Enough is a enough

Spartanburg Herald-Journal can go straight to aytch-e-double-hockey-sticks.

Greetings Ms. Coy,   I'm not certain if you're the person to whom I need to address this letter.  If you're not, please accept my apologies and kindly forward this communiqué to the proper individual.    I just received a call from an unknown number.  When I answered, it was a very nice gentleman calling on behalf of Spartanburg Herald-Journal, wanting me to sign up for a trial subscription of your newspaper.  Now, I'm always nice to telemarketers because I feel that they have a job to do just like everyone else and they get dumped on a lot by the people they're directed to call.  So I was nice to this guy and told him thank you, but I wasn't interested in receiving the paper at this time.   As he was no doubt instructed to do, the fellow tried a different tactic to get me to change my mind.  Again, I told him no and again he tried to get me to change my mind.  When I was a bit more adamant and told him that I didn't want to get the paper at this time, he asked me how I was getting my news.  Even though that's none of his business, I informed him I used the Internet, which is true.  I visit GoUpstate.com quite a bit, along with other websites for my news sources.  When he started in again, I told him that I realised he had a job to do, but I did not want to get the paper right now.  I had to get hateful to stop him, which made me feel terrible because, like I said, I feel bad for telemarketers and I don't want to add to their grief.    To be honest with you, I'm pinching every penny I can right now, like so many other Americans these days and I just don't have room in my budget to merit getting the newspaper right now.  But, after this phone call, which isn't the first one I've received from telemarketers calling for the Herald-Journal, I wouldn't subscribe to the newspaper now if you paid me.  Strong-arm tactics to get people to purchase your publication can backfire and, in my case, it certainly has.  You've lost a customer pretty much for life.  I doubt I'll be visiting GoUpstate.com anymore either because I don't want to encourage such behaviour by my support in any way.  Telemarketing is a poor method to promote your product.  It opens up the opportunity for potential customers to be harassed and your employees to be verbally abused.  I strongly suggest you desist from such practices if you don't want to lose more customers in the future.   Kind Regards, Tracy A. and Deloris M. Evans   PS  I'm very curious as to how the Herald-Journal got my unpublished telephone number and why I'm receiving calls at all when I signed up for the opt-out on all telemarketing calls.

When Worlds Collide

Every time I hear the original version of "My Spine (Is the Bassline)" by Shriekback, I see Bugs Bunny doing the dance he does in this toon, starting at 4:51. No matter what I do, I can't erase this vision from my mind. Truly, I must be insane because Bugs and the Shrieks just don't seem to be that compatible. But they are in my head. I wish I knew how to put Bugs' dance to Shriekback's song. That'd be beyond hootacious for, verily, Bugs' spine is most assuredly the bassline in this cartoon.

Al-a-Day Day 2

Today's featurette is "The Saga Begins," which was of monumental importance to us geeky Star Wars fans who were all over The Phantom Menace like a freckle. green_goblin7t and I would listen to this song and just titter with glee. It was one of the few times he and I were united in our love for something. A Jedi and a Sith figuratively linked arm in arm, singing along at work instead of doing our jobs.....good times, good times! I got to see Al in concert for the first time when he was touring to promote Running with Scissors, the album this song is on. When he sang this song, in full costume, and came to the part where Qui Gon Jinn meets up with Darth Maul and "now he's toast," I shouted out so loud that I got Al's attention! Oh, it should be of note that this song merited the traditional lit lighters one sees at many concerts. It was a glorious moment. Al did it again during the Poodle Hat concert too, but I was too verklempt to scream out like I did the time before; however, when we got backstage to talk to Al, I did tell him how this song had touched many women in the Darth Maul Estrogen Brigade. He seemed rather amused by that, as well he should be.

So, without further ado, I present the instant classic THE SAGA BEGINS