For years, I have always been given compliments for a hilarious Christmas card I gave back in 1995…well, hilarious to non-Christians and Christians with a sense of humor (who are the majority despite the noisy born-again Christo-Fascists). Sacrilegious? Probably. Blasphemous? That too. Then again, I’ll leave such judgment calls to professional Theologians with advanced degrees, not self-declared experts who graduated from fly-by-night seminaries.
Anyway, 1995 wasn’t the only year I upset the Religious Right and entertained my friends, I managed to keep up the streak throughout the remainder of the Nineties and sporadically through what the Guardian has labeled the Noughties (00-09). The primary source was an Austin store called Sparks down at Sixth and Lamar, a tenant with Waterloo Records. Sadly, they closed for good this Fall. I never discovered the exact reason why. The easy answer could be the economy yet desirable real estate in Austin continues to climb so the owner may have decided to throw in the towel.
At first I was bummed. This holiday season I wanted to regain my puckish reputation, especially in light of my Uncle Skip passing away in 2007 (he would’ve loved Sparks and Austin being a haven for smartasses) yet Somara only found a box of some choice leftovers from the past. There was one I had been sitting on for almost ten years (Jose received, he knows what I’m talking about) so I checked out the back for a website. I don’t recall if there was one yet the publisher’s name showed up through Google. To my good fortune, Noble Works allows you to purchase their stuff directly and now, until January 3, their stuff is half off plus domestic orders receive free shipping. Sure Christmas 2010 is practically a year away but it’ll pop up again before you’re ready.