The Lair of the Green Rob

New CDs to my collection (09/06/2008)

2008-09-09T02:20:00.000-07:00

Each payday, if I'm able to talk my wife into letting me buy a few new discs, I'll be listing them and giving them a short review here. Some of the CD's I may have owned at one point, but through circumstances beyond my control (theft) I need to buy again. This week I got 4 new ones, 3 I have owned at some point, and 1 I have never heard before. Let's get down to it shall we?

Iron Maiden: Number of the Beast

Iron Maiden have many incredible albums to choose from, but time and time again the one that gets mentioned as the absolute classic is the masterpiece that is 'Number of the Beast'. For the bands third album, due to the departure of Di'Anno, the band was joined by new vocalist Bruce Dickinson, bringing a whole new level of uniqueness to the band. Dickinson could belt out the vocals like nobodies business. Some of my favorite Maiden songs come from this album, like "22 Acacia Avenue", "Invaders", and "Run To the Hills". Though not my favorite album from Iron Maiden, 'Beast' definitely ranks high up there.

Metallica: Master of Puppets

One of the greatest albums of all time, and probably the greatest metal album ever recorded, 'Master of Puppets' shows Metallica in fine form. The material on this album is top notch from start to finish. There are eight classics to choose from here, including the title track, "Battery", the incredible "Damage, Inc.", the instrumental "Orion", and the iconic "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" just to name a few. I'm personally a huge fan of Metallica past and present, but this album will likely remain my favorite output from them forever.

Rush: Permamanent Waves

This is the first Rush album I ever really owned. I remember wearing my casette out playing this thing over and over again. The shortest album in the bands catalogue, there are only 6 songs to choose here, ranging from the classic ("The Spirit of Radio", "Freewill", and "Natural Science"... my favorite Rush tune) to the fan favorites ("Entre Nous", and "Jacob's Ladder"). The band are in fine form as the begin shifting gears from the side long conceptual pieces of yesteryear and move towards the shorter more concise pieces that they churn out to this day. It's great to have this one back in my CD rack and amongst the few other Rush discs I still own.

Richard Morse: Rychard

I haven't had a chance to listen to this one yet, and I can't find the album cover image to put up here, but I'm looking forward to digging into this one. Richard is of course the brother of Neal Morse and Spock's Beard guitarist Alan Morse. Neal plays on and produced this album and from the one review I was able to find, I believe that my money has been very well spent. I'll post an actual review when I get the time to give it the ear that it deserves.

Well, that is all I was able to get this pay day, althought next payday I will definitely be adding the new Metallica disc ('Death Magnetic') and hopefully a few other things I saw at CD Tradepost this past payday.

A Few Discs I'm Playing A Lot

2008-09-05T02:00:00.000-07:00

Anybody who knows me knows that I love music, and I have been digging some great tunes lately, so I thought I would share...

Neal Morse: Sola Scriptura
I've had this CD for a very long time but have only just recently realized what a masterpiece it is. For a change of pace Neal had decided to craft a progressive concept album (his joke, not mine, hehe). The concept is centered around the life of Martin Luther, a man that walked through hell to make this world a better place for Christians (and humanity). There are utterly beautiful moments on this disc, but also some all out rocking moments. With only 4 songs, three of them are very long epic pieces, while the lone ballad "Heaven In My Heart" is a more radio friendly length. This one is a must for Prog Fans.

Metallica: St. Anger
I didn't listen to this album for the longest time on the opinion of the majority... I should know better! There may be some production flaws but the music of this disc is top notch. The songs are excellent rockers, tunes like "Frantic", the title track, "Invisible Kid" and "Some Kind of Monster" (just to name a few) are just as good as anything these kings of metal have written. There is a bit of a lack of guitar solos, but like 'Vapor Trails' (Rush) it works for the tunes. Definitely one worth checking out and not just taking the word of others.

Neal Morse: ?
Here is another disc that I didn't spend a lot of time with initially, but finally came back to. This one is sixty minutes of pure progressive bliss. Neal proves once again that he can craft a concept album that is both excellent musically and conceptually. Personal favorites of mine are "The Outsider", "Outside Looking In", and the incredibly uplifting "Entrance". There are some people that left Neal behind when he parted ways with Spock's Beard and turned to Christian themed album, and these people are the ones that need to check out this incredible music for themselves.

The Punching Goat Knows Not What He Does, Only That He Means To Do It

2008-09-05T01:49:00.000-07:00

Hello all, been a while since I posed here and a lot has happened since. Most importantly, Robbie and Selena have moved up a grade in school. Robbie is in 1st grade, and my little Bucket is in Kindergarten! I can't believe how old they are getting. Sometimes this saddens me, they are both growing up so fast, but I am so proud of them and who they are turning into.

Also growing quickly is the Squishy Baby, Samantha. She babbles a lot these days, and some of the things she says actually turn out to be words, she is so cute. Of course there are two sides to every coin, and there are times when she can try our patience. She gets in to everything, mostly photo albums, remotes and phones. She loves to play with my cell phone. I would have to say that her favorite thing to do is dance. If she likes the song she will do her cute little Squishy dance.

Janae started back at PCSI again, and this time she seems to be getting along well here. She tries so hard to get her hours in and I'm proud to call her my wife. I know she wants to help her family, and is doing a great job. Even is she weren't working though I would be proud of her. She is a great mother and you can tell that the kids adore her. I really don't think that I could live without her.

Anyway, that's my update post. After this I will immediately move on to a second post updating my world of music.

NW: Earth 2 - Episode 2

Interesting Read on success of new Journey CD

2008-07-17T21:46:00.000-07:00

I didn't see this posted and found it interesting... and true! I'll also note that I bought the album for the reason stated below, and love the music, but would not have bought it at regular price.

From melodicrock.com:

LEFSETZ ON JOURNEY/WALMART:
Interesting comments from industry commentator Bob Lefsetz on the Journey/WalMart package earlier today. On the topic of disecting this week's Billboard chart positions, Lefsetz stated:
18. Journey "Revelation" Sales this week: 23,778 / Percentage change: -4% / Cume: 308,777
"And that's what it is! Not the incredible pipes of their Filipino lead singer, but the PRICE! Irving's the leader on this... He told me if Dave signed off on it, he was going to put out a Van Halen DVD for $7.99!
Maybe I'm talking out of school here, not that Irving said this was off the record, but this is a very important point. PRICE MATTERS! Stop weeping over the death of the CD, the declining margins, and just lower the damn price so music becomes an impulse item. Lower the price enough and it doesn't PAY to steal!
And you wonder why the established acts would rather go with Irving and Wal-Mart than Doug and Universal. Wal-Mart pays, the act gets the lion's share of the money and the customer is HAPPY!"

Neal Morse: ? Live

2008-07-16T03:08:00.000-07:00

There is such an incredible vibe during the "? Live" album from Neal Morse. I don't know how anyone can listen to something like this and not be touched or moved in some way. Especially "Entrance" and "Inside His Presence". I hate that I ignored Neal's Christian lyric albums for so long, even though I have owned them. Once again I am reminded what an amazing person and musician Neal is. Anytime I listen to Neal's albums I can actually feel myself closer to God, and say what you want about me for this, I love the feeling. It's great to believe in something and I won't apologize for it.

Anyhow I just wanted to share.

NP: Neal Morse - Inside His Presence

Doctor Who: The Planet of Ood (series 4, episode 3)

2008-05-21T03:08:00.000-07:00

And with "The Planet of Ood" I do believe I am a fan of this incredible show. The writing on this episode was so surprising that I can't believe I didn't latch on to this show sooner. The story was sci-fi at it's very best, and gone was the immense cheese factor of episode two of the 4th series.

The storyline tells of the great injustice of slavery and deals out its own kind of justice on the main slavedriver. The bit charachters were so well written and played, and the doctor and Donna were magnificent throughout.

Oh, and lets not forget the puking of the new brain... that was great. Don't know what I'm talking about? Check out "The Planet of Ood" and you will know, and will likely be just as impressed as I was.

NP: Rush - Far Cry

2008-05-09T04:48:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm not entirely sure why I'm writing today, but I just feel frustrated and the hell of it is that I don't have any idea why. I feel like I'm on the verge of creating a better hampster wheel and yet nowhere near even working on the project. I guess that probably doesn't make sense, but then again nothing I ever say really makes sense anyhow.

There is something wrong with my head I think. Like, for example, I don't want to die and yet I do nothing to help prevent it. I feel depressed and yet I have no reason to be would be a good second example. A third would be the extremely creative person living in me that doesn't want to let any part of him come out.

ARRRRGGHHH!

Anyhow, I really didn't have much to say, but mostly because that jerk inside of me only shines out for very brief moments before I get bored and move...

(editors note: Rob seems to have stopped writing sudden...)

NP: Dream Theater - Repentance

Spock's Beard - V

2008-05-09T04:37:00.000-07:00

‘V’, the 2000 release from Spock’s Beard is an album of great music sandwiched between two of the greatest epic songs ever written, making this album an absolute essential for any fan of the so called “Progressive Rock” genre.

Putting aside the opener and closer of the fantastic disc for just a moment, the four songs in the middle are anything but filler material. “Revelation” is an all out rocker, with blistering guitars, a rhythm section wrought with fury, and a very ballsy performance in the vocal department.

“Thoughts, Pt. 2” is a song with many dynamic changes, and really doesn’t have too much to do with the original “Thoughts” (found on the ‘Beware of Darkness’ album). It is also the albums nod to Gentle Giant.

In a perfect world the next tune “All On A Sunday” would have been the albums hit single, as it follows the formula of the perfect radio formatted rock tune, catchy music, melodic vocals, and is just a fun track from start to finish. Alas this is not a perfect world and to my knowledge the video the band made got little to no airplay anywhere.

“Goodbye To Yesterday”, the last of the more concise tunes on the album is a beautiful ballad with heart wrenching vocals and lyrics and a beautiful bit of acoustic guitar work. Again, I think this song could have been a nice hit single in a perfect world.

Now back to those two songs that we set aside for a moment, the first of which being “At the End of the Day”. The shorter of the two epics this track clocks in at a measly 16 minutes. This track features the band at their absolute best, both in terms of their playing and their writing. Easily one of the best tunes in the bands already impressive catalogue.

I try to stay away from clichés but the since the band couldn’t help it neither can I, we have saved the best for last, the monster epic “The Great Nothing”. Lyrically the song is about the disillusions of the music business and what a crap shoot it really is. Musically it is nothing short of a masterpiece. Personally I think that this song shows just how diverse the band is musically, and Neal Morse is vocally. The music on the track is all over the place, from all out rock, to acoustic, to atmospheric exploration, and of course the very prog driven sections the band have come to be known for. In my opinion perhaps some of the best 25 plus minutes of music ever committed to CD.

Spock’s Beard would go on to record just one more album with Neal Morse (the 2 CD concept piece ‘Snow’) before parting ways, and while ‘Snow’ is a masterpiece in it’s own right, it is ‘V’ that I find myself listening to time and time again.

NP: Dream Theater - The Dark Eternal Night

Doctor Who: The Fires of Pompeii (series 4, episode 2)

2008-04-16T04:01:00.000-07:00

Let me start off by saying that the line "We're in Pompeii, and it's Volcano Day" is without a doubt the cheesiest line I have ever heard in my life, however the episode itself was highly entertaining.

The episode takes place in Ancient Rome, the day before the infamous Pompeii disaster, where many lost their lives... a disaster apparantly caused by the Doctor and a Spock like decision ("the needs of the many outweight the needs of the few"). I found it to be an entertaining way to explain one of the worst natural events of mankinds reign on this planet.

The episode itself was a bit of a hit and miss for me at first, a little bit creepy and strange at times. Fortunately things really pick up when the Doctor and Donna head in to the volcano.

I love how this show can really make you feel for its cast, even though the majority is only around for a single episode. I have been immensely impressed with each episode thus far and can't wait to check out the new one next week.

NP: Rush - Something for Nothing (live)

Doctor Who: Partners In Crime (series 4, episode 1)

2008-04-09T00:37:00.000-07:00

Adipose is a revolutionary new pill that allows a persons fat to just "walk away"... literally. The fat is supposed to break away from a person while they sleep and became a cute little glob of lard with legs and hands and charming facial features. They are really quite cute. The only hitch is that the customers don't know how they are losing the fat, they just know that they are. All of this is an evil plot masteminded by a tyranical and seemingly insane company head.

The conspiracy unfolds with a typical villain mistake of revealing the evil plan to a reporter who is tied up, while Donna (a nosey woman with a past in the show) and the current Doctor.

The story is extremely corny with many moments of very thick cheese, and yet it is surprisingly (or not so surprisingly given the nature of the show) interesting from start to finish. I must admit to not seeing very many episodes of the series and so the background story tie-ins don't make a whole lot of sense to me, but the main plot line held up enough for a casual viewer to enjoy the first episode of this season).

Stay tuned to this blog for more reviews of "Doctor Who" and a huge amount of reviews of the original Star Trek series.

NP - Pink Floyd: Take It Back

Something has to give, or else...

2008-03-14T04:46:00.001-07:00

I honestly think that I am losing my mind, and nearing some kind of breaking point. I'm physically and emotionally exhausted. I don't know what to do at this point, and am positive that it's only my kids that are keeping me alive. To love someone so much and be such a constant source of hate and disappointment for that person hurts...

I think I need help, but not sure if I want it at this point...

Something has to give.

So

2008-03-13T23:27:00.001-07:00

Why is it that Janae has to treat me like shit? Seriously, I want to know
:(

A Dream I Had

2008-03-13T03:28:00.000-07:00

I had a dream yesterday that I just can't seem to get out of my head, and now that I think about it it's more of a nightmare really.

The dream didn't touch on the circumstances surrounding it, but Janae left me. I spent the entire dream crying and trying to get her back, but she kept treating me like I was nothing. I would see her and she wouldn't see me and I had no idea what I had done to make her hate me so much.

From that dream I realized just how much I love Janae (not that I didn't already have a pretty good idea). I don't think I could live without her. I think I would literally wither up and die. From the moment I met her I think my soul attached to hers and mine can't go on without hers.

I don't know if what I'm saying makes any sense, but there it is. I wish the memory of this dream would go away because when I think about it I feel an empty kind of feeling in my heart. I don't want to feel that empty feeling, that feeling of living without her. I need her, and I always will... I just hope she feels, truely and honestly, the same way that I do.

-Rob

Happy Valentines Day

2008-02-14T00:56:00.000-08:00

Today is the 9th year Janae and I have been together on the 14th of February. We have had many great years together, and I look forward to many more.

I love you Janae, I always have and always will.

New Movie: Adventures of Power

2008-02-07T02:02:00.000-08:00

The trailer speaks for itself:

With an apparant cameo of Neil Peart as... Neil Peart

NP: Jethro Tull - A Passion Play, pt. 2

Nobody Cares

2008-02-05T03:43:00.000-08:00

If the pain I am feeling can not go away
And I can't find a way out of my agony
I'm going to leave you today

If the desperation doesn't ease in my heart
And the sadness won't leave my tired mind
My soul from this world will soon depart

But nobody knows that I'm crying
Nobody knows that I'm dying inside
Nobody cares

I'm left alone in my misery
I'm living alone with my pain
And nobody cares at all

If the hate that I feel for myself doesn't fade
And I can't stop feeling sorry for myself
The last choice that has to be made
Is to take myself away

But nobody knows that I'm crying
Nobody knows that I'm dying inside
Nobody cares

Bootleg: Rush - Live In Buffalo, NY (05-21-1980)

2008-01-25T00:33:00.000-08:00

Rush's 'Permanent Waves' tour has one of my very favorite setlists. The band rip through four out of six songs from 'PeW' as well as some of the best from their back catalogue. Unfortunately it is hard to find good shows from this tour (even though the Kiel show is probably the best sounding boot from the band, it is incomplete) so I have to settle for decent shows. 'Live In Buffalo, NY' is one of the decent shows.

First off, the sound is quite muted and overall a bit distant but all of the instruments do come through pretty well most of the time. There aren't any annoying distractions from the obviously fired up audience (well, some lady during the intro for "Natural Science" did scare the hell out of me), and that is always a plus.

Now on to the music: The band is right on this night. They tear through an inspired rendition of the abbreviated "2112" that has been a staple in the set since it's release in 1976. Geddy is fairly talkative tonight. The vocal phrasing on the older songs is pretty much static this tour so don't be surprised when there are obvious changes in tunes like "By-Tor and the Snow Dog" and the closing medley.

A couple highlights for me are an inspired rendition of "Natural Science", the abbreviated "Hemispheres" with some VERY cool effects (though Geddy does strain a bit on some of the vocals), an absolutely smoking "A Passage To Bangkok", and the afformentioned closing medley.

I've heard a lot of Rush shows in my life, some of them absolutely horrible (the 'ATWAS' tour New Years Eve show), and I've heard some smoking shows (several 'T4E' shows for example) and I can say this is about middle of the pack, listenable and very enjoyable.

NP: Rush - A Passage To Bangkok

Selena Taylor Mallory

2008-01-22T23:44:00.001-08:00

Selena Taylor Mallory
Born: March 10th, 2003

I find it hard to believe that Selena will be 5 years old about a month and a half. I'll never forget the hectic night before she was born, leading into the day of her birth. I had an errand to run to my friend Erts house, and when I left I found I had a flat tire. Luckily Nick fixed it. The morning of the 10th we dropped Robbie off at my moms and went to the hospital. The delivering doctor was late and so was Selena (obviously). This time Janae was conscious and got to spend a few brief moments with our first daughter.

Selena was named after Rush drummer Neil Peart's daughter, and I think the name is just beautiful.

I love my daughter, and always have, but she was a bit of a nightmare as a baby. She cried nearly non stop and needed constant attention (much like today :) . The picture of her in her Christmas dress here is one of my very favorite pictures of Selena. I just love the pose, and she loves to pose. She has always been a kid that loves getting her picture taken. On the flip side of the coin, she loves to look at pictures, often getting in to our photo album and going through them asking about a thousand questions.

When Selena arrived, Robbie was very reserved towards her. He tried to keep his distance and looked at her with curiosity. Thankfully it didn't take him long to realize that this baby was here to stay. He wasn't always trying to help with her, but when he did it was always with a smile on her face.

When she was newborn she had to go back to the hospital fairly soon after she came home because she had a horrible case of jaundice. In almost all of her newborn pictures she is noticably yellow. One of the hardest things I've ever done was leave her alone in a hospital room one of the nights she was there. Looking back I wish either Janae and I would have stayed. Thankfully she was soon able to come home, and has been a pain in the ass ever since.

I'll never forget the first time I held Selena, namely because she peed all over me, it was a major bummer dude (haha). Selena is a child of many nicknames, and one of her first was "poopers". Why you ask? Because the first time I ever changed her she decided to shoot poo at me, it was one of the most disgusting things I have ever been party to in my life.

Selena is a very happy kid, who more often than not has a huge smile plastered on her beautiful face. She is also a very funny kid. Sometimes out of nowhere she will start laughing uncontrollably, we often do not know why. She also loves to read. If given a choice of things to do, most times she will grab a book and either asked to have it read to her, or make up her own story to go with the pictures. She is very creative, and I think she may be a writer someday.

She also loves school. This picture is of her first day of full day pre-school, and she is doing great in school. Her teacher says she is very smart and she works very hard at making others happy, and to make the other kids like her. Selena also likes to sing, and has a very pretty voice for a child of her age. She wrote her first song when she was only 3 (I believe). A fun little ditty called "I Wash My Hair".

I wash my hair

I wash my hair (bend the pitch of the last word repeatedly until out).

When Samantha was born in January of 2007 Selena became a big sister and was constantly trying to help out with the baby. Trying to feed her, hug her, and give the baby her constant attention (which was sometimes a real pain in the ass, but that is okay). This is a picture of all three of monkey's in a tree. You can see that out of the three Selena is without a doubt the goofiest of the lot. I think she gets that from me, and that is just fine, because she is my little princess, and I love her with all of my heart.

And so to my little bucket, this is in tribute to you. I love you bean bag, I always have, and always will. You are my princess, and I wouldn't trade you for the world.

A story I'm writing with Janae for fun

2008-01-18T01:51:00.000-08:00

I'm tired of walking. I wish we could stop. I need water.
We have been driven from our home. It's so late so dark.
Mom's crying.Dad's yelling. My brother and sister are crying. We all just want to go back home. And yet we all know that that is not possible. We will not stop tell we get to George town. That's where my Aunt lives. Please God I hope we make it.

The men came as we we're all asleep. They took us from our bed's put us in a truck. We drove to the woods and they told us to get out and start walking. And that we could never return home. That they would make sure we did not come home. We asked why,why.
They said never mind just walk.

So here we are walking we have been walking for over 3hrs. We dont know how long it will take us to get to Aunt Amanda's. I'm hungry and tired. I wish the sun would come up. I'm scared.

The coldness is biting into my skin. At first it wasn't too bad, but as time passes we get even colder. My parents are arguing about something, but I've blocked them out, I can't hear it anymore.

My mind is a jumble of mixed emotions; where is everyone else, why were we taken from our home, will we ever go back, is Tyler okay? About half hour ago Jenny, my little sister, stepped on a piece of glass but we could not stop to properly take care of her so we've been taking turns carrying her. Luckily she is not too heavy, so even though she gets passed often each of us are able to take a shift.

It's hard to believe that just 4 hours ago I was at home sleeping safely in bed. Sure I had to get up in the morning and go to a school I hate, and take a test that I knew I was going to fail, but I would give anything to have that back. Nothing is worse than being forced to do something and not know why. I know I'm with my family but I feel so utterly alone, and more scared than I have ever been in my life.

A gun shot comes at us from out of the night, and we have no idea where from. It sounded maybe two or three miles back. The gun shot was horrifying in and of itself, but the blood curdling scream that followed it was the worst part. The scream sounds like it came from a child, no more than ten years old.

My mother just passed me Jenny, who is still crying. Dad took the glass out of her bare foot, but it is still bleeding, and she needs medical attention. I feel so bad for her, my heart aches and I pray that this will end soon. I can almost feel the blood fall on to my leg, but there is nothing that I can do but reassure her that everything will be okay, and that we'll be at Aunt Amanda's soon, but deep inside I feel that is a lie. I feel it's a lie because everything just feels wrong.

Then as I was holding Jenny I can remember my teacher telling us how to stop the bleeding on a cut. So I took my shirt off and tryed to stop the bleeding. I layed her down in the ditch. I told my dad to give me his shrit to keep her warm. After about 20mins the bleeding stopped. There was a little puddle that looked clear. So I cleaned up her foot and saw that it wasn't that bad. It would just hurt for a while. I took Jenny to the bath room. At first she would not go. I had to tell her this is the only way at the time. After we had all sat and got some rest we began to walk again. It was 4:30 at this point. I was kinda happy because the sun would be up soon. I just dont understand why know cars have come by. Where are we? Are we going the right way? Man I'm so hungry. I'm about to eat this grass. The cows do it how bad can it be. My mom and dad are a little bitt ahead talking. At least there not yelling anymore. My brother Jon is right in front of me holding Jenny. Soon it will be light. Thank God for light. It is now 5a.m. about 1 to 1 hr and a half to the sun comes up.

1 Hour Later:

The sun is playing on the horizon, but with it only comes more despair. As more light touches the Earth we can now see other people walking in these god forsaken woods. They all look to be in the same boat as us, siking to the bottom of the ocean in dark despair.

All around us people are walking but saying nothing. Some of the people are bleeding, and others are covered in blood that may not be theirs, in fact I'm pretty sure it is not. I try to speak but nothing will come out... maybe that's for the best. Even if I could speak what would I say? Besides it doesn't look like anyone would answer me.

Out of the corner of my eye I can see a man running towards my father, but it was too late to warn him. In the flash of an eye the man pulled a knife and stabbed my dad in the neck. Blood erupted from the wound like water from a hose on a hot summer day. The attacker quickly ran off for another group of people and stabbed a young child, no more than five years old. Before anybody could stop to think the man pulled a gun out of his pocket and shot himself.

"Dad", I screamed running to him. My mom stood speechless next to him, staring at the blood pouring out of his neck. He started gasping for breath but could no longer draw air. I did all that I could to save him but it was too late, two minutes later my daddy died.

The king of the whales is nowhere to be found!

2008-01-16T23:31:00.001-08:00

Well, I finally went to my doctor appointment (although I fought Janae kicking and screaming). There is only one reason I hate going to the doctor office; I hate getting my blood drawn. Everytime I go there is an inept nurse who has to shove that needle into my arm (thus creating a whole 'nother hole in my arm) from 3 to 4 damned times. Well today, as I was prepared to pass out and come back puking into a kidney shaped bowl I was surprised to learn that this new nurse was done! She stuck me once, drew the blood and that was it. She is my new hero and I should wish to subscribe to her newsletter.

I am very upset with myself though; after not seeing the doctor for over a year I went back to learn that I have gained 2 pounds. Now that may not seem like much to some people, but when you are close to "whale status" like I am, every pound counts. I've got to get rid of those two (and a few more wouldn't hurt) before my next appointment in three months.

Anywho, today I also had a quick foot exam. The nurse sort of poked several places on the bottom of each foot with a piece of wire and asked if I could feel each poke. Thankfully I did, so for now my feet are still attached.

So I guess that's all I have for now.

NP: Dream Theater - Finally Free

(bootleg post) Rush - Power Windows Demo

2008-01-13T13:18:00.000-08:00

A month back the Rush community were stunned to learn that a demo tape for 'Power Windows' existed, shortly thereafter the demo tunes were released. These are very interesting for 'PoW', and Rush fans alike. It is a rare glimpse into the the creative process of the band.

Thanks for the Castle of Rush (a great site for MP3 sourced Rush boots) blog for getting this up on rapidshare:

'Power Windows Demo'

NP: Spock's Beard - Devil's Got My Throat

Robert Duane Mallory Jr. (Robbie), pt. 1

2008-01-10T01:33:00.000-08:00

Robert Duane Mallory Jr.
Born: September 22nd, 2001

It seems like just yesterday that Robbie was born. I'll never forget the first moment when I held him in my arms. Janae was still in surgery and my mind was trying to convince me that she was dead because she was cut open (Robbie was a c-section baby). When the doctor put that kid in my arms I knew I would give my life to protect him. His eyes were still shut, but for the first time mine were open. I had always wanted to find some sort of meaning in my life, and with him I had it. Making my father proud of me was no longer as important as making sure that Robbie knows how proud of him I am.

This is Robbie just before his first birthday (Janae has always been good at making sure we have pictures taken professionally for each kids' birthday). One thing I'll never forget is that he always had his tongue out. We were actually concerned that maybe his tongue was too big and he couldn't fit it all in his mouth. As a result of this he always had a rash under his bottom lip, as you can tell. This is easily one of my very favorite pictures of Robbie. He still had long hair, something he has not had since it was first cut shortly after his first birthday. He was such a happy kid (again, something you can see here).

Robbie was a very busy kid, always on the go... unless there was something on the tv that intrigued him (JJ the Jetplane for example). He loved anything that would spin. It really didn't matter what the toy was as long as it had something that he could sit and continuously make spin. He would sit and use all four fingers to continue the spinning, moving his fingers towards himself, with a smile or a questioning look plastered on his face. That was our Robbie, a fun loving spinner. He was (and still is) my pride and joy.

I tried my best to spend as much time as possible playing with Robbie, and it was around his 2nd birthday that he developed a huge love of trains (or maybe it was Christmas that year, can't recall exactly). But he also loved to watch my use the computer. He would stand and just watch me play whatever game I was into at the time (at this time it was Roller Coaster Tycoon II). He loved watching the roller coasters and would impatiently wait for me to build the next big ride. He wasn't a huge attention getter, and would often play with whatever toy was currently holding his interest (not like Selena, who would prove to need constant attention). He was so full of energy, like a monkey bouncing of the walls, and we had to keep constant tabs on him. It was a full time job keeping this kid safe, and I think Janae and I did very well at doing just that.

One thing that Robbie has always loved, unlike any other kid I've ever known, is a nice nap. Even today he can still take a nap at a moments notice, oftentimes coming right home from school to catch some z's. In this picture he is curled up with his orange PB (Robbie speak for blankie), but usually he has this ugly blanket thing that my mom made for me long before Robbie was born. This thing is hideous, but he had to have it to sleep. There is a pink section that for some reason is the most important to Robbie, and he has to smell it before he'll go to sleep. Every now and then Janae will wash it against his wishes, because even though he insists it has some special scent held deep within' it's fabric that makes him happy, all we can smell is, well the exacty opposite of something that would make us happy.

His first sister, Selena Taylor Mallory, was born when Robbie was just 18 months old. At first he was really shy and stayed away from her. I don't know if it was because she scared him, or he was afraid of hurting her, but he mostly stayed away from his little sissy. It took some time but he has turned into a great big brother, and I am so proud of him for that.

Anyhow, that is my little boy. I'll have more to add to this, but for now I think you get a good idea about who he is. He is Robbie, and his daddy loves him very much!

NP: Rush - YYZ

The Wings of the Winged Wingless

2008-01-09T14:06:00.001-08:00

So, how are you all? I have new wings, they grew in last night. They're still kind of itchy and still coming in, but I've got enough out of my back to life me off the floor a little. I can't remember what made me decide to get these things, but I'm glad I did. In a few days, after an immense amount of pain (hey, ya gotta take the bad to get the good) I'll be flying everywhere.

There is one downside, when you have wings you have to give up another feature of your body, so when they are fully in I will no longer have a uh... ahem... a sac. Still, small price to pay for wings.

So if you see me flying by you in the next couple of days wave goodbye because I'm far above you and much quicker.

Thanks,
The Flying Flyer of Flying Flights

Album of the Day - Darwin's Radio: Eyes of the World

2008-01-09T00:11:00.000-08:00

I mentioned recently that there were a lot of 2007 albums that I needed to spend more time with... well, I guess there are even more from 2006 that fall by the wayside. One of not is the album "Eyes of the World" from the band Darwin's Radio. Tonight I'm giving this one multiple listens, but only intended on one at first. I was so floored by how good this album was that I'm on my 3 play right now.

The disc kicks off in fine prog rock fasion with the nearly ten minute epic "Erase...Rewind". What we go here is a pretty hard rock driven tune with plenty of keyboard flourishes to compliment the sound that the band keep up with for the entire album. This tune is nothing short of incredible, and there is even a rather short keyboard run that really reminds me of the theme to the final fortress in the original Zelda. After the instrumental opening the song has a short piano interlude before the vocalist comes in. Vocalist Declan Burke (who also plays guitar) really fits with the music on this, and the rest of the album. I hear so many musical styles in here, from a very Genesis sounding part at around the 6 1/2 minute mark, to a very Flower Kings sort of style immediately following (not to mention some very rocking DT-esque interludes).

With an opening cut like "Erase...Rewind" one may assume that the rest of the disc goes downhill, but in my opinion the whole disc is an incredible piece of music from start to finish. The second cut, "Stronger", is a more straight-forward rock tune (with plenty of keys of course). There are some very Derek Sherinian-moments in this very cool song, which is held together by a pretty consistant bass lead. Once again the vocals are very fitting with the tune, and the chorus is a melodic monster in every sense of the term.

"Windows To Your Soul" is the first ballad on the album. It's a beautiful piece with mostly keys and drums, with some emotion drenched vocals from Declan. This song really shows the bands diversity, and actually flows nicely with the rest of the disc, while often-times the slower tune seems to drag the disc down (ie: Dream Theater - "Repentance").

The fourth track, "Glass Tiger's Eye" is another straight-forward rock tune, with a guitar lead that harkens back to the arena rock of yesterday. "Lapse of Sensation" is a very Marillion sounding prog tune, while "Eccentric Orbits" is a balls to the wall instrumental track that kicks my ass. "Amber Skies" is a gorgeous ballad that gives me goosebumps. One of the best ballads I have ever had the pleasure of listening to.

The album closes with the near 12 minute epic tune "The Vast Within". Like any good epic tune there is a bit of an intro section that eases people into the song, a very ballad-esque section, before stepping up the tempo only slightly by the 3 1/2 minute mark. After a brief guitar solo the song finally launches into the prog-fest I was really hoping it would be. Some great guitar/keyboard trade off's, and the rest of the song only gets better.

I don't know how this song missed my top of 2006 list, but I guess it's proof that things like top 10 lists can not be written in stone. I highly recommend this disc to any prog fan.

Bootleg: Aerosmith - Done Live With Mirrors

2008-01-07T23:26:00.000-08:00

The first thing I thought when previewing this amazing 'Done With Mirrors' tour boot from Aerosmith was "Is this really a boot?" The sound quality is incredible. I have heard my fair share of soundboard shows, but this one seems almost too polished to be anything but an official release, but I can find no evidence supporting it, so I'm going with boot on this, but I'm still floored by that fact.

This show was recorded March 12, 1986, and rivals any of the bands official live releases. The show starts off with five of my favorite Aerosmith tunes, "Back In the Sadle", "Same Old Song And Dance", "Big Ten Inch Record" (with a smoking guitar solo from Perry), "My Fist Your Face" and "Last Child", and just these songs are worth the price of admission alone.

The band are really playing well this nice, and everything comes through beautifully (even the bass guitar, and oftentimes that is the instrument that is hardest to hear). The playing is tight and Tyler sounds just incredible as they rip their way through favorites such as "Sweet Emotion", "Dream On" and an absolutely stellar performance of "Train Kept A Rollin'". There are also quite a few new tunes in evidence tonight, "The Hop", "Sheila", "She's On Fire", and another one of my favorites "Let the Music Do the Talking". The only song missing, that I personally would have loved to hear from 'Mirrors' is "The Reason A Dog", otherwise this is an amazing find, and I hope to come across more like it.

I can't remember exactly where I tracked this one down at, but if anyone is interested in getting this, let me know and we'll work something out.

NP: Aerosmith - Some Old Song And Dance

A Year In the Life of A Squishy Little Baby

2008-01-07T22:32:00.001-08:00

It was January 12th of last year when my wife and I were trying to take a nap in our big comfy king sized bed. I may have been asleep when I noticed my wife breathing a bit harder than is normal. After a couple hours passed we decided to go to the hospital. After several hours of Janae's doctor insisting it was false labor he finally agreed it was time for a baby.

I can't remember the exact time Samantha was born, but I'll never forgot how the doctor let Janae hold her longer than he should have, it was great. With Robbie she was completely out, and with Selena it was a quick meeting before they took her back, so it was nice to see Janae spend a quick coupla minutes with the baby.

She was a great baby, and let us sleep a lot. Unfortunately that went out the door when, at 1 month old, she had to go back into the hospital for a bunch of health issues, one of which was RSV, something premature babies get. She was born like a week early, but she was really small (the smallest of all of our kids). Janae spent the entire time at the hospital (for which I will be eternally grateful to her), while I watched the monsters. In the end, she was fine and came back home to us, but I must admit it was the scariest time of my life.

Since then we have had the pleasure of watching Samantha grow, learn, develop her own personality, and I am very proud of who she is becoming. She is standing on her own now, walking with the aide of things around the house, talking (baby talk, which is so cute), and smiling more often than not. She is my Squishy Little Baby, and much like her big sister Selena (and their mother) she already has me wrapped around her tiny little baby fingers.

So to Samantha Lynn Mallory, Happy Birthday!

Tonights Boot: Poison - June 26th, 2002 Columbus, Ohio

2008-01-07T22:22:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe how many years have passed since the so called "hair bands" were at the top of the charts. It used to be that you couldn't turn on the television or radio without hearing a band that actually had talent. Now you turn on the radio and it's the same rehashed samples with whatever new annoying vocals are tossed on top of them.

Back in the day (a Wednesday according to Mr. Dane Cook) Poison were the best thing in music. Their songs were fun, creative, and I dare any of you from this era to say you don't remember a beautiful CC Deville guitar solo (the man was/is a genious!). Fast forward to 2002, the band have just released their 'Hollyweird' album, and much of the disc rivals anything from the first 3 Poison discs.

On June 26th of that year the band played to a fired up crowd in Columbus Ohio, and listening to this show really takes me back to the glory years of Poison, when they were the darlings of MTV. This show is what you would expect from the band, great music, and nothing but a good effing time!

They play mostly material that was on the 'Swallow This - Live' disc, like the enchanting "Something for Nothing", "Look What the Cat Dragged In", the anthemic "Ride the Wind", and of course the beautiful ballad "Every Rose Had It's Thorn". Throughout it all the band are in fine form and the audience is eating it up.

There aren't a whole lot of tunes from 'Hollyweird' in the set, technically just one, the CC fronted "The Emperor's New Clothes", which is a shame. There are a lot of good tunes on the album, like the title track, and the obvious hit "Shooting Star" (at least in a perfect world).

The sound of this boot is far from perfect, but every member of the band comes through (though Bobby is a bit low in the mix), and this one is very listenable.

To get this, and many other great Poison boots, sign up at the Poison Bootleg Forum. I'll see you there, where I am getting several other great shows!

NP: Poison - Your Mama Don't Dance

I Updated the Updatable

2008-01-07T04:34:00.000-08:00

So for now I am caught up on pulling all of my old posts from a previous blog and posting them here. Thanks to an option blogger gives me, I was able to have each post placed at the right date and time, so that you can see what I was thinking and typing when they actually happened.

So, how are you all anyhow. This year is a week in, and only one week to go until Samantha's birthday. The party will be at our house and should be fun (can't wait to see my squishy little baby all covered in cake, so cute).

New Years was fun. We went to Jeff and Jami's and played games. There was no alcohol involved, which is good since I don't drink or cohol an al if you know what I mean. I was being pissy for some stupid reason at the end of it, but I still enjoyed a quick kiss with my wife to ring in 2008. The kids both had fun for the most part, although the bigger kids were being mean to Robbie for some reason, which was actually pissing me off.

The weather is heating up around here. It's January, yet we were pushing 50 degrees yesterday, I believe. Kinda scary. I'm almost waiting for Al Gore to appear out of nowhere and begin flying his paper airplanes of I told you so's right at my head (and let's be honest with ourselves here kiddies, nobody likes paper airplanes of I told you so's... or Al Gore for that matter).

Speaking of ruffles, gas is almost up to $3 a gallon here in Council Bluffs, Iowa. I'd hate to see what it would take to fill my gas tank in higher populated cities like LA or TJ's Momma!

Anyhow, it's getting late here, so I'm gonna bid you all fuckin' adieu

NP: Frank Zappa - The Gumbo Variations

Top 10 of 2007

2008-01-07T03:32:00.001-08:00

2007 was a great year for music. There were so many albums that I really liked that I found it hard to really devote much time to everything that deserved more spins. The main contributor to that being the new Rush, Dream Theater, & Coheed discs. It seems these 3 received more plays than anything else. There are also some albums that I didn't spend much time with at all (Ozzy, Foo Fighters, Melanie C., just to name a few) that I'm going to do my best to return to in the coming days. Until then though, here are my top 10 favorite albums of 2007:

10: Thought Chamber - Angular Perceptions

This is a prog-metal fans dream. An album filled with scorching guitars, incredible keyboard lines, and the vocals of none other than Enchant lead vocalist Ted Leonard. This is one of the albums that I definitely need to spend a lot more time on because it just smokes.

Top 2: "Sacred Treasure", and "Transmigration of Souls"

09: Pain of Salvation - Scarsick

I'll admit that this one took me a few listens, it's very different from the album that got me into the band 'BE', however it eventually clicked. This is another fine prog album, very moody and dark in places, but full on rock in others. I'm really falling in love with Daniel's voice, and expect to check out their back catalogue this year.

Top 2: "Cribcaged", and "Kingdom of Loss"

08: Poison - Poison'd

Poison are not new to covers, in fact I believe most of their albums have at least one cover, so it comes as no surprise that glam metal kings rewarded their fans with this nice collection of cover tunes. The band pay tribute to acts like Bowie and Petty, just to name a few. With only 8 new covers, some previously released covers were tacked on to the end of the disc.

Top 2: "I Need To Know", and "Just What I Needed"

07: The Flower Kings - The Sum of No Evil

Roine and company are back with another beautiful progressive album. Once again they treat their fans to their jamband like instrumental passages, and beautiful melodies, not to mention the vocals which send shivers down my spine. Another solid release from this great band.

Top 2: "One More Time", and "The Sum of No Reason"

06: Porcupine Tree - Fear of A Blank Planet

If it weren't for new music from my top favorite bands this would be my #1 of 2007. I admit that I really haven't listened to many of the bands albums before this, and that this one got so much play because Alex Lifeson guest stars, but I just love this disc from start to finish. Such a diverse prog-rock album here that it reveals itself more upon each listen.

Top 2: "Fear of a Blank Planet", and "Anesthetize"

05: Dream Theater - Falling Into Infinity Demos

I've always loved the official release of 'Falling Into Infinity', but the demos version completely trumps it. This is how Mike Portnoy saw the album as being, and this is how it should have been. Before all of the label demands, and guest writers, this album was a more proggy affair, and far more pleasing. With this release we also get all of the songs that had to be cut to make the official a 1 disc release.

Top 2: "Raise the Knife", and "The Way It Used To Be"

04: Neal Morse - Sola Scriptura

Neal teams up once again with Randy George and Mike Portnoy to craft yet another excellent epic concept prog rock masterpiece. With only 4 songs to choose from this has to be one of the best concept albums I've heard in sometime. Start to finish I am thoroughly impressed with where the trio has gone this time around.

Top 2: "The Door", and "The Conflict"

03: Coheed & Cambria - No World for Tomorrow

2007 saw the end of the Coheed and Cambria storyline, and they went out in a great fashion. This may not be my favorite Coheed album to date, but it is a great album from start to finish. The band are on fire, and Claudio is sounding excellent the entire duration. The only let down for me was the let down that is "The Fall of House Atlantic", otherwise, solid release!

Top 2: "Feathers", and "The End Complete"

02: Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos

I should stop being surprised everytime DT outdo themselves. I never thought they would one-up 'Octavarium', but 'Systematic Chaos' is an amazing album. There is plenty of pure all out metal on this one, but with the prog sound that this band has perfected. The album is sandwiched with easily my favorite Dream Theater song to date. "Repentenance" is a bit boring to me, but that is the only track I don't absolutely adore.

Top 2: "In the Presence of Enemies", and "Ministry of Lost Souls"
01: Rush - Snakes & Arrows

Where do I begin? This is the album that I have been waiting for from Rush. If I had to compare it to another album I would say it's an amazing mix of 'Presto' and 'Counterparts', two of my favorite Rush albums. The boys have really outdone themselves this time with a collection of 13 songs that rival the best of Rush. There is not a dull moment on the entire disc for me (though 1 song did take some getting used to: "The Larger Bowl"). I loved 'Vapor Trails', but 'Snakes' for me, is easily one of my favorite all time Rush albums, and the album I knew they had in them (and let's not forget: guitar solo's are back!)

Top 2: "Bravest Face", and "Malignant Narcissism"

NP: Neal Morse - The Door

...kiss of death

2008-01-06T22:12:00.001-08:00

I got me one of them danged ol' headaches in my tummy tum tum. It's not my favorite thing and if it would just go away I would probaby be pleased with that fact.

So this weekend I was on a mission: get some new good quality live shows. Got quite a few Pink Floyd shows to check out, a couple Kiss ones, a Head East (!!!) show, an Aerosmith, and a few other tasty little gems I'm going to be checking out throughout the course of this week. During my searches I found quite a few quality sites that I bookmarked for much future use. I even found a message board with so many Poison boots that Jeff is going to be very pleased when I start downloading the hell out of what their members have to offer.

Anyhow, up now is a very nice sounding show from the Kiss 'Revenge' tour. Now I'm not saying that seeing the original members get back together in '96 wasn't a nice treat, but the 'Revenge' line-up should have stayed together. There is no denying that this version of the band had more talent than any other (well, the Eric Carr era was right on par with them actually). This boot is showing the boys in fine form as they rip through much 'Revenge' material and... well, pretty much 'Alive III', but with "Firehouse", "I Want You", "Cold Gin", the 80's gem "Tears Are Falling", "Hotter Than Hell" (!!!), "Parasite" and "Christine Sixteen" tossed in for good damned times. And I could be wrong, but I don't think "War Machine" is on 'III' either, so this is a true Kiss gem.

More to come when I get to the next boot.

NP: Kiss - Watching You

Rush - Tuning Man: 5/30/1976 (mp3)

2008-01-03T23:49:00.000-08:00

From time to time I'm going to toss up a bootleg onto rapidshare that I really like. This is from the only known true '2112' tour show from the band Rush. I recommend this to all Rush fans, but if you have plenty of speed and bandwidth I would search out a better quality than these MP3s. Enjoy mein froindes.

Bastille Day 5:04
Anthem 4:47
Lakeside Park 4:12
2112 15:29
Fly By Night / In the Mood 4:53
By-Tor and the Snow Dog 11:22
In the End 7:12
Working Man, Finding My Way, Drum Solo 13:26
What You're Doing 5:26

http://rs152.rapidshare.com/files/78489816/1976_-_Tuning_Man.rar

NP: Rush - Hemispheres

Grandrob's Little Ditty

2007-12-20T00:42:00.000-08:00

I have to post again because I did no updating on the last post, and quite a lot of time has passed since the last post.

Halloween:
It was cold, and about twenty minutes into the long walk, both Selena and I had to go to the bathroom, and so we backtracked to Dereke's house. After looking for the group for about twenty minutes, beana and I gave up looking for them. Robbie was a scary skeleton with a bloody, bleeding mask. Selena was a princess (snow white or cinderella, I can't really recall). I tried to talk Janae into letting Samantha be a marshmallow, but in the end, like always, I lost. She was a moo-cow at first, but went #2 and made a big mess. She eventually went as the same puppy that Robbie did on his first halloween. Janae went as a... I think it was a bird mask... not sure exactly. She reminded me of the owl people from Skettis in 'World of Warcraft'. Janae painted my face up to look like Paul Stanely of Kiss... she did a great job.

Thanksgiving:
We weren't invited to my brother Nick's house for Thanksgiving like the rest of the family (though Dereke and his clan couldn't make it for other reasons). I made Thanksgiving dinner, which was an excellent meal with my immediate family and my best hoser TJ. Dinner was about done when the most unexpected thing happened, my mom & dad showed up. It was finally over! I have my dad back. Things feel a little awkward still, but at least I can talk to him and go over to the house I grew up in again.

December:
Robbie & Selena have both had their Christmas plays for this year. Robbie's was great, even featuring a song called, I believe, "the turkey woogie". It was a riot to see all the kids dancing like a turkey and singing their hearts out. They all did a great job. Selena's class stuck to the same pre-school program as last year, so we were once again treated to a laugh as all of the little "reindeer" "shook their fluffy tailes". They did a great job as well.

Through much spending and work, we have finished Christmas shopping (actually, we still need to get something for my neice Leia, but we will do that soon). With Christmas only 5 days away, I'm getting excited. It's not like it was when I was a kid and looking forward to presents of my own. Much more exciting is seeing my kids' faces when they wake up and see what Santa has left for them. And this is Samantha's first Christmas. I can't wait.

We are having a few money issues thanks to the holiday's, and we would have liked to do better for the kids, but I think they'll have a pretty good Christmas this year. I guess we know who to thank for that (thank you God).

Christmas Eve will mark the 9 year anniversary of the day Janae and I finally became a couple. Some people will say that love at first sight does not exist, but for me it definitely does. The first time I saw Janae (and a certain, shall we say "chesty" aspect of her, I fell immediately in love). Now nine years later, through our fair share of ups and downs, we are ready to enter our ninth year together. And next year? Well, let's just say that I have a few idea to make the tenth anniversary extra special. I'd be lying if I said that everyday was great, but most of them are, and I'm glad to be sharing my life with the one person that I truely believe that God put on this Earth for me. Just another thing in a long line of things to thank the Lord for.

Well, I guess I'll get this posted now. I'm actually working on a new book, and on 'The Stranger Within', so let's just say that I have plenty of typing to do.

Until next time... I'm Rob, and you are whoever you are.

NP: Primus - Sailing the Seas of Cheese

Here Again, it's Me!

2007-12-20T00:22:00.001-08:00

Hello everybody. The year is quickly coming to an end. I know, it's sad and you are all going to cry for 2007, who was only a new born baby on January 1st, but is now an old and dying man (or is it a woman?). Well I can promise you that you will have memories of 2007 that will last a lifetime, and 2008 will only bring you more.

Now, I did have a point for making this post. I have just finished compiling my list of top 100 favorite albums of all time. Rather than going through the almost impossible task of putting these in some type of numerical order from favorite to least, I decided to alphabatize by album title. My plan is to review every one of these albums in the near future. I put a limit of 3 cd's for any given band. But for now, here is that list:

A Pleasant Shade of Gray: Fates Warning
Abbey Road: The Beatles
Absolution: Muse
Achtung Baby: U2
Animals: Pink Floyd
Autobiography: Ashlee Simpson
Bad Hair Day: Weird Al Yankovic
Bat Out of Hell: Meat Loaf
Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell: Meat Loaf
Best of Vol. I: Van Halen
Blood Stained Love Story: Saliva
Brain Salad Surgery: Emerson, Lake, & Palmer
Breakfast In America: Supertramp
Bridge Across Forever: TransAtlantic
Brother Where You Bound: Supertramp
Carnival of Souls: Kiss
Classic Queen: Queen
Close to the Edge: Yes
Countdown To Extinction: Megadeth
Counterparts: Rush
Cracked Rear View: Hootie & the Blowfish
Cryptic Writings: Megadeth
Cyclorama: Styx
Dance, the: Fleetwood Mac
Dark Light: HIM
Dark Side of the Moon: Pink Floyd
Division Bell, the: Pink Floyd
Dr. Feelgood: Motley Crue
Ecliptica: Sonata Arctica
Eight Arms to Hold You: Veruca Salt
Fallen: Evanescence
Foxtrot: Genesis
Frances the Mute: The Mars Volta
From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness: Coheed & Cambria
Hemispheres: Rush
High Society: Kottonmouth Kings
Hoku: Hoku
Human Equation, the: Ayreon
II: Led Zeppelin
In Keeping Secrets…: Coheed & Cambria
In the Court of the Crimson King: King Crimson
In the Flesh: Roger Waters
In Through the Out Door: Led Zeppelin
In Utero: Nirvana
Insomniac: Green Day
Ixnay On the Hombre: The Offspring
Joe's Garage: Frank Zappa
Kiss: Kiss
Larks' Tongues In Aspic: King Crimson
Let It Be…Naked: The Beatles
Let It Roll: Little Feat
Live In the Real World: Stream of Passion
Lives In the Balance: Jackson Browne
Master of Puppets: Metallica
Metallica: Metallica
Misplaced Childhood: Marillion
Mr. Big: Mr. Big
Mtv Unplugged: 10,000 Maniacs
Music from the Elder: Kiss
My Favorite Headache: Geddy Lee
Never Enough: Melissa Etheridge
Not 4 Sale: Sammy Hagar
Number of the Beast: Iron Maiden
Octavarium: Dream Theater
One: Neal Morse
Operation: Mindcrime: Queensryche
Our Time In Eden: 10,000 Maniacs
Out of Time: REM
Paradise Theatre: Styx
Paul Stanley: Kiss
Pictures At An Exhibition: Emerson, Lake, & Palmer
Poodle Hat: Weird Al Yankovic
Relayer: Yes
Return To Paradise: Styx
Risk: Megadeth
Sailing the Seas of Cheese: Primus
Scenes From A Memory: Dream Theater
Sheik Yerbouti: Frank Zappa
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence: Dream Theater
Snakes & Arrows: Rush
Snow: Spock's Beard
Songs for A Dying Planet: Joe Walsh
Southern Accents: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Spice: The Spice Girls
Stardust We Are: The Flower Kings
Straight Outta Lynwood: Weird Al Yankovic
Swallow This - Live: Poison
Tales From Topographic Oceans: Yes
Tarkus: Emerson, Lake, & Palmer
Ten Summoners Tales: Sting
The Kindness of Strangers: Spock's Beard
The Way We Walk, Vol. II: The Longs: Genesis
Thick As A Brick: Jethro Tull
This Is Spinal Tap: Spinal Tap
Too Fast for Love: Motley Crue
Tribe: Queensryche
V: Spock's Beard
Victor: Victor
War of the Worlds: Jeff Wayne
You Can Tune A Piano, But You Can't Tuna Fish: REO Speedwagon

Album of the Day: Roger Waters - Amused To Death

2007-10-11T01:23:00.000-07:00

It's a shame that after Pink Floyd many people decided to give up on the genious of Roger Waters. He may not have released a lot of post Floyd albums, but each and every one of them are their own little masterpieces (and every bit as good as many Floyd albums). However, in my opinion, the cream of the crop is 1992's 'Amused To Death', which from start to finish is an incredible work of art.

The downfall of the album is that Roger may not be singing as great as he could be. If you think I'm nuts compare "Perfect Sense" to the live version and you'll see what I mean. That does not mean that he doesn't sound great. Musically and lyrically it is easy to see why he was the mastermind behind Pink Floyd. If you compare this album to anything from Gilmour it is obvious that Waters was a huge part of PF.

There are so many great songs on this album I would be hard pressed to pick any favorites (although the afformentioned "Perfect Sense" still gives me goosebumps). The one two punch that closes out the album "It's A Miracle" and "Amused To Death" send this album out in an incredible fashion.

Roger has not released a solo rock album since this release (though he did write an opera record 'Ca Ira' that is definitely worth a play or two), and even if he never records another rock album, this along with 'Pros And Cons', & 'Radio KAOS' are more than enough proof of the genious that is Roger Waters.

Checking In

2007-10-10T23:08:00.000-07:00

It has been almost two months since I have talked to my dad. I know guys aren't supposed to show emotion, but I've never been that guy... it's killing me. I miss my dad. Maybe we don't really have anything in common, and I get this vibe when I'm talking like he wishes I would shut up, but none of that matters right now. Right now I just want to talk to my dad, I don't care what about. I guess I'm a bit of a cry baby here, but I miss my dad. He's not gone or anything, he just doesn't want anything to do with me. I will put no blame on anybody here, been there... done that. I'll get over it with time, and at this point I'm not entirely sure he ever will let it go. I am certain that thing'll never be the same between me and my family again. Thank God for Janae and my kids...

... and about the kids, there may be a fourth coming within' the next nine months. Janae is really quite late (over three months!). Actually right now, all 3 kids and my wife are sick. Samantha has almost no voice, and it is sad when a baby cries but no sound comes out. My poor baby Squishy. Robbie & Selena have picture day at school today (10/11/07) and I'm not sure how that is going to work out... but I'm sure Janae will take care of it. She's really good at making sure we're all taken care of.

And that is it for now... I'm starting a new post for my Album of the Day.

g'day hosers and hoserettes!

A Friend I Never Met Passed Away

2007-09-19T00:30:00.000-07:00

Can you grieve over a friend you have never met and never really talked to? Can you grieve a friend when all you really had were words, words that made you smile, get angry, and feel many other emotions? Can you grieve a friend who never really knew who you were?

If you can't then I am breaking some sort of rule because I feel hurt inside at this loss. We at the www.mikeportnoy.com forum are more than just strangers on the internet, we are all friends. This week we lost a great friend and our little community are grieving this loss together. Say what you want about internet friends, but they can be some of the best friends you'll ever have.

KeithK was one of the most articulate and kind members on our board. He and I had a lot in common as far as music, and I am grieving.

Can you grieve over a friend you have never met? You're damn right you can!

Rest in peace my friend, you will be missed.

NP: KeithK - National Geographic (Song For Tommy)

Too Many Toes and Not Enough Clothes...

2007-09-18T04:02:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling a little better today. I really can't say I'm feeling great, but at least I'm not crying... that's got to be a plus. Sometimes I really wish I weren't so emotional as I'm pretty sure it's frowned upon in this day and age.

The Good:
Well let's see, my wife wrote some touching things to me, and about me, on Myspace. It's always good to know that someone in this world loves me unconditionally. My little boy, Robbie, is turning 6 Saturday. Actually, that is a huge "the good". My 'World of Warcraft' charachter Rathalso hit level 66 today (Hydraxis server). Only 4 levels 'til 70.

The Bad:
Sleep didn't go all to well today. The weather decided to go back up to 91 today. Oh joy I know. Last week was great, but this week looks like it's a heatin' up.

The Ugly:
Well, my family still hates me... I guess that's going to be a permanent in my life. Eventually I'll have no choice but to move on but for now it sucks pretty bad.

Anyhow, I really don't have anything else to say right now, and I'mthinking maintenance is probably done so it's time to get back to verifying sales at work.

NP: TransAtlantic - All of the Above (live)

The Dusk of Summer

2007-09-16T21:58:00.001-07:00

I guess I haven't written much but I guess I'll change that now. Summer is almost over and was going fine until a few days after my birthday. Somewhere around the 23rd I lost my family forever. It's tearing me apart inside.

My dad, who I've felt hasn't ever really been fond of me anyhow, can't even look at me, and goes out of his way to avoid even driving by me.

My brother Dereke won't say a thing to me, and even if he did I feel it would only make me feel worse inside.

My brother Nick would probably rather I were dead, and I can't say I blame him. Sadly I agree with him, I rather I were dead.

But worst of all, my mom cries when she see's me. We talk but I guess I'll never be mommy's little bobert ever again.

I feel like an orphan. If it weren't for Janae and the kids I would be just another statistic. When I was a teenager and wanted to kill myself my mom kept from doing so by saying "tomorrow may be the best day of your life"... well I think those days are gone. I have no parents, and no brothers.

I have nothing else to say...

Danux Auber: Goodbye

2007-09-16T21:56:00.000-07:00

You were always there for me when I needed you
You picked me up whenever I fell down
Standing by my side when no one else would
Even though I never really deserved you

Day after day my life a complete mess
The story of every lonely, suicidal teen
You never gave up on this wasted life
And now as time has passed, I must confess

I know I’ve always been embarrassing
I’ve always been the black sheep in your family tree

And through a small chain of mistakes
Now you can’t even look me in the eye
I know in my heart it will never be the same
And everyday another piece of me breaks

I know deep inside you used to love me
Even if you never really liked me
I know I’ve always been embarrassing
I’ve always been the black sheep in your family tree

But if I could say one last thing to you
It would be to thank you, to tell you how much I miss you
Even if we’ll never be family again

And through a big chain of mistakes
I let you down too far to ever come up again
And even though it pains me in every way
It’s not really your fault
That everyday another piece of my heart breaks

But the worst pain of it all is what I say to you now
To the family I've always known... goodbye

Gearing Up for A New Dream Theater Album

2007-05-21T23:35:00.000-07:00

Hot on the heels of Rush's 'Snakes & Arrows' album, comes the brand new disc from progressive metal gods Dream Theater. So far I have heard "Constant Motion" and "The Dark Eternal Night", and if these songs are any indication, this is going to be a killer album. Below is some general information on the album:

The Special Edition DVD will include:--- the entire album mixed in 5.1 surround sound--- "Chaos in Progress - The Making of Systematic Chaos"(a 90-minute documentary directed by Mike Portnoy)

The CD's track listing for both editions is:

1. In The Presence of Enemies Pt.1 (9:00)

2. Forsaken (5:36)

3. Constant Motion (6:55)

4. The Dark Eternal Night (8:51)

5. Repentance (10:43)

6. Prophets Of War (6:01)

7. The Ministry of Lost Souls (14:57)

8. In The Presence of Enemies Pt.2 (16:38)

All I personally know for sure is that "Repentance" is the continuation of the AA Saga, and that fans should not judge the tone of the album based upon the two officially released tracks. Stay tuned to www.dreamtheater.net , www.mikeportnoy.com & http://www.myspace.com/dreamtheater for more information.

NP: Dream Theater - A Sort of Homecoming

The Buzzing Buzzes of the Buzzing Buzzard

2007-05-20T11:21:00.000-07:00

First off, I suppose I better update on the condition of my little Squishy (Samantha). It turns out that she had an alergic reaction to the shots she got Friday. They are very routine shots... in fact she had the same exact shots a couple months ago. Anyhow, after recieving another shot, and being switched back to her original formula, she seems to be back to her happy old self.

Saturday after all of this we had a party for the 3 pre-school classes at my kids' school. It went mostly okay, although very very few kids from the 3 classes showed up. I feel bad for my wife who put everything into this party to give the kids a great end of year party, but it seems parents just didn't feel the need to let the kids hang out with their friends one final time. Oh well, I still think Janae is a great person for having tried, and I love her even more for it.

Sunday (that was yesterday according to my clock), my daughter and her soccer team (The Dazzling Soccer Bratz) played their final game of the season. Selena even got a point... for the wrong team, but oh well, she still got a point and I'm counting it (and can you really fault a father for being so proud of his little girl?). It was obvious the girls were having fun, and even though they didn't win, I could not be prouder of my little bucket.

anhow, that's all for the moment...

NP: Neal Morse 'One'

My Baby Girl Samantha

2007-05-19T08:03:00.000-07:00

My baby girl, Samantha, got her four month shots yesterday. She cried when they stuck the needle in her tiny leg, as you can imagine, but otherwise seemed fine. She spent the day sleeping, which is normal, at least for our kids. She even slept through the night, which is normal for Samantha... she is a good baby.

Then, this morning, all hell broke loose. She started screaming her little head off, usually signaling "hey people, feed me". My wife got up to feed her and noticed she was burning up. Janae took her temperature and it was hovering around 105ish! She gave Samantha tylenol and a bath and that helped a little, but with a little baby (especially one that had RSV) a trip to the ER was just about mandatory.I'm here alone with the two big kids now, while Janae sits at the hospital, me missing her, and presumably, her missing me.

The last I heard, Samantha had an allergic reaction to the shots, and someone is supposed to be coming to give her little tummy an x-ray.So, if you are the type of person that prays, pray for my baby. All others, positive vibes, good karma, whatever have ya... we could use whatever you can give.

My baby girl

2007-05-19T07:28:00.000-07:00

My baby girl, Samantha, got her four month shots yesterday. She cried when they stuck the needle in her tiny leg, as you can imagine, but otherwise seemed fine. She spent the day sleeping, which is normal, at least for our kids. She even slept through the night, which is normal for Samantha... she is a good baby.

Then, this morning, all hell broke loose. She started screaming her little head off, usually signaling "hey people, feed me". My wife got up to feed her and noticed she was burning up. Janae took her temperature and it was hovering around 105ish! She gave Samantha tylenol and a bath and that helped a little, but with a little baby (especially one that had RSV) a trip to the ER was just about mandatory.

I'm here alone with the two big kids now, while Janae sits at the hospital, me missing her, and presumably, her missing me. The last I heard, Samantha had an allergic reaction to the shots, and someone is supposed to be coming to give her little tummy an x-ray.

So, if you are the type of person that prays, pray for my baby. All others, positive vibes, good karma, whatever have ya... we could use whatever you can give.

NP: Neal Morse - '?'

The dawn of summer

2007-05-19T00:59:00.001-07:00

Well, it's almost that time of the year again... summer. You know why I hate summer so much? Because of the heat. I can't sleep when I'm sweating my ass off. I need to freeze to sleep well. Sometimes I think that I should move to Alaska (I like to be as close to the Yukon as possible. I don't know why).

Anyhow, I'll write more later, for it is now three in the morning and I have to get up at nine.

Laters

What Have I Been Up To?

2006-09-11T04:18:00.000-07:00

I guess you clicked here, so for some strange ass reason you wish to know what I have been up to. The answer is, not very damned much.

My wife and I wanted to take the kids to see the new Pirates movie Saturday, but we came too late so we saw "Wicker Man" instead. Not a bad movie if you disregard the final scene of the movie. I hate that "6 Months Later" crap.

We bought a bed for the baby Saturday, nothing great, but very safe and it looks pretty comfortable. This makes it a little more real to me. My wife and I have been trying to have another baby since Selena was about three months old, and she'll be 4 in March, so we are definitely looking forward to welcome the new addition to our home.

Thursday we find out the sex of the baby. If boy, Alex Lifeson will be it's name. The name comes from the guitarist of Rush, the band that is tied for my favorite band with Dream Theater. If it's a girl, her name will be Samantha Lynn. Samantha after the name of the main charachter in my first novel 'The Stranger Within'. The Lynn is not only Janae's middle name, but my sister-in-law's middle name. So that's cool.

I took a bit of a break on my book for the summer, taking notes and changing only a few things here and there, but will resume work tomorrow morning. I'm really looking forward to it. I've decided to make a charachter that had only a small part, into a more central person in the story line, and this will definitely make things much better. I really believe that I can get this sold.

There are two other books that I have gone back into the last couple of months to keep my writing fresh. A fantasy novel that I'm working on with my friend Heath, and a murder/mystery that my sister-in-law Tonya, and I, started many years ago.

I'm gonna get to work now, I've got to verify some sales and run a few reports for the day shift ops. So until later... later.

NP: Ayreon - Waracle (acoustic 'TFE' special edition version)

I Have Returned

2006-09-07T02:37:00.000-07:00

I got tired of this blogger stuff because all of the video's on my page made the loading time annoying (and I am at a T3 connection!). Finally I decided to delete all of the video's and return, because I must admit, some of postings amuse me still, and I want to return to that (I will finally end this sentence now).

Anyhow, the goings on in my life are as follow:

The Work -
For the most part work is decent, my problem is the rest of the companies horrible communication with me. I work overnight so I rarely see the other members of the IT team. This is bad for the following recent frustrations:

a) I'm going on vacation at the end of this month. To do this I have to train the guy who replaced the guy who trained me. At this point nobody else knows how to do most of my work. Unfortunately the guy I am supposed to train continuously puts it off and it's starting to really annoy the hell out of me.

b) The director of IT tells me nothing, and answers none of my e-mails about important client related issues.

c) The one that has me the most pissed off today is that one of the other IT members erased a folder full of templates that THEY did not use without even considering that maybe I use them. This resulted in an extra TWO HOURS worth of work for me.

and finally...

d) Because the company can't seem to find a sales verifier worth a shit, they asked me to do SOME of these verifications, which soon turned into MOST verifications, and soon thereafter turned into ALL verifications... UGH

Vacation soon though, very soon. The best thing about this job is that I am working for the best bosses I ever have. The owner is incredibly friendly and takes the time to compliment when it is deserved. And the current site manager is the best that we have ever had.

The Home -

Both of my kids are now in school. My little princess, Selena, who is in a half day pre-school, and my little butt-head Robbie, who is in full day pre-school. This is a good thing on most days. I know it helps them, and they are getting smarter everyday. But there are downsides. While I still see a lot of Selena, it's Robbie that I haven't seen as much.

Wednesday morning as I was working on my reports, I realized that all for the first time in his life, I went a whole day without giving Robbie a hug. You wouldn't think it would hurt to realize this, but I'm a bit sensitive and it made me break down.

I guess I'm a bit sensitive because of how terribly I was treated in high school. Teenagers just don't realize how damned cruel they can be. I am a fairly decent guy, but nobody bothered to get to know me. I guess it doesn't matter now though, since I am happy, regardless of what the pricks in high school treated me like.

Also, my sister-in-law had Sophia last Thursday. She is a little cutie with strawberry blonde hair.

And finally, The Pregnancy-

Janae is still getting morning sickness, nearly everyday, at any time of the day ("morning" sickness my ass!). She is starting to show and is so damned beautiful. I don't know how it's possible but she is somehow more beautiful when she is pregnant.

We are very excited to meet the new addition to our family in January, and we actually get to find out the sex of the baby the 22nd of this month, which also happens to be my little boy's 5 birthday!

Alright, that's all for now. Be good kiddies.

NP: Rush - Der Trommler

Goodbye Uncle Mike

2006-07-02T23:45:00.000-07:00

My uncle Mike passed away Friday Evening. I wanted to say goodbye, and that I will never forget you Uncle Mike. I love you.

Frank Zappa - Hot Rats

2006-06-20T04:07:00.000-07:00

I'm still working on getting the entire FZ collection, and this past weekend I picked up 'Hot Rat's. Thanks to 'Strictly Commercial' and 'Tinseltown Rebellion' I had already heard the incredible "Peaches en Regalia" but the rest of the record completely blows me away!

The disc starts with "Peaches", one of the best FZ instrumentals as far as I'm concerned, and the album does not let up for one moment. Although "Willie the Pimp" features lyrics it's the instrumentation that steals the show. "Son of Mr. Green Genes" follow... nine minutes of pure jazz/rock genious. "Little Umbrellas" is less rock and more jazz, not too mention less time. Clocking in at just over three minutes, this is the shortest track on the album.

The big piece of the album is the nearly 17 minute epic piece "The Gumbo Variations". I can sum this track up in one word, "WOW"! The highpoints of this track are a saxophone solo and a violin solo that just defy logic. This song alone was worth the $12 I shelled out for the disc. I think that if I had heard this earlier I would have all of Zappa's albums by now.

The album closes out with "It Must Be A Camel". A very traditional jazz piece with some incredible piano and drum work, and a perfect closer for the disc. I can easily see this being on my top 5 favorite Zappa albums list in the future.

NP: Frank Zappa - The Gumbo Variations

Top 5, Pt. 3

2006-06-19T00:35:00.000-07:00

Today I want to mention five songs that I think are worse than any others songs in existence. For a couple I don't know the name of the "artist" who force fed this crap down our throats and I really don't think the songs deserve the time it would take for me to figure out who penned the garbage.

Black Eyed Peas - My Humps... Without a doubt the #1 worst song EVER
"artist" unknown - I'm In Love With a Stripper
James Blunt - You're Beautiful
anything at all by emenim... yeah, this is cheating, but I really dislike his "music"
"artist" unknown - Laffy Taffy

Don't try and argue with me... I'm right and you know it!

NP: Spock's Beard - Goodbye to Yesterday

Real Quick

2006-06-08T22:52:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of very quick things that are on my mind right now:

01 - I really have to pee...
02 - Really, Really Bad...

... thanks for tuning in.

NP: Spock's Beard - She Is Everything

Free Writing, Pt. 1

2006-06-07T03:57:00.000-07:00

For a fun little project I am going to write for ten minutes straight, and publish what I write. None of this is meant to be taken seriously, I'm just very bored:

The dog was very hungry. He could not remember the last time he had eaten, and even if he tried to he would only be more hungry. Best not to think of unpleasent things like that. Then again, everything has been unpleasent since he lost his job at the shoe factory. Although he could not remember when he was told, the owner insisted there was a rule that stated eating the shoes was not allowed... apparantly the dog was the asshole.

The sun was beating down on his ungroomed yellow coat, and the heat was almost as bad as the pangs of hunger. Now that he thought about, maybe the dog was not hungry. And now that I think of it, maybe the dog is not a dog, but a goldfish...

The goldfish was sick of swimming in his tiny bowl of tepid, misty water. Oh how he longed for the days of his youth when he would swim carefree in the giant tank at the tiny pet store. Sure there were immense moments of annoyance when small children would bang on the side of the tank, but once he went deaf there were no worries in the world. No worries that is until the giant kangaroo bought him and placed him in this bowl nearly three years ago to the day.

The kangaroo wasn't such a bad guy, at least not to the fish. He may have a habit of never cleaning the fishbowl water, and sure the bong water was occasionally spilled into the already murky depths of the depthless bowl, but overall it wasn't too bad having a kangaroo for an owner. As the goldfish's daddy had always said, "gargle dee gurgle dee gooper". Truer words had never been said by anyone. The goldfish had a very wise dad.

A talking mailbox was the death of the dad of the goldfish. Goldfish Sr. had been out mowing the lawn when the mailbox slinked up beside him and told him his pants were on fire. When Goldfish Sr. jumped into the small swimming pool to douse the flames it was in such a panic that he had forgotten that he could not swim. His pants were not on fire, in fact he was not even wearing pants... in fact, fish can swim, so maybe his father was still alive. In fact, maybe his father was not a dead fish, but a live blade of grass...

The beautiful blade of grass was blowing in the cool afternoon breeze, feeling the wind through out it's decadent body. The blade of grass flashed a smile at a pretty female lobster that had just passed by him in the lot, but of course the lobster took no notice. In fact no pretty girls had paid the blade of grass any heed since it's horribly debilitating accident.

It was just three months ago when the blade of grass had been out for an evening stroll when he fell into a sewer drain. Trapped inside with a broken leg for nearly a week, the blade of grass spent it's days cursing Lassie. Sure the dog could help Timmy for the umpteenth millionth trip down the well, but there would be no help for the blade of grass. Also during that time the blade of grass would ponder, "What if I am not a blade of grass," it asked itself time and time again. "What if I am nothing more than a sneeze..."

The sneeze was having a bad day. Just moments ago it had been living the high life inside the mouth of the bowling bowl, but in one single life changing moment the sneeze was living on the wind. Not that the wind was so bad to the sneeze, hell the wind told the greatest stories of popcorn and spray cans, but the sneeze was just not happy with the way it's life had been going the last fifty or so seconds.

The sneeze tried to enter the mouth of a passing were-pig in a heroic act of a nice sneeze, but when the street sweeper drove by the life of the sneeze was seriously questioned by the street sweeper...

"I wonder why that sneeze even bothers to live," the street sweeper says out loud. The street sweeper was talking to itself a lot more often these days. Not questions really, but whole conversations in which he would converse with himself about himself. The thought of a slipping sense of sanity had occured to the street sweeper, but then do inanimate objects really have thoughts? Especially an inanimate object such as a large sweet streeping vehicle?!?! No, the answer of course is "no", because that would just be silly.

Top 5, Pt. 2

2006-06-07T02:35:00.000-07:00

For the second part of my nail biting series we examine my Top 5 favorite Concept Albums of all time. The quick definition of "concept album" is an album that uses it's entire length to tell a story. While there are a lot of great concept albums, and I have heard few that I have not liked, these are the five that I favor above all others.

Dream Theater - Scenes from a Memory

The first slot is a no brainer, one that has already been featured in my lair. Therefore, I shall cheat and just paste what I wrote about it before:

Released in 1999 this progressive rock conceptual masterpiece was the bands first album with new keyboardist Jordan Rudess. The epic story tells of a man who is fighting to uncover a murder conspiracy centered around the woman he used to be in a past life. The music is pure prog rock and really shows off just how talented each musician is, each at the top of their game.

Spock's Beard - Snow

The final Beard album with front man Neal Morse is a close 2nd on my list. The story tells of a young albino man who can see the future by just touching another person. The music on the album is some of the best from the bands career. Keyboardist Ryo Okumoto really shines on this disc, as does drummer Nick D'Virgilio who steps up to the mic for the first time in the bands studio recording history. The vocal melodies are at times extremely beautiful, most notably on "Solitary Soul / Wind at My Back". An excellent swan song for Neal Morse.

Ayreon - The Human Equation

By the time of this albums release Arjen Lucassen was already a major player in the progressive rock community. With nearly every album in the Ayreon catalogue a concept album Arjen had a lot to live up to. 'The Human Equation' delivers in spades. Telling the story of a man in a coma at war with his own emotions. And though the music is the best aspect of the disc (especially the smoking synth solo in "Isolation") the cast of guest vocalists is incredible. Singers like James LaBrie, Marcela Bovio, Devin Townsend, Mikael Ackerfeldt and Heather Findlay make this album incredible.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Pictures at an Exhibition

Though recorded before 'Tarkus', 'Pictures' was released as ELP's 3rd album. A live reworking of the Mussorgsky piece of the same name, ELP put there own bombastic touch, making the album an instant classic. Whether it be Greg Lake's beautiful vocals (of lyrics he himself penned), Palmer blitzkrieg drumming, or the ever impressive madman technique of keyboard extraordinaire Keith Emerson, there is something on this album for every prog fan.

Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime

I can't say that I have always been a big fan of Queensryche, but after listening to this album several times it all fell into place. A concept album about a hit man for hire, the story follows Nicky who is hired by the evil Dr. X to kill or be killed. The music is incredible, and this album opened quite a few doors for 'ryche.

NP: Spock's Beard - Welcome to NYC

An Open Letter to my Friend Boa - by Rob

2006-06-06T02:53:00.000-07:00

Dear Mr. Boa Constrictor:

How are you today sir? I am fine, but something has been eating at me. Last year when we were in Venice drinking coffee in that small cafe and talking about Jean Luc you turned your head to me and stuck your tongue out. At the time I thought you were just making a gesture at a joke I had told (you remember, the one about the rabbit and the frankfurter), but when I finished my shower of moonsbeam and dove lotion this morning I realized something, you were sniffing me, weren't you?

Boa, I am now worried that I had a bad odor that day that has kept you from coming around anymore. Last week Jean Luc and I were talking about how we had not heard from you in sometime, and how much it hurt our hearts. The long walks on the beach, the car rides through South East Manitoba, even the sail boat rides through the Amazon, all of those are now only memories shared by two, and not the three "Goofateers" as we used to call ourselves. If my stink is the reason for your lack of contact, you need not worry, I have now been taking showers faithfully for almost six whole weeks now (okay, I fell off the wagon once, but nobody is perfect).

Anyhow, I don't have any contact information for you, so I'm hoping that just maybe you searched me out and are reading this very post this very moment.

I miss you my little snake, and hope to hear from you very soon.

Your friend,
Rob

p.s. Paula never actually thought you were cold hearted, it was only joke. I have it on good authority that she still loves you.

NP: Dream Theater - Sacraficed Sons

Things that Bug Me, Pt. 1

2006-06-06T00:13:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of things that bug me, so for the first one, I'll go with the most recent:

I'm getting really tired of seeing promo's for upcoming news stories on local newscasts. And not just stories that will be aired that night, but stories that are coming "later this week". I mean how many days notice do we really need to prepare for a story about "Does hairspray x really work better than hairspray y?"

And while I'm on the topic of local news, there are four major newscasts in the Omaha/Council Bluffs area, and they all tell us bad weather is coming, so why do we need 400 commercials telling us that newscast x broke the news first? I don't really give a rats ass who says it first, just give me enough time to get the hand lotion to a safe and secure location. That's all I need.

Thank you for reading about things that bug Rob.

...er... I have really dry skin...

NP: Led Zeppelin - Mistsy Mountain Hop

I Don't Want to Die

2006-06-02T04:05:00.000-07:00

With Janae pregnant I feel that it is time to get healthy. Starting yesterday, when I got home from work, I went on a rather long walk. For an hour and ten minutes I walked a title of just over 4 miles. Five days a week (at least) I will do the same. This coupled with my new habit of eating much less should help me get in shape, and stick around to see my children grow up.

Wish Me Luck!

NP: Dream Theater - Home

Made for TV Movie: Stephen King's Desperation

2006-05-29T03:09:00.000-07:00

When I heard that a made for tv movie of one of my favorite Stephen King novels, "Desperation" would be hitting ABC (at least, I think it was ABC) I was worried. I didn't think they could pull off such an incredible book in such a short time frame... sadly I was right.

The movie begins with great promise as the first few scenes are done in great detail. Sadly this comes to a quick end as more of the story is dropped each scene. So much is left out that watching I felt robbed of any real depth in both the story and characters.

By the end of the movie a person who has not read the book will be lost. Most notably is a phrase Tom Skerrit's character Johnny Marinville says towards the end of the movie... "God Bomb". This phrase makes perfect sense to those who have read this masterpiece, but for those who haven't, all I can say is read the book.

The best thing I can say about this movie is the cast. Although I personally think that Collie Entragian was oddly cast, the rest of the cast was chosen beautifully. It's just a shame that as much attention was not paid to the script.

To summarize, once again I was let down by a stinker of an adaptation, just as I expected to see.

Worst Adaptation of a Stephen King novel:
The Dark Half
The Shining (Kubrick)
IT
The Lawnmower Man (alike in name only)
The Running Man (alike in name only)

NP: Dream Theater - I Walk Beside You

Good News!

2006-05-23T03:19:00.000-07:00

Looks like Selena will finally be a big sister. Janae is pregnant and the baby is due in late December. Looks the zoo is going to gain a new animal. :)

Top 5, pt. 1

2006-05-23T00:38:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a series here on this page. The series is just as it sounds, my top 5 favorites on any given subject. I hope this proves to be enjoyable.

For the first Top 5:

My Top 5 Favorite Songs from some of my favorite bands -

Rush:
Natural Science
Hemispheres
Here Again
Everyday Glory
Prime Mover

Dream Theater:
Octavarium
In the Name of God
Voices
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Only A Matter of Time

Frank Zappa:
Flakes
Don't Eat the Yellow Snow / Nanook Rubs It
Muffin Man
Packard Goose
Broken Hearts Are for Assholes

Spock's Beard:
The Great Nothing
A Flash Before My Eyes
The Healing Colors of Sound
Go the Way You Go
The Good Don't Last

Neal Morse:
The Door
Entrance
Cradle to the Grave
The Creation
Wasted Life

Pink Floyd:
Wots... Uh the Deal
Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun ('Ummagumma' version)
Brain Damage / Eclipse
Atom Heart Mother
Sheep

Taken Way Before Their Time

2006-05-22T04:34:00.000-07:00

The Omaha/Council Bluffs area has recently been hit with two horrible tragedies. To Amber Harris and Tracy Tribble, may you both rest in peace. My thoughts and prayers go out to each individuals friends and family.

A Little Birdy Did Some HouseKeeping

2006-05-22T04:15:00.000-07:00

Well, thanks to one tiny mistake somewhere along the way, this entire page needed reprogrammed and whatnot. I don't mind saying that it took me hours to try and fix the mistake, then give up and start from scratch. I toyed around with the idea of a complete overhaul, but decided that the original layout was something I'm sort of fond of, so I stayed with the original.

So... what does this mean to all of you, my dear constant readers? Well, it means that I am a big geek. Now, it's not that I have ever tried to deny this fact, it's just kind of depressing getting it out there into the open.

Anyhow, that's all for the moment kiddies. Have a good day!

NP - Rush: Everyday Glory

Album of the Day - Rush: R30

2006-05-19T04:33:00.000-07:00

To celebrate a thirty-year recording career, Canadian rock group Rush hit the road to give their fans the best live representation of their illustrious catalogue as they could. The tour was mainly of North America, but for the first time since '91's 'Roll the Bones' tour, the band went over seas to end the suffering of their long waiting fans.

Recorded in Frankfurt Germany, 'R30' is a collection that spans Rush's entire 30-year career. Kicking off not with the Stooges theme, or a classical recording, but an instrumedley of their earliest material, covering the self-titled debut through '78's 'Hemispheres'.

From the way the band are playing it's hard to believe that these guys are in their 50's. They plow through the older numbers with the fire and passion of yester-year, and the newer numbers are played nearly flawlessly. That's not to say that a few mistakes don't slip through the cracks. Most notably, during "Roll the Bones", where the "Tom Sawyer" sampling can be heard throughout.

The biggest problem with the set, and there are so very few, are the songs that were performed but not released. For whatever reason, somebody decided that many of the cuts that had appeared on 2003's 'Rush in Rio' would be left off 'R30'. Such Rush classics as "La Villa Strangiato", "By-Tor and the Snowdog" and "The Trees" were needlessly cut.

In the end, the setlist (which Rush stayed with the entire tour), which featured four cover tunes, was ultimately a pleasing representation of a catalogue so big it would have been impossible to please all of the fans. Those who wish to obtain the audio discs of the show can only do so by purchasing the deluxe DVD package, but the extra cash is definitely worth it.

Dancing On Fire with Cheese

2006-05-17T23:18:00.000-07:00

Today the intro is going to be brought to you by the letter: "3" or is it "threeve".

I'm back again today with another list of five albums that I am fond of.

Since I posted Victor yesterday, the demand for this album has flooded in from 1 person:
Geddy Lee - My Favorite Headache

During the longest break in the bands history, Geddy Lee of Rush got together with Ben Mink (FM) and recorded an album so incredible that it was just what the fans needed. There are many similarities between this album and the albums of Rush (the title track, and "Grace to Grace" most notably IMO), but the differences are many. This disc is a must have for Rush fans, without a doubt.

In keeping with my prog obsession, this great album about wheat:
Kansas - Song for America

Released in 1975, Kasnas' 'Song for America' album is probably my favorite. The lead cut isn't prog exactly ("Down the Road"), but that doesn't make it bad. The title-track is easily my favorite song from this band. There are two more epic tracks, "Lamplight Symphony" and "Incomudro"
that make this album an absolute classic.

And for my third trick, an AOR masterpiece:
Head East - Flat as a Pancake

Now don't lie to me, I know you've all heard "Never Been Any Reason", I mean come on, it's a classic. But did you know that 'Pancake' is an LP and not an EP. There is a lot of good music captured in the grooves of this classic masterpiece. Songs like "Ticket Back to Georgia", "One Against the Other" and "Love Me Tonight" are just as good as the big one from this fantastic album.

There is one rap act that I do enjoy:
Kottonmouth Kings - High Society

Generally I wouldn't touch any rap act with a pole of any length, but the Kottonmouth Kings, with their songs about government oppression and the legalization of a certain herb, have always held me in thrall. The music is, as a whole, more inventive than anything else in the genre, the band put on a good show, and this album is just the best of the bands catalogue, although the rest of the discs are nearly as good.

A forgotten gem, or "ignored gem" if you're Jon Anderson:
Yes - Drama

Okay, so whoever decided to throw a few Buggles into the Yes mix was either very crazy, or a genius. My opinion, genius. With Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes Yes created my personal favorite album. Kicking off with the incredible "Machine Messiah" you know the only thing that has really changed is the lineup, the music is as good as anything the band have ever done. Not to be missed are "Into the Lens" and "Tempus Fugit", among others.

And there you have it kiddies. Murder, mayhem, prog, and weed. I hope you enjoyed this episode, and we look forward to seeing you next time on
"Amazing Albums not played by Rabid Rabbits with Radishes". I'm YtseRob, wishing you a happy nappy.

NP - Kansas: Hold On

Just so you know...

2006-05-17T02:38:00.000-07:00

I am sick to death of all of this "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" BS. It not only sounds retarded, but it is repeated for like every possible situation. I really think I may start clubbing a baby seal for every time I hear this phrase.

That's all...

NW - House, Episode 216: Safe

I Ate the Real Karma Chameleon

2006-05-16T02:19:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to do this today, don't wanna burn myself out on it, but I'm getting bored. So much to your delight, here is a new list of five albums that I am actually quite fond of, thank you very much.

This first album involves someone stepping out and cheating on his day job.:
Victor - Victor

For the first time in the bands history a member of Rush steps out for a full blown solo album. Although the album is much darker, and at times heavier, than any Rush album, there are several very Rush-like moments, like the single "Promise", "Start Today" and "I Am the Spirit". Guest spots include ex-I Mother Earth vocalist Edwin, Les Claypool, and Dalbello.

And now my little turkey lovers, disc two:
Joe Walsh - Songs for A Dying Planet

I'm not a big Joe Walsh fan, but I love this album. Although it's not technically a concept album, there are moments that tie the tracks together... kind of. The lyrics are well written, and the music is quite original. Worth the price alone is the epic 10 minute track "Decades".

Lets get a "three three" ya'lls:
Ashlee Simpson - I Am Me

I don't listen to a whole lot of pop, but Ashlee Simpson is an incredible exception. When she released her sophomore album I was worried about her ability to follow up her excellent debut, but Ashlee was definitely up to the challenge. There are moments when this album is much better than it's predecessor, like the title track, "Dancing Alone" and "Beautifully Broken". She may not be a great singer live, but with studio magic, Ashlee is phenomenal.

Did hell freeze over?:
Fleetwood Mac - The Dance

When Fleetwood Mac got back together to play a reunion show they dug out some of their best Buckingham/Nicks era material like "Don't Stop", "Everywhere" and "Tusk", as well as some new material, "Bleed to Love Her", "My Little Demon". Of special note is the orchestra who show up on "Go Your Own Way", and the Lindsey Buckingham solo spot.

Time to close out this little charade:
Korn - Korn

Few debut albums go down as being the best album from a band, however in my opinion, KoRn's debut is just that. The music is heavy, the lyrics dark and often insulting, and the album is an absolutely blast to listen to. From "Blind" to "Ball Tongue", "Need To" and my personal favorite "Lies", there is not a throwaway track on the whole disc.

So I've wasted enough time on this for the day, so goodbye.

NW - House, Episode 215: "Clueless"

Slipping On A Banana Peel is Unlikely But Can Happen

2006-05-16T01:23:00.000-07:00

What exactly is it about this place that makes me think that I must post each and every day? I have absolutely nothing to say, and yet here I am posting a message that I don't want to write, for people are not going to read it. I'm not sure if this is sad or pathetic, so I'm gonna go with both of them.

There are a few things that really bother me that I could probably mention here:

1. The biggest being that zero is NOT a letter. "O" is a letter, "0" is pronounced "ZERO". That just drives me friggin' nuts.

2. This is aimed at my fellow American's, or United States citizens are we technically are. When somebody asks you what country you are from on the phone, the answer is NOT the state you live in. Texas is not a country (no matter how much many Texans would hope). This country is the United State, or U.S.

3. I am also not particularly fond of the phrase "pet peeve". I don't know why this bothers me, but it does... so stop saying it hosers.

4. Psychics are not real, and you geniuses who think they are should have your heads examined.

5. You perverts who wait for your wife or girlfriend to fall asleep so that you can call a phone sex line... get a life. You are sick and need help. And if you absolutely must waste your money to talk to someone who is probably a 400 pound fat man with a high voice, speak up. The operator taking your CC information does not want to hear someone, especially a pervert, talking sweet nothings in their ear.

The above are all related to my job... ugh (No I am not a phone sex rep, I just take credit card info. from perverts).

Finally, I hate pop music. There are very few exceptions to the rule (Two: Ashlee Simpson and Hoku... I didn't ask you to insult me for this, so don't bother doing so, it won't bother me).

One last thing I'll write about for now, if you want to be added to my friend list, post a message. If I add your name to my list, and you add mine to yours, the traffic can only go up, and our important words will reach an ever growing public...

Good day

NW - House, Episode 214 - "Sex Kills"

Cookies Have Stuff that You Don't My Friend

2006-05-15T22:50:00.000-07:00

I've decided to make this a rather frequent thing, but instead of it being a list of favorites this shall be a list of random albums that I am particularly fond of, whether in my top albums list or not. And boy howdy do I got a list for you today, five albums that I like enough to bother listing on a post that I'm fairly sure very few, if any, people will ever read. So let's boogie.

Today, the first album is an epic tale of corruption:
Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime

I can't say that I have always been a big fan of Queensryche, but after listening to this album several times it all fell into place. A concept album about a hit man for hire, the story follows Nicky who is hired by the evil Dr. X to kill or be killed. The music is incredible, and this album opened quite a few doors for 'ryche.

For our number two, a compilation:
The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience

Until Mike Judge decided to pull the show in favor of the terrible King of the Hill, Beavis and Butt-Head were one of the most popular things on television. The duo stood for all that was right in the world, nachos, tv, and boobs. This album features artists such as Megadeth, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Aerosmith, Anthrax, and even a cover of Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe", featuring Beavis and Butt-Head and Cher herself.

And another compilation, just one band this time:
Van Halen - Best Of, Vol. 1

I'm guessing that we won't ever see Vol. 2 of this set, but with the incredible line-up of tunes on the first, I guess that can be forgiven. Amongst the classics on the disc, we are treated to two new Roth tracks ("Me Wise Magic", "Can't Get This Stuff No More"), and a Sammy track not previously available on a Van Halen album (the incredible "Human's Being" from the Twister soundtrack, one of my favorite movies).

How about a classic debut from a supergroup:
Asia - Asia

I can't say that I care too much for anything else this band churned out, but the debut is the embodiment of the word "classic". With songs like "Heat of the Moment", "Sole Survivor", "Only Time Will Tell", "One Step Closer" and "Here Comes the Feeling" I can find no fault on the entire album. Plus with musicians like Carl Palmer, Geoff Downes, Steve Howe, and John Wetton, how could they do wrong? For the answer, check out the follow up.

One more disc to end this episode, and it's another debut:
Mr. Big - Mr. Big

I saw these guys open up for Rush on the 1990 'Presto' tour, and was lucky enough to get this album the following Christmas. First off, I must mention the incredible "Addicted to that Rush", with a bass line from Billy Sheehan that just smokes. There is also "Blame It On My Youth", "Wind Me Up", the beautiful "Anything for You", and many other excellent tracks. When I got the CD version some years later, I learned that there had not been enough room on the record for "30 Days in the Hole", thank God for CD's... eh?

Well, it's time once again to end this gansta round of pony rides. I hope you got pictures, and at least one piece of cake before the chickens roosted in its roots. Tune in next time for more words, more pictures, and dammit, more good times.

NP - LANA LANE: Ill Wind (You're Blowin' Me No Good)

Single Pigeons, and the Cousins that Love Them

2006-05-13T00:21:00.000-07:00

Today I will ramble a bit about some of my favorite albums of all time. These discs aren't necessarily in my top ten list, or even in my top 100, but they are favorites at any rate.

I start this tale with an album that does make my top 10 list:
Dream Theater - Scenes from a Memory

Released in 1999 this progressive rock conceptual masterpiece was the bands first album with new keyboardist Jordan Rudess. The epic story
tells of a man who is fighting to uncover a murder conspiracy centered around the woman he used to be in a past life. The music is pure prog rock and really shows off just how talented each musician is, each at the top of their game.

The second album is far from my top ten, but does show up somewhere in the top 100 without a doubt:
REM - Out of Time

Not a whole lot of non-Prog albums make my top 100 list, but this one has had a spot since it's release in 1991. I've never been a big fan of REM, but this album is satisfying from start to finish. Sure it's radio saturated pop, especially songs like "Losing My Religion", "Me In Honey", "Radio Song" and "Shiny Happy People", but the album is a five star favorite of mine.

Third on today's list is an absolute classic:
Frank Zappa - Sheik Yerbouti

Although I am new to the world of Frank Zappa it's obvious to me that FZ was out for the jugular on this release, focusing a bit more attention at
insulting as many people as possible. The lyrics are downright crude at some points, but isn't that half the fun? As usual, the music is also very pleasing, melding perfectly with lyrics on tunes such as "I Have Been In You", "Flakes", "Bobby Brown Goes Down" and "Dancin' Fool". This is a must have album.

And now, on to fourth:
Rush - Moving Pictures

Released in 1981 'Moving Pictures' is far from my favorite Rush album, but still an all time favorite disc in my list. Though the band really gained a lot of ground in the mainstream with their previous outing (1980's 'Permanent Waves'), 'MP' opened a lot of doors for the band. From the radio smash "Tom Sawyer", to the epic "The Camera Eye", the hard rocking instrumental "YYZ", and the classic "Limelight" it's no wonder that 'Moving Pictures' is the bands highest selling album of all time.

And since it's such a nice round number, here is my number five:
Poison - Swallow This Live

For all intents and purposes, this was the last Poison album to bask in the majority of the public's eye. This 2 CD live set has a nice number in my top 50 Favorite Albums of all time list. The band are on fire as they tear through favorite from all of the studio albums that really matter in their catalogue (although the post 'STL' albums are all decent). Of particular note are the bonus studio tracks that would mark the end of Poison Mark 1. Definitely worth picking up for any "hair metal head", such as myself.

And that's the list for the time being, I hope you enjoyed a peek as some of my favorites. More posts like this will be along in the future, as it was kinda fun. Now, it's time to get back to writing my book. Thanks for tuning in.

NP - RUSH: YYZ

Terrible Napkins

2006-05-12T01:57:00.000-07:00

The things that a bored person does just staggers me. Take myself for example, I just spent nearly two hours redesigning this page. Now why would any sane person do that? I wish I had an explanation that didn't leave me sounding crazy. The sad fact is that there is no explanation. Don't cry for me Argentina, I'll work through the pain with time. Besides, the truth is I never loved you. Through all my wild days and mad exisistance I kept my promise... don't keep your distance.

I realized that I could post nearly anything and the entire population of this crazy planet would hang upon my every word, my every witty sentence. What does that say about the people that inhabit this planet? I think I may actually cry for a civilization that is now eternally lost.

I suppose it's time to give this post some meaning, a little reason in a life of nothing... or a blog of nothing, I haven't fully decided just yet.

As you'll see to the left the band (or artist as this case may be) of the month is the legendary Frank Zappa. Recently I asked myself why it took me so long to give this incredible musician's work a chance, and I had no satisfying answer (talking to myself and not getting decent answers seems to be a pattern in my life).

Anyhow, I picked up 'Strictly Commercial' and was immediately blown away. Since then I have picked up 'Them or Us', 'Tinseltown Rebellion', 'Apostrophe', and 'Sheik Yerbouti', each album being incredible. I'll be getting many more in the months ahead.

One last thing before I let you all go. Since October I have been writing my first novel. The first draft was finished in late December and I have been working on the re-writes and edits since. Today I hope to have finished the 2nd draft of the first half of the novel. I also finally decided on a name, "The Stranger Within'".

Here is a short excerpt:

Stephanie had recently discovered that her husband Travis was living a double life, but that was not the burden currently troubling her mind. Generally when Travis was away, and he was away a lot, he would call Stephanie every other day at noon, she could set her watch by it. In the last few weeks she had not heard from the man at all. She spent day and night beside the one telephone in their home and had not received a single call from her husband. Her nerves were shot, and her sanity was slowly slipping away from her like water down a drain.

That's it for now Kiddies... have a good 'un.

Dream Theater - Octavarium

2006-05-10T23:11:00.000-07:00

Once in a lifetime (okay, more than once, but I like cliches) an album is released that is just too good to let go. Dream Theater released 'Octavarium' a year ago June 7th (that's next month) and I still play this disc nearly every day. Why? Well, I'll tell ya.

The album kicks off with "The Root of All Evil", the 3rd installment of Portnoy's AA saga. The song is in your face and all out crunch. The vocals from Mr. LaBrie are nothing short of phenomenal.

The second tune, "The Answer Lies Within'" is outright beautiful. The music works incredibly with the vocals, and this may be one of the best DT ballads to date.

"These Walls", while my least favorite track on the disc, is still an excellent number.

"I Walk Beside You" is another beautiful tune with very inspiring lyrics, and another great performance from LaBrie.

"Panic Attack" may well be one of the best metal tunes that this band has ever composed. Bassist John Myung is on fire throughout, and the whole band are like musicians possesed.

"Never Enough", despite the controversy the lyrics may have cause among the bands fan base, is just a great tune. Obviously inspired by the band Muse, I can see this one in the bands live set for years to come.

The surprise of the disc comes in the cover of lyrics from LaBrie. The mans lyrics have really come a long way since the beautiful "Anna Lee" (from 'Falling Into Infinity'). Inspired by the events of 9/11/2001, the song is a tearjerker, with not only emotional lyrics, but music as well.

And finally, to throw out another cliche, the band saves the best for last, the title track. It's hard to describe this tune in just a word or phrase, but "eargasm" may come close. Never before has the world had the pleasure to hear such an incredible piece of progressive rock history. I'm telling ya, this one WILL go down in the epic songbook.

I don't know what else I can say about this album that has not been said before. When 'Scenes from a Memory' was released I was sure that DT would never top it. I am very glad that the boys proved me wrong. Now I just have to wait for the Radio City Music Hall album to be released later this year to hear some great DT/Orchestra tunes!

My First Post Here

2006-05-03T01:04:00.000-07:00

Well, in case the subject of this post was in any way misleading, let me tell you once again that this is my first post here. What does that mean? Well, that means that while I have posted things in the past, never before have I posted them on this blog.

I hate that term, "blog", it sounds so... what's the word I'm looking for here? "Stupid". Yep, that's the word. However, who am I to badmouth a revolution started by whatever nerd has spent the most time in his mothers basement? I guess I can't... but I will. I feelt it's my duty, no, my right, to do so.

There is one major reason for my being here, and that is that I have no life. I sit at work overnight fighting to stay awake, and posting here seems to be something that might stave of my exhaustion for at least a few minutes longer (or however long I feel like typing mindless drivel like this).

So that's it for now... goodbye.