Tuesdays with Muerte

Single men, at my age, are either ultra-ashamed or ultra-proud of their chest hair. Growing up, however, most of us were ambivalent. We either didn't have any chest hair to be proud of or, if we did, we didn't have any pressure to feel one way or another about it. The typical factor that starts guys thinking about body-hair grooming is girls' opinion . Guys will subtly bring up the question in casual conversation. For example, "Speaking of break-dancing, do you think girls generally like guys with chest hair, or not." Girls are often quick to respond with their opinion. If that special someone thinks body-hair is "manly", it flows free. If the hair is "nasty" it gets nipped in the bud. (I wonder if girls are truly oblivious to the purpose behind the question?) Rarely do you find an diamond-in-the-rough, like this guy, who is proud to not just rock their body hair, but sculpt it as well. Chest hair sculpting is a long-lost art. T...

This is serious.  emember, Demons are not funny. They are very nasty.

My Neighbor Totoro is one of my favorite Japanese cartoon-movies (or Anime).  I doubt that any one of those people waiting at the bus stop have either seen or heard of Totoro before. Instead of appreciating this scene for this perfect cosplay performance for what it was, they all probably thought the local hockey team's mascott was late for the game. This beautifully directed scene by Hayao Miyazaki has only limited dialogue for four minutes; unheard of in American cartoons.  There are many cognitive and cultural themes and issues presented in this scene, but I'll save that for another post. What I'd really like to have seen is a cat-bus pull up and take Totoro away before the real bus arrived.

Captain Malcolm Reynolds [middle] of "Firefly" fame was briefly glimpsed on ABC's "Castle," when Nathan Fillion dressed up as his old "Firefly" character for a Halloween costume. For a second there, since it was the very first few seconds of the show, I thought I was back on the Firefly . ABC , stop playing with my emotions. Seriously. Favorite Quote "Didn't you wear that 5 years ago? ... Don't you think you should move on?" "But I like it." - Castle's daughter, in secret reference to the Firefly series, taken off the air in December 2002. Second Favorite Quote "But you have to go [trick-or-treating] with me! You, are my candy-beard ." - Castle to his daughter who is definitely too old for trick-or-treating.

Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you so much. For your birthday present this year, I feel that it is time that you finally learned the truth. Now that you are becoming much more technologically savvy, it is time for you to be let in on the dark secret that the rest of the family has kept from you over the last 6 year. Upon returning home from my mission, I set up a shared Google Document designed to host copies of all of the Mother's Day, Birthday and Christmas cards that the rest of the family has written for you.  The document is tied to Google Calender so that it is emailed to each of us at those three times a years.  Now, here's the part I'm really ashamed of.  Instead of adding to the genealogical record of all the different reasons why we love you, we have resorted to simply copying one anothers' sentiments from years past. I know.  I know.  I should burn for this one.  But I figured, it would be better to tell you about it now and get it ou...

Those zany kids at Improv Everywhere staged a surprise musical at a Queens supermarket. This is your new theme song that will play in your head every time you're at the grocery store fondling some apples. YOU can be improvisational too! We'll start off easy, then work toward the more flamboyant. Here are a list of spontaneous actions you can do this week: Monday - Anytime you hear the word "amen," slip in a subtle or outrageous "Hallelujah!" Tuesday - Anytime you hear a loud noise like a bell, hit the deck like a veteran with PTS. Make up whatever story/explanation you want at that point. Wednesday - If you see someone listening to their personal music player [iPod] start dancing around them. If they take their earplugs out, compliment them on their taste in music. Thursday - Start a conversation with someone in line. Make up a huge, elaborate story [lie] that takes like two minutes to tell that ends with "but the judge let me...

“ Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has instructed his citizens to stop singing in the shower . As his country suffers from a chronic water and energy crisis, Chavez told the public to limit the amount of time they spend in the bathroom. “Some people sing in the shower, stay in the shower for half an hour,” he fumed in a televised cabinet meeting, according to the Daily Mail. He then revealed that he was taking the lead in the fight against wasted energy. “No, kids,” he urged, “three minutes is more than enough. I’ve counted, three minutes, and I don’t stink.” What the rest of the world is doing to conserve water: