This is now the news page...
Welcome to the Sam n' Murphy news page. There is no need for a blog and a news page so this is it. Strange enough, that is the only news to report. Things are busy; we are already in the middle of January. Time to play catch up!

My list...

Angie’s List…HORSE$#!+! You have to pay for this crap, its reviews are by regular people and this is supposed to be better…BULLCOOKIES. Have you ever gone to Amazon to buy something and then you read the reviews on the item. How can you ever find the review that is the most honest? Everyone has a different experience, so there will always be someone who loves it and someone who hates it. There are people who are anal and picky and others who would be satisfied with a substandard work. I guess my point is that I could care less about Angie and her F***ing list, I would prefer if it was not promoted as some special service you’ll receive by paying money. You are not getting anything out of the ordinary and there are already plenty of people out there taking you money and not providing anything special.

Forever Lazy...WTF!

Forever Lazy…seriously, what the hell has happened to us as a people. I thought it was bad enough that someone turned a robe inside out and called it a Snuggy and now we have Forever Lazy which is essentially a one piece jumpsuit, the kind you used to wear as a new born. What the F***ing hell is wrong with people. I have no idea but they say that you go out of this world the way you come in, wearing a diaper, drooling, no teeth and a load in your pants. Now you have the perfect accessory, Forever Lazy, Ahh, for all who longs to return to their infant years.

A celebration of idiots...

I’m going to start this with the old, “I remember when...” speech. I remember when in order to be someone in this world it took hard work. You had to study a subject such as Math, Shakespeare or maybe Science. Eventually with hard work you made something out of yourself, a scientist, astronaut, actor or writer just to name a few.

But now days with the invention of reality television, we celebrate the under achievers and the losers of the world. It started with Cops which once a week would expose us to the nightly rituals of white trash or the idiotic criminal. I gave us terms like “Wife Beater”, a tank top tee shirt worn by the suspect who was about to be arrested by the cops for the aforementioned crime. Then came, America’s Funniest Videos, it reminded us that someone’s mistakes are not funny unless we can embarrass them in front of the whole world. I would then assume through evolution that people with video cameras could not wait for accidents to happen but now created stupid stunts in order to become famous. Eventually the lesson learned was you can achieve greatness by becoming an idiot.

It seems as though reality television makes stars of tattoo artists, truck drivers, bikers, lumber jacks, which all require a certain amount of skill but nothing worthy of an hour long program. Most of the time, it’s about the made up drama, not the actual skill which made these individuals the best in their field. The other edge of this double edge sword is the shows about the wealthy or supposed wealthy. It is a reminder that you have to be a certain amount of an a**hole to be wealthy. It illustrates to me that there are only a few wealthy people; everyone else just has credit.

The famous people of old were Beethoven, Neil Armstrong, Patton and Martin Luther King. Today it’s the gang from the Jersey shore, Paris Hilton, or the housewives from where ever the hell. Every time we celebrate idiocy we send the message to the younger generation, don’t bother to work hard just behave like a jackass and you achieve fame. You want to be famous work hard to be the best in your chosen field; don’t take the easy road. Anyone knows anything worth having in this life takes hard work.

Here come the hoildays

Here we are, that time of the year when the holiday season begins. That of course is my belief, everyone knows according to retail logic the Christmas season started before Halloween. As the world circles the drain, it is time to put on those cheery smiles and extend a helping hand to you fellow human being. Horsesh*t!

The holidays just prove the hypocrisy is even greater. If we as a people have proven anything, it's that we have regressed. As technology advances in the blink of an eye, our fear and ignorance grow as rapidly.  The country is divided more than ever, so much so that there are people who would rather see this country fail than put aside differences to achieve success. We have proven we can no longer work together. Where there used to be understanding and cooperation there is now inflexibility and confrontation. Now I’m supposed to believe that because the holidays are here we are all going to extent good will toward our fellow human being? If that kind of compassion existed we wouldn’t be neck deep in the crap we are in now.

Doesn’t make you wonder when you are out in the world and someone says to you, “Have a great holiday”, they might also be part of a crowd which thinks your group is lazy, un-American freeloaders or wealthy trust fund bastards. It’s difficult to believe anyone’s sincere. That may just be my cynical view point but watching the news for 5 minutes reaffirms my beliefs. Never has so much hate and contempt come from the same group of people who are always trying to dictate family values and morality. To paraphrase Thoreau…rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness…give me truth. I probably sucks to hear what people really think of you but there is no guess work when it comes time to make up your Christmas card list.

Counting the days...

Counting the days until my return to work. I have been inspired enough to finally update my web page, after over a year. My surgery has left me with much to think about.

For starters, I realize I don't care for the line of work I have chosen. I do it to pay the bills but I don't find it enjoyable. I like where I live and I love working on my cartoon but the truth is; it's a labor of love.

The world demands you have money in order to have the essentials: food, clothing and shelter. This leaves 8 hours to what you enjoy and the other 16 are for working and sleeping. Take out time for personal errands, laundry, bills, groceries and that leaves even less time. Before I go off to the pissing and moaning portion of this rant, let me just say it takes lots out of you. I am feeling a bit trapped in a cage. Hope the feeling changes in the days to come.

Simplify
Mood:  caffeinated
Now Playing: Doves
So it’s Friday night and I just completed a new strip, soon to be posted. It was more work than it should have been but I try to put out a quality piece despite what my one fans says. I am nearing the end of my medical leave and will once again enter the rat race. At this point in my life I work to pay the bills, my career days are over. I have no aspirations to be someone of importance; I don't want to supervise anyone or anything. I am not driven by obtaining wealth or power. There are bigger jack wagons than me that still feel this is vital to life. I am not sure if I ever had that kind of ambition but I have figured out that the more complex things get the more things can go off the rails. Now I know there are people out there that love juggling several things at once and good for you but in the end, what is it you are really doing? Does it make your life better; are you really enjoying life or are you just fitting life into your schedule. That being said I sit here writing instead of out and about, so I am not judging. What I am wondering is life better now, then 30 plus years ago? Some once questioned if ignorance is really bliss. With 24/7 access to news and telephones that never leave you out of touch with anything, I have to say a resounding HELL YES, ignorance is bliss. If you’re not sure, try it. Turn off the TV, computer and your phone. Simplify; but don't turn off the computer before checking out the new strip!

Who's carving the turkey?

So I just had major surgery for the first time in my life. I am staring at a 7 inch scar which starts just above my navel, well you get the idea. Without going into too much detail, I had bad things cut out and repair work done on the stuff that I got to keep. I guess my point, as I sit and think is; how do other people deal with this kind of thing? I mean, I have insurance but just a few years ago I was unemployed. I can’t begin to imagine how that would work. Do people who become sick without insurance get a note from the doctor telling them they are sick but screwed because you don’t have the money to pay or do they have everything fixed and then fall into a deep hole of debt. I mean the entire time up to my surgery the doctors kept telling me to keep a good mind set, free of worry and stress. This would allow me to be strong and improve my chances of recovery. So how does a person facing a mountain of debt suppose to relax prior to an operation? One of the tests just to make sure I was safe to operate on costs over $2700. The medical system is crap. Even with insurance I am still looking at a sizable amount of debt. Don’t get me wrong, I am happy everything has been fixed and my life can return to normal or what passes for normal. As for the rest, well at least I have my health, right?

Be gentle, it's my first time...
Now Playing: The Rolling Stones

The problem with these things is that you never know how to get started, so let get to it. First off let me say, I am not a teacher or a grammatical whiz, so if you are going to pick at my grammar...bite me! I am sure most people have been Microsoft Word reliant for years now. Any who, get back on track. This is my extra outlet. I am a cartoonist and with my creation I tried to tell stories but in the interest of being in the mainstream, I have been limited. As I watch the world circling the drain I realized, I might as well say what I am thinking. I mean, it could just be me or there are others out there who see what I see. If you are one of the others, strap on your helmet cause we're going in and if it is just me, well thankfully I have a talking cartoon dog to hang out with. As I listen to the Rolling Stones it's a reminder, "You can't always get what you want, but sometimes you get what you need!"