2001-04-10 - 5:32 p.m.

On the internal soundtrack: "Wake Up", Rage Against the Machine

So I have discovered, much to my dismay, that I really like the music of Rage Against the Machine. I say "to my dismay" for two reasons:

1. Rage Against the Machine is not exactly a band. It is a group of intelligent communist/socialists with a lot of emotionally-driven political ideas that they express through song. I browsed through their official website today and discovered that mostly they like to make a lot of noise. The stuff on their site rails about injustice without actually taking a good long look at what the injustice is, why it happened, how it could possibly be solved. Raging for the sake of raging, more than anything. So they irritate me.

2. If it weren't for Poindexter and his hard/metal/punk/alternative rock tastes which he keeps foisting on me while we're brushing our teeth (I read, he plays his CDs on the little boom box), I wouldn't be listening to this heavy shit in the first place. If left to my own devices, I'm Enya all the way, man. Sail Away, Sail Away, Sail Away... He makes me watch "The Matrix", he plays RATM on the radio in the car, and turns his wife into a horrified fan of RATM music (as opposed to lyrics).

So anyway. Last night Poindexter and I get into a go-round about me buying RATM CDs. He is adamantly opposed to giving our money to political causes we disagree with. It would be like me voting against a tax cut. He says I should pilfer their songs off Napster, like he did for a couple.

On the other hand, I am personally opposed to using Napster. I believe in paying artists for their work. Despite my 'net geekiness, I have yet to use Napster for anything. If I did use it, it would be for "previewing" songs before I go buy an album.

So you see my dilemma.

But then I go to the RATM message boards, and find a message from somebody named Tom who is in the band, and he is essentially CONDONING the use of Napster. Apologizing to fans who got banned from Napster for downloading their new album before it was released. He even refers to the fans' "right" to hear their music.

I told this to Poindexter, and he said, "Of course! They're communists!"

This Tom person doesn't come right out and say "go ahead and take our music off Napster", but maybe I don't need to deprive myself of RATM music after all. Hm... :) I'm having trouble finding their official position.

Uh-oh. Now I'm wondering if buying used books or used CDs is a bad thing. The author doesn't get any of my money when I do that. Oh dear. Or is it kind of like renting a movie or going to the library? Argh. Stupid ethical dilemmas.

Miscellaneous crap:

Last night, Poindexter and I had our "night off", while the fambly was up in NJ visiting Great-Grandma. It was very quiet. We spent it stuffing ourselves with excellent Thai food from the place Keisha recommended and doing our taxes. And we talked a lot. I am so very selfish about having Poindexter all to myself to talk to.

My mother IM'd me today to tell me about her daffodils, leading to a big long gardening discussion. Speaking of gardens, all my bulbs except the black tulips are pretty much out. I look at them every day and get all excited. I'll have to take pictures.

All evening yesterday I sat around in shorts and a tank top, barefoot. AND I WAS NOT COLD. It's amazing. I can't believe it. I'd nearly forgotton how wonderful it was not to be bundled up in three layers of clothes and shivering anyway.

We're flying to Denver to visit a bunch of Poindexter's relatives, over Memorial Day weekend. This should be fun, except for the getting-there part. I hate long plane trips. I'd like to go back to California -- to visit everyone I like who lives there -- but the plane trip is holding me back.

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