Archive for the ‘New Cards’ Category

Room-mates

Thursday, March 26th, 2009

In my long and interesting life, I have had 41 room-mates. I’ve liked about 5 of them. Most of them I don’t talk to anymore. Most of them were psychos.

Some Room-mates suck more than others! Sometimes they tie you up, steal your awesome hair, and then kill your boyfriend with your sexiest shoes. So next time you bitch about dirty dishes and extensive S&M scendarios in the living room; pay attention to the fact that you're not hand-cuffed up by a maniac, who is planning on sucking your boyfriend's dick later tonight.

Some Room-mates suck more than others! Sometimes they tie you up, steal your awesome hair, and then kill your boyfriend with your sexiest shoes. So next time you bitch about dirty dishes and extensive S&M scendarios in the living room; pay attention to the fact that you're not hand-cuffed to a bath-tub by a maniac, who is planning on sucking your boyfriend's dick later.

You know room-mates: they keep you up at night with their fucking. They bring their lame friends over. They don’t clean up after themselves. They judge your life choices, they tell you about the retarded life choices that they’ve made and expect you to keep quiet, while every part of you is screaming “Why the fuck did you do that?”

Another bad room-mate from the conception of Reality TV: Puck! From The Real World! Back when the people were more real! Puck made fun of Pedro, the world's most adorable AIDS patient, was a nazi and made-out with hot girls and then blabbed about it to their friends. What a dick.

Another bad room-mate from Back In The Day: Puck! From The Real World! Back when people were more real! Puck made fun of Pedro, the world's most adorable AIDS patient, was a nazi and made-out with hot girls and then blabbed about it to their friends. What a dick.

Sometimes they fall in love with you, and make your life awkward. They leave you terrible notes and expect that those notes will effectively make you do what they want. They steal your food, or they never have food worth stealing. They’re annoying, or lame and totally fucking necessary. Because you can’t pay the rent by yourself.

And really, honestly, if you lived by yourself, you would live in filth; never making an attempt to vaccum or clean the bathroom. You would have less shit (because they bring haf the furniture or the entertainment system) and you would never have sex in your house because it’s so disgusting, you’re sure that it would ruin your chances.

My room-mate right now is great. Yes, she does chain-smoke in her room, which kinda bugs me. But she doesn’t mind if I stay up painting until 7am with the TV blasting. And she was really, really nice to me when I broke my leg. She bought me a Valentines Day present. She cleans the kitchen a lot. And she deosn’t leave me notes. Ever.

I'd like to dedicate this card to Farah, who was a bitch. And ugly. And who made my life hard.

I'd like to dedicate this card to Farah: my worst room-mate ever. She made my life hard. And she was ugly. And she bought beige furniture, to replace my red, sexy furniture. And also, she was a bitch.

But I have had shitty room-mates in the past. There was Kris, who was great, until his girlfriend Farah moved in. She hated me. And she left me passive agressive notes. Whereas, before she moved in, Kris and I would just tell each other stuff and it would be no big deal. There was Allie, who left her old mattress in our backyard for six months, until it had rotted, and started pulling the fence it was leaning on apart.

There was Randi, who had never cleaned anything, in her life. She also couldn’t wake up in the morning. She claimed it was some sort of disease. So every morning, her Mom called her to wake her up. If it didn’t work, her Mom would come over to our apartment and wake her up. Something I had no inkling of, until I woke up at 8am, on the living room couch, to a middle-aged stranger tiptoeing into our apartment. So I emptied the rank cat boxes, and tried to vaccum years worth of dust and crap up, in order to make our tiny Maxi Pad more liveable, but really, it was impossible.

And there was Bob, whose friends came over at all hours of the night. Most of them came to our apartment as a detour after they had gotten out of prison. His skanky-ass-crack-whore girlfriend stole all of my jewelry and he left two huge boxes of garbage in his room when I kicked him out.
There were The Lesbians who would have knock-down drag out fights in the living room. And leave me stupid notes about how I need to clean up after myself when I spill coffee on the counter in the morning. They would freak out if my cat ate their cats food, (um, hello? Who can control that kind of shit?) They would go into my room and move things around. But mostly, the problem with The Lesbians was that one of The Lesbians didn’t like me talking to her girlfriend, AKA my other room-mate. I started loaning her girlfriend books, but we had to keep it a secret, because her girlfriend didn’t like her to read. Seriously.

Condoms: Not just a "good idea" anymore! They help keep you barren and disease-free while still allowing you to engage in hot-sex with strangers!

Condoms Rock! They help keep you barren and disease-free while still allowing you to engage in hot-sex with strangers!

Krista had skanky-bar sex with strangers. Unprotected Skanky-bar sex with strangers. Which grossed me out to the millionth degree. I mean, it’s fucking 2009, condoms are not “a good idea”. They’ll keep sex from killing you painfully. They’re a necesary part of having sex with strangers. She got upset because I “judged her”. Which annoyed me too. If you don’t want me to judge you, don’t tell me shit. If you don’t like being judged, don’t spend so much time with me. But don’t expect me to listen to your stupid-ass stories, and nod my head and make sympathetic noises. It’s cool that you like to sleep with creeps. But please don’t expect me to think that sleeping with them is a great idea, and especially don’t whine to me that you might have given your co-workers boyfriend Chlamydia. There are condoms in our kitchen, bathroom, living room, and dining area. You can’t do anything in the house without having to move a condom. Don’t fucking tell me that you didn’t use one.

I made this card as revenge for all the creepy notes I've ever gotten. I hope you fucking note-writers are sorry! And I hope you note-receivers are comforted.

I made this card as revenge for all the creepy notes I've ever gotten. I hope you fucking note-writers are sorry! And I hope you note-receivers are comforted.

And then there was Cara, who persuaded me to move to Portland, to live in the shack in the back of her house. We had been best friends for five years. We had been through thick and thin. It was going to be fun! But Cara had just had a baby. And I guess I didn’t like her baby enough, because she wouldn’t let me baby-sit, she didn’t trust me alone with the baby. And that evolved into me just not being welcome. In her kitchen. Which I paid rent for half of. She started shooting me cold looks when I came into the kitchen to eat. So I felt bad every time I ate. Or everytime I thought about eating. It was like living with my mother except without the fun excorcisms!

And she must have made some sort of anouncement, towards the end of my living there, because after a while, she wouldn’t talk to me, and neither would her boyfriend, her brother, her sisters, or her friends, when they came over. It was a shunning. It was effective. It made me want to move. But it was creepy and scary and weird. I totally get why the Amish use it as a threat now. Because even when you dislike the people shunning you, it still hurts that you’re not worth looking in the face. She also left me a lot of fucking notes.

So I get it. Room-mates can suck. And I want to honor your room-mate troubles with Snarky Cards. I hope you dig ‘em.

And to any and all of my old room-mates who are reading this, who I just talked shit about: Ha! Ha! You were dicks to me, and I talked shit about you on The Internets. And you can’t do anything about it. Because everything I said is true.

The Hot Blind Guy

Monday, March 16th, 2009

For those of you who don’t know, I make Snarky Cards: Brutally Honest Greeting Cards. I sell them in bars from a box that hangs beneath my boobs. They will crack you the fuck up.

Last week I went out selling at the glorious Kelly’s Olympian, and then, the Matador. On the bus on the way downtown, a blind guy got on. I told him that there was a seat next to me, and he sat down and then I stared at him. It couldn’t be, could it? I mean, how many Hot Blind Guys are there in Portland? Who ride the bus? This guy is gorgeous in my favorite way, He looks like a 90′s pop-star. He’s thin, and in his mid-twenties, and a snappy dresser. He’s got soft looking light brown hair, which falls into his face in that cute 90′s thatch that I just can’t get enough of (think Kirk Cameron without the annoying voice or Christianity).

I leaned over to him, and I said “This is gonna sound weird, but I think we were on the bus together a few weeks ago. My friend Lauren and I were making really loud back-door jokes. Do you remember that?” He smiled and nodded. “Yeah! I do!” I leaned back a little, proud that I’d been memorable. “Well, just so you know, after we got off the bus, Lauren and I had, like, a ten minute arguement about whether or not The Hot Blind Guy laughed at my jokes or hers. It occurs to me that you probably don’t know how hot you are, now that I’m thinking about it. So, I thought I’d tell you.” He smiled. His name is Jim. He gave me his email address, and I gave him a Snarky Card. There was something really intimate about handing him the card, and then describing it. “There’s a sailboat on the back, and a chick with really big boobs on the front.” I started. The guy across the aisle from me said “Yeah, and the chick on the front has triple D boobs.” I thought it was hilarious that this random bus-stranger wanted to make sure Jim knew he had some triple D’s in his hand. I’d handed him the Make-out Card, and he giggled “It really says ‘Maybe, if you go down?’” He asked. I nodded. Until I realized that was pointless. “Yup,” I giggled happily with him.

We all know someone who has lived in one. There's no shame in it. Just fuckin' move out before you start getting old. Because after a while, that shit is not cute.

We all know someone who has lived in one. There's no shame in it. Just fuckin' move out before you start getting old. Because after a while, that shit is not cute.

It was a dreamy begining to a night that felt right. It was the tail-end of Marti Gras. So the bars were full of amateurs. Most of whom hadn’t seen my cards. The economy is still hitting hard, so I didn’t make as much money as I wanted, and I’m starting to worry a little about rent, but this week is devoted to me going out to the bars and selling my ass off. Whether or not were in a bad economy, people in bars still wanna laugh. Hopefully, I can make that happen, and make rent too. As a tribute to Portland Drunks everywhere, I give you: The Filthy Punk Rock House!

Obama-Rama: Super-Alisa Gets all Political On Your Ass

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009
From The Miami Herald, Morin

From The Miami Herald, Morin

Last night I watched the Obama speech. I was painting my cards, and my room-mate and I listened together as he explained what he’s going to do. Occasionally, I shouted things like “Finally!” And “Ohmygod!” It was kind of like a really long orgasm, now that I think about it. Basically, he said that he’s going to do shit that I’ve always wanted someone to do for our country, and never had the balls to even hope for. I feel… nervous.

obama-saviorWhat if he doesn’t do it? What if he does it, and it all still falls apart? But I think the fact that he said someone should fix our schools, and that we all should go to college and volunteer in our community and have a savings account, and not have to pay exorbitant medical bills/insurance premiums already fixes things. Saying all of that undoes some of my own guilt over the medical bills I can’t pay or how selfish I felt, when I went back to school and had to depend on the kindness of my friends for food. You know? Saying that that shit is fucked up justifies some of the choices I’ve made. It makes me feel less like I’m an asshole for not making my life work, the way that all the grown-ups before me did.

So, thanks Mr. President, for making me feel like I’m still a good person, and that the system is fucked up, but you’re going to work on the system, so in a little while, it’ll get better, and I can be proud of my country again, because it let me down for a long time, but then it turned around and elected this gorgeous black man, who fixed some of the things that broke my heart. And now I know that it’s all possible. And the bad guys don’t always win, and Big Companies are going to get taxed for taking their factories and their jobs overseas and Insurance Companies aren’t going to make bank over and over again on the illnesses of my friends and families.

And maybe he can’t fix everything. But saying everything is fucked up is good start. Because now it’s in the public arena, and now other politicians are going to have to talk about it, and pretend to try to solve it. And eventually, someone’s going to do something, and our lives will be vastly improved.

The Economy Sucks Cards! A new must-have!

The Economy Sucks Cards! A new must-have!

So there’s your dose of gooey optimism for the day. I’m sorry, sometimes it just bursts out of me and I can’t control it. I didn’t mean to spluge it all over you. Here’s a new Snarky Card to balance it all out:

Chance Of Rain: Coolest of The Cool

Monday, February 23rd, 2009
The delicious and delightful Chance Of Rain!

The delicious and delightful Chance Of Rain!

I stopped by Chance Of Rain today and restocked their Snarky Card Stash.

So all of you Southeast Portlanders, get on over there to get your The Economy Sucks! Cards. They’ve extended their hours for Winter, because they know that you  wanna hang around somewhere warm, with good music and play board games with your friends, while cute boys serve you yummy food. And now you can from 8am to 10 pm!

under-employedThe economy sucks, and I appreciate all of the Snarky Card buying everyone is doing. Thanks for still supporting my business in this time of scary. I appreciate you all very much. And as a token of my appreciation, I give you: Underemployed! A card for your out-of-work lover.

I discounted it by $1, because I know you’re really buying it for someone without a job. And you may be nervous about yours.

Alisa Starr: Luddite, Complainer and general Pain In The Ass

Monday, February 23rd, 2009

For those of you who don’t know, I make Snarky Cards: Brutally Honest Greeting Cards. They will crack you the fuck up. This is my website, where I write about Snarky Cards, and my life selling them. I hope I crack you the fuck. But this post is mostly whining.

Today is a terrible, no-good, very bad, horrible day. Today I had to give up my rotary phone. I love my rotary phone. NO, I did not get a cell phone, a choice which is retarded and archaic, as some of you fuckers have pointed out to me. I simply switched my service from Qwest to Clear, saving me $50 a month. No, this is not a commercial. I’m simply trying to justify not having a rotary phone anymore. And 50 bucks seems like a shitty consolation prize right now, but when I’m busting my ass to pay my bills next week, it’ll seem like a reasonable thing to do.

Right?

I love that goddamn phone. I do. It’s really, really loud. It’s the only thing that wakes me up. It scares the fuck out of my cats. And I can use a pen to dial it. Just like a Sexy Secretary in all those 30′s and 40′s movies. It made me feel like a dead movie star, having that phone.

So, now I’ve taken a giant leap into the 80′s! And the rotary is no more. Now I’ve moved in the cordless of the 90′s. And I can’t say I’m feeling better about myself. Now I don’t feel like any kind of movie star, dead or alive. I just feel…. ordinary. Which is, as you know, one of the scariest feelings EVER. My Aunt Judy once said “I’d rather die than be common.” And you know, I’m feeling pretty common right now. That’s not a suicidal statement, it’s just me, being petulant.

You crazy kids and your fucking jazz music and your computer relationships!

You crazy kids and your fucking jazz music and your computer relationships!

I don’t know why you fuckers are so pleased with yourselves. This new technology is nothing to brag about. And it’s not like I didn’t have a cordless before. I just liked having both. Just like I have a kick-ass website and a working typewriter. I’m not a complete Luddite, I just like to mix it up. And now there’s no mixing.

As a tribute to you fuckers who have embraced the now, and are not whining about your lack of rotary phone, I give you: The Facebook Status Card. I hope you enjoy it. Stupid technology. Making all this possible.

V-Day

Thursday, February 19th, 2009

For those of you who don’t know, I make Snarky Cards, brutally honest greeting cards. These cards are rad. They will crack you the fuck up.

Everyone always says to me: You must do so well with your Snarky Cards on Valentines Day!” and I always just give them a blank look. Valentines Day hasn’t really ever meant that much to me.

See? Wouldn't you rather get this from a friend than something lame from a lover?

See? Wouldn't you rather get this from a friend than something lame from a lover?

When I was in high school whether I had one boyfriend or three, I noticed that the cards I got from my friends were the ones that meant the most to me. And then I went to Ireland, when I was 20. They don’t celebrate Valentines Day in Ireland, and somehow, not having to deal with this bullshit Holiday over there reset my internal recognizing mechanism, and since then the whole Hubuloo leaves me feeling a little confused.

Adam Corolla said “You can’t get an A on Valentines Day, it’s a Pass or Fail grade.” And he’s right. Valentines Day just re-iterates what you already know. Single people feel more lonely and Couples feel more loving. Whatever your love-sitch, the day intensifies it. I hate situations that do not allow for change. So last year, I just hung out at home and waited for it to be over. To finish a long tirade, I don’t really make Valentines Day Cards, because most of my cards are kinda mean. There are lots of Valentines Day Cards for people out there who like each other, I don’t really make those kinds of cards, and I don’t really want to. And for the people who want to dump each other, or rub salt on each other’s wounds on V-Day, well, I have those available, and they’ll just have to scribble “Happy Valentines Day!” underneath I Wish You Were Cooler, or It’s Not You, It’s Me.

My shrink says that I’m depressed and I need to leave the house more. My broken leg left my isolated in my house for 3 months, and it’s been hard to force myself outside, now that I can walk, so my bar-escapades have been few and far between lately. So, this week I made an extraordinary effort to go out, and Saturday night was no different.

This card is for all the people who felt like Valentines Day was designed to rub salt in their wounds. And for those poor fuckers whose Valentines Day ended with a break-up. You're better off without that retard/idiot/drunk/psycho. I promise.

This card is for all the people who felt like Valentines Day was designed to rub salt in their wounds. And for those poor fuckers whose Valentines Day ended with a break-up. You're better off without that retard/idiot/drunk/psycho. I promise.

Except that it was. I had a good time, but it seemed like everyone else was falling apart a little bit. I went to The Triple Nickel, where I saw my friend A, who is freaking out about his job-sitch. I tried to talk him out of the fetal position he was trying to crawl into, and then I gave up, and went to The Aalto, where I ran into one of my favorite bartenders. I never see J out drinking. And I was happy to see him. Hugging ensued. “Where’s your girlfriend?” I asked. His face turned from Happy Drunk, to Miserable Crying Man in a matter of seconds. “She dumped me.” He said plaintively. “Oh, I’m sorry!” I said, thinking “Shit, this Valentines Day seems to be about men falling apart in my arms.”. He went on to explain that he still loved her. And he had been such a good boyfriend! J is one of the nicest guys ever to get me drunk. I have the utmost faith that he gives good orgasm and makes an effort to impress The Parents. “Well, it’s clear that’s she’s probably retarded.” I said soothingly. “Maybe she has Downs Syndrome?” This led to us saying “I don’t wanna go out with you anymore!” in retarded voices to each other, while hitting ourselves for five minutes. He seemed releived, that I’d finally found a reason for his predicament. I went into The Aalto, and peddled my wares, but everyone, by then, was too drunk, and the music was too loud for me to really get anywhere with it.

I saw J chatting up a cute girl as I was getting my coat. I hugged him good-bye, and he left some sloppy kisses on my neck, that I felt in my down there, and I thought “Leave, Alisa, before you become a bad sexual decision that means you can’t go back to his bar.” I skee-daddled, hoping that I hadn’t ruined his chances with said cute girl with my slutty-hugging.

For all youse guys who are worried about your life post-layoff I give you The Economy Cards!

For all youse guys who are worried about your life post-layoff I give you The Economy Cards!

I went back to the Triple Nickel, and sat next to A, and we closed down the bar. Afterwards, I walked A home, and we sat in his living room, talking about books, and feeling scared and kindness and the reason we have these crazy tattoos. Around 4am, he called me my cab, and I went home. I was so excited, I chatted away about my night to my room-mate, Libby. Who nodded and smiled and generally wished I would shut-the-fuck-up.

I do hate Valentinees Day. But Saturday night, I got to pull a few of my friends out of the depths of despair. And I feel like maybe this is a part of selling Snarky Cards that I really, really missed. Making other people feel better about the parts of their lives that they can’t control.

I didn’t make that much money. But I got to take care of some people I care about, and I got to remember that my job isn’t just about selling my art, it’s using my ability to pull people’s secrets out of them, so that I can help them feel better. Because I’ve had 12 years worth of therapy, and it seems like a waste not to teach other people all the lessons it took me so long to learn.

“Without abject suffering I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.”

Wednesday, February 4th, 2009

-John Munch-

I’ve been sick. Very, very sick. Struck down by the cold that won’t die. And so I have been huddled in my house, a shivering mass of snot and achy bones. My friends have sensed my pain from afar, and have been calling to tell me news of the outside world.

K-T called last night. She was drunk. K-T only ever calls me drunk. Which is awesome, and hilarious. You never know what she’s going to say. “Aparently, My sisters is going to have a masculine child.” She announced. “What?” I was startled. “Lizzie’s knocked up?” K-T took another drag of her cigarrette. “Yup. Since September. Apparently, little Zola is going to be a boy.” I was confused. “Zola? Is that what she’s calling it?”

K-T started getting mad. “No! That’s what I’m calling it! Remember when Lizzie used to say that if she ever had a baby she’d call it Gargonzola? She thinks I’m making it up, but you remember, right?”

I remembered. And I posted this Snarky Card today, to celebrate Lizzie’s knocked up-ness. Welcome to the world, little Gargonzola. Don’t mind Aunt K-T. She’s a little wasted.
broken-water

Knocking you Up!

Wednesday, January 21st, 2009

For those of you who don’t know: I make Snarky Cards: Brutally Honest Post Cards. I sell them from a box that hangs beneath my boobs in bars. And that’s what I was doing last night, at The Ash Street Saloon and Berbati’s Pan.

Fenbi: International Superstars played at Ash Street and it fuckin’ rocked. Just like I said it would. I even danced a little. I think dancing knocked my leg a little sideways, or maybe it was that weed that that homeless guy smoked me out with after the show, but I’m pretty sure that I walked sans limp all the way to the bus stop. It was magical. All of a sudden, my legs both worked, and they moved in tandem, without complaint. I had three whiskeys and a fat blunt in me by then, but even the cold couldn’t touch me, and I was in awe of my own body, working again. I blame Fenbi, for making me wanna dance so bad.

Today, in honor of bodies in general, I posted a new Snarky Card for all you Knocked Up Bitches. I hope you like it!

I betcha thought that you needed some penis and vagina action in order to get knocked up, huh? Nope. It's not true. It's just Jaeger. You drink enough of it, and a baby magically starts growing inside of you. That's why I don't touch the stuff. I stick to whiskey, and I've been baby-free for 15 years.

I betcha thought that you needed some penis and vagina action in order to get knocked up, huh? Nope. It's not true. It's just Jaeger. You drink enough of it, and a baby magically starts growing inside of you. That's why I don't touch the stuff. I stick to whiskey, and I've been baby-free for 15 years.

The Bicycle Circus

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009

I joined a circus once. I needed a ride, and it was going my way, and Kaytea was in it, so she introduced me and I worked really hard and they fed me whiskey and kept me dirty and at the end of it all, Kaytea and I were go-go dancers.

body-vs-bike-modsIt’s called Cyclecide, and someday I’m gonna hang with them again. They make crazy-cool bikes; one of which breathes fire. They also make rides out of bikes. It’s fuckin’ awesome.

The other night, seeing Fenbi play at the after-party for the Nanda (also circus folk) show reminded me of my circus days.

So, as a tribute to the Bicycle Circus, I posted another bike card, for the Bike-Kids of the world to hit on and reject other Bike-Kids with. I hope you like it.

And don’t forget! I’m going to be at The Fenbi Show tonight at 8pm @ The Ash Street Saloon! I’ll have new “The economy sucks” Snarky Cards! It’s gonna rock and roll!

Fenbi Show: Inauguration Day @ the Ash Street Saloon!

Monday, January 19th, 2009

Hey, Internet, I just wanted you to know that I’m going to be at the Fenbi International Superstars Show tomorrow night, at The Ash Street Saloon Show starts at 8pm! For those of you who don’t know, Fenbi Fuckin’ Rock.

    This is from their St. Patricks Day Show. They don't always look like fuckin' Leprechauns. But they're pretty hot Leprechauns, aren't they?

This is from their St. Patricks Day Show. They don't always look like fuckin' Leprechauns. But they're pretty hot Leprechauns, aren't they?

They’re 4 hot guys who write their own Rockin’ Irish Drinking songs; mostly about drinkin’ and fuckin’. The songs are hilarious, and high energy, and by the end of each one, you’re usually raising your glass and singin’ along, or throwing it down so you can get at the dance floor.

I’ll be there, and I’ll have new Snarky Cards to sell to all you fuckers. -New “The Economy Sucks” cards are here!

So come and celebrate this new world where our President is black and smart, and not a jackal-sell-out; by getting wasted and dancing your asses off while cute boys sing you some Rock ‘n’ Roll.