If you like Queensryche, try Dream Theater.

Yesterday afternoon I had a strange craving to listen to Rush. And also perhaps find that old dub of Queensryche's Empire, though I fear it's in a drawer in the old house in Atlanta, not in my pile at home. I did a little surfing and round two retrospectives of Rush -- one starting in the last 70's, the second continuing through the 80's. In a similar vein, I discovered that Steve Vai has NOT been hiding out, and apparantly has been alive and well all these years, putting out an album nearly every year through the 90's. Who knew. Apparantly not me.

I'm not exactly a fan of prog rock. Hell, I didn't learn what the genre was called until a few months ago when MelRo informed me. In my head I just labelled it "big dramatic sensitive rock". The emo of classic rock and soft metal. So while I probably won't run out and pick up lots of new albums, I might secretly keep my eyes opened in certain sections of the used record shops.

I thought my yahoo mail was being slow as well, but now I'm blaming Livejournal, since I received an e-mail from someone on Hotmail within 15 minutes or less.

I think this past month on my friends page has contained more drama than the Baldwins than I've ever experienced. Especially when I add some real life friends experiences into the mix. I've been hearing about hospitalizations, scary diagnoses, deaths, conceptions, breakups, harassment, pathological lying, arrests, job losses, tumultuous beginnings of relationships, and lots of sex. I would write this all down for a book, but I don't want to be sued later for false use of the "any similarities are purely coincidental" line. And trust me, if you're reading this, and you believe one of the items listed above applies to you, rest assured you're not alone. Everything I listed has AT LEAST two people's scenarios that apply.

Though I suppose in reality, life is probably this active fairly often, I just so rarely lay everything end-to-end to see how far it stretches. It's enough to make me want to nap. Or maybe that's just because I'm bored at work.

Tomorrow night I drive to the airport to pick up MelRo! Note to self: remember not to take living with her for granted. Also, I'm quite excited to see Longtime Friend this weekend and hanging out in the glorious town of Louisville, Kentucky. Yeah, I said it. I'm very curious to see her reaction when she sees me -- she hasn't seen me in about 15 months, so I'm sure she'll be startled to see a guy waiting for her at the baggage claim.

what's that name again? I forgot.

When I was young and pushed around and beaten up and beaten down, who'd I run to mama? Tell me who?

And as I grew to be a man, and all the world held such èlan, I did what I thought I just had to do. It was you, mama you, it was you all along. It was you I ran away from -- I was wrong. And if I could, I'd change my life, I swear to God I'd cut it out with a knife and with a glue stick I'd reapply it in a song.

And laid back Kerouac never no a heart attack, drinking and thinking about the place that he ran back to. The moloch is an old man, the moloch is a love-lack, bending for a quick snack, remembering his friend Jack, and mama sometimes I remember you.

Man loves woman. Mother loves child. Sometimes I call my lady mama. So I can feel at home for a while.

Looking around at all the Mellencamp towns, the excuses and the nooses where the coffee grounds, I found places and traces of a storybook world. And I went out there for a ride on the misty coast but the holy host is under Mickey D's American flag and it's unfurled.

It was you mama you, it was you all along. It was you I ran away from -- I was wrong. And if I could I'd change my life, I swear to God I'd cut it out with a knife and with a glue stick I'd reapply it in a song.

Man loves woman sometimes mother loves child. Sometimes I call my lady mama so I can feel at home for a while. So I can feel at home for a while.

{/Jude}

There are plenty of reasons to hate me without having to resort to lies. Some people are just so lazy though.

I really itching to get inked again. There's just the little problem of settling on a design. I'm tossing some ideas around, but nothing that makes me want to commit. Maybe if I get my act together I can do it in Lousiville -- I imagine tattooing is cheaper there.