I have no idea why Rush just popped into my head, but I take it as a sign to use it for my enty title.

By writing this right now, I'm procrastinating from the writing I had been planning to do at lunch, thereby shooting myself in the foot, just when I need my foot the most. It reminds me of a New Year's resolution I once made that Dan Hoak had put on a t-shirt - "I will not let my laziness stand in the way of my potential." I never quite kept that resolution. As I've discovered with shocking clarity in the past week, when I showed just a little bit of initiative and had many, many doors at least semi-open for me. I really don't want to talk about any right now because it's so, so early in the game and I know I'll jinx myself. But the national mood right now is catgorized as "cautiously optimistic."

What I've learned so far more than anything is that to get ahead in life, you have to be shameless. Not shameless in the figurative sense, but to literally let go of your sense of shame. You have to say to yourself, "Say I call this guy and come off like a douchebag. That's still better than not calling this guy and not coming off like anything." It's a lesson I'm currently struggling with, because I hate feeling like a douchebag. Stay tuned!

Oh, what the hell. 5 questions for Andy:

1) If you could have the prowess of any one drummer from history, who would it be?

2) Are there any bands who you liked when they were obscure, then they got really big, and you still liked them? Why does the opposite so often seem to be the case.

3) Say something philosophical.

4) Melissa is the coolest girl in the world: Explain.

5) Slow Children at Play are invited to appear on Conan O'Brien. They only have time to do one sketch. What sketch is it, and who is the cast?