Note: The following posts were imported from my previous blogs.

Dream Theater  #
Tuesday, 02 Apr 2002 09:50PM
I bought Dream Theater's most recent album "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" on the long-weekend and it's solidified my idea that I'm not really a Dream Theater fan, but a "Scenes From A Memory" fan. I love "Scenes". Bloody LOVE it... but every other Dream Theater album I've bought has been ultimately disapointing. I recently bought their live 3CD, Live Scenes From New York and loved it (and I desperately want the DVD but it's not in R4) but mostly for the fact they play "Scenes..." in it's entirety, then play another hour long concert afterwards. mmm three hour gigs.

Dream Theater have the unfortunate ability to somehow play a fifteen minute song and not play the same riff twice. That goes for the guitarist, bassist, drummer and singer. "Scenes From A Memory" is a concept album, with repeating themes. It tells a story and thus the vocalists story-telling, "preachy" nature works in that context. At least, IMHO. "Six Degrees of Turbulance" includes a song that is pro/anti/neither stem-cell-research and is rather grating to listen to. And it's such a pity because musically it's the best song on their, even topping the 45 minute epic on the second CD.

Such a pity, these guys a brilliant musicians and I really want to love them, but I can't get into anything after Scenes. Sorry.

Meanwhile:

The original artwork for "Live Scenes From New York" featured the World Trade Centre towers in flames. This was of course a horrible coincidence that had to be taken care of.

- http://www.dreamtheater.net/dislsfny.htm

(buy the original cover now!)

Oh yeah, and check this fantastic Dream Theater fan site, Solar Dream Theater with many reviews of bootlegs of the band.

And it's definitely worth saying that despite everything I've said Dream Theater rule if only for the fact they recently gigged and covered Metallica's "Master Of Puppets" album in it's entirety.


Whitetail doom  #
Tuesday, 02 Apr 2002 09:34PM
The one spider I decide I'm not the least bit scared of today ends up being a white-tailed spider (see second picture) with a bloody pogo stick. Got the little bastard in a glass/paper combo, took him outside and squished the life out of him. We've had about one huntsman a day for the past week too. Love this house.

The fear of white-tails is mostly hype:

Most bites appear to cause little or no effect beyond transient local pain and an itchy bump. However, a few cases do exhibit more extensive symptoms, such as local swelling and tenderness, skin discolouration, headache and nausea. Occasionally, the skin near the bite may ulcerate in a condition known as Necrotising Arachnidism.

from http://www.amonline.net.au/factsheets/white_tailed_spider.htm