Life

For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. -Nelson Mandela

I woke up in such a great mood today. I don’t know what the hell happened.-Mike Damone

Rock Dad

January 9, 2018

In today’s music world, it seems my teenage kids are hooked on every two-bit, no-name hip hop or rap artist who can mumble “Skirt, Skirt” (which is a rapper mimicking the sound of an expensive sports car screeching its tires on the asphalt) behind some poorly programmed bass and drum track.

How To Tell If Your Child Will Grow Up To Be A Serial Killer

April 8, 2018

Let's face it, no parent ever wants to admit it: their child grew up to be a serial killer. But, hey, it happens. A very small percentage of the population become serial killers, those are the facts. So, fess up, parents. Is your child exhibiting signs? Here's an unscientific guide by which to tell.

Tinder Tales

February 12, 2018

Todd sits nervously in his chair, reading the Italian menu sitting in his sweaty palms. He’s berating himself internally for choosing this place, he doesn’t know how to read or speak Italian.

Awesome Totally Awesome Replaced My Bumper

I Replaced My Bumper: A Tale of Avoiding Trendy Plastic Surgery

September 6, 2018/0 Comments/in Awesome, Life, Steez, Trending, You Know My Steez

My formative teen years did not involve the ever-present smartphone of today, but the media still found ways of consistently feeding me the image of “the perfect body.”

Santa Clarita Diet: Joel Hammond – The Loyalty We Should All Aspire To

April 9, 2018/0 Comments/in Life

On any given day, I do quite a bit of thinking about the type of guy I want to end up with, mostly because my taste in men leaves something to be desired.

I’ll Always Have Paris: Falling in and out of obsession with all things Paris Hilton

February 12, 2018/0 Comments/in Life

“I hope you don’t look up to her,” my mother scoffed from our kitchen. I don’t remember what my hero had done now to solicit that comment, but I responded with a halfhearted “I don’t.

English Professor Looks Forward to Telling People He’s Not into Sports

March 5, 2018/0 Comments/in Awesome Lampoon, Life

Thirty-eight year-old Chad Swampf, an English professor in the suburbs of Chicago, finds himself getting very excited this time of the year as the upcoming NCAA College Basketball Tournament as well as the beginning of Major League Baseball season provides him with several opportunities to inform complete strangers that he is not into sports at all.

Santa Clarita Diet: Abby’s Guide to Surviving Her Flesh Eating Mom

March 23, 2018/0 Comments/in Life

Season 2 of Santa Clarita Diet has finally arrived. When we last left the not-so-heroic heroes of our story, they had basically messed up everything. To be fair, poor Sheila did randomly turn into a zombie with no explanation as to why (can we get to that part of the story, please?), which is enough to make any family a little crazy.

SOMETHING PROFOUND

January 11, 2018/1 Comment/in Features, Fiction, Life

It’s the reason why people sit through funerals, attend weddings, wait expectantly outside delivery rooms—that unnamable presence that accompanies death and birth and the consummation of love. They’re all hoping for a glimpse at the infinite. They’re all looking for something profound.

Chicago: It’s My Kind of Town

February 12, 2018/0 Comments/in Life, Sports

I’m a Chicago sports fan. Not the most hardcore admittedly, but I do hold a deep appreciation for its teams. The people that can spew out genuine stories about the fanaticism that lives inside the confines of America’s greatest city.

Rock Dad

January 9, 2018/0 Comments/in Life, Music

Awesome Totally Awesome Zen Hipster Douche

How To Be Zen Without Being a Douchebag

August 16, 2018/0 Comments/in Awesome, Features, Life, Trending

We live in a loud, obnoxious, ugly, and yes sometimes orange “Trumped-up” world. We all want a little more peace… a little calmer.

Awesome Totally Awesome The Comedy Store

Break on Through to the Other Side: Trying to Make it as a Comedian in Los Angeles

August 1, 2018/0 Comments/in Awesome, Features, Life

Comedy becomes an unreliable drug, one that sends you shooting to the moon or crashing into the fiery depths of hell.

Also This: My Awkward Encounter With a Hollywood Producer

March 23, 2018/0 Comments/in Life

Awesome Totally Awesome - Stacy Kohut FOURLIFE

Stacy Kohut Interview: Four Wheels + For Life = FOURLIFE

July 16, 2018/0 Comments/in Awesome, Features, Life, Shine, Sports, Trending

I try to get 5 or 6 runs in the morning, then 5 or 6 runs after lunch. Its important to me to feel like I’ve put in the work, ‘punched in’ for the shift, when I ride. Makes the day have some more importance and meaning. A purpose if you will.

Awesome Totally Awesome - Where Is My Mind

Where is My Mind; Or ****, I Ate The Whole Brownie

August 21, 2018/0 Comments/in Awesome, Life

I was in a small spaceship, galaxies away from home when I realized I had lost my mind.

Fucking Eh

February 1, 2018/0 Comments/in Features, Fiction, Life

I had just arrived in Paris after spending the past five weeks in Angola managing some offshore drilling rigs. Shitty job. After laying down the rules, I got some pushback from the locals. Not a surprise. Typical work politics down there.

Santa Clarita Diet Season 1 Recap: The Undead Revival of Drew Barrymore(‘s Career)

March 23, 2018/0 Comments/in Life

When it comes to potential marital crises, none of your petty problems will ever compare to those of Sheila and Joel Hammond, the main characters of the Netflix original series Santa Clarita Diet.

Awesome Totally Awesome Hoppily Ever After

HOPPILY EVER AFTER: The Evolution of Craft Beer From Hipster Beards To Fruity Beers

September 19, 2018/0 Comments/in Awesome, Life

Who doesn’t like a nice, cold beer on a hot day or even a cold day, for that matter? There are only two types of people who don’t like beer; weirdos and toddlers.

I am Light

June 1, 2018/0 Comments/in Awesome, Life

I am light. I am the light of my soul. I am beautiful. I am bountiful. I am bright. I am. I am. Say this out loud. Does it sound like bullshit to that inner voice?

Fear And Loathing In The Penthouse Poker Game

February 12, 2018/0 Comments/in Awesome Undercover, Features, Life

I finally got the call. A friend of mine, who runs several legitimate businesses, but tends to spend his off time in the shadows had told me about a private, big baller home game held weekly in the penthouse suite of a Los Angeles area, deluxe, high-rise apartment.

Tinder Tales

February 12, 2018/0 Comments/in Fiction, Life

Todd sits nervously in his chair, reading the Italian menu sitting in his sweaty palms. He’s berating himself internally for choosing this place, he doesn’t know how to read or speak Italian.

Alfonso Rawls EverybodySkates Awesome Totally Awesome

SHINE: ATA’s INTERVIEW WITH SKATEBOARDING ICON ALPHONSO “ALF” RAWLS ON SKATING, HIS STREETWEAR COMPANY #EVERYBODY SKATES, AND HIS ART

May 10, 2018/0 Comments/in Awesome, Features, Interviews, Life, Shine, Steez, You Know My Steez

Our latest Shine subject is Alfonso “ALF” Rawls. ALF is a skateboarding legend and really good soul who can still rip everything with freaky styley style.

Awesome Totally Awesome - Pee Smelling Murderer

How I Became a Pee Smelling Murderer With a Job Offer From an Aspiring Pimp

October 19, 2018/0 Comments/in Awesome, Features, Fiction, Life

I had just graduated from college and was waiting for a life-changing job offer. In fact, any job offer would have been nice.

Music A Potent Activator – Healing Through the Power of Music

January 28, 2018/0 Comments/in Life, Music

The pale grey, pink sky was fading in the rearview mirror as I drove along the canyon road that leads home after a joyful time at the coast. Bob Marleyʼs “Waiting In Vain” came on and immediately Iʼm reminded of a special memory with my Dad, who passed a couple years ago.

How To Tell If Your Child Will Grow Up To Be A Serial Killer

April 8, 2018/0 Comments/in Awesome, Life

Let’s face it, no parent ever wants to admit it: their child grew up to be a serial killer. But, hey, it happens. A very small percentage of the population become serial killers, those are the facts. So, fess up, parents. Is your child exhibiting signs? Here’s an unscientific guide by which to tell.

Diet OR Exercise

October 25, 2018/0 Comments/in Awesome, Dropping, Life

I had just hopped off the treadmill and was trying to decide where I was going to go to get a big, fat, juicy cheeseburger when I overheard a trainer at the gym talking about what it takes to stay in shape.

How to Pretend to Be Doing Something With Your Life

September 25, 2018/0 Comments/in Awesome, Features, Life

Life is hard. There are a million choices we could make in our lives that will impact us in ways we can never even imagine.

Face Tattoos: Why?

July 13, 2018/1 Comment/in Awesome, Life

With out dating myself, my formidable years were spent in a time and place where there was a semi-negative connotation linked to tattoos. In the decades that I’ve been on this rock circling the sun, I’ve seen the acceptance of having tattoos, then exposed tattoos in the work place, then full blown sleeves as one’s first tattoo, and now the general welcoming of face tattoos.

Spotlight on @Ymani Barbee

April 9, 2018/1 Comment/in Interviews, Life

Ymani Barbee has been a huge part of ATA since day one. Aside from being one of our featured bad ass and beautiful models throughout the site, pretty much all of the article headline images in ATA were brilliantly created by Ymani, in spite of ATA’s sometimes indecipherable vision.

Joking in Paradise – Being a Stand-Up Comedian in Hawaii

January 22, 2018/0 Comments/in Life

When people ask me where I started doing stand up comedy and I say “Hawaii,” it’s always met with assumptive skepticism. They never relay it with actual words, but their raised brows and frowns gives me all the signal I need. I agree, it is an insane idea to perceive. How does one go to paradise and ultimately decide that telling jokes is a feasible way of life? It’s part perception, duration, and realization.