black friday: the good & bad

This is the weirdest Thanksgiving I've had in a long time. We'll start with the day-after-Thanksgiving-holiday: Black Friday.

I don't usually venture out shopping on Black Friday. The two main reasons for this are:

1. I hate that a family & friend-oriented holiday of thanksgiving* is interrupted so we can go be the good little American consumers. Sure you can get great sales, but I feel like I'd be selling my soul for that $20 savings. And my soul is worth at least $99.95.

2. I really get annoyed by large crowds of shoppers. Even when they are all acting completely normal it freaks me out a little. (Although I will, inevitably, be out a day or two before Christmas still looking for that perfect gift for someone).

Good
Today I did go shopping with my mom & sister, though. Every year my mom has 'adopted' a family, either through work or some other community thing, to give Christmas to - you know, where you anonymously buy a bunch of stuff that a less fortunate family needs (and, if you're my family, a bunch of stuff that you think they deserve just because Christmas is important, especially to kids).**

This year she decided to 'adopt' a military unit through Any Soldier. Except she's adopting them for an entire year, because she decided she should give back all year long. So we went to a dollar store (that had the best dollar store stuff I've ever seen) where she spent $146 for these 17 soldiers. The two girls in the unit got some girly stuff, even. So I didn't mind being out shopping on Black Friday for that kind of cause. Even though I'm against the war, I understand that the soldiers don't really get a choice in it and appreciate all they do. And my mom can hardly wait to get a couple letters back telling her exactly what they want and can use so she can send them their next packages.

Other news in the good category: I also got to see a couple friends from way back in high school who I haven't seen in over 5 years. I should be seeing some other friends from that group around Christmas. I got all of their new info and hopefully we'll stay in touch a little better over the next 5+ years.***

bad
My PawPaw (that's my maternal grandpa) died today. He's had alzheimers for several years, and been in a lot of pain the past couple of years. I hadn't seen him since summer of 2005 (they live in another state). My mom has been visiting several times a year. And of course my Granny lives nearby and visited all the time. My mom & Granny know that he's way better off; he's finally not in so much pain that morphine isn't doing anything to help, but neither one is doing too well with the news. (And Granny's birthday is Monday- ugh). Luckily my grandparents took care of their funeral arrangements several years ago, it's paid for, and the home my PawPaw was in will help finalize stuff, so Granny doesn't have to deal with all of that. I've been at peace with the fact he'd be dying 'any day now' for over a year, although I still wish I could have seen him one more time. I'll probably be traveling the middle of next week for the funeral & related stuff.

Also in the bad category: My aunt's father-in-law died on Thanksgiving day. This aunt would be my mom's sister - so that means her father-in-law died on Thursday, and her father died on Friday. Can you say Worst Thanksgiving Ever for her entire family?

*Dear Native Americans: As a white person, I have to say that I'm sorry white people suck so much. That first Thanksgiving was thanks to your kindness, generosity, and knowledge of survival in the Americas. I don't know when or why we decided that we couldn't just coexist and instead returned the favor by destroying so many of your people.

**My mom is so totally awesome for always participating and including us in these small acts. No matter how badly off she was, she has always found a way to give to others. There have been many holidays where she's apologized for cutting back on our gifts (which are still a-plenty) because she went "overboard" on the other family that year. I think this year I might get some friends together and do something like this, too. It not only taught us that it's important to help others, but that other people are valuable and worth something, even if they are at a bad point in ther life.

***Dear Friends from High School: It totally freaks me out that you are having kids.

whining (for a long time) about career decisions

I've been contemplating changing my career path for several months. About 2 weeks ago I decided to just get with it and start applying to stuff like crazy - like I need a job instead of just when the mood strikes (which I've always done on and off).

This is partially prompted, I'm sure, by the fact I turn 30 in less than 4 months. It's partially just my boredom. It's partially the fact I need to be more creative and get to use my brain more in my daily life. It's partially because I'm in a mood to really take charge of life and make life as awesome as it seemed when I was 17. It's partially because the only career I could ever picture myself in was as a performing musician - and what it comes down to is that is really it for me.

Sure, I'm playing in a band and maybe have another one in the works. But that's the one thing I'm supposed to be doing. I think I can live with just doing it "for fun" if I could just have a job that didn't drain me of energy for stupid reasons and let me stretch my skills.

I've been with my current company for a little more than seven years. And while I've moved up and taken on more responsibilities, I still spend a good portion of my day doing the same stuff I did on day one. Since I get bored easily, this means I'm pretty bored with my job.

There's one position I will probably never hear from, because they are one of those companies that are impossible to get into, but I'd love, love, love the job. It's basically editing educational materials.

There's another that I'm sort of into, internal communications stuff. And a few others that are combinations of internal communications, training, and writing training materials.

Then yesterday I found out I (and several of my cohorts) are accepted to go to a training program through my company. And today I find out that I have until tomorrow end-of-business-day to apply for a promotion. And while some of the promotion would be new stuff, and it would pay just a fraction more, I'd still be doing a lot of the stuff I did on my first day.

So I'm going to apply for the internal thing, but keep applying to other stuff that sounds more like what I might want as a career.

I hope I get something new and fun out of this. I really do want that "life is awesome and the future is here and now but there's so much more ahead of me and it's going to toally rock" (TM) feeling back.

dear democrats...

Dear Democrats, especially here in Ohio...

Congratulations on all of your big victories this week. It isn't hard to run on a platform of change right now. But it's going to be damn hard to execute. Especially since your party hasn't done much the past 5 or 6 years.

I'm a completely independent voter. I vote for the politician who has policies I agree with. Or for whomever will make my life suck less. You managed to get more Democrats and non-partisan voters out to the polls. You probably even managed to get a few Republicans to vote for you this time around. But when if you don't come through, they'll be pissed. Not to mention the fact that we need change. NOW.

So enjoy the success for a day or two, but then get to work.

Otherwise you'll find yourselves out of jobs again in two more years.

Sincerely, hugs-n-kisses,

Silver Turtle

smoking bans

So there are a couple issues up on our ballot this Tuesday involving Smoking Bans. Not once, but twice, our county passed Smoking Bans in all establishments, including restaurants and bars.

The bar owners claim this has ruined business, because smokers won't come out if they can't smoke, and smokers are the bulk of their business.

I'm not a smoker, and I go to bars. Especially to see bands. If there's smoke, which there often is because so many people flaunt the smoking bans, I refuse to spend any money on drinks and usually leave quickly. And I'm pissed that I paid a cover to be annoyed by the smoke. I've actually considered demanding my cover back because the bar is breaking the law and it's forcing me to leave, but I'm just not that big of a bitch.

People aren't spending as much time and money at bars because the country, and especially this state, are in recession. People are spending more on taxes and healthcare and general living expenses, so they have less money to throw away on a few drinks at the bar. Sure, some of the smokers are staying home where they can smoke, but why are they more important than us non-smokers? (Especially us German/Irish non-smokers who can drink all night if we're not choking on smoke?)

But what really amazes me in all of the discussions about smoking bans is how everyone is oblivious to the health hazard it creates for the staff of said bars. I know - most people who work in bars smoke. This is only true at some bars. And most does not = all. Why is it legal for you to smoke around your waitress, barback, and bartender at their place of business? Does anyone come into your office and blow smoke around - all day, every day? Seriously, as someone who used to work in these environments, as a non-smoker, it sucked. If some day I develop a second-hand-smoke-related-ailment, should the employer who allowed smoking have to pay for all the related healthcare costs? People that work in bars are not "below" anyone else, and deserve the same rights as everyone else in their workplace.

And seriously, why are you still smoking? It's only cool when you're 13.