager of this auto shop doesn't want bad reviews on Yelp. But that said, I've left a few other bad reviews on Yelp to various types of other places, and absolutely no one cares. In general, one can review to one's heart's content online, with no one paying any attention to you whatsoever!

This manager, though... For the first time in many years, I felt like I was in an utterly SANE universe, where you can express your thoughts and/or concerns and someone responds to them. In other words, in today's world, an "Alternate Universe"!

(To this day, I remember wrangling with an Austin apartment manager in the '90s who would not send me a mere $20 out of the $500 apartment deposit I'd paid; when I finally complained 2 weeks after the $20 check was due to me, the manager sniped: "Why are you so worried about $20?" I replied: "Because I'm very poor. Why do you think I had to move out of this apartment?" Note that I didn't say anything about $480 of the $500 deposit they'd cheated me out of. I just was desperate for the meager $20 that should have been sent to me 2 weeks earlier. And then I got verbally shit on for "daring" to ask why I hadn't yet received it.)

Such a LIGHT feeling after talking to this car-shop guy. Not at all just the money, I must emphasize. I'd paid it, I was done. But the fact that someone at the business cared about how his business was perceived, and wanted to make it right with a customer. I haven't experienced this sort of responsiveness in years, decades: Someone who actually wants to do the right thing.

You're the Reason Our Kids are Ugly: Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty (1978)

You're the reason I'm a-ridin' around on recapped tires
And you're the reason I'm hangin' our clothes outside on wires
And you're the reason our kids are ugly, little darlin'
Ah, but looks ain't ev'rythin' and money ain't ev'rythin'
But I love you just the same

You're the reason I've changed to beer from soda pop
And you're the reason I never get to go to the beauty shop
You're the reason our kids are ugly, little darlin'
Ah, but looks ain't ev'rythin', and money ain't ev'rythin'
But I love you just the same

I guess that we won't ever have everything we need
'Cause when we get ahead it's got another mouth to feed

And that's the reason that my good looks and my figure is gone
And that's the reason that I ain't got no hair to comb
And you're the reason our kids are ugly, little darlin'
Ah, but looks ain't ev'rythin', and money ain't ev'rythin'
But I love you just the same

Conway, why in the devil don't you go and shave and put on a clean pair of pants?

But Loretta, look at yourself
Now I wish you'd take them curlers out of your hair and go put on a little makeup
And get out of that housecoat before supper

Ha, well let me tell you something
Conway, considerin' everything that I went through today
I look like a movie star...

Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn: Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man (1974)

I love this song, which I first heard constantly played on the 1970s AM radios of my childhood.

One thing I've always wondered about Conway Twitty, though:

I read in one George Jones bio that at some point, George was wasted and out of control and yelled at some man he was grappling with: "You Conway Twitty-acting mother fucker!"

I've always been curious, and I've never been able to find out: What exactly does "acting like Conway Twitty" actually mean?

The Beatles: It's Only Love (1965)

Who would you call out for when you were dying?

Abigail Folger, age 25, called out for her mother while she was being stabbed to death. I always found that utterly touching and innocent.