not falling down

Guess who’s a big old jackass! The guy who washes his pants with his paycheck in the pocket. Why, that’s me!

That said, my current system of payment involves my issuing an electronic invoice, their cutting a check a week later, sending that check on a week-long 740-mile journey in a check-shaped envelope with a transparent window, and having me physically carry said check five blocks to the same bank every damn week. You’d think a company that is made of Internet could streamline this process somehow! I’m not denying my own culpability here, but that doesn’t mean I can’t call shenanigans on the system. The McDonald’s next door offers direct deposit, and my last employer required it, and my current employer should at least make it an option.

Update 1337 hrs: Spookily, right after I posted this, my boss called me to say that a) I’m now in the corporate bonus pool, despite being a consultant, and b) I just got a significant raise. All complaints withdrawn! Forever! Probably not forever.

Okay, my real top ten:

1. Brick
2. Hackers
3. Sneakers
4. Punch-Drunk Love
5. Grosse Point Blank
6. Spirited Away
7. The Matrix
8. Unbreakable
9. Dancer in the Dark
10. Toy Story 2 (or maybe The Incredibles, this one is pretty close)

Honorable Mention: The part of High Fidelity where Moby hits Tim Robbins in the face with a telephone

You’ll notice that only two of these movies are older than ten years, and none of them older than twenty. If I get through even a quarter of my Netflix queue this year, this list will probably change a lot; I become more aware daily that I haven’t seen most of the movies that I would like, particularly with regard to noir.

Still, I’d say seven of the above are unassailable. (Consider Hackers pre-assailed.)