Random tidbits before I crash in bed with the expectancy of being woken up by Screaming Neighbor's Child in around seven hours:

Just got back from seeing the opening night of the Nintendo Fusion Tour with headliners Cold and Evanescence. It's the second time I've seen Evanescence, and I'm still in love with their lead singer. The thing is, the band performs along to recorded tracks, which doesn't lend well to spontaneity or creedence that the band is actually playing. I mean, I know that the lead singer can't harmonize with herself at the same time as she's singing lead as she does on the CD, but maybe they could have a keyboardist play live gigs so at least they're doing everything live instead of Memorexed?

I will need a haircut soon, as I am rapidly developing the Jewfro. It's a shame I can't grow my hair out straight, since there's times when I'd really love to have the hair to headbang with.

For those of you who've never seen it (and that's almost all of you -- and no, Fran, you haven't really seen it either, I didn't go all out at this year's KROQ Weenie Roast), you'll have to believe it when I tell you that the collected, preppy white boy exterior is a facade. The heart of a stone-cold rocker exists underneath the surface. I seriously scared one of my friends when we saw System of a Down play last year's Weenie Roast... even though we'd been friends for almost 9 years, she'd never seen that side of me, nor did she think I had it in me.

Key phrases in a personal that will instantly make me think "no thanks": - I work hard, but I also play hard. - I try to live life to the fullest. - I love to laugh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - I can't believe I'm actually trying this!

One of my friends sent me a present today -- a book called Haikus For Jews. She kicks ass. And now, to close this entry, I will write you a haiku: Some people kick ass And others are big wankers It all evens out.

So I walked up the street to Baja Fresh to pick up some dinner, walked in the door and there was Joe Pantoliano, his wife and kids ordering food, too. It's pretty cool to see someone on TV and then see them in real life two hours later.

Need release. Need to have everything fall into place. Need to get life in order. Need to stop the entropy. Need to run free. This week's Sunday Most Listened-to Song o' the Week: VAST - "Free". It's time to laugh, it's time to cry It's time to be what you need to be It won't be long 'till they are gone And we can be what we want to be I'm gonna run from everything Everything that holds me down Nothing to win, nothing to lose You can't tell me what to do anymore You can't tell me what to do anymore Now I'm free, now I'm free, now I'm free I'm gonna run, I'm gonna win I'm gonna do what I need to do 'Cause it's time to be what I need to be It's time to be what I need to be You can't tell me what to do anymore You can't tell me what to do anymore Now I'm free, now I'm free, now I'm free I want to hold air in my hand Own the one thing you can't buy Nothing to win, nothing to lose I'm gonna run from everything Everything that holds me down Nothing to win, nothing to lose It's time to be what I need to be You can't tell me what to do anymore You can't tell me what to do anymore Now I'm free, now I'm free, now I'm free...

Let me spell things out for a couple of people who seem to have a warped, skewed and revisionist sense of the way things went last night: I did NOT get beaten up by a 14-year-old. When you're sitting down already, and then someone tackles you while you're already on the ground, how can they call that "taking you down"? You're already down. Considering that not only did I fight him off, but I ended the tussle by picking him up and putting him in the trashcan, I think it's fair to say that I was victorious. So there. And yes, I anticipated several "we're calling early in the morning to wake you up" phone calls, so I turned my phone off. I ended up with a couple of voicemails, but it didn't matter anyways considering the Screaming Neighbor's Kids woke me up at 7:15, 8, 9:30 and 10:15 this morning. I'm seriously starting to get pissed, but the big problem about going over there and screaming back at their parents is that their parents really don't speak English all that well. How am I supposed to combat that?

I was trying to get out of the parking garage after leaving the gym. The two cars in front of me buzzed the attendant, the gate went up and they left. I buzzed the attendant. Nothing. Hit the button again. Nothing. Held the button down. Nothing. Hit the button repeatedly. You get the idea. It wasn't until I tapped out "shave-and-a-haircut, two-bits" on the button that the gate went up. I love how our fearless leader, President Moron, announced to the press corps that he would "keep working until everyone who needs work finds work" (his words, not mine) and then left on a month-long vacation at his ranch in Middle-of-Nowhere, Texas. I've made my world-famous chocolate peanut butter bars to bring to Fran's party in order to do battle with Joelle's brownies. I will prevail. And then later tonight after I've partied at a couple different parties, I'm either going to jail or hell. I can't decide which. (Yes, Empire Records is on again. If you haven't seen this film, go rent it. Now.)

Dear Family Who Has Replaced The Annoying Fuckwad Neighbors And Who Is Quickly Becoming Extremely Annoying Yourselves: You may think it's cute to allow your kids, especially the one who looks and sounds to be about 3 years old, to scream at their top of their lungs early in the morning to accompany their jumping up and down. You may even think it's bad parenting to tell them to shush or to discipline them. Well, let me tell you this: shush them and discipline them, because the next time they wake me up at 6:30am, 7:15am, 7:50am and 8:25am, I'm going to come over there, duct tape them to the wall and fire paintballs at them at close range. Then maybe I'll do the same to you for allowing them to scream and jump, especially at that godforsaken hour of the morning. Love, Me In other news, at this very moment, I'm trying to find a song to play in order to motivate me to shave and shower and go to work. I'm not finding much. Today feels like Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks," which is my all-time favorite Zeppelin song, except that song always conjures up images of rainy days -- which, as you know, never occur in Los Angeles -- and listening to it now will just make me want to go back to bed.

Best line I've heard all day: "He's in the house like furniture."