You know, this is the first holiday season I’ve had in, well, almost ever, where I don’t get huge blocks of time off for Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Years. Last week I had one day off; between Christmas and New Years it looks like I’ll only have one day off for each of them. (Although both of those days fall on Mondays this year, so that’s two three-day weekends in a row.) I really do like my job (although the stress can be more than I was prepared forââ�¬â��more on that another time), but the holidays are just very different when so much of them are spent at work.

Yesterday, in an effort to get a bit more into the holiday spirit, L. and I put up our tree for the first time evar and it’s beautiful. Bright and twinkly and very festive. During that project we turned on the local “all holiday music” radio station and heard what has to be one of the funniest holiday songs I’ve heard in some time. It was sung by what sounded like a very little girl and it was called “The Chimney Song.” You’d have to hear it to truly appreciate it, but the lyrics alone will give you the main idea:

“Persons cannot be punished because of their status,” the judge said. “They cannot be denied their constitutional rights because of their appearance, because they are impoverished, because they are squatters, because they are, in effect, voiceless.” ââ�¡â��

So you’ve heard about “Black Friday”ââ�¬â��it’s today, the busiest shopping day of the year. Some of you maybe got up at 5 a.m. this morning to hit all those super sales. I’ve heard stories of certain malls and shopping centers that opened at midnight this morning and had special sales from midnight to 8 a.m. for those who just couldn’t wait to get started with the shop shop shopping. Didn’t they eat turkey yesterday? I’m wondering. I mean, what about that L-tryptophan didn’t make them want to get a good night’s sleep?

So anyway, while the world goes mad w/its consumerism (and I admit to being a bigger sucker than most when it comes to new gadgets and toys), the little band of rebels known as Adbusters is once again sponsoring its annual quixotic adventure: Buy Nothing Day, the day for us all to protest overconsumption and waste by, well, buying nothing. And why would we do that? Well:

Kalle Lasn, co-founder of the Adbusters Media Foundation, which was responsible for turning Buy Nothing Day into an international annual event, said, ââ�¬Å�Our headlong plunge into ecological collapse requires a profound shift in the way we see things. Driving hybrid cars and limiting industrial emissions is great, but they are band-aid solutions if we donââ�¬â�¢t address the core problem: we have to consume less. This is the message of Buy Nothing Day.ââ�¬Â� As Lasn suggests, Buy Nothing Day isn’t just about changing your habits for one day. Itââ�¬â�¢s about starting a lasting lifestyle commitment to consuming less and producing less waste. With six billion people on the planet, the onus if on the most affluent ââ�¬â�� the upper 20% that consumes 80% of the worldââ�¬â�¢s resources ââ�¬â�� to begin setting the example.

Just think of what a great day you’re going to have w/out worrying about money, lines, picking gifts, etc. Now that’s something to be thankful for!

“Microsoft’s silly mistakes have cost the world roughly $25 billion dollars and resulted in the release of 225 million tons of CO2. Um…Oops?” ââ�¡â��

Fascinating 6 min. video takes you from picking the leaves to the final powdery blow. �

“A police official said narcotics officers were justified in returning fire on a 92-year-old woman they shot to death after she shot them as they tried to serve a warrant at her house.”

“A recent study by the Department of Education found that 31 percent of American students were dropping out or failing to graduate in the nation’s largest 100 public school districts.” ââ�¡â��

“Remember, if you want to defeat the jihadists, donââ�¬â�¢t buy a premium membership on billoreilly.com.” ââ�¡â��

“From a technical standpoint, the phone is pretty much done,” said American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu. “It’s a big endeavor and we believe it’s beyond speculation.” ââ�¡â��

Congratulations to Luminous Void, a friend of mine from GW, and Screaming Bean, a friend from the internets, who both passed the New York Bar Exam! They got the news on Tuesday but I’m just catching up. If you’re also late to the party, don’t hesitate to offer your congratulationsââ�¬â��they’ve both certainly earned it! [tags]friends[/tags]