I'm with you I suppose my question was, if we're gonna get down on this person for crowdfunding her education — religious or otherwise — should we not also get down on ANYONE who crowdfunds?

Is this better or worse than people begging for money from friends and family on kickstarter to fund their creative aspirations? I know some people who have used the site to pay for studio time, headshots etc. It always strikes me as hopelessly self centered.

I think his audience was mostly adolescents interested in fantasy and sexy bits. I tried rereading one of his Xanth novels a few years back and it did not hold up too well at all. But they were simple fun.

As an addendum, for the longest time, the only thing he wrote that really stuck in my mind was the phrase,…

Good pull. I don't remember any specifics at all. I just remember really getting into the theme that Christian missionaries can be evil, evil things.

I remember a dude becomes Death in the beginning. How, why, or what he does after that, I cannot recall. I do remember loving it, though.

I want a feast! I want a Beanfeast! ... in bed.

Oh, one of those.

I was reading through, didn't see Dark City. Figured that should be mentioned. Hell of an ending to a hell of a ride.

Not sure it counts for what you're looking for, but Calvin and Hobbes will always be the tops.

it's a ways outside of OK City, but I feel you. these google people aren't messing around.

Tom Lehrer for the win.

Thank you for reminding me of this series. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed them.

I highly, highly recommend the Cave Comedy suite of podcasts, but especially "The Last Podcast On The Left." Very good horror-conspiracy-theory-comedy podcast.

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing .... only I will remain.

One dark and stormy night I decided to watch Anti-Christ by myself. I had to stop it half-way through so I could let some ice cold rain chill me out a bit.

Ditto. Bout the only thing the old man and I see eye to eye about.

Showrunners are all like

I'm with you. There is a part of me that wonders if the fact that it was so quick just made it all that much worse. It was sudden, brutal, and bone-chilling. I will never be the same.

Not to denigrate true sufferers, but I feel like I've got a mild case of PTSD after that.

Oh, it was effective. Too effective.

I considered that a portion of the whole scene. Number 2 for me was the flaying.

But yeah. Awful.