the other day i was being questioned about being a Christian

but you have sex, she challenged.

but theres nothing in the bible that says i shouldnt i said.

but what about gays? she asked

Jesus’s last commandment, almost in defeat of human’s desire to rebel was “just love each other the way ive loved you”, i said.

then she said, tell me why do bad things happen to good people?

wasnt as ready for that one as i was for the others, but it still came pretty easy.

free will. dont you want to know that when you accomplish something you did it. that you have responsibility over your life? free will however opens up the possibility for dbags to do dbaggery.

but i wish i had known of this 10-year old quote at the very bottom of this lead up from this sermon that i wouldnta known about if adriel wouldnta posted on her facebook.

Thornton Wilder in his play, “The Angel and the Troubled Waters”, illustrates this profound thing. In the play, there is a scene where a medical doctor comes every day to a pool, very similar to the pool in today’s scripture, wanting to be healed of his melancholy and his gloom and his sadness.

Finally an angel appears. As the doctor is about to step into the water and be healed, the angel blocks his entrance and says,

“No, step back, the healing is not for you.”

The doctor pleads,

“But I’ve got to get into the water. I can’t live this way.”

The angel says,

“No, this moment is not for you.”

And he says,

“But how can I live in this way?”

The angel says to him,

“Doctor, without your wounds, where would your power be? It is your melancholy that makes your low voice tremble into the hearts of women and men. The very angels themselves cannot persuade the wretched and blundering children of this earth as can one human being broken on the wheel of living. In love’s service only wounded soldiers can serve”

Merry Christmas.

today is kristin’s twenty-fourth birthday,

i wonder what she wants.

i hope she knows she can have anything.

i hope all of you know that.

i knew kristin when she was just nineteen she reminds me. i knew her when she was just starting up madpony with her sister.

now shes (still) a big star in the dirty south, and i still get hits from people searching for her long defunc blog.

shes better than me in so many ways and i dont blame the world.

her life is a real one and its interesting and madpony is just the tip of the iceberg of her accomplishments and im glad ive gotten to know her a little more than than just from her blog.

our oklahoman is super sweet, shes smart, she works hard, shes a great friend, shes a good sister, shes a great daughter, she does pretty much everything right, and she does it in that hot southern accent.

just like the ramones was mostly johnny, madpony was mostly kristin so we probably shouldnt ask for more from her, but it wouldnt suck to get a comeback.

i still dont know enough about sorority girl life, or what its like to go to a game in norman while their team is top rated and their fans are insane.

or what things are like in her town now that they have to take on Connecticut in Zona on new years day where they will probably win.

im glad to learn about shopping and shoes and things like that, but i want even more.

we’re lucky to have what we have, and you must admit, there arent many kristins.

happy birthday baby.

your biggest fan,

the intertubes

reliving 2010 thru busblog pics

.. here comes June


venice, june 6
chris’s oldest child graduates, so he had a man make tacos at the party


mens room, june 7
the blackhawks were in the playoffs, it was time for a playoff beard


kanpai w/karisa, june 12
it appears there are a few pieces of lobster roll on the plate



activision e3 concert, staples center, june 14
starring janes addiction, eminem and rihanna




staples center, june 16
lakers beat the celtics in seven games


la county museum of art, june 18
the la times is errrywhere








hollywood, june 25
danielle came to town, so we did a photo shoot

theres a new social network popping up around universities

its got a cute name, Like A Little, and apparently a great start

but my question is do young women really talk that way or is the success of this site the fact that people of all walks can talk about each other without the fear of namecalling and discrimination?

im usually against anonymity because i think we as people should work on our individual levels of courage instead of hide in fear, but i can see how this could be a useful stepping stone

where were you at 6am this morning?

mark horvath, @hardlynormal, a man who justly won $50,000 earlier this year for his hard work putting a spotlight on homelessness, made his way to glendale this morning to show the conditions hundreds of poor people were shoved out into because bureaucrats decided not to have a meeting friday, he alleges.

all day on twitter i have been celebrating this long sustained rainstorm dumping down on the city of Angels, ignorant to the fact that there are tens of thousands of people cold and wet all around me without shelter.

while there is no easy solution to cure homelessness in the immediate future, mr horvath rightfully shows how thousands could have stayed asleep, safe, and dry this morning when most of us were enjoying the sleep of the just.

a journey through 2010 via busblog photos

.. and here we are at May






immigration rally, downtown la, may day
heightened by the controversial arizona law




hollywood blvd, may 2
karisa celebrates her birthday





manchester blvd, mothers day
missed my mom so i got food that reminded me of her




hollywood, may 14
sass and candice join the movie club


my desk, may 17
a very sweet surprise



hollywood, may 20
a double feature: tony clifton at the comedy store; macgruber midnite movie at the grove






las vegas, may 23-24
another boring weekend in the desert




la times, may 25
some of the superstars get recognized by the editor and publisher


church & state, may 27
sometimes its fun to make yr friends freeze mid-conversation



downtown la, may 28
rip gary coleman



downtown la, may 29
almost all of my superhero secrets involve rudimentary time travel and wigs

trust me, i know im lucky

, it might be God’s way of telling me the Cubs are forever doomed

i had some of the most interesting dinners this week with a variety of people.

on Tuesday i dined with a ucsb gaucho who basically taught me that indeed i pre-judge people foolishly and would probably be better off knocking that ish off.

people are dying to break molds. its what we do. white rappers, black presidents, jews for jesus.

so throughout the week i did my best to just let the people be who theyre gonna be with a concerted effort to notice when i was prejudging instead of being open.

because im a ridiculously flawed man this wasnt easy but i must say it was a great week, kicked off by a random encounter that woudnta happen if it wasnt for the fond feelings i have for my alma matter. and the moxie of a young lady.

last night was even better than that, and tonight im being treated to the stand up comedy of ms kathy griffin where i am told they serve nachos. with cheese.

all i ask is that this good fortune continues through monday when the bears appear on national tv on monday night football versus the minnesota vikings outside in the cold, snow, and ice.

2010 thru photos

, next up.. april 2010


la times, april 1
one baby changes everything


angels flight, april 2
lunch with some of the ladies of brand x on the way to starry kitchen





palm springs, easter
romantico italiano weekendo with the truest




holmby hills, april 9
somehow i was invited to the mansion on hef’s 84th birthday to interview him


city hall, april 12
to honor a former lapd officer who was killed in iraq they brought a similar vehicle he was killed in to the lapd hq


club nokia, april 13
karisa and i had such a weird time at the PiL show, in part because we were shushed for talking too loudly while in the pit


arclight, hollywood, april 16
in the lobby after seeing the second best film i saw all year


house of blues, sunset strip, april 18
how was bad religion? not bad.



henry fonda theatre, april 23
how was hole? not bad


ucla festival of books, april 24
creepiest thing i saw all month


the echo, april 28
juliette and the licks, yes thats juliette opening the show while playing drums


cyberspace, april 29
my employer thought it would be a good idea to have the public chat with me, strangely it ended well