- Sinister - missprint.org

Sinister: Step Into My Office, Baby
by Heather Swinsco 07 Dec '03

07 Dec '03

Hello Sinister, Johan wrote: some reviewers on the net complained about the sexism of SIMO,B - but they rather miss the point don't they? the fact that here it's the woman whose the boss and exploiting the lowly mail menial (in fact, exactly the reverse of the usual stereotyped scenario). I agree as far as the song alone is concerned, but Im not so sure about the video of SIMO,B. In case you havent seen it, the male window cleaner is taken advantage of by a lot feisty female office staff, but in the end he falls in love with a less dominant woman (also a window cleaner), gets married to her and lives happily ever after. Right at the end the other women end up in a chaotic fight over the wedding bouquet and are laughed at by their male co-workers. Isnt that just a bit anti-feminist? The more traditional relationship is portrayed in a positive light, while the women who had taken on the stereotypical male role are portrayed negatively, and are indeed ridiculed by their male colleagues. Moreover, the fact that they fight over the bouquet suggests that they yearn for the traditional relationship that the female window cleaner finds herself in by the end and are therefore dissatisfied with their masculine roles. Of course, as my email address suggests, I may be a little biased here and if anyone else has a different perspective, do let me know Heather PS I do actually like this song and this isnt an attack on B&S in general, who, of course, I adore. _________________________________________________________________ Stay in touch with absent friends - get MSN Messenger http://www.msn.co.uk/messenger +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister(a)missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo(a)missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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Sinister: By The Side Of A Dying Man
by Gayle E. Anderson 06 Dec '03

06 Dec '03

Sinister. It has been a while. Glasgow Royal Infirmary, for those who haven't seen it, is a massive building. Probably, although not certainly, 200 years old. 200 years seems a reasonable estimate as their is not much of a car park, so perhaps it was built when horses and carts brought sick people in. The front of the building, where the entrance is, faces Glasgow City Centre. Glasgow City Of Architecture. Next to the building is the Cathedral. Another very old building. At this time of year if you should happen to be facing the building, look upwards and see the only ward that has Christmas trees. That is Ward 5. The walls in Ward 5 are mint green. Outside the ward is an uncomfortable padded bench. In bed one of Ward 5 there is an elderly gentlman named Mr Hay. Mr Hay is clearly bored as he sits in his bed with a unlit cigarette in his mouth. Earlier in the day Mr Hay took and hid a bottle of wine from the raffle hamper. The nurses have their work cut out for them when Mr Hay gets bored. There is quite alot of activity in Ward 5. Nurses rushing about doing what nurses do. Doctors coming and going. But not all of Ward 5 is so active. At the very entrance to Ward 5, on the right hand side there are 2 rooms. On one room the door is open and a man is sitting eating and talking to a younger woman, perhaps his daughter. That is bed 21. The room next to that is the last bed on the ward. Bed 22. The door on that room is not open, and the curtains are closed over. In bed 22 lies the shadow of a man.Too weak to move, too weak to talk, only just enough strength to open his tired blue eyes and look for not even a minute. I take his hand in mine. We sit for a time. I want to talk to him, but I cannot get the words. He holds my hand. In such a whisper that he is almost not heard he says my hands are cold, do I want gloves. I smile. After a time, we leave, I kiss him on the cheek. That was wednesday. A late night at work on thursday prevented me from going through that night. I am told he is much better, he was talking about the football and wanted to watch bowls on the tv. On friday afternoon, he is the same as wednesday. For a while I go into Glasgow City Centre, I want to buy him a Christmas Card. I spend some time looking but I cannot choose one. I return. We sit with him. Before we leave I kiss him on the cheek and whisper in his ear 'I will see you soon'. On friday evening my mum goes back through, I choose not to as I feel very tired and have an early start the next day. I will however go through straight from work. That night I remember. I remember the sweets he kept in the cupboard behind his chair. I remember helping him plant seeds in the greenhouse. When they grow up they will go into the garden, he has the most beautiful garden. I remember everything. I write a letter for him, but maybe not to him, about how much I love him, and how all my memories of him are so special. The next morning, Saturday morning, this morning, I get a bus ticket to get me from home to work, and from work to Glasgow. The bus ticket is never used. Bed 22 on Ward 5 lies empty now. +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister(a)missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo(a)missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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Sinister: Love on the (temporarily paused) March, Part II
by Eric Brasure 06 Dec '03

06 Dec '03

Okay, I'm going to try this again. Does the Step Into My Office, Baby single exist in North America? I don't even want the damn thing that much, but it's become a crusade. I have not found ONE store that has it. Most places don't even know what I'm talking about. Amazon.com doesn't have it. This is pissing me off. A lot. American, Canadians, whoever. Help me out. If you have it, tell me how you got it. Love, Eric +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister(a)missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo(a)missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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Sinister: Astoria, Friday 5th
by David Moore 06 Dec '03

06 Dec '03

Hi All, Too late for proper opinionated Reporting Back, so just a factual setlist. Tonight at the Astoria we were treated to: Passion Fruit Expectations Step Into My Office, Baby Wrapped Up In Books Womans Realm Get Me Away From Here, Im Dying Im Waking Up To Us Travellin Light You Dont Send Me Youre Just A Baby This Guys In Love With You [Burt Bacharach] The State I Am In Dirty Dream #2 Piazza, New York Catcher Asleep On A Sunbeam String Bean Jean California Dreaming [Mamas And The Papas] (part) If She Wants Me The Wrong Girl Roy Walker Stay Loose Im A Cuckoo Sleep The Clock Around I dont know how big a fragment of a song has to be before it gets listed: I reckon Stevie tuned up on Blackbird before one song, and a few bars of a Simon & Garfunkel song got aired, as did the trusty Dazed & Confused bassline. Despite what I might have lead a certain nice person to believe, I did have a good time, so thanks to the band. Stuart wore *JEANS*. Love, David Moore Chelmsford, UK +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister(a)missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo(a)missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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Sinister: *WE* are on the radio
by Stefano [Steady-State] 05 Dec '03

05 Dec '03

yes, *we* the sinister mailing list are on tye radio... there will be a report about B&S gigs and related things, this is the address and can be listened in streaming: http://www.radiopopolare.it/html/onair/index2.html it is italian... for one privilege of speakinbg a rather exotic language... support Radio Popolare! and take care stefano #~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~# When you sleep do you see an angel in dying light Or can you see someone standing outside trying to set you alight Or maybe you've seen someone somewhere before that I might have loved if i'd never loved you but you only see me in bad dreams +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister(a)missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo(a)missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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Sinister: reporting back #2
by Stefano [Steady-State] 05 Dec '03

05 Dec '03

My Dear Sinister WHERE ARE YOU ALL???? [Yesterday Meet-up] yeah, you sinister people? Have you all disappeared in the winter London smog??? Last night we were only 3... yeas 1+1+1+.... In the pub... it has been extremely lovely anyway, and don´t know how but we got to discuss the future of university and education in this country. Very appropriate for a band writing songs for children! By the way, I think, the new labour policy about top-up feels for students, is simply mental! Education is a right... if people are just cut off because of their income, I´ll call that discrimination. And they dare to call themselves labour... my god! Getting to something more cheerful: [Gig#2] I think it was nice, but have to say, I quite liked more the night before... I´ll agree with Ken they looked a bit tired, especially Struan and Stevie, at least compared to last night. The gig has been a little bit shorter then last night... bizarrely enough I do like short set, because, I usually got bit (to very much) bored after about fifteen minutes even when bands I like on record are playing, but must admit that, as much as last night, If they had played probably other five hours that would have been a dream... They set list last night wasn´t terribly different from the night before, essentially the went through most of the new records, but they didn´t play... Dear catastrophe waitress (the song)... but they played Dog On Wheels and Beautiful, hence two of my favourites, and that was beautiful, and TBWTAT as encore (only one song.. guess they have been mainly kicked off by G.A.Y... shame... indeed they have got atomic kitten on stage on Monday...mhmhm..[ponders]... on the other hand I´m still sore, I´ve missed Sophie E. Bextor, playing at G.A.Y. a couple of months ago... I tried to spot her in the audience but miserably failed... ... Taking into account Kenneth report we more or less stayed near the ladies´... amazingly enough, no one did rub any part of himself on me, so I could not complained or even being pleased by the events... general silly wonders... on the other hand people looked at me with a little bit of disgust when trying to dance at Expectation. Shall learn how to contain my dancing action in a ¼ square meter base parallelepiped.... But prompted by big Stu, I´ve been push forward as the locomotor for the mystical ////sinister congas//// train... good deal we gained a few rows and managed to dance a bit... just a tiny bit though... but I guess was a good effort.... Talking about efforts: [TODAY Meet-up] Yesterday I suggested to meet up at the Dog&Duck, but Mr Carsmile Steve, was pointing out the pub is really tiny... so if there is going to be a decent turn out, we would possibly be a bit squeezed in there... a simple option is to meet at THE ANGEL nr. St. Giles, as we did last night (http://www.fancyapint.com/thepubs/pub502.htm) There should be enough room, reasonably prised pint, nice leather couch... and is literally one minute from the venue... seems pretty sensible to me! [Got this is the mail box... I think is hilarious] Dear Colleagues, Over the last 20 years, the thing which has most consistently annoyed me about the School of Biological Sciences has been the short half-life of metal teaspoons in the kitchen. Now you have to agree that making your tea or coffee with a metal teaspoon is so much more satisfactory that using the plastic alternative, even though the latter may be more hygienic. But we are constantly frustrated by a dastardly thief (or indeed, thieves). This year I thought that a guilty conscience had finally got the better of the criminal. In April I bought 4 rather splendid metal teaspoons for £1 in a cut-price store, and put two in the kitchen. They immediately disappeared, but. miraculously, a substitute spoon (albeit of inferior quality) immediately appeared and has remained in the kitchen for the entire summer and autumn ...... until not, that is. This week it too finally disappeared. I am going to put my remaining two metal teaspoons in the kitchen today. I appeal to the thief (or thieves) to take pity on a sad old man and leave him the one pleasure remaining in his life, viz to stir his tea bag with a proper spoon. And its also a legacy to he Department. Goodness knows, the way things are going around here, it may be my only legacy! [end] Hope you are all well Love Stefano #~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~# When you sleep do you see an angel in dying light Or can you see someone standing outside trying to set you alight Or maybe you've seen someone somewhere before that I might have loved if i'd never loved you but you only see me in bad dreams +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister(a)missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo(a)missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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Sinister: reporting back #2
by Stefano [Steady-State] 05 Dec '03

05 Dec '03

My Dear Sinister WHERE ARE YOU ALL???? [Yesterday Meet-up] yeah, you sinister people? Have you all disappeared in the winter London smog??? Last night we were only 3... yeas 1+1+1+.... In the pub... it has been extremely lovely anyway, and don´t know how but we got to discuss the future of university and education in this country. Very appropriate for a band writing songs for children! By the way, I think, the new labour policy about top-up feels for students, is simply mental! Education is a right... if people are just cut off because of their income, I´ll call that discrimination. And they dare to call themselves labour... my god! Getting to something more cheerful: [Gig#2] I think it was nice, but have to say, I quite liked more the night before... I´ll agree with Ken they looked a bit tired, especially Struan and Stevie, at least compared to last night. The gig has been a little bit shorter then last night... bizarrely enough I do like short set, because, I usually got bit (to very much) bored after about fifteen minutes even when bands I like on record are playing, but must admit that, as much as last night, If they had played probably other five hours that would have been a dream... They set list last night wasn´t terribly different from the night before, essentially the went through most of the new records, but they didn´t play... Dear catastrophe waitress (the song)... but they played Dog On Wheels and Beautiful, hence two of my favourites, and that was beautiful, and TBWTAT as encore (only one song.. guess they have been mainly kicked off by G.A.Y... shame... indeed they have got atomic kitten on stage on Monday...mhmhm..[ponders]... on the other hand I´m still sore, I´ve missed Sophie E. Bextor, playing at G.A.Y. a couple of months ago... I tried to spot her in the audience but miserably failed... ... Taking into account Kenneth report we more or less stayed near the ladies´... amazingly enough, no one did rub any part of himself on me, so I could not complained or even being pleased by the events... general silly wonders... on the other hand people looked at me with a little bit of disgust when trying to dance at Expectation. Shall learn how to contain my dancing action in a ¼ square meter base parallelepiped.... But prompted by big Stu, I´ve been push forward as the locomotor for the mystical ////sinister congas//// train... good deal we gained a few rows and managed to dance a bit... just a tiny bit though... but I guess was a good effort.... Talking about efforts: [TODAY Meet-up] Yesterday I suggested to meet up at the Dog&Duck, but Mr Carsmile Steve, was pointing out the pub is really tiny... so if there is going to be a decent turn out, we would possibly be a bit squeezed in there... a simple option is to meet at THE ANGEL nr. St. Giles, as we did last night (http://www.fancyapint.com/thepubs/pub502.htm) There should be enough room, reasonably prised pint, nice leather couch... and is literally one minute from the venue... seems pretty sensible to me! [Got this is the mail box... I think is hilarious] Dear Colleagues, Over the last 20 years, the thing which has most consistently annoyed me about the School of Biological Sciences has been the short half-life of metal teaspoons in the kitchen. Now you have to agree that making your tea or coffee with a metal teaspoon is so much more satisfactory that using the plastic alternative, even though the latter may be more hygienic. But we are constantly frustrated by a dastardly thief (or indeed, thieves). This year I thought that a guilty conscience had finally got the better of the criminal. In April I bought 4 rather splendid metal teaspoons for £1 in a cut-price store, and put two in the kitchen. They immediately disappeared, but. miraculously, a substitute spoon (albeit of inferior quality) immediately appeared and has remained in the kitchen for the entire summer and autumn ...... until not, that is. This week it too finally disappeared. I am going to put my remaining two metal teaspoons in the kitchen today. I appeal to the thief (or thieves) to take pity on a sad old man and leave him the one pleasure remaining in his life, viz to stir his tea bag with a proper spoon. And its also a legacy to he Department. Goodness knows, the way things are going around here, it may be my only legacy! [end] Hope you are all well Love Stefano #~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~# When you sleep do you see an angel in dying light Or can you see someone standing outside trying to set you alight Or maybe you've seen someone somewhere before that I might have loved if i'd never loved you but you only see me in bad dreams +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister(a)missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo(a)missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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Sinister: of catastrophes and competitions
by Hugo Johan <12813249＠sun.ac.za> 05 Dec '03

05 Dec '03

dear all it's been a long time... but let's leave it at that and not pretend it matters, right? thanks so much for the all the people who do keep this alive though: you still fill me with smiles everyday! it's a better world just knowing you're all out there. but enough of that back patting - you should all know how wonderful you are, and if you don't... mmh, yes, well, i was going to make some rugged and bombastic noises about sorting it out for you, but there's not really much i can do about it, is there?' but the year is on its back, CHRISTMAS presents are being made and sent (well, hopefully!) and it's time to reflect on many things. all-in-all, for me i guess its been a better year then the last, but globally it's been a bit miserable hsan't it? at least we got the new album and such... good god, what am i rattling on about, and WHY? i cold tell you about my own catastrophe with a waitress this week, but i'll rather make some comments on the album (for what it's worth) 1. some reviewers on the net complained about the sexism of SIMO,B - but they rather miss the point don't they? the fact that here it's the woman whose the boss and exploiting the lowly mail menial (in fact, exactly the reverse of the usual stereotyped scenario). what i find a lot more disturbing is the way the arrangement flourishes in the second verse of DCW. i'm not really sure it's altogether appropriate to have big joyful timpani's and soaring strings over a line saying "your face is bleeding"... but what do i know? 2. i really really miss sarah's violin. can't remember exactly which song now, but there's definitely one sax solo that i can't help thinking would have been a violin solo 4 years ago - and been much nicer. 3. i DO like the horn sections though, though i find them a little muted. generally the album lacks a bit of exuberance in the mix (i mean i think it's there in some of the songs, but the moments are mixed kind of low) - the one excpetion for me is IYFYCIL whihc is growing on me faster than anything there (granted that i loved AOAS, WUIB and LA straight off). 4. bobby definitely adds something on bass, doesn't he? 5. someone wrote about how songs from dwc sound like earlier songs - but does anyone else feel that the songs on storytelling seem almost like rehearsals for songs on dcw? ISWM sounds like a watered version of big john shaft, asleep on a sunbeam seems to resemble storytelling, black abnd white united seems to hint at (what i liked to see described on one of the set-lists as) ny pizza catcher. anyway - that should be enough content to act as a sop for introducing the REAL topic, namely the <cringes as he anticipates howls of 'list-abuse'> FRIENDS OF THE HEROES PHOTO-DOODLING COMPETITION! briefly, the friends are willing to contribute a goodie-bag to the person who can alter the given photo in the most inventive and amazing way. details (and the photo) can be obtained from the website at www.friendsoftheheros.co.uk (for those who are unfamiliar with it, and already muttering about list-abuse: the webzine was started as a result of sinister, and is staffed almost exclusively by sini-subbers, so please check it out!) well, that's it from me, for now. glad to hear everyone's enjoying the concerts: i'm so jealous! love JohaN +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister(a)missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo(a)missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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Sinister: but there is a slide show and it's so slow, flashing through my mind
by miss lou 05 Dec '03

05 Dec '03

hello sinister. in latter days, i've made it a policy not to post in such close conjuntion. or so soon after my last one. or whatever you want to say. but tonight, i just sort of felt like it. and i had some specific things to say as well. for one, what's this business about kenneth chu NOT liking breasts being rubbed against his body? has something happened to him? if so, please email me and let me know so i can send the proper condolences, flowers, get-well wishes, etc. as soon as possible. also. for those of who don't know or remember mr. robert baker, who has a new email and should be very glad his prarie is chicago and not lincoln, you should. this man has the most beautiful stories about legos you'd never even begin to imagine. *** i have realized, here at the newspaper now at 2:46 in the morning on my second official all-night book-reading and paper-writing odyssey of the semester, that this will be my last ever such episode behind this desk. unless, of course, something in my very sketchy planning system goes wrong and i end up here next week. but. for now. it seems that this is the last, and i remember past nights like this. i remember the last one actually, last semester when i was scrambling to finish a comm law paper but mostly just messing around on my blog. and the time before that i was over in the arts section finishing a photo story for my evil photojournalism class. i wonder why it seems that even those times of hideous homework and final assignments seem better than tonight. it isn't really the work itself, i suppose, more a sense of the time of those events, the other life circumstances. and i won't go so far to say that i was happier; in the spring i wasn't all that sure how i felt about anything. but hindsight always lends a comforting sense of settledness, i guess. things, life, used to be simpler. and perhaps this is the way it goes, and you move through the proverbial ebb and flow until you learn how to ride with direction. i've been listening to quite a bit of music i haven't listened to in years lately, and it's scary that it was actually years ago that i listened to it. i don't feel so old as it seems i should, but then, when i listen to it, i remember how much i used to love certain songs, how i used to write lyrics on pieces of yellow construction paper and tape them to the door of my dorm room. i miss that. and it doesn't mean i am going to go home and tape up selections from robbie williams to my door, but i suspect i will go home nd wish i had a different home. i am at another ending, and i am tired. i didn't sign up for the newspaper's winter banquet this year; i just didn't feel like dressing up again. because what i really feel like is. well. i really feel like i want some constant. and i am not surprised that i do not know what that is or would be. *** i got a job today. currently, this post is being written by the new personal secretary to the dean of the architecture college, and possibly the future official grant writer of said college. so there. i imagine myself in pleated skirts and oxfords, a stack of project proposals in one hand and a plate of cookies for my boss in the other, sashaying about like a fucking queen. xo.lou. ===== www.somewhereinbetween.net __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now http://companion.yahoo.com/ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister(a)missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo(a)missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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Sinister: long-lost. & lookin' around.
by Robert Baker 05 Dec '03

05 Dec '03

dear Sinister. a few weeks ago one of my coeditors (funny that I have such things) and I revealed to each other quite by accident that we grew up less than a mile away from each other. which is unusual, in that she teaches at the high school I attended, a good many miles from there, and that she is now studying in the same, tiny program from which I am about to graduate. (well, almost the same program. I'm still an undergrad, blah blah.) anyway the coincidence was enough to get us both going on with stories about the settings we unwittingly shared through childhood. the eyeglasses shop indian, for instance (which, for all Chicagoans on board, is the best-kept secret of smut in the whole city. if you're unfamiliar with this glorious attraction, email me immediately for directions. it's worth the drive). she also mentioned the prairie. the prairie she referred to is not really a prairie at all. in fact, until she mentioned the place, I had assumed that my brother and I were the only creatures on earth that ever referred to it as such. it's actually a small field that surrounds the mess of train tracks beneath the bridge Pulaski makes just south of 71st street. we played ball in the prairie, sledded down the embankments (on proper sleds in the winter, and bits of refrigerator boxes the rest of the year), and looked for rats under the concrete slabs of the bridge. our mom would laugh at us when we called it the prairie, saying that when we were in school and we learned what a real prairie was, we'd laugh at ourselves too. instead, when I played Oregon Trail on the Apple IIG's in my suburban grade school, I was annoyed at more than just the lousy graphics -- there I was, out on the prairie, hunting for food for my family (while little Billie was dying of TB or cholera or snake venom or god knows what), and there were bunches of stiff-looking deer and bunnies frolicking about in a setting that was depressingly free of embankments and railroad tracks. what kind of prairie was this? who wanted to be a damned pioneer in the first place? not me. thankfully, I've been to the prairie for real, and I was definitely right. I mean, the vastness and the emptiness that my mom and my geography teachers described to me is there, and it's gorgeous. but it's crisscrossed with train tracks, now, too. and highways, and shabby little towns where people grow up and play with cardboard boxes, and all of that. the midwest, as it turns out, is growing into the prairie of my childhood. and Sue's too. anyway, this is all very poignant for me (no, not in a fisting sort of way, though the image is lovely), mainly because I'm preparing to move to the desert. not just this minute, or anything. I've got school to finish up. but plans are being made and money is being saved, and up until recently I have been quite excited. you see, I'm truly anxious to get away from this place. since I've last spoken to you, Sinister, many ugly things have happened. parents have died. plants have died. romances have gone horribly awry. Chicago has been a poor friend, in general. I'm lonely and tired and goddammit, I'm cold. but I will miss the prairie, which I have found little pieces of all across this city. ahem. enough of that. we haven't talked in awhile, have we? well. it's probably time to mention that I've changed my email address since the last time I posted. to boot, that was a year and a half ago. is a reintroduction necessary? I dunno. I think I prefer the idea of being someone new. though I've missed you all something terrible. love. baker P.S. i got the bit about the new single coming with poorly printed liner notes. has anybody else had the same problem with DCW? mine's got a bunch of blank pages where lyrics should be. +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail sinister(a)missprint.org. To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to majordomo(a)missprint.org. WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "peculiarly deranged fanbase" +-+ +-+ "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000 +-+ +-+ "frighteningly named Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000 +-+ +-+ "sick posse of f**ked in the head psycho-fans" - NME June 2001 +-+ +-+ Nee, nee mun pish, chan pai dee kwa +-+ +-+ Snipp snapp snut, sa var sagan slut! +-+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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