How's your day, so far?

I've been up since 10 AM. I usually try to be up two hours earlier, but I guess I needed the sleep.

I've had breakfast, read some of Morrissey's Autobiography, finished lyrics on a new song I've been writing on since 1995 (now that I'm a born-again Hormone), and listened to the Radio Birdman CD Live In Texas, which Deniz Tek himself kindly sent for Xmas, and The Heartbreakers'  L.A.MF (Track Records cassette version). I've showered, dressed, taken out the garbage, washed my dishes, and tidied Napalm HQ a bit. Right now, I'm typing this, and listening to the Rolling Stones' Hot Rocks on original vinyl. (I've been making a practice, this past year, of buying back all my original teenage record collection on records, bit by bit. I lost it all when I went homeless in NYC ten years ago.)

I only got on the internets about 15 minutes ago.

This is important. The last two weeks, I was house-sitting for friends, and I took a vacation. I didn't write, except for working on songs and writing in my journal, two things I have not done in a long time. I watched lots of movies, ate good food, and took hour-long walks every day, in a pathetic attempt to insert some physical activity in my life and get back into the fighting shape I've lost across the year I've returned to writing and DJ-ing as my vocation. I played lots of loud guitar, trying to get used to the brand new Fender Hot Rod Deluxe III that I got myself for Xmas. And each morning, I would not get on the internet until I'd finished breakfast and reading some pages from whatever book I was reading.

Two of my favorite things.

It was about ten years ago I finally got on the internets for myself, and was introduced to the wonderful world of blogging and social networking, first through Friendster (Wow! Remember that?) and then the brand new MySpace, which would rapidly overtake Friendster the way Facebook and Twitter did MySpace not that long ago. I love it, and still do. But I also now hate it.

The internets are a wonderful tool and past-time, a marvelous source of information, entertainment, a great communication tool. They are also a pain in the ass, a giant time-suck, and a control system. And I am breaking that control.

I am sick to death of looking up from the keyboard and monitor and seeing that it's six hours later, and I haven't gotten a goddamned thing done except post a buncha shit on Facebook that I've just read. I am also sick of every single utterance I make online becoming fodder for someone to argue the piss out of. I like discussion, not debate. There is a subtle difference. And I don't troll other people's posts to start shit with them. Therefore, I expect the same courtesy.

I am happier and more productive under this new regimen than I have been in a long time. Yeah, I still go digital. But I am severely limiting my digital time and living more in the analog world. Because let's face it: Real life is actually better than The Matrix. Right? *smiles*

Happy New Year. You will be seeing far more posts here now. And by the way, as hinted at above, The Hormones live again, in a new lineup. Check out our Facebook page, and please make note of the event below. See ya.