As if the "Toxic" video wasn't enough to convince you, Britney Spears is too fuckin' much. You know, I'm all for ass and titties, but this shit is too much. Now I can go on a whole tirade on how she is the true American Idol for millions of little girls and how she's feeding to their already oversexed lives. Or, I can go another route and say how she's completely biting Madonna's shock/sex style that defined her career for the better half of the 80's and early 90's. But, I won't do that because that wouldn't get anything done. I decided to leave a few messages on her phone and give that bitch a piece of my mind:

*beep*

Yo Britney, it's me. I saw the pictures of that shit you pulled off at your last show. Come on, now. We all know you're hot. We all know you're sexy. But shit, leave that porno bullshit in the bedroom. You already have guys jacking off to your videos. Do you really need guys jacking off at your shows? Holla back..

*beep*

*beep*

Britney, it's B again. Yo, sorry for the harsh words earlier. I know you should be comfortable with your sexuality. You're a grown ass woman now. It's just sometimes I get jealous. You're not the same anymore. First it was the drinking. Then the smoking. Now it's the random dry humping. I don't know if I can take it anymore. Call me back..

*beep*

*beep*

Brit. It's B. Just caught "Toxic" on MTV for the 3rd time this hour. Needless to say, I have a towel and two socks that smell like bleach now. You need to kill this sexy shit. All my Dungeons & Dragons online friends laugh at me on a daily basis. Not because you don't talk to me but because of all this raunchy porno shit. I've become a joke. Please stop avoiding my calls...

*beep*

*beep*

Okay, fuck it. Britney. You're a ho. Look at you. First you're selling Sketchers and now you're dry humping a gay Tito Ortiz lookin' muthafucka on stage. I've had it. If your career does not cumlinate with you having sex with Vanilla Ice, consider yourself a failure. You are a disgrace to the real sluts of the world. Now eat a dick, bitch.

*beep*

Last week I went over to the local batting cages to take a few hacks. I brought the usual: my 13 dollar bat I felt like I stole of eBay last year, my mismatched Franklin batting gloves, and memories of the many baseball seasons of my past.

I miss it. I can't lie. Early Spring always get me itchy not only for the new pollen in the air, but the oncoming baseball season. I played organized baseball for a good 7 years of my life. It was a huge part of my life and was one of the few things that truly made me happy. I was really good. I mean, I may have not been the most skilled or the strongest, but what I lacked physically I made up for in knowing the game. I was a student of the the game of baseball. One of the best compliments I ever received was from my high school pitching coach. He told me that my decision making skills were far beyond the scope of most high school athletes. Baseball was not only a physical game to me, it was also a cerebral game. The position I played, catcher, allowed me to control the game. My decisions allowed me to control where a pitcher threw the ball. This dictated how the defense would align itself. I was at the helm of the team, but it was rarely acknowledged until my coach handed out that compliment. I missed all that.

But what I really missed is just hanging out with the guys and playing a game. There was nothing like it. Baseball practices around the world start off the same way: playing catch. As simple as catch is, it was must more than just tossing the ball back and forth. We joked, laughed, and gossiped about nothing. Bus rides were the best. My first freestyled rap lines were spit in the back of a bus on a trip back from Napa. Just little things like that make me miss the "Baseball Is Life" time of my high school years.

After I graduated high school, I learned quickly that college level baseball was well above my actual skill level. I never really "quit" the sport, I just stopped due to circumstance. I was a freshman in college with new responsibilities. Looking back, I could have walked on and at least tried out, but I was too scared of rejection. I always excelled at all levels of the sport, and I had finally met my match (so I thought). No need for the humiliation, ya know?

The first Spring without baseball was rough. I'd drive to the UC Davis campus and walk to class. Masochistically, I'd walk by the baseball field and see all the guys warming up. The smell of the freshly cut grass taunted me but I still made the walk every day. Now, years later, the thought of actually playing again is long gone. Now I resort to reliving memories by hitting up the batting cages, take some rusty hacks at the ball, and walk away sweaty and tired. This day at the cages last week brought back some of these feelings when I had a conversation with a guy hitting in the next cage.

As I finished a round of swings, the guy in the next cage asked me, "Who do you play for?"

"Uhh, nobody."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I haven't played organized ball for 7 years."

"Wow. I thought you played still because you really have a nice swing. You should think about playing again.."

The comment floored me. I didn't know what to say. He went on to explain that he played for an adult league. He was a little older than me and he told me to consider joining a league similar to his. Honestly, I haven't really though of playing again. Now all the old feelings are coming back. The excitement of Spring crept its way into my soul and I'm really contemplating training to make a comeback next year. Not to A ball or AA ball. Hell, not even a high or mid level adult league. I just want to go back and play catch. I want to go back on the diamond to smile and have fun. All over again.

We finally got our landline installed. One more week until the DSL comes through. Good news? Maybe. Maybe not.

The last few weeks without the Interent have been great. My wife and I have spent a lot more quality time together, typically having dinner around 10:30, which is about an hour after she gets home from work, and talking. Since I started working back in October, we really haven't had a lot of time to just talk. Most of the time, we'd have a little chit chat before we scrambled to have sex since the combination of her work and school schedule, my work and school shedule, her period, and my son being awake made it difficult for our sliding windows of opportunity to coincide with one another. The combination of no Internet access and our son's more reasonable sleep schedule (10-8 instead of 12-10 when we stayed with my folks) has widened these windows of opportunity for both unadulterated sex and pre and post pillowtalk. I realize now how I was truly missing out on quality time with my wife wasting time playing online poker or chatting with friend I chat with all the time.

DSL comes in exactly 7 days. I'm almost positive that I won't be using it as much as I used to.

I KID YOU NOT......PLAY M.A.S.H.

Thanks Nancy!

If you were to ask my son to tell you a secret, he would lean in close to you and whisper, "Monkeys eat bananas". It's kind of funny if you ask me. But it brings up few interesting points. One of which is that we almost always see stating the obvious as being "funny" or "cute", when in most cases the obvious answer will solve most or your problems. The other interesting point is that most secrets are usually not productive in any manner and we are probably better off just keeping these things to ourselves.

Did that makes sense? It shouldn't have.

These Breakdancers Are Everywhere

Stick Em Up

Steak and Blow Job Day

I haven't been getting much sleep lately. We moved into our new apartment last weekend, and as comfy as it is I have to admit that I haven't' gotten quite comfortable. I'm sleeping in the same bed, but the room is a stranger. My buttchecks have yet to contour to the curvaceousness of the toilet seat. The carpet does feel good on my bare feet, but I am still accustomed to walking gingerly on my tip toes across a cold hardwood floor to make some breakfast in the morning. Shower curtains are a new concept since I've spent most of my life showering next to a closed sliding door.

Some things, though, have completely sucked. For one, we have no phoneline. Apparently, the previous tenants just happen to switch their phone carrier to one other than SBC, my preferred phone company of choice. They also forgot to turn off the service. Since the line is still live, SBC cannot set up a phone line for us. For this past week, we've been dealing with SBC and our landlord in an attempt to get this straightened out. We were told by the complex engineers that the problem would be fixed by this past Saturday, but unfortunately I was unsuccessful because the problem has still not been fixed. That problem lead to MY main issue:

NO INTERNET.

Now, I had DSL at my parent's house for a good part of the last couple years. Without a phone number, I have no way to check if my phoneline has DSL available. On top of that, since the phone is out, we cannot even use dial-up service. I seriously cannot believe I just came to terms with the fact that I will be going back to dial-up. I need a shot or nine of rum....

There are some good changes that I can get used to. Now that my son sleeps in a different room, I can come home and unwind watching tv with the volume up. The expansive walk-in closet provides enough room for my clothes, my wife's clothes, and a gang of our shoes. I do, though, have to admit that I have left about 70% of my closet intact at my parents' house, along with about 30 pairs of shoes. So maybe this "pro" is a little premature. Regardless, we have tons of more space.

But the icing on this cake is our freakin' couch. Our new Durapella micro-fiber couch with an attached chaise is easily the biggest hit with not only my family, but the 15 or so guests we've had come through this past week. I spent a pretty penny on that bad boy, but so far it looks to be worth every penny. I'll take a picture of it eventually.

BTW, spent a lot of quality time with Ryan last weekend. Whatever he tells you about me? Don't believe it. It was 10 dollars.

A few more notes from the mind of the smartest idiot you'll ever know....

Every time I step out of the shower, I look at myself in the mirror and wish I bought my wife a smaller vibrator.

The only reason why people are against Gay marriages is because they are looking at the term "marriage" in the spiritual and religious sense, not the legal. Call it "Legal Unions" and 50% of these people against Gay marriages would shut the fuck up. Last time I checked, our government separates church and state.

Let's face it. There should be penis size restrictions included next to some of these Kama Sutra positions. Some of that Lotus shit makes me feel like I need a bottle of Extenze.

The only real status that matters is the status you hold among the people you love.

I'm not sure if I should attribute the fact that I have never gotten into a fight to my ability to avoid violent situations or my inability to protect myself from any type of violent action.

I don't have big hands, but that's okay. You know why? Because they're perfect for holding my dick.

I wonder if people put as much effort into deciding what local officials to vote for as they do in selecting our Nation's president. My guess is that they don't. Pretty pathetic if you ask me.

Free healthcare sounds like a good idea until people realize how shitty service becomes when you get something for free. Do you see personal shoppers at Goodwill? And if there were, would you take their fashion advice?

I don't think there is any situation more uncomfortable than watching parents beat their children in public. I wouldn't even flinch at people having sex in public, but that child beating shit has to stop.

It blows my mind that commercials for medications that help suppress adult ADD are longer than 10 seconds.

My uncle died when I was in 12th grade, and I was one of the pall bearers. Three of the other 5 pall bearers were friends my uncle met at the local senior center. All of them were in their late 60's, early 70's, Filipino, and veterans of the United States Armed Forces. Although I did not know them personally, their stories most likely very similar to that of my uncle. They probably enlisted in the US Armed forces during World War II and helped fight Japanese soldiers off their invaded home islands. They've probably consumed a generous amount of alcohol and smokes their fair share of cigarettes through the years which has resulted in high blood pressure, respiratory problems, and other major health issues that have aged their physical appearance 10-15 years faster than their chronological age. Years later, they joined their children who earlier immigrated to the United States in search of opportunity and the "American Dream". I know this story may be very familiar to others.

During the few times I saw my uncle interact with these men, I couldn't help but think of these men as people who used to be filled with pride and walked with confidence. They had since then been reduced to joking, arguing, interacting like children. Sometimes they would be drunk, curse constantly, and laugh louder than they probably realized. It irked me sometimes because I was taught to respect your elders, but in their current state there seemed to be nothing to respect. All they could do was hang on to past glories. I didn't have the full picture, but from what I saw bothered me.

I was even more annoyed when I realized what lead to my uncle's death. He was a heavy drinker, and his colon cancer was the result. My dad told me stories about my uncle's days as a "big shot" on the streets of Manila. He described him as a punk. Someone who resorted to violence as the only means of problem solving. Many nights he would drink and smoke far more than any man should. He went on to separate from my auntie, my dad's sister, and have children with another woman. He wasn't exactly a model citizen. I wanted to feel sorry for him being in such bad health, but it was the result of bad decisions. I was met with mixed emotions upon his death.

It wasn't until the day we lay my uncle to rest that I realized everything that I didn't see earlier about my uncle and these men, his friends from the senior center. There was one single moment that moved me and pretty much solidified my my feelings and emotions I have towards my uncle, his friends, and the military in general. As they lowered my uncle down, the three men stood tall and saluted my uncle. In an instant, the three men I saw as drunken, arguing children transformed men that were dignified and men of stature. I was overwhelmed by the amount of dignity and respect these men held for each other. The amount of unconditional respect each of these former solders' hold for each other is virtually unparalleled in American Society. They understand what it is like to put your life in another person's hands and it was then that I realized that I am in no position to pass judgement, not only on these men but on anybody I encounter.

There is no time to dwell on the negative. Celebrate the positives in your life before it's too late.

My damn sister keeps sending me forwards...

25 signs that you've grown up:


1. Your house plants are alive, and you can't smoke any of them.

2. Having sex in a twin bed is out of the question.

3. You keep more food than beer in the fridge.

4. 6:00 am is when you get up, not when you go to bed.

5. You hear your favorite song on an elevator.

6. You watch the Weather Channel.

7. Your friends marry and divorce instead of hook up and break up.

8. You go from 130 days of vacation time to 14.

9. Jeans and a sweater no longer qualify as "dressed up."

10. You're the one calling the police because those damn kids next door won't turn down the stereo.

11. Older relatives feel comfortable telling sex jokes around you.

12. You don't know what time Taco Bell closes anymore.

13. Your car insurance goes down and your payments go up.

14. You feed your dog Science Diet instead of McDonald's left overs.

15. Sleeping on the couch makes your back hurt.

16. You no longer take naps from noon to 6PM.

17. Dinner and a movie is the whole date instead of beginning of one.

18. Eating a basket of chicken wings at 3am would severely upset, rather than settle your stomach.

19. You go to the drug store for ibuprofen and antacid, not condoms and pregnancy tests.

20. A $4.00 bottle of wine is no longer "pretty good stuff."

21. You actually eat breakfast food at breakfast time.

22. "I just can't drink like I used to," replaces, "I'm never going to drink that much again."

23. 90% of the time you spend in front of the computer is for real work.

24. You drink at home to save money before going to a bar.

25. You read this entire list looking desperately for one sign that doesn't apply to you and can't find one.

A recent AIM conversation with Nancy, a friend I've known for about 18 years, brought something to the forefront of my mind that I've touched on a few times on this blog, but I have never really addressed it. Nancy and I share about 3 years of Catholic schooling during our elementary years, and with the start of Lent she asked me what I was giving up for the next "40 days".

nancys screename: are you doing the 40 days 40 nights thing
D0NNIEVEGA: what is this "thing" you speak of?
nancys screename: u know.. giving something up for 40 days
D0NNIEVEGA: oh, damn
D0NNIEVEGA: most likely not
nancys screename: ahh..
D0NNIEVEGA: i haven't done anything lent related in like 7 years
nancys screename: still a good catholic boy
D0NNIEVEGA: and on fridays', i'm eating the fuck out of some steak
nancys screename: lol seriously
D0NNIEVEGA: i'm with chris rock
D0NNIEVEGA: i don't think my diet is going to come into question at the pearly gates

Honestly, I heard on something about this past Wednesday being Ash Wednesday, and being a former catholic school kid, Ash Wednesday was always an event. Not so much because it signified the beginning of Lent, but moreso because it meant I got to walk around all day with black shit on my forehead. But I couldn't help but think about how "un-catholic" I have become.

I used to be very active in the church ministries. Nancy still makes fun of me for being in the church choir those years back. During high school, I was a regular at the 5:30 youth mass and participated frequently as an usher or as part of the choir. I was a full blown Catholic and there was no doubt about it. But as I grew older and experienced many different sects of Christian religion, I couldn't help but notice the over abundance of self-righteous fingerpointing between Catholics and Protestants, Christians and Muslims, etc. It made me sick. Hell, it makes me sick. Everybody is caught up in who's method of worship is the "right" way, but they never stop to think that maybe the "right way" is different for every person. I mean, people think you have to go to church every Sunday to live your life right, but I haven't been to church for the most part of the last six years.

I can't say that I stopped going to church because I hated church. When I do make an very rare appearance at my church, I can admit that I like the spiritual feeling I get while praying. But it bothers me how some people can live their lives without being very spiritual and come to church every Sunday because they "have to". I stopped going to church at first because I was always working on Sundays. Now, church doesn't even cross my mind when it's Sunday. I've shaken the habit that I gained from going to church every Sunday of my life until just after I graduated high school. My mom is always telling me I should go to church, but I can't do it. It's not that I hate Catholicism or Christianity, because I do believe in one God and Jesus Christ. I just don't think that there is a set path to walk . I feel that I am very spiritual and that God rewards good deeds and punishes bad deeds. If i spend 5 minutes everyday thankful for what God has given me, that is more than any paper Catholic that shows up every Sunday because of said "habit".

I mean, there are times in church where I will almost cry because I get so caught up in it. It's like opening up your soul and and having it cleansed. Unfortunately, I'd say a good 50% of people in church come in a Pavlovian manner, and pray as soon as they hear a bell ring. I was one of those people for a long time. But I can't say I'm any better than any of these people, because I'm not. My life is far from perfect and I think a few extra visits to church may keep me in check. I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I firmly believe that God is more happy that you pray everyday or at least even acknowledge His existence in your everyday life rather than going to church every Sunday. I mean shit, Lent is great and all, but why the fuck is 40 days more important than any other time of the year. Spirituality is ongoing, not an event. I've had people I KNOW that were living fault lives but had the nerve to get at me because I was eating meat on a Friday during Lent. Shit is kinda fucked up, ya know?

So, with all that said, church isn't for everybody. Christianity isn't for everybody. Spirituality and a belief in a greater good IS for everybody. I think a lot of people miss that point when it comes to organized religion. The thing is, religion doesn't have to be organized in a church or a mosque for it to be effective. It has to be organized in your heart and your soul.

"...tunnelvision,
warped illusion,
the chatterbox is our seclusion
from productivity,
we're gettin' too involved
what you hear is what you see..." - Group Therapy's "Chatterbox"

My dad likes to leave the TV on Fox news when he's sitting in the kitchen nook looking over bills or while working on somebody's taxes. I have to admit that up until two years ago when I watched Michael Moore's "Bowling For Columbine", I never really thought about how much our news media feeds us a steady stream of complete bullshit. I was always skeptical of the validity of television and the media, but I never could put my finger on what made it seem so shady. With this newly tuned ear, I can't help but notice how news channels like FoxNews, MSNBC, etc. focus on only a handful of actual news stories and beat them to absolute death. Recently it's been like this: "Laci Peterson...blah blah blah...War on Terror...blah blah blah....Gay Marriage...blah blah blah...Kerry vs. Bush...blah blah blah...Mel Gibson and "The Passion"...blah blah blah". Whatever, ya know? Now I hear that there are "terror" drills being held in major cities across the nation because of an increased risk of terror attacks.

Right.

Now don't get me wrong. I understand that there is a little truth sprinkled here and there. I also believe that television does have value in many of our lives. But there comes a time when you have to stand up ask why we live in a world that seems so negative. Why is there so much hate? Why is there war? Crime? Violence? Our world is painted on the television screen as something that is not. At least not to me. I wake up everyday and see the innocence in my son's eyes and I can't believe all this shit on TV.

There is definitely something wrong here, and I don't think there are as many bad people as some people want us to believe. I truly believe that we as humans are innately good natured and that there is a perpetuation of fear spread to the masses by the media. We are being scared into consuming to attain status. (If you don't buy this H2 SUV, you will not be cool) We are being scared into acting a certain way. We are scared into consuming items that will "prepare us for the worst" ("stock up on duct tape?". We are scared to the point that we yell, hurt, and murder over absolutely nothing. I wish that instead of all the stories about killing and hurting and just plain evil in the world, that the news media could do a story involving a child's innocence and genuine kindness that we all have in our hearts whether we know it or not. Why aren't the "Good Samaritan" stories we have on our local news stations covered by national news shows? It's probably because since "it doesn't bleed, it doesn't lead". Plus, it wouldn't be lucrative.

TV is good for some things. But in my opinion, it's bad for most. Chatterbox, indeed.

"Gift Wrap" by Living Legends

[Chorus: The Grouch]
I'm about to give you that I love hip-hop feeling
I'm about to give it to you
I said I'm about to give you that I love hip-hop feeling
I'm about to give it to ya (repeat)

[The Grouch]
The same one I had when I first bumped Tribe
Or the vibe that you felt taking that Bizarre Ride
I'm gonna put it in the mix for your own ears to hear
I was a young buck then and feel I've got a lot of years to go
I'm from the O, I felt it through $hort to Hiero
Had my Walkman on everywhere that I'd travel
I'd always babble and quote what other people wrote
Use it as a theme or rule and that was cool for me
Worked it like a tool for me
They thought I was a fool to be
White and writing raps
They thought that I was acting
But I was just stacking up my skill being real
Feeling how I feel and expressin' how I'm stressin'
Now it's my profession and I'm wanting y'all to know
The love that I've got for this hip-hop only grows.

[Chorus]

[PSC]
The best that we can's better than a lot of them
When I meet a Legends fan it's just like another friend
It's the feeling that we give
The music that we live
Negative positive, how you live how you live
Positive memory of what you see, I try to give and be
Inspiration for those who try to come after them or we
Bass lines that pull you in from outside
Or inside or online, when we rhyme it's funtime!
Hands up, stand up, watch me deliver
With delivery and presence, surpassing your ability
Tranquility is silence when violence dominates
If you're the murderers why would I buy the tape?
Self incrimination, self destruction to the nation
Fascination with this death? Oh my I'm losing patience
I got into this music cause I feel y'all listening to radio
Damn they tryin' 2 kill y'all

[Chorus]

[Aesop]
I remember the first time I heard a dope ass rhyme
Yes a fresh ass verse
Or the first time on this earth
I had this thirst
To give it to ya like birth
A piece of my soul more precious than gold
I'm in the crowd man
I'm not too old to give it up
If it's tight I can get wit it
Rush to the store and go get it
Bump it if it's slumpin', hope the lyric's sayin' somethin'
Intellectual, make the beat sound so flexible
I give it to ya like a piece of my mind
Give breath over this beat with mic control refined
Give ya substance when you have nothin' to hold
You can feel this like you're in the front row!!!

[Chorus]

[Murs]
It's like oooo weee
You'd be a fool not to feel this beat knocking out your trunk
Like Mike Tyson with a steel fist
While most of these MCs was out on a field trip
My crew stayed in the lab
See we never had permission to slip
My mission to rip every mic that I'm on
Rap niggas being nice
But I remember last year
They wasn't liking my song
Now I got a couple fans
I'm making cool hits like ice in a bong
Got their bitch on my dick
She looks nice in a thong
And I'm about to give her that
"I love this cock feeling"
And that may be fucked up
But I'm right when I'm wrong
That's don't get along with funny style rap chaps
Who lack the same feeling
That I had way back and still keep to this day
When I used to stay up late just to dub Tech and Sway
But now I got my own wax and I can't get no play?

Notes from the mind of borderline psycho...

I've been to a ton of kiddy parties in my life, but not once have I ever seen the "pinata" portion of the party end without anybody crying.

Mr. Miyagi should have parlayed his healing powers into some sort of 1-800 line. Either that or he should have looked into televangelism. Either way, Hillary Swank could have kicked the shit out of Ralph Macchio.

Do NOT tell anybody what you plan on naming your unborn child unless you like telling people "Well, my kid is older..."

When I come into some money, it's not so much a nominal value of how much I'm worth. It's more of a countdown to me being broke.

I look back to back 10 years ago and I marvel at how clueless I was at the time. People in their 30's tell me that they feel the same way about when they were my age. It makes you realize why old people are so fuckin' ornery. They know more than ever and they're sitting in a pile of their own shit.

After years of masturbating I still can't seem to shake the guilt associated with it, especially when my wife catches me.

The other day I couldn't help but notice how fucked up my toes are. I swear, I'm like two kernels away from a cob down there.

Way too many people are getting married because they are finacially secure. I think people should be required to be broke before they get married. That way they can work out the personality conflicts and what not. Money can give you a false sense of security. Love can give you the false sense of uncertainty.

I'm an advocate for gun control, but I wish these people would stop shooting kids and start shooting people more worthwhile, like themselves.

You know, I was under the impression that anti-spam software was supposed to stop Spam. Silly me.

If Ferris was really an asshole, he would have just let Cameron die in the pool.

I am one of about 15 people that can admit they saw about 25 minutes of Gerard Depardieu's "My Father The Hero" in a movie theatre.

I don't care how hot Halle Berry looked as Storm. If they don't put Psylocke in the next X-Men movie, they are seriously dropping the ball.

Pornos are a bad influence. They have tricked me into believing that the best place for semen is either on a woman's face, chest, or foot.

I haven't taken a shower with my wife in a long time, so you know my back is REALLY dirty.

Last week I realized that I haven't made my monthly visit to Tony Pierce's blog, so I stopped by and read that Moxie posted a picture of herself with Tony. I take a look at the comments to find that someone said something like, "Look the King and Queen of Blogs together" and I swear to you I almost fuckin' vomitted. I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm relatively new and still don't understand why people would hand out such credentials. Forgive me, but I just didn't see it. What the fuck makes their blogs so good? Hit count? Comments? I mean shit, you'd think all that would get to someone's head. You think Tony is bald for nothing?

Bitter? Not really. I can see the appeal of these popular sites. Hell, it's enough to keep me visiting every now and then. A lot of it, especially Tony's, is VERY entertaining. I guess I've always felt that a lot of the more popular blogs are written as if they knew they were being read by hundreds, if not thousands of people a day. Those are the types of blogs that I avoid, simply because if I wanted to read ego-laced literature, I'd read the sports section of my local newspaper. On top of that, at least in the newspaper the topics of discussion would keep me up on the latest and greatest.

I read blogs like Sahalie, probably the most talented writer I've read since I've started blogging. Her words literally paint pictures in my imagination that are so vivid I swear they are tangible. Her mastery of diction is seemingling effortless. The sweetest thing about Sahalie? It all seems 100% geniune. I like reading blogs that I know would be exactly as they are if they knew no one was reading it. You know, the kind that would be in a notebook stashed under a mattress or scribbled on a pad hidden under the phonebook and a few unpaid bills.

But, I can't lie. I know my blog will never appeal to the masses because I write knowing that people that know me more than just a screen name will read it. If you don't "get it", it was never for you to begin with. My wife reads my blog. A lot of my close friends read it, so everything you read has to be 100% authentic or else I'd get checked by one of the 5 people that actually read this.

So, "What is the criteria for a good blog?" is basically what I'm asking. The night I realized that I've been blogging for a year, I took a look though my archives. Just reading through what I have wrote in the past year made all the effort worth it. I wrote all this shit for me. Nobody else. I realized that I am the ultimate benefactor of all this writing. So, after all that I realized that it really doesn't matter what I think about Tony Pierce, or Moxie, or anybody for that matter. Their blog is strictly for them, and no one else. What their readers have to say about them is well out of their control. I am in no position to assume who or what they were written for, because they, nor anyone else is in any position to speak on my motives.

So, after all that, lesson learned. Handle you and yours.

Holy shit. It's been a year to the day that I started blogging and I still don't think anybody reads this shit.

So do me a favor. Check out my archives and find a post you like. Let's vote for Joe's favorite post of the year.

I'm a little too lazy to blog, but here are a few things I've written on message boards around the 'net.

In response to popular trends:

"People put status over style. Throwbacks became a status symbol in our high schools and in our malls. Before that it was Starter parkas and Guess Jeans. Now we have Purple Lable and Von Dutch hats. Now they want to take it to the next level and make status nearly unattainable.

In an attempt to be "different" they fade into the crowd.

Take offense if you want. I dont' care. The fact is that society has brainwashed people into perpetual consumption in their chase for status. Check yourself. "

In response to some good ol' Christian self-righteous fingerpointing:

"I just think it's funny how people will ask you to open your mind and listen to what their saying but refuse to reciprocate.

There is no way you'll teach anybody by saying "You are wrong and we are right", as if you are pontificating from the shoulders of God Himself.

I am very comfortable with my Christian faith, but I have no problem with people who are "in the dark" as someone stated in this thread. I choose to understand the beauty of God and am willing to accept the fact that he takes many forms in order to touch the lives of more people.

Don't fall into the trap that is self-righteous finger pointing. Handle you and yours. Your false sense of righteousness may be your sinful pride in disguise."

Same thread, further along in the discussion:
"I choose to be inclusive with the belief that it is not necessary to believe in Jesus Christ nor be of the Christian faith to live your life as a good person, just as long as you believe that there is a greater good.

I had an experience in my life that made me realize that the people who point fingers the most sometimes fail to walk the path they set for themselves.

At a Christian(Methodist) camp, I was told that I was going to hell because I was Catholic. It baffled me because regardless of how genuine a person I was, or how much I strived to walk the path of God, something as little as a label was enough for someone to condemn me as a sinner.

I'm seeing a lot of that in here. There is a lot of fingerpointing and a complete disregard for the human element. Faith is not black and white. Sprituality is not black and white. There are so many rules and rules of conduct that different religions use to differentiate themselves. I really don't think that by me not going to church every Sunday that I'm going to hell. I eat pork because I seriously doubt that my diet is going to be in question at the Pearly Gates.

The only reason why there are so many different religious is because of little disagreements through out history. People have died over these beliefs. People have killed over these beliefs. It has become more about how you worship instead of just worshipping. But in reality, it doesn't matter what you believe in but THAT YOU BELIEVE."