I wanted to take the time to plug a friend and outstanding writer’s new graphic novel: “Hell House: The Awakening.”  Written by Ryan Dixon and Chad Feehan, “Hell House” is an absorbing and intriguing read, centering around the question “What if the Rapture is real?”

The book’s protagonist is an atheist in a Christian private school who just can’t get no respect. He is the laughing stock of his community for his unwillingness to believe in the tenants of the Bible, specifically the Rapture. Things come to a head at a school function when he enters his academy’s official Hell House. A real thing put together by evangelical Christians, the Hell House in the novel is actually less horrifying than the real ones. This is an impressive feat as, once inside, the Rapture  happens and those non-believers left behind are immediately attacked by ravenous zombie-demons. Our hero and his fellow skeptics now have to fight their way through the Hell House and answer the world’s most important question: what comes next?

Art-wise the best part of the book are the demons, each drool spittle and bloody hang lovingly rendered by Tsubasa Yozora. The art skews towards a definite anime/manga style, so may not appeal to everyone.

The book ends on the cusp of a literal new world order, and I cannot wait to see how Ryan and Chad explore their apocalyptic universe further; “Hell House” is out September from Viper Comics.

I woke up to see this triumphant headline on the New York times:

Democrats Clinch Vote for Health Debate!

Yes! I thought! Finally! Moving forward! Debating on the Senate floor! There are no obstacles now! Then I looked down at the next headline:

But 2 Holdouts Say Proposed Legislation Needs Improvement.

Hey American governing body: WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?

Health care has been a roller-coaster ride of emotions for me, like an abusive relationship that slaps you, apologizes, then makes you pay out of pocket insurance costs. Up and down, back and forth, I’ve watched the debating as only someone who’s been chronically hospitalized can. I cheered for the House bill, I railed against the arguments that Public health care would be so effective it would run privatized care out of business, so we shouldn’t do it. I’m on the verge of exhaustion, which I can’t afford to have under our current system.

Health care is a lot like a Slip-N-Slide.

I’ve been thinking about this ever since I got a free Slip-N-Slide from a production at work. I know, I hear you thinking: that’s awesome. Josie, you are the epitome of every kid in the 90′s dreams.

I acknowledge your envy. Who of our generation didn’t want a Slip-N-Slide? Hose it down, slide across, have hours of fun, reach speeds of up to 10 MPH while on your tummy. Some would even whisper rumors of friends or cousins who went so fast down a Slip-N-Slide that they were able to fly across an entire backyard.

So you tell everyone that a Slip-N-slide is great, you dream about a Slip-N-Slide, and then one day…you’re invited to a Slip-N-Slide birthday party. You’ve died and gone to Slip-N-Slide heaven.

And when you get there, you discover that the Slip-N-Slide is a great way…to rip off your skin as you try to slide down a plastic tarp that is never wet enough or slippery enough to let you go more than a foot. There’s long lines, you barely get wet, the slide part crumples up and bunches and twists away from your body. You’re basically flinging yourself on cold, hard ground over and over; essentially a land belly-flop.

And ROCKS. No matter where you put your Slip-N-Slide there are always rocks.

You go home, bruised and sore and bored. Your friends who were not invited eagerly gather around you.

“What was it like?” they ask in hushed tones. “What was the Slip-N-Slide like?”

You try to think back on it, but now, away from the rocks, all you can feel is your friend’s eyes watching you. Waiting for you. Judging you, for any kid who doesn’t like a Slip-N-Slide cannot be trusted.

“It was great,” you say.

And that is the American Health System of today. We love it, we’re excited for it, we can’t wait to brag about our advances to all the other Countries. But when we need it most, it gives us rocks. So we hide our cuts and bruises and red tummies.

For if the Slip-N-Slide isn’t that great…what else have we been wrong about?

[SinglePic not found]…Bristol Palin! Bristol is the daughter of ultra-conservative Governor Sarah Palin, a firm supporter of Abstinence Only and the sanctity of marriage! The Award would like to thank Mrs. Palin for raising a daughter who espoused such lofty values by becoming an unwed teenage mother. Sorry, the Award corrects itself: an unwed teenage mother who refuses to marry her baby’s teenage father.

The award can only state how glad it is to have such a wonderful candidate, and looks forward to when Ms. Palin also renounces Christianity, turns vegan, and gets heavily involved in micro-lending.

Congrats!