Back at Covenant some friends and I used to frequent Ultimate Extreme Wrestling (UEW to the initiated).
Now I know what you're thinking. Wrestling? Isn't that all mulletts and Camaros and beer and stuff?
Absolutely.
We went there with our irony in full force, make no mistake. At one of the half-time raffles, I won a candle that looked like a mug of beer for cryin' out loud. Of course it was crass and loud and stupid.
But it was so much fun.
The place was basically a small warehouse in which someone had built a wrestling ring, hired local rednecks to wear spandex and theatrically pretend that they were pummeling each other, and charged $6 at the door.
Anyway, Bo Lancaster bought a rock/rap/ballad album made by Hulk Hogan. See the info here.
This thing is so lame, words fail me.
Check out some of these lyrics. I can still hear Hulk's raspy sterioded vocals rapping these immortal lines to "Hulkster's Back."
CHORUS
Yo Ted Turner, you wanna arm wrestle?
What's up, dawg?
Check out the pump, chump!
Riding my Harley D in the wind, brother
Test the power!
Traning, prayers, and vitamins
Oooh...look at that new vein in my tricep
and who could forget
I Want to be a Hulkamaniac
Have fun with my family and friends
If you want to be a Hulkamaniac
I can sure tell you how to stay on track
You gotta train, say your prayers, eat your vitamins too
These are all the things that Maniacs do
I'm sure Hulk had the sincerest of motives when writing this gem for one of his cancer-stricken English fans who's dying wish was to meet the famous wrestler. Check out these lines from from his heartfelt ballad "Hulkster in Heaven."
I read it in the papers, I saw it on TV
I guess there'll be one empty seat when I wrestle at Wimbely
I used to tear my shirt, but now you've torn my heart
I knew you were a Hulkamaniac right from the very start
You were my friend
I'll see you again
When the Hulkster comes to Heaven
We'll tag up again
The world just lost another Hulkamaniac
I wish Hulk's love could bring you back again
Two of my favorite writers, Sarah Vowell and David Sedaris, are appearing together in a reading at UCLA.
That's way too far away.
If you don't know them, you've probably seen David Sedaris' sister, Amy.
Check this out. I heard about it on the local NPR station. It's awesome to think that you could pick up any phone and get Fidel Castro.
I realize that Castro is a bad person and is responsible for political excecutions and things like that, but for me he has always been a very romantic, larger that life figure. Think of the stories this guy could tell. Landing the Granma under fire, toughing it out with Che, starting a government from a bunch of idealistic punks. Maybe this is what he talks about in his frequent 4 hour speeches. I don't know. My bud Scott and I desparately want to get to Marina Hemingway and Havana before Castro croaks and you can just take a ferry to eat at McDonalds in Havana comes in.
Don't even try mentioning Castro without saying how lame he is at least three times if the topic ever comes up while talking to Peter Gay. Dude'll rip your head off.
Did you hear about the Tornado a few weeks back? Sarah-Ginny was heading to an afternoon class at PBA in West Palm and she saw some leaves spinning on the shoulder of the freeway and suddenly there was a massive funnel cloud RIGHT THERE. Like 40 feet away. She could feel it shaking the car. She said it sounded like a locomotive, just like they say.
School had just let out and my phone rang and I heard all of this screaming and couldn't make out a word. I thought that it was a prank call, as I had a run in with an emotional and furious 7th grade girl that day (don't ask) but occasionally I heard a sound that might've been Sarah's voice. Pretty freaky.
So I told her to stop under a bridge and I left and picked her up. The radio was blaring that emergency weather announcement the whole time. She was really shaken up.
Dude.
P.S. Megan, I heard from your mom that you are about to graduate and then move to Chattanooga. Thanks for keeping me in the loop. Are you going to come down here and hang out at all? When is Emily out of school? Is she staying in Gainesville or coming down here?
Marvin Olasky posted something interesting on the World Mag blog recently about something that I've thought for a while. I can think of a number of people I know who are registered independents or Republicans who would join the Dems but for the party's ceaseless hostility toward pro-lifers.
I myself find myself regularly sympathetic to a number of positions and policies of the Democratic party but am unable to reconcile Biblical truths with abortion.
Olasky mentions an interesting editorial by Nat Hentoff (arguably the nation's foremost expert on the first amendment and things of that sort-plus I dig his first name) in which he sees the Democrats as turning away many potential members conservative on moral issues and perhaps more progressive on mending social ills.
I am Nat and I approve this message.
P.S. On a somewhat related note check out this about the church's need to change the way we see environmentalism. I've recently read Schaeffer's Pollution and the Death of Man and his thoughts on the issue are startling, unorthodox and dead right.