The Neurotic Monkey's Guide to Survival

"These STILL aren't my pants!"

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Quid Pro Quo, Clarice

1) What would you rather know: Magic or How to Invent Anything (and no you can't invent a machine that teaches you magic, and you can't use your magic to invent any machines)?

Magic. The Dark Arts, too. Cuz you know that's how I roll, baby. Seriously, I've always wanted to be able to summon a hideous monster to do some yardwork. Plus sorcery inspires bands like Zep and Black Sabbath; with the exception of Devo, what band has inventing inspired?

2) The fate of everyone you love hangs in the balance as a group of merciless demons challenge you to a contest. In which form do you battle them: Rock Paper Scissors, Thumb Wrestling, Connect Four, or Hungry Hungry Hippos?

Rock,Paper,Scissors. Thumb Wrestling is out cuz I'm no good. Connect Four is out cuz you gotta figure that as sneaky as Lil Sis was on that ad, them Demons got something else up there sleeve. And I always get the busted Hippo. ALWAYS. Oh sure, for the first few whacks it works like a freakin charm, then it just locks open as if it was suddenly mortified by that racist comment about Africa your father made over dinner last night.

3) What's the worst thing you've ever said and meant?

I've said a lot of shitty stuff to a lot of good people. I've definitely wished someone I love was dead. Out loud. Yeah, I'm going to hell.

4) Hovercar or X-Ray Specs that work?

X-Ray Specs. Okay, bear with me. So you're in your hovercar, zipping around the sky not a care in the world -- suddenly you get shot down cuz you didn't observe the no fly zones. Or else people see you and they just assume enemy aircraft. Plus EVERYONE and their mother will be trying to rob that from you. No sir. I didn't get this hovercar so i could spend a lifetime full of distrust and insomnia and sleeping in a backseat with a baseball bat. X-Ray Specs are discreet, help out the perverse nature, helps you win at cards, helps you open vaults (you could see the combination locks). You can conceal them on your person, and, thanks to childhoods filled with disappointing merchandise, most people won't think they actually work. As much as I pine for a hovercar, I'm just not prepared to open that can of worms.

5) Who would win in a fight: An Off Balance Eagle with Flamebreath vs. a Laser Armed Near Sighted Shark?

Shark. Firstly, what's the name of that series about that killer Eagle who fucks shit up for a whole bunch of people? Oh yeah, that's right--it doesn't exist. Oh, but guess what--Jaws does. Point for the Shark. Next up, I believe that the shark is surrounded by water, which would easily help diffuse the whole flambe problem. Another point for the Shark. Lastly, a random sweep of the sky and the shark is bound to hit that eagle, plus God hates eagles. That's why he made them endangered and also emblematic of America. Quoth Jesus, "Fuck you, baldy!"

6) Do you consider these to be your golden years? Are they still ahead? Have you passed them by?

I think these past 4 years were supposed to be my golden years. But instead they have been little else but a reaffirmation that I am not long for this world (although the irony of my life is that I will be stuck here for a long time. Good one, Yahweh!). Crushing disappointments, sobering reality checks, and depressing screw ups have all meshed together in a series of hilarious but unfortunate events that while entertaining to everyone else have left me a bitter husk of a man. So while I hope my golden years are on the horizon, I know they are gone forever and the my eternal 6 more weeks of winter have only just begun.

7) Who runs BarterTown?

C'mon, People! How come NO ONE got this right? Master Blaster. It's from Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome people! For shame! I also would've accepted Auntie Eternity. Glayven.

8) You've won a sweepstakes created by the President of the United States of America. He and Congress will pass whatever bill you write. Without doing anything cheap (like "All My Bills Will Be Passed" etc), what is your bill?

Antidisestablishmentarianism. The Church CANNOT impose any of its rules, laws, or mores onto a governing body. In fact, Church cannot accept any money from any government organization or official, and if a Minister talks about political affairs while threatening violence, a man dressed up like Santa Claus gets the reverend in a back room for 5 minutes. Anything Goes.

9) What's funnier: Random NonLethal Violence OR A Well Timed Fart?

Random Non-Lethal Violence. A guy randomly taking a shot to the junk is funnier than a high pitched squeaker during an intimate love scene. It's just science, baby.

10) Ventriloquist Dummies: Annoying or Creepy?

While they can be both, more often than not they're just annoying. Always making jokes about sex and bobbing their heads up and down.

12) What was your favorite cartoon growing up?

As a young kid, I loved me some Superfriends when it replayed on the television. Then GI Joe, then Transformers, later such fare as Inhumanoids, Darkwing Duck, Gargoyles, Mighty Max, and Ronin Warriors. The last three, by the way, are still really great series for kids and adults. That's right, I said it. There's no threat of me ever getting laid at this point, so why not just come out with these opinions, right? Oh, and does anyone remember the My Pretty Pony movie/miniseries where there was this evil queen who was turning the Ponies into these flying monstrosities, so the ponies all gang up on her and her Ratman henchman turns on her as well and they win, and it looks like the Ratman is dead but he's actually transformed back into a person? I know no one else remembers that, but I'm pretty sure it formed the basis for my worldview well into my adulthood. Oh and I had a huge thing for the blue haired chick in the Misfits on Jem.

13) Not counting OC, Melrose Place, 90210 or any other prime time melodramas, have you ever watched a daytime soap opera for a significant amount of time? If so, which one?

Nope. Although I did take in a lil Swan's Crossing in junior high. Anyone? Swan's Crossing? A boy on the show thought he was a ninja for christ's sake!

14) Who is the most annoying game show host of all time?

It's been said before, and I'll say it again--Louie Anderson. It's like they reanimated a gay dead pig, put a cheap suit on him, and then had Bruce Vilanch write his material. Horrible. Truly horrible. And Chuck Woolery always struck me as the type of dude that constantly hit on all of his friends' daughters. "I've been watching you grow up, Annie," Chuck whispered with several Margaritas on his breath, "and I must say you've blossomed into quite a beautiful and graceful woman." Creepy factor!

15) Are there such things as Angels and/or Demons?


As long as they're not as bad as that book by Dan Brown. HI-YO! But seriously, probably not. But i really wish there were.


16) Do you like to dance? Is it important that your significant other likes to dance?

I actually do like to dance, but I'm SO horrible and self conscious that it pains me to do it in front of...anyone. Here's how bad I am at dancing and how badly it makes me feel to dance -- I can't even get DRUNK ENOUGH to dance. Think about that. I've been drunk enough to break shit i love, hook up with people I hate, and sleep in a tub. But never enough to just give in to the dance. And i would like a girl that's got some moves, but it's not even close to being important. On a list of priorities: Pulse, brains, personality, body..........opinion on how U2 sucks, loves to dance.

17) Do you like Jazz music? Why or Why Not?

I do love Jazz music. But I prefer stuff like Miles Davis's In a Silent Way, Kind of Blue, Bitches Brew, or his score for Acenseur pour L'Echafaud to Dixieland or Smooth Stylings of Kenny G. Can't go wrong with Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, or some Herbie Hancock, either.

18) Colonel Sanders versus Ronald McDonald -- there can be only one. Who Survives?

McDonald. Motherfucker's got mind control on The Grimace, one of the most awesome and frightening forces in this universe. I think he could take on some racist with a poultry fetish.

19) What's your favorite bad movie? And not in an ironic MST3K way, but in a Michael Bay/Cocktail/Idiotheque way.

Demolition Man and/or Tango & Cash. Fuck you; these movies rock.

20) What do you wish your nickname was?

Spider. Or Professor.

21)Do you spend most of the day smiling or glowering?

All glower, all the time.

22) You are given time on the world's most popular TV show, but are only allowed to say one phrase. It will be heard and understood the world over. What do you say?

"That's my mama!"

23) If you could be married to any fictional character, who would it be and why?

Buffy Summers, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She's funny, smart, knows a lot of interesting people, could introduce me to Faith (Eliza Dushku), and she can defend my honor at the drop of a hat. Yes it's a geek wet dream, but still-- Buffy's cool, dammit. Close runner up? One of the inspirations for Buffy: Kitty Pryde, aka Shadowcat.

24) Would you rather have superstrength or the gift of flight?

Superstrength. With superstrength you can jump around huge distances (a la the Hulk or Speedball), so that pretty much takes care of the mobility issue. But then you also are super strong. With flight you're mobile, but still can get beaten up fairly easily.

25) what's something you recommend, but no one EVER takes you up on?

Grape Jelly on Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. Trust me. It's delicious.

26) What's something that occurs on a daily basis that pisses you off? And if there were no repercussions and you were allowed to finally react to it, what would you do to this stimulus?

The old woman who I ALWAYS END UP BEHIND in the morning on the way to work as she ever so slowly makes her way up the stairs from the subway. Taking one step every 3 minutes or so. I would smack her in the back of the head until she started to speed up, and then I would ride her like a pack mule around town, making her go faster and faster. Giddy Up, Grandma!

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Curiouser and Curiouser

All right, as down time on my work increases, I can make it sound and look like I'm doing work by simply typing shit up on my blog.

And hopefully not everyone's left my humble tiny lil blog site. It's a simple place, but you once used to love it. Admit it, a part of you STILL loves it.

So what better way to re-introduce ourselves and ease back into the flow than through the old fashioned, patent pending

MONKEY QUESTIONNAIRE!!

Woo.

Here goes:


1) What would you rather know: Magic or How to Invent Anything (and no you can't invent a machine that teaches you magic, and you can't use your magic to invent any machines)?


2) The fate of everyone you love hangs in the balance as a group of merciless demons challenge you to a contest. In which form do you battle them: Rock Paper Scissors, Thumb Wrestling, Connect Four, or Hungry Hungry Hippos?


3) What's the worst thing you've ever said and meant?




4) Hovercar or X-Ray Specs that work?



5) Who would win in a fight: An Off Balance Eagle with Flamebreath vs. a Laser Armed Near Sighted Shark?



6) Do you consider these to be your golden years? Are they still ahead? Have you passed them by?


7) Who runs BarterTown?


8) You've won a sweepstakes created by the President of the United States of America. He and Congress will pass whatever bill you write. Without doing anything cheap (like "All My Bills Will Be Passed" etc), what is your bill?



9) What's funnier: Random NonLethal Violence OR A Well Timed Fart?


10) Ventriloquist Dummies: Annoying or Creepy?


12) What was your favorite cartoon growing up?


13) Not counting OC, Melrose Place, 90210 or any other prime time melodramas, have you ever watched a daytime soap opera for a significant amount of time? If so, which one?


14) Who is the most annoying game show host of all time?


15) Are there such things as Angels and/or Demons?


16) Do you like to dance? Is it important that your significant other likes to dance?


17) Do you like Jazz music? Why or Why Not?


18) Colonel Sanders versus Ronald McDonald -- there can be only one. Who Survives?


19) What's your favorite bad movie? And not in an ironic MST3K way, but in a Michael Bay/Cocktail/Idiotheque way.


20) What do you wish your nickname was?


21)Do you spend most of the day smiling or glowering?


22) You are given time on the world's most popular TV show, but are only allowed to say one phrase. It will be heard and understood the world over. What do you say?


23) If you could be married to any fictional character, who would it be and why?


24) Would you rather have superstrength or the gift of flight?


25) what's something you recommend, but no one EVER takes you up on?


26) What's something that occurs on a daily basis that pisses you off? And if there were no repercussions and you were allowed to finally react to it, what would you do to this stimulus?


Answer away, bitches. Also--remember there is no NEITHER. There can be an EITHER, but never a NEITHER. Don't be lame.

Thursday, September 08, 2005

Guess Who's Back...

Not much to add. Probably no one even checks this anymore. Lord knows I don't. Anyways, here's a rant that's been brewing in my mind for a while.

The situation in Louisiana is insane. Not just the Wrath of God meets Mongoloid Engineering flood that occurred down there; or the Beyond Thunderdome-esque manner in which civilization breaks down when fear, panic, and desperation sinks in. What's really insane is the complete and utter disregard shown by the Administration towards this whole affair. When it was Iraq, and they gave us talking points about how sacrifices had to be made and pretty much tried to cover up their incompetence with jingoistic smirks and little American Flag lapels, people bought it cuz it was so far away and most people really don't understand what the mentality of someone in Iraq (insurgent or not) is like. But the flood is on our soil, and it's affecting our people, and it's striking at the very core of America: Family and Materials. Families are being ripped apart by the rushing water and falling debris. And when we see what could easily be our house, or our clothes, or our broken toys--it hits us that this could be us, and nothing pisses people off then realizing that with a change of a zip code, their government could've mismanaged them to death. I'm not excusing that it takes a horrible tragedy on our soil before most people wake up to the problems of our government, but at the very least they are waking up. Slowly but surely, it seems like people are feeling that fury they've buried for the past 14 years or so.

And what really bugs me out is that I feel like nothing will come of this. The White House will not be held accountable. Bush is like the Teflon President, nothing sticks to him. How is that? I mean, it's nothing new and I'm not surprised that he's inept and gets away with being incompetent, but I just don't get how people can just shrug and say "Whatever" constantly. Especially his supporters! And the Democrats aren't going to be resurrected from the dead in order to attack, once and for all. When did the Democrats lose their balls? Did they ever have balls? I know Dean has blasted Bush a little (hehehehe), but still. Every Democratic Congressman should be in New Orleans right now. Honestly, if they were all there, literally pitching in, and helping people in TX, think about what that would show people. The Democratic Party is supposed to be the People's Party, but they never show up for the people or risk their necks for anything.

If Sean Penn and Matthew Mcconaughey can pick people up in their boats and rescue randoms in the water, why the hell isn't every member of the House and Senate doing the same thing on a larger level? Or creating new jobs and housing solutions right now? How many more deaths and fatal fuck ups will this country endure before people finally get fed up of the whole thing? I don't mean in terms of party lines, but in terms of our entire government--with all of the pork, bureaucracy, lies, corruption, partisanship, and inefficiencies. It just doesn't make sense how it's been allowed to go on for so long, and people just sit back and say "What are you gonna do about it?" And that is the catch, isn't it? What are you gonna do about? We've become so jaded and apathetic that our ideals have become buzz words and catch phrases and talking points to sell an agenda rather than a reason for passion or action. We're inundated with our own drama, and celebrity gossip, and enough small problems that mount up until we're buried underneath and it's just too tiring to dig out and go for the bigger picture.

And it's not just GW that doesn't give a fuck about you. Clinton didn't either. So get off your High Donkey, liberal bastards. When was the last time we had a good president? When was the last time you wanted to BE president? As you grow older and see the complicated miasma of politics and how every president was kind of a douchebag, the glimmer of the White House dulls a little more each year. Our presidents no longer report to us. Our NATIONAL GUARD is no longer guarding our nation. Our Representatives no longer Represent us. The falcon cannot hear the falconer...

Things fall apart...

The centre cannot hold...

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world....

And what rough beast slouches off to Washington? That next breed of soulless shills in it for the photo op, good cocaine, and plenty of rough sex that are all hidden behind towering crucifixes and smear campaings delivered with a smile.

But i digress...

I also keep thinking of ditching my job and just relocating to Louisiana and helping the reconstruction. Just think how great that would be, to actually help rebuild a place. I mean I would be dirt poor, and probably end up getting horribly ill from the land/air/water contamination (although that would translate to a huge lawsuit against the Federal Government for negligience, but i digress), but it does keep popping up in my brain.

Check this out--it's the infamous Kanye clip from Friday night where we learn that unless he can go back to his Jewish Mother or Angry Scot accent, Mike Meyers has got nothin'. http://media.putfile.com/Kanye79

Oh, and UCB has a new show on Bravo called Asssssscat: Improv. It's a long form Improv show. I saw only a few bits last night and it was horrible.