The People Who Stole Christmas

CHARLIE BROWN: “I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus. Christmas is coming, but I'm not happy. I don't feel the way I'm supposed to feel… I just don't understand Christmas, I guess. I like getting presents and sending Christmas cards and decorating trees and all that, but I'm still not happy. I always end up feeling depressed.”

LINUS VAN PELT: “Charlie Brown, you're the only person I know who can take a wonderful season like Christmas and turn it into a problem. Maybe Lucy's right. Of all the Charlie Browns in the world, you're the Charlie Browniest.”

Well, It’s Christmas Eve and I still don’t feel Christmassy. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not a Grinch, I love Christmas, it’s my favorite time of the year. Being a Grinch is so year 2000. (Yeah, I said 2000 because that’s the year the Ron Howard film came out) (No, I don’t think people who call themselves “grinches” have ever seen the 1966 Chuck Jones animated short, much less read the 1957 children’s book ‘Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas’). But, this has never happened to me. I believe it was the selfish materialistic consumer people who ruined it for me this year. They just sucked all the fun out of it. What ever happened to giving and not expecting something in return, or, receiving something and just being grateful?

But also, being depressed on Christmas time is so passé. So, fuck it! If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. Time to eat and drink all night like a good ol’ Mexican!

Maybe the next generation will take back Christmas. I hope. So, I dedicate this little bit of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” to my nephews. This is an example of what a letter to Santa Claus should NOT be like:

SALLY: “I've been looking for you, big brother. Will you please write a letter to Santa Claus for me?”

CHARLIE BROWN: “Well, I don't have much time. I'm supposed to get down to the school auditorium to direct a Christmas play.”

SALLY: “You write it and I'll tell you what I want to say.”

CHARLIE BROWN: “Okay, shoot.”

SALLY: “Dear Santa Claus, How have you been? Did you have a nice summer? … How is your wife? I have been extra good this year, so I have a long list of presents that I want.”

CHARLIE BROWN: “Oh brother.”

SALLY: “Please note the size and color of each item, and send as many as possible. If it seems too complicated, make it easy on yourself: just send money. How about tens and twenties?”

CHARLIE BROWN: “TENS AND TWENTIES? Oh, even my baby sister!”

SALLY: “All I want is what I... I have coming to me. All I want is my fair share.”

Merry Christmas!

Excuse Me While I Pimp My Comic

Wow! 10 comic strips already?! Time goes by fast. I guess “10” is a good number to talk a little bit about this project. Well, the ‘Nerdmigos’ webcomic is actually about my group of friends and the stuff we talk about when we get together, or funny stories that have happened to us in our journey through geek culture. It’s not exactly biographical, but more a parody of us, since we always say that our lives feel like a sitcom. Kinda like “The Big Bang Theory,” but without sexy Kaley Cuoco and the doctorate degrees. So, what started as a little inside joke among friends, has turned into a weekly writing and drawing exercise for me, which I’m having a lot of fun with. It’s also a way of promoting my friends, who are some of the most creative people I know. So, be sure to check out their work (you can find their links listed at the site). Ideas for future installments keep popping up, so stay tuned. I guess that if I ever run out of ideas, I can always start doing ‘Nerdmigos Babies’ or ‘Nerdmigos In Space,’ or some half-assed shit like that, but I’m still a long ways from that. You can read ‘Nerdmigos’ every week at nerdmigos.blogspot.com (where you can also find a Spanish version of the strip), and also at Webcomics Nation (which I personally find easier to read). If you have a Facebook account, please drop by the Nerdmigos Facebook Page and say hi.

P.S. Thanks to all of the Nerdmigos for giving me something to write and doodle about.

¡Órale! ¡¿10 historietas ya?! El tiempo se va rápido. Supongo que “10” es un buen número para hablar un poco sobre este proyecto. Bueno, el webcómic ‘Nerdmigos’ se trata de mi grupo de amigos y de lo que hablamos cuando nos reunimos, o las historias divertidas que nos han sucedido en nuestro viaje a través de la cultura ‘geek.’ No es exactamente biográfico, sino más bien una parodia de nosotros, ya que siempre decimos que nuestras vidas se sienten como una comedia de TV. Más o menos como “The Big Bang Theory”, pero sin la sexy Kaley Cuoco y los títulos de doctorado. Entonces, lo que comenzó como una broma entre compas, se ha convertido en un ejercicio semanal de escritura y dibujo para mí, con el cual me estoy divirtiendo mucho. También es una manera de promover a mis amigos, que son algunas de las personas más creativas que conozco. Así que, los invito a ver su trabajo (pueden encontrar sus enlaces listados en el sitio). Las ideas para futuras instalaciones siguen brotando, así que sigan en sintonía. Me imagino que si algún día me quedo sin ideas, puedo empezar a hacer ‘Bebés Nerdmigos’ o ‘Nerdmigos en el espacio’, o alguna mamada por el estilo, pero, todavía falta mucho para eso. Pueden leer ‘Nerdmigos’ cada semana en nerdmigos.blogspot.com (donde también pueden encontrar una versión en español de la tira), y también en Webcomics Nation (que personalmente me parece más fácil leer). Si tienen cuenta en Facebook, por favor cáiganle a la Página Facebook de Nerdmigos y digan hola.

P.S. Gracias a todos los Nerdmigos por darme algo que escribir y garabatear.

Revolution?

Foto: La Jornada

Okay, so, today we celebrate the anniversary of the Mexican Revolution, which started in 1910 and lasted about a decade. There’s not much left to celebrate these days though. The Mexican Constitution of 1917, produced by the revolution’s representatives (a socialist constitution, but, shhh, don’t tell anyone), has been shit on to this very day in the Wacky World of Mexican Politics. The established order that the revolutionaries fought against never really disappeared, it has just been changing faces over the years. All of this should inspire the Mexican people to revolt again, or at least be inspired towards change and progress, but no. It seems that the only thing that this day inspires is having an extra day off from work. For some stupid reason, the Mexican Revolution official day off was changed from Friday, November 20 to Monday, November 16. But then, Mexican legislators proposed that we should have the 16 AND the 20 off from work. Yeah, the country is struggling to survive in every aspect, but the Mexican people want too skip work and party. Why would we want an extra day off, anyway? We don’t have any money to spend. Fortunately, The Senate rejected the proposal and Mexicans had the day off on Monday the 16th… and half-ass worked on Friday the 20th.

Bueno, pues, hoy celebramos el aniversario de la revolución mexicana, que comenzó en 1910 y duró como una década. Sin embargo, no queda mucho para celebrar actualmente. Hasta la fecha, en el mundo chistosito de la política mexicana, se han cagado en la constitución mexicana de 1917, producida por los representantes de la revolución (una constitución socialista, pero, shhh, no le digan a nadie). La orden establecida que los revolucionarios combatieron realmente nunca desapareció, sólo ha cambiado de caras durante los años. Todo esto debería inspirar a la gente mexicana a rebelarse otra vez, o por lo menos ser inspirada hacia el cambio y el progreso, pero no. Parece que la única cosa que este día inspira es tener un día libre del trabajo adicional. Por alguna estúpida razón, el día libre oficial de la revolución mexicana fue cambiado del viernes 20 de noviembre al lunes 16 de noviembre. Pero después, los legisladores mexicanos propusieron que tuviéramos el 16 Y el 20 para descansar del trabajo. Así es, el país está luchando para sobrevivir en todos los aspectos, pero la gente mexicana no quiere ir a trabajar e irse de fiesta. Además, a todo esto, ¿por qué querríamos un día libre adicional? No tenemos dinero para gastar. Afortunadamente, el senado rechazó la propuesta y los mexicanos descansaron el lunes 16… y trabajaron con güeva el viernes 20.

Pearl Jam in San Diego

Photo by Karen Loria

What a great Pearl Jam show last Friday night!!! They played a selection of everything from greatest hits, to lesser known gems and rarities, to cover songs, to almost half the songs from their latest album ‘Backspacer.’ And best of all, no politics rants! They really made a point in the previous albums/tours to talk about how that fucking George W. Bush was the worst president, but I’m glad he is out of office, because Pearl Jam can have fun now.

The first surprise of the night was definitely when Eddie Vedder joined opening act Ben Harper and Relentless7 for a cover of Queen’s “Under Pressure.” It was amazing! Right after the song, Ben Harper said, “That’ll teach them for coming late to the show.” I totally agree. I’m so sorry for everyone who was outside the venue when this unique moment happened.

The next surprise was that as soon as Pearl Jam took the stage, they started rocking hard. I had become accustomed to Pearl Jam starting their concerts with one of their slower songs, but this time they started with “Last Exit,” one of my favorite songs from their ‘Vitalogy’ album, and they continued rocking hard through most of the main set. Before starting “Amongst The Waves” Ed said, “If you’re a surfer you’ll understand the song... If you are in love you’ll understand... If you’re a surfer in love... it’ll blow your fucking mind.” It’s such an amazing song. I wasn’t sure about “Johnny Guitar” from the new album. I know it’s a great rock song, but maybe not one of Pearl Jam’s best. But it turned out that it sounds great live. My favorite song from the new album is “Unthought Known” and it sounds awesome live. “Parachutes” was a nice surprise. Before starting, Ed said that he was probably going to fuck up the lyrics, since they don’t get to play this song too often. And he did, but only in one verse. Someone in the first row was helping Ed remember the lyrics, but the song still sounded great. I was glad they played “Daughter,” because they didn’t play it last time they came to San Diego. The main set closed with one of the best renditions of “Rearviewmirror” I’ve heard live.

The first encore was great. “The End” had been played accompanied by a string section in previous shows, but this time it was stripped down to just Ed solo on acoustic guitar, and it was just excellent and moving. Ben Harper joined the band on slide guitar for “Red Mosquito.” First time I’ve heard that one live. After the song, the band paused to sing “Happy Birthday” to Lulu, the sound guy’s daughter, along with the audience, and then dedicated “Given To Fly” to her.

Just when everybody was starting to wind down after the first encore and was getting ready to say goodbye, the band came back for a second kick-ass action-packed encore! Ed said, “It’s the last night [of the first leg of the tour], we don’t have anywhere else to go.” And they jumped directly into “Why Go,” “Black,” and “Betterman,” followed by Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing” (joined by Ed and Matt’s music old instructors from San Diego) and The Byrds’ “So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star,” during which Ed told a story of when he used to work at a gas station in San Diego, and said to his former boss, who was in the audience, “that job was great… but, this job I have right now… I am never gonna give it up!” But then, with “Yellow Ledbetter,” it was time to say goodbye for the night. The band gave their all and the audience was so energetic.

I had a sore throat all weekend…

Awesome show!

Here’s the complete set list:

San Diego Viejas Arena, Oct 09, 2009

Set 1
•Last Exit
•Corduroy
•Severed Hand
•Brain Of J.
•Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town
•Amongst The Waves
•Johnny Guitar
•Even Flow
•Unthought Known
•Parachutes
•Daughter
•I Got Id
•You Are
•Force of Nature
•Got Some
•Do The Evolution
•Rearviewmirror

Encore 1
•The End
•Red Mosquito
•Happy Birthday (To Lulu)
•Given To Fly
•Last Kiss
•The Fixer
•Life Wasted

Encore 2
•Why Go
•Black
•Better Man (Save it for Later)
•Little Wing
•So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star
•Alive
•Yellow Ledbetter (The Star-Spangled Banner)

NOTE: "Red Mosquito" featured Ben Harper on guitar. "Little Wing" featured John Szantos and Bud Whitcomb on guitar and drums.

Click here for more photos.

San Diego 2009 Poster

My Top 10 Favorite Moments in Comics

I wish I could read more comic books, but these are my favorite moments from what I’ve read over the years:

WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW!

10. Don’t look back you idiot! Neil Gaiman’s re-telling of The Song of Orpheus in “Sandman Special #1.”

9. Kick-Ass gets his ass kicked on his first day as a masked hero in “Kick-Ass #1.”

8. Superman fucks Wonder Woman’s brains out in ‘The Dark Knight Strikes Again.’

7. An awesome “what if” story from “Star Wars: Visionaries” where a cyborg Darth Maul attacks the Lars Homestead in Tatooine to bring Obi-Wan Kenobi out of hiding.

6. ‘Kingdom Come’ is awesome in many ways, but my favorite is this quiet epilogue moment between Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman.

5. Zorratastic Casey Hack getting it on with a hot girl in… well, any issue of “Hack/Slash” where Casey gets it on with a hot girl.

4. Marv gets the chair in ‘Sin City: The Hard Goodbye.’

3. The Joker shooting Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) and leaving her paralyzed in ‘The Killing Joke’ was shocking, but, what comes afterwards, The Joker fucking with Commissioner Gordon’s mind in order to “prove a point,” is just disturbing.

2. “Do it!” Rorschach’s last moments in ‘Watchmen.’

1. Lobo reviews portfolios for wannabe comic book artists at a comic convention and then gives the poor bastards an anatomy class they will never forget in “Lobo: Convention Special #1.”

Share if you like it!

Pearl Jam's 'Backspacer'

Every time I’ve heard a new Pearl Jam album, my immediate reaction has been, “what the hell was that?” (Well, maybe except for ‘Ten,’ which was love at first listen). But then the songs start growing on me after listening to the album again and again, until I find myself singing along and loving the whole thing. And then you hear the songs played live, and you experience how the tunes evolve from studio recording to live performance, and at that moment you just get why the songs are what they are on the record. I had become accustomed to listening to their records this way, but I have to say that, with ‘Backspacer,’ it’s the first time I hear a Pearl Jam album where things click right from the first time. It’s not a perfect album (“Speed of Sound” and “The End,” although beautiful songs, seemed odd with the rest of the album, at least after the first time), but it’s definitely Pearl Jam’s most straightforward, upbeat, and shortest record to date. And that’s a good thing. If the album’s title refers to the “backspace” key of an old typewriter, which basically means taking a step back and fixing your past mistakes, then, I have to say, Pearl Jam’s got their rock mojo back. The album’s 3-song jump-start (“Gonna See My Friend,” “Got Some,” and “The Fixer”) is just brilliant. Some of the album’s rockers like “Johnny Guitar,” “Supersonic,” and the more mid-tempo “Force of Nature” have such a fun classic 80’s rock feel to them. The highlights for me were the album’s centerpieces “Just Breathe,” “Amongst The Waves,” and “Unthought Known.” They gave me goose bumps. Another treat was Tom Tomorrow’s album artwork, which I loved. You can see that a lot of though was put into these illustrations, and the cover art stands out as one of Pearl Jam’s best. It’s just a great record to listen to. Check it out.

Cada vez que he escuchado un nuevo álbum de Pearl Jam, mi reacción inmediata ha sido, “qué demonios fue eso?” (Bueno, quizá con la excepción de ‘Ten', que fue amor a la primera escuchada). Pero luego las canciones comienzan a crecer en mí después de escuchar el álbum repetidas veces, hasta que me la paso cantando y me gusta todo el disco. Y después uno escucha las canciones en vivo, y se aprecia cómo las rolas evolucionan de una grabación en estudio a una interpretación en vivo, y en ese momento uno comprende por qué las canciones son como son en el disco. Ya me había acostumbrado a escuchar sus discos de esta manera, pero tengo que decir que, con ‘Backspacer’, es la primera vez que escucho un álbum de Pearl Jam donde me enganchan a la primera vez. No es un álbum perfecto (“Speed of Sound” y “The End,” aunque son canciones hermosas, se escuchan raras con el resto del álbum, por lo menos después de la primera vez), pero definitivamente sí es el disco de Pearl Jam más directo, más optimista, y más corto hasta la fecha. Y eso es algo bueno. Si el título del álbum se refiere a la “tecla de retroceso” de una máquina de escribir vieja, que básicamente significa regresarse y corregir nuestros últimos errores, entonces, tengo que decir Pearl Jam ha recuperado su magia. El arrancón de 3 canciones del álbum (“Gonna See My Friend,” “Got Some,” y “The Fixer ") es genial. Algunas canciones rockeras del álbum como “Johnny Guitar,” “Supersonic,” y la más tranquila “Force of Nature” se sienten como ese rock clásico y divertido de los ochenta. Los puntos culminantes para mí fueron las piezas centrales del álbum “Just Breathe,” “Amongst The Waves,” y “Unthought Known.” Se me puso la piel de gallina. Otro regalo fueron las ilustraciones del álbum de Tom Tomorrow, que me gustaron mucho. Se ve que se puso mucho empeño en la creación de estas ilustraciones, y el arte de la portada se destaca como uno los mejores de Pearl Jam. Es un buen disco. Búsquenlo.

Nerdmigos Webcomic Starts at 33

Here's the first strip for my webcomic, "Nerdmigos".  It's titled "33" :)

Check out more Nerdmigos webcomics at nerdmigos.blogspot.com.

Más webcomics de los Nerdmigos en nerdmigos.blogspot.com. También en español.