Yeah, sure it is more of a Meme than an actual award, but as I pointed out in the last Meme, those of us on the X-List, don’t get to be so choosy.   And honestly, this really makes me quite happy, because all I ever really want to do it raise awareness  of issues, and make people think.  And so, I am no less than thrilled that at least Cathy, says I make her think.

Well, that is about all the gloating I believe I am allowed for a Meme, so on to the rest.  Here are the rules:

1. If you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the “Thinking Blogger Award” with a link to the post that you wrote.

So, that leaves me with the task of picking 5 people that  haven’t already received the award.   This is the part I hate, because except for excluding those that have already been included in this, it is really unfair to make me choose, since there is something about every person on my blogroll that makes me think.  That makes me take notice… that is why they are there.  But the rules say 5, so I will dutifuly pick five, and have to find a way to express my pink puffy heart love for the rest some other way another day.

1. Inn of the Last Home – Barry and I don’t always agree, and that is a good thing.  He give me some perspective and views that are outside my own.

2. Tuna Girl – While I could have picked any number of blogs I read that are in the military of wives of military (oddly, I have yet to find, “Husband of Military”) , Tuna Girl gives it a fresh and different perspective.

3. AdventureDad – Always informative, always intriguing, and as a bonus, an outside U. S. Media viewpoint.

4. This Full House – Liz will probably smack me for tapping on her shoulder two Meme’s in a row, but she so deserves this one.

5. Busy Mom – I have my doubts as to whether she will actually participate, but so deserves to be on this list, that I have to add her regardless.

Mamalee over at Full Plate tagged me with this Meme, and since I am a X-list kind of blogger, I can’t really pull the “I Don’t Do Memes” thing, so here we go.

Three Things That Scare Me:

Anything bad happening to my daughter

My mother’s cancer medication no longer holding back the tumors

Neoconservatives

Three People Who Make Me Laugh:

LatteGirl – she usually doesn’t like it when I laugh, but she amuses the hell out of me.

Lewis Black – Maybe the best political comic ever.

Bill Engvall – He may be best known for his “Here’s your sign” routines, but he has the most hysterical views on marriage and family. (This was a tough one and Jeff Foxworthy is really an equal here for me).

Three Things I Love:

Family

The Beach (which is why I will always live in a coastal State)

Triple Venti Gingerbread Latte

Three Things I Hate:

Religous Zealots – they don’t get that “Freedom of Religion” doesn’t mean Freedom Of Religion as long as you subscribe to my religion. William Donohue, Dr. James Dobson and Pat Robertson are excellent examples.

Monsanto (have they come up with anything yet that hasn’t been determined to cause cancer, or isn’t toxic? That may be fine if you are a chemical company… but not one that deals with FOOD)

Those Apple Computer Ads – Macs are nice little toys, and can survive because they are in a nice little niche. Stop trying to be more, because if you have to play by the same rules as everybody else (you know things like Backwards Compatibility, opening up your hardware to other vendors to avoid anti-trust), that neat little “hippness” will go away real quickly.

Three Things I Don’t Understand:

How some people can justify violence against others, “In the name of Jesus” Just doesn’t make sense.

Why grass refuses to grow in certain patches of my lawn

How hospitals can charge upwards of $5,000 a day per bed and still lose money

Three Things On My Desk:

Maxtor External Hard Drive

Coffee Cup (regrettably empty at this point)

New Jersey Devils hat

Three Things I’m Doing Right Now:

Working (allegedly)

Eating Lunch

Fretting over a dentist appointment this evening

Three Things I Want To Do Before I Die:

Walk my daughter down the aisle

See a time where people are more important that Corporations again

Write a book about how I helped in the crusade to stop Factory Farming (of course we have to stop factory farming first)

Three Things I Can Do:

Play “Devil’s Advocate” to just about any argument convincingly

Love and Hate Microsoft at the same time

Bake and Decorate a professional quality Wedding Cake

Three Things I Can’t Do:

Understand the SUV craze in this country.  Most don’t have the storage capacity of a standard sedan, much less a Mini-Van, and they are horrible on gas.  Just who do you think you are fooling into believing you are offroading while you have that Eddie Bauer Car Seat sitting in the back there sport?

Sew – It is a good thing I was such a good cook, otherwise I would have flunked Home Economics.

Deal with vomit – I can change diapers without a problem, I can handle just about any other child rearing task.  Just don’t ask me to deal with vomit.

Three Things I Think You Should Listen To:

Birds – no they aren’t a music group.  One morning, just step outside, and listen to the birds.  It is a lot like stopping to smell the roses, but with far  less risk of allergic reactions.

Your Heart – Stop letting others dictate what you should and shouldn’t do.  Your heart will usually guide you in the right direction.

Cannon in D – If this can’t de-stress you immediately, seek medical attention.

Three Things You Should Never Listen To:

Bill O’Reilly – The man has gone so far over the edge, that Geraldo is respectable by comparison.

People who tell you how to live your life. – Their decisions are fine for their own life, but that may not be what is best for you.

Teenager “Logic” – it will only give you a headache.

Three Things I’d Like To Learn:

How to keep our dogs off the furniture

How to get me my daughter to pick up her clothes and put them in the hamper without having to ask her

How to strech a day out to about 29 or so hours

Three Favorite Foods:

Hot Food

Cold Food

Room Temperature Food

Three Things I Regret:

That my parents didn’t think it was right to sue the school when I shattered my kneecap at a school event.

Being an a troublesome teen (Well into my twenties)

Not making it to the hospital in time the day my father passed away.

Now to tag three people that (I think) visit here and will do a Meme and won’t kill me for it.

Let’s try… Froggie’s Lilypad,  This Full House and five dollar shake

OK, I don’t have the picture handy I want for Picture Perfect Thursday, so I was tagged with a MeMe, and decided in the spirit of the holiday, I should do it… so allow me to use this to entertain you (and tag you… snicker) until I get to Picture Perfect Thursday later on.

1.Wrapping paper or gift bags? I hate the waste of wrapping paper, and would use nothing if I could. I can’t. TheWife insists on paper for Christmas. I get away with (reusable) bags the rest of the time. As a kid, we never had presents wrapped. It would be too hard for Santa to know who got what present if they were all wrapped I was told.

2.Real tree or artificial? Pre-lit Martha Stewart, because TheWife wanted “nothing to do” with a real tree “ever again” but now she is having second thoughts and we may go back to a real tree next year.

3.When do you put up the tree? With the artificial, right after Thanksgiving. With the live tree we generally waited until about Dec. 15th or so.

4.When do you take the tree down? On the 13th day after Christmas.

5.Do you like eggnog? Yup. And now I even like it without it being spiked. Who knew?

6.Favorite gift you received as a child? Is it awful that I say, I don’t know. I can’t think of one that was way better than any other.

7.Do you have a nativity scene? hahaha… uh… No. I have received several as gifts though. (See Number 14)

8.Hardest person to buy for? TheWife and my mother are a tie for royal pain in the butt.

9.Easiest person to buy for? I don’t find anybody particularly easy, just some less hard than others.

10.Mail or email Christmas cards? Mostly mail, some e-mails though.

11.Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Oh, there is a long list of items that tie for this honor. Many came from my MIL.

12.Favorite Christmas movie? Christmas Vacation

13.When do you start shopping? January 1

14.Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes.

15.Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Triple Venti Gingerbread Latte of course. Does Coffee count as food?

16.Clear lights or colored on the tree? Color lights when I was a kid. TheWife only wants white. I settle for putting the color outside now.

17.Favorite Christmas song? Bobby Rivers: The Twelve Pains of Christmas

18.Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel, but only about 12 miles to Mom’s house.

19.Can you name all of Santa’s Reindeer? Of course.

20.Angel on the tree top or a star? Neither, we have an Olde World Santa Claus

21.Open the presents on Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Morning. I’m not done wrapping anything until just before the child wakes up Christmas morning.

22.Most annoying thing about this time of year? Cranky people that bitch and moan about all the work they have to do to plan for the holidays. If it is “work” you are doing something wrong (in my not so humble opinion). Yes, there is work to be done, plenty of it. But when we get family and friends together, I feel like it is all worth it. Updated to add: This goes Double for Bill O’Reilly and his Faux War on Christmas

23.Do you have Jesus in your heart this Christmas? I don’t think so… It is probably just heartburn

24.What would you like for Christmas? A smile on my daughter’s face. Everything starts there.

Now to find three people to tag with this, that I think will actually do it. How about:

Cathy (Feel Free to Tag Team with Doug)
Chicka (c’mon you know you want to)
and
CMHL (It will make a nice diversion for a couple of minutes… PLEEEZ)

You Are 28 Years Old

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view – and you look at the world with awe.13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what’s to come… love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You’ve had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You’ve been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.