The names have been changed to protect my own sweet ass.

I was handed a large helping of humble pie yesterday. It is pictured above. I won't say who gave it to me or where it was done, but suffice it to say, I am not the one with the smile. No, that crude character on the right with the buckshot in his chest, arms, groin, and leg is none other than Lord Elgarf. I guess I must've gotten under someone's skin. This was a rather straight-forward statement (I would not call it abstract, I don't believe there is any hidden meaning).

As if this were not bad enough, I was soon handed a second drawing:

Man. How about that? I guess I am most dissatisfied (aside from the horribly naked stick figures) with the scene in the lower left. The one where I am being pulled apart by two pick-up trucks. Say what you want, but that just looks painful to me! What a way to go!

"Je-ee-sus fre-eaks, out in the stree-eets..."

This was personally addressed to me in red pen with a post mark of 16 Nov 2000. I found it recently when going through some old stuff and had a chuckle. I can be such an ass!

To make it easier on your eyes I shall transcribe it:

Dear friend, it's out of concern for your soul that I'm writing to you today. According to the Bible, we're living in the last days, and it saddens me to know , there are so many people out there, who still don't know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

Jesus saved my soul Jan. 22, 1980 and for this, I can never do enough to repay him. However, I can and must strive to be a soul winner for him. And one way of doing this, besides just continuing to pray for you, is by writing to you, and reminding you, that your soul is just as important to Jesus today, as it was the day he gave his life for you on Calvary's Cross.

If you're already a born again Christian, continue in the faith. If you're not, please seek Jesus while he may be found. Attend the Bible believing; Bible teaching church of your choice. Repent, be baptized, study God's word, and labor in the vineyard.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. St. John 3:16

Sincerely,

Being the conscientious citizen that I am, I couldn't let this letter of good will be left unanswered. The following is my response:

Those of you who know me best are familiar with my strong belief system. I like to think that J Paul 2 would be proud.
Amen.

VACANCY

"It's not as though she were a maniac or some raving thing, she just goes a little mad sometimes. We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven't you?"

One of my all-time favorite quotes. Norman Bates has invited Marion Crane into the parlor behind the office of the Bates Motel for sandwiches and milk. It is a rainy night on the outskirts of Fairvale California and she has pulled off the road for the night. Not wanting to travel another 10 miles in the rain to reach the nearest diner, she accepts Norman's "hospitality".

I first saw Hitchcock's masterpiece, PSYCHO, while in highschool some 17 years ago. He has been a hero of mine since. Not for the brutal slayings, but for the way that he deals with the shitty hand life has dealt him. At heart he's not a bad guy. He was raised by a sick, overbearing, troubled woman. In his attempts to please her things have gone wrong.

I have had the VHS version of this 1960 film for many years, and had an old beat up tape that had 2 of the three sequels. I was excited and very much pleased to find the DVD release in a local super-center that contains PSYCHO II, PSYCHO III, and PSYCHO IV The Beginning. It is nearly impossible to match the magic of an original movie in a sequel, and these films certainly do not do that. Having said that, they are a very rewarding continuation of the Norman Bates story. I love the premise of PSYCHO II where Norman returns to the house and motel 22 years later and deals with people who refuse to forget his past. PSYCHO III keeps the ball rolling, but, by itself it is not that memorable. Then there is PSYCHO IV. Henry Thomas plays a teenage Norman Bates and illustrates the events that made him a slave to his mother, Norma. Released in 1990 it was one of Anthony Perkins' final films and plays out as a "prequel" several years before George Lucas made that a nauseating buzz-word.

I can't say enough about this series and my favorite serial killer of all time (with apologies to John Kramer, my number 2) and at $14.00 for three movies it was was an absolute steal!

Jeux Sans Frontieres

"if looks could kill they probably will in games without frontiers, war without tears"

So said Peter Gabriel in 1980's somewhat creepy song, Games without Frontiers from one of many self-titled albums. So said Peter Gabriel on the same recording coming through my car stereo on July 4th of 1995 on my way to work at the franchised ice cream stand. I was singing along at the stop light waiting for my turn to go through the intersection. As the light turned green I inched forward because one of the other cars had come out too far and I had to go around them. As I did this I did not see the other car come sailing through their red light and not even slow down until the impact. My car was spun around to face oncoming traffic and I (quite brilliantly) realized, "I've been in an accident". As I gathered my thoughts those french sounding ladies kept repeating, "She-So-Fro-Tee-Ay". My first action was to turn off the goddamn radio. My second action was to get out of the car and approach the assholes that hit me. One was a middle-aged, somewhat dim man leaning against a guard rail in a white undershirt. "What the hell happened?" I asked, somewhat indignantly.

Instead of trying to explain his side of the story he got pissy. "Don't even start" he said, or something to that effect. I just thought he was a low functioning citizen so I just kept walking until I got to the driver. At this point the story blurs, but I can say that he was an older man wearing a dirty old ball cap and some sort of work attire. I don't know if I saw the bottle then or if the cops later showed it to me but I do remember "Four Roses" being involved somehow. The two had been drinking at the dam all night (no doubt celebrating the birthday of these United States).

Anyway, I am not even approaching the subject of alcohol related accidents because it is not worth mentioning in my case. I walked away completely unharmed and cannot in anyway relate to the tragedy that many Americans face. The point of this posting, however, is that song (you know, the one I started out with). Shortly after the experience when I would hear the song it was a very strange sensation. It wasn't traumatic, I just didn't want to hear it. That was 12 years ago. I have been listening to a lot of Genesis lately and decided to start re-examining solo Peter Gabriel. Last night I played the 1980 album with the melting face that has Games Without Frontiers. It was a reunion of sorts and I am looking forward to importing it to the ipod.