Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Teenage Jesus

I put up the atheist rant and the Google ads on my site, which automaticaly match to subject, were all religious. One read "Jesus was a teenager. What's up with that?" I had to know.

I'm glad I risked a click. Look at the amazing piece of art I would have missed. Thank you Google, Thank you.

I can't decide what I like best, his belly gang tattoo (it says Apostles), the goth/drag girlfriend or the fact that he seems to be practicing his crucifixion posture.

To really appreciate the painting though you've got to check out the utterly sincere website. www.teenagejesus.com

Born To Metalize, Jesse Doesn't Understand


I tell him, everytime I see him. I say, "Jesse, you know 'Born To Metalize' is the supperior heavy metal album." Jesse, the fool replies by saying "Blah blah blah, unimportant crap, blah blah blah." He insists that Infernal Majesty's album is better because they thank Satan in the liner notes. Satan Schmaten, Born To Metalize feature's a band called Tortured Dog, and just look at the picture of Sneak Attack. Click on the photos above to see full size pics. The back of the album reads:

Children of steel no longer mourn
Your children have risen to carry your scorn
Restoring the airwaves from what we despise
You were.........
Born to Metalize

Hopefully Jesse will come to his senses, but in the meanwhile perhaps he will provide us with some graphics and a compelling argument to support his lame choice for best metal album and then we'll have a vote to settle this argument once and for all. What's up Jesse? Huh? You up to a little wager?

Monday, February 27, 2006

ICBINC run done at last

Lots of new posts at www.rockass.net/fightstories.

Well our latest ICBINC show has finally come to a close. After EIGHT WEEKS It feels great to know that this coming Friday and Saturday are all mine. I will spend some time with Bryna, work on some projects, and get to bed at a decent hour. I've gotten old. Getting to bed before 11pm means so much to me now.

Hopefully with this stress lifted my stomach mellows out. I am trying every angle I can, accupuncture, herbology, pro-biotics (as soon as I get my insurance companies support), but if I don't see some improvement soon I will have to give in and let the doctors kick me up to the next level of drug therapy. My general practioner is cool, and very support of the alternative therapies I'm trying. My gastro-interologist (sp?) is scary. More on that later.

ICBINC will be making a series of very short films; 30 to 60 seconds each. I'm excited about this. I'll be doing a complete redesign of www.notcomedy.com, gearing it towards showcasing the films.

Just thought I'd post this little update of my life. Good night.

Sunday, February 26, 2006

New post at Mostly True

I posted a new story at Mostly True called My nephew and god. Click here to read it.

And there's lots of posts now at www.rockass.net/fightstories with more coming soon.

Lot's O' Atheism

I'm an atheist, and over the years I've done lots of bits about this in my stand up. I've compiled my favorites here. This is a long one, you may want to go get some popcorn. I do still use some of this so please, any feedback, likes or dislikes is most appreciated. And if you like this kind of rambling check out my homophobia rant.

Atheist Ha-Has.

After the September 11th attacks I got an e-mail. There was a graphic of an eagle shedding a tear, with the twin towers in smoldering ruins behind it.

I was amazed to see written across the bottom of the graphic in gold script, “Now will you allow prayer in our schools?” I look at this e-mail and I think for one horrible moment of forwarding the message to my neighbor with the text changed to “Now will you get rid of the god damn car alarm?!” I admired the tactic.

I though about it more and it occurred to me, the people who do these kinds of attack could have used LESS prayer in their schools.

I never bomb anyone. I’m an atheist, and we don’t go on suicide missions, because we are scared shitless of dying, as one should be.

I do believe that atheists can get along with religious folks. What’s a little suppression of science, destruction of art, genocide and pedophilia between friends? I’m gonna do the Christian thing and forgive you.

When I call my self an atheist, my agnostic friends tell me to quit being so dogmatic. That’s bullshit. I aint knocking on anybody’s door. But youknow, maybe I should.

Knock knock. Good morning, sorry to interrupt you as you get ready for church, but what if I told you, ya didn’t have to go to church?
That’s right good sir, I’m with the atheists. Atheists, you see, never have to go to church!
That’s right, Never!
There is no sin. You can do shit. That’s our motto. Atheists, we get to do shit. And we don’t have to confess it to a priest or feel guilty about it! We’re allowed to ENJOY IT!
Plus, we don’t have to tithe, sing or commit suicide attacks.
There must be a catch you say. Well, in addition to no guilt and no hell, there’s also no heaven. If we’re correct, when we die, that’s it, we no longer exist. If we’re wrong we burn forever and ever in a lake of fire for being atheists. It’s pretty much a lose/lose situation. Plus while still here on earth, you’ll be seen as a pariah, as dangerous, as lower than the town drunk, who at least prays to Jesus for forgiveness as he throws up on your shoes. And while you are allowed to sleep with whoever you please you’ll be amazed how many woman will refuse to have sex with a man that insists on not apologizing for it in the morning. But that’s about it.
Well, that and the fact that acknowledging that you are simply a finite, temporary spot on the earth, that like trillions of others will disappear and eventually be forgotten may cause a horrid, aching feeling of emptiness at the very core of your soul that no level of intellectualizing can fill.

But hey, you can stay home on Sundays watching the spice channel and spilling the precious seeds of life to your heart content. That’s atheism.

Sound good? Great, care to seal the deal with some hard-core porn, illicit drugs and illegal fireworks?

I think the main thing people got against atheists is that we threaten Christmas. I mean sure, people love Jesus and all, but Santa gives you stuff. Don’t mess with the fat guy.

You can relax, I celebrate Christmas. I had a choice. I could skip Christmas and feel good about myself knowing that I was no hypocrite, or I could get presents. I choose presents. Fine, I’m a hypocrite. I’m a hypocrite with toys.

When I first “came out” to my family as an atheist they asked me about Christmas. I told them I would give Christmas one last chance to win me over to Christianity. I figured this might inspire a little extra shopping on my behalf. That year, I got 17 Bibles under the tree, and one little statue of two naked children with teardrop shaped eyes standing on a base that read God Loves You. I decided right then, that even if Christianity is one day proven scientifically beyond a shadow of a doubt to be true, I’m not having it, because I REFUSE to reward that kind of behavior with positive reinforcement.

God is marketed in all kinds of ways. My favorites are the religions that promise lots of virgins in the after life. What the hell do I want with all them virgins. I’ve had one sexual experience with a virgin. The virgin was me, and I was lousy. If a virgin makes advances on me I inform them that this in not an entry level position. Come back when you have some experience. If you want me dropping coin in your collection plate offer me up a heaven full of sluts, and no STDs.

The biggest question is, if god is real, would I even like the guy? I mean, they say he made us in his image and truth be told I’m not too fond of most of us.

And his music is terrible. Other than gospel he hasn’t inspired any decent music in a century or more. Stryper? Amy Grant? Creed? Sorry, the devil has got my record-buying dollar firmly locked up.

One thing that sucks about being an atheist is this. What do I say when you sneeze? Ah-Choo! “Hey, there’s no god so you probably want to go wash your hands.”

And why do the god folks wash their hands after they sneeze. God just blessed you. You’re cool. Don’t wash off the blessing.

The god people tell me all the time how God healed them and made them well. I fight the urge to ask why he made ‘em all messed up to begin with.

If god fixed you up so nice, why you paying the doctor? God’s gonna be pissed, because we all know God likes his money. And that’s another thing. God’s great, God’s omnipotent, God’s got it all together, so why’s the guy always so strapped for cash. I mean I have broke friends, but after a while I just have to say no, I can’t lend ‘em five bucks. If God want to rake up the leaves or do the dishes or something maybe I can spare enough for a couple of burritos or something.

For atheists there’s but one commandment. “Thou shalt not believe in big invisible guys that some how care about each and every one or our relatively insignificant lifes.” How can god care about me. I don’t care about ants. There’s too many of ‘em. And from where I’m sitting they all look alike. So I burn them with a magnifying glass.

Would an atheist preacher visit the cancer kids?

How ya doin’ son? Hey listen all that business about going to heaven and seeing God and mommy and daddy joining you there and not smelling like beer all time.
You know that aint gonna happen right? You’re just some carbon, just a bunch of water hanging out in one place for awhile. So, this is it. No, no, don’t cry, It’s okay. Just think, for the next couple hours you can do whatever you want. Yeah, yeah I can get some girls up here. Sure. Oh man, strippers will do anything for a cancer kid. Take the hat off, the bald heads gonna get you an extra lap dance for sure.”

God has a weird sense of humor. For thousands of years he makes appearance in the form of talking, burning bushes, and cool stuff like that, stuff you couldn’t mistake for anything other than God. I mean, you don’t walk up on a talking, burning bush and say, “Frank! Is that you? Oh God, sorry, didn’t recognize ya there buddy.” So he talks to us for all that time and then, all of a sudden…nothing. He doesn’t write. He doesn’t call. He should talk to us now. We could book him on Conan O’Brien; he’d have the biggest audience ever. And he wouldn’t have to worry about making two fish and a loaf of bread feed ‘em either, just get Jiffy Pop to send out some free samples. They’d do it.

Imagine the ratings if this guy would do the super bowl half-time show or host Saturday Night Live. (While he’s at it he could make them funny again. That’d be way more impressive than his kid’s water into wine trick.) He wouldn’t have to do much. Walk on some water, and raise a few dead so we know it’s him, and then tell us who’s right. The Muslims, the Christians, The Jackson 5. Just let us know once and for all. I mean really, you can’t blame us for mixin’ up his (or hers or it’s) story. It’s been 2000 years since we heard from the guy or girl or ominous entity). I watched the Star Wars Trilogy again, earlier this year and me and my friends are still debating what IT meant, ya know. Never mind a book that old in a language nobody even speaks anymore.

Until God shows up I propose this; Let’s go on strike. Let’s act on our own best interests. On the human race’s best interests until he decides to speak up. When he wants to tell us what to do, let him get a hold of us and tell us what to do. And make it accessible. NO Pay per view crap. I’ll pay for Pro Wrestling, but that’s where I draw the line.

Saturday, February 25, 2006

New Blog; Fight Stories

www.rockass.net/fightstories/ Click to check out the long promised fight stories blog. I started with some fights I had as a kid. I'm not going to go in chronological order on this one, at least I don't think I am we'll see.

Yucatan Trip Part Four

I finally got around to finishing my Mexico, Belize, Guatamala road trip tale. Part four is up now at www.rockass.net/mostlytrue. Now I'll see about starting the fight tales blog that you violent folks requested over the drug blog. Personally I was more excited about the drug blog.

Friday, February 24, 2006

Boycott Paesanos?

Click Here to read a HeckaSac post and comments regarding an incident at Paesanos involving some pretty damn vicious treatment of a homeless man. For you Sac folks, Paesanos is a chi-chi pizza place downtown. I know the girl that quit working there over this (as mentioned in the comments), and she confirms it happening. I suggest reposting this if you're in the area, as I'd really like to see this looked into.

Watching the news

Phelps is back on the scene. The Reverend Phelps is famous for his "God Hates Fags" protests at the funerals of gay men and women. Now a Shirley Phelps (not sure of the exact relationship to the reverend) is protesting at the funerals of American soldiers, because they died and are going straight to hell since they fought for America, the gay nation! Wow. I'm speechless.

The fuss over an Arab company taking over six of our ports continues. I don't get it. Do we hate Arabs now? Why should I be more concerned about the U.A.E. having the ports than the Brits who have it now? We are at war with an Arab nation, but we're told every day we're there because we love them. We're giving them our beautiful democracy. And we're parking our battle ships in the U.A.E.'s ports, flying over their airspace and solicitinng their assistance in freezing the funds of suspected terrorist groups. It's not often I agree with Bush, but the noise being made over this feels reactionary and racist to me.

And hell, while I'm at it, Cheney is a nasty, murdering, greedy pig. Why are we so flipped over the hunting accident? I don't care that he took his time reporting it? It's not a matter of national security. I didn't need to know right away. I don't get why we're okay with him trying to kill a helpless little bird, but upset that he accidently winged a millionair lawyer. I'd be pissed if he hit the bird, but lawyer hunting, that sounds like a good time to me.

Thursday, February 23, 2006

The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada reviewed

Here's a new review from Jason. Many more at his site. I'm working on part four of my trip through the Yucatan and will have it up soon at mostly true.

THE THREE BURIALS OF MELQUIADES ESTRADA **1/2
Tommy Lee Jones, making his directorial debut, stars as Pete Perkins, a grizzled old rancher living in southern Texas. One day, his best friend, a kind illegal immigrant named Melquiades Estrada (Julio Cesar Cedillo), is accidentally killed by Mike (Barry Pepper), an overzealous, careless border guard. Pete kidnaps Mike and forces him at gunpoint to dig up Melquiades' body and accompany him to his hometown in Mexico so he can have a proper burial. "The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada" wants to be a hard-boiled, gritty Western/character study in the tradition of Sam Peckinpah's notorious cult classic "Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia", and it succeeds at times, with long passages that are arresting and powerful. Overall, however, the movie lacks rhythm and a sense of forward motion; it rambles and meanders a little too much. Attempts at dark comedy involving the gradually decomposing (but distractingly fake-looking) corpse also fall flat. Worth a look, if only for Jones' sublime performance - it's just not as good as I wanted it to be.