BLACK FRIDAY

Can anyone guess why this day is so named?

Why is it that this one day not only gives business owners shivers of fear mingled with shivers of anticipation?

What's so special about THIS Friday compared with all of the rest?

I've got the info, and I'll share.

Let's see..

First off, for most businesses, Black Friday means that they'll do anywhere from 10-25% of their total sales FOR THE YEAR on this ONE day.

Yup. Nearly a full quarter of their sales will be done on this day.

But I don't think that's the reason it got the name.

I personally feel that it got the name because of something more sinister.

Let's explore this, shall we?

First off, it comes in the middle of a holiday series that is supposed to be full of thanks, love, cheer, family, and basically Peace on Earth.

However, it generates ANYTHING but those feelings.

I mean, we've all heard the horror stories about grown people fighting over the last toy on the shelf at a store. We've heard about the looting that's gone on at a store that didn't quite open at the time it advertised.

If anything, Black Friday represents everything that ISN'T about the holiday spirit.

It's for the selfish, the obsessive, the rude, and material.

I often wonder how much better we'd be if we were to FORCE businesses to stay closed for an extended weekend, instead of opening their doors for mass mayhem the day after we are supposed to be giving thanks for everything that we hold dear.

To put the icing on the cake, I've found that some stores are now fostering an even new depth to the buying frenzy depravity:

They're opening on Thanksgiving, and staying open all night. That way, when the magical hour approaches the next day, you can already have your cart(s) loaded, and ready to check out.

Yup.

You read it right.

So, not only do we cut our day of giving thanks short, but we're now staying open so that folks can jostle, argue, and basically fight for their buying deals well in advance!

Is this a great country or what?

I'm going to try to see if I can't open myself up a gun store. I'm going to put everything on sale, and stay open the entire week of Thanksgiving. If the amount of shooting crimes increases because of my sales, well, I'm just the clerk. I don't tell the folks what to do with their guns once they leave my store, now do I?

But it might cull the selfish crowd down a bit.

You've always got to look for the silver lining!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.

Personally, I'm going to try to survive this day, and look back and wonder what else we can do to shorten Thanksgiving next year.

Happy Holidays!!

*sniffle*

Ugh.

I'm sick.

Not just mentally.. That's normal, and I can deal with that.

Nope. I'm sick. Head hurts, I'm running a really low-grade temp, stomach feels like it's in knots, and I just don't want to do anything but curl up in a ball, and sleep.

However, I dragged my happy ass out of bed, got dressed, and came to work.

Because isn't that what responsible people do?

You know what?

Fuck responsibility.

If I can't take care of myself, and be healthy while working, I'm going to eventually burn myself out. If I'm burnt out, how exactly am I going to work? If I can't work, how can I provide for my family?

Yeah.

But I'll stick out today. I mean, I'm already here, it's not like I've got a choice.

However, if I start puking, you can bet your ass I'm going to be back in my car and headed home.

Wish me luck.. I'm gonna need it.

Things that tend to tickle my funny bone:

You know, I guess being in my kind of work has really jaded me and my sense of humor.

Anymore, I get more chuckles from Failblog, or YouTube stunts with idiots who DON'T get away with the stupidness of their actions than from a decent joke.

Yet, I'm still strangely attracted to slaptick comedy as well.

Who's Line is it Anyway? Is a GREAT show, and I really REALLY wish there were more episodes of that one to watch.

Monty Python is another that I can't get away from. Classic comedy, in-your-face humor, and farcical situations all make for superb comedy.

Then there's the perverse side of me that enjoys watching roasts, and how many folks can find humor in belittling someone because of a major point of achievement in their life.

Still, I have begun wondering about comedy.

I mean, some of the funniest comics tend to poke fun not only at themselves, but at others. Ethnic groups, income levels, breeding, religions, gender.. Nothing's sacred there.

Now, I can deal with a comic making fun of themselves. After all, it's THEM. They can choose what they want to belittle and put down about themselves.

What I've got a problem with are the ones who have to point out the flaws and faults of others to get laughs. Who really finds these funny?

I mean, if I thought that was humor, I'd be bursting out laughing each time one of my kids got into an argument with the other over something, and started calling each other names, pointing out their bad habits, and their grooming standards or their ability to dress themselves.

Yet, people will actually pay serious money just to go see something EXACTLY like this.

Next time you're tempted? Give me a call.

I'll charge you extra to come over and listen to my kids chew each other out.

Heck, I might even offer you something to drink. If you're willing to pay for that, too!

Enjoy your weekend, and while you're at it, enjoy this little ditty I found on YouTube:

ARRRGH!

I'm livid.

Pissed off.

Heated.

Add any adjective for angry as all hell here.

Why? You might ask?

Because I've got some lazy-assed managers who think that when my manager goes on vacation, they can come out of the woodwork, and use and abuse me to take care of their petty problems.

Case in point:

We've got some managers who have to drift from one desk to another during the week. Because of this, I have a special program I have to give each "travelling" manager so that they can have access to their email. However, this program doesn't give them access to the network site we have for some automatically generated reports and such that managers need for their End of Day reports.

Well, I've got a manager who is now telling me (once my manager left for vacation) that she needs me to install access for one of my "travelling" managers for emails at her location.

Why?

Because she doesn't like that she has to take an extra 10 minutes out of her day to print out the End of Day reports, when she could pawn it off on the "travelling" manager, and give her some extra time to BS and sip tea with other management staff.

Seriously?

And here I thought _I_ was the lazy buttwipe.

Not only that, but once I called her on it, she proceeded to try to rub it in my face that _She's_ the one with the authority, and _I'm_ just the peon to do exactly what she tells me to do.

Um, if there's anything that gets my anger up faster, it's someone telling me how to do my job when they know that I'll get my butt handed to me when it comes out that I've bent or broken a company rule.

This is one of those times.

So I did what any sneaky under-handed vengeful bastard in my position would do.

I copied all of the nasty emails, and forwarded them to my corporate advisors.

These are the folks who set policy for our company, and are the ones who informed me of how I was supposed to handle this situation a couple of months back, before my manager went on vacation. In it, they gave me specific instructions, and then told me to NOT deviate from this plan.

So, since the goddess decided to dictate her terms to me, I forwarded them on to others who would be interested in her actions.

I'm not sure what the end result is going to be, but I know for a fact that CYA is going to apply to me for a couple of years at least..

Or maybe only as long as this queen "b" manager lasts..

Time will tell.

Now, I'l going to head over and make some noise like I'm getting stuff done, but really just blow smoke up her butt until I get an answer from my advisors.

You all have a good day.

If you see a news entry about an IT guy who went postal on some management in the workplace.. That'll be me!

Who do you turn to??

This last weekend, I dealt with something that I really don't like having to witness, let alone take care of.

My sister-in-law is going through a divorce, and it's getting ugly.

Add to that her need to find a new guy in her life, and things get even more screwed up.

Then you mix in some alcohol, and it just becomes madness on wheels.

She's been through more boyfriends in the last year than I can honestly keep track of.

Plus, aside from the guys she's seeing, there are the boy-toys that she's juggling on the side, and you never know when the mood is going to strike for her to dump the one she's been "devoted" to for a while, and pick something new.

Kind of like girls, clothes, and shoes.

So, this week her boyfriend flew into town all the way from Chicago.

He's a nice guy. I acutally like him. He's a comedian, and he and a couple other comedian buddies were going to do a comedy show at a local restaurant this weekend. We planned on having dinner, then watching the show, then sticking around for some dancing (a DJ was going to be on after the comedy troupe), then head home and crash.

The dinner was great. Good food, funny folks, camaraderie.

The comedy show was priceless. The guys were all funny, and the crowd was HUGE. Very good time.

The time after the show? Not so great.

Sis-in-Law drinks. And when she drinks, she gets stupid drunk. Not just a little drunk, STUPID drunk.

That happened this weekend.

She got plastered. Then she proceeded to make a total scene with various others present, including her boyfriend. I honestly felt really sorry for the guy.

She was dancing and grinding with anyone and everyone on the dance floor. Girls, guys, it didn't matter. However, if her boyfriend would've done that, she'd have yelled her butt off at his actions. Heck, she did at one point, because he said hello to a girl he hadn't seen in 20 years.

Now, granted, this girl had also asked him over for dinner, and didn't want the SIL to come with.. But that's another story!

Anyway, things were getting out of hand, and were still proceeding downhill quickly.

As I talked with the boyfriend, he actually confided in me that the way my SIL was acting reminded him of his most recent ex, and the way she used to act. It was REALLY giving him bad vibes, and we wondered what kind of mistake he'd made.

That cut it for me.

Now, I normally could care less about what my SIL does with herself. She's a grown adult, and she has to deal with the consequences of her actions.

However, when those said actions start to hurt others, they need to be stopped.

So, I had my wife try to corral her sister, and I got everyone moved out of the club, and into cars.

SIL then proceeded to be drunk, and call around demanding to know why everyone was trying to kill her fun. She then demanded to go out and eat. (like I was going to deal with her drunk butt in a public restaurant!), and demanded that we take her to her boyfriend's hotel room.

I declined to do all of these things. I did drop by a drive through, and get her some food. However, I didn't let her out of the car, I took her straight home, and then I left her to her own devices.

I'm not one who will deal with sloppy drunk folks. I don't have the patience for it, and I really don't have the temperment to be condescending and responsive to someone who thinks that it's funny or cute.

Because of this, I'm sure that I was a complete and arrogant asshole to her the rest of that night.

I'm not going to apologize.

I honestly feel that she needs help.

She needs counselling for her emotional state at her divorce, and the things that happened to her in the events prior to and leading up to her separation from her ex.

She needs help with her alcohol.

There has never been more booze in my home than since she moved in with us. There's been booze before, but my wife and I don't really drink much, and when we do, it's usually my wife that gets tipsy, not me. Yes, I'm a prude and a party-killer, deal with it.

I also think she needs to come to terms with herself and her self-worth before she really starts looking for another relationship, but again, she's a grown adult.

I can say all of these things, but it doesn't change the fact that it's HER. HER choice. HER actions. HER decision. HER life.

Yes, it really kind of kills me to see how badly she's tearing apart what she has. But until she's hit bottom, and really has no place else left to go, I don't think it's really going to change.

It's sad, but unfortunately that doesn't make it any less true.

I just hope I don't have to see it, and that maybe she'll wake up and realize that she needs some help, and that she needs to seriously change.

We'll see.

Yet more ranting and raving...

Yes, I'm on the bitch and moan express today. If you don't wanna listen, you can jump ship, and I won't really feel that badly.

Traffic has gotten worse this past month. This nifty stuff called "rain" has started falling, and folks living around this area seem to have forgotten what it looks like, and how to drive in it. Because of this, there have been TONS of accidents, and that in turn slows EVERYTHING down traffic-wise.

Not that I really mind, since the slowdown in traffic gets posted on the internet website that my boss watches, so that if I'm late getting to work, I've got the perfect excuse, and he just smiles, nods, and waves me on by.

That, and I get to listen to my CD a bit longer, and wake up a bit more before getting to work. I love music. 80's tunes, 90's rock and alternative. 60's and 70's classic rock.. It's all good!

Some of my favorite artists are:

Stone Temple Pilots, Cream, Deep Purple, Blue Oyster Cult, Metallica, Van Halen, Soundgarden, Godsmack, Judas Priest, Def Leppard, Ozzy (and Black Sabbath), Slaughter, Nine Inch Nails, Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, Incubus, Poison, U2 and Red-Hot Chili Peppers.

Just to name a few.

I actually made a few MP3 disks with a compilation of various songs, and wound up with three disks. Each disk has 150 songs on it, and there are no duplicate songs on any of the disks. I'm sure I could've come up with more, but I really don't have time to listen to all of one disk, much less all three!

Eventually I hear the enture disk in about two weeks time. Then I change out to the next disk, and rock out for a while longer. By the time the third disk is done, I can rinse and repeat, since my memory's so bad that I've forgotten what songs were on the first disk to begin with!

Heck, at the rate I'm going, pretty soon I'll be able to hide my own Easter eggs, and wrap my own Christmas gifts!

Watch out Adult Foster home! I'm on the path, and just waiting for an excuse to enter one!

Veteran's Day!

Ok. I don't get it.

What exactly is the deal with all of these holidays??

First off, we've got Memorial Day.

Apparently this is the day that we remember those who are dead. However, it becomes a day when we recall the great sacrifices that servicemen gave while on duty to our country.

Then you have Veteran's Day. This is a day to commemorate those who are and have served our country to keep it safe and secure.

Yet even this holiday leads folks to think about other loved ones who have passed on.

So in my mind, these two holidays seem quite interchangable. Is it just me, or does anyone else have a problem keeping these two straight?

On a more serious note, I'd like to remember a man I know who served:

My grandfather was a young (15) man when World War II broke out. Not wanting to be left out of a life-changing event, he was helped by his father to claim that we was 18, and enlisted in the war effort. After a short three weeks in Basic Training, he was then assigned a "posh" posting on one of the most powerful posts in the military at that point in time: The USS Arizona.

Little did anyone know how close to death this man would come. A few short months later, he was one of the survivors of the biggest sneak-attack that our country has ever known: Pearl Harbor.

Being a deck hand, when the attack hit, one of the first bombs hit, throwing him clear of the railing, and into the waters of the Harbor. This single action actually saved his life, and only left him with minor shrapnel injuries.

Two months after the attack, he was reassigned to the USS Missouri, and from there was able to witness the end of the conflict with Japan.

He was able to have a VERY unique position during the war. Yes, he never saw action in Europe, but he was there to witness the start and the end of the conflict with Japan. I actually find it quite amazing that someone could have the astronomical odds to be stationed on two battleships that live in such fame. The Arizona, which is now a memorial for those who were killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the Missouri where the formal signatures were signed for the cease-fire agreement between the US and Japan at the end of the war.

This man was my hero, and even though he's gone now, he is still a man I'd love to be able to emulate.

I miss you grandpa, and I can't wait until the day that I'll be able to see you again, and laugh like old times.

Happy Veteran's Day to you all!

Piss and Moan

I don't know about you, but there are days where I really don't look forward to poking my feet out from under the covers.

Today was one such day.

I'm not really feeling well. My sinuses are draining, which is in turn causing my stomach to turn in knots, it's also making me gag a bit. My head's a bit stuffy, and I'm just not really feeling "all there" today, if you know what I mean.

Then, to top this all off, I get to drive to work on the freeway in the rain.

Yeah, yeah. I chose to live in the Pacific Northwest, so I get to deal with the rain. Bite me.

However, there was something that happened on the way to work that really kind of brightened my day.

Have you ever had a song that really started your day out right?

I did today.

I'm an 80's kid. I grew up listening to the stuff that is now considered "classic rock".

Yup. I'm old.

But the song that came on just seemed to bring an extra added shot in the arm that I needed to get my day going right.

What song, do you ask?

St. Elmo's Fire by John Carr.

I don't know why. It just did.

Do you have songs that kick-start your day, or give you an extra jolt when you need it?

See you all later. I'm going to listen to my retro tracks some more.

The Holiday that we tend to forget..

Some of you might have noticed that Thanksgiving is now starting to become a bit forgotten.

We have Halloween, force-feed kids TONS of sugar, and have great spooky decorations and haunted houses. Then immediately take down all of those decorations to put up CHRISTMAS lights, run ads for toys and gifts, and basically start playing Christmas carols.

Are we forgetting something??

Thanksgiving is what I would consider one of our more fundamental holidays to celebrate.

Thanksgiving celebrates the founding of this great nation that I live in. It describes the thanks that the early settlers felt in being able to leave an oppressive regime and practice their religion and beliefs without fear of some kind of radical persecution.

Yet now this day is basically a footnote in the grand scheme of things.

We have Halloween. Day of the dead. Spooky movies, creepy costumes, candy, wander around and scare folks.

Then we've got Christmas. Giving presents. Gifts. Candles. Snow. Lights. Icicles. Christmas Carols. Peace on Earth mentality.

Yeah. They're both POWERHOUSE celebrations.

But Thanksgiving is also just as important in my opinion.

On Thanksgiving, my family tends to get reacquainted with each other. Those who have been busy with work or school still find time to get back with the family and update us all with things that have been going on in their lives. We become thankful for the variety of blessings and chances we've been given.

To be honest, my family tends to celebrate life during Thanksgiving. To me, that's what Thanksgiving is all about. The joy of life, it's trials, tribulations, gifts and blessings.

I mean, we remember those who were with us, but no longer able to attend. We reconnect with family who might live far away. We rejoice in the new life that has joined the family; New husband or wife, maybe a new baby. Whatever the reason, there's an overwhelming sense of joy and a vitality in the gathering.

So why does this holiday tend to get overlooked?

Is it because it's so sandwiched in between some seriously commercial holidays?

Is it because we as a country have become more concerned about gaining that extra chance to push more retail out of our department stores?

I'm not really sure.

My biggest concern will come with the advent of someone starting to disregard Halloween for Christmas.

When they start skimping on the Halloween decorations to start running christmas ads, and then decorate for Christmas near the end of September when most people are gearing up for the Day of the Dead.. Then I'll really start to worry about our commercially-driven society.

Until then, I'll happily celebrate this holiday with my family.

I'll rejoice in the new lives started, the older lives lost, and the gift of life that I've been given with the people that I love and care for.

I hope you all have a great holiday season. Don't forget to be thankful for all that you've been given an opportunity to experience!

Calling all cars, calling all cars..

I've lost my mind.

I mean, I had to have, right?

I come to work, I enjoy my job, and I keep coming back!

That's got to mean something's not right in Denmark, doesn't it?

Yesterday I came in VOLUNTARILY on my day off to wait for a phone call, and then email off the gist of the call.

The call? "The computer isn't done today, will probably be looked at tomorrow, and replaced on Wednesday."

You're telling me that I came in just to say that, when that's the EXACT words I used before I left work on Friday??

PUH-LEEZE.

I seriously need to re-think my situation, and re-vamp my priorities.

On another note:

Has anyone noticed that Halloween has gotten even more lame each and every year?

It used to be a BIG deal when I was younger. We had parties at school, watched cartoon Halloween flicks, had apple dunking, treats galore, and a grand old time.

Then we'd go home, put on even more costumes, grab a HUGE bag and flashlight, and wander the neighborhood streets for HOURS to eek out each and every last bit of candy that could be had.

Then we'd go home, pour out the bags, and drool and exclaim in wonder and awe of the massive amounts of sugar that were before our eyes. (You could always tell who the party-poopers were because you'd get an apple or popcorn ball in your bags of goodness!)

Now?

Not so much.

You can't have a Halloween party anymore. Call it a "Harvest Festival".

No more animated Halloween films or cartoons. Just a short play on the origins of the harvest please.

Sugar? It's bad. How about a Granola bar? Or a nice apple?

Costumes? They're getting sluttier. I mean, I saw one that was for a 6 year old, and I would be kind of worried if my wife wore it in public, much less our bedroom!

Not only that, but I heard that one of the Cyrus girls (the 9 year old one) wore a Dominatrix costume!

Excuse me?

Slutty, your party of two million is ready in Hollywood!

Then there's the Trick-or-Treating..

No longer do they go out with flashlights and excited faces.

No, now it's more of a wander around the mall, meet folks who could care less that you're there, get some candy, maybe a promotional pen or notepad, and head home and dig through the crap to try to find a piece of candy or two.

What's happened?

Yes, I realize that crime is on the rise, and this could account for the drop in nighttime wandering.

However, if we as parents were willing to wander with the younger kids, I'm sure that there'd be at least a minor change in the excitement part.

I also have to wonder at folks who can critique, but not do.

For example:

A friend of mine LOVES to decorate their house. Halloween is the time of year when they're able to go wild, and get spooky and creepy themes together, and freak out the neighborhood.

This year, he went with the lone cemetary, and had headstones and creepy fencing, fog, lights, the whole nine yards.

One group of trick or treaters came to his door, and the two moms took him to task.

"That's too scary. My kids aren't going to like that one" One said while the child in question grabbed a handful of candy from the bowl of goodies offered to him.

Then, she came up with this gem:

"You haven't done as much as you usually do. Are you sick? It's not quite as scary as you usually make it. I'm kind of disappointed."

OK..

Maybe she's just gotten away from the mental hospital or something, but I still don't get how someone can criticize you for decorating, then complain that the decorations that you've done just aren't up to your usual standards!

Let's leave out the fact that this person in question also doesn't decorate their house AT ALL.

Hipocracy, thy name is Apathy.

Maybe as I'm getting older, I'm just getting a bit more cynical about holidays, and what they're used for.

Now, I see them as a reason to meet family, impose upon them for things you normally wouldn't ask for on any other day, and then get offended if your request isn't granted.

What is this?

Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas have become the new "3 wishes" for each year??

I hope that at some point, we actually get back to involving the kids in the holidays, and quit commercializing this towards the adults.

Make this something for the kids to look forward to.

Costumes.

Parties.

Candy.

Fun.

oh.. did I mention..

FUN!

I'll talk and rant more next time.