Echoes Of The Factor - 12/14/07

We're doing something a little different this week, There weren't a lot of submissions for this week but in the time between last Friday and now I spoke with a few people and they all said the same exact thing to me, which ended up being the first ever unanimous comment I've ever received:

I left them speechless...


It's funny what happens when you come face to face with truth, no matter who you are or what you believe, truth will always knock you on your ass. Some had asked (myself included) if I was trying to prove a point or if I wanted to push the envelope to a point I've never been before.

Honestly.. both.

Truth isn't biased, Truth isn't all sunshine and rainbows, truth is truth. It is knowledge that gives us (simply put) the reasoning that things are what they are. It's not always what you want and honestly it's not always what you need. But truth has a nasty habit of finding it's way to us. Sometimes that means having to face our worst nightmares or a decision that you know will affect your world more than anything, sometimes it means realizing that you're just one man and not Superman. But truth has the ability to do more, it can inspire us at the last minute, it can give us that courage to face our fear and even if you're not all powerful, you're still a good person, and in a world like ours... That still is something super.

(I know it reads hokey, if you don't like it, then SUCK IT!!)

As we end this year and begin a new one my only resolution is to see where this journey, this journey of learning and growing and even a journey where you find something you never thought was there. I want to see where this journey takes me and where it will take you and the person next door and even your complete stranger.

Whether we'd like to think otherwise.. Ultimately, we're in this together.

As for me, right now, it's time for me to get the hell out of town, A good friend (you know who you are) reminded me that every once in a while I need to get out and have some me time.

When we return... We're gonna have some fun.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

- The Brian Factor

Brian's Song: Stinkfist

Well here we are, the end of 2007, I can't stop thinking about all the fun we've had and can't wait for all the fun we're gonna have when we return in January. So how do we do this this week? Slayer? Prodigy? Paul Van Dyk? Cannibal Corpse? Actually as I look back on why I started doing Brian's Song, I remember the very first song I spotlighted: Tool's "Parabola". Man all those videos we've shown and we never gave appropriate props to the band that inspired this segment... That's just wrong!!


Don't worry, don't worry as usual I will make things right and give the closing spotlight of 2007 to the band that started it all.

So here you go kids, Tool for this week's Brian's Song: "Stinkfist"



"Stinkfist" is off of "Ænima" which is available at your local music stores or on Amazon.com

I would normally say how you could find them on the web but the band refuses to sell their music online.

So as for us, now it's time to focus on Friday and then gently go into that good night! This is the last Brian's Song of 2007, we'll be back on January 9th, 2008 with more kick ass tunes to help rock the world!!

As always submissions are more than welcome, so go ahead, go nuts!

Stay true, Stay you,

Until Next Time Kiddies,


-B

Soundboard - 12/07/07

"Think left and think right and think low and think high.
Oh the thinks you can think up if only you try!"
-Dr. Seuss

...Crazy is easy. To be sane? Now that's hard.
-Brian Rodriguez

The Brian Factor - 12/07/07

The end of the year.. for many of us we see the end of the year as an end to all the shit that we had to deal with for the past 12 months. Many of us see New Year's as the beginning of something new, to finally start over with a fresh start, a clean slate... I admit that I tend to follow suit and see New years as a fresh start, God knows the setbacks and random shit I've faced this year and my eagerness to finally be rid of all that garbage.

So I figured if this is the end of the year and if I get a clean slate in a couple weeks... then maybe i should have one last blast of straight up hating before I get the spiritual wipe down. So no specific topic this week, instead a collage of mini factors filled with that oh so sweet Brian venom that we all know and love...

So this week on The Brian Factor... Get Your Hate On!!!



"Asshole"
By: Denis Leary

Folks, I'd like to sing a song about the American dream.
About me, about you, about the way our American hearts beat way down in the bottom of our chests. About the special feeling we get in the cockles of our hearts, maybe below the cockles, maybe in the subcockle area. Maybe in the liver. Maybe in the kidneys. Maybe even in the colon, we don't know...

"I'm just a regular Joe with a regular job.
I'm your average white suburbanite slob.

I like football and porno and books about war.
I've got an average house with a nice hardwood floor.

My wife and my job, my kids and my car.
My feet on my table and a Cuban cigar.

But sometimes that just ain't enough to keep a man like me interested
No, I've gotta go out and have fun at someone else's expense

I drive really slow in the ultra-fast lane,
While people behind me are going insane.

I'm an asshole (He's an asshole, what an asshole)

I'm an asshole (He's an asshole, such an asshole)

I use public toilets and piss on the seat,
I walk around in the summertime saying "How about this heat?"

I'm an asshole (He's an asshole, what an asshole)

I'm an asshole (He's the world's biggest asshole)

Sometimes I park in handicapped spaces,
While handicapped people make handicapped faces.

I'm an asshole (He's an asshole, what an asshole)

I'm an asshole (He's a real fucking asshole)

Maybe I shouldn't be singing this song
Ranting and raving and carrying on
Maybe they're right when they tell me I'm wrong

NAAAAH!

I'm an asshole (he's an asshole, what an asshole)

I'm an asshole (he's the world's biggest asshole)"


Know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna get myself a 1967 Cadillac El Dorado, hot-fuckin'-pink, with whale skin hubcaps and all-leather cow interior and big brown baby seal eyes for headlights... yeah! And I'm gonna drive around in that baby doing 115 miles an hour, getting 1 mile per gallon, suckin' down quarter pound cheeseburgers from McDonald's in the old-fashioned non- biodegradable Styrofoam containers... yeah! And when I'm done suckin' down those grease ball burgers I'm gonna toss the Styrofoam containers right out the side, and there ain't a goddamn thing anybody can do about it. You know why?

Because we got the bombs, that's why... yeah! Two words--nuclear fuckin' weapons, OK? Russia, Czechoslovakia, Romania, they can have all the democracy they want...they can have a democracy cakewalk right through the middle of Tienamen Square and it won't make a lick of fuckin' difference, because we got the bombs, OK? John Wayne's not dead--he's frozen! And when we find a cure for cancer, we're gonna thaw out the Duke and he's gonna be pretty pissed off. You know why? You ever taken a cold shower? Well, multiply that by 15 million times--that's how pissed off the Duke's gonna be. I'm gonna get the Duke and John Casavetti and Sam Peckinpaw and a case of fuckin' whiskey and drive...

(Hey, hey, hey, hey, you know you really are an asshole?)

Why don't you shut up and sing the song, Chris. I thought I was the asshole... all the time it was him... what an asshole!


"I'm an asshole (I'm an asshole, he's an asshole)

I'm an asshole (He's the world's biggest asshole)

A S-S H-O L-E

Everybody, A S-S H-O L-E"

I'm an asshole and I'm proud of it!

------------------------------------------------------

Oh we're gonna have some fun tonight!!!

Now when I said that we're gonna get some hate on I mean this: I come up with about 30 or so ideas for great topics to rant about, but after careful weeding I end up with a good 14 or so. The rejects have the excitement and definite appeal for a good rant but lacks any depth for the column, but it doesn't mean that it still doesn't deserve to have its ass handed to it. So let's party!!

RACISM V2.0:

One of my most popular topics from the very first season talked about how racism is very alive and well in today's society. Obviously we've come a long way from the days of segregation, riots and lynchings but the overall spirit of racism is still strong. In my column I wrote:

"Teach the next generation that to hate is to spit on everything this nation was formed on, teach them that to love one another and that no one deserves to be judged for being different. Teach them that racism is a poison that destroys lives and as we enter a new millennium, let's not be at each others throats, we can do more united then apart...."

Ah, I forgot how much of a spitfire I was back then. My original opinion back then was that racism was only in a racist's heart and mind. Back then my values were more black and white then now. Youth is notorious for creating a level of innocence and optimism that guides us for as long as we let it. Eventually you come face to face with reality and you find that the rules in black and white don't really apply when the world has numerous shades of gray. But just cause the world is gray doesn't mean black and white can't still make an impact. So what have I learned in two years?

First off I learned the difference of racism to stereotypes. To be racist means you are vocal and sometimes more than vocal about your discomfort and even disgust of other races, creeds, cultures while to have stereotypes means you believe the unwanted and unfortunately common perception of another person's race, creed and /or culture IS the official representative of said culture.

VENOM TIME!!

In the past year every time I see a person make a racist comment, it's usually blamed on the fact that you were caught up in the heat of the moment.

News flash genius: when you're angry, you more likely to speak the truth than any other time.

I know when I'm pissed I'll be a fountain of pure fucking sunshine and truth... except I'm usually out of sunshine. You can say that you're not a racist until the end of time but as history tells us, if you have to go out of your way to prove that you're not a racist, it's safe to say that you're the biggest racist this side of the sea. Now I will openly admit that I have said many things that can and would be considered racist, sexist, elitist, homophobic, genocidal and I even bash Soccer, but just because I hate doesn't mean I don't care. It just means I'm not afraid to point shit out.

Plus I won't lie, I've come across those stereotypes more time than I can count. I've met bad Asian drivers on the freeway who come thisclose to clipping me (with the scarier fact that I'm in the far left lane and yet they're still on my left!! What the hell are you driving on!!), I met Black people who will rob you, who robbed me. I know at least four or five Mexican day laborers with a possibility that two or more are a blood relative and of course I've met racist white people who assume I'm the janitor or worse, that I robbed them.

So I don't hate Black people, I don't hate White people, I don't hate Asians and I don't hate Mexicans, I hate the asshole who robs me, the asshole who thinks I'm the janitor and wants me to clean up a spill, the asshole who tries to hit me with his car and especially the asshole who thinks I'm his new apprentice and tries to teach me how to fix the roof. I don't want to know how to fix a roof, I was a trench digger, one man = one job!!! And stop calling me "Primo" (Cousin).


HYBRID CARS

It's easy to assume that I'll be bashing Hybrids and the whole green movement, God knows it's not hard to hate it. I mean the goal overall is admirable but the people who speak out for it make me want to hit something and hard!

So to get it out of the way.. I support the ideas of hybrids, I support alternative fuels, flying cars, cars underwater, cars that can act as a second liver, a third kidney, that picks up the kids so you don't have to, and even cars that are more than meets the eye!!! But seriously, get rid of your spokespeople, thanks to them I actually want to smash up a Hybrid car simply to spite them. Also don't think I wouldn't do it, One of the more famous aspects of a blog is that you can pretty much act as everything and everyone you nothing close to in real life, but trust me... I'D DO IT.

What I say here is pretty much a censored version of how I usually am outside, Marie has even admitted to editing what I say because it's honestly a little much.

Anyway hybrids, I grew up with classic cars, my father is a mechanic and most of our very little father - son time was at the garage. My first car is a '92 ford T-Bird with a 5.0 liter V8, I still got it and still love driving it. Most cars now are built as a 4 Cylinder or V6 engine, combine those with the right after market upgrades and you can soup up your ride to rival classic muscle cars at their best. So with that knowledge I'm not worried anymore about performance, handling, Gas Mileage, safety, all of it is greatly improved and they're even a bit on the roomy side (and I'm a big guy, so If I can fit, you've got all the room you could ever need.) Literally My only complaints are two things:

VENOM TIME!!

#1 Why do they make every Hybrid look like a fucking Egg?

Seriously I don't even use Post its anymore, I just see a Hybrid and remember to go to the store!! "Oh, I need a dozen eggs!" I feel like every time I see one that if I wait long enough, 20 clowns will pop out at any moment (of course everyone knows that clowns stole the idea of 20 people in a small car from Mexicans, who've perfected that technique over 40 years ago with VW bugs, God Bless that trunk!)

#2 Why do you have to brag so fucking much about what you're driving?

I drive an Altima, and a T-Bird, do you see me bragging?? No! I love my cars but that doesn't mean I need to feel superior to anyone, hell if I wanted to feel superior I'd let my T-Bird do the talking for me. All I'm saying is I get it, you're driving a Eco friendly car, you're saving money and using less gas. All I ask is that you don't keep telling me about it because:

1) You're annoying as hell when you squeal with pride that you have a Hybrid.

2) Keep bugging me about it and your head goes through the windshield (See above on whether or not I'd do it)

News flash! you're driving a Hybrid, You didn't cure cancer! So shut up! And I've said this before and I'll say it again proudly: "People who drive Hybrids are like people with 12 inch dicks: if you have to brag about it constantly, chances are it's the only good thing going on in your life!"

See? Who doesn't love a little venom here and there? Well I'd love to continue the fun but we're almost out of time, besides, I had the unfortunate luck of twisting my ankle this afternoon, so I need to sit down and relax (Dr's orders) But before I go here are just a few random Brian blurbs that I often live life with:

- Chicks with glasses are hot! they have great personality, they're smart, you have a partner when you burn ants, and they are some of the kinkiest women I've ever met! So remember: If she passes a vision test, she's not the one marry! The one who squints is the one for you..

- Always be skeptical is someone is willing to hook up with you as long as you're out in the open, they're just using you to get back at an ex who's in the vicinity and has a clear view of the two of you, that or she's a whore!

- If you're about to pestered by salesmen or worse yet MORMONS!! just answer the door in the nude, works every time. Just exercise caution on a winter day...enough said.

- I do not endorse violence against women but if she hits you first...Bitch is fair game!...What??

- Most religion is out to get your money, they will tell everything you want to hear for $3.99 a minute! The Brian Factor is free... with a $25 processing fee.

- Ladies if you want to know what it takes to get the heart of yours truly... I don't know what to tell you except you may possibly need therapy if you succeed.

- And finally if you have sex during the Holidays, Remember: "Tis Better to give than receive".. Wait that's crap! Actually change that to "Tis Better to Give... While Receiving!" See? that's not only better, it's just straight up fair. let it never be said that I'm not thoughtful during the Holidays!

So from all of us here at TBF to all of you, we wish you Happy Holidays and we'll see you in the new year cause nothing starts your year off right...like some venom!


Until Next Year,
-B

TKO: "Enough is Enough or For Ever and Ever"

"Enough is Enough or For Ever and Ever"

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I was wondering how much do you put up with in a relationship, until you say enough is enough. How much can a person take and endure before you can justify the relationship coming to an end? I know it’s a big difference when you are in a relationship than when you are in a legal binding marriage. I am a firm believer that you must exhaust all your resources before calling it quits. When I made my vows I made them to God and my husband, so for me personally, divorce is not an option. At least I am going to try my hardest for it not to be.

But generally speaking, marriage can be a great challenge. Its amazing how much a couple can endure, and still come out from all those trials stronger and better than ever. Then there is others that as soon as a gray cloud comes their way, they pack out and say peace! Not everyone can handle marriage, to be married or even committed to someone you have to be strong. Marriage is not for the weak at heart, and it is not for people who come into it thinking “if it does not work out then I will just get a divorce”, people with that kind of mentality are the same type of people that will quit a job because they messed up, or will stop talking to their best friend because of a misunderstanding, they are the type of people who do not like to be confrontational. They rather run away from the situation and pretend like it never happen. These type of people do not want to even risk getting hurt.

Now some may say what is wrong with not wanting to be confrontational, why do people have to argue, and I agree. We should not have to argue in order to get our point across, but we should discuss it, and not act as it never happened. That is not a healthy way to live your life. You cannot walk away from something that is suppose to last just because of you, you must have tried to make it work, otherwise it is just being selfish. Now there is two things I acknowledge as being sufficient enough to leave, one is infidelity, and the other is abusive relationship, neither should be tolerated unless you both are willing to work it out, then that is on you, but I can see how that is a “its over” situation.

But really, if you married someone, is it really worth ending the marriage just because of arguments or disagreements, does it not make sense to work out these things? Why are people so quick to want to leave when times get hard? What happened to forever, or till death do us part?

Me and my husband have been together for 10 years and married for 8. We have had our ups and downs and we have encountered a variety of trials along the way. But thankfully we are on the same page when it comes to trying to make it work as long as we can, we don’t believe in divorce, although I have to admit, the idea of it, sometimes lingers around my mind, mainly because it gives a fast solution to my problems that I have not yet learn to deal with on my own. But what will that do, just create a numerous amount of more problems because I love my husband, and I don’t want to divorce him, I don’t want to break up our family, and I know we both make an effort to work things through. So it is easy to feel that you want an easy way out, but I think the best way is to just stay and work it out, I mean, he or she already knows all your likes, and dislikes, your flaws and everything about you, why go through the hassle about having to meet someone new and start over with a stranger. I know every circumstance is different than mine is, we have just gone through too much, that there is nothing that we cannot handle together. As long as we love each other then we should always try to make it work. Otherwise I will just become the person that ran away. I have been there done that, I am trying to change, and I feel that 10 years of sticking by my man, is a great start in changing the “I could run away from anything” mentality. (plus my husband has put up with me too, I am not easy to live with) so a relationship or marriage is a two way street, we must learn to tolerate but most importantly respect each other, and our differences, its not easy, but who ever said that is was going to be? If it was so easy more people would be married and stay married. So I just learn to value what I have at home, and boy I am a blessed woman.

Well until next time.

Angel.

Brian's Song: The Outsider

So to finish up 2007 I wanted to pick something really special and I admit that I had a hard time trying to pick a video. Usually when we pick a video, we really aim for the music and on occasion the videos are their perfect counterpart and sometimes a video overshadows a song and you forget why you're watching that video in the first place.

So the question this week: Do I aim for a video that acts as a song's visual counterpart or do I pick a video that is just so outrageous that you forget why you're even watching it in the first place?

................................ :d .......................................


So here you go kids, A Perfect Circle for this week's Brian's Song: "The Outsider"



I laughed out loud the first time I saw it, I mean think about what's here:

- A Black '69 Charger (sweet!!)

- Bikini Bandits (ooooh)

- Mindless destruction (Ha Ha Ha)

- Bikini Bandits (oooooh)

- A Great Song with a cameo from APC/ Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan (yeah!!)

- And don't forget Bikini Bandits!! (oooooooooooh)

Oh before I forget, "The Outsider" is off of "Thirteenth Step" available online or check your local music stores.

And now "Brian's Song" goes on vacation (again) until Jan. 9th, So we will see you guys later!!

Stay true, Stay you,

Until Next Time Kiddies,
-B

Soundboard - 12/04/07

Due to circumstances beyond our control there will not be a new "Sexucation" this week. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Unhindered: Education

During a conversation, Curtis and I agreed that about every federal and state system has it's problems. The judicial system is corrupt, the corrections system is broken, the healthcare system is FUBAR, etc. But, to me, the education system is the easiest to modify because public schools have to deal with their clients and their clients' families. Plus, the people who work for the system (especially teachers) care about the students and usually have the desire to help children learn. (In contrast, criminal lawyers and judges don't want to really help lawbreakers and alleged lawbreakers by solving the long-term problems that lead to crime because then a whole buncha 'em will be out of jobs. Self-interest trumps helping others almost every time.)

Anyway, the public school system has its problems. The idea that individual children have different learning styles and speeds has become matter-of-fact in the last decade, but there are still standardized tests. The system not only teaches the "3 R's" but it teaches conformity: you stand in line to get food, you follow orders and rules, you must read at a sixth-grade level in sixth grade. Exceptional students' growth is stunted so that the "slow learners" can catch up to the "norm." Individualism is stifled and students are only given limited freedom of expression (try using "fuck" in a seventh-grade poetry assignment).

How do we fix this? Parents need to get involved. I was lucky, as I had both my parents and a counselor on my team who demanded those IEP meetings with my teachers and school admins to adapt my schools' educational requirements to fit my needs.

Parents should also take on the responsibility of aiding their children in their learning. This can be as simple as making sure they eat healthy meals three times a day and making sure their kids do their homework every night. If your child is struggling, you as a parent should do your best to help, whether it means supervising supplemental work to help your kid catch up if he is behind in class or arranging tutors or counseling sessions. And please (I am speaking from personal experience here) listen if your kid says that she doesn't want to go to school and find out the reason; there may be actual problems, and your child's safety and mental/emotional health should be the priority for a parent.

Teachers also influence children's experiences. Most teachers care about their students and want to encourage learning; you may be surprised at how many of your kid's teachers would be happy to meet you for a few minutes and discuss your child's strengths and weaknesses. Some teachers are also unsatisfied by the public education system, but they are more constrained in what they can do about it. Most do what they can to encourage learning by being funny and engaging; I'm sure everyone reading this has had at least one great teacher. For me (and Brian, too) one of the best was my high school English teacher Mr. Andres. He was the kind of teacher who bent the rules (he wouldn't snitch if I came back from lunch with a Jack in the Box value meal, even though it was officially a "closed campus"), cracked you up with his bad dancing, and still made you learn. He would deviate from official course materials, but his unconventional assignments (e.g. write the first few scenes of a screenplay) would put your skills into practice.

Okay, I could rant for more time, but I'm almost out. The comments box sits empty most of the time, so here's my homework assignment for you all: tell me a bit about your experience in school. Favorite teacher, hated faculty, alternative education, your opinions on "No Child Left Behind"... whatever.

Have a good couple weeks, everybody!