Monday, well-rested. That won't last long.

As the three of you reading this journal over the weekend know, I hit story-draft for Vineart War #1 on Saturday. Go me! But the Post-Draft Day of Rest is done. Back on the the work-pony.

Oh, but I did want to say something abut the production of The Damnation of Faust at the Metropolitan Opera.

First of all: Faust. Damned difficult thing to stage, and obviously you have to simplify the storyline (which, IMO, loses all the depth of the story and makes it even harder to stage effectively as a logical story) but the end production was fabulous just the same.

The director had worked with Cirque du Solei before, and you could tell: wired acrobatics, high-tech bluescreeen with fore and aft projection, and a multi-level, multi-focus production very much not your grandmother's opera. Staging was magnificent, voices divine, use of technology impressive, and the costuming was brilliantly done -- Mephistopheles' red pleather and goat hair suit gave the very clear 'dragon' resonance (the front of his jacket was molded like a rib cage) but when he was caught in the mirror behind him, the curve of the cap's quail feathers screamed "horned beast." And then he plucked one of those feathers (his 'horn') for Faust to sign the document with... Niiiiiice.

Mephistopheles always steals the show. Always.

Why you should always read even the boring mail....

Got a letter today from a credit card I've had for over a decade: "We are changing your Card Agreement....All your APRs (including promotional APRs) on all balances may automatically increase to the default APR if you default under any Card Agreement you have with us because you:

* do not make the minimum payment when due
* go over the credit line, or
* make a payment to us that is not honored."

All this is perfectly within their rights -- legal, if not moral -- and although I-as-Consumer want to spit at the sheer ursury of their rates (up to 29.9%), it's their card, their rules, and I'm not of a mind to give this account up, for reasons of credit rating and I doubt anyone's NOT tightening the screws anyway.*

However. What made this worth posting about (other than a reminder to READ MAIL SENT TO YOU BY YOUR CREDIT CARD COMPANY!) is the last line of the letter, which is just...beautiful.

"We hope you choose to take full advantage of your [card name] revolving line of credit and all the benefits and services we offer you."

I want to test for the invisible ink afterward that says "because just one screw-up, and we own your soul and your body as well."


Credit cards: Marvelous tools. Evil masters.



*EtA: I don't run afoul of any of those three changes, so I can afford to stay. If you do, and you get one of these... bail as soon as possible.