A New Beginning

We have had a few months of rediscovery, boxed wine, enlightenment, xanax induced sleep, sadness, laughter, trips to the doctor, despair, yoga, cigarette hangovers and triumph. You may have noticed that the blogs have been few and far between and there are very good reasons for that. We came to an executive decision to shut down the Mindbling blog and start fresh...

Welcome to Bitch Burgh!



All will be explained in the first blog posts of Bitch Burgh, so grab a glass of wine (preferably from a box) and head on over to bitchburgh.wordpress.com. We will have blog posts, Podcasts, videos and anything else we can think of on there, all still in the Mindbling tradition that you've grown to know and love, and yes we mean we will be drinking heavily.

We want to thank everyone for supporting us during our reemergence and hope that you continue to read about our adventures in the universe.

Cheers!
Mindbling & Wormy

G-20 Summit

By Wormy

Uncle TX sent this over today:

Douchebaggery

By Wormy

Just because I can....

Save Dan's Job!!

My good buddy Dan is a producer at the CW. CW has informed Dan that if their airings of The Office don't do well, he is going to be fired. This is very bad for Dan. And Dan's family. And also possibly his pets, if he has any. I will have to check on that.

So peep this video, and do as Dan says. You don't want to be responsible for Dan living on ramen noodles and water. Do you?

It Can't Happen Here...Can it?

By Goffchile

I’ve had a surreal couple of weeks. Two weekends ago, I was deep in the woods of Tionesta, having a grand ol’ time drinking, smoking, and dodging raindrops with some great friends. Last weekend, I was out canvassing with this guy --


who you probably remember from this career ender

In between, I was in a whirlwind of activity and controversy and some genuinely scary shit. On Thursday, I went out to Kittaning with Mama Wormy and Cousin Wormy to show Arlen Specter I support health care reform that provides Americans with affordable and quality insurance and was met by one of the craziest mobs I have ever experienced (and that is saying a lot, I hang out at Slapshots, remember?). Now, I am all for freedom of speech and love a good and spirited debate, but this was not it.

Upon arrival I weaved my way through the crowd amidst chants of “Health Care Now!” mixed with God Bless America and the Pledge of Allegiance and various signs pertaining to abortion, others conjuring up revolutionary America saying “Don’t Tread on Me,” and more reminding me that global warming is a hoax, still more calling me a Nazi and a brownshirt. Needless to say, heated and irrational arguments began popping up all around me.

As I walked through, a couple of middle aged and obviously well-to-do males yelled at me “Who Can’t Wait?” referring to my button that read “We Can’t Wait for Health Care!”

I won’t give the play by play for the argument that ensued as it isn’t worth it, however, just a few highlights. Upon telling them that many Americans don’t have access to quality health insurance, and therefore quality health care, I was told that these folks should get jobs. When I reminded them that most of these folks do have jobs, they said, “Get another job!” Really? That’s the best answer you can come up with? How many jobs are we supposed to have before insurance companies deem us worthy?

I was called a “union thug” and told that there would be a “surprise for me” if I tried to organize this guys shop (he was a salesman in building materials, not a likely target for unionization and not terribly threatening although I am sure he thinks he is), I was informed by a small business owner (that pays a ton of money for health insurance and would most likely benefit from House Bill 3200) that America has been economically outpacing Europe because Europe has been socialist “for 500 years” (obviously a real history whiz) and he likes his freedom (apparently the freedom to have insurance companies squeeze his balls—but whatever floats your boat). When I tried to explain the historical inaccuracy of his argument, he became flustered and quickly switched the subject to tariffs?!?

This was pretty much how the conversation went—irrational and unsupportable sound bites, spoken in anger, mixed with thinly veiled threats, followed by switching the subject. As the debate became more heated and more Right Wing Nut Jobs descended upon me and my friend, a couple of cameras starting surrounding us…then a man came up behind me and said to his nut job friends, “Hey, these guys (meaning us) are just starting this fight with you so they could get some pictures and make us look crazy.” Yes, that is right, I psychically willed these morons to fight with me, call me names and threaten me, just for a photo-op. Man I’m good. And trust me, they don’t need me to “make” them look crazy.

I then tried to actually have a conversation and get past the sound bites, asking these guys why they thought what they thought. I think it was John Stuart Mill who said “He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that” so I thought that these guys could educate me on their opinion—but then I discovered they had no idea why they thought what they thought. Every time I would ask them “why do you think that?” they became more belligerent and embattled and their arguments became increasingly reduced to gibberish. I was given a civics lesson on the difference between a representative republic and a democracy (not relevant to the issue and the guy didn’t really know the difference anyway, but what was disturbing was his cavalier disregard for the democratic process). I was also told there was nothing in the constitution about health care—true, and just as there is nothing in the bible about dinosaurs but not terribly useful information in a debate about a piece of legislation. I responded there doesn’t have to be, the purpose of the constitution is to expand rights, not restrict them, and suggested he read amendment #9 (he obviously had never read the constitution nor had any idea why it was written or why the Bill of Rights is so important, which seemed to enrage him all the more)—but at least he was patriotic and a god fearing American as he reminded me numerous times.

This wasn’t the most disturbing part. That people are angry and frustrated, I understand, the economy is in the tank, we are overextended in unpopular wars overseas, and people are hurting. What I don’t get is the crazed and misdirected rage. I was standing in a middle of a crowd, with a wall of white people to my left chanting at a group of exiting African Americans, “Get on the Bus!”…into…”Get on the Back of the Bus!” (nice segue)….into ….”USA! USA!”… (huh? I love it when racism switches to patriotism on a dime, so very American?!?) and ultimately “Don’t Come Back”—this, at a town meeting for Senator Arlen Specter—Senator to all of Pennsylvania, yes, even the brown ones. I honestly felt that I knew what it was like to be in Mississippi in 1964. And it became plainly obvious to me that some folks just can’t accept a black man in the White House.

As I circulated through the crowd, collective insanity reigned, and I was able to chronicle it to some degree. Here is my favorite photo—


I love it because I like the movie Soylent Green, a classic dystopian movie about environmental depletion (although global warming is never mentioned, its obviously pretty hot during the movie) and how an elite minority might manipulate a sheep like majority into cannibalism.


What tickled me was that they had obviously misspelled “Soylent” and then later added the line for the backwards “Y”—which confirmed to me that this person has never seen the movie, nor do they understand it. Of course, the analogy doesn’t make sense. Health Care = Soylent Green. So if I receive health care it’s the equivalent of eating people? Or perhaps if I receive health care, I will be an extra in a cheesy 70s sci-fi film? Whichever, I don’t get it. And lets not even get into the question of who the sheep are….

One of the big issues which is not really an issue is the so-called “Death Panels,” brought to notoriety by the nitwit Sarah Palin. The reality is that insurance companies kick people off insurance plans all the time and have an array of cost-benefit analyses to ration care to those who have insurance. Nationally, we ration care largely by excluding large sections of the population from reasonable access due to socioeconomic status and “pre-existing conditions.” (no Soylent Green issue there?!?) Nevertheless, concern over “grandma” was pretty common.


Of course, there are no Death Panels lining up the elderly and the disabled for extermination, even reasonable critics of the plan admit this…but somehow Fox News and Glenn Beck missed the story--but if there were, I think the guy who made this sign should be concerned.

Moreover, grandma, as well as many others in the country, benefit from government funded, dare I say it, “socialized” medicine—and guess what? It works pretty good. Of course the current bill before Congress does not socialize health insurance, much less health care, but the debate speaks to a deeper issue--that Medicare works--and if it works for them, it might work for you, and then where would all the insurance companies be? That explains why insurance companies and much of the medical industry is against health care reform, but why these folks?

As I mentioned before, a lot folks are simply frustrated and that rage gets all too easily misdirected, some folks (like most of the relatively privileged white guys I was debating) just love corporate America and unquestioningly follow its dictates and wrap it in the flag to make it seem patriotic, and, unfortunately, I think some folks are just plain idiots—they don’t know what is best for them because their brains have been turned to mush by video games, talk radio, and the Fox Network.

But with angry and irrational mobs lashing out a unions, black folks, and anyone less fortunate than they—and in the name of patriotism and religious values-- it makes me wonder if Sinclair Lewis was right--it can happen here.

And yes, I have a man crush on Barney Frank.

Insanity For Hire!!!

By Hot Mama

WANTED: Someone to take over my life for a bit while I go to a remote island alone.

Must be good at multi-tasking. Must enjoy cleaning up after others. Must be lactating. Job includes taking care of my 3 year old and 11 month old children, my 9 week old puppy, and my 30 year old husband.

Three year old enjoys messes, tantrums, and not eating anything that even closely resembles actual food. 11 month old's life consists of picking up foreign objects off the floor and sticking them into his mouth. He also enjoys smearing food in his hair, crying when anyone but me holds him, and breastfeeding. Puppy enjoys chewing on shoes, baby toys, and feet. Does not enjoy chewing on things that actually belong to her. Loves to piss and shit in her crate and then trample all over it. Hates puppy treats. Loves spilled cocoa puffs. Possibly has death wish. Husband enjoys home improvement shows, home cooked meals, and frequent blow jobs.

Job also entails cleaning kitchen 20 times per day, at least once per hour. Must be accepting of noise, chaos, and dirty looks from old neighbors. Sleeping in is NOT permitted. Ever. If this sounds like the glamorous job you have been looking for all of your life, contact me! Compensation in hugs and funny stories only. You will not receive any actual money for the work that you do. You will also not receive any type of health insurance, smoke breaks, or any time off at all. You must be available twenty four hours a day, 7 days a week. You will however receive a complimentary gallon of vodka.

Trust me, by the end of the first week you will need it. You will probably need it before the end of the first day.

The No-Tell Motel on Hwy 62

by Goffchile

As many of you know, I travel a lot. I eat in lots of greasy spoons and stay in lots of hotels or varying quality and experience what it means to be “on the road.” Traveling can be fun, you get to see different places, meet some interesting salt of the earth people, and experience things that you may not have experiences otherwise. Of course not all of those experiences are good. Most recently I traveled to the “Northern Tier” of Pennsylvania to a pleasant little town and stayed in a not so pleasant motel…..

If you’ve ever seen the movie “Vacancy”—I’m pretty sure that this is the motel where they filmed it. I knew I was in trouble when the primary selling point of a motel room is “Color TV” and “Clean Rooms.” If this were the 1970s, I could at least understand the television part, but “clean rooms?”—shouldn’t that go without saying. It’s like saying our rooms feature “running water” and “electricity.” Yes, it does advertise free internet access (welcome to the 21^st Century!), but as far as I could tell, the only way to get that access was if your wireless was strong enough to receive the signal from the Hampton Inn up the road.

Checking in was also a treat. The motel owner seemed like a nice enough fellow, eager to make you feel at home. So much so that when you walked into to the front desk area, it seemed like you were walking into someone’s living room. Then I realized, this is someone’s living room! It’s his! Yes, the owner lived there with his wife (the little lady also doubled as housekeeping).

The rooms, lets say left a little to be desired. First of all, the name of the place was the Red Carpet Inn. No red carpets! No paparazzi, no bulbs flashing, no ball gowns or cocktail dresses. There was the additional bonus of a burn hole right through my comforter which was about he size of quarter. Of course, I stripped the bed and closely examined the sheets, for bugs, blood stains, you know, the usual. At a certain level, I am glad I did not have a UV lamp—ignorance is bliss. Fortunately, I found nothing, however, I still seriously considered sleeping on top of the sheets, fully clad. As it was one of those motels where you literally pull right up to your room and the front window shade didn’t close properly I was basically sleeping in the parking lot for all to see. Quite the treat. At least most of the light fixtures worked.

The bathroom wasn’t much better, you could a newspaper through the bath towels, however, it did feature a bottle opener on the wall next to toilet, which is helpful because I do like to sit on the pooper and suck down brewskies. The toilet top also broke when I lifted it for first use (don’t tell the owner!).

Now it wasn’t all bad. If you happen to be a serial killer, I think this hotel would probably be good place to camp out, lure victims to their grizzly demise, and then dispose of the bodies in the woods behind. Just trying to look on the bright side.