Giuseppe Zangara

At least she's not calling you at random hours, usually in tears, begging you to get back together with her or saying that she started cutting herself in order to deal with the pain of being without you, or writing disturbing livejournal entries castigating you for being a cold, cruel bastard, an ignominious psychological abuser with the blackest of black hearts, which causes her unparalleled misery and fluctuating weight—all of which, even though you know most everyone who would read those entries knows both sides of the story, you still wonder what kind of asshole you must seem to those who don't, in addition to the huge distaste you have for everyone knowing your personal business through something as awful as livejournal—or that, hey, she didn't call your mom asking her why you won't talk to her (that last "her" being the ex-girlfriend). The occasional poem via e-mail isn't so bad.

I went from being moderately pleased with the BSS s/t to outright loathing it. Still, I'll always have You Forgot it in People.

It's okay to be curious.

My personal appearance allows me to feel no shame for engaging in the above argument, or anything lit-related.

Don't be stupid.

You were an English major, right? Did you maintain a similar attitude for the papers you wrote for your classes? "Golly gosh, William Faulkner was certainly the best writer to come out of the South, if not the world entire!" In spite of the shit I've given you, viva, I like you; I realize someone on an internet wrestling message board (omg is that what this is?!?!?!?) saying that means very little to you, but it's true. I'm sorry you've taken so seriously some ribbing that was meant in jest, but hey, if you're that sensitive to faceless criticism, I loathe to think how you made as far in your educational career as you did. Grow up.

I didn't intend to strike a nerve. You can express your adoration for something without coming off like a fawning adolescent.

What a great radio station.

Drop the hyperbole, dude. Only reason I was busting your balls.

Paul, you obviously do not think TVOTR is The Best Band in the World like our friend, vivalaultra.

Neither have I, though "Panic" came up in shuffle the other day.

I do this sometimes, too, now that I think about it. It's not any fault of the song, though.

How often did Byrds fans bother to move the needle whenever "Mind Gardens" came on, I wonder. edit: Speaking of which, there's one that I occasionally skip.

I would've fit in well back when vinyl reigned supreme. Can you imagine having to get up, lift the needle and place it back down accurately on the right groove every time you wanted to skip a track? Preposterous.

There have been times where I shut off Meat is Murder after "Barbarism Begins at Home."

I checked out The John McPhee Reader from the library; this should give me an overview of what book I should start with, given the vast array of subjects McPhee has written about in his decades-long career.

There's no reason why this band is crapped on while the not dissimilar Jackson 5 is heralded as a classic group.

I'm another guy who rarely skips anything. Unless a song's absolutely dreadful, I can deal with it.

No, I haven't, but I notice him whenever I pass by the F's in the fiction section.

This one's good, too, but the chorus of "mmmBop" puts it over the top.

When I saw them a few months back, they played all the best songs from NCL, so that was nice.

I just remembered that my story was definitely seventh grade, as eighth grade was the year where I took a not unrelated health class, wherein we were taught abortion was the murder of an innocent child. Which, in turn, sparked a lot of media coverage after our school was threatened with a lawsuit for doing so.

True story: the ending of his "The Little Mermaid"—his being the original—made me a little misty-eyed.

This: I like it well enough, but reading more than two stories at a time can be trying; Andersen, for all his lyrical gifts, was fond of repetition. Overuse of phrases like "Oh, it was wonderful!" and "Oh, it was very lovely!" and "Oh, it was simply dreadful!" I need something to break up the monotony; I'm leaning towards an essay collection, but nothing particular in mind, outside of maybe something by John McPhee.