How To Stay Anxiety-Free Even Though That Fan Above Your Bed Is Wobbly as Fuck

Posted on by Jonah Nink

It’s hard to stay anxiety-free in our crazy world. Whether it’s the newest national tragedy, workplace havoc, or trouble at home, it may often feel impossible to avoid an anxious mindset. Thankfully there are strategies to help keep your mind at peace, though they’re all mostly moot because that fan above your bed is wobbly as hell and definitely going to fall and kill you.

Maintaining a healthy mindset also means keeping yourself physically healthy. Staying active, eating right, and seeing a physician regularly are a must for keeping in shape. You should also get plenty of sleep. But how is that possible when this flailing fan has a goddamn death wish?

Be adventurous! Even small changes in scenery can do wonders for your mental wellness. For instance, instead of sleeping underneath the 35 lbs of whirling metal dangling a short eight-foot drop from your skull, spend the night on the living room couch.

Surround yourself with friends and family that you can rely on for support. Having a strong network of people who see you for the great person you are can be lifesaving, unlike the fan, which sees itself as a hammer and you as a fucking nail, buddy.

It’s important to recognize when you’re caught in a loop of anxious thinking. It starts small with a simple thought like, “Fuck, did my landlord hang this fan up with glue and tampons? Why does it sound like a blender filled with marbles and baby ducks?”

If you find yourself in mental freefall, try to take a breath and rationalize the situation.
For example, instead of saying, “I’m just going to lay here and wait for this fan to fall and shatter every single bone in my body because, like Sisyphus, my life will never amount to anything but suffering and disappointment,” use short, declarative statements like, “I’m going to turn off the fan.”

Any progress is progress. Set simple daily goals for yourself. It could be as basic as going to the store and buying one of those tower fans. Just don’t think about why they cost $70 for some reason.

Review: Neck Deep “Rain in July”

Posted on by Joe Rumrill

This week we’ve decided to take a look at Welsh pop-punk luminaries Neck Deep and their debut EP “Rain in July.” For this review, we’ll be employing our brand new metric for musical effectiveness: how well the song can be covered by the average high school marching band. With that in mind, let’s take a listen!

Kicking off with the aptly titled “Kick It”, we have an instant knock against it, as it starts with a “Back To The Future” sample which is notoriously hard to replicate with wind instruments while in formation. Not that I haven’t seen it done, but you better believe me when I say that instance was with some damn fine flugelhorn players…I’m talking top-tier. Regionals ready.

Next song “Silver Lining” might be tough too. This one is gonna be pretty tough on the ol’ drumline. Better hope your rototom guys have it in them to get these fills correct. A good one to get the team going, though: it’ll have the crowd asking John Philip WHO-sa?

Speaking of questions, we’ll move on to another game day ripper “What Did You Expect?” Folks, picturing these beautiful, earnest lyrics converted into the various root-toot-tooting of horns has tears welling up in my eyes. We’d better hope the sousaphones have their parts memorized, because they’re not going to be able to see any sheet music through their weeping.

This brings us to “Over and Over” which I’ll respectfully skip, as the crowd would be ignoring the marching band at this point to get the wave started. No shame in that; you simply gotta respect the bonding power of the wave.

Though I’d envy the ninth-grade girl who got to solo the piccolo part representing Laura Whiteside’s harmony vocals on “A Part of Me”, we’ve gotta give a disqualification to this song. There’s piano on this track, and have you ever tried marching with one of those? Good way to throw your back out at age 15 and then deal with that injury for the rest of your life. No thanks!

The final two tracks are totally doable, and if done in tandem with the choreographed comedic romping of the costumed mascot (I’m picturing some kind of “fightin’ oyster”) it could really be a thing of beauty. Go team go…this July game won’t be called on account of rain.

Score: 4/4 time signature, but watch the drum majors for the tempo

/**/

Beatdown Hardcore Show Vibe Affected by Jane Goodall Observing From Corner and Taking Notes

Posted on by Joe Rumrill

LOMBARD, Ill. — The typically tough-as-nails beatdown band Rank and File were reportedly thrown off their game at a recent show at the Gulch when they noticed famous primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall hidden in the corner taking notes, weirded-out sources confirmed.

“Man, she just really got me in my head. I’d try to move on to the next song, and I’d notice her in my peripheral vision, just scribbling away in that notebook. I got really self-conscious with her there, it made it difficult for me to remember some of my mosh calls like ‘fuck this place up’ or ‘this is your last chance,’” said Rank and File frontman C.T. Peters. “It totally ruined the vibe of the show, you could tell everyone was aware of her presence and were second-guessing their actions in the pit because of it. Reminded me of the time long ago when Steve Irwin did a TV segment during one of our sets.”

Attendees of the show echoed Peters’ statements and felt the presence of Goodall affected their attention.

“Oh, of course I noticed her there in the corner with her little pad. First of all, you don’t normally see any octogenarians at hardcore shows, and if you do they’re usually lost and trying to find their way out,” said local crew member Merle Geffen. “But my attention went straight to Goodall that night because, well, I’m a huge fan. I really admire her, read all her books. I couldn’t pay attention at all to my friends onstage, I was fighting the urge to lumber up to Dr. Goodall and ask her to sign the copy of ‘Seeds of Hope’ I always keep in my messenger bag.”

Goodall seemed almost embarrassed that her presence at the show was so widely recognized.

“I meant the punks no harm with my observance, I simply wanted to better understand their chugging riffs, their distorted vocals…their way of life, really,” said Goodall before noting the moshing ritual bore a striking resemblance to chimpanzee behavior. “They were fascinating subjects and I strove to gain their eventual acceptance. It saddens me that my presence indeed threw off any vibe there may have been. I realize, through my analysis, how crucial and delicate a vibe can be.”

“But now I must leave in peace, though I do hope to continue my research again someday,” Goodall opined. “In fact, maybe next week when they play the VFW with Shin Splinter.”

At press time, the owner of the Gulch wished Goodall would come back and retrieve the chimpanzee she left there.

The Next Patrick Bateman? This Guy Has a Skincare Routine

Posted on by Zach Hudson

There’s something off about Josh, and it isn’t his impossibly perfect skin. This guy is glowing, there’s no denying that. But behind that blemish-free face, a monster surely lurks, for there’s only one other man we can think of with a skincare routine as long as Josh’s. We’re talking of course about Patrick Bateman.

We don’t want to jump to any conclusions here, but any man who puts on hydrochloric acid twice a day definitely has at least one woman’s head in his freezer.

It’s not normal man, just splash some cold water on your face at night like the rest of us. We can’t even pronounce half the shit he puts on his face throughout the week.

We keep our wives far away from this guy. Not because we’re insecure! It’s just in case our hunch that Josh is a murderer is correct and has nothing to do with how objectively attractive and charming he is.

To the average person, Josh probably appears to be a normal guy with a 9-5 job and ethereal skin. But we’re not buying it. He’s got a dark secret, perhaps multiple. One time our friend Tyler saw him in Sephora when he was out shopping with his girlfriend. Josh was there by himself, reading every ingredient on every product he picked up. You don’t have that sort of attention to detail unless you have disposed of multiple bodies.

You can’t be smart, funny, successful, and have absolutely radiant skin without having murdered at least one person in cold blood. We’ll bet anything that when he’s out “volunteering with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program” he’s actually cutting multiple people up with a chainsaw.

Josh does have a concerning amount of knowledge about power tools. Yeah, sure it came in super handy when he offered to fix our deck for free. But thinking back, he was probably just scouting it out to see if he could hide a body under there.

It’s not because we’re insecure. We’ve just seen enough movies and television to know what to look for.

To be fair he is fun to hang out with, when he isn’t running late that is. The other day he showed up to happy hour half an hour late because he forgot when we were meeting and had already applied a mask, which we think is his version of “returning some video tapes.”

White Guy at Grocery Store Wondering Which Hot Sauce An Anti-Racist Would Buy

Posted on by Noah Leavy

BOULDER, Colo. — Local white man Jacob Foley spent over twenty minutes deciding which hot sauce purchase would best reflect the fact that he opposes racism, confirmed multiple confused witnesses who just wanted to grab some Frank’s RedHot.

“I’ve been reflecting on how to be a more active participant in the struggle for racial equality,” explained Foley, who is still searching for a “progressive buyers guide” for condiments. “Before I’d just grab some Texas Pete and be on my way, but that could be seen as an endorsement of Greg Abbott’s terrible handling of migrants. I could get Stubb’s, there’s a black person right there on the label, but I don’t know anything about their ownership, and I don’t want to come off as performative. I know Sriracha is AAPI owned, but I don’t want people to think I’m fetishizing Asian culture.”

“Ultimately I just bought some raisins instead, it felt like the most culturally sensitive and authentic move for me as a white man at that moment,” he added.

Locals at the store who witnessed Foley’s indecision were mildly annoyed by his presence.

“I was waiting to get past him for about five minutes,” said local shopper Cynthia Paul “He was just standing there stroking his beard like he was in deep thought. Then he would lie down in the middle of the aisle mumbling ‘I don’t know, I just don’t know.’ When I finally nudged past him, he didn’t even say ‘excuse me,’ he just asked me how I thought Toni Morrison would feel about a hot sauce label he had been looking at.”

Cashier Kenneth Beck helped Foley finalize his purchases, and was subjected to multiple questions

“I didn’t actually see him in the aisle, but he was definitely a little strange while checking out. He saw that I’m Black and thought I’d be an expert on every single item in the store,” explained Beck, who had begun work as a cashier at that location only a few weeks prior. “He noticed that the customer behind him had a bottle of Trini Pepper Sauce, pulled me aside, and asked if I thought it would be insensitive for ‘someone like [him]’ to own a hot sauce with a label that uses that term. All I could think to say was ‘I’m sure they’d appreciate your business and wished him a good day.”

According to family members Foley has been despondent for the past 48 hours trying to come to terms with the ethics of an African Black Soap purchase he made over the weekend.

Absolute Loser: This Lame-Wad Woman Was Never Bullied in High School

Posted on by Dom Turek

When Stephanie McKinley called me an ugly big-nosed freak in 9th grade, I knew I was destined for great things. Who knows where I would be today if I hadn’t been chased through the halls of Lincoln High by a gaggle of hot teens threatening to shove various objects up my “gay ass” day after day, year after year. Probably front row at a Dave Matthews concert chugging white Zinfandel out of a bag.

What kind of sad sack would I be without the PTSD flashbacks of guerrilla-style cyber-bullying attacks? I’ll tell you who; My coworker Melissa Sweeney. With a name like that, you’d think her classmates would’ve jumped at the chance to rebrand her as Smellissa Weenie, but think again. Traditional beauty almost always serves as a barricade to cruelty, and Melissa was no exception.

With her silky blonde hair, perfect physique, and natural charisma, she must have been an impossible target for bullies. The thought of her changing for gym class without the slightest hint of abject fear that someone was about to nickname her Bush Gardens almost makes me sad. It’s incomprehensible to think someone can go through high school without being ridiculed by their peers in a state of complete nudity. What a loser.

Just when I thought I couldn’t feel any worse for her, she told me she was marrying her high school sweetheart. She even showed me pictures from her bachelorette party in Cabo San Lucas, where she and all her girlfriends wore shirts that said “Sip, Sip Hooray,” and “Eat, Drink, and Be Married.” Imagine sleeping with one person who loves you unconditionally for the rest of your life. I’m barely 30 years old and I’ve already slept with twice as many people.

My apologies, but staying in contact with anyone from your high school besides your guidance counselor is a form of emotional stuntedness I cannot relate to. Even though we work the same job, receive the same benefits, and live in similar neighborhoods, I’ll bet my entire rock collection that I lead a much more fulfilling extracurricular lifestyle than she does. What makes me so sure? High school taught me that someone always loses.

Smashing Pumpkins Announce Reunion With Original Billy Corgan

Posted on by Jon Wood

CHICAGO — Alternative rock legends Smashing Pumpkins announced that they will be reuniting their founding roster, which includes drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, guitarist James Iha, bassist D’arcy Wretzky, and – much to the delight of long-time fans – original frontman Billy Corgan, who has been conspicuously absent since the band first called it quits in 2000.

“The ‘90s were an unbelievable time for us, everything was going great, and the next thing you know we’re a completely different band whose leader suddenly cares more about making wrestling videos and whining to Alex Jones about poor people who don’t pay any taxes,” said Chamberlin. “But thankfully that was just a phase and we look forward to welcoming back Billy Corgan the tortured virtuoso and insufferable control freak we’ve been missing all these years.”

Among fans nostalgic for the era when Smashing Pumpkins helped to define the alternative category with iconic albums like ‘Gish’ and ‘Siamese Dream,’ the prospect of the band’s return to form has been well-received.

“It’s about goddamn time! Smashing Pumpkins haven’t been good since they replaced Billy Corgan with that smug conservative troll who refused to play any of their hits live,” said fan Sara Chensley. “You’d think that someone who identifies as a ‘free-market libertarian capitalist’ would’ve realized that performing a three-hour set of Zwan B-sides to fans that paid $200 a ticket just to sing along to a couple bangers is not a sound commercial strategy.”

Following the band’s official announcement, Corgan took to Twitter to voice his enthusiastic support.

“Today is the greatest day I’ve ever known! I want to first express my humble appreciation to all the fans, without whom I would be a talentless hack with zero confidence or creative vision. Also, words cannot convey the respect and admiration I feel for my bandmates, who each play their instruments to sober perfection. Teamwork makes the dream work,” said Corgan. “And finally, as a small token of my gratitude, I will be donating my entire share of the proceeds from our upcoming tour to the progressive fight against income inequality and tax breaks for wealthy corporations. Tickets are on sale now, see you on the road!”

At press time, the above tweets have been deleted and the official Smashing Pumpkins website has posted a statement from Billy Corgan announcing that all members of the band have been fired and that the tour will proceed as a solo performance, meaning no refunds will be issued.

Photo by Sven Mandel.

Why I Quit My Job and Left My Wife To Defend Elon Musk Online Full Time

Posted on by Zach Hudson

Like Elon Musk, I’m a doer, not a talker. So when I noticed the online attacks against my hero started to ramp up, I knew I could no longer stand idly by, which is why I quit my job and left my wife to defend Elon online full-time.

Of course, I’ve been a white knight to Elon on Twitter and Reddit for years. I can’t tell you how many late nights I’ve argued with strangers on the internet trying to slander his good reputation. But life kept getting in the way. I’d keep getting pulled into Zoom meetings just as I was about to epically destroy far-left haters presenting what some consider “factual, valid criticism of Musk” as if such a thing exists.

The straw that broke the camel’s back was when my wife took my phone out of my hands just as I was about to tweet a rage-face comic at some supposed engineer criticizing the new Tesla models because “I was making us later for dinner with her parents” or something like that. I knew then that if I was going to get serious about this work, I had to remove all unnecessary distractions from my life; so I told my boss to shove it, packed my bags, and left my wife.

Not only is defending everything that Musk does the correct and moral thing to do, but it’s also a long-term investment. If you think he doesn’t notice us, his grand army of white knights, you’re wrong. And one day we will reap the rewards. Everyone thought I was crazy for quitting a job I could have gotten a full pension from, but that’s not going to matter once I’m living on the Mars colony.

Hell, I bet if I work really hard, Elon will waive my $8 monthly Twitter verification fee. I’ll of course be donating it to SpaceX though.

Sure, I miss my wife. Sometimes I get lonely being in this motel room I’ve been living in, but the truth is I’ve been so busy scrolling Reddit comments in search of Elon haters that I’ve barely noticed she’s gone. This was inevitable anyways. We’ve grown apart over the years. Anytime I’d show her a meme Elon posted, or try to tell her about one of his epic trolls, she wasn’t interested. It was clear that our values no longer aligned.

Elon hasn’t responded to any of the screenshots I’ve sent showing him the libtards I’ve destroyed, but that’s just because he’s been so busy with the Twitter deal. He notices me, and when he’s not so busy he’ll reply and tell me that I’m a good boy. He will. I just know he will.

Sex Offender Going Door to Door Telling Neighbors He’s Running for Congress

Posted on by Sean Fallon

TAMPA, Fla. — Registered sex offender Owen Blevins repeated a familiar process of going door to door in his local suburb, but this time it is to inform neighbors that he is running for Congress, apathetic sources confirm.

“After I was sentenced I felt lost. I wasn’t able to coach middle school volleyball anymore, I couldn’t mentor kids at the playground, my life had no purpose,” said Blevins, who has numerous convictions related to sexual offenses and is polling well with Republicans in his home state of Florida. “No one would hire me, my family looked down on me, and my friends didn’t return my calls. I was watching the bills pile up when, in the end, I realized the only job I could get with my record was in government. I started a grassroots campaign on Facebook by claiming all Democrats eat children. I started gaining a pretty loyal following and I knew I had to throw my hat in the ring.”

The few normal residents in Blevin’s neighborhood shared their concerns at the weekly meeting of the cul-de-sac watch group that was set up after he moved into town.

“We always knew there was something weird about him from the first moment we met him,” said Phoebe McIntyre, Blevins’ next-door neighbor and owner of the bushes Blevins often hides in to watch the school buses arrive. “But even with his creepiness, soaking wet handshakes, and general unlikability we never could have thought he would be anything as disgusting as a potential Congressman. To be completely honest, I wish I was actually a little more surprised. This feels a touch too expected.”

Local Republican political leaders are reportedly delighted with Blevins’ efforts in the run-up to this year’s important midterm elections.

“This kind of door-to-door, burning shoe leather campaigning is exactly what the GOP needs in these modern digital times. With everything from abortion rights to inflation, we need all the help we can get, ” said Ross Reagan, head of the Tampa Republicans and two time “guest” on Chris Hansen’s “To Catch a Predator.” “Actually, thinking about it, I don’t remember him ever claiming to be a Republican, but come on…the odds are pretty good. Nearly 100%.”

Sex trafficker and politician Matt Gaetz couldn’t be reached for his take on these events, because he is inexplicably still in office and probably going to run for President in 2024.

Studio Orders Two More Kids from Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke

Posted on by Kyle Stanley

BURBANK, Calif. — Executives at Columbia Pictures ordered the production of two more children from the talented loins of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke thanks to the ongoing success of their daughter and “Stranger Things” star Maya Hawke, confirmed industry insiders.

“The ascent of Maya Hawke has made one thing clear; the combination of a vulnerable ninja goddess and an unshaven slacker fuckboy will generate a bonafide film and television star,” said Beth Lipschulz, Columbia’s VP of Forced Birth. “Maya can do anything either of her parents can do — from spending a contemplative day with Julie Delpy to killing dozens of men in a restaurant. And if her parents’ next litter has half of Maya’s ability, we’ll be raking in awards until we die in an avalanche of money in one of our dozens of palatial estates.”

A representative for the family says the couple is hopeful they can begin work in the early parts of next year.

“Uma and Ethan have been divorced for nearly 16 years, but they know when they come together they produce quality content. Even at their ages, they are confident they have what it takes for a Maya sequel. Columbia has access to the best medical teams in the country, and who can forget that it was Ethan and Uma who pioneered the Gattaca ‘Perfect Child’ DNA Kit back in ‘97,” said family friend Ralph Ored. “Their respective agents are already in negotiations with how to conceive a new child. Ethan is fighting hard for traditional insemination through intercourse, while Uma is pushing for some sort of medical intervention with limited physical touch. Either way, we are excited.”

Child advocacy groups are so far unsure of which side to take on the issue.

“I can’t reconcile the horror of a studio owning a human life with how awesomely badass that life would be,” said Ethel Forsythe of Jerry’s Other Kids, a watchdog for the welfare of young actors. “They’ll be at cooler parties at age seven than I was at 23, and I’m from Silver Lake. The cocaine they’ll be offered in middle school won’t be cut with fuckin’ anything. Pure as the fallen snow. Group sex. Yachts. Know what? Fuck these asshole kids.”

At press time, a viable fetus has been confirmed by a Columbia Pictures publicist. The notes process will now begin and rewrites of the DNA will be ordered as needed.

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