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james
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05/17/2007 11:48 #39318

Ballpipe
Folks,

If you, dear reader, recall, I mentioned a sport me and my best friend Joe invented many years ago when I was too good for drugs and drink and preferred violence (consensual only, of course). Super Danger Future Ball was a fun and good game that went from something like football but way more dangerous with no protective equipment to just beat the shit out of each other with bamboo stakes bound together by duct tape and blood. And as it passed, I couldn't help but think, thank god that was over.

But it wasn't


Years later, I went to a party at my friends place at SUNY Purchase. SUNY Purchase is a great place if you want to do a lot of drugs, drink, and get an art degree. Or in my case, do a lot of drugs, and drink with people getting art degrees. The party was at a condo style apartment on campus. Half a dozen people crammed into a three bedroom apartment, and none of them gay; which is a shame because that could really work out well/horribly for them. A few yards away from their building was a construction site with dozens of new such buildings in various states of construction and vandalism. Well, with construction materials around let me just start off the equation, and then elaborate on the solution.

a debilitating amount of cheap liquor + six foot copper pipe = Ball pipe.

Ready for it? Get a shot of something resembling cleaning fluid, cause this is going to be a bumpy ride.

Ball pipe is played with two drunk people and said pipe. Each player grabs one end of the pipe and wedges it into their balls. Yes, their balls. Then, the two players walk towards each other until someone gives up or the pipe bends.

and yes, it can bend.

For a time, I was a particularly fearsome ballpipe player. I participated in the first game of bare ballpipe. That is, no pants to cushion the crushing pain of ballpipe. I never gave up a game, bending each pipe bare or otherwise.

But a gentleman by the name of Don is the ultimate ballpipe champion. And in eons in the future there will be whole civilizations built around worship of Don.

He suffered grievous injury while playing the first game of streetpipe. This is played with a non-regulation ballpipe, this one found in a construction site in suburban Connecticut. The pipe went through Don's pants and through Don's scrotum, leading to a trip to the hospital and a number of stitches.

Don, I salute you and your streetpipe cohort Dan. You are both heroes and enoble all who hear your story.

so (e:peeps), can you resist playing ballpipe at the next drunken gathering you are at? I know I fight hard to resist it. I can't walk through the plumbing section of home depot without feeling the most joyous of pain.

Donbless you all.
fellyconnelly - 05/19/07 16:17
i reserved comment of the new journal entry about pussy until i read this one....

um... not that i have balls to worry about, but remind me not to come and get drunk with you.
jacob - 05/18/07 05:35
...I have no response to that.
mike - 05/17/07 18:42
that is one of the most insane things I have ever heard! I love it!
jason - 05/17/07 15:38
James, you have raised your own level of posting excellence yet again. Ballpipe, HA!

05/15/2007 21:01 #39298

To celebrate.
As you know, Jerry Falwell is dead and all is right with the world.

To celebrate here is a video of a demonic possessed little girl wrestling Japanese men.








I can't think of a more appropriate way to remember him. Other than a giant, wet shit.
joshua - 05/17/07 14:17
Fair enough - I completely agree that he polluted the discourse, and the 9/11 and Katrina things were absolutely shocking and hateful. I had to come back to leave another comment because talking about Jerry Falwell made me wonder why guys such as Jim Wallis have been less successful organizing more rational Christians into a voting block. The obvious answer is that the uberchristians are far more alarmed with social change and its "moral detriment to society" then Wallis' ilk are.

My hangup with organized religion is that its about being convinced that you are right and everyone else is wrong. I don't believe that Buddhists, or people otherwise unexposed to christianity, are condemned to hell by default. When Mr. Falwell met is maker, I seriously doubt the big man said, "Way to stick it to them gays, Jerry!"
james - 05/16/07 19:11
Joshua: No, he isn't Mao and he isn't Hitler. He did however pollute the national discourse for 30 years. He made it OK to organize and hate fags. The past two decades we have seen a decline in violent crimes across the country with the exception of those motivated by homophobia. We can thank Falwell in part because he organized and united what were isolated groups of ass holes. I am not glad that Jerry the human being is dead, I am glad that he as a mouthpiece of bigotry is dead. I did not know him on a personal level, but I am sure glad that he is gone on a national level.

Jason: No, it isn't an end to bigotry, but is the end of a force which organized and normalized that bigotry.

And Kerry sucked. Bush was riding high on a number of issues and Kerry's middle of the road crap didn't work. Kerry just didn't have an edge on a number of issues which were Bush's babies. It wasn't the policies. THe people who voted for Bush aren't typically people who benefit from his policies. But man, do they hate the gays and do they hate abortion. And that is how he won. Kerry certainly wasn't two term material anyway, so I am glad the Dems can clean house in '08 and the Republicans can take Jesus out of their ass and become a party with meaningful policy again.
jason - 05/16/07 13:27
Jerry was only one bigot, a drop in the bucket. I really doubt there are too many people in the USA who aren't bigots in some form or another. Falwell lives on in everyone who ever took to heart the BS he said about gays, and that's only a fraction of the total bigots in the USA. His death does nothing to end bigotry in this country, so I guess I don't understand what the champagne popping is about.

Phelps is of note to nobody except for people in the media who have designs of accusing every last Christian of being exactly like him, which perfectly explains why people like Michael Moore even bring it up. Nobody gives a shit. The guy's "church" consists of his family, and a couple of close friends. He is not as dangerous as Falwell because Falwell actually had a significant following, and a financially successful operation.

Now - as far as the political stuff is concerned - how shitty and unpalatable must the Democrats really be, if they can barely scrape by a majority going against one of the most unpopular Administrations and Congresses in recent memory? If everybody so loved the far-left agenda of John Kerry he's be in the office instead of Dub. The whole situation is a mess because the parties feel like they HAVE TO be extremists. That's where the money comes from.
joshua - 05/16/07 13:03
He was a bigot and I have always felt that it is hypocritical to complain about the imposition of social standards they don't agree with, yet turn around and desire to impose their own vision of morality.

I'm not particularly happy or sad that he's dead, although its particularly disturbing to find glee in someone elses passing. He was an asshole, but he wasn't Hitler or Mao. He was a radical in the same vein as many other radicals in our history, from both sides of the political spectrum. The dark side of the 1st Amendment is in our Jerry Falwells, and on the flipside, absolute fucking morons like Ward Churchill. Not many (perhaps none at all) were as influential as him. He was the first to take an unorganized segment of our culture and turn it into a dominant voting block - that in and of itself is a lesson in political organization that people are going to copy for a long time.
fellyconnelly - 05/16/07 12:49
oh man i love that part.... i would upload that as my user sound, but I have a feeling that would somehow be taken the wrong way...

and i do have to say that sometimes violence against uppity women is neccessary... (KIDDING!)
james - 05/16/07 12:43
I haven't seen that in years. I love it when Phelps says "oh mercy, here come the fags." He sounds like a grandfather, senile and confused.

Well, there are many, many ass holes to fill in for Falwell and Phelps and others. The largest church in washington state is run by a 30 something who preaches about the use of violence against fags, pro-choice folk, and uppity women.

such fun
fellyconnelly - 05/16/07 12:32
haha awesome videos...

I also just realized that I have lumped Falwell and Fred Phelps into one big asshole of a person. interesting. Hopefully Phelps will kick the ol bucket too...

that being said... you should check out this
:::link:::
wherein Michael Moore goes after Fred Phelps and it is hilarious.
james - 05/16/07 10:30
Well, the current political majority is Democrat. This country has had its majority of voters registered so since the good ol' days of FDR. Jerry we can thank though for radicalizing the republican party, bringing it way out of whack with th economic and political issues that matter to their constituency and instead working on the social ones.

Jerry has made a long career out of being an asshole.

Remember the tellatubies? Those giant puppets that danced or something in a kids TV program. Jerry called one of them the agent of the homosexual agenda to recrtuit god fearing children into a life of sodomy.

Jerry blamed 9/11 on feminists and homosexuals

Jerry called Hurricane Katrina god's judgment on a vice ridden city.

It is unclear why anyone would give this bloated fat carcass air time, as some exotic medical condition makes his mouth unable to spew anything but vile shit.

Jerry helped form "The moral majority" a group who wanted to put people in high ranking political jobs who would hate women, minorities, the homos, etc. And they were instrumental in getting Ronald Reagan elected.

So, I will take your warning about demon possession to heart. I am already lining my apartment with a ring of sage and salt.
jacob - 05/16/07 04:03
Ok, this may sound ignorant, but I had to google Jerry Falwell. And I can't say whether I care if he's dead. Tho, it seems that we can thank him for the current political majority. I guess what I'm saying is that you maybe able to exorcise the demon, but it can just come back in another body.

Only in Japan would they have a demon in WWF, or whatever their acronym is. Sweet vids.

05/12/2007 18:18 #39253

A question for your sporting types
So,


I am walking the dog and the (e:Jim) (I finally can trust him off the leash) around 6 today and I notice every other person out and about is wearing a Sabers jersey. From this I have gleaned that there is a game tonight, probably in an hour or so: enough time to get drunk at the bar so you feel comfortable shaking your tits every time we score a goal.

But, my question, is wearing a jersey to a game or game related event equivalent to wearing a t-shirt of the band that you are going to see. So, for example, if one were to wear a GWAR shirt to a GWAR show you would become "that person". Does it stand to reason that someone wearing a Sabers jersey to a Sabers sporting event also becomes "that person"?

Certainly, it feels that way. By wearing said band shirt to show you are saying "Hey, not only do I like the band so much I would see them play but I would also wear their shirt. I am a bigger fan than you." The Jersey says the same thing, a nice trump card/marketing-gimick when you are in a town who chears with one mind, one voice, one car horn rhythm.

So, does it work, or are the fields of music and sports too different to have such similarities (with the obvious exception of Eye of the Tiger, which can be played at any sporting event according to Emily Post)

kisses,

-James
jason - 05/16/07 13:32
James, the two are just different in this respect. The "cultures" of the two activities are different enough where the answers to what is socially acceptable deviate greatly.
fellyconnelly - 05/14/07 00:42
ah yes... a hotly debated sports subject... i say its a bonding experience, but lauren would speak of 'group mentality'
metalpeter - 05/13/07 10:44
I think the thing with a jersey is that it is a way to support the team that you follow. But at the same time it can also be a statement about who you like and what team you support or maybe even a player. For example the sabres there are a lot of jerseys being worn but not all for the same player. Some people like miller or Peters or who ever there favorite player is. So when they wear that they are saying this is who i like on the team so they are making a statement about one of there favortie players. If it is the home team of the city you live in it can be sord of a way to conform. I think a lot of us just want to be part of something. But it can also be kinda a way to show support for someone not from the city that you like and maybe a way to rebel a little bit. For example My favorite Football Play was Jerry Rice and I have his jersey. I'm a 49ers fan but I also like the Raiders and was a big Marcus Allan (e or a I allways fuck that one up). For me to wear that kinda says that I'm in Buffalo but I'm a west coast guy. But to wear that at a Bills game when they are playing one of those teams would be traitors and might get dangerous. So If i thought the bills suck why not wear a Jersey of another team I like. I jersey is also a way to identify people like your self and in that you can feal like you belong to something bigger. The best example I can think of was on Saturday the National Lacrosse League had there championship game and it was in Arizona the sting lost to the rochester Knight Hawks. After the game was over they showed people in Knight Hawk Jerseys (that is one long trip to see a lacrosse game). My point is that all the knight hawk fans where united by seeing each other in those jerseys.

james - 05/13/07 10:22
I can't say what the motive behind jersey wearing is. I haven't been to a sporting event since I was too young to say no (sporting is a fine and lovely thing to go see, I am sure. I would just rather become a be thrown to a pit of werehogs.) I recall being dismissive about wearing of band shirts at band's show.

If wearing a jersey has some sort of transcendental quality about it, then awesome. I was hoping my hypothesis would be wrong.
mrmike - 05/13/07 08:39
I don't there is so much an "in your face" aspect of it. There are common threads in that tossing on the shirt or the jersey is just a way of participating. It's good for the soul to sometimes lose yourself in something bigger than any one person. Throwing on a garment of whatever variety is just an individual way of joining in a bigger thing.
james - 05/12/07 23:17
Peter:
"To me is just says that you have enough money to get a jersey"

lol, right on man.

MK:

I went to see a portugese band Moonspell once. They were opening for this horrendous band Cradle of Filth. Good lord. Had I owned a Moonspell shirt I totaly would have worn it to show a little support for a much more talented band.
mk - 05/12/07 19:21
it's a good point. i personally hate when people wear the t-shirt of the band they are seeing. i don't really know why, i just always have. i always thought it was cooler to have a shirt of the possibly lesser-known opening band. anyway i think it is better to wear a jersey to a game. seems like its just a way of showing your spirit, and i would not look down on people wearing jerseys the same way i would of people wearing band t-shirts to a concert.
metalpeter - 05/12/07 19:12
Good thinking I like how you compare sports to music. Firstly having a jersey doesn't say that you are more of a fan than someone else. To me it just says that you have enough money to get a Jersey. I wanted to get and old style (blue and gold) Ryan Miller Jersey but never got one. I did however get a Bandits Jersey (being a season ticket and former season ticket holder years ago) I needed a New One anyways. I have to admit that I do have a couple Hockey Jerseys that aren't the sabres. But I also have to admit my second favorite team is The Penguins and I have none of there Jerseys. The only Jersey I have with a Name on it is Gretkzy or how ever you spell it. I wish I could have found his with the Statue of Liberty but I couldn't find that one.

The thing with wearing shirts of a band you like is a little different. Yes you can go to Spencers or Hot Topic or a music store and find the shirt of a band you like. But what if that band you like you don't support them really. What if you use lime wire and just download all there music and they don't get a dime from ya? Are you really a bigger fan then the guy like me who Buys the CD then goes to see them when they are in town and then buys merch and takes pictures on his camera phone at the show.

Now in terms of a concert shirt then that just means you have seen the band before. I think it is good to profess your band. I guess a good example of this is my self and (e:ladycroft) . I like 30 seconds to mars and have the shirt you see in the user picture. But she in my opinion is a much bigger fan of the band then I am. I went to EDGEFEST to see them and a bunch of other bands she just went to see them. I know she has also traveled to see them and I never have. I know she went to see there acustic set out at the mall and I kinda forgot about going. So just because you have the shirt doesn't mean you think are a bigger fan.

I hope others chime in on this, it is a good compairison to look deeper into.

05/10/2007 12:21 #39223

School is fucking out
Yesterday I took my last final, handed in a butt load of papers, and schmoozed with a soon to be beloved professor.

This summer I have no classes to take or school reading to get ahead with. With only work planned I have so much free time.

So what have I done so far?

Since the week started I have had a lot of wine, several martinis and a beer.

This does not bode well.

Last night I took it easy. I sat at my computer. With no paper to write, no information to look up, no school's library website to curse at like a wounded sailor I just... stared...at...the...screen...*drool*

I researched video games I could play.

Is that it for me?

Come home from work, stir a martini up, and rot my brains into consumer submission?



If you don't hear from me it is because I am in some alcoholic stupor near an overheated Wii.
james - 05/10/07 19:16
I just canceled my WOW account. I have been doing endgame stuff for several months now and I just don't feel like giving up six hours at a time to raid and do other endgame stuff. If I play for more than an hour I get super cranky and am intolerable to live with. So, I will have to find some other activity to do while fueled with vodka (or gin preferably)
carolinian - 05/10/07 18:47
You could always engage (e:terry) in a vodka-fueled WoW grudge match.
james - 05/10/07 18:03
Mike: Cheers

Jason: I am violently allergic to both headwear and fruits used as clothing. I discovered this when wearing a coconut bra*... wait... this story ends now.



  • I have never worn such an article.
jason - 05/10/07 16:38
You could always make some hockey helmets out of watermelon and roll down to the Sabres party. Shit, I should never have given that idea up!
mike - 05/10/07 15:27
nothing wrong wiht alcoholic stupors!

05/07/2007 22:58 #39197

I was the turkey all along
Jim and i have been watching Invader Zim from netflix. When this show was on TV i was usually drunk or stoned and couldn't quite comprehend it's delights. This was one of my favorite moments and I would love to share it with you in all its VHS ripped glory.