RT1: I need a new web page category for entries like this, as there's nothing particularly personal about it.

RT2: Leonard Cohen's work after his voice got deeper is some really trippy, moody, and quite cool stuff. I realize that Mr. Cohen is enjoying a bit of a renaissance right now, but I've been a fan since I heard "Waiting For The Miracle" and "The Future" across the psychotic landscape of Natural Born Killers.

RT3: Along those same lines, Natural Born Killers is a far, far better movie than most people give it credit for, in my opinion. On the one hand, the blunt-force trauma of so much violence and gore is a very heavy-handed way to make a point about the glorification of such things. On the other, there are so many little subtleties in this movie that people tend to miss, and the performances throughout are just incredible. I can't even say "especially...." because they all rock like mad, from Rodney Dangerfield as the perverted father of Mallory to Robert Downey Jr.'s absolutely mindblowing performance as tabloid reporter Wayne Gale. It's very much a "love it or hate it" proposition. I love it. Also, the soundtrack album is one of the few in the last twenty years or so that includes actual film dialogue. Cool.

RT4: I wonder if there are any bands out there called "Cognitive Dissonance." I would like to name my next band that, if there isn't. The album cover potential is unlimited. If the band name has been taken, I think I'm going to use it as an album title when I get back to making music again, just so I can invoke all the surreal imagery.

RT5: The one thing that sucks beyond all else about the Age Of The CD is the loss of intricate album cover art. The idea that we'll never see stuff like Santana's Abraxas or even Danzig's killer H. R. Geiger cover art again, or at least not in nearly as much detail, is kinda depressing. On the other hand, as music moves into the digital age, the delivery of quality additional material is coming back into vogue. Still...posters? Remember the posters from KISS' solo albums and other stuff? What do teenagers put on their walls these days?

RT6: Creating a CRM system from scratch is quite difficult. I, however, am doing it. Go me.

RT7: Johnny Got His Gun is quite an excellent film, and an even better book. You should get it. Be careful buying the DVD though - it's never been officially released in the US (it's owned by Metallica, and they have become corporate weenies and retards over the last 15 years or so, I kinda hate to even suggest buying this because they'll make money on it...which is kind of sad considering they used to be one of my favorite bands, and their pre-black album stuff still is, but that's another rant). Amazon has some available as Region 1 format that are produced in Portugal or something, though. Just keep your eyes open and make sure it's either clearly marked as Region 1/NTSC or region-free/NTSC, if you're in the US.