Thoughts For a Friday Night...

I'd like to thank PDC and their thoughtful, kind policy of forcing employees to come to work no matter how ill they may be (unless by some miracle they've gutted it out long enough to accrue sick time...)

So we all go around sharing our colds. Great. I know what I'll spend all weekend doing. If anyone wants to know what to get me for Christmas, try a WWI mustard gas mask on eBay. I'll use it, I swear.

On a musical note: apparently Iced Earth (ie, Jon Shaffer) has unceremoniously dumped Tim "Ripper" Owens in order to make way for the return of erstwhile vocalist Matt Barlow. While I truly love Matt's unique vocal style, I can't help but feel very badly for Tim. This is the second time (the first occurring with Judas Priest) that he's gotten screwed over.

I wish the best for Ripper Owens and hope that he lands on his feet. Maybe he should stick to solo output from now on, instead of taking another "replacement" job.

As for Iced Earth... well, I don't know how to feel about them (again, really, Jon Shaffer) at this point. I'm sure the sequel to Framing Armageddon will be quite something with Matt back. But the whole thing is very bittersweet, at best. Definitely a big stain on Shaffer's reputation...

On a better note, I watched "Bubba Ho-Tep" again tonight. Awesome movie. Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis (R.I.P. Ossie...) sweet job. And a great soundtrack. You need to watch this movie.