Waiting on a plumber, part 2

What else am I going to do while waiting for two dudes to install my new water heater?

♦ I have a theory! And I'd like to run it by you. I think there's a direct correlation between the nastiness of a bathroom at a Chinese restaurant and the quality of the food there. But it's not what you're thinking. In Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain said you can take one look at a restaurant's bathroom and tell how that place runs its kitchen. Gross bathroom = gross kitchen. But my theory says it's the opposite with Chinese restaurants. The nastier the bathroom, the better the food is. I need to increase the sample size in my research, but of the last three or four places I've been to and enjoyed, my theory's held true. The nicest, cleanest bathroom was at a Chinese buffet.

♦ While flipping through The Believer yesterday (which Friend of Fried Rice Raging Red also enjoyed), I was intrigued by a comment Bob Mould (of Husker Du, Sugar, pro wrestling, and now, electronic music, fame) made in an interview. (Unfortunately, the free excerpt cuts off before the comment, so you'll have to take my word for it.) What he said was that people just aren't as passionate about music as they used to be. And that's strange, since it's arguably more available, through more forums, in greater variety, than it's ever been. We're not as ravenous for music; we don't go to as many concerts, we don't fall hard for a particular band or musician.

And I agree with that. It's certainly true about me. I only talk about music occasionally. I hardly ever go to live shows anymore. I barely buy music, unless it's from an old favorite (and don't download much, either). And that means I'm not looking insatiably for the next band that'll scratch my music itch. But I chalked all of that up to getting old. Is that what it is? Or is Mould right? (I suppose you could argue that his fanbase is aging too, though I imagine he's picked up a lot of new listeners through his ventures into electronica.)