...waiting..... waiting.....
Hmmm. Nothing happened. That's a let-down.
Well anyway, in honor of this occasion, you get to decide whether you want this to be a positive entry or a negative one. Think of it as a choose-your-own-adventure novel.
If you want Stephen to tell you something happy and uplifting, scroll down to where it says "Bunnies and Rainbows."
If you want to hear Stephen puke out obscenities about the blatant stupidity that plagues our society, scroll down to the section titled "Brimstone and Maggots."
Good luck.
Bunnies and Rainbows
I went to the Warner Brothers Studios this morning and sat in on a recording session for the USC graduate composition students. Let me tell you why it was amazing:
1. Despite land being 4 times more expensive in LA than everywhere else, the scoring stage we went to is 4 times bigger and 12 times more expensive than everything else on Earth.
2. The control room has a sound board that is bigger than most recording studios. I'm pretty sure they have about 300 channels at their disposal. And they might have even used them all, at one point. Probably not though. Nevertheless, all of the buttons light up. I should have brought my camera.
3. Every musician in the orchestra arrived 20 minutes early. I always thought it was just a myth or an ignorant blabbering when I would hear people in both Seattle and Utah talk about how musicians in LA are just better than everywhere else. From what I've seen so far, it's true. They play more in tune, more expressive, more precise, and they don't seem to be as self-conscious and insecure as other performers.
4. The entire back wall is a movie screen. This is so the conductor can watch the film while the orchestra is playing to it.
It was a really great experience. Truly awesome.
--- The happiness ends here. ---
Brimstone and Maggots
I hate Kinkos.
More than anything in this world, I hate that wretched abomination of a copy center.
Their customer service is pathetic. I truly hate it when I ask for something and the person working there somehow makes me feel guilty for bothering him with my business.
Their prices are ridiculous. I had to print out a score. 20 tabloid pages, single-sided. $22.
That's right. they charge $1.08 per page. Not to mention the $.25 per minute it costs just to use their stupid computers that barely work, running Windows 95. I paid $24 to print out a 20-page score.
Then I wanted to get it bound. The guy was a jerk to me. He literally talked me out of it.
"Well, look. For a coil binding on tabloid paper the only thing we can do is put two bindings on it, which will take some time, and you're looking at the cost of two full bindings plus a 5-dollar setup fee. We're talking at least $18."A five dollar "setup fee"? I'm not stupid! I've seen how bindings are done. I could walk back there and do it myself with ZERO training! And you're telling me that each one of those little plastic coils cost $6?
Wow. Kinkos, You suck. That's all I can say. You're just a crappy, crappy business, and I hope you burn.
So I went to Staples instead. They don't have as many options, but I was able to get the exact same thing that I would have paid $18 for at Kinkos, for a grand total of $3.50. I have the reciept to prove it.
My newest goal for this lifetime is to destroy Kinkos.
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I read both entries, I got the full experience, I enjoyed them both, and I feel more well rounded than I otherwise would have been.
ReplyDeleteI hate Kinko's as well! And especially this FedEx Kinko combo they're trying to pull off, who do they think they are? Whenever I go in there, all of the employees are apparently working for FedEx and not for Kinko's because no one is willing to assist me with my copying needs.
ReplyDelete