It was terribly nice to hear that my good friend and two-time boss, Keith Dusenberry was finally made the lead editor of Real Detroit Weekly after two years doing a fuckin’ great job as their music/features editor. Don’t know any of the details or if this went down weeks ago without me knowing, but it was well deserved promotion. Keith is almost single-handedly responsible for me being a professional (paid) writer and is just about the most level-headed and nicest person you’re going to find working in the drastically bizarre worlds of music reporting and alternative weeklies. Please take this as a personal sign from on high, as I am, that if you stick it out and wade through enormous amounts of shit, good things still happen to good people in this world.

Speaking of signs: Does this mean that hip-hop officially has nothing left to say about anything? If anybody gets killed over this, well I hope inner city schools will have the good sense to ban open-toed shoes like they did in my day - God, DMX you are a fucking dumb.

Scott’s birthday present? (BTW I really need to find my wife a present for her B-day. Any ideas?)

And finally - the War on Terror is being fought with the same vigor as the NHL Playoffs. What I wanna know is it a protest or is it a sympathy beard?? Only Islamatic fanatics and the Amish show long-term facial hair. Sounds to me like the lazy-ass just found a way to get out of shaving forever.