The end is near...

of the Year 2006 that is. My insomnia/apnea is still in full swing until I get the sleeping mask from my Doc. As part of the testing process I had to sleep with one (the readings from that particular one are used -- my guess -- to calibrate the one I will eventually get) and I actually got over six hours of solid sleep. I actually woke up the next morning not tired. I had actually forgotten what that feeling was like. But as I suspected, that six solid hours was more than my body had received in so long it wasn't long before things returned to my current "norm" of about 2-3 hours of sleep a night. I don't think I even get to the REM sleep stage before my body wakes me up. If you are not sure what Apnea is, check this out. Not to fear, faithful readers, I will be ship shape in no time.

In other news, I am enjoying my stint as Santa in Garbeau's Xmas Show -- FYI that is not me in the website pics. Those are from previous shows. It is a kick to play such an icon and interact with the kids. The downside? Fur costume, large fake beard and hair (more fur), and stage lights beaming down on me = Melty Claus.

So Michael Richards gets fed up with a heckler and unloads on him with a barrage of racial epithets, and the whole world goes up in arms --

I watched the "tirade" on YouTube, and though he crossed the line, I honestly believe he was trying to be funny. Whether he was or not (my opinion - not so much) is subject to interpretation, but it should be obvious that something that is SO over the top is being played for laughs, not serious. Also consider the venue -- a comedy club. I think if he should be accused of anything, it should be lack of judgment, not being a racist.

Now, before I get an onslaught of people accusing me of being a racist, please note my previously stated opinion, I did not find his comments funny. But the interesting thing here is Richards is being raked over the coals for calling an African American a name which they freely use on a regular basis with each other. The double standard here is getting really old. I understand the negative connotation behind it and the word is not part of my vocabulary, however I am getting very tired of the "eggshells" we as a society are asked to walk on with regards to this issue. You tell me this word is "unspeakable", but you use it all the time amongst yourselves. Historically I understand the struggles which have been overcome with regard to civil rights, and I know there are still a bunch of idiots who still cling to hatred ideologies, but they are decreasing. How much longer are we as a society going to treat this as an issue? As recently as just a couple of years ago I had a lady in one of my computer classes get offended by the use of the terms "Master" and "Slave" with regard to the configuration of hard drives within a computer.

I am not saying "Get over it and move on," but I think we should be at a point where everything said is not run through the "racist filter." The first option should be to give someone the benefit of the doubt. That's what I think... but what does this "Cracker" know?