An80sMetalMan's Xanga

Wal-Mart Ed-juh-kay-shin

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 21:14:14 GMT

I've had the subject of this entry rattling around in my head for awhile but it's not "topically fresh", as my buddy Mike would say, so indulge me, if you will. I was finally prompted to write it after reading this excellent entry by my other buddy, His Royal Diddyness. Of course, I could only find time to write this in between serves in a game of "comment tag" with yet another buddy, Jack, who I'm pretty sure is only repeatedly visiting my last entry so he can look at my woman's boobs.

Not that I blame him.

Speaking of boobs, the following is a video of Miss South Carolina, Caitlin Upton, as she fumbles her way through an answer to a question given to her during the 2007 Miss Teen USA pageant. Several versions of this video have been floating around the internet for months, but I only recently discovered them. Please, watch this subtitled verision now if you haven't already...

I didn't even laugh when I first saw the original video. My jaw just dropped in disbelief that anyone could be so stupid. But I'm not really making this entry to (just) make fun of Miss Upton, so I'll link you to the video of her subsequent appearance on the Today Show where she addressed her response and reanswered the question. I also have to admit that she's a good sport because she also made fun of herself at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. I guess there really is no such thing as bad publicity.

Anyway...

What I really wanted to address was the question posed to her: "Recent polls have shown a fifth of Americans can't locate the U.S. on a world map. Why do you think this is?"

Now, if she truly misheard the question, as she stated she did on the Today Show appearance, the proper response would have been, "I'm sorry, would you repeat that, please?" Even if she had understood the question, it still would have been a good response. I mean, come on, my kids say that all the time! OK, what they really say is "huh?", which we all know means "I heard you, but I have a feeling that I'm going to look bad if I give you a wrong answer, so I'm going to buy some time until I can formulate the response that I think you want to hear... even if it isn't the truth."

The truth...

That's what really intrigued me about that video: what is the truthful answer to that question? Miss Upton's truthful answer--not the one she gave on the Today Show, days after she had time to research it (read: ask someone smarter)--was probably "I don't know", but giving that answer definitely would have cost her the crown... which her actual answer did, anyway.

Perhaps the judges should have posed only the first part of the question, shown her a world map, and then asked if she could point to the U.S. If she'd identified it correctly (which she also stated she could on the Today Show), she could have then said something patriotic, like "How could I not know where this great country of ours is? God Bless America!". That probably would have earned her the crown and a standing ovation.

But let's think about that question in broader terms: "Why doesn't someone know something?"

The answers are simple, but not the kind you want to give during a beauty pageant:

They haven't been taught.
They lack the mental ability to learn.
They don't care to know.
They have forgotten the answer.

Now, let's address the first answer and bring it back to geography. Is geography really not being taught in schools now? I shudder to think that might be true. I distinctly remember a heavy emphasis on geography even back in my own elementary school days. Heck, one school I attended even had a Geography Bowl. One student from each classroom (K-8) was picked for a competition with other students and [ahem] I was chosen to represent my second grade class. The students and attending parents gathered in the gymnasium and the questions and answers were given to the team members individually and orally. I don't remember how the teams were set up, but I do remember that even though my team lost, I had answered all of my questions correctly. I didn't consider it a defeat, personally, and it sure beat the time I played a tree in the school's production of Cinderella.

Anyway...

I suppose I should know whether or not schools teach geography now, being that I have three school-aged children myself, but the truth is that most of their geographic knowledge came from Wal-Mart.

Yes, Wal-Mart.

About 5 years ago, shortly after moving into our current residence, I realized what utter slobs the kids were at the kitchen table. On a Wal-Mart trip, I picked up 6 laminated placemats--educational types with things like American presidents, a U.S. map, a world map , U.S. money, the solar system, and colors (it had Elmo on it and my youngest was 5 at the time)--hoping to keep dribbled food and drink off the table. Well, it didn't work. They actually held the placemats and read them. They learned from them; especially from the map mats.

We still have those mats and they still don't keep them under their food; they still read them, although these days it's more like a competition. From the kitchen, I often hear things like:

"How many square miles is South America?"

"6,880,630!"

"Wrong, it's 6,880,638, retard!"

"Oh, go to Helsinki!"

"That's in Finland!"

"I know, but we're not allowed to cuss."

And that's really the best part of education, folks--letting someone know you know something they don't know so you can make them feel stupid.

10 Things I Need (And Can't Live Without)

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:15:36 GMT

Happy Thor's Day to all!

Some of you have been waiting patiently for this entry about a topic I did not choose but still thought was "blogworthy". You all can thank Leda for choosing this topic, but don't thank her too much because she's rather full of herself.

To be honest, I almost ditched the idea, thinking that it might be more impressive to write something with a title like "10 Things I Love (And Can't Bear To Part With)". I could have gotten all existential and stuff, listing things that have great sentimental value to me but that I don't necessarily need or even use every day. But no, I decided to stick to the requested topic as-is. As such, I left out stuff like my guitars, DVD's, CD's, video games, collectibles, etc.

This is a bare-bones list and is in no particular order. This is Scott Unplugged, if you will. Enjoy!

1) Pepsi - Nectar of the gods! I absolutely cannot function without this stuff. This top shelf you see in my own refrigerator is reserved solely for Pepsi products. The right side is mine, the left is for the rest of the family. I usually bring 4 cans to work with me every morning and I usually drink the same amount at home. I'd better enjoy this time in my life because I'll probably have to reserve this top shelf for insulin in the future.

2) Marlboro Lights - Yes, I am well aware of the irony of listing something that's killing me as something I can't live without. Having said that, I once wrote a short story where I described the main character's (my) dependence on cigarettes as "more of an addiction of the mind than the body...but still a crutch he was too weak to cast aside". Pictured above is a drawer--MY drawer--which is right next to the refrigerator. Of the two remaining packs, the one on the left shows how Phillip Morris regularly packages my preferred brand , while the special "black pack" next to it was part of a buy-one-get-one-free promotion. I hope they convert to the black box because it goes better with my outfits.

3) Cell Phone - Just as those annoying chain e-mails state, I didn't want one until after I got one. Now I can't leave the house without it. I still hate talking on the phone so I rarely use it for its intended purpose. I want to thank whomever decided to add gaming, photo, video and audio capabilities to cell phones. I guess my real addiction to this device is that I can play solitaire wherever I go. I always play draw three with Vegas-style scoring. If you can't tell from this picture, I'm over $33,000 in the hole. That's a running total, mind you. I also use solitaire as a sort of tarot reading. I measure how lucky my day will be by how many games I win in a sitting. Thankfully, I usually incur my losses when I have no need for luck.

4) Computer - This is an HP Pavillion 9600 that my Dad gave me. It's not really this computer I cannot live without but rather computers in general. I can go an entire day without watching TV or playing video games but my butt must be planted in front of a computer at least once a day or I'll go mad. Yes, my workspace is rather untidy but everything I need is accessible: bills to be mailed out, vitamin suppliments, ashtray, and a crystal bowl for hairties and guitar picks. Laugh if you will at the Spongebob mousepad but they don't make a Vampire Hunter D one, though I wish they did so it would match my desktop wallpaper.

5) Q-tips - And yes, they must be Q-tips brand. All other brands use an inferior cotton-wrapping method which often results in unraveling, and sometimes injury. And none of that plastic stick crap! Those kind bend way too easily and satisfactory leverage is impossible. I am very osbessive about the cleanliness of the inside of my ears. I usually swab my canals first thing in the morning while I'm using the toilet. I'm efficient like that. I also find that hitting the right spot during cleaning can rival even the best orgasm! Call me a Q-tip pervert if you will but I'm a perv that can hear a gnat coughing from 10 yards away!

6) Case Cutter - I don't have much use for this at home but at work it's a necessity. I feel sorry for the case cutter because I think it's gotten a bad rap, being that it's the preferred weapon of pre-teen urban gangsters and plane-hijacking terrorists. I was issued a standard utility knife when I started working for my present company on the stock crew but they're just too awkward and bulky. I'll take precision and concealment over safety any day!

7) Wallet - This is George. No, I don't give all of my possessions names, just my car and my wallet. I named this wallet after George Costanza on Seinfeld. I chose this name after watching an episode involving George's overstuffed wallet and his whining about how he needed everything in it. It exploded at the end of the episode when he put a phone number in it, ripped from a flyer posted by a guy offering guitar lessons (first lesson free). It's a good thing I already know how to play the guitar. The paper you see isn't cash (sadly) but rather debit card receipts I have yet to record in my checking account register. I don't have that many credit cards either. Most of the cards you see are customer loyalty cards for places like Kroger, FYE and Gamestop. You may notice that I'm a bi-fold man. I think tri-folds are evil and the type I prefer is much better suited to the size of my butt. I was once asked, "Don't you think it's time for a new wallet? The one you have is rather ass-shaped." I proudly replied, "I like it ass-shaped!" I'm also picky about how I carry it. It must be in my right rear pants pocket and none other!

8) Keys - I only mentioned where I keep my wallet because I am equally picky about how I carry my keys. They must be kept in my left front pants pocket and none other! I find a sense of balance in having the two items in opposing positions. Any shift in this balance results in severe unease. I also detest having anything but keys on my keyring. In order from top to bottom in this picture are the keys to Marby's Chrysler, Ted, Ursula's lock and ingition (I can't bring myself to remove these two yet--still grieving I guess), my footlocker, mailbox, padlock for a rented storage unit, my Mom's house, and my house. I am the Key Master!

9) Belt - It's only been since I've reached my late 30's that I've needed a belt. I can thank Marby's incredible cooking, resulting in my 38" waistline for that, although it's not so much a waistline anymore as it is a circumference. It seems as though pants made in my size don't taper as they move up to the waist but rather expand. It's either that or the fact that the top of my butt no longer has a "plateau" to keep my pants in place. Nonetheless, I do find it useful to carry a belt around for disciplinary purposes, but that's only for when Marby has been a very very VERY bad girl.

10) Marby's Boobs - Pfft... don't scoff at me, buddy! This was her suggestion--and who was I to argue? Yes, I am a man, and men like boobs; especially boobs to which they have unrestrained access. That's not to say that Marby doesn't keep her blouse bunnies "restrained" (as evidenced by the picture), she just thinks women who hold their breasts over their guys' heads (in the metaphoric "do not touch" way, not the literal "Mickey Mouse" way) are silly. Bless her hard-to-find-with-a-stethoscope heart for that. Also bless the fact that the size of my waist still has not exceeded the size of her bust. Hallelujah!

And The Winner Is...

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 18:07:01 GMT

Getsuyobi. Day of the Moon. Monday.

I'm sure most of you hate Mondays because the weekend is over and you have to go back to work and stuff. I love Mondays because I get Mondays off. Yay me!

Anyway...

I was hoping for more guesses in my last entry but I can't say that I'm dissatisfied with the turnout; although one of you didn't guess at all... twice! Who knew that a scientific mind would opt for comedy instead of accuracy?

[Ed. note: Let it never again be stated or implied that I sleep with men. Men are selfish pigs and usually leave after they "get some". That said, I have never slept with a man... or two. Let it also never be stated or implied that I sleep with my subscribers (save one). My subs usually fall asleep in the middle of reading my entries--wherein I'm off on a tech tirade--and I'm left awake... and unsatisfied.]

(Que lullabye music)

It had been awhile since I'd made a home video for my YouTube account and I was pleased to see that they now allow direct mobile phone uploads. After recording it (in only two takes!), I had planned to download my Ted video to my computer, convert it from the cellphone-friendly 3GP format to a more computer-friendly container, then upload it to YouTube. Aren't you glad I was able to skip the middle step and deliver my video hijinx to you sooner? Sure, I could have skipped the first step, too, but then I would've had to pay file transfer fees, and you all know my policy on that.

(Que wake-up alarm!)

And now, without further ado (or adon't), the winner of my WHICH TED IS TED AND WHY IS THAT TED TED? CONTEST is...

retardedlypretty
(aka Leda)

Without her permission, her guess is reprinted here:

I say Ted from Scrubs. You know why? Because Ted is awesome. Ted may look kind've shabby on the outside, but deep down, we all know that he's got many values that make him oh-so lovable. RIGHT? Right.

I choose Ted Buckland.

Honorable mention goes to Mike and The Other Mad One, both of whom also correctly identified the proper Ted. Leda wins by a nose because her reason was dead on. My Ted isn't much to look at but I love him anyway.

I'll also give snaps to Raquel and Stiv, both of whom picked Ted Logan. That Ted is certainly a good guess but Mr. Logan's personality more closely resembles my own, rather than that of my car; although I'm not one to judge the strangeness of things which are afoot at the Circle K.

Though I know why she picked the Ted that she picked, I still have to wag my finger at The Mad One. I thought she knew me better than that. Ted Nugent was easy... TOO easy. I may be a rocker but my car isn't. Hell, the radio doesn't even work--but then again, I didn't mention that in my video. Forgive me. I suppose that I should also mention that while I admire Mr. Nugent's rock 'n' roll prowess (one can't help but be moved by a lyric like "when in doubt, I whip it out"), I whole-heartedly disagree with his politics.

I'd like to congratulate all of you for not picking the red herring that is Ted McGinley. I wanted to have four Teds in my quiz and he was the only other one that came to mind. Mr. McGinley is best known for being added to the cast of TV shows that end up cancelled soon afterward. For the purposes of comedic irony, I thought it would be funny to include a person whom I wouldn't let DRIVE my car, let alone be named after him.

So, congratulations, Leda! Pick a good topic for me and I'll do my best to make it blogworthy.

In closing, I give you... The Best of Ted:

Ted

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 18:01:13 GMT

You folks remember my car, Ursula, right?

I've blogged about her. MORE. THAN. ONCE.

Well, I don't own Ursula any more. Sadly, she was involved in a little fender bender last month. Some big, evil Hummer backed into her while she was parked. The damage really wasn't major, size-wise, but it just happened to be in a spot which dented both the hood and the fender. I guess body shops don't "bang out" dents anymore because, according to Mr. Hummer's insurance company, the cost to replace the damaged parts was more than Ursula's "blue book" value.

Long story short, I said good-bye to Ursula, cashed a decent-sized check, and we all had a nice Christmas.

Now I'd like you all to meet my new (used) car, TED...

...and here's the fun part!

I didn't just pull Ted's name out of a hat; I named him after someone.

I'd like to see if any of you can GUESS WHO IT IS and WHY I PICKED THAT PERSON.

Heck, I'll even make it a contest of sorts. The "winner" (anyone who sleeps with me is excluded, of course) will get to pick my next blog topic. Don't worry, this is a multiple choice quiz.

Was it...

Ted "Theodore" Logan from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure/Bogus Journey?

Ted Nugent, the "Motor City Madman"?

Ted Buckland, the sad sack lawyer from Scrubs?

Ted McGinley: "Sit-Com Killer"!?

I'll post the answer and the reason when I'm satisfied with the number of guesses I receive (or maybe Monday... I dunno). If more than one commenter picks the correct person, I'll award the "prize" to the reason most closely resembling the truth.

Don't let me down now, folks!

Dearth Evader

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 21:44:06 GMT

"There's a serious dearth of decent reading material around here in Xangaville." ~ CapnK8

The above quote, which is part of a comment Kate left for me on my previous entry, made me smile when I first read it. It is neither the truth of that statement, nor the implied compliment to me (when read in context), that amused me. No, it's the fact that I only recently discovered the word "dearth".

I asked for and received Steve Martin's autobiography "Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life" for Christmas. Midway through the book, Mr. Martin tells the story of his audition for The Steve Allen Show in 1969. Here's an exerpt describing part of a conversation he had with the show's producers:

They accepted me with more ease than I expected, and when I spoke to them afterward, they commented, "There seems to be a dearth of young comedians right now." I looked puzzled. I said, "That's odd, I don't think there are many at all." Their stares made me realize my blunder. I knew the word, but I had the definition backward.

If I'd heard the word for the first time in a similar context, I also would have assumed that dearth meant "abundance" instead of "scarcity". Now that I know what it means I think it's a really cool word, but I doubt I'll have the chance to slip it into a conversation. And even if I do, I have the feeling that the other participants in said conversation will make the same mistake Steve and I did.

EXCUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSE MMMMEEEEEE!!!

I love amusing coincidences like that. I suppose I could take it further and assume that Kate hadn't heard the word before either, and that she discovered it reading the same book, which would not only make us phone twins (comment context again) but BOOK TWINS! How cool would that be?

But I digress...

kinda...

I was happy to read (again in my comments) that my buddy Mike also has a red Samsung SYNC phone, but he's a silly, silly man for thinking that I don't already have all the cool goodies and attachments for it. I'll forgive him for that as he is the ONLY one of my readers who left me a voice message when I begged for... er... humbly solicited one. Shame on the rest of you.

I must say that I love love LOVE the SYNC. I love its large screen. I love its 2.0 megapixel camera which can take pictures with dimensions up to 1600 X 1200. I LOVE the Micro SD expansion slot, which currently houses a 1GB card the size of a pinky fingernail! And in the snazzy red color I chose it's a fashionable geek's dream!

However, what I DO NOT love is the fact that I can't use a USB cable (or even bluetooth, for that matter) to put games on it. Yep, somebody at Samsung got wise to the workarounds and made it so that games can only be downloaded. The bottom line is that I have to PAY for games if I want them. I HATE that.

As many of you know, I am a Solitaire junkie. As such, I was lucky to find a FREE version of the game. Bless the hearts of the people at Sun Microsystems for offering free tool kits for developing Java applications for cell phones. Doubly bless the hearts of those folks that have taken the time to learn Java programming and develop games and apps to be distributed freely. Granted, I still have to pay transfer fees for downloading--which is 1¢ per KB on my current plan (Solitaire came to a whopping 27¢)--but I'll take that over the $5.99 most other sites charge for an "officially licensed" game.

Honestly, I can overlook the game thing because I've learned to do so many other cool things on my phone. For example: I can take any video I find online and convert it to a viewable cell phone format thanks to an amazing (and FREE) program called SUPER (Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer). I've mentioned this program before but now I actually have a computer powerful enough to run it! A few months ago, my dad sent me yet another one of his old computers... one with a faster processor, more RAM, and Windows XP.

Yes, you read that correctly. I've finally graduated from Windows 98. And, as His Royal Diddyness recently put it to me (yet again in my comments): "it's about time..."

It's also about time I wrapped up this entry, so I'll just drop names of the rest of you that left me recent comments:

The Mad One, who just came to the harsh realization that she's appliance dependent (with which I can sympathize) and who also likes to apologize for her husband's curtness (which isn't necessary because I still think he's a cool guy).
The Other Mad One, Mad's faithful sidekick, who was the first one to welcome me back to the "blogosphere" (another cool word I hadn't heard before).
Tina, who thinks she's being funny by saying she's glad to see I'm "still around", even though she lives only a few blocks from me and picks up my woman for work every morning.
And last, but not least, Stiv, who seems to be the only one who appreciated my Seikima II video. Rock on, my metal brother!

I'll end this by embedding yet another video from a Japanese heavy metal band. These guys are called Anthem and I've really been digging into their music lately--so much so that I've downloaded all 12 of their studio albums onto my phone. Pretty cool, huh?

(Don't ask where I got the albums, just enjoy the video, mmmK?)

I feel the urge to explain why I've been obsessed with Japanese bands (and not just those of the heavy metal variety) lately, but I'll save that for another day. I'd also like to keep sharing videos with you, but I need you to tell me if posting too many vids on one page drags it down. I may have a faster connection and a better computer now, but I remember how much it sucked when an overloaded web page froze up my browser.

And thanks to all for your continued support!

Ring In The New Year!

Sat, 05 Jan 2008 23:50:29 GMT

RING RING!!!

(This is the part where Scott reaches for the red Samsung SYNC phone he got sometime between now and his last blog entry. Scott has to go outside to answer it because AT&T's service area does not seem to include the inside of his house.)

(This is also the part where Scott wishes that last part was a joke.)

"Scott!" the voice screams. "This is the latter half of 2007 speaking!

"I don't know why you've chosen to ignore me in your [lack of] blog entries but some exciting things have happened to you in the past six months. You managed to kick your chatting habit some time ago and you've accumulated over 5 million points in Bookworm Adventures. You've also just about filled up the 160 GB hard drive you installed so I don't think you will be downloading another Asian horror movie anytime soon.

"Stop goofing off on the computer and do something constructive! Your snazzy 3MB DSL connection can be put to better use than bit torrents. I think you owe it to your Xanga readers to play catch-up."

And with that the call ends. Scott shakes off a case of the heebie jeebies after he realizes that--since it is now 2008, and 2007 is dead and buried--the voice must have been calling from the afterlife. Sheesh! If AT&T has the ability to erect a cell phone tower in the great beyond, why can't Scott get service in his living room?

(This is the part where Scott shifts his narrative structure from third to first person.)

Yes, folks, I had an excellent Christmas.

The picture above shows Marby and me (while one of her brothers looks on) opening a present given to us by her parents. My previous deep fryer--acquired some 10 years ago with a JC Penney gift card given to me by my mother at Christmas--had bitten the dust a couple of months ago. This brand-spanking-new Presto^® Stainless Steel Dual Basket ProFry™ is a welcome addition to our household. Crunchy tater tots and jalapeno poppers for everyone!

I got some other cool stuff but I won't list everything now... except for my AUTOGRAPHED copy of Kevin Smith's "My Boring-Ass Life".

(jealous much?)

As far as the new year is concerned, I treated it the same way I've treated every other stroke-of-midnight since I started working a 4AM to 12PM shift... I slept right through it! I don't say that with contempt, mind you; I've gotten quite used to going to bed at the same time most retirees do--in fact, I rather enjoy it. The only problem I've encountered is getting J-Mutt to NOT watch TV after he goes to bed (which is about two hours after I do). Quite often, I hear the dulcet tones of Dethklok emanating from his room when I get up for work.

(You won't get that last part unless you watch Metalocalypse, which I do not. And it's not that I'm losing my taste for heavy metal or cartoons, it's that I just can't appreciate a cartoon about heavy metal that's just weird for the sake of being weird.)

Speaking of weird and heavy metal, I'd like to share this concert video from a Japanese band called Seikima II...

Looking at (and listening to) these guys makes me think they were the result of an orgy involving members of KISS and Iron Maiden after a show at the Budokan back in the 70's.

And that's all I have to type for now. I'd like to start blogging regularly again so wish me luck.

And I won't make you leave me a message this time.

Talk Dirty To Me

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 11:50:20 GMT

I'm ashamed to admit this, but here goes...

It's all your fault that I haven't been blogging lately.

By that I mean not just one of you, I mean the collective you.

I need encouragement.

... and I don't mean comments and e-props (although I do cherish those).

I want to HEAR you!

...and I've found the perfect way to allow all of you to do just that...

The handy little doo-dad above will allow you to leave me actual VOICE COMMENTS using any phone of your choosing (assuming it's not old-school rotary).

...and the call is FREE!

Just push the little "Record by Phone" button, dial the number that pops up and punch in the code when prompted. Leave me a message telling me how much you miss me and that you can't live another day until you read a wonderful new entry by me. This is the encouragement I need, people!

Mind you, if you don't have a Snapvine account of your own (but I know you'll get one because I have one and you want to be like me) you'll have to identify yourself in the voice message or I won't know who's saying such wonderful things about me.

Of course, if you DO have one (and you do by now because you can't stand to NOT be like me), and you've set it up properly, your name and picture will appear next to your message. Cool, huh?

By the way, I'm not making THIS entry just to pimp Snapvine. I really do want to hear from my beloved readers. If you do get your own account, rest assured that I will be leaving you a message of my own. I just love you all THAT much.

Blaaahggg...

Tue, 08 May 2007 17:54:41 GMT

I won't mention any names...

but some evil woman keeps telling me

she's going to harass me until I blog again.

There, I blogged.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 01:23:08 GMT

Today is my birthday.

I am...

This number is cool for several reasons.

I'll give you 3 of them:

It is a prime number.
It was the number on my soccer jersey during my freshman year of high school. (Yes, I played soccer once. Is that so surprising?)
It has a special meaning to fans of Kevin Smith's films.

I got some awesome presents this year but I'll blog about those another day when I have more time. Just ONE of my presents is worthy of its own entry. Heck, just the fact that I have high-quality pictures of it is worth yet ANOTHER post.

But as I already stated, another day. Let me just end this by saying that my woman and my friend rule. I am the luckiest man in the world.

Unsociable

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 04:59:48 GMT

Yes, yes, I know. I've been neglecting this blog for far too long.

I meant to get back to it after Christmas but I got distracted.

What distracted me, you ask?

Well...

It's kind of embarassing, but...

I'VE STARTED CHATTING AGAIN!!!

I know, I know, shame on me.

And if that weren't enough, I'm making good progress on becoming a MySpace whore:

http://www.myspace.com/an80smetalman

Stop by and see me there.

So, um, yeah. That's all for now.