I passed shorthand. Crazy. Shorthand is the paper still freaking out 80% of the journalism majors and grad dips. I don't know how I passed. Based on the two days (the requirement is to pass twice) I turned up and made the grade, the secret to passing is not studying at all, eating toast (and only toast) for breakfast, turning up ten minutes late and finding out what the subject is when you've finally snuck into class and opened your booklet, drinking a Coke Zero during the rehearsal session, cracking lame jokes in between practises, and expecting the worst.

The universe rewarded me by making my new iPod arrive instore (it's been loading songs on from iTunes all night, I'm yet to have a proper play with it) and Chris Knox responding to my requests for a brief interview about the new way the music industry might work. He was cool.

Apple haven't had it all good in my view today though. Their media relations rep in Australia gave me the runaround in relation to parallel importing, answering every single question I had for her with words effective to "take a look at our website" which is not only the complete opposite of what we've been taught to do, but a really fucking lame thing to quote in a news story. And to think the rest of the staff on the way up the call centre ladder to her were so helpful and friendly...

tariqa got an iPod Touch. Oooerr.

I'm such a nerd. But hey, it could have been worse. I originally adapted the entire sketch, only to be told to remove 2200 characters. Luckily I have my sub-editing hat on for the next week or so.

My new iPod is the shizzle. And my new Koss headphones fit snug when they're hanging around my neck. Which is totally the best way to listen to music...

A meme from inner_starfish:
Comment on this post. I will choose seven interests from your profile and you will explain what they mean and why you are interested in them. Post this along with your answers in your own journal so that others can play along.


decemberists

A band I stumbled across last year, recommended to me by Renee, I think. Their The Mariner's Revenge Song has some of the best lyrics ever.

kosh

He's not only one of the alien ambassadors aboard Babylon 5, but a big fluffy white cat who leaves fur all over our furniture.

richey james edwards

He's the missing Manic Street Preacher. Vanished in 1995, the band still keep a quarter of their earnings aside in case he returns. I was pretty obsessed with him as a teenager, and still think the bands' The Holy Bible is a lyrical masterpiece.

spaceghost

Spaceghost is awesome. He's on Adult Swim, they've been playing the same episodes for the last six years it seems, but they're so surreal there's always something new to see.

stanley kubrick

I was once a film student, and it's compulsory to worship Stanley Kubrick when you're a film student. A Clockwork Orange is his best, strangely faithful to the book for the most part too.

the arcade fire

Perhaps second only to Muse for making purely awesome over-the-top indie rock this decade. I pretty much play one of their albums in the 50 minutes before closing the store every time I close the store. Sometimes middle aged women will hear one of their pretty songs and buy the album, and I chuckle at what they're unwittingly getting themselves in for.

the strokes

I don't listen to them much anymore, but for a short time in 2001 I did my best to wear out their debut album Is This It. I bought it one day while feeling sad, a rare case of retail therapy for me. That, Weezer's Green album and JJ72's debut will always remind me of living with my friends Jess and Gabe.