The Smoke Gets in My Eyes

I thought the smoke had started to clear when I got to work this morning because I wasn't smelling it inside the building anymore. But it seems to have all accumulated downtown. We made the mistake of going there for lunch and now my eyes are burning. We need a good wind to clear it out but the weather service doesn't expect one for at least three days. Luckily, the smoke hasn't reached my home, which is about fifteen minutes from here on the other side of the valley.

Put Your Balls to the Wall

A few days ago, some friends and I got on the subject of 80's "Hair Bands." I have never liked that style of music but I couldn't help being immersed in it back in the 80's because, while I was succumbing to the allure of Flock of Seagulls, The Cure, The Thompson Twins, Aztec Camera, etc., my friends were treading the other path. It actually ended our friendship
rather dramatically. Suddenly, I was a "faggot" that they couldn't acknowledge as a friend. (I still laugh when I think of them calling the bands I liked gay in light of one of their icons, Rob Halford, of Judas Priest. I wish I could ask them what they think of him being so involved in the gay pride movement.)

Anyway, for some reason it became imperative that my friends and I compile a list of those "metal" bands, since we couldn't find a comprehensive one on the web. Here is what we came up with. I know that some may not agree with all of our choices, but this is how I see it:
Anvil * Accept * Aerosmith * Angel * Autograph * Axe * Bad English * Badlands * Bang Tango * Black & Blue * Blue Murder * Bon Jovi * Britny Fox * Bullet Boys * Cinderella * Survivor * Poison * Queensryche * Europe * Nightranger * Kingdom Come * Whitesnake * White Lion * Great White * Kix * Skid Row * Winger * Slaughter * Mr. Big * Faster Pussycat * Love/Hate * LA Guns * Y & T * Dokken * Ratt * Motley Crue * Warrant * Quiet Riot * Tesla * Krokus * Twisted Sister * Extreme * Saigon Kick * Stryper * W.A.S.P. * Enuff Z NUFF * Metal Church * Electric Boys * Tuff * Fastway * Runaways * Damn Yankees * Lynch Mob * Steelheart * Helix * Dream Theater * Scorpions * Wrabbit * Manowar * Vixon * Firehouse * TNT * Danger Danger * Vyper * Vinnie Vincent Invasion * Kick Axe * Loudness * Rough Cutt * Warlock * Warrior * Jackyl * Raven * Riot * Saxon * MSG * Testament * Venom * XYZ * Jetboy * UFO * Kiss * Alcatraz * Van Halen * Def Leppard * Sherriff * King Cobra * Giuffria * Triumph * Nelson * Trixter * Helloween * Killer Dwarfs * Pretty Boy Floyd * Keel * Dangerous Toys * Lizzy Borden * Doro Pesch * Armored Saint * Sleeze Beez * Phantom Blue * Grim Reaper * Anthrax * Warrior Soul