i have to admit: it's getting better all the time (i can't get no worse). actually, things are just as bad as they are good, but it's better to take appreciate it all. i was thinking the other day about how artists are often fueled by their pain/problems and so if we can take bad things and turn them into something worthwhile, then every moment we live really is worth it. there's a lot more "philosophical" thought to it, but i guess that's the gist of it.