Whenever I think, “I have no heart,” something always comes along to prove to me that I do.

     My immediate thought is always to be skeptical of Internet Chain Letters and such, but with this one, I dug a little deeper and found that it’s totaly legitimate…

Why the one million friends challenge? I get asked the questions, Why 1 million friends? What will it achieve? on a regular basis. So I thought I would try to explain. James and I used to come onto myspace to listen to music and look at the videos just before he was diagnosed and added a few friends.

When James was diagnosed and we came to terms with the fact that his cancer and its treatment was going to take over our lives we needed a distraction and the “James and Daddy” page was born. I asked James if he thought we could get one hundred friends and then one thousand and the ten thousand. When we reached ten thousand friends I asked James to set the next target. James said ONE MILLION.

We will gain nothing financially from this page but have gained friendship from people around the world and we have shared our story with you all and in return shared your stories. This page has helped us as a family deal with the tough times and share the good times. Now as a father I feel I have to achieve this challenge as I made a vow to James the day after he was born that I would never let him down and I would only make him a promise if I could keep it.

So there you have it, the reason for the challenge and why I need you to help me get more friends. We have tried the celebrity route with minor success so all we can do is keep sending out the bulletins and searching out the profiles that have loads of friends and big hearts.

     I mentioned a while back, I can’t have kids… Rather, not healthy ones, anyway… I always say I found my peace with all of that a long time ago.
     But then again, maybe that’s why stuff like this tears me up so bad… Like it did with Ambriel… Like it does with someone else even closer who went through a bout of it herself (I love you, baby girl, I miss you, and I’m proud of you).

     There’s the futility factor, wishing I could do something to make it better, and I can’t…

     And then, of course, I see their faces they’re smiling right through it most days.

     That…

     …is one of the few things that I glean hope from.

     And I know damn well that despite everything else, those kids are toughter than I will ever be.

     If you’ve got MySpace, be sure and add him as a friend.  Spread the word.  Make a donation.

     http://www.myspace.com/bizwiz68

     Apathy sucks.

     I’d start a campaign against apathy, but my give a damn is broken.

     Just look at these people…

(Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfqDVP_0O0c)

     And me, I’m not even disgusted…

It strange. No matter who you talk to, eventually everyone is looking for someone they can relate to.  If only for a short moment, just a glimpse of someone who can relate is nice.

Atlanta, Georgia, is host to such an event.  DragonCon is an open forum for those who share a simple common interest.  A love of art, mass-media, science-fiction, music, film, fantasy and overall congregating just to enjoy themselves.

So whether you want to Save Darfour; If you want to stop the WARZ in the IRAQUE; Take a chance at  saving the Planet while you have the highest power consumption in your city; or realize that just hanging out and having a good time will accomplish about the same thing, come on down to the gathering Labor Day weekend.  Who knows what will happen, but at least you might find something else to occupy your time for a while.

**Heck there is even a Star Warts thing for you Mark… 

     Yeah, even though I’ve always enjoyed Star Wars, I’ve always been amazed at how far some people would take their fandom.  And this movie looks bloody hilarious:

(Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBkA3R2Habo)

     “Captain Picard is not gay … he’s BRITISH!”

     [ Mark tries desperately to bite his tongue ... and succeeds  ]

     Maybe it’s just me … but the whole Star Wars vs. Star Trek rivalry is completely laughable …

     Alright, so it’s old … I haven’t seen it before …

     And, obviously, now I can’t use the I-D-Ten-T thing anymore, either… Kinda sucks, since RTFM is common knowledge, and I just lost PEBKAC last month…

     Thanks for the mammaries…

1. The Misanthtropic: Name something (about humanity) you absolutely hate.

     Of all the things about humanity in the world, there is one thing that we can all agree upon: mucus is disgusting.  As a matter of fact, beyond the old addage that the only thing we can be certain of is Death and Taxes, I’m sure that Mucus should replace Taxes.  Death and Mucus — it’ll happen to everyone.
     That said, why is that as soon as someone gets a severe case of Mucus Unendus, they immediately say, “You made me sick!” when it clearly could’ve been the ass at the checkout the other day who wouldn’t cover his mouth as he hacked up a lung?

2. The Meretricious: Expose something or someone that’s phony, fraudulent or bogus.

     U-Haul Truck: $19.99.  Insurance: $14.99.  The look on your face when your final bill will come out to an average of $80: Priceless.

3. The Malcontent: Name something you’re unhappy with.

     Should I be unhappy that I can’t think of anything that I’m unhappy about?

     No?

     Well, there is one thing … which is a nagging question … “Dammit, why does she have to live so far away?”

4. The Meritorious: Give someone credit for something and name it if you can.

     Nick Kougioulis did a helluva good job on this video, combining two of my favorite things:

5. The Mirror: See something good about yourself and name it.

     I moved last weekend — finally finishing up the other side on Tuesday morning.  Through the week, I helped a friend move.  This past weekend, I helped more friends move.  Today, I helped another friend unload a truck.
     Somehow, I can exert myself like that, and not wake up sore and destroyed the next day.  I guess that means I’m in good shape. 

6. The Make-Believe: Name something you wish for.

     Today’s my birthday … I wish the woman in #3 would come for a visit. 

Now it’s your turn.

You can take part in The Monday Melee, even make it a regular feature at your site by visiting The Monday Melee page and following the steps. Kick-start your brain on Mondays and meet other bloggers.

     There are a few people who tell me I waste money.  Like, every now and again, I’ll throw down $8 on an apparently useless domain name.  Funny thing is, I’ve gotten some pretty decent traffic out of most of them.  This blog has done very little in the way of pushing Advertising, but still, it has consistenly made eight-to-ten dollars every month.
     Paid for a domain, got a few more readers.

     I watch a lot of people throw $5 into the lotto twice a week.  Most of them have never, and will probably never, win much of anything.  Case in point, a friend of mine won $3 after ten years of $10 a week.  That’s a lot of money to waste.

     To me, throwing $5.25 down on an Ebay listing that’ll probably go nowhere is fun.  It’s certainly more productive than a lotto ticket, and it might actually sell…

     Some people just don’t get it.  One of the best thing to know is that every dollar counts.  The more spend-$8-and-make-$9 things you can do, the more chance you have at coming out $1 ahead each time.
     Sometimes, I’ll do one or two from time to time between job silliness.  Other times, I’ll sit and do it all day.  Though boredom often starts the process, the process is certain anything but boring.
     Those days are fun, because I’m bouncing around doing three or four hundred different things.  So how much do I actually make on what most people consider a “waste of time?”

     It’s fun stuff to think about. 

     Ok, I took the quiz, and yes, I am officially a Star Wars Dork with a score of 41 (out of a possible 43).

     I am so ashamed…

     Spank Me, Princess Leia … You’re my only hope.

Tip: Matt Mullenweg

     I can remember back on November 18th, 1978, sitting in the living room floor watching the Star Wars Holiday Special on WBIR Channel 10, then Knoxville’s CBS affiliate (they’re NBC now).  I was already a serious Star Wars fan, having seen it at the drive-in the year before, in the theaters a few times that summer, and having spent a year’s worth of allowance on bubble-gum cards and comic books.
     I also remember how boring the show was to me, how horrible all of the familiar cameos were (”Maude is a bartender?”).
     With good reason, show was never aired again, surviving only as a multi-generation VHS dub… but certainly, hardcore fans will pay good money to get a copy, regardless.

     Still, there’s some nostalgia there.  Remembering that old TV with the rabbit ears, sitting on the rug in the middle of the living room floor.

     Kudos to Johnny Dollar for throwing up some screen caps…

     You can read more about it on StarWarsHolidaySpecial.com.

     From several sources, I heard about some educators giving extra credit for students who went out and voted.  I cannot understand why anyone would be so shallow, especially given their position as educators.  To me, it makes a farce of the entire process.
     The fact that we can vote, that we can have our say in electing our government, is one of our core Freedoms in this country.
     Regardless of the outcome of an election, voting is the reward!

     Another thing that’s getting on my nerves are these people who can go on and on about how things are being done, how things are running, how they could do better.
     “And did you vote?” I’d ask.
     “No…”
     “Then shut the Hell up.  Voting is what ensures our right to representation, so you gave up your right to complain when you didn’t take five minutes to go cast your ballot.”

     I’ve never been one for party politics, always voting for individual candidates and their stances on issues rather than taking a party-stance and voting down one side or the other.  But this go-round, the choice was clear.  One side had issues and resolutions, and the other side had nothing to do but bitch and complain.
     It was too fitting, as I left the polling area, to hear the “Emperor’s March” theme from Star Wars, and the voice of Vader saying, “Your journey to the Dark Side is now complete!”

     I was definitely relieved when I finally saw that the guy next to me was carrying a portable DVD player…