...And the blog shall be my only contact with the outside world during this period of social fasting...

Product Entry Death March, Day 1 (Tuesday): The madness begins
Soundtrack: Tori Amos, "Strange Little Girls," heavy rotation of "Rattlesnakes."
Caffeine Servings: 3
So, Greg and I have to load 1300 products in the next month-and-a-half, which is basically the entire remaining catalog for our four major cruise suppliers. This is sudden, yet not exactly unexpected. Our target is 30 products per day each. I like to get these things off to a healthy start, so I put my phone on call forwarding, turned the music up, and got 80 products entered. And that's with a long lunch, even.

Product Entry Death March, Day 2 (Wednesday): It's alive!
Soundtrack: Early Elvis. Heavy rotation of "Suspicious Minds."
Caffeine Servings: 2
90 products entered today, as well as yesterday's 80 approved. I kick ass. My phone will remain on call forwarding until this project is over, and I'm thinking of sticking a "go away" sign to the back of my chair. Went home early, since repetitive ten-keying makes my wrist hurt. Also need to prepare a portfolio for the writer's conference March 5-7, which I suppose I'll need to cram into this weekend.

If I made one important realization this weekend, it was that I really love the phrase "safe as houses."

Saturday I went to see Black Celebration, which is a Depeche Mode cover band (well, what else would they be?). They were playing at the Catwalk, which isn't at all like I had always pictured it. I suppose I was expecting, well, catwalks. But it's pretty much like any other club in a converted industrual warehouse-y space.

The crowd was great fun to watch; there were the requisite mostly nekkid girls (I think they come with the liquor license or something); a few aging goths, one of whom had extended his sideburns with eyeliner into pointy spiraly things; a very granola-ish girl in all floral prints; and several guys in baseball caps who looked like they'd been dragged there by their girlfriends.

The opening band, Kuma, was okay, but not terribly engaging. The singer had a Siouxsie thing going on, but I think it's going to take them another six months or so before they meld well. There was one girl up by the stage, dancing her heart out and obviously having a great time. Everyone else was hanging around the edges, chatting and contributing to the smoky haze. It was sort of like a middle school dance with booze.

Then Black Celebration came on, and everyone crowded up toward the stage. They were really good, too: the singer really had the whole attitude down. They did most of my favorite songs, which made me happy, although Somebody was noticably lacking. The set list was very Violator-heavy; I was hoping for a little more of the earlier stuf. I did think they ought to have ended on Enjoy the Silence, but that's just me. I mean, think of it: "Enjoy the silence..." Bam, blackout, house lights up.

On the way to the car afterwards, we got accosted by slimy boys making kissy faces. Does that ever work? I mean, is it supposed to bring out some primal urge in me? "Ooh, you're a misogynist halfwit, fuck me now." Because I just hadn't gotten my daily dose of yuck...

Stephanie and I discussed our favorite Depeche Mode albums, and we both settled on Some Great Reward. Write in with your favorites; I'll post the results if I actually hear from anyone.

Sunday was also exciting, but now I have to get back to work, so you'll just have to wait for that.