Postcards From Myself

Just a quick note for anyone who is a Nine Inch Nails fan. NIN are giving away their new album, The Slip (Halo 27), totally free. According to their website, it is Trent Reznor and the group’s way of saying thank you to the fans for their continued support.

The album is available for download at http://theslip.nin.com in a variety of formats including high-quality MP3, FLAC or M4A lossless at CD quality and even higher-than-CD quality 24/96 WAVE. Submit your email address at the Nine Inch Nails site and you will receive an email that contains a link to the downloadable album. Your link will include all download options - all free. All downloads also include a PDF of the album artwork and credits.

I have only listened to The Slip once so far, but I enjoyed it a lot. It is not as hard as Nine Inch Nail’s early albums, but is more “song oriented” and accessible than than Ghosts I-IV which was also available for download though at a cost. The Slip runs about 45 minutes long and is a must for any NIN fan, even the most remote. Once again, Trent Reznor comes through.

OK, maybe not mindless, but at least very, very calm. Ever since I started taking the Lexapro that my doctor prescribed for me I have been a much different person. At least that is what my family is saying. Word is that I have been much calmer, slower to anger, and less reclusive. But, there is a downside to that. The thing that I have noticed is that while I may not be as anxious or quick to get upset over small things, I have also lost some of my drive.

A year or two ago, at the urging of my family, my doctor tried to put me on an anti-anxiety medication - I don’t remember if it was Lexapro or some other. I didn’t stay on it very long for the reason that I lost almost all my urges to do anything. And I am not just talking about sex here, I am talking about the desire to write, to read, to play, to do most anything. I felt like a jellyfish.

Now this time it doesn’t feel so bad. Yes, I have seen a dramatic decrease in my drive. But I have also seen an increase in my attention span and my consideration. I am just simply not a frantic, angry person. Of course having a different blood pressure medication is also helping. My goal right now though is to get some of my motivation back. I need to be able to lose the anxiety and stress without forgoing the drive and detirmination. So I am trying to write down more goals, use my friends and family as reminders of those goals, and basically just get my self back into it.

Tell you what though, I really am seeing things more clearly now. I am a bit ashamed that it took medication to remove some of the clouding from my eyes, but at least it was removed. And I am a much happier person for it!

I sure hope the results of today’s voting in Pennsylvania will give some closure to the Democratic ticket. I doubt that it will, but I could be wrong. It is no secret that I am an Obama supporter, but at this point the desire to see a Democrat in office is starting to take charge. If the debate we saw last week is any indication of what will happen if the contest between Obama and Clinton goes on much longer, we run the risk of throwing the election.

Every snipe back and forth between Obama and Clinton only gives ammunition to the Republicans. In addition, Obama has run as the candidate of hope and change. Those are the main reasons I and many others are behind him. But as this contest drags on and gets more bitter he is drawn in to the old ways of mudslinging and nitpicking. And it is perfect for John McCain, because he is not the one doing it. So come the general election if Obama is the Democratic candidate then the Republicans can point out these actions as proof that there is no hope for change.

Hillary Clinton has shown that she wants to win at all costs. If Barack Obama slips into that same sentiment then we are finished. First he must hold on to those values of hope and change. If he lets go of them for the “win at all costs attitude”, then he and we are lost already.

Guess they don’t like it when your blood pressure shoots up, your face turns red, you get dizzy, and your heart races and thumps. So I am off to be examined this afternoon. I am sure it is a combination of stress, eating habits, stress, lack of exercise, and stress. We will just have to see what they do to me. Probably more medication. Too bad they won’t prescribe a few weeks on a deserted island somewhere.

Worse than medication I am sure the doctor is going to tell me to get back to exercising. Hey, I have a membership to the gym and carry around the card. Isn’t that exercise enough? I figured that by carrying the card in my pocket I would get healthy by osmosis. No?

And what are you telling me, that I need to stop eating Tornadoes (those little rolled up taco things) for lunch from the gas station? But I love gas station food. Anything that has a shelf life longer than the average expected life expectancy of the US population has to be good for you, doesn’t it? If those preservatives keep the food from going bad, should they preserve me too?

Ah well, I am sure the doctor will differ in her opinion. So I will go and be poked, prodded, pee in a cup, and maybe have leaches attached. Sounds like a great way to spend the afternoon. See, told you I was dizzy.

I am a Mac fan, user, and evangelist. On the other hand I earn my living on PCs and Windows machines. And yes for those of you out there, I have used Linux too and continue to use it from time to time. But truth be told, they are all a pain and each one has its positive points and drawbacks. You have got to admit it — no matter how fond you are of the machine you use, at times you just want to scream at it.

You need to take a look at this video from YouTube. Basically a Southpark style remake of the famous Mac / PC ads from Apple, it hits the nail dead on the head. And in the end I do mean dead.