OK, you want serious?

I'll give you serious. How about cancer?

I got an e-mail earlier this week from a friend, asking me to sponsor her participation in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. Unfortunately, the invitation arrived the same day we got confirmation of what we already knew, that my wife's grandmother has cancer.

Enough already. My dad had cancer three different times before it finally killed him. I lost a cousin to a brain tumor. Another cousin has had multiple skin cancers. A childhood friend survived Hodgkin's Disease, and his wife is battling breast cancer. I have lost friends to prostate cancer, and had others survive it. I could go on (unfortunately), but I think you get the point: I'm sick of it.

I'm tired of wearing a yellow wristband in memory of my dad, who, like Lance Armstrong, survived testicular cancer. I'm tired of trying to figure out what all the colored wristbands, ribbons, and whatnot are for. And yes, I'm tired of all the fundraisers. But I still support all the friends and organizations who are taking care of those affected by cancer, trying to find cures, and so on. And trying to persuade the government that instead of wasting billions of dollars pretending to fight terrorism, they ought to spend more on real solutions to real problems.

I hope you'll help, too, however you can.

Sorry about the rant. But that's what blogs are for, right?