2005 Bloggie Awards

Welcome, one and all to the 2005 "Bloggie" Awards! Today, we take a moment to recognize the talented men and women who've brought some of the best blogs to the internet, sharing their anecdotes, their unique perspectives, their very selves into our virtual, hard-wired world. Without their participation, creativity, and enthusiasm, I would most certainly study a whole lot more, and probably get better grades.

Oh well.

Billy Crystal couldn't make it this year, so I'll be doing my humble part in hosting these prestigious awards.

First Up: The Bloggie Award for,
"Blog Most Likely to Feature Louie Molesting a Drag Queen."

And the nominees are: "Louie's Transsexual Tips 'n' Tricks," "Astoria's Wildest Party Boys," "Fondleblog," and "Migglah's World."

And the the Bloggie Award for, "Blog Most Likely to Feature Louie Molesting a Drag Queen" goes to... Migglah's World! Migglah's World is a great blog that updated fairly regularly by our buddy, Marla. She roots for the Red Sox, but we forgive her for that. Barely.

Next Up, the "Bloggie" Award for...
"Best Comeback Blog"

This award is given out to that special blog that everyone thought had ground to a halt, with no updates for weeks or even months, only to return with a flurry of articles, with such enthusiasm as if to make up for lost time...

And the nominees are, "Coping With Attention Deficit Disorder... Huh?," "Capricious, the Blog," "The Official Haley's Comet Blog!," and "Insanity Is My Only Defense."

And the Bloggie Award for, "Best Comeback Blog" goes to... Insanity Is My Only Defense! IIMOD is an always-entertaining blog, tenaciously updated by our good friend, Chris. There was a rough patch of time between October 16th and November 24th in which I very nearly gave up all hope that it would be updated ever again. However, I was quite relieved to be proven wrong by Chris, as he's been blogging like a fiend since then!

The "Bloggie" Award for...
"Most Frustrating Comment Process on a Blog"

And the nominees are, "Dead Language Blogs United," "Marching Morse Code Monkeys," "Swahili Sam," and "Miller, Coors, and Budweiser."

And the Bloggie Award for "Most Frustrating Comment Process on a Blog" goes to... Miller, Coors, and Budweiser! MC&B is a brand-new blog by Kevin. While his articles on X-Box 360 pyramid schemes and the Chronicles of Narnia are awesome... his blog restrictions have left my comments in internet limbo forever. (Editor's Note: At writing, I was unaware that comments had finally gotten posted on MC&B. Who said instant gratification is impossible? My apologies, Kevin... you still have an awesome blog.)

The "Bloggie" Award for...
"Best Blog Written By, For, or About James Grant"

And the nominees are, "I Hide Outside Jim Grant's Window Every Night in the Bushes, the Blog," "Guitars, the Jets, and the Navy... and the Eagle Scouts Who Love Them," "Truckasaurus Tales," and "Everyone Else Is Doing It Why Can't I?"

And the Bloggie Award for "Best Blog Written By, For, or About James Grant" goes to... Everyone Else Is Doing It Why Can't I! EEIDIWCI is a fantastic new blog, not even two months old, and provides the wry perspectives on life of James Grant, by the man himself! EEIDIWCI is shaping up to be a consistent crowd-pleaser in our blog-o-sphere, and he's just getting warmed up!

The "Bloggie" Award for...
"Blog Most Likely to Mention Gambling, The OC, or Something Political"

And the nominees are, "Al Franken's Over-Under," "ACLU on The OC," Bill Maher's Bookie Blog," and "The Long and Winding Road (Revisited)"

And the Bloggie Award for, "Blog Most Likely to Mention Gambling, The OC, or Something Political" goes to... The Long and Winding Road (Revisited)! TLAWRR is the longest-lived of our little patch of the blog-o-sphere, and with good reason, as Mikey has consistently produced excellent blog entries, encompassing politics, sports, TV, music, and the always appreciated, "Turkey and Bagel Day."

The "Bloggie" Award for...
"Pinkest Blog"

And the nominees are, " Stacy's Super Sugar Sweet Sorority Sisters!," "Butterfly Dreams and Unicorn Fantasies," "Gus Brunechek's Blog," and "Five-Hour Phone Conversations"

And the Bloggie Award for "Pinkest Blog" goes to... Five-Hour Phone Conversations! 5HPC is arguably one of the more heartfelt and sincere blogs around, as our pal, Maggie, often discusses homelessness, crass consumerism, and Christian Bale. Rock-on, Maggie!

The "Bloggie" Award for...

"Absentee Landlord Blog"

This award goes to the blog that, at this writing, appears to be completely abandoned and shows little promise of ever being updated.

And the nominees are, "I'm Just Registering So I Can Comment On Other People's Blogs, the Blog," "Bob Hope's Blog," "Ross Perot for Prez!," and "You Don't Like It? I Don't Care!"

And the Bloggie Award for "Absentee Landlord Blog" goes to... You Don't Like It? I Don't Care! YDLIIDC takes the prize and completes the "busting Louie's chops" bookends of this article. Louie, we love you. Now update your blog. We miss you! It's been nearly two months!

The "Bloggie" Award for...
"Reader's Choice: Favorite Effin' Sweet Article"

And the winner, since there was only one nomination (shame on all the rest of you! Or maybe every one of my articles suck, so shame on me?) is... "Commencements: Endings and Beginnings," August 22nd, 2005. (You'll have to scroll down to the article, if you want to click the link to see it. My sincerest gratitude to Chris for nominating this article. Commencements featured the end to my summer vacation and my trepidation about beginning med school. Plus, it welcomed into the world our dear, dear beer pong table - Duff Stadium. Long may it stay level and coverd in beer!

Finally, the "Bloggie " Award for...
"Most Faithful Effin' Sweet Blog Commenter"

And the nominees are, Tio Marco, Maggie, Super Al, and Chris. Quite a horserace, but the standings are clear: to date, Tio Marco has left a hefty 9 comments, and Maggie has left 10. Super Al looked like the favorite to win, with a total 24 comments. However, Chris is clearly victorious, with a whopping 30 comments!

But all comments, many or few, are always appreciated, and I thank you all for taking the time to tell me what you think of my blog. It's been quite a year. To describe this year, I need only two words:

"Effin' Sweet!"

Feedback Question of the Day:
"What are you looking forward to most, in 2006?"

Chipper Christmas!

Okay. So I passed. But it was scary, dude!

And when I got that e-mail, that said... "Okay, don't worry about the integumentary system anymore, pal... because you made it!" Well, that pretty much made my vacation. Now, I get to enjoy the next week or so, not stressing out about a make-up exam. I was so happy with the news, I immediately went onto google images and typed in, "hell yeah." What pictures you see are the result. I also put in, "woo hoo," and I got the top and bottom pictures. Okay, so my life is pretty dull. In spending nearly 48 hours awake for my test and subsequent celebration, I did get to see King Kong, though. It was everything I thought it'd be. I hope it'll be a success, because it's evident that Mr. Peter Jackson put a great deal of love and care into this project. And yes, I'm not embarrassed to admit it, I was crying at the end. Basically, if you got choked up watching The Iron Giant... then this movie will leave you feeling awfully sad. But the ride... oh what a ride it was!

Now, I can see how people complain that it seems too long. It is long. And unlike Peter Jackson's previous three films, you don't have Viggo Mortensen's dreamy blue eyes and homoerotic hobbit dialogue to distract you. So this time you can definitely tell that a significant chunk of time has elapsed. I'd say a more ruthless, George Lucasian, film editor could've pared the 3-hour behemoth down by nearly an hour. A geek like me can sit and be amazed for 3 hours, but I acknowledge that the average theater-goer will probably get a little fidgety. For instance, there's an entire subplot involving a young stowaway and first mate that's entirely disposable (I think it was put in, simply to feature one black guy who DIDN'T have a bone through his nose and yelling "Ooga Booga!") Otherwise, he really didn't affect the overall storyline in the least. But, I reiterate, this
is a minor critique. The movie is absolutely incredible, and demands to be seen on the big screen.

And so, having kicked off my Christmas vacation with some pints, some pals, some primates, and a passing grade... I have since gotten some much-needed sleep, and been manically shopping for the last two days. The only gift that remains is the White Elephant Present... but I have a couple more days until I need that...

So now, I look forward to Jim's homecoming, some much needed hanging out, and some fun parties. It's gonna be a Merry Christmas, all right!

Folks, in the next week, look forward to the first-ever "Bloggies" Awards, acknowledging the notable contributors to the online dialogue, that always provides a great excuse to procrastinate and avoid my medical school work!

Furthermore, I'll weigh in on such topics as the "Happy Holidays" controversey and I'll try to avoid gloating about Johnny Damon. I'll try. Really.

Feedback Question of the Day:
"What Ever Happened to Tio Marco and Dr. Love? We Never Hear from Them Anymore on the Feedback Forum."

Woo Hoo! Merry Christmas!

Here I Cram Again...

No, Whitesnake... Thank YOU!

I don't know what I'm doing

But, I sure know where I've been

Hanging out with Alison
At the mall yesterday
An' I've made up my mind,
I ain't wasting no more time
But, here I cram again
Here I cram again

Tho' I keep searching for some answers,
I never seem to find the facts I'm looking for
Oh lord, I pray
You give me strength to carry on,
'cos it's worse than it seems
To read about mutations of your genes.

An' here I cram again on my own
Studyin' the only way I've ever known,
Procrastinators were born to stress alone
But I've made up my mind
I'll stop wasting so much time

It's just my GPA in need of rescue,
Countin' on the curve's charity
An' I'm gonna hold on
For these next two rough days,
'cos my ol' self esteem
Could blow apart in a big cloud of steam

An' here I cram again on my own
Studyin' the only way I've ever known,
Procrastinators were born to stress alone
But I've made up my mind
I ain't wasting no more time

But, here I cram again,
Here I cram again,
Here I cram again,
Here I moan...

(awesome 80's guitar solo)

I know topical creams
Usually help to block histamines

An' here I cram again on my own
Studyin' the only way I've ever known,
Procrastinators were born to stress alone
But I've made up my mind,
I ain't wasting no more time

So' here I cram again on my own
Studyin' the only way I've ever known,
Procrastinators were born to stress alone
'cos in my scary dreams
Tommy'll end up homeless, somewhere in Queens

Thus, here I cram again on my own
Studyin' the only way I've ever known,
Procrastinators were born to stress alone...


"Caffeine You Can Chew"... only legal in 2 states, and this ain' t one of 'em.

As I sally forth into my third med school test, I look forward to that time beyond the immediate 48 hours, when I can breathe free and untroubled. A relaxing and happy holiday season is waiting. Hopefully, all will go well with my exams, and I can blog happy at the end of the week. Some blog articles I'd like to do before the New Year: "Idiots of 2005," and "Blog Awards." I'll need your help, though. Let me know which of my articles is your personal favorite. I'm curious what you guys think. Plus, nominate the biggest idiots of 2005, in your opinion. Also, I really wanted to have Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again," playing on this blog, but I couldn't figure out how to do it. I'd appreciate any help that is offered.

Feedback Questions of the Day:
"What was your favorite article from this blog this year? And who do you think were the biggest idiots of 2005?"

Disturbing December

It's always healthy to take a break from routine. Days in, and days out in medical school, the repetitive nature of my lifestyle began to grate on me. It seemed that my much-needed respite lay far off on December 22nd... the Holiday Vacation, was woefully out of reach. No fun for poor old Tom. Fortunately, my good buddy Johnny G came to my rescue. It all started with a series of e-mails...

John: Hey Tom, I have an extra ticket to see Disturbed on December 13th. You wanna go?
Me: Gee... money's awfully tight.
John: I'm offering the ticket for free. Take it, scumbag.
Me: Golly Gawillickers... I have a final the following week, I should probably be responsible.
John: Okay... dork.

(Days Pass)
I send out a group e-mail, describing some of the Christmas movies I'm excited about.

Me: Hey guys, anyone interested in seeing King Kong? It's coming out on December 14th!
John: So you can see a movie on the 14th, but you can't see a free concert on the 13th? What's up with that?
Me: Shucks and Snazzleberries! You're right! Sign me up!

And so it goes...

Charter Members of the Tom Selleck Fan Club: Me and Johnny

John had a office holiday party to go to beforehand, so I met up with him at his office in Manhattan (3 blocks away from Midtown Comics... Lucky!), he passed off my ticket, and we agreed to meet later on at the Nokia Theater around 7:30-ish. I killed some time at the aforementioned Midtown Comics and then grabbed a quick bite at the nearby Mickey D's. All was fine until a panhandler confronted me and asked me to buy him a soda. (I figured something was up, because he sat down at the table across from me and started looking furtively all around to make sure no employees or anything saw him... needless to say, I was a bit nervous) So he finally makes his move... and...

"Sorry, buddy." says I, the cold, unfeeling bastard that I am.
"Comon' brother." cajoles the scary homeless man.

At this point, I stalk out of the restaurant, and up towards Times Square. For some reason, (maybe because the hobo was looking all suspicious) I had this dreadful premonition that he was going to follow me and shiv me out on the busy street. Sure there'd be plenty of witnesses, and he'd never get away... but his advantage would be that he's crazy, and thus, doesn't care..

So I ducked into a souvenir shop and stared at Giants jerseys for a little while, chatting with Ally on my cell (those dang things are starting to come in handy, I must say!)

Anyway, digressions involving scary men aside, I eventually met up with John and went into the concert. We checked our stuff and I offered to buy John a drink at the bar (it was the least I could do). I bought a Captain Morgan's straight up, and a Heineken. The damage? Fourteen bucks. Well, that cut into my Christmas shopping money, just a tad. Yeah, obviously, I'm not used to buying drinks in Manhattan. I was a bit surprised.

We both bought t-shirts, and then headed into the theater. Apparently, the Nokia theater has four sections: the general admission ground floor; firmly demarcated by a rail is the first balcony, standing room only; a back, seated area (a source of nonstop consternation for both David Draiman and Lizard Guy... some people stubbornly insisted on sitting throughout the concert.... FOR SHAME!); and an upper tier above both sides of the general admission ground floor (they had some sweet posters hanging from them... but unfortunately, these sections were inadmissible to us members of the unwashed rabble.)

The opening act was "Dope." They were okay. Personally, my favorite part was when they did their cover of "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" Other than that, I couldn't quite get over their whole look... which is supposed to be all nu-metal, but is already starting to look a bit dated. The closest approximation for these guys are the "Hardy Boyz," of WWE.

Seriously, Mom... I don't know what happened to your stockings!

In between band sets, the aforementioned Lizard Man would come out and serve as a distraction for the crowd. I have to hand it to whoever ran this concert. The intermissions between sets were pretty short. In the past, I've experienced waits up to and beyond an hour for a band to come onstage. Lizard Man would cavort around, putting things through his nose, getting darts thrown at him, blowing up condoms, lifting heavy objects up with his earlobes, and making dirty jokes... it passed the time. At one point his partner came out and lifted two bottles of Jagermeister with hooks lodged in his eye sockets... (yeah, it's as gross as it sounds)

I can't wait to see what he looks like in 40 years... if lizards live that long...

Another interesting character was a guy in the mosh pit who was a spitting image of another associate of ours. John and I dubbed him "Metal Grandone." He had his shirt off and was bouncing around the circle, smacking into frustrated former-high school football players and the other sort of general wifebeater-clad cretins that usually participate in mosh pits.

Mike Grandone: Jamaica Me Crazy, Mon! Irie!

Sandwiched between Dope and Disturbed was Corrosion of Conformity. And to quote the late, and infinitely great, Mitch Hedberg, "They were heavy, boy!" Seeing them live after all these years made me regret not taking them too seriously back when they were the opening act for Metallica (I'm thinking it was the Load Tour, back in'97... correct me if I'm wrong). As I write this, I'm bidding on one of their albums on eBay. They were that freakin' good. Lead singer/rhythm guitarist Pepper Keenan strode out onto stage looking like James Hetfield, circa 1991. They put on a truly awesome set...

A band can always be judged by the quality of their logo: Corrosion of Conformity, thus, is very, very awesome.

Every song had a solid, heavy riff, Pepper's vocals were thunderous, and the percussion was on-point. These guys rocked. No doubt about it.

Pepper Keenan... Melting my face

One strange thing was, their other guitarist bore a striking resemblance to Ron Jeremy. To what extent he resembles the Ron, I cannot say. Only the groupies know for sure...

My solos are long and heavy... just the way you like it...

Finally, after making it through Lizard Man hijinx, Crazy Town rejects, and mighty COC with the three-legged guitarist... Disturbed took the stage...

In medical school today, I learned that David Draiman is exhibiting Alopecia Totalis... but more importantly, he's already got a terminal case of Kickass Totalis. Prepare to be rocked.

This was the second time I've seen Disturbed play live, and they did not disappoint. In my humble opinion, Disturbed is arguably the best new heavy metal band of the new millenium so far. And David Draiman is truly the last rock god, in the classic sense. He struts around stage like he owns it. He commands the audience because he owns it. And seriously, the man has pipes. My throat was shot after about the third song. I kept singing, naturally... but I doubt I produced anything more eloquent than a hoarse gurgle. How he does it, night after night... is simply mystifying. (He later revealed that he had to give up drinking to keep up with the demands of the tour... sorry to hear that, Dave) In between a couple of songs, he provided a little banter... at one time exhorting the seated people in the back to get the eff up, another time to lambast "all those bands that start with, 'The'."

It was a truly epic small-venue show, and I had an awesome time. Big thanks to my man, Johnny G, for taking pity on a beleaugered med student. Next drinks are on me, buddy!

Feedback Question of the Day:
"Share your favorite small-venue music show story... or, what concerts are you looking forward to this upcoming year?"

Random Musings

Maybe I was a little too preachy last time.

I'm willing to admit it. I get on a roll, and suddenly I'm spouting Hallmark Card platitudes and "Can't We All Just Get Along"-isms. I get my Irish up and out comes the fire and brimstone. My feedback question last time was, "So am I off my rocker or what?" To which Chris and Jim answered quite succinctly, "Yes, you are."

So, I'll keep the sermons to a minimum in the future.

It's funny though, because aside from summaries of events in my life, rants seem to be a natural fit for blogs. It's not like I have time to imagine up some clever little skits or anything... (and I don't have time to be blogging, either... and yet I do. (But sleep is overrated.))

After a conversation with Jimmy back on Sunday, I got a couple of blog ideas for the future (ie: after my next exam, December 21st) such as an end of the year wrap-up, honorary awards for my favorite blogs, and possibly a new feature, "Tom's Book of the Dead," which ultimately I hope will be merely a mini-series, rather than an ongoing feature, relating past friendships that have gone to the crapper, and how it all hilariously ended! But I'm sure after my test, and I'm full of holiday cheer... I'll think better of it and go back to soapbox ravings...

Nerds, Assemble! Gather forth your black trenchcoats and 12-sided die... it's time for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe! In spite of myself, I'm excited. (Okay, it's not in spite of myself, I always love movies like this). But can you blame me? We had three great holiday seasons, back, to back, to back, with the Lord of the Rings. Last Christmas sucked... in at least the "Mythical, Epic Story Movie" category. Last year, the best we got was Pixar's The Incredibles. Which was a great movie... but certainly not in the same vein as the Lord of the Rings. In addition to family gatherings, peace on earth, and good will toward men, is it so wrong to demand axe-wielding minotaurs battling spear-chucking centaurs as part of my Holiday experience? I ask for so little. I will quite happily share my movie review sometime this weekend, as I intend on seeing it opening night, this Friday.

And while we're on the subject of new movies... will the 50,000 pound gorilla please stand up?
Oh baby. Oh baby, oh. I cannot wait to see this flick. I'm not sure if I want to see it opening weekend, or hold off until the night of my exam, as a celebration. While seeing a flick on a Wednesday night will be a bit tough for some people to join me for, watching Kong kick dino-ass might be just what the doctor ordered after another killer med school test. Catharsis, I love you so. It's a perfect recipe for sweet awesomeness: Peter Jackson + New York City + Jack Black = Oh Baby, This Rocks. Seriously. The math doesn't lie.

It's become pretty clear that Jack Black is the greatest man in history since Jesus. He knows it. So do we. Even though it looks like Jables is trying to pull a Jim Carrey in Kong, playing it straight, toning down his wacky mannerisms, he'll still add his unique flavor to the flick. Adrien Brody is a fantastic actor, as is Naomi Watts. Throw the classic story together in the Depression-era New York City, with Lord of the Rings Peter Jackson at the helm, along with an army of digital artists that make George Lucas a wee bit jealous... and King Kong is a can't-miss hit. Even Tom Hanks' son is in it, Colin. (And FYI, according to the imdb website, Colin Hanks was the runner up to Hayden Christensen to play Anakin Skywalker in Clones and Sith... "What if..." indeed!)

To wrap up, I'm pretty excited about this summer, what with X-Men 3 coming out... the stupid trailer doesn't work on the apple website... but I heard it'll be coming attraction before King Kong, so it's all good. You can check out pictures of the characters, including new additions Juggernaut (sans helmet, hopefully he'll get it for the movie), Beast (in all his blue furry goodness), Callisto, Kitty Pryde, and Angel (feathered wings, and all!), here... and here. Oh yes, what else is coming up this summer.... oh right! My wedding! (Which reminds me, I should update that other blog...)

Feedback Question of the Day:
"What are you looking forward to most, this holiday season?"

Why are We So Upset?!

I find it amusing how some people get upset over the most mundane, absurd things in the world. Some folks walk around all day, with a black cloud over their head, like it's the end of the world. But to all those misery chicks, tortured poets, frustrated romantics, and the plain ol' pessimists, I say, "Lighten up!" Because, seriously, your day just isn't that bad. I got to spend an hour today learning about all sorts of congenital abnormalities. Little switcheroos in the human genetic code that cause disfiguring and crippling malformations of the body. Before you even resemble a human being, you're already screwed. Like "Lobster Boy," to the left, people with congenital abnormalities pretty much have the deck stacked against them from day one. To put it another way, a wise man once said, "I cursed my corns until I met a man with no feet." And it's true. Pissed off that you only got the parking space far away from the mall? Remember the poor dude in the wheelchair that would love to take that walk for you.

It really puts into perspective your bad day.

As a little sidenote about Lobster Boy, my teacher explained that that grotesque little cherub from the picture was actually quite the asshole. Though he couldn't walk, his arms were very strong, and he apparently was an abusive husband and father. And to top it off, he even killed one of his daughter's suitors because he didn't approve of him. Yeah. Killed him. Plus, he weaseled out of prison because he claimed the state did not have the facilities to accomodate his handicap. So tragically deformed people don't necessarily corner the market on virtue in suffering. As fellow human beings, they have just as much a proclivity to being a jerk. But when you realize just how lucky you are to be born with a working body and mind... well, let me repeat myself when I say, "It really puts into perspective your bad day!"

To further discuss my unabashed wonderment at how people get riled up about the most absurd things, I'd like to offer two examples. The first, is Gay Marriage. What is the big, flaming deal? I think this comedian, Louis C.K., puts it in perspective. (But be forewarned, the language isn't exactly Disney-appropriate). The Daily Show also puts in their views. But essentially, what is the difference between two gay individuals living together for their entire life, and getting married? If one is to argue against gay marriage based upon religious conviction, I can understand, as their is no allowance for homosexuality in 2000-year-old scripture. However, civil, state-approved, secular marriage has no overt ties to organized religion. So shouldn't a judge or justice of the peace be able to marry a gay couple? Wouldn't a married couple contribute to the stability of society more than two people merely living together? I would think so. Because moral and religious convictions aside, the positive aspect of the institution of marriage is the establishment of a more stable, orderly, community. However, I concede that the allowance of religious marriage for gays would ultimately be up to the individual religions' governing bodies. In the secular realm, though, gay marriage should be an obvious right.

And while on the subject, what's up with all this nonsense in Rome about "No Gay Priests!" rule? Priests are supposed to be celibate, in the first place. So their sexual orientations should be moot, due to their sacred vows and commitment to the Church. There seems to be some bizarre mis-correlation connecting homosexuality and pedophilia. Seriously, guys, the two things are mutally exclusive. Someone can be gay, or be a child molester, or both. But just because someone is gay, doesn't automatically make them altar boy predators. It's the 21st Century, gentlemen... let's try to use some common sense. A more sensible reaction to the tragic pedophilia scandals that have rocked primarily the American Catholic Church, is to carefully examine the structure of the church organization, as well and re-assessing the screening, training, and current lifestyle of priests.

So on one side of the spectrum, we have the politically conservative getting all nuts over nothing. However, way over on the traditionally left, they have another group, whose whinings continually irritate me to no end. And no, it's not animal rights people, or greenpeace people, or even pacifists. I'm talking about athiests.

What the unholy heck is wrong with these people?!

You'd think, that they, being athiests, (that is, believing in no God), they'd be the most easy-going people in the world. With no God, there'd be no objective moral measure to the universe... so it's all good, brother! Let's agree to disagree! It doesn't matter! Right? WRONG! They give scary religious nutjobs a run for their money in the intolerance department.

Actually, let me clarify that: obviously not all athiests are annoying, hectoring banshees out to ruin everyone's good time. The all-or-nothing jerkoffs are cut from the same cloth that all religious zealots are. I'd imagine that the majority of athiests out there are probably either relatively good people who live productive lives, or to a lesser extent, teenagers just trying to piss off their parents.

But seriously. Who cares if it says, "In God We Trust" on money, or "Under God" in the pledge, or "God Bless You" when we sneeze. If I happened to live in India, I wouldn't at all be surprised if my rupees said, "In Vishnu's many arms we trust." I understand the framers of our constitution had the wisdom and foresight to state that there shall be no establishment of a single religion in the US of A. But they also said that "We are endowed by our Creator, that all men are created equal." That's right from square-one, the Declaration of Independence. Pretty straight-forward. The principle of separation of church and state was meant to prevent one single religious denomination from taking over, such as the Church of England, and so forth. It was put into the constitution to provide freedom of religion for all citizens. The right to worship, and be religious, in peace. Not freedom from religion, as it seems to be interpreted mostly today. So, athiest activists, can't we just relax, call it a "Christmas Tree," instead of a "Holiday Tree," and call it a "Menorah," instead of a "Winter Candlestick," and stop being so uptight?

So, let me wrap this blog article up by saying... let's stop the bickering, the crankiness, and the grumpy bitchiness. Let's try to look beyond our petty, personal issues, and aim for the greater good. Let Lance and Bruce get married. Be appreciative that Fr. Karl has such great fashion sense and can accessorize every Sunday with style. And maybe forego picketing the elementary school's Christmas pageant this year. Please. Because as I continue to learn more in medical school about the miracle of life... we should all be grateful just to be healthy and alive.

Feedback Question of the Day:
"So what do you think? Am I off my rocker, or what?"