Hey, which crazy thing happening are you guys screaming about?

It's, once again, time for the Austin Chronicle Best of 2009 Music poll. The difference, this year, is that I'd actually like to win something. So, please, for the love of all things good and pure in the world, GO VOTE FOR QUIET COMPANY.

The only categories I really care about are "Band Of The Year" and "Album Of The Year" but I wouldn't say no to some recognition in the best rock and indie categories, as well. Please do this, and encourage your friends to do it too.

Anyone that has followed this blog for any time at all knows that, since I came out as a non-believer earlier this year, my brother and I haven't seen eye to eye, philosophically, very often. However, a few days ago, we talked for over an hour about faith and religion and I can only speak for myself but I found our discussion quite enjoyable. When I "came out," I did so partly because I suppose I had deluded myself into the notion that, though it would surely be difficult initially, it would eventually make my family closer. I like to believe that honesty does that. I don't know if Seth and I will ever agree about anything, (we barely agreed about anything when we were both Christians) but I have hope that our conversations will continue to become more and more enlightening and open for both of us as the years go by.

And still, we're not without common ground. For instance, we both think that people that speak in tongues are liars. And ridiculous sounding liars, at that.

Still, life is more about appreciating differences than finding common ground, of this I am convinced. Several years back, I realized that I liked my life a lot more when I was surrounded by people who were vastly different from me than I did when I was surrounded by people just like me. I used to run with a different crowd. We were all musicians, we were all into the same bands, we all liked the same movies, we even dressed pretty much the same. Eventually, I realized how unfulfilling those relationships tended to be, so because of that and some incessant drama that seemed to plague the clique, Leah and I went in search of a new life. We set off to surround our selves with a different kind of friend, many different kinds of friend. Because of this, I now feel like one of the luckiest people when I think of the company I keep.

I still have musician friends, but even they are people who are vastly different from myself. One of the main reasons I chose Tommy when he auditioned for Quiet Company is because he wasn't at all like any other musician I'd ever played with.

The flip side of this coin is that, obviously, nobody wants to be friends with someone who you can't find any common ground with. Recently, I unfriended a friend on Facebook because it was like being friends with Fox "News." (I really love the guy but I don't need to see 8 status updates a day about how Obama and the liberals hate America.) All I'm saying is that I think its wise to cherish the things you have in common with your friends, but still celebrate the differences too because, at the end of the day, they're probably what makes your friendship interesting.

NOW GO VOTE FOR QUIET COMPANY OR WE'RE NOT FRIENDS ANYMORE!!

Also, this is funny. I hate those billboards and I've always wanted to make one that says "Stop putting words in my mouth - God" but this one is good too.