Guys with Dolls

Hey everyone,

it's been about a month since I last posted a blog. A lot has happened in that time. The major life change is that I relocated from my home state of Connecticut to sunny Miami, Florida to be with my girlfriend and our awesome dog. Secondly, en route to Florida, I got the job offer that I was hoping for so I'm pretty excited about having work down here. Settling in has been a huge (albeit fun!) adjustment and not having to worry about job searching is an enormous relief.

As of Thursday, I am officially a Florida resident. Time to let the sun go to my head! I can't wait to vote! Where's the Armani Exchange?! I have a hankering to pay $90 for a form fitting t-shirt that says "punk rock" on it and looks like it was designed by a Ritalin-laced 8 year old with a Bedazzler.

Unfortunately, I'm still dealing with health issues stemming from my hospitalization in the summer. The past few months have been pretty hard on me. I've had to deal with a lot of jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin), itching and other side effects.

Aside from my initial surgeries as a baby, I have had no complications up until this past July. Liver disease is finally rearing its ugly head. I've lost weight, had to adjust my eating habits big time and haven't been working out the past month or so. It's been tough to put my passion of weightlifting on hold until I can get healthy again. The upside is that I am in great hands. Besides having a very supportive base down here (my family, Trine and her family) I am also surrounded by some of the best doctors in the field. I am confident that they will be able to figure out what is wrong with me. The doctors in Connecticut were less than proactive and seemed a little too comfortable to just wait it out. I'm done waiting it out.


Kids are Stupid
In Leesburg, Florida, 12 year old David Cody Hudson was found on the floor of his bedroom with a belt around his neck. He died a day later The police originally thought his death a suicide due to the karate belt wrapped around his neck. However, it turns out David and other students had been playing something called the "choking game." This "game" involves reducing oxygen to the brain to create a euphoric feeling. Wow. So is this what kids do in between the latest Playstation and Xbox releases? Is childhood really that boring?

Ok, sooooo…. if it's a choking game, my question is: did David win or lose?

Does He have a kung-fu grip?
In Knoxville, Tennessee, an 11.5-inch tall Jesus doll has created a controversy since some WalMart stores have decided to test market the doll in various locations. The doll is one of several faith-based toys created by One2believe that are being sold along side other action figure toys. Others include 'Tickle Me' Judas and Rock Em' Sock Em' Cain and Abel.
First Baptist Church's senior pastor, Bill Shiell said, "To reduce Him to a doll purports to say that we somehow know what Jesus looked like and that we can play with Him as a figure much like we could play with any other object like Bob the Builder."

Oh come on, we have pretending to know what Jesus looked like for ages: white guy with shoulder length brown hair and a beard. Let's not pretend this doll has anything to do with that. Truth is that Jesus probably looked more Middle Eastern than a member of the Allman Brothers band.

Susan Tatum, First Baptist's minister to preschool and Children, agrees that Jesus isn't an appropriate for a toy. Says Tatum, "Jesus is not an action figure, a fantasy or make-believe doll," she said. "I think it is important for children to know to draw that line between fantasy and reality."

Yes, people, I repeat: fantasy and reality. So which one does the Jesus doll fall under? People need to realize that reality is not the same for everyone. When you look at it, there are really a select few around the world who actually believe in Jesus Christ and Bible. There are numerous religions with varied beliefs and different Gods, and it is arrogance that leads people to believe their faith is the one true way. Sorry folks, you can't all be right.

I have no use for organized religion. I believe that faith and religion should be a personal thing. If you find some likeminded folks to share your beliefs with, great. But keep it quiet and stop pushing your beliefs on everyone else. Simply having faith is the important thing. By the time you find out if there really is a God (whichever kind you choose to believe in) you're long gone from this earth. It's having faith and believing in something (anything) that provides solace and peace to you while you're alive.

But people take it too far and try to run each other's lives based on their personal beliefs and that's where things get messy. You've heard of Separation of Church and State (despite Bush's attempt to abolish it)? Well, maybe we should just broaden the definition of the State. Maybe there'd be a bit less hatred and intolerance in the world if people kept their religion to themselves. Don't preach to me, don't try to change me and don't sell me any dolls.

The best part of the article is where Sheill advises parents thinking of buying the doll to spend the money feeding the hungry or helping out the poor. I couldn't agree more.