gremmie.net

For the past two weeks I have been badgering my old web host provider superuser.net to transfer my account from their domicile to the Goof recommended bluehost.com. Having been a loyal customer of superuser.net since 1999 despite their terrible - ostensibly non-existent - service, I decided finally to make the switch.

To say that superuser.net’s service is an atrocity would be to grossly understate the obvious. If frustration were gold, this place would be Fort fucking Knox. As Goof can vouch, the only reason they respond to e-mails is if you’re renewing your annual contract or upgrading your service, therefore providing them with additional cash flow. They’re the agnostic’s abadonment theory. Have a problem accessing your FTP? Too bad. Can’t erase some files to make room for new ones because they’ve been randomly locked by superuser? Tough shit. Wondering why your site randomly crashes when superuser has guaranteed a 99.9% online rate? You must be joking. I sent all these e-mails. Many times. They were met with a deafening silence. Naturally, since I’m a talker, I’ve also tried calling. The phone rings twice, then reverts to voicemail. Some fobby peeter asks you to leave a message. Ordinarily, I have no qualms leaving a message. But since I’ve left more than 15 in the past few months that were soundly met with no response, I’ve grown a bit skeptical. So, don’t bother calling. How’d I manage to pry gremmie.net from the cold, steely hands of superuser? I went over their heads to ICANN, then dotregistrar.com and effectively had them reassign the domain. Who are ICANN and dotregistrar.com? Think of them as lords to superuser’s vassals. This of course makes me a serf. Nothing ever changes.

The important thing is that gremmie.net is now on stable ground and will continue to be henceforth. I’ve spoken on the phone with my new web host provider bluehost.com five times as much in the past two weeks than I had with superuser.net in the past 5 years. The site will be fully operational in the next few weeks as we bring back fan favorites like the gremmienomicon and gremmies pages. That’s all for now.

If ever there were a song I wanted playing in the background when I was - in the words of Olivia Newton John - getting physical, it would be “Come Back”, a track from Pearl Jam’s eponymous 8th studio album due out on May 2nd of this year. The bittersweet song is an eclectic blend of rythms from the original King, Elvis (think Can’t Help Falling in Love), to the once and former Jeff Buckley. According to iTunes “addiction counter“, I have played this song no less than 192 times since acquiring it through shifty and cloaked sources last week. Yes, I have the new Pearl Jam album. Yes, it’s their best work to date. No, I do not want to give it to you. This is me winking.

The album is phenomenal; not in the way a superfan like me would ordinarily stamp anything produced by this band as “super-rad-awesome-yeah!”, rather a manner in which Rock n’ Roll’s everyman would no doubt appreciate it’s accomplishment. Since I received the record as loose files the tracklist in unfamiliar to me and I am unwilling to go searching the vast expanse of Amazon.com for it. My iTunes playlist is set as such that “Unemployable”, the b-side from the lead-off single “World Wide Suicide”, plays first. The latter is a track no doubt many of you have heard on whatever junky radio station rolls rock rotations. It’s an exemplary single of what the record has in store. The standard “Pearl Jam” rock songs are present. I use the quotation marks around the word Pearl Jam there as it refers to how most people view them, as the band that owned what was affectionately referred to as grunge. Unsurprisingly, it’s these are the same people who view Ten as their best album. Comical.

“World Wide Suicide”, “Comatose”, “Life Wasted”, and “Big Wave” are the trail of crumbs leading to the massive 3 layer Butterscotch and Chocolate angel food cake. $65 at Magnolia. These 4 blistering tracks make the album accessible to those who haven’t dipped their proverbial “donkey’s” into the Pearl Jam tub as of late. Once beyond the gates, listeners can expect to be disarmed by songs like the aforementioned “Come Back”, and the Bealtes-esque “Parachutes”. Ed’s own “Gone” sounds remarkable as a studio track and a safe surprise for those who’ve heard either the Christmas single or were at the Borgata last October. “Marker in the Sand” and “Severed Hand” will register as perfect anthems for the summer tour. The closing track, “Inside Job” begins with a 2 minute instrumental and was written by Mike McCready. A sharp self-critique, the song carries 3 guitars, keys, and Ed’s voice for a healthly 7 and a half minutes. By the time the song ends you’ll likely be in a catatonic state, unable to convey audible sounds beyond babble and dribbling.

I received this message early this morning. The author is Peter.

I can’t fathom this notion of being polite. Sometimes it can just lead people on…in my case…bigtime. But you have to understand the time gap. You have to understand the distance…and you have to understand the risk. I don’t regret a single thing that I did. I don’t recall being swayed in my decision to reach her. I just can’t comprehend her response, her willingness to oblige. Still, I hold no animosity, I just wish it was worth my time. Understand that the process was worth my time. Understand that the risk was worth my effort. My curiosity was satisfied. But was she worth my time? The feeling of rejection is faint. My denial is weak hearted…now I know.

Thank you brother…