Poconos Flea Market Finds

Growing up, my family would take an annual vacation to a lake house in the Poconos. We still continue the tradition, even now that my siblings & I have families of our own. This year, we had 13 people total staying in a house! Luckily my family get along really well, and we enjoy being together.

 Poconos Vacation 2016 

 One thing we enjoy doing every year is head to the Blue Ridge Flea Market on Sunday morning to check out the endless crap for sale. We chant "JUNK! JUNK JUNK!" as we prepare to search the vendor tables for hidden gems. We would always have a contest to see who could find the most outrageous, funny, or weird items. Now that I have kids, I'm usually preoccupied with finding Star Wars items for my son, or cute stuff for my daughter. 

This year I tried to capture some of the wacky things I saw for sale:

  

Design Shenanigans with Fonts

Do any other designers out there get the subversive urge to send clients a proof using completely ridiculous or inappropriate fonts/typefaces?

There are times where I really wish I could do it to see the reaction… but then I snap back into reality & continue the safe, expected course.  

The design devil on my shoulder is like-

 Here's my post on r/graphic_design

  

New Chess Piece - "LASer"

My son came to this page in a workbook, that prompts you to create & name a new chess piece...

He decided on - "LASer". He's hilarious & is always cracking me up (when he's not driving me nuts with his wild energy). I posted his drawing in r/anarchychess & got some funny responses. "Maybe it could take pieces from afar without moving" - u/Perfect_Cap_3934

Apparently, this drawing is also the Chinese pictogram for "up". 上 (Shàng)

Trump Lies

At this point, it's appallingly obvious that most of the things coming from Donald Trump's mouth are outright lies, meant to deceive & defraud the public. 

He's always been a shameless liar & con-man, but he ended up scamming the entire country. The worst part is how bad he is at it. Like, who believes anything this guy says??? 

When he talks, you can just imagine this speech bubble hovering by his head, and you won't be missing anything..

 

The King of Boogie Oogie Oogie ✨👑🪩🙏🏻✨

This statue of Jesus was overlooking us as we listened & danced to a band during a Spring Fling benefit at a church hall. I personally thought it looked like he was very welcoming of the festivities! 

(BTW I’m not disparaging Jesus in any way, just thought it was a humorous juxtaposition.) 

The Vibrational Nature of Physical Reality

I saw this image posted by r/raminnazer & thought it was a pretty cool representation of the truth that everything, as Nikola Tesla famously said, is essentially energy & vibrational patterns- "If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration."

 I like that this design uses the sacred geometry pattern know as The Flower of Life in the illustration. I'm intrigued by Nassim Haramein's theories about this symmetry of organization at the quantum and Planck scales. It just makes my mind melt away trying to imagine & intuitively understand it. The idea of "everything being energy" might sound New-Ageish, but it's just the way things are. Meditation, art, and even science can all be methods to uncover this insight.

President Pedobear

 

 A President who is truly looking out for the children…

…President Pedobear!

 

I revived the classic "Pedobear" meme, fitting for a creepy old perv. I was actually surprised that a Trump version hasn’t been done yet.

Recently, I saw a random mention of it online, & immediately thought I have to make this. Seems like an obvious use of the meme, but I didn’t see anything when I searched online. Happy to blaze this trail, though, & ridicule that lunatic criminal for his disgusting legacy. 

The Buck Stops... Over There!!!

 

The Buck Stops... Over There!!!

-President Donald J. Trump 

Trump has never admitted fault or taken responsibility for anything that doesn't glorify him in some way. When things go bad, he tosses people under the bus without hesitation. The buck stops everywhere but Trump.

Operation AIPAC Fury

 Operation AIPAC Fury

“There are only two reasons why you should ever be asked to give your youngsters. One is defense of our homes. The other is the defense of our Bill of Rights and particularly the right to worship God as we see fit. Every other reason advanced for the murder of young men is a racket, pure and simple.”

“A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small "inside" group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war, a few people make huge fortunes.”

 -War is a Racket - Major General Smedley D. Butler

 

The nature of war is based in humanity’s selfish & violent primitive tendencies, that manifest in divisions of nationalism, religion, and economic class. The senseless waste of lives, money, & energy is depressing to all of us who wish better for the world.

As it’s been said many times- the fact that we cannot provide universal healthcare, education, and other social resources for our citizens… but can spend billions upon billions of dollars to bomb the shit out of people on the other side of the world, shows just how fucked our national  priorities have become. 

I've been posting about Israel's sway over the United States' Middle East policy for a couple decades now. Looking back on my old posts, there was fear around 2006 that the Bush Administration was going to attack Iran due to Israel's influence. Of course, even Dubya's cabal of wackjobs wasn't as mindbogglingly stupid and completely insane as Trump, Inc.

Now, because Trump is so easily manipulated & willing to blow up the whole world to distract from the fact that he is a disgusting pedophile piece of shit, we are in an absolute global catastrophe. It's unbelievably frustrating to think how we've progressed in so many ways- but the greedy, power-hungry, fascist bullshit persists & is somehow getting worse. 

I worry about the incomprehensible madness that my kids & future generations are going to have to deal with if we don't figure out how to safeguard against the worst humanity has to offer, from the likes of Trump, Netanyahu, Putin, Musk, Theil, Karp, and so many others. Insatiable desire for money & lust for power over others is the common denominator of all these bastards. Money as a medium of exchange has its use, but we need to prioritize humanist values to really advance the human race in a positive way. We have to speak out and act responsibly now, to manifest a better future for ourselves & the human race.

Trump is "Anti-Christ"

Trump is "Anti-Christ"
A Comparison between Donald Trump & the Antichrist Archetype 

I’m not a Bible literalist, so I don’t know if he is THE Antichrist, but he definitely checks all the boxes!

The most baffling phenomenon in modern history is the fervent support from Evangelicals and other Christians for someone who embodies the exact opposite of everything that Jesus Christ represented.

 In a previous post Trump & The Anti-Christ Archetype I mentioned "when I was younger, the idea of an "Anti-Christ" really was weird to me... I didn't have the life experience to see the power in cults of personality & the appeal to authoritarianism that would make such a phenomenon possible." 

It’s actually impressive how he’s all the worst that humanity has to offer, stuffed into a single person. The problem is that the worst human in the world is, somehow, once again The President of the United States. So, his unhinged cabal are dragging everyone & everything down with them, to avoid the consequences of the Epstein Files, and also for their own insane reasons. There are those inside his administration like Hegseth (& also behind the scenes influencing it) that actually want to accelerate End Times- so Jesus comes riding back on his magical horse, or whatever he's supposed to do. We are at the mercy of religious fanatics who are no different in their batshittery than the fucking Taliban. 

I see people comment online all the time about how "we're in the worst timeline." For real though... what the fuck is this shit?!? I have a lot of love & beautiful things in my life, but I often look at the wider goings-on of humanity and think, how is this shit happening?" I don't believe that Revelations, or the Bible in general, is absolute truth... but things are super-weird nowadays, and I've come to realize that things can always get weirder!

The Stoned Ape Theory

 

I came across this image titled "The Stoned Ape Theory" by Jim Figora, & thought it was pretty awesome.

 It's a great visual of the Stoned Ape idea, popularized by one of my favorite minds & voices, Terence McKenna. Regardless of how accurate his specific theory is, there is no denying that mind-altering substances had a role to play in the development of humanity & culture, as abundantly evident in the archaeological record.

The painting also conveys the future- of both the individual mind & the species as a whole. At the end of this life, the mental & spiritual essence of a person unfolds back into the infinite energy matrix (represented by The Flower of Life symbol), but the entire human race is on a path to continue connecting with, and perhaps traveling to, the larger Universe.

Forces of Evil in a Bozo Nightmare

 

Forces of Evil in a Bozo Nightmare
Political Art by The Monkey Buddha

This lyric from Beck’s “Loser” often pops in my head whenever I read about the daily disaster known as the Trump Administration. So, I decided to make a graphic of it, with some of the loathsome characters involved with this fascist shitshow. 

Shown are: the head loser himself Donald Trump, Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, Karoline Leavitt, Linda McMahon, Kristi Noem, Steven Cheung, Robert F Kennedy, Stephen Miller, Elon Musk, JD Vance, Russell Vought, Pete Hegseth, and always lurking in the background, Peter Thiel & Jeffery Epstein. 

Truly a rogue’s gallery of the worst America has to offer. 

The Growth Stages of an AT-AT

 

I’ve been wanting to take this photo ever since I noticed that my son has Star Wars AT-AT walker toys of all different sizes. 

I passed down the big vintage toy & Micro Machines to him, and he received the white Micro Galaxy Squadron toy for Christmas.

Having snow on the ground gave me the perfect backdrop for showing the AT-AT growth cycle. They’re so cute when they’re little… until they become full-grown war machines!

Here's the link to my r/starwars post 

My last post here was me & my son's Ultimate Star Wars Hoth Setup. Since it snowed, he wanted to take his Hoth toys outside. Once he got his setup together, I took some pics. They did look pretty cool in the snow!

 

 

 

 

 

The Ultimate Star Wars Hoth Setup

I've taken one of my periodic breaks from all social media interaction, mostly due to the fact that I feel completely drained from working and parenting my two awesome but wild-ass little kids! I try to devote the time I'm home to being present with my children. My son Paulie is already a huge Star Wars fan, & makes elaborate "setups" with action figures & vehicles. He loves The Battle of Hoth scene, especially the AT-AT and AT-ST walkers. I've given him some of my old Star Wars actions figures & vehicles to add to his collection. 

One cold winter Saturday, we decided to spend the afternoon making what he called "The Ultimate Star Wars Hoth Setup". After taking some pics & video, we had an epic battle of vintage toys - complete with snowspeeders, AT-ATs, taunauns, a lurking wampa, Rebel & Empire Hoth playsets, and a homemade "Shield Generator" that my son had the idea make from packing material. This ended up being my top Reddit post of all time in r/StarWars with a ridiculous 6k likes & 300k+ views. Paulie was so pumped up when I was telling him that people liked his setup. I always hoped my son would enjoy Star Wars, but I've got a full-blown fanatic on my hands!

 Full Photo Album:
The Ultimate Star Wars Hoth Setup

 

 

 

 

 

The Nodfather

Don Snorleone is...

THE NODFATHER 

 "Make Him an Offer He Can't... Zzzzzz"

It's always projection... All the talk about "Sleepy Joe Biden," & now this stroked-out old fool is dozing off in multiple public, televised meetings.

I saw the moniker "The Nodfather", most popularly used by CA Gov. Gavin Newsome, & thought I would use my ultra-refined graphic design abilities to create a proper meme for it.

I take great pride in my political shitposts. Most people may not the notice the tiny puppeteer hand that I reduced, but it's a detail I couldn't ignore. I also almost posted this image completely in black & white, but then I went back to look at the original Godfather poster, & saw his red flower. So, I had to add the obvious splash of red on this one, too.

This mf'er is gonna sleepwalk us into a conflict in South America, international pariahship, & domestic economic disaster at the trajectory he's taking us. The worst of it is, that he's desperate to distract from the Epstein scandal, & the fact that he is a depraved lunatic who by all indicators abused underage girls. 

We are truly living in a bizarre, horrible joke of a timeline.

 

Trump Derangement Syndrome: Patient Zero

 

Trump Derangement Syndrome-Patient Zero 

 Can you wrap your head around what a narcissistic asshole you have to be to wear a stupid red had that says you were "...Right About Everything"??? 

It's unbelievable that anyone could wear such a thing without a clue as to the absurdity of how it appears. Just him wearing this hat  proves that Trump is an idiot & completely demented. One tactic that has been used to discredit anyone who disagrees with him has been to label his critics as suffering from "Trump Derangement Syndrome", or "TDS". This is truly some next-level projection, as there is no one in the public eye as unhinged & deranged as Donald J. Trump.

So I made this graphic to illustrate my observation that any derangement regarding Trump has directly emanated from him, "Patient Zero", the most deranged of them all. The people who unquestioningly accept the rambling lies of this con-man & wannabe dictator are much more out of touch with reality than those who criticize him.

Global society has been hijacked by the mental illness of one man, and he truly is the major vector for the spread of absolute madness & degeneracy throughout the world.

Silver Surfer's Solitude

The Silver Surfer was always one of my favorite comic book characters. Besides his awesome cosmic powers, he has the ability to travel in hyperspace throughout the Universe.

I saw this incredible image of the Silver Surfer floating through interstellar space, & it kinda blew my mind. I never considered the extreme level of solitude that he would experience if he stopped to float in the directionless void.

It's hard to imagine the feeling of floating through space completely alone, not being anywhere within light years of another living being, or even another celestial body. I guess if you knew you could just use faster-than-light travel to get anywhere you want, it wouldn't be too scary. Still, there would have to be some sense of existential dread from the sheer magnitude of the situation.

Anyway, I thought it was a great image- although I don't know the source (despite searching for it). It's one of those pictures you can get completely lost in.  

NO KINGS

 

(After looking at the original, & thinking how I could improve it, I made this black & gold version of the graphic.)

 

In light of the upcoming "NO KINGS" protests & demonstrations going on across the country this weekend, I created this graphic to act as a kind of logo for the movement.

 

The majority of the population is rightfully upset by the blatant lawlessness & shameless corruption of the Trump Republicans™ currently in control of the government. 

I've been a professional graphic designer for decades, and I know how powerful bold simplicity can be. Memes are like mind viruses, & the easier it is to replicate, the more effective it is. I wanted to make an icon that is both instantly recognizable, but simple enough to use in a variety of ways. 

Trump's dumb-ass profile is surprisingly easy to represent as line art, so it helps make it more iconic. I only used 2 colors to keep it graphically bold. Besides the ridiculous hair, I used gold for the crown & necktie- 2 symbols of elitist power.

To combat the forces of authoritarianism and the straight-up psychopaths who are in positions of power, citizens need to continue to speak out, organize, and use their skills or talents to promote decency & the common good.

I hope the NO KINGS events can remain peaceful. There is a lot of thuggery afoot, and there are sadists on power trips who would get off on escalating violence.

Hopefully, people will want to share this graphic, get it printed, & use it at the demonstrations... The image above is high resolution, and I'm even offering an editable & print-ready .PDF file at the link below:

NO KINGS Fool's Gold.PDF 

ICE Stormtroopers

Star Wars taught me everything I need to know about Masked Stormtroopers!

What is happening in the United States of Trump™, with secret police rounding people up off the streets with no warrants or even probable cause, is Fascism 101. I was able to understand that even as a child, seeing how the stormtrooper checkpoint on Tatooine instilled fear into the population. 

How are people targeted by these goon squads supposed to know that they are even really law enforcement, or that they will be processed through legitimate channels & procedures? 

All local, state, & federal law enforcement should be required by law to display their faces, identification, a body cam, and maybe even a QR code badge that links to a national database.

This would allow citizens to instantly verify that the person is not just a malicious actor who is impersonating an officer. The penalty for not complying would be jail time.

This is in my dream world, of course - where we do not have authoritarian psychos in charge. 

A Moment of Serenity

 A Moment of Serenity

 A metaphor for parenthood (...& life, in general).

 

Video by Paul M. Micarelli 
Starring Paul G. Micarelli