Brad Warner's Blog, page 23

SKY CAKE

Some of you who came to see my talks over the past month have heard me reference this brilliant routine by Patton Oswalt that says a lot of true things about religion. I found it today on YouTube. Here it is.


SKY CAKE by Patton Oswalt

NAKED HAPPINESS

Here is actual footage of my book signing the other day in Richmond, Virginia.



OK. Maybe not quite that bad. But these bookstore signings are hit and miss affairs. Sometimes I get a big crowd and sometimes not. The Richmond signing was one of the nots. But for a small group they had tremendous enthusiasm and interest, and that made up for it in a major way. It was an afternoon thing and those are always difficult to pull people in for.

But the evening talk in Ekoji Zen Center, also in Richmond ...

NO SLEEP TIL BROOKLYN... I MEAN BALTIMORE

Your trusted reporter, reporting today from a bagel shop in Brooklyn where he has just finished a pumpernickel bagel with butter and a too expensive cup of orange juice.

The place I slept last night was not fit for human habitation. That's not a judgment call, or even my personal opinion. I was actually OK with the place. But it was inside a disused factory and definitely not up to code. Someone had carved out a living place in what had probably once been a storage room or something on the top...

NEW YORK MINI REPORT

This just in:

Tonight (Tuesday April 6, 2010) I will be speaking at the following location at 7:30 pm

Asterisk
134 W26th St #603
NY, NY 10001

This is an animation company. I just found out that anyone who wants to can attend. I had thought it was an "invitation only" type deal. So if you're in NY and want to attend, please stop by.

Also, the first DIMENTIA 13 album is now available for downloading. Everything you need to know to get it is at this link right here. Or you can just look it up on iTune...

GODZILLA RETURNS

There have been a slew of news reports lately that Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros., the combo responsible for the current remake of Clash Of The Titans, will be producing a new Godzilla movie for release in 2012.

It's kind of funny to see this. It's part of a story I've been following for the past few years. A guy named Yoshimitsu Banno -- named in the story linked above as one of the film's producers -- has been making the rounds in the US entertainment industry trying to get a new Godzil...

NAZI "BUDDHISTS" IN SRI LANKA FUCK OFF! and CHRISTIANS IN THE ZENDO!

Here are some "Buddhists" who don't have a fucking clue what Buddhism is all about.

This story just disgusts me to no end. I have no idea what the fuck is up with these so-called "Buddhists" in Sri Lanka. But I do not represent them and I want nothing at all to do with jack-offs like this. I hope they ban my books over there too. This kind of nonsense makes me embarrassed to call myself a "Buddhist."

The Jathika Hela Urumaya (the hardline "Buddhist" ruling party in Sri Lanka) can bite me! More...

I SURVIVED THE AUSTIN DHARMA PUNX RETREAT

Here's a photo of the survivors of the Austin Dharma Punx Zen Retreat 2010. We all made it through alive, but just barely!

The retreat was held March 18-21 at the Recreation Plantation campsite a little ways outside of Austin, Texas. My first teacher routinely runs retreats at campsites in Ohio so I figured this would work out OK. But I was too busy with moving across the country to attend to the specifics of the event and did not realize what I'd gotten myself into until I got there.

The zendo...

TOUR PAGE UPDATES and GOODBYE ALEX CHILTON

I've updated the page about my tour. The address I originally had for the Brooklyn Zen Center was incorrect. So don't go where I said before because they've moved!

Also, I got more complete info on my talk at Baltimore Zen Center and that's up there as well. Go read it for yourself. What am I? Your mommy?

Sitting here at the Austin Zen Center waiting to see if someone is picking me up to go to the retreat today. So far it's 9:30 am. The retreat starts at noon. And I haven't heard a word yet abo...

THIS IS AUSTIN NOT L.A.! (Year 2) and ZEN AS ART

I thought I was being sooooo clever using the title "This is Austin Not L.A.!" since I just arrived in Austin. Then I went looking for an image for the piece and found out I'd used that title a year ago, the last time I came to Austin.

Fuck it. What else is there except for maybe an Austin Powers reference? So I'm just recycling the old title. It's good for the environment!

So I gave my talk in Houston, stayed there with the amazing and wonderful Gaelyn Godwin, who runs the show down there, the...

NORTH CAROLINA > TEXAS

I made it to North Carolina last night, thus completing my trek by car across this great land we call the United States. Drove over both of the country's mountain chains the rocky Rockies and the rolling Appalachians. I had a notion to drive an hour more to the Atlantic, thus touching both oceans. But I was too pooped. And anyway, the next day (today) I had to be on a plane for Houston Texas.

Check out the link to your right that says "Book Tour 2010" or whatever it says for details on my talk...