BaltiMORE

I've been waiting a while to give a definitive public opinion on the uprising in Baltimore.

Now that I've seen most of the rioting, had enough conversations, and read enough posts from other news sources, I think I can finally give you my full break down of the situation.

1. No matter how Freddie Gray was killed, he could go down as a hero for black minorities everywhere in this nation. His death was the lynch-pin that set off rioting of proportions that we have not seen since the 60's, and that includes Ferguson and all the sports-related riots that this country has seen.

2. I've waffled on this next point with myself a few times, but my final opinion on this is that the rioting WAS/IS necessary in order for this country to progress. I hate violence as much as the next person. At first, I supremely disliked the kind of rioting that was going on and I still feel that way with the exception of a couple things that have been done. I don't really feel like going through all the ins and outs, just know that if I were in a black minority's shoes over the last almost 240 years of our country's existence, then I'd feel like angrily throwing shit around, too. At some point, enough is enough, and the line has to be drawn somewhere. You wanna know how our country does that? War. Which in case you're not aware, we're a part of some war all the time. These rioters are sending out a war cry, and there's one thing I'm sure of: I'm listening. I hope you are, too.

3. I feel this way, because I've listened to every single side of this including that of the president's.* In brief, the president condemns the violence and cheers on the peaceful protests. I agree with his train of thinking, but not necessarily his logic. I agree that peaceful protests SHOULD change the mind of millions of people. I agree that peaceful protests SHOULD gain the majority of the medias attention. The problem is, these peaceful events aren't getting much attention at all. And as terrible as some of the violent rioting has been,  people are talking and having great conversations about the events, which was the whole point of the peaceful protests. Unfortunately, as I've seen it over the last year, the peaceful protests get about a minute of coverage compared to the thousands of minutes of coverage that the rioting gets. Therefore, if the president wants to do anything useful about stuff like this, he needs to figure out a way to pay the media to do so. Yeah, I know, that sounds like corruption, but the media, like some of our authority in blue, is already corrupt. So, really, it's kind of like an anti-corruption? Neither here nor there, the point is: Money talks.

4. I agree that some of the rioters are going wayyyyyy too far. Looting personal property like housing and apartments is ridiculous. They're just hurting people that almost literally have nothing to do with their oppression. Here's the thing, though: No matter what these people are doing, they are neither thugs nor animals, and we SEVERELY need to get away from these words. The other day I got so angry with the uses of the words "animals" and "thugs" even from the President himself, that I basically hoped that a riot leader stood up and said, "Let's make a deal, you stop calling us animals and thugs, and we'll stop doing this!" I cannot imagine what my life would have been like in a black minority's shoes growing up, but based on what some of my black friends have told me: It was god fucking awful.

5. I'm waiting for someone somewhere who has a legitimate voice to ask the question, "How can we help these people?" In order for us to help them we need to listen to their legitimate issues and why they feel the way they do to riot like this. No one, not even POTUS wants to do this!! It's absolutely maddening! Instead, they want to ASSUME what will work, do some shit that hardly works (in the long run), and then everything goes back to that shitty normal American state of cops killing people that shouldn't be killed. Why would I make that last statement? BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING. I remember back when Ferguson happened--ya know, because it wasn't that long ago--and I was writing posts that said, "Ahh don't worry, this shit will never happen again. The government will correct itself. Blah blah blah..." Was I right? NO. Dead wrong, in fact. These killings keep happening, and white privilege talk comes out in droves. "I don't expect this to happen to me, so from a far I'll point the finger at those "thugs" and "animals" while saying they're the problem." Yeah, and for those doing that: Seriously, fuck you. I'm so sick of you that I kinda wish you'd just get the fuck out of this country, because you're going to keep holding us back from progress.

Today, a protest is taking place outside of City Hall, and all anyone is worried about is traffic. Not saying that's not a legitimate thing to complain about, I just feel like most white conservative people who have been complaining about the Baltimore riots have been worried about those businesses and people who lost their cars. Not one time did I hear any one of those type people say, "It's a shame that boy died, but I really wish people would stop hurting businesses and breaking windows, etc." NOT ONE. And, ya know what, that kind of sentence really makes a difference, because most of those people I mentioned, just go right to saying "Those animals! Those thugs!"

There was a segment from the Larry Wilmore show where they were talking about the black mother who was beating the shit out of the kid for rioting and how everyone was applauding her for that. A black woman comedian says at the end of the segment, "I don't disagree with the mother, I'm just waiting for the time we see a video of a white mother beating the shit out of her white cop son saying, 'Stop killing black kids!'"

And the media--UGH--the media is just god awful. They are covering the rioting so much so that they are probably trying to get viewers to forget that a white cop killed another black kid. Haha, yeah, that's not the problem, just these fucking rioters.

https://www.facebook.com/politico/photos/a.62440786679.82359.62317591679/10152747748191680/?type=1&theater

Bullshit.

- PatInTheHat

*The article quoting the president's full speech about the riots. http://www.colorlines.com/articles/here%E2%80%99s-everything-obama-said-about-baltimore

Science Proves Artists Wrong

Back when I was a young undergrad, I took an art class. I really enjoyed the class in terms of learning about the history of art and even trying different kinds of art, like painting, clay-sculpting, etc.

What I didn't like was something my teacher told me in that class.

One day we were reviewing one of the artists who paints in a way that basically looks like a bunch of scribbles using colored paint. And then art experts from around the world oo and aah at how deep the painting is. Many of us in class said, "Oh, come on, we could totally do that!" Our teacher was quick to jump on us and say, "No. This artist had years of schooling to be able to do something creative like this. He is recognized because with his degrees he is better assumed to know what he is doing, and therefore gets the proper accolades."

I paraphrased that quote, but that's about what she said. I. Fucking. Hated. It.

I have always had a pretty creative mind. Even if nothing comes out of the things I think about, devise, create, then oh well! At the very least: I tried.

The reason science is part of this conversation is that despite science being largely mathematical, it is also quite creative. Especially for those scientists over the course of the Earth's existence that have founded ideas, formulas, laws, structures, theories, etc. that no one needed previous mathematics to figure out (really).

A month or so ago I posted a blog about Jack Andraka, who with little to no medical training, ya know, because he was 14 years old, developed a way to prevent various kinds of cancers. Yes, his ideas were denied by almost 200 doctors and biologists. But they were all wrong.

You see, the point I'm getting at here, is that we can't hinder students to be creative simply because they don't have the education to be creative. That is a fallacy. Yes, I understand art is a little bit different, but I've met some phenomenal painters/drawers over my life that had no formal training and created amazing works of art. So why aren't they regarded among the best? Well, as far as art goes, no one really gives a shit about you until you die. It's not true for every artist, but it is true for most artists. Everyone of the time is generally so pretentious and pedantic that they overlook the beauty, marvel, brilliance behind works of art. But once those artists are dead, scholars come out of the wood works and go, "Oh, heyyyyyy, I see what they did there now that they're dead and can't reap any of the rewards."

There is one kind of art that is revered by millions. Those millions revere many who never received formal education for their artistic accomplishments. Who am I talking about? Well, musicians, of course.

This brings me to my next point: In this world you are as good or amazing at something as you are revered by amounts of people. Some musicians also write lyrics like poets write stanzas and sometimes, without formal education, the musician churns out better messages/lyrics/words than the revered poet/writer. Perfect example is Rivers Cuomo who was already a well known musician/lyricist BEFORE he went to school to be educated better on writing skills.

So why do we have these silly rules, then? I don't think creativity really has rules, and that's the whole point of art. If you hear rules from an art teacher, music teacher, etc. then I think you have to realize that they've completely lost the point--as it's why they are not revered artists/writers/etc. and, instead, are just teachers. Is music theory important to understand? Yes, and it's just as important as it is for a painter to understand the use of lines, but the best artists in the world did something so different that it changed the perspective of the world!

Ultimately, I love music. I'm glad that the one thing I decided to do well at, at least better than anything else I can do, is music. Music is more malleable than most artistic avenues, and it's the one thing that has the most unique ideas left (probably). It also, even though I hate this as a fact, has a slew of famous artists that are pretty god awful--those one hit wonders (Rebecca Black comes to mind more so than Rick Astley). Their creativity, though, serves as the reason they are remembered, and it gives us all a different perspective to create something far better.

So, to those creative artists or scientists (of the mind) out there, screw the rules!

CREATE!

- PatInTheHat

Unchainged

Hey there, millenials. How are you doing?

Terrible?

I'm not surprised.

No, not you millenials raised on wealth. Though I'm sure you worked hard and were educated well, you're not the standard millenial.

Why? Well, although I'm sure you could be the next Steve Jobs, you also have the better opportunity to be the next Steve Jobs.

Similar to the conversation I had the other day with a friend--the one about wealthier countries that should churn out better athletes than poorer countries, because wealth supplies the best nutrition and opportunity for success--wealthier families will churn out lesser stressed children when the time comes to actually be an adult. Especially with a decent percentage of those children being given a great job for their father's/mother's business. Not only do they not have to worry about student loans (pfft, what are they?) but they also won't have to worry about job search. 

The only thing less stressful than getting grandfathered into a roll by your parents/relatives is your actual grandfather picking you up when you're a toddler, and walking around with you until you go night-night for your nappy nap.

Yeah, we understand the rewarding feeling we get when we bust our asses to secure a position in the career position you chose. It's pretty great! But don't get so comfy. Corporations nowadays throw all caution to the wind with yearly lay-offs as if their billions of dollars in revenue just didn't cut it this year.

Oh, and where do we live after get these jobs? Well, if we're lucky we make just enough to live happily...with our parents. Apartments? Bahaha screw that. If you want to know how to dispose of money without actually throwing it in the trash, live in an apartment. I say this well aware of the fact that I may one day live in an apartment. I have friends that live in apartments. I mean, of course I do! My friends are millenials, after all! Real ones! Those hard working, blue collar workers. They didn't want to live with their parents anymore, or were able to find multiple roommates to make living in an apartment virtually inexpensive by today's living standards, and for them, that's great! Living with our parents sucks, doesn't it?

Yes, but at the whopping price of nothing I get to keep the shackles of living at home around my ankles until that most appropriate apartment scenario comes around that I mentioned.

Until then, all the stress, and none of the change.

But, ya know, maybe I'll hit the lottery.

- PatInTheHat

See Evil, Hear Evil, Do Nothing

I don't understand most people. The main reason I don't understand most people, especially the people of the US, is because for them: Seeing and believing no longer go hand in hand like they should.

It's really funny listening to people argue for a side of something that is the exact opposite of the actual truth. The truth that we see with our eyes.

Generally, those that see and believe use the "sky is blue" analogy, or an analogy similar to it, and that really gets under the skin of those de facto haters. Those seers-disbelievers.

It's hard to argue with these people. We try so badly to get them to look at the picture instead of those that are trying to paint it. Behind every painting is a painter indeed, but sometimes the painting is a video-audio clip unedited by the painters (the media) that shows the truth. We don't even need to argue it! It's right there! Look!

We don't know the details of what exactly happened to Michael Brown, the black man who was shot and killed by a white cop named Darren Wilson--and although we all really want to, we never will--but these thoughts come to me after a Missourian painter painted a picture that told us that government officials are resigning as a black woman from a Missourian town becomes mayor. Although it's a story, and we do not know every single detail up to this point, I see what the painting is saying. And it's saying that racism in this country--at the very least, in Missouri--is still quite prevalent. No matter how many black folk are shot; no matter how many black folk die at the hands of a less-than-hesitant white cop; no matter how many riots we have blocking streets, by city hall, at police districts; none of it matters. Racism remains prevalent.

One day, I hope someone will be able to paint a different but honest painting of our country that salutes men and women of all genders, races, etc.

Unfortunately, that country is not this one. Not right now. And it won't be as easy as getting everybody different utensils.

Perhaps better contacts?

- PatInTheHat

People People People...Let Me Explain (Again)

I posted this blog back in April, and I feel compelled to re-post with some added angst.

Guys...what the fuck. I keep seeing the same damn arguments over and over and over again about the wage increases. Now that New York fast food restaurants finally won, everyone is back up in arms and using the same shallow, selfish, and thoughtless complaints.

Ya know what's really funny? A lot of the complainers 1. Don't even have a clue how expensive it is to live in most of New York, and 2. Use the argument that these people don't work as hard as "them." "Them" being electricians, certain medical professionals, etc. But what you're not getting is that these people worked REALLY HARD to be heard. Yes, they worked hard in a different way than YOU wanted them to work hard, but they worked hard nonetheless. And now, every single person who disagrees with the wage increase just sounds like jealous whiners.

After my signature I will turn your attention to a sound-minded human being--a medical professional himself--who constructed a Facebook post to end all arguments against the wage increases. I shared it yesterday, but in case you didn't see it for your convenience all you'll have to do is scroll down =)

__________

I've seen some really good discussions going around the internet about those posts about fast food workers demanding for an increase in wages--specifically to $15 an hour. Though I certainly disagree that they should actually receive $15 an hour, I firmly agree that they should receive more. And not because of what their actual job is, either. There's something more important going on here.

That said, I decided to comment on a message thread on Facebook that talks about this issue, because I think the issues people are getting into--namely the "but what about me and my job/i should receive more than them" arguments--are completely missing the point to all of this.

My comment on that thread below:

I'd like to point out that the main issue here isn't just what they do. The main issue here is that big businesses have billions of dollars in revenue(<---edit: Billions of dollars in profit. Yes, revenue, obviously, but profit is the driving force behind the argument. In other words, this money is give-able) and hardly give anything to their employees. Economically speaking, this is a BIG problem.

I just posted an article the other day about a credit card company located in Seattle. The owner/CEO/whatever you want to call him cut his salary from 1 Million dollars a year to 70K/year to give everyone else in his company 70K/year as well. This guy not only understands business, but he also understands money and how local economies work. It should be known that this business is not a billion dollar or MULTI billion dollar company. Nowhere near, in fact. So how can he do that, but big businesses can't raise wage a little? I'm not saying 15, even though that's pittance compared to the 70 grand that guy is shelling out to his employees, but a raise in the minimum wage shouldn't be that hard to come by.

That said, I agree that this should become standard across the board (virtually). See, the thing with economics is that it relies largely on supply and demand. Supply and demand is influenced by local/state/country GDP per capita so if everyone is making more money, then businesses would raise their prices. What's amazing about these wage increases is that if these big businesses DID do this, then the calculations have already been done because these rage increases ARE being done in other parts of the world. The price of these products would only increase about 1 dollar on average. When you're making 3 to 4 to 5 etc. dollars over the (current) minimum, a 1 dollar increase in goods doesn't effect us as much. In fact, we'd still get more bang for the buck AND have more leftover because of the increase in our wages. 
To conclude, I'm already making well over both of these talked about wages (10/15), but I still understand how important it is for these people to make an appropriate wage in order to benefit the rest of our economy.

_______

As previously suggested, I'm glad a lot of people are talking about this issue, but try not to lose sight of the main problem going on here. Big businesses--ones that, believe it or not, find ways to pay very little taxes each year--do not pay their fair share of wages to employees. They hoard money at the top, and then around election time complain that "poor people" aren't working hard enough, and that's why they're poor. That's a very ignorant/selfish/greedy/misunderstood train of thinking that needs to end in order for our country to start making real progress in these areas.

 I could get into student loans, how the cost of education does not equal the wage we're given and so on, but I won't in this post. All I'll say is that the problem is starting to work it's way up to corporations. Have that college degree? Masters? How's 40 grand sound? To someone who just came out of high school, it would sound great. To someone who spent 100 grand in student loans it sounds like we've been conned by the system.

- PatInTheHat

From Jens Rushing:

Fast food workers in NY just won a $15/hr wage.

I'm a paramedic. My job requires a broad set of skills: interpersonal, medical, and technical skills, as well as the crucial skill of performing under pressure. I often make decisions on my own, in seconds, under chaotic circumstances, that impact people's health and lives. I make $15/hr.

And these burger flippers think they deserve as much as me?

Good for them.

Look, if any job is going to take up someone's life, it deserves a living wage. If a job exists and you have to hire someone to do it, they deserve a living wage. End of story. There's a lot of talk going around my workplace along the lines of, "These guys with no education and no skills think they deserve as much as us? Fuck those guys." And elsewhere on FB: "I'm a licensed electrician, I make $13/hr, fuck these burger flippers."

And that's exactly what the bosses want! They want us fighting over who has the bigger pile of crumbs so we don't realize they made off with almost the whole damn cake. Why are you angry about fast food workers making two bucks more an hour when your CEO makes four hundred TIMES what you do? It's in the bosses' interests to keep your anger directed downward, at the poor people who are just trying to get by, like you, rather than at the rich assholes who consume almost everything we produce and give next to nothing for it.

My company, as they're so fond of telling us in boosterist emails, cleared 1.3 billion dollars last year. They expect guys supporting families on 26-27k/year to applaud that. And that's to say nothing of the techs and janitors and cashiers and bed pushers who make even less than us, but are as absolutely crucial to making a hospital work as the fucking CEO or the neurosurgeons. Can they pay us more? Absolutely. But why would they? No one's making them.

The workers in NY *made* them. They fought for and won a living wage. So how incredibly petty and counterproductive is it to fuss that their pile of crumbs is bigger than ours? Put that energy elsewhere. Organize. Fight. Win.

You Sick Clown

When I was younger--much younger--my parents were so busy with their lives that they could not pick me up from pre-school and kindergarten. This turned out to be a phenomenal blessing in disguise, because it was my grandfather on my mothers side--the one who died of cancer when I was 14--who would pick me up and take me back to his house. There I would also get quite familiar with my grandmother, whose turn it would be to take care of me when my grandfather still had to go back to work at PECO after he dropped me off.

Their next-door neighbors, the McGill's, were always so nice to me. And not just that, "Oh, look at that cute child," kind of nice. Well into my teenage/young adult years, they continued to treat me with the same kindness and respect. Mr. and Mrs. McGill both outlived my grandfather, so any time I visited my grandmom while she still lived at her house on Arthur Street in Northeast Philly, they stuck out as kind reminders of my pop-pop.

While I was still younger than 10, the McGill's housed a sick relative in their basement. From what I remember the relative was terminally ill, and although I didn't understand it then, I'm pretty sure the relative was under hospice care. Despite the illness, this relative, who's name I cannot remember, kept their sense of humor through the worst stanza of their life.

One time in particular I was invited to their basement to meet this relative, and hilariously enough (for me--I was never afraid like many people seem to be nowadays) the relative was decked out in clown attire. The relative, who I'll name Sally for now, was hysterical! She didn't do anything over the top, just acted really silly.

I only got to see Sally once one or two times more, and each time she was in clown attire ready to perform for her one fan--me.

There have been many points in my young life so far that I've put so much stress on myself to be something great that I didn't allow myself to enjoy the little things or even enjoy the big things. Sally, though, would always come back into my mind as someone who was able to live happily when life did everything it could to keep her otherwise. I'm sure it's one of the reasons that I'm a goof; one of the reasons why I have a happy-go-lucky persona when times are tougher for me.

Aside form the obvious things her personality taught me, some not-so-obvious realizations came later in life. I realized that anyone, even for a moment in time, can make a great impression on your life. Everyone always talks about the importance of a first impression. Although the first impression of her was of a silly clown, it was also my last impression of her. She was consistent. Instead of just leaving a small imprint on my life, she ended up leaving an indelible mark. That happened because of her consistent persona even in the short time that I had known her.

First impressions are important, of course, but more important than that is making sure you don't stray too far from yourself in the worst of times. The times that accumulate the most adversities.

It's really hard for us to do, but if a sick clown can do it...

- PatInTheClownHat

Only Republicans Come Up With This Shit

Not much of a post today. Just wanted to share this and my rage with you. If you're wondering why I hate Republicans: It's because only they could come up with this shit to brain-wash children.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2014/11/texas-approves-textbooks-with-moses-as-founding-father/

- PatInTheFuckThisShit

Tax the Tax

Tax is a financial instrument used by countries around the world that allow them to function effectively. I'm sure you know this, and I'm not doing to bore you with more specifics.

Tax is a necessity. It is. Fundamentally, our country needs to have a tax system that allows the economy to keep moving forward economically.

That said, there's a problem: It's not working.

There's a few reasons that I believe it's not working, and I'm going to touch on a few of them.

1. There's tax, and then there's tax, and then there's more tax. Oh, and don't forget about that other tax that you were supposed to know about. Oh, can't pay that tax? No problem. Here's a fine worth double/triple/quintuple your tax life savings.

Income tax makes a lot of sense...except when there's sales tax. Yes, I know sales tax is generally a state/city tax, but still. A sales tax IS income tax. It's the same thing. It's taking a percentage of what you made. Secondly: you have a tax, basically another form of income tax, called something that I don't care to type out or get into, that's taken out of your check each pay period. Oh, and the kicker? When you're taxed at the end of the year, you're not taxed your net. Net = income after all the stuff taken out of your check. You're taxed on your GROSS income. This is the line that shows up on your pay stub that is always roughly 300-500 (depending what you make, could be even more) more than you actually have in hand and are able to use. Now, obviously if you're in the 15% tax bracket...meaning you make less than whatever it is now, $75,000, then you'll like get a tax refund so none of that really matters to you. HOWEVER, if you're a student who is claimed as a dependent by your parents with a good paying job, then you, specifically, get pittance, despite all of those tax dollars taken out of your check throughout the year, and your parents get a little more, which is still pittance compared to what the government took from you.

2. The Government takes money from you in more ways than just tax. One of those ways is through tolls.

Some roads are specifically funded by the tolls drivers pay for, so those roads make a lot of sense to me. I'm sure people still hate paying for those tolls, but it's the price you pay if you want the road to not be bumpy, pot-holey, etc.

A lot of toll roads, though, are not that way. For instance, our good 'ol Pennsylvania Turnpike route 276 is one road that can be described as the bane of my existence. * The main reason it's so terrible is more so because I-76 is worse. The only reason the PA turnpike is even used to go East and West is generally because I-76 was so poorly constructed. How people use that road to get to work with the umteen bottle-necks every mile is beyond me. It's frustrating enough using a toll road--a money you pay to use--that takes basically just as long, maybe cutting out 5 minutes.

3. The IRS has stake in your tax prep services.

That's right! When you go to H&R Block, use TurboTax, etc., who do you think is moderating, and partially capitalizing, on their revenue? Yup, the government. They'd like you to believe that's a lie since those companies I mentioned are public entities, but let's take a closer look here... The government wants your money. The government wants to make sure it gets as much of your money as possible. The government will never go after you if you do not do your taxes at year end when you're expected to get a refund. They only do that when they are expecting to get big bucks. So, these tax prep services guide us, for the the fee of whatever they charge per tax form (I'd say $150 bucks on average), to pay the government. You bet your ass the government is even getting a cut from that!**

Ultimately, we need tax reform big time. If the government ends up getting the money you earn in all these different ways, then how can they say that money is funneling back into the economy correctly?

Answer: They can't.

- PatInTheHat

* Here's the turnpike comission's 10K. I know it might be a lot of gobbelty goop for those of you out there who don't look at 10K's on the regular, but check out page 135 that summarizes their income statements for the last 10 years. Starting in 2008, you'll notice an interesting line item: Payments to PennDot which show expenses near 800 million allowing the road to lose money(at least, that's what they want you to see) since -.- In other words, the government is charging the governement to do government things. Wut. http://www.paturnpike.com/geninfo/PTC_CAFR_14-13.pdf

** I'm not the only person who has this in mind. http://www.cato.org/blog/hr-block-irs-unholy-alliance-ransack-taxpayers

April Fool's Day

There's something about this day.

By no means is it a "real holiday," but it is one that has a tremendous amount of positives. Yes, it is my birthday, and that's definitely a plus. But that's not why it's a positive for me.

For one, it's recognized by all parts of the world. April Fool's Day doesn't have any religious ties, doesn't have any ties to a specific country, no ties to any specific sect of people, etc. Instead, it's an all-inclusive day that is dedicated to silliness.

As children, we love this day. It's the day that we can prank other kids and adults without any real repercussions. Ok, yes, you can/we could have get/gotten in trouble depending the severity of the offense, but most of those offenses as kids are taken considerably lighter because it's April Fool's Day.

As adults, we need this day. Now, I'm aware that most adults don't play into the silliness of the day, and for them that's fine. But I think for a lot of adults it's a day to let loose a little bit. Unbutton the collar an extra notch and not take everything so damn seriously. I've seen more smiles on this day than I have the weeks/days leading up to Christmas. Why? There's no stress to participate. There's no family dinner arrangements; no gifts to buy; nothing. There's certainly no stress to play pranks on people, though I will admit that I put some stress on one of my supervisors today when she thought she was part of some grand prank that I had planned. But even then, she was smiling and having a good time. As an aside: This is a stressful time for businesses because they need to worry about quarter-end dealings. It's a perfect day to relieve some of that stress and remind ourselves through silliness that we shouldn't take everything so damn seriously all the time.

I mean, comon, what other holiday is there that allows fools to be fools?

Exactly.

None.

Unless you are me.

Being a fool is an everyday kind of a thing.

- PatInTheBirthdayHat