Don't Fool Yourself, Hilary Will Run

Ok, now it's time for me to piss off all the democraps and un-informed idiots in this country. As the title states, Hilary will run. Trust me. She's got an ace up her sleeve and she's going to play it.

The problem is: Hilary is a control freak bent on running the show. Are we ready for a woman president? The numbers say yes, but we'd rather have a black president first. Unless, of course, it's Hilary Clinton. The we all rush out to the polls, pen in hand. Are we nuts?!

Hilary will not be a good president based on the fact that she is so insanely head strong. You think George W. was bad? Wait until this one gets into office. I can't predict what she'll do with the country, but I know it won't be good based on the Clinton's over all moral track record. "It Takes A Village" never ceases to piss me off...

I would strongly advise anyone who calls themselves a voter to statistically research any canidate before voting and know what they stand for. This isn't a friggin' popularity contest, these people control the fate of the free world. And we don't want a trigger happy, anti-Christian in office who will drive this country further down the toilet than it already is.

Music Buying Websites Missing The Boat

I've been carousing the web the past few days looking into buying music where I can download only the songs I want. I've found something out. The nasty dragon known as the RIAA has it's evil little paws in this as well. Go to this website, and read EVERYTHING. Especially how many times you can burn the song, transfer the song, and on how many computers the song can exist. Hey Junior, once I lay my .99 down, what I can do with it on my own media and how many times I can do it is none of your concern. And stop making it all WMA, that's f'ing irritating!!!! The format of choice is MPfriggin3!!!

Man this pisses me off. The RIAA just doesn't get it. They don't control the media, I do. Once I buy it, it's my damn right to make as many mix CDs as I want. And I also don't do media on the same computer I surf from, so all these limitations are leaving a percentage of the population out to pasture.

They need to remember, there is always a way. While WMA is un-friendly with most software I have, it can be converted to the trusty old MP3. Also, if you burn a WMA file onto a DATA CDR, it becomes Read-Only, which means it can't log all of this stupid data that tells it how many times I've done what where with it.

So until they give me what I want, my money goes to sites like MP3.com where once you have membership, the music is your to mix as you wish, wherever you wish. Maybe the RIAA will catch on someday, but with their track record, I doubt it. Remember these greedy bastards - they are suing $750,000.00 per copywrite infringment on kids who probably work at Burger King.

More Traffic Stuff

Since most of us hate other people in traffic, I feel I can never exhaust this topic. In my town, the newest thing is for people passing through to try and beat the cops. Except they won't.

My girlfriend was going home the other day, doing the speed limit up Rt. 117, which happens to be 35MPH. Except that nobody wants to do it. Most want a minimum speed of 45MPH. Well, beware, because there are people like me in traffic with a radar detector, and I'm going to use it to set you up if you're bullying other people.

Here's how to nail an aggressive driver. Play chicken with him. If he wants you to go faster, do it. When the detector goes off, start slowing significantly as the signal increases. You want the idiot behind you to pass you un-knowingly which causes him to blow by the cop.

I've done this a half a dozen times with extreme success. All 6 people got stopped. At least 4 got tickets, not warnings. You see, when your on good terms with the local boys in blue, it's easy to attain this information.

Most of all, if you are an aggressive speeding driver, watch yourself. Because people like me are going to set you up all the time.

Minnesota Teenager Being Made Scape Goat

Does this really suprise anyone? We can't find the guys who actually wrote the worm, so we're going to make an example out of this kid. Read the article at Yahoo News. Except the point won't be made because technically, you've got the wrong guy. Now I hate to defend anyone who's even dabbled in virus writing, but this is really dumb.

Yeah, ok. Jeffrey Lee Parson made modifications to the worm. And who out of the group of us doesn't want to take a sucker punch at Microsoft for all the problems that plague windows platforms. Personally, I've had to re-install Windows ME at least 30 times over the past 2 years because it just crashed.

But, they've got the wrong man. The guy who wrote the MSBlaster worm is still on the loose (if you can call it that, it's only a computer for crying out loud, not the Earth's Oxygen supply). So what point is making an example out of Jeffrey going to make? How about absolutley zero.

We should really look at how dependent we are becoming on computers. And with the crack team of savvy motivated individuals at Microsoft, that scares the crap out of me. They can't seem to write a piece of software that doesn't screw up one way or another.

So I'm not sure if exploiting Jeffrey Parson will help. In fact, it just looks dumb when the FBI makes an example out of a kid who may be able to hack another program but not write his own. The message will no doubt be lost that, "This is what will happen if we catch you." The FBI doesn't seem interested in taking the case beyond Jeffrey. They seem to be wrapping it up.

Man, I'm glad it's not the planet's Oxygen supply if that's the case...

Critics Are Idiots

Whenever a movie gets rave reviews, it amazes me anyone goes to see the movie. Point and case. Critics slammed Terminator 3. They hated it. They called it weak, plotless and awful. And guess what? It went out and kicked ass in the box office. Sure, maybe it didn’t dominate, but it did really well, and the critics just moved on. So when Freddy Vs. Jason, they said, “Fans will go out to see this because it’s a cult film.”

The art of critiquing movies has gone right down the toilet in recent years. Critics don’t know what’s going on. They are clueless. Things come out of Hollywood that are phenomenal that the critics give no credit.

In our society any idiot who has a journalism degree and a pen thinks he or she is qualified to bash a few movies because it doesn’t fit the mold of what they think is classic. I suppose now the both Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra are dead, we’ll never make everyone happy.

People never compare originality, they always use backwards comparisons where they take a movie like T-3 and put it up against the Maltese Falcon. Except that the movies are from two separate decades and not comparable.

But we must accept this. The more indignant our journalists get, the more jaded the reviews will be. Sooner or later, a critic will put a liberal spin on why “Blade III” is exactly why we need to make Political Correctness a law.

Email Scams, Hoaxes, And Worms - This Is A Late Friday Post.

Not a day goes by where someone doesn’t email you an email with specific instructions for good luck. “Email this to 400 people in your address book and you will have good luck for the next year. But, if you ignore it, a Scandinavian cockroach will molest you."

And then there’s the “SoBig,” and “MSBlaster” worms, that wiggle their way through your connection and rape your computer’s hard drive.

And of course, who can forget the recent email sent to people with the subject line, “Vital Microsoft Update”. Should have clued people in that it was sent to POP3 accounts.

I have spent hours of time thinking about what reasons could prompt any human being to sit down and write a hoax email, worm, or Virus, and I’ve come to this educated conclusion. People are assholes.

Hoax emails are my favorite because they require thought and creativity. A few examples of this:

*The US Post Office is making a commerative Muslim Stamp! Remember September 11th? Remember Iraq? Blah blah blah? Mail this to everyone you know! Let’s stop this!!!

Ok. This one is dumb because it’s worded badly. An obvious racist also writes it. While I personally hold the belief that 90% of the Islamic population hates anyone who isn’t Muslim based on things I’ve read from their own bible, the Koran, I also don’t believe this email. First of all, the Post Office is wise enough to know this would piss most of the population off since most of us believe the nation of Islam hates us. Secondly, this guy obviously has an axe to grind, and he wasn’t smart enough not to let it show in his email.

*If you email this to 1000 friends, a $30.00 gift certificate will pop up on your screen for Outback Steak house. (also Steakloft, TGI Fridays, Applebee’s, or a pop culture-esque restaurant in your area.)

This one is particularly dumb because there is no way to trace email from one user to another. Yet, this one never goes away. And someone always falls for it. It’s also dumb because the number of people you have to email it to almost always exceeds 50.

*Subj: Better Send This Along! Not Cool! Found It On My PC. Text: If you search your computer, you will find a program called Watson.exe on your computer. It’s set to run on 1/1/2004 (or whenever). When you find it, delete it. I searched all of my computers and it was on every one!

This one annoys me. This was obviously written by some computer savvy dork that hasn’t had a date since the stock market crash of 1984. He thinks its hysterical to get people to delete non critical windows installed programs that have some very obscure and un-important task. Tee-hee. The program itself varies, but the threat is always the same. It will run on a certain date, and your computer will explode into flames.

Yeah. These idiots have no life. What’s depressing is how many people they are able to fool. I can say with every degree of honesty, they have not fooled me in at least 5 years; I’ve only been using the net for 6.

Music, Money, Mayhem - Shut Your Trap

I'm tired of religious zealots donning the name of God and saying certain music is of the devil if it has a certain tempo and beat. As a Christian, I do not now, nor have I ever agreed with this thinking. To sum it up: It's neanderthal and puts limitations on a God who's supposed to be all-powerful.

Now there are bands that read this page that have issues with Christianity which may spawn from this very thinking - so I challenge fellow Christians. Because of this kind of mentality you have done less to win people to your cause than to draw them in. Hell. They already have to give up pre-marital sex, why would you add more to that already exhaustive list?

The biggest target for a long time was Metal. And this is a mammoth genre spanning over 10 sub genres - one of which includes Christian Metal. Oh, don't think the zealots haven't attacked this one, my friends. One person told me, "I think Christian Metal is an Oxy-Moran." Well, there's a moran in there for sure...

Life is too short to categorize every little thing in life as good and bad, and no deity - living or dead - ever left us at the helm to decide such matters. Further, when it comes to music - unless the artist adds subliminal messages ordering you to go out and kill in the name of the Iron Gypsies - or whatever the band's name is - then, you shouldn't go make value judgements. Instead, if you think a music style is bringing you to a certain place, don't listen.

Get My Gun, Mama

Ok, I know I'm going to step on some toes this morning. But, quoting the movie Biloxi Blues, "When you start compromising your thoughts, you are a canidate for medocrity."

Guns. The left hates these things, and for that matter, so do some of the right. But let's face it, if every American citizen was carrying a loaded weapon, well, terrorists would be a little less anxious to get over here and cause trouble. Hell, a plane may have gone down on 9/11 because a passenger discharged a firearm in attempt to stop an act of terrorism, but then thousands of lives lost in the twin towers would have been saved.

Now the left argues that we need to make guns unavailable to people who would use them to hurt others can't get them. So, in effort to do this we have all kinds of gun control. Some would like to see guns erradicated in this country. Let me think. Would this work?

Well, controlling an item has been attempted before but it didn't seem to stop it from being widely available. I mean, the FBI, CIA, and ATF have done a bang up job keeping illegal narcotics off of the street. And I don't mean Marajuana, I mean the big ones like Heroine and Cocaine. If I wanted a fix right now It would probably take me 20 minutes to find a dealer.

So it's irresponsible to think that anyone could control guns. I hate to quote over stated bumper stickers, but it's just so true: "If they outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns." Very very true. Just look to the friendly neighborhood drug dealer to see that.

Islam: Loaded With Lies And Hypocrisy

It's time I let you in on the religion of the Muslim Extremeists. Terrorists hide behind this faith doing acts of terror in the name of Allah. Well, first, you should know about Allah. Allah was actually a title of a local moon god. Hence the crescent moon as their "cross". Islam is simply a re-birth of the Moon God Cult. And What of this Mohammad, the prophet who spoke directly to Allah himself? Well, this is where the religion gets really ugly.

First, by modern day definition, Mohammad was a pedophile. Mohammad the "father" of Islam took a wife who was the ripe old age of 6 Mohammad was also a common thief. He would order followers to attack caravans, rape the women, kill the men, and bring back a 20% payment to him. Their reward for this would be young boys for sex and, rivers of wine, and so forth and so on.

Yet, this tool was quoted in the Hadith as saying, "Be honest because honesty leads to goodness, and goodness leads to Paradise. Beware of falsehood because it leads to immorality, and immorality leads to Hell."

So why does it not suprise me the angriest bunch of people on the planet follow this religion, loaded with loopholes, hypocrisy, and double talk? The problem is, anti religion zealots will lump Christianity into the same slot as Islam, and the two are totally different in contrast.

The Koran was written in 500 AD, whilest the Old Testament, or the Torah, had always been on record and in existance. Mohammad attempted to re-write the ancient scriptures to fit the mold of what he himself wanted. Mohammad didn't talk with God, he had voices in his head. In our era, he would be talking to God on a two way radio in an Asylum.

For those who want the Christian side of this, you may go to This Web Site for more information.

Monday Double Edition!!!

Gas Prices Spike in the U.S.

Well, let them blame the blackout, a blown pipeline and various other copouts, but AAA seems to be leaning towards greed, and so am I. It's late August, the vacationing season is about done and American gas companies are scrambling to give themselves a nice post summer bonus for all their "hard" work *ahem*. Um. No.

See, this is the second notable time the American gas industry has taken advantage of the American people by spiking gas numbers through the roof. It happened about 3 weeks before war was declared despite the president pleading with these greedy losers not to "take advantage of the American people".

Numbers are declaring prices to go back down after Labor Day. I doubt it. When did the prices ever drop after Iraq? It's an excuse for American gas companies to slip a little more coin into their fat, bloated, greed-infested pockets. This one we can't blame on the Arabs.

The double edged sword that is Capitalism. Well, I'm suprised these bastards can sleep at night. When you jack the gas price up by 18 cents in a single day, your just as filthy and un-American as a terrorist. Sure, it may be completely legal and within your right, but it doesn't make it acceptable.

Yeah, we can't go without gasoline, but that doesn't mean the less moral of our society won't get pissed off at you and just fill up and drive off.

Agressive Drivers: Your Time Is Up

We all see them. Angry, cell phone using, excessive speeding, tail-gaters on the freeway, shoving their BMW up your ass, flashing their lights and screaming obscenities out of the window of their car. And in the state of Massachusetts, they seem to be allowed free reign, terrorizing us all. Making that pit in our stomach all the more sour because of how arrogant they are.

Well, the clock's ticking down. Because, if you read this article at MSNBC, you'll see that cops have their number, at least, in some states.

And being the money grabbing whores they are on Beacon Hill, Massachusetts is sure to follow suit much to the dismay of the excessively angry, no doubt forcing them to leave. Now I hate anything that gives this state more coin it's pocket, but in this case they are the lesser of 2 evils. I really hate agressive drivers.

So, keep driving like an ass. Your time's coming, junior.

Rubbernecking: This Country Loves Anguish

Let's face it. We live in a country that loves pain and suffering. If there are dead bodies to be seen we are there, one way or another, to look. Either with an eyewitness view or a channel changer. It's morbid, dark and very ugly.

But wait, it gets better.

Yesterday afternoon I was on my way home from the beach when we came across an accident on the highway going in the opposite direction. It was off of the road even off of the shoulder and yet, behind it, about 4 miles of traffic pileup. People making everyone late because, hell, they just had to see if there was blood, guts, pain and agony and gnashing of teeth. People running around on fire, screaming for mercy, crying for death to sweep down on quick winds and snuff them out. Fire and - well you get the idea.

I could ask why the hell people feel the need to see disaster, but why bother. I'll never get an answer, just a load of weak cop-outs. (Simulate really dopey voice here). "Well, you wanna know if they're allright." Bull. You want to see agony and death. You're intrigued by it.

TV proves it. We have a fascination with the macabre. Reailty ER rooms on so-called "educational channels" where people come in with a motor scooter half way up their ass, guys who had half of their head blown off and are carrying part of it in a bag, some poor sap who was cutting boards at a construction site and accidentally severed his own leg (thank God doctors were able to get to it in time and re-attach it, but what a story at Thanksgiving!)

This stuff wouldn't exist if we weren't watching it, but we are and we're watching it in droves.

So I pose this solution. Watch your circus of death at home, and when it's on the highway, just drive your damn car and don't hold up traffic to see "...if that poor lady went through the windshield."

Alert Maine! The Coming Rage Of The Massachusetts Resident

I'll be the first to admit I'm not the happiest guy on the planet. But I find healthy ways to vent my anger, like this column. Others are not quite as intelligent. The atmosphere in the state of Massachusetts is a very hostile one. In fact, I believe we should start putting the greeting, "Massachusetts Welcomes You! The Angry State."

I suppose my state has a lot to be pissed off about. But I see them all as terminal whiners. Bitch alot about how government sucks, but do nothing about it. And the rage cascades over into other areas where it shouldn't. People cutting each other off in traffic and then flipping you the finger while they do it. Shoving each other in crowded places. Cutting in lines, uttering vulgarities to someone who they think isn't part of the in crowd, and so on and so on.

People around me prance around in circles chiding, "It's like that everywhere!" But it isn't. In fact, I'll even one up you and say it's just most of New England. Especially Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts. The least of these, as far as I can see, is Maine. And it enrages me to no end when I decide to get the hell out of Massachusetts only to see the damn state is following me! Most of Massachusetts vactions in Maine. How un-creative is this?

Now, I know that the numbers will tell me that people can't afford to vaction too far out of New England because the Economy blows. But I also can't help but think that people are flat moving to Maine because they discovered what I did. Maine is laid back. So the end result is Massholes bringing their anger with them and infecting what currently is a pretty decent place to live.

Now, one will argue, "Yeah, but you're just as pissed of." True. But I find creative ways to alleviate it. And I sure as hell don't bring it with me when I visit friends in Maine. Four months of living there and I came back unprepared of what an angry pit Massachusetts is. This state needs to smarten up and until then, stay the hell out of Maine.

Want My Daughter's Hand In Marriage? Let Me See Your Resume'

I'm still scratching my head on this one. Go to The Boston Herald for the full story.

This girl, Kimberly, is being whored off by her mother for making bad decisions on a boyfriend. That's the bottom line. And I don't mean for sex or cash, but I mean for 15 minutes of fame. Meanwhile, Donna Wood doesn't seem to want to accept the responsibility that maybe - just maybe - it's her fault her daughter can't bring home a guy who doesn't urinate on people's cars and spit loogies from sky scrapers hoping to kill someone with the velocity of his spit.

Now I realize I'm only speculating on this. But women are notorious for wanting to "tame the bad boy". Well, I'm willing to bet that if I asked my good friend Zion, who reads this column as religiously as a heavy metal star who has the f-bomb tatooed across each arm can, he would probably say you can't tame a bad boy. Or as he would probably describe himself, a sick, deranged, lunatic. Yet, women go out and find men they think represent this profile, try to tame them, usually pick someone with a long criminal record in the long run, and can't understand why he starts beating her with a lead pipe.

Whether the blame is on the mother or the daughter for this poor decision making, Donna should not be trying to capitalize on her daughter's misfortune. Education is key here, not how rich she can get in a short amount of time. And if this is what reality TV has spawned, I'm not suprised. Something magical happens when people see something on TV or hear something on the radio. Many of them believe it's a great idea, whatever it is. I really believe someone out there subjects his friends to be submerged in swimming pools full of maggots just because people do it on "Fear Factor". Tee-hee. Wow. We all had a chuckle when Steve was trying to kill his friend with a nearby rake.

**Writer's note: Lord Zion, of Spit Like This , Mentioned before in this column, is one of the most intelligent human beings I know, and I in no way meant to imply he's an ass. I do think he's dangerous. He has to be. He drives a Hearse.

Assessment: People Are Stupid

First, it was mobs of people making themselves a huge bull’s-eye for any terrorist living in the country by jamming the streets of New York to walk home. Now this.

Reports coming out of parts of Michigan affected by the blackout were that, despite warnings that a spike in power consumption could cause more blackouts, so "please don't use the A/C," people juiced up their units anyway. Yeah, people are really stupid.

Look, despite the fact that most people in charge seem intent on lying and stealing from the very people that voted for them, when the Electric Company says action 1 could cause result 2, you damn well better listen. But, the fat assed American knows better than the Electrical expert, so, the hell with it, turn on the A/C.

I hate to pick on people that might also be my devoted listeners - well, actually, no I don't. If you're going to cause my state to go into code red because you don't know how to survive on a low watt fan for a few days, then I'm going to drag your ass through the dirt right with the rest of them. Look, bottom line, if California says, "Conserve Power", well, then do it. Same to Boston. If National Grid says, "Um, there's a problem. We need to decrease the demand on the circuits." Well, I expect you all to comply. It's not just courteous, but it's your obligation as a security conscience American to do so.

Considering last week's mass exodus through New York, I think it's safe to say Americans are still not bright enough to not make themselves a giant missile target, so we should all do our part to make sure they don't have the opportunity.

$39.99 >> $9.99 After Mail In Rebate

I really hate this. With a friggin' passion. The above title is an actual price from a spindle of CDs at Circuit City. Now don't get me wrong, I love Circuit City, and not the stupid little outlet stores in shopping malls, but the big stores where the deals are. But this is agrevating. Why can't they just give me the damn CDs for $9.99 to begin with? They can obviously afford the price drop or they wouldn't be offering it.

Well, they also know about people like me. Call me a fat, lazy, bloated, American lard ass (even though I'm not big in any way), but I simply won't mail in for the rebate offer. Like so many Americans, I want instant gratification in my price drops, not a 2 week delay. Maybe the reason I want the $9.99 offer is because at that particular time I can't afford the $39.99. So a mail-in rebate is a waste of time for me.

There are several companies that engage in this enraging practice. Best Buy, Staples, and Office Max to name a few. Why?

As I said, these big corporations know about people like me that won't bother with the rebate. In fact, they bank on it. They know a certain percentage of the population (most of it, actually) will be roped in by the flashy twenty to thrity dollar price drop advertised on the price cards on the display but will never get around to mailing it in.

It would be a huge blow to these companies if 100% of the consumers who purchased an item that offered a mail-in rebate, sent in for it. You would see them stop offering the rebate because of the massive loss of money. Then, maybe they would just offer us a good old fashioned sale.

Lights Out! Chaos Ensues! Billions Die Flaming Death Caused By Lack Of Electricity!

Um, yeah. In case you live in a hole you may go to my favorite paper The New York Post and update yourself.

This event made me realize 2 things. 1. We are really way to reliant on Electricity. 2. Why? Because when it goes we all turn into zombies. I flipped on the TV to see what amounted to a million zombies making their way across the Hudson river on foot via whatever the hell bridge goes into Lower Manhattan.

I can't offer an answer for the people who just had to get home. But it struck me that they filled the streets so quickly, that even if the city opted to enact emergency transpot services they couldn't because there were 100 million people jamming the roads solid. What happened to logic? Either I'm a genius or most people lack common sense. At least wait for authorities to try and organize something to help the situation. I'm betting that didn't happen. "Well, trains are down. Guess I'll walk."

Now, when power goes out at my house I have a system of candles throughout the house that I can find because I know their approximate location. If worse comes to worse, I have a generator and several tanks of gas in the garage which will power my house for a few days.

And TV? Shoot. I have books. If it's really bad I know the cops will show up and let me know. Probably take all the weapons I don't own when they visit.

But it appears in the event of a national emergency, most of us will trample each other to death. That's both frightning and sad.

If You Get It Don't Get If From "Blender"

Yeah, Blender Magazine is an abomination. In 50 steps they managed to identify themselves as a tool of the major labels. With the exception of a small number of entries, the majority of the bands they labeled as the "50 Worst Ever" were actual musicians. Among the names mentioned were Jamiroquai, Tin Machine, The Doors, Whitesnake, Gipsy Kings, Creed, Manowar, and Insane Clown Posse. Blender's editor, Andy Pemberton, said: "If I were any of these groups, I would be angry about making the list - but they should be better. It's their fault they're on it." -Source NY Post

Um, and who the hell are you, Lady? I can just imagine what this tool of the major labels would name the top 50 bands of all time are. Nirvana - lead by an upset manic depressive who's band just happened to alter the course of rock music, Disturbed - who know all of three chords, Aerosmith - because, hell, they've been on every other 50 all time greatest lists.

I can just imagine what Blender would say about people on my top 100... Spit Like This, Annihilator, At-Vance, Poison, Savatage, Circle II Circle etc. Probably, "Metal is dead. "

Well, I don't recall anyone on this planet naming Blender the music authority, what's more I think the magazine just proved itself to be a huge wad of colorful toilet paper that costs $4.99 a roll. If anyone out there is taking what this magazine says as "gospel" - may I suggest attaching a cinder block to your foot and wading into the Hudson river?

Why Metal? Why Not Jazz Or Classical?

I run into people everyday who just don't get it. And trying to explain it is a near impossible task. Now when I say "Heavy Metal" I do not mean this pre fab "Nu Metal" garbage the American Major Labels turn out. I mean Classic, Progressive, and Power Metal.

So why is it so great?

Anyone who knows me knows I am all about screaming guitars, vocalists with 3 octave ranges, and big big ass drums. I mean, lower the drummer in with a crane because its so big.

But it's been asked, "Is there any musical depth to your loud music?"

Yes.

Take At Vance, coverers of Classical pieces including Beethoven's 5th. Include a generous offering of music with a similar mood as the classic piece and you have a band that transcends many of it's peers.

Or perhaps you would choose Stratovarius, who's new Album Elements includes a huge choir.

Having some snot nosed little 16 year old brat call my music "P***y Metal" who obviously has obviously never listened to his own bands closely, such as Disturbed or Godsmack. Three chords, angry vocals about how everything sucks and completely disposable.

The only comparable band I have on my docket would be the immortal Annihilator. This Thrash Metal band could smoke both above mentioned bands. Jeff can crank out insane power chords with the best of them. But he also knows how to add Jazz licks, clean electric, phazers, flangers, wah wah (rarely) - you name it - all in the same song. And Annihilator's lyrics tend to be about losing one's sanity. We can all identify with that.

What about parents? "Jes' mo o' dat loud crap if you ask me!" Well, think of your Jazz or Big Band.

There is musical depth to the Metal I listen to. It's often deep, thought provoking, often romantic, and always full of substance. It's a musical ride through the human psyche and the winding, twisting road that is life.

Hence, I quote Stratovarious:
Will there come a time for me when I find peace of mind?
Will I always have this feeling like I'm last in the line?
I will climb up the mountain and light up the candle and ask:
"Will my soul ever rest in peace?" Will My Soul Ever Rest In Peace? From Intermission.

Yeah, that was from a Heavy Metal band. Go ahead and put it in a box with other loud music. You're pure d wrong.

Auto Makers Can't Seem To Make Enough

Last night I had to partake of what most would deem a very simple task, changing spark plugs. Except the act was anything but simple. A dip stick and coolant reservoir stood in the way of my ratchet. To remove the original plugs we had to get around both items. After some help from my father and one of the craziest ass wrench setups you've ever seen, we fanagled the final plug out from behind the coolant bottle. We still had 3 more plugs in the rear of the engine which required removing the air filter.

Then, it donned on me. This engine was intentionally built to be difficult to work on. Granted, it was a V-6 stuffed under the hood of a 4 cylinder car, but it was done so by the manufacturer. Additionally, this isn't the first car I noticed was a pain to work on.

Nope, my 1987 Ford Escort had it's quips. Such as to adjust the timing chain, you needed a special wrench that only Ford makes that will set you back (at that time) $75.00.

Despite an abundance of Chiltons manuals for do-it-yourselfers, auto parts stores that can get you anything from a serpintine belt (another awful invention, by the way), to a transmission, Auto makers seem to try to kick it up a notch with each new car they design. Problem some 3rd brake lights that are permanently fastened with steel brackets to their housing, oil pans located next to major eletrical circuits which will shower sparks on you if you aren't careful when using the oil filter wrench, and to top it all off cute little signs all over your new car "Please see a dealer for service." Right, like if I need a pro to work on my car I'm going to to the one guy on this planet that will molest my wallet. Um... No.

Oil changes, light bulb changes, and tune-ups are not something you should need to visit the dealer for. And if every yahoo on this planet did visit the dealer for these mundane items, people looking for service on warranrty problems would never be seen.

I'm not sure what the mind game here is the auto industry is playing with us, but I am sure it should stop. It's pointless and people like myself will never go to Mad Charlie's Used Chryslers for a lightbulb.