I hesitate to say this... only because I know that colder temperatures and snow are bound to follow... but am I ever glad Spring is here. It's April, the sun is shining more, the band's practice space is warmer, good rock bands are hitting boston, baseball has arrived... all good things. February and March are the roughest months, and I feel like I cross some kind of personal finish line when I flip the calendar to April. So long 'seasonal affectiveness disorder'. You're not welcome here.

I'm trying to come to terms with something that I'm entirely unfamiliar with... something I'm so very not used to. I'm think that I'm actually happy, and I'm unsure how to handle it. I mean, sure, it's not like I've never been happy... but this particular feeling of sustained contentment is something new to me. A lot of the blame falls squarely on Amie's shoulders. My life has been so much improved since I met her, but the first year of our togetherness was the build-up, the newness, then the all-out madness of wedding preparation. There was no time last Spring to just let it all sink in. But this year, I can just enjoy life and being with her. And that's exactly what I'm doing.

So there it is. Throw in a few good friends, a loving family, a band that I feel proud to be playing in, a nice apartment, a challenging job, and my cool-as-all-hell cats...I have absolutely no complaints. Which makes for a really boring blog, and an annoying read if you happen to be in a bad place.

And much like snow will probably follow the admittance that Spring has arrived... acknowledging my happiness is bound to be followed by a serious emotional smack-down. Wonder what the world has in store for me this time?

Shifting gears...
Don't forget... the Also-Rans (that would be my band) are playing this Sat. at the Oni Gallery in Boston's Chinatown. Go here.

Full Disclosure...
Fugazi at MassArt!
At last, Fugazi returns to Boston after a 10 year absence. Two shows, Friday and Saturday, April 19 and 20. I've got my Saturday tickets, and if you're smart, you'll grab yours soon, too, 'cuz they're flying fast. Go to Smash City Records on Newbury St. or check the link for more info.

Spam, Spam, and more Spam...
News: Yahoo's New Spam Settings
What are you thinking, you Yahoos? The cash-flow-hungry folks at our favorite portal site have decided to institute a new marketing technique... subscribe every one of their members to a bunch of junk-email lists without telling them, and make it their responsibility to change their settings. If you have a Yahoogroups account, head there and change your settings. You'll see a 'marketing preferences' link about halfway down the account info screen. Click it and change everything to 'No'. Your inbox will thank you.

On the Scary Security Side...
Warning: Any User Can 'Root' Win NT, 2000
Yikes. Check out this eWeek article that exposes yet another Microsoft OS vulnerability. Lemme guess... another one of their weekly patches is on the way? Oy.

Where's Annie? Oh, here she is...
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me: Deleted Scenes
I had no idea these even existed. Apparantly David Lynch filmed a logging truck-load of extra footage for the Twin Peaks film that chronicled Laura Palmer's last days. However, since Lynch's storytelling techniques are never constrained by the rules of time, physics, or, well, logic... he supposedly filmed a scene that takes place after the finale of Twin Peaks! This is gold, folks. An actual scene between Coop and Annie may exist, and this site is keeping tabs on the effort to bring these scenes to DVD. Uh, please?

Blame it on Den...
Archos Jukebox MP3 Player
Ok, so now I really want one of these. I nearly bought one a few months ago... went to Micro Center, held the box in my hand... but backed off. I think my reluctance might have had something to do with the whole 'no job' phase I was in at the time. Thinking about it, that hasn't stopped Matt and Den from buying new toys, so why should it have stopped me? Anyway, Denny got one last week, and it's all that. It is officially Denny-Approved�. Smaller than I thought, louder than I thought, records better than I thought... and my whole cd collection is almost done being converted to mp3. Watch out, wallet, I'm coming for you.

Washington (DC) Wizard...
The New Yorker: George Pelecanos Review
A nice review of his new book "Hell To Pay", which is still sitting on my nightstand, unread. Soon, I swear. If it's half as good as his other books, I'll have it finished quickly.

An Artist and a Gentleman...
MalJonesDotCom Redesign
Have a look at Mr. Mal 'OverTime' Jone's freshly revamped online home. Some excellent work in there, both digital and physical.

No Pity, No Mercy...
Television Without Pity
Biting, brief, and sometimes seriously harsh summaries and reviews of your favorite, and not-so-favorite, TV shows. This crew of contributors seems to have a serious love/hate relationship with the shows they watch, and we reap the benefits of their conflict. Check out the '24' summaries. Heh.

'The Future of What' is all in the Past...
KRS: Unwound, R.I.P.
The wonderful Kill Rock Stars label site has dedicated their entire front page to the passing and memory of the vastly-underrated band Unwound. They'll be missed. Go, read, and if you haven't yet, listen.

Pop-Culture Pixelization...
Digiboy's Pixel Characters
An ever-growing collection of random pixelized characters, including the cast of the Breakfast Club, Pounded, and Dexter's Labs.