[Can't you feel the warmth of my sincerity?]

From Gaping Void, which has one of the best pieces of writing on creativity I've ever read.

I'm so tired of killing bugs and spiders in this place. I kill no less than three black beetles, a pillbug, and a spider every freaking day here. We don't live in filth. Why are there creepy crawlies out on the floors and walls all the time? Shouldn't they fear us enough to at least hide?

My copy of Sims 2 is now up on eBay. If you know anyone interested in buying it, let me know and I'll hook him or her up. Just make sure they have something better than a G5. That was a joke. A sad, pathetic, infuriating joke.

I'm toying with the idea of buying Space Colony instead. I downloaded the demo and have been playing it for an hour, but it's just not the same. Fun, but not Sims fun. I suppose my only other option is to buy up all the first Sims expansion packs (I only have Livin' Large for Mac; I have all of the damn things for PC) and relive the glory days. Or I could get a life.

Tomorrow I'm going to the parents' yet again for my weekend. Every year we have a big Fourth cookout-'n'-fireworks extravaganza. My dad said he bought $300 worth of food out of some roaming meat salesman's truck. So I can't miss that. It's always a little sad to shoot fireworks now that we don't own fire-eating dogs. I may have written about this before, but we used to have a dog, Sheba, who would attack the fireworks as they were exploding. She really liked fire (she would eat my mom's glowing discarded cigarettes). It became especially perilous when we'd set up some fireworks in the street, light them and back away, because Sheba would come running and snapping at the sparking carboard contraptions, knocking them over — many times toward us, the viewing audience — sending us running in all directions as balls of fire came flying our way. Those were the days.

You look like you could use some funk. Click here and borrow some of Jay Kay's. Because Jamiroquai is back with a new album (though you'll have to buy it as an import ... boo!) and we all need some dancin' music every now and then. Cox, I still have your "Traveling Without Moving" and I swear I'm giving it back to you the next time I see you. Do you still have my (Phil's) "Pisces Iscariot"?

Speaking of Billy Corgan, he's trying to get the Pumpkins back together. I've read lots of interviews with him on the wire and I have no idea if he's trying to get the old members back or not. I can't tell what the hell he is talking about, what with his "give me my dream back but screw my old band members" talk. My impression is that he wants the Smashing Pumpkins concept to come back together (i.e. ruling the rock world with his silver pants and 'zero' shirt), but without the old members, since he hasn't spoken to them in years (D'Arcy and James at least) and doesn't have kind words for them. I'm confused. My head hurts. I'm going to bed.