Hard to believe but, yet another year has passed. As I sit here waiting for the ringing in of another year, or the passing on of another, I look back over the past 12 months and while there are several high points, there are just as many lows. More importantly, being the glutton for punishment and masochist that I am, I chose to review my post from a year ago regarding my thoughts on New years Resolutions.
Sadly, and against my own better judgement, I chose to list the things I wanted to change or improve. So instead of creating a new list here of renewed futility, I decided to outline my own epic fail.
* * *
I have never been particularly vain, but here on the other side of forty, I do carry a few extra pounds and I listed this as one of the things I would work on. I buy Lean Cuisine "nuke-n-pukes" and mostly low-fat everything and, still I fight the battle of the bulge.
* * *
After falling backwards into a job I never would have looked for, and subsequently becoming somewhat enamored with it, I have struggled with the politics and childish behavior, the cliques and the micro-management, only to find myself deeper in and far more reluctant to walk away. A year ago, I had resolved to do just that.
* * *
The final thing I mentioned in last year's post, at least in the form of a resolution, was that I have a terrible tendency to procrastinate and I wanted to work on that. I think that this new blog post is its own testament to the epic fail that represents, nevermind the six-month hiatus I took from writing here.
I wish this piece would offer up some sage advice for the coming year but, in truth, it is just another rambling rant. Nevertheless, I wish everyone a Happy New Year. Peace and Prosperity to all.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
A Grinch Un-Scrooged
I like to think of myself as a curmudgeon1. Most people have different names for me. Most are not particularly flattering and if I had feelings or cared what anyone else thought, I might be upset. Luckily, I sleep soundly, never giving it or them a second thought.
I remember I used to love Christmas... as a child, as a teenager, even as a young adult raising two kids. Somewhere along the way, the magic died, the stress, the financial burden, the greed and commercialization all took over and a Grinch was born - or hatched. As the kids got older, and particularly after they left home and I transitioned into a single, forty-ish bachelor living alone, I became less enamored and more jaded.
This year has seemed especially hard for many reasons. The weather has been warm. I haven't had much money (big club, I know), I didn't see much chance of my getting back to my hometown and family for the holidays and aside from being a world-class procrastinator, I was working constantly and didn't do any Christmas shopping until last minute. This might have been cyclical... I wasn't in the "spirit" and so I didn't want to shop and not having any Christmas presents (or decorations) didn't help me with getting the "spirit". With a little luck and a strange twist of fate or two (or some might say a big ol' Christmas miracle, LOL) I was able to make it home for the holidays and even did all my shopping on Christmas Eve Eve and Christmas Eve proper. (I can hear you calling me a slacker.)
My point is (yes, I did have one) that I spent the last few hours with my mom and sister and my sister's 4 kids (3 under 12) and friends and family. Family is important and makes a big difference but let's face it, kids are where the magic comes from in Christmas. My sister has the greatest kids (please don't tell them) and being around youth and innocence, the joy and enthusiasm is contagious. If only we could bottle that feeling, I am confident that the makers of Prozac®, Seroquel®, Xanax® and similar drugs would be out of business... or at least that type of business.
I am still a grumpy old curmudgeon but for this holiday at least, I finally found a little Christmas Spirit. Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight.
---------------------------------
1 What is a Curmudgeon anyway? See a brilliant explanation here.
--
I remember I used to love Christmas... as a child, as a teenager, even as a young adult raising two kids. Somewhere along the way, the magic died, the stress, the financial burden, the greed and commercialization all took over and a Grinch was born - or hatched. As the kids got older, and particularly after they left home and I transitioned into a single, forty-ish bachelor living alone, I became less enamored and more jaded.
This year has seemed especially hard for many reasons. The weather has been warm. I haven't had much money (big club, I know), I didn't see much chance of my getting back to my hometown and family for the holidays and aside from being a world-class procrastinator, I was working constantly and didn't do any Christmas shopping until last minute. This might have been cyclical... I wasn't in the "spirit" and so I didn't want to shop and not having any Christmas presents (or decorations) didn't help me with getting the "spirit". With a little luck and a strange twist of fate or two (or some might say a big ol' Christmas miracle, LOL) I was able to make it home for the holidays and even did all my shopping on Christmas Eve Eve and Christmas Eve proper. (I can hear you calling me a slacker.)
My point is (yes, I did have one) that I spent the last few hours with my mom and sister and my sister's 4 kids (3 under 12) and friends and family. Family is important and makes a big difference but let's face it, kids are where the magic comes from in Christmas. My sister has the greatest kids (please don't tell them) and being around youth and innocence, the joy and enthusiasm is contagious. If only we could bottle that feeling, I am confident that the makers of Prozac®, Seroquel®, Xanax® and similar drugs would be out of business... or at least that type of business.
I am still a grumpy old curmudgeon but for this holiday at least, I finally found a little Christmas Spirit. Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight.
---------------------------------
1 What is a Curmudgeon anyway? See a brilliant explanation here.
--
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Free Shipping with delivery by Christmas Eve
Where can I get THAT, you ask...
Over 700 online merchants are participating in the second annual Free Shipping Day from www.freeshippingday.com.
In 2007, Luke Knowles of FreeShipping.org noticed that after about Dec. 10th, Internet shopping all but came to a halt. Many people are afraid that their orders won't make it on time or they'll have to pay exorbitant shipping to get it. An idea was born and in the Summer of 2008, preparations began for the first ever Free Shipping Day. When freeshippingday.com launched, it was expected to have 25 participating merchants. By the time Free Shipping Day came on Dec. 18th 2008, there were over 250. The site drew a quarter of a million hits over a 10 day period including over 100,000 hits on the actual day.
It was such a huge success that Knowles started immediately planning and preparing for this year's event. The goal this year was a lofty 500 merchants. That mark was left in the dust about a week ago and as I write this now I just changed the second line above from 'Nearly 700' to 'Over 700'. If you visit the site you'll also notice that in the top right corner there is a "retweet" button that allows Twitter members to 'tweet' about the event. At last glance, it was showing nearly 500 'retweets'.
The countdown is on for what is sure to be a huge success. If you are like me, a super procrastinator who hasn't done the first bit of Christmas shopping yet, this is definitely the site to start with.
This is not just a small site with a bunch of little mom & pop operations hoping to get noticed. You'll find names like Nike, Kmart, Sears, Fanny May, Godiva, New Balance, Anne Klein, American Eagle Outfitters, Aeropostle, JC Penney, and hundreds more.
Go check it out now and tell 'em I sent ya.
Over 700 online merchants are participating in the second annual Free Shipping Day from www.freeshippingday.com.
In 2007, Luke Knowles of FreeShipping.org noticed that after about Dec. 10th, Internet shopping all but came to a halt. Many people are afraid that their orders won't make it on time or they'll have to pay exorbitant shipping to get it. An idea was born and in the Summer of 2008, preparations began for the first ever Free Shipping Day. When freeshippingday.com launched, it was expected to have 25 participating merchants. By the time Free Shipping Day came on Dec. 18th 2008, there were over 250. The site drew a quarter of a million hits over a 10 day period including over 100,000 hits on the actual day.
It was such a huge success that Knowles started immediately planning and preparing for this year's event. The goal this year was a lofty 500 merchants. That mark was left in the dust about a week ago and as I write this now I just changed the second line above from 'Nearly 700' to 'Over 700'. If you visit the site you'll also notice that in the top right corner there is a "retweet" button that allows Twitter members to 'tweet' about the event. At last glance, it was showing nearly 500 'retweets'.
The countdown is on for what is sure to be a huge success. If you are like me, a super procrastinator who hasn't done the first bit of Christmas shopping yet, this is definitely the site to start with.
This is not just a small site with a bunch of little mom & pop operations hoping to get noticed. You'll find names like Nike, Kmart, Sears, Fanny May, Godiva, New Balance, Anne Klein, American Eagle Outfitters, Aeropostle, JC Penney, and hundreds more.
Go check it out now and tell 'em I sent ya.
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