Random Stuff...

Random Image

What is wrong with this picture? Please tell me it's obvious. No matter how many times I see it, I just can't keep from laughing.

Fodder for the Think-Mill:

Funny how things can change in an instant. No warning. It can all just change. For better or worse. How can we waste time when there is so little of it?

Beware of boozing priests.

It's better to regret something you have done, than something you haven't done.

Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.

"Zoinks!"

"Admit nothing, blame others, and be bitter, always." -Matt Black

"...And through hallowed halls they had tread, knowing but not caring, taking what was not theirs like thieves. Truth revealed their guilt, and Death took them..."

Censorship: The reaction of the ignorant to freedom.

"Vegas, baby, Vegas!"

On Art: "The artist's aim is to turn his audience into accomplices." -Arthur Koestler, 'The Act of Creation'

On drinking: "Work is the curse of the drinking classes." -Oscar Wilde

"The problem with the world is that everyone is a few drinks behind." -Humphrey Bogart

"You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on." -Dean Martin

"I would kill everyone in this room for a drop of sweet beer." -Homer Simpson

"...It is more than ever important to remain true to our youthful ideals; to resist the urgings and demands of the short-sighted, the narrow-minded, and all those who are fearful of change." -Neil Peart

From my random brain:

Well, here it is November 29th, 1999. The Thanksgiving holiday is over, and the Christmas shopping has begun. And so has the clock ticking toward the last year starting with '19'. The 21st century is nearly upon us. Technically, of course, another year away, but close enough. One can't help but look back at a time like this. What did you think you would be doing at this time, say 10 years ago? Can't say I thought it would be anything like it is now. Maybe I didn't really have any idea. I guess I wish I had, though. Not that my life is all that terrible, mind you, it's just that its' path isn't as concrete, or spelled out as I thought it might. I am not the most financially secure guy in the world. However, it has allowed me to do things that I might not have otherwise been able to do. I have had a certain amount of freedom. I don't know what the next millenium will bring, but I have some goals to reach. More travel, for one. I must go back to England, without a doubt. More romance, too. Never enough of that. And as always, laughter. Cliche' or not, it IS the best medicine. If you can't laugh, you can't live. End of story. Well, thanks for reading, if you did, and have fun.

3/28/2000: Well, it seems there was a random loss of a couple entries. That pisses me off. Nevertheless, here I am after spending a week in Florida visiting my sisters. Had a good time. Off to Vegas this weekend- that's always fun. Hmmm. Well, if anything is random on this page, it's this friggin' entry. I know I had a point but it seems I've forgotten it. Oh, well. When I remember, I'll put it down. Cheers all.

12/6/2000: Gads. What a Thanksgiving Holiday I had. Went to Cleveland to visit family. Spent the whole of Thanksgiving Day violently ill, and in bed. Sickest I've been in years, quite frankly. Couldn't eat for two days. Then I get back from the trip and I get the flu- immediately. Where did I go wrong this year with my karma? What deity has deemed me unworthy? I haven't stolen candy from any children. Haven't pushed any old ladies into the street. As a matter of fact, my behavior has been near exemplary as of late. I do nice things more often than most, I think. Perplexing... Well, on other matters; I helped a friend on a short film a couple months ago and he sent it off to Sundance, so we'll see how that goes soon. Christmas is upon us in no time, and the shopping has begun. Keeping it modest this year. 'Thought that counts' sorta thing. It's not about the stuff, it's about who's giving it. OK, that's all for now. -Cheers.

12/22/2000: Holy hole in a donut, Batman! Christmas is days away and I still have shopping to do. Most of it, actually. But then that's hardly a surprise. As I said earlier, not a wealthy man's holiday this year. No nifty electronic gadgets for my friends this time. As if I could anyway. Why do people(men especially) crave little electronic devices, anyway? They just replace the other paper-oriented kind of clutter they're supposed to eliminate. Eventually, you have so many little gadjets that you need one to keep track of the gadjets. But they are SOOO cool, aren't they? Yeah, I admit it. I love them too. I'm no different. How can I exist without a Palm Pilot or Visor? I need an electronic palm organizer and I need one soon. Well, not really, but hell, I didn't need a cell phone until I owned one for 6 months. Then it was too late. I had been umbilicaled to the convenience of mobile phone calling and there was no turning back. I'd be lost without it now. I justify it by the fact that one time I was with a friend and his car broke down in a remote area and I used my phone to call AAA. That happened once. Makes the cell phone worth every penny and some. So who's to say that a palm organizer won't serve me as well? And quite frankly, it's our God-given right as higher beings to buy neat little electronic gadjets for ourselves. It's one of the things that separates us from amoeba, or hamsters. Mmm, well, hamsters do get those running wheels. Some even have those clear plastic balls that roll around the floor, so those could be considered little advanced devices in their own way. (Like humans are trying to impose our need for cool gadjets onto other species. Screw your Prime Directive, Starfleet!) So, I guess just amoeba. But still... Wow. Look who rambled.

Oh, and regarding the short film I worked on; it didn't get into Sundance, but it got into Slamdance, the alternative festival to Sundance. It's in the same city and time as Sundance, though. Should be fun. Have a Merry Christmas, all! -Neil

1/18/2001: Hello, all! Here we are again. Christmas was good; kinda quiet. New Year's was fantastic! Paul Van Dyk DJ'd on Hollywood Blvd. and it was a blast. Danced 'til 4 AM and then went to a club called 'Blue!' 'til 6 AM. Much fun. Last night was the screening at Warner Bros. of the short film I worked on last August. It was a grand success. Nearly sold out two screenings of a 200 seat theatre. A fun reception followed at the Smokehouse across the street from the studio. Then, it was off to Jumbo's Clown Room with friends to round out a perfect evening. A good night all around. By the way, if you haven't been to Jumbo's, you should make a point of it. Even if you only go once, it's worth the experience. Go to see the lovely ladies at Jumbo's Clown Room and tell 'em Neil sent ya!

5/11/2001: Much has happened since I last posted here. The short film I worked on has been making the film festival circuit across the country, went to Florida to see my sisters, I actually got a tax refund(woo-hoo!), and one of my best friends moved back to Philadelphia. We'll all miss that Rob Kurtz.

6/15/2001: Well, another birthday has passed. Pretty good one this year, I'd say. Good friends, they took me out to dinner and gave me some nifty stuff. I made out pretty damn good, actually. So, here I am, not really feeling all that different from last year. I consider that a good thing. :) I talk to Rob every so often, he is settling into Philly again with a new apartment. He has instigated a little creative outlet for a few of us each week. Sort of an email correspondance of stories, poems or whatever sort of brain spillings or conjurations we have. That Rob, always thinking. Til next time, Me.

8/14/2001: Hi ho all! I just returned form the Palm Springs Intl.' Festival of Film Shorts where "Hitclown" screened with about 250 other short films. Man, I had a great time! Met some great people, and saw some great films (about 90 in all). So much fun, in fact, that I think I have caught the bug. For making my own short, that is. We;ll see. I've really enjoyed the writing I've been doing lately, and I have an idea or two I'd like to see on film. I guess it was just a matter of time living out here. Or perhaps it was a long time coming, maybe the roads I've taken were leading me here, who knows. We shall see. Proof is in the pudding, as they say, and here, pudding is the script. If I can actually write something people think is worth filming, I'll shoot it. I've just got a creative energy buzz going right now and I want to ride it as long as I can. Cheers!

And now, Music Corner!

I LOVE MUSIC! Just about all kinds.

My new recent CD pick? :

Butch Walker - "Letters"

Here are some other bands I listen to and recommend, in no particular order:

Moonpools and Caterpillers*
The Refreshments
Frank Sinatra
Grant Langston
Ednaswap**
Bob Mould/Sugar
Paul Oakenfold
Paul Van Dyk
Rush
Metallica(pre-'Load')
Loreena McKennitt
Sarah McLachlan
Motorhead
Beck
Louis Prima
Portishead
Cocteau Twins
Sarah Vaughan
Vangelis

Uh...This list could get into double-digit megs, so lets just leave it at that for now.

*Just for the record, Moonpools and Caterpillars are no more and their last show was at the Whiskey A-Go-Go on June 6th, 1998. They were one great band.

**Also recently broke up, but the singer, Anne Preven and guitarist Scott, have a new band called Annetenna(sp?). I eagerly await their new CD.

I'd like to take a moment, as so many of us are, to say farewell to the greatest entertainer ever: Frank Sinatra. I know that I will miss the presence of this amazing man. Because of Mr. Sinatra, I grew; my mind opened- I found appreciation for things I might not have otherwise. This is what I wrote to the Sinatra family:

To all of the Sinatra family: I got a call last night at about half-past midnight. I wasn't expecting it at all. I was at a loss for words. I'm so sorry. I can't help but feel as if I have lost a sort of father figure myself. Frank Sinatra opened my eyes to a world I might not have seen otherwise. He and his songs have meant so much to me in the past 10 or so years of my life. I had the honor of seeing him perform at the Desert Inn about 5 years ago and I will have that memory forever. Tonight I am going to a fellow fan's home to drink a toast to Frank Sinatra; not so much to mourn his death, but to celebrate his life. A life so grand, so full, any other man would be fully content to have lived only a fraction of it's kind. His spirit will remain with us in every song we hear him sing. I wonder if, right now, he isn't backstage somewhere having a drink with Dean and Sammy. Perhaps for him the show has just begun.