Christmas songs already...?

   WE DO NOT NEED CHRISTMAS MUSIC TO START PLAYING THE DAY AFTER HALLOWE'EN! IT IS NOT FESTIVE, IT IS ANNOYING AND NOT CONDUCIVE TO GETTING ME IN THE HOLIDAY MOOD! IT IS THE SAME MUSIC, ALMOST PLAYED IN THE SAME ORDER, EVERY YEAR! THE SONGS I WANT TO HEAR, THEY EITHER DON'T PLAY ENOUGH OR NOT AT ALL! 

   I ESPECIALLY DON'T NEED TO HEAR THE SEVENTEENTH VERSION OF 'THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY' PLAYED FOR THE TWELFTH TIME IN FOUR DAYS! VARY THE MUSIC, OR JUST STOP IT!  

 
   PLUS, WE ALSO DON'T NEED MULTIPLE STATIONS FOLLOWING SUIT! ONE IS BAD ENOUGH! DO YOU LISTEN TO IT AFTER DECEMBER 25? NO? WELL, TRADITIONALLY CHRISTMAS STILL EXTENDS INTO JANUARY! THAT'S WHY IT'S THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS! EITHER DO IT 'RIGHT' OR NOT AT ALL!

 *Ahhh* Well, that was fun. Sorry. It had to be said!

A new holiday!

    Well. It seems that we now have a new holiday to celebrate! 

    As of 2023, March 30th will now be known as: I-Day! Or, if you like.....

Last of 2022. Just a quick one.

   My last post of 2022. Well well well. :)

   I know I've been lax - things come up, and time gets short. In fact, I had several ideas I was going to talk about, but they were somewhat 'seasonal' and it's too late now (no one wants to hear about Christmas stuff after it's over. Maybe next year...). However, I *can* talk about...
   Resolutions. As in, New Year's.
  As in, I don't do them.

   Now, I get the whole 'New year/New Slate' thing; people sometimes need a little push to get themselves to do something: get a new job, lose weight, quit smoking, etc. They see the start on the new year as a fresh start - something to get them up and running! To get them energized! To Get Things DONE!!
   Not me.
   For me, I don't need an excuse to start (or end) something around January 1st. If I want to do it, I do it. I don't need a calendar to decide that for me. If the mood strikes me in July, well then, that's good enough. If I have to wait a bit before I can get it started (say, because of weather), then I'll wait until I can do it as soon as possible. You see, I'm a bit of a procrastinator; I need to get motivated to do something as soon as I can, so I can get it finished. Otherwise, who knows how long it's going to take? Plus, if I start something, then stop at a  certain point, it might take me a bit to pick it up again. And when that happens, I feel the need to rush it, which isn't always good. I'm a lot better about things now, though. Maybe because I'm older, and make myself plan my time better. But, sooner started, sooner finished.

  That's one of the reasons why I pass on resolutions. I put stuff off enough without them. Who knows how long I'd put them off with them?
 

Ho Ho NO!

  As I write this, it's early November in 2022. Hallowe'en just ended, midterm elections are coming up, Thanksgiving is in a few weeks, and (no real surprise) Christmas things are a-happening.
   
   Like just about every kid, there was a time when I loved Christmas; time off from school, the lights, snow, and of course, presents! It's great when you're younger. But, as you get older, things change somewhat. Work might let you have some time off (retail, not so much; and with the ability of working from home, you "don't need time off!"), you have to hang the lights yourself (after untangling them, of course), you have to shovel the snow yourself if you can't make or pay anyone to do it, and you have to buy and wrap the gifts. Not as much fun as it was in the past, is it?

   I'm not that into Christmas anymore...I don't hang lights, I don't really shop, and I find that it's just not as 'magical' as it once was. Maybe because I don't have children...or maybe because I once worked in retail, and have seen some things.
   Here's two examples of what I mean:

   In the early '80s, I worked in a local toy store. That in itself wasn't an issue. What was, was that the Cabbage Patch Kids first appeared. It was INSANE! Moms fighting other moms, people hanging around the loading dock to try and get us to "accidentally" drop a doll or two into their car...just unreal. If you've thought Tickle Me Elmo was madness, read this.
   
   The second, isn't so much something I've experienced, but always happens happens every damn year.
   There is a coffee establishment that is known for various specialty coffee drinks. For a while, they would have 'festive holiday cups' with MERRY CHRISTMAS written on the sides. People make it a point to get these things just to show off. "Look at me! I'm FESTIVE!!!" Well, goody for you. I'd have never guessed...what with your Christmas sweater, Christmas leggings, Christmas novelty hat, Christmas light-up necklace, Christmas details on your car, etc. And now, you've got the cup! Congratulations! You've completed the Holiday Voltron!
   And then.....the writing on the cups stopped. They ended up with designs: trees, ornaments, reindeer, snowflakes (much like the Holiday people). But no holiday greetings. Madness! Insanity! How will we know if someone is festive or not? How will someone know that *I* am festive, without the cup?!?! NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
   So, what did they do? Just drink the coffee in the non-festive cup, and be happy they have coffee? Why, no! "Boycott!" "Law suit!" "Protest!" And my favourite? "When you get a drink, tell them your name is 'Merry Christmas'! That way, they'll have to call out 'Merry Christmas'! GENIUS!!!" Morons.
 
   Look, as long as the cup isn't racist, homophobic, or sexist, I don't care what's on the outside. It's on the inside that counts. Much like people. Lead by example during the Holiday season. 'Peace on Earth, good will towards men (or humanity, if you prefer)' shouldn't be just a saying. Live it all year round.

   It's what the cups would want us to do.

The customer is NOT always right

 Years ago, in the early 1980's, I worked in a local toy store. It was the time of the new, smaller-sized G.I. Joes (the same ones you see in stores now), the original MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE and MY LITTLE PONY, the original line of TRANSFORMERS (where Megatron would turn into a GUN, of all things!), plus the start of the influx of the STAR WARS stuff. A glorious toy time, indeed.

  .....Until one day.........

   The Coleco company put out a doll.  A doll still around now, in fact. It was chubby, with yarn-like hair, and came in both boy and girl styles. It was unusual, as it had not only a first and middle name (different for each doll), but also had a 'birth certificate' as well. It was, of course, the Cabbage Patch Doll.
    Now, when these things first came in, they sold okay; people thought that they were quaint, but many didn't want to spend the money on something their kid might tear apart easily. Then, around the holidays, it changed. It seemed (to us working at the store, anyway) that Coleco had ramped up the advertising, and pulled back on production/shipping, to make them somewhat scarce in the stores. That seemed to jump-start the buying frenzy, as now all of a sudden, they were the MUST HAVES!!!! of the season. Women would actually get in to arguments and shoving matches in stores for these abominations. Don't believe me? Search for anything related to Cabbage Patch Kids and Frenzy together and see what you get. trust me, I've been in the Cabbage Patch trenches, and it wasn't pretty.

   So, you may ask, what's with the headline? Simple. Anyone who works/worked in retail will tell you: generally, people suck. Not *YOU*, of course. You're great. I'm referring to the dolts who go to a store and think that the staff is there JUST for THEM, and will serve them accordingly with no regard for anyone else. Who, when things are not going their way, seem to think that it's a great idea to scream, yell, accuse, berate, threaten, or just be generally crappy to staff. In some cases, they even think it's their right to hit people, just because "The customer is always right!" In fact, according to Wikipedia,
' "The customer is always right" is a motto or slogan which exhorts service staff to give a high priority to customer satisfaction. ' It is NOT a law, it's a business maxim. It was a thing businesses followed to get people in their place of business, and not shop the competition: Treat them well, and they'll be loyal to you.
   However, it's evolved into something of a threat: "Give me what I want, or else!" Or else, what? "I'll shop elsewhere! Maybe even online!" Then do it. I know the reason you've gone into a store is to try and get something cheaper than online. Plus, delivery still takes time, so you'd rather cause a scene to get it now than to wait. It's not the staff's fault that you're too stupid to realize that if you're actually *nice* to them, they'll be more willing to help you get your stuff as soon as possible. If they don't have it in stock, it's not their fault; blame the manufacturer or the warehouse for not shipping it, not the store for being out of stock. Trust me, stores WANT things in stock, so that they can sell them. They don't short their shelves just to annoy *you*. You aren't that important. 

  So, be nice to staff, because they're people too. Plus, they have to deal with the Dumb on a daily basis. Give them a break, and they might give you one, too.

'Tis the season....

    Well, it's that time of year again...when people start to feel festive, hang decorations in and on their home, put up a tree, make it a point to go to worship service (for some, the only time of the year that they do), and give presents to each other. Warm and joyous.

   For some, anyway.

   See, I'm a bit of a cynic when it comes to Christmas; have been for a while. Oh, not so much in the caring and loving aspect of it. That, I like. What I don't really 'get along' with, is the rest. The thought that some people only look out for the benefit and welfare of others only at this time of year, and seem to ignore it for the rest of it. Look, I know that charities are especially active at the moment; it's good that they are. People always need help, and I understand that we can't always give to them to help others all year long. What we *can* do, though, is still try to understand what others are going through, and try to be cognizant of the fact that others aren't as well off as some of us are. Yes, I know that not everyone has time or money to continually donate to others in need. But that doesn't mean that we have to wait until the end of the year to do something. Giving can happen at any time during the year, not just now. Helping shouldn't be a chore. It should be an honor - you're helping someone who needs it, and who may help someone else when *they* need it. You never know.