The Top List

Today's update is a run down of the top 25 records released in 2012. 2012 was another great year for punk rock albums, with a lot of bands releasing some honest to god, truly great records—records that will no doubt make their ways into peoples long term collections, and not just be passed on in the next cull—records that will go on to be personal favourites.

25. Brick Mower - "My Hateable Face"

1. Tom Jones - Kiss

Tom Jones getting funky is about as cool as David Koch smoking a joint. Releasing a Prince cover a mere two years after the original is a big mistake no matter who you are, and especially if you're Tom Jones.

2. Extreme - Get the Funk Out

Horrendous. Completely awful. This is the band that did that song "More Than Words" and here they are showing you just how much they get down. It's the worst possible Red Hot Chili Peppers ripoff you could imagine, and the lead singer's dancing has forever burned an ugly, gyrating image into my head.

3. The Beach Boys - Summer of Love

So it's 1992 and you're still The Beach Boys.

I did ten years in retail before I finally got jack of the low pay and low rewards vs. the high expectations of administration. I found it very hard to work a job in retail for that long and not be bitter about it, and if ever there was an argument against free enterprise then the retail industry is a good part of that argument. I feel kind of vindicated that online industries are starting to supplant some of these companies, there are so many dodgy practices embedded in the industry... but hey, I won't rant too much about that, that's another story for another time.

Today I would like to talk about some of my fun times dealing with 'customers'.

Pizza is the most versatile food group. You dial a number on your phone or even these days use an app on your iphone, and then pizza arrives like a miracle half an hour later. Order more than you need and you can stretch it out to several meals in a row. The best thing is that you can just eat it straight out of the box and put the leftovers in the fridge. That's what fridges are actually designed for. Oh and beer of course. When you want to reheat the leftovers the next day, just tear the lid off the box and use it as a plate for microwaving and then consumption. No need to waste a perfectly good plate.

Schooner glass lifecycle. You go to the pub and order some beers.