worryingly jolly batman

I just made a whole bunch of new friends, so OBVIOUSLY what I'm doing is posting another meme post. SORRY GUISE. For those playing the LJ game, I just unfriended a bunch of people and communities: people I'm following on dreamwidth who don't flock their entries, and communities that got annoyingly spammy. I really doubt I got up anyone's nose and as you guys know I'm way, way too lazy to flock, but if I defriended you and you want back on, tell me tell me. I was really aiming at consolidating, not cutting. (Also: defriending amnesty. If you've been wanting to, do it, I promise not to cry.)

So this is particularly bad timing for three vids that are all basically Issue Vids. If you have Issues with Issue Vids, steer clear! For these vids I think it's particularly important that you watch them before reading my commentary, so uh. Please do?

Day 16 - A vid that told you something new about a show/movie you already loved
My Medea, by yunitsa
Joss Whedon shows; Girls in Boxes; premise spoilers for Dollhouse; spoilers for Firefly; Buffy included but (IMO) no significant spoilers; violence against women, general creepiness.

( blah blah )

Day 17 - A vid you wish you had made
Let There Be Guns, by kuwdora
Stargate: SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis; everybody has guns; tv violence, no spoilers worth mentioning.

I'm not a vidder, so this was tough for me, but this is sort of an attainable goal: I wish I was as witty as this vid. Of course it starts off with a bit of an advantage because it uses a hilarious song, but the spark of genius that first combined the two - well, I desire it! There's nothing much to this vid except wit, and I love it.

Best Bit: Definitely "naw, not me, I got me a rifle." &Vala; The timing on "we could go out and shoot things" is really good, and "we wouldn't need the police no more" is extra-good because it comes from an episode about, like, separationists so I think it's hilarious. The vid mostly depends on visuals rather than canon knowledge, so I like that that's a scene where canon knowledge makes this extra funny.

Day 18 - A vid that made you investigate that vidder's other work further
Bachelorette, by obsessive24
BTVS, ensemble, spoilers for the whole series, rapid cuts

GUISE GUISE, I know I've recced like fifteen vids which are all RARR JOSS HAS PROBLEMS, but this vid? sort of pro Joss! You should watch it!

( etc etc )

SO THAT WAS A LOT OF TL;DR. Watch some vids, guys!

OK, one of the issues with the whole can-get-anything-on-the-internets bit is that I am driven CRAZY when I am foiled. EG: Today, I really wanted to watch the credits from the BTVS episode "Seeing Red" ( spoiler for Buffy s6 ) Anyway, I wanted to watch them because of talking about Joss all the time because I'm talking about Dollhouse quite often. Is anyone else finding this? Thinking about how not that great Dollhouse often is makes you want to go rewatch a lot of Buffy?

Well, anyway! I go looking for these credits thinking - you know, Buffy fans are pretty devoted, the "Seeing Red" credits are kind of unique - they're bound to be on Youtube somewhere, right? right?

NO. YOUTUBE FAILED ME. THE INTERNETS HAS FAILED ME. *makes the seriously entitled fanbrat face of wrath*

OH but: you should all go and read sixth_light's FAAAABulous post on Why LJ Smith's Pulp Teen Supernatural Romance Series From The 90s Is A Million Times Superior in Every Way to Twilight, Featuring: Total Lack of Ridiculous Sparkling (this may not be the actual title she gave it, but that is just because she is not as creative as me.) It has my personal seal of approval.

And finally, a note about Dreamwidth: at the moment I'm deliberately manually crossposting because I need to learn Dreamwidth tags or I'll die. At some point I will import my livejournal but this may take awhile since my life is a complete and utter diaster. It's possible that at this point I will begin to use the DW crossposter permanently, but I'm not sure. I also have four invite codes to give out, so comment for them or email me labellementeuse(at)gmail(dot)com!

Note to self: watching the last two episodes of Angel S5 for the first time is probably not a smart thing to do ten minutes before heading off to seven hours in retail hell. It makes you want to kill things with a sword, rather than smile and be cheerful to assholes.

Needless to say, the first ninety minutes of my shift were such a suckfest I lost my squee within moments of entering the building.

CARFUL OF TEENAGERS: *pulls up to pump 4, pumps gas*
SHOP: *is way too fucking busy, because dumbass manager is too cheap to pay enough people to cover a shift adequately*
TEENAGERS: *come in one by one, all get separate purchases*
TUI and DEAN, your friendly CSRs, to each TEENAGER: Have you got fuel with that? *smile*
TEENAGERS: Nah!
CARFUL OF TEENAGERS: *leaves*
TUI and DEAN: *clear the 20-person queue in record time*
TUI: Hey, Dean, where's pump 4?
DEAN: Did you not charge any of them?
TUI: The girls? nope. I did ask them, though.
DEAN: Crap.

Time passes, it is still extremely busy. There are several cars on the forecourt.

IDIOT: *walks up to desk, stares at TUI, says nothing.*
TUI: Hi! How are you?
IDIOT: Good, you?
TUI: ... good!
There is an awkward pause.
TUI: *makes wild guess* Oh, you have fuel? Are you $80 on #4?
IDIOT: Yup! *pays using Caltex card. You can't give cash out on a Caltex card, which means they are unforgiving of transaction errors.*
TUI: Bye now!
NOT AN IDIOT: Hi! I'm $80 on #4!
TUI: *looks out window, sees IDIOT getting into #3, which has $98* FUCK. Sorry, sir, there's been an accounting error, one second! *sprints out to IDIOT* Hi, sir! You told me you were $80 on #4, but you're $98 on #3! You need to come in and make up the difference for me!
IDIOT: HAHAHA! I didn't even listen to you! Hah!
TUI: Ha. Ha. Ha.
TUI: *processes about twelve different transactions between IDIOT and NOT AN IDIOT, including doing things you're TECHNICALLY NOT SUPPOSED TO DO with the till, like MANUAL FUEL SALES*
HUGE LINE OF CUSTOMERS: *gets twitchy* *thinks very clearly that TUI is incompetant*
IDIOT: *leaves without apologising*
TUI: *seethes* *is very fucking competent, thanks.*

More time passes!

DEAN: *goes on ciggy break*
TOTAL BITCH: *walks into store* *in very insulting, rude tone* Are you not selling gas today?
TUI: *is confused because, hey, there are three other customers in the store who don't appear to have had any problems* Uh, yes? Are you having difficulty pumping gas? If you'll give me five seconds to help this gentleman I can be out to help you!
TOTAL BITCH: I WENT TO TWO DIFFERENT PUMPS AND NEITHER OF THEM WORKED. Don't bother, I'll go somewhere they're prepared to do their jobs! *storms out*
TUI: *gobsmacked* *glances at screen* *sees that there's 20c on pump 3 and 30c on pump 6* THAT FUCKING BITCH WAS TOO DUMB TO REALISE SHE WAS ACTUALLY PUMPING AND JUST STOLE FUCKING PETROL. (A totally tiny amount, but it's the principle of the thing.)
DEAN: *comes back from break*
TUI: Man, you'll never guess what this horrible person just did!
DEAN: Jeeze, get over it, you need to not stress the small stuff!
TUI: ARGOMGWTFDKJASLJALKASJKASL *beats head against counter, causes concussion, is taken to hospital and doesn't have to work the next five and a half hours of her shift*

Okay, that last line is pure fantasy. But that-all happened within eighty minutes of my walking in the door. The morals of the stories are?
- PAY FOR YOUR PETROL.
- pay for YOUR petrol.
- don't be a bitch and then not PAY FOR YOUR PETROL.

I also was treated to the radio saying "And this week in the news. On Monday, newspapers revealed that Helen Clark's husband is in fact gay.* *kills things* *with a sword* *with Gunn's giant hubcap axe* *with my BRAIN*

( teeny bit of blather about Power Play and Not Fade Away )

In conclusion! Joss: Still funny, still a bastard, still awesome.

And finally! I am on the lookout for a couple of songs: I Fought the Law and the Law Won, by... I forget, There is No Depression In New Zealand by um, I think it's the Blam Blam Blams? and Jesus Walks by Kanye West. Will swap for whatever, just say the word.

The following text is taken almost verbatim from my work this evening.

Scene: reasonably quiet petrol station of the multinational flavour, about ten o'clock. Staff: one (moi), young woman of the cheerful persuasion, willing to go the extra mile for her customers (some of this is a lie.)

CUSTOMER OF THE 30 YEAR OLD MALE PERSUASION: *walks in* Can I get a gas bottle* filled?
*I don't know what these are called outside NZ... LPG bottles? Anyway, you plug them into barbeques or heaters or small stoves. They contain a flammable gas. Filling them entails me leaving the store and going outside to the pumps (leaving the store unattended.) For this reason, many petrol stations won't fill after a certain hour. But my station is *special* and more concerned with sales than with the safety of its staff, so we fill them 24/7. This is not too bad as long as customers come at a quiet time, as this one did.
FRIENDLY LOCAL CREWMEMBER (hereafter FLC), IE ME: *checks forecourt; it's quiet* Sure, I can do that for you now, sir.
CUSTOMER & FLC head outside to the filling station, set up, etc. CUSTOMER leans on car, observes FLC.
CUSTOMER: So, how old are you?
FLC: (Mildly surprised, only slightly skeeved) Uh, 19.
CUSTOMER: Ah, quite young!
FLC: (Jokily) Oh, not so young!
CUSTOMER: Hm. Have you heard of Jesus?
FLC: (slightly more skeeved, but maintaining even tone) Ah, I'm sorry, I'm atheist.
FLC clearly expects this to be the end of the subject. And a note: CUSTOMER appears to be a foreigner, although his English is really pretty good; he sounds to FLC more like a first-language English speaker from a country where other languages are also spoken, like India or, I dunno, parts of Africa or Canada or something. His next remark is therefore surprising:
CUSTOMER: Ah, atheist. What does that mean?
FLC: Um, I don't believe in any god.
CUSTOMER: (Clearly warming to his subject)But don't you find that something of a risk? You know, it doesn't matter whether or not you believe in God; He believes in you!
FLC: (Thinking: so if it doesn't matter, why don't you shut up? But retaining polite tone, because I am an *excellent* retail worker) Um, it's a risk I'm willing to take, seeing as how I don't believe in him.
CUSTOMER: [something I've forgotten about heaven, etc]
FLC: well, you know, I don't believe in that. But I'm sure if he does exist and I die and I show up there, any good God will understand that I've lived a pretty good life. (This is true! Today I fetched water for an old woman in the haemotology clinic. Good deeds for all! ;))
CUSTOMER: (In the tones of one playing a trump card) Ah, but you see, that's not enough for Jesus!
FLC: (Shutting down LPG fill, which has finished; STILL with polite, even cheerful tones) Well then he's a pretty bitchy god.
FLC walks back to store, followed by CUSTOMER after he's put the bottle in the car and gotten his wallet. It is a measure of the extent to which the FLC is pissed off that she didn't put the bottle in his car herself.
FLC: (smiling) That'll be $19.50, thank you!
CUSTOMER: Ah, maybe I've tempted you a little bit, huh?
FLC: Um...
CUSTOMER: Well, think about it, okay?
FLC: (Thinking: NO. FUCK OFF. In tones of great finality:) Have a good evening, sir.

ARGHOMFG. Okay, look, there are a lot of religious people who I know and respect and love. But believe me this method of attempting to convert me wil not ever work and will merely confirm me as more stalwartly atheistic. It's also THREATENING. DON'T FUCKING DO IT. I'm a young woman working alone until 11 pm; I've left the store to fill your bottle; I'm actually kind of at your mercy. PISS THE HELL OFF WITH YOUR EVANGELISTIC CRAP, and oh, here's a hint, if someone identifies themselves as atheist, what they mean is I'm not interested.

*sigh* I should have just kept repeating "atheist!" in gradually riding volume until he got the message, I know.

( spoiler blether about AtS 4x13: Salvage (the one where Faith shows up. Is there really a point spoiler-cutting for an ep this old? I already knew everything that was going to happen in this season when I watched it the first time through last year... )