Loop
I sat in the new little coffee house, sipping a maté latte and reading Oryx and Crake, when I started to get distracted by the music playing over the cafe's stereo system.
"You know," I said to myself, "This is one of those songs that could get stuck on one song repeat, and it's so monotonous already that it would take these people an hour to realize it."
"Who is this guy anyway?* From the Saskatoon reference I'd wonder if he was Canadian, had he not thought it was part of 'America's best.' Hm." I resumed reading.
I looked up from my book again. "I was more right than I thought. Jeez this song is repetitive. It must be one of those one verse strophic things that just repeats the same bit three times really slowly, with increasing emotion. Except in this case, the emotion just isn't. . . . This really could get stuck on endless repeat and no one would notice."
"Okay, now. This is just getting silly."
"Is this some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy? Jesus!" I tried to read, but couldn't concentrate at all on the book anymore, because there was now a mystery which begged to be solved. "Fine, I'll listen for hte song to end and restart, and then I'l go complain to the staff."
"Okay, if this bastard goes down to Georgia one more freaking time, I'm gonna. . . . "
"Aha! There it is! In time with the music and everything. I should tell . . . ."
"Fine! You know what? I'm done with my muffin, and I don't want to risk sticking around here for even one more streets in the stupid West! And don't even get me started if we see Saskatoon one more freakin' time! That's it!" . . . At which point, I closed the book I'd long since stopped reading, and marched out the door as fast as I could.
I don't think the staff ever caught on.
* It turns out the artist's name is Dallas Green, and he hails from St. Catherines, Ontario. So in the debate over whether an American would know where Saskatoon is, even if he thought it was part of the US, the Canadians win. But with a shitty song. So it's a bittersweet victory this time around.
I've been down to Georgia,
I've seen the streets in the West,
I've driven down the 90
Hell, I've seen America's best.
"You know," I said to myself, "This is one of those songs that could get stuck on one song repeat, and it's so monotonous already that it would take these people an hour to realize it."
I've been through the rockies,
I've seen Saskatoon,
I've driven down the Highway 1,
Just hoping that I'd see you soon.
"Who is this guy anyway?* From the Saskatoon reference I'd wonder if he was Canadian, had he not thought it was part of 'America's best.' Hm." I resumed reading.
I've been down to Georgia,
I've seen the streets in the West,
I've driven down the 90,
Hell, I've seen America's best.
I've been through the rockies,
I've seen Saskatoon,
I've driven down the Highway 1,
Just hoping that I'd see you soon.
I looked up from my book again. "I was more right than I thought. Jeez this song is repetitive. It must be one of those one verse strophic things that just repeats the same bit three times really slowly, with increasing emotion. Except in this case, the emotion just isn't. . . . This really could get stuck on endless repeat and no one would notice."
I've been down to Georgia,
I've seen the streets in the West. . . .
"Okay, now. This is just getting silly."
I've been down to Georgia,
I've seen the streets in the West. . . .
"Is this some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy? Jesus!" I tried to read, but couldn't concentrate at all on the book anymore, because there was now a mystery which begged to be solved. "Fine, I'll listen for hte song to end and restart, and then I'l go complain to the staff."
I've seen Saskatoon,
I've driven down the Highway 1,
Just hoping that I'd see you soon.
I've been down to Georgia. . . .
"Okay, if this bastard goes down to Georgia one more freaking time, I'm gonna. . . . "
. . . Just hoping that I'd see you soon.
[tiny almost imperceptible hiccup]
I've been down to Georgia. . . .
"Aha! There it is! In time with the music and everything. I should tell . . . ."
I've been through the rockies,
I've seen Saskatoon,
"Fine! You know what? I'm done with my muffin, and I don't want to risk sticking around here for even one more streets in the stupid West! And don't even get me started if we see Saskatoon one more freakin' time! That's it!" . . . At which point, I closed the book I'd long since stopped reading, and marched out the door as fast as I could.
I've been down to . . . [slam]
I don't think the staff ever caught on.
* It turns out the artist's name is Dallas Green, and he hails from St. Catherines, Ontario. So in the debate over whether an American would know where Saskatoon is, even if he thought it was part of the US, the Canadians win. But with a shitty song. So it's a bittersweet victory this time around.