Not Your Mainstream Novels: The Anomalies and Torture the Artist by Joey Goebel

Way back in another life, I worked at a children’s publishing house in New York City. One of the perks was people who worked at other publishing houses would trade review copies of books with us, and people would put the ones they didn’t want in boxes around the building. The books inside were free… Continue reading Not Your Mainstream Novels: The Anomalies and Torture the Artist by Joey Goebel

Great Minds Think Alike (And They Don’t)

As a follower of (too) many atheist Facebook pages, I heard about the book The Believing Brain by Michael Shermer last year. This book’s purpose was to explain why some people believe in God and some don’t. As someone who decided at the age of five that there was no such thing as a god,… Continue reading Great Minds Think Alike (And They Don’t)

Valient Thorr: On Earth to Help

  In a world where rock music has devolved into coiffed dudes with tribal armbands crying about their girlfriends, Valient Thorr is a blast of Thin-Lizzy-Lynyrd-Skynyrd-Motorhead kick-ass telling those dudes to wake the hell up. Since their Venusian spacecraft crashed in North Carolina in the early 2000s, they’ve been bringing true rock n roll to… Continue reading Valient Thorr: On Earth to Help

My Lifelong Struggle with Metal Trivia

  At work, we talk a lot about how important it is for students to have background knowledge of influential people and important historical events – in other words, “No, sweetie, Michelle Obama’s mother couldn’t possibly have been a slave BECAUSE THE CIVIL WAR ENDED IN 1865!”  I’m finding that background knowledge is also helpful… Continue reading My Lifelong Struggle with Metal Trivia

STOP TELLING ME THINGS! The Art of Screaming at TVs

Every time it’s the same. I’ll go to a friend’s house, sit down on his comfortable couch, and proceed to yell comically at the television. My screaming isn’t directed at just a particular show or commercial, and sometimes it comes without warning. To be honest, it’s really just to get a laugh or assert my… Continue reading STOP TELLING ME THINGS! The Art of Screaming at TVs