WTF???

Why on earth is my emailbox suddenly being deluged in Viagra and penis enlargement ads??? I mean, I usually get a batch, but I've gotten 75 just today! And most of it is Base64 encoded to boot, so the anti-spam filters I have don't catch it.

Massively annoying. And it's not like I need either product.

WTF???

Why on earth is my emailbox suddenly being deluged in Viagra and penis enlargement ads??? I mean, I usually get a batch, but I've gotten 75 just today! And most of it is Base64 encoded to boot, so the anti-spam filters I have don't catch it.

Massively annoying. And it's not like I need either product.

Holiday Rant

Okay, I'd like to say this is a rant, this is only a rant.

Beep.

It's mid-November, when the shopping malls are dusting off the Christmas/Hannukah/Whatever decorations that they've had up since just after Labour day, the radio is alive with holiday jingles telling people to buy! buy! buy!, and people who don't show any sign of their faith most of the year suddenly go Uber-Religious on us.

And for those of us who either dislike the holidays, or suffer from seasonal depression, it's the most horrible time of the year.

Now look, I don't have a problem with those of whatever faith who live their lives all year around according to their beliefs and values. And I don't have a problem with those that just want to celebrate the winter. However, this time of the year has become a massively crass consumer orgy, and not a particularly fun one either. And I don't think it's just because I'm a Pagan - I've heard simular complaints from Christians and Jews as well. If there is a religious theme to most of this, it's financial sacrifice to the Great God Mammon.

And doing any shopping - for whatever reason - is like trying to empty a swimming pool with an eyedropper. Not to mention crowds that put a "Who" concert to shame.

Maybe part of my distaste for holiday shopping comes from the fact I worked too many years at Toy stores during the holiday season. And got exposed to the most ill-tempered, annoying, spoiled brats that I could ever imagine. And those were the parents! Many of whom seemed to be trying to tell me I was some sort of abusive psycho that would harm their little Trevor or darling Brittney forever and ever if I don't pull the hot toy du jour for that year out of my ass right that second.

Newsflash - your little kid is *not* going to suffer irredemable harm if they don't get the hot toy of the year, or everything on their "gimme" list. I don't care if the hot toy for that year is "Chicken Molestor Elmo", "Latex Fantasy Barbie", "My Little Pony Dog Food Factory", or any of the hundreds of other things that the Saturday Morning AdvertisementCartoons are trying to sell your child. Because you know what, there's other kids that didn't get "Monster Truck Optimus Prime" or "OB/GYN Barbie", and they're not scarred for life.

I don't mind giving presents, though I usually limit it to close friends and selected family. But that's because I want to, not because I have some tinsel-wrapped monkey on my back screeching "buy! buy!" in my ear. All that this over-hyped promotion does is tick me off more, so that by the time the holiday actually rolls around, "holiday cheer" has been replaced with "holiday sarcasm". Enough already.

Holiday Rant

Okay, I'd like to say this is a rant, this is only a rant.

Beep.

It's mid-November, when the shopping malls are dusting off the Christmas/Hannukah/Whatever decorations that they've had up since just after Labour day, the radio is alive with holiday jingles telling people to buy! buy! buy!, and people who don't show any sign of their faith most of the year suddenly go Uber-Religious on us.

And for those of us who either dislike the holidays, or suffer from seasonal depression, it's the most horrible time of the year.

Now look, I don't have a problem with those of whatever faith who live their lives all year around according to their beliefs and values. And I don't have a problem with those that just want to celebrate the winter. However, this time of the year has become a massively crass consumer orgy, and not a particularly fun one either. And I don't think it's just because I'm a Pagan - I've heard simular complaints from Christians and Jews as well. If there is a religious theme to most of this, it's financial sacrifice to the Great God Mammon.

And doing any shopping - for whatever reason - is like trying to empty a swimming pool with an eyedropper. Not to mention crowds that put a "Who" concert to shame.

Maybe part of my distaste for holiday shopping comes from the fact I worked too many years at Toy stores during the holiday season. And got exposed to the most ill-tempered, annoying, spoiled brats that I could ever imagine. And those were the parents! Many of whom seemed to be trying to tell me I was some sort of abusive psycho that would harm their little Trevor or darling Brittney forever and ever if I don't pull the hot toy du jour for that year out of my ass right that second.

Newsflash - your little kid is *not* going to suffer irredemable harm if they don't get the hot toy of the year, or everything on their "gimme" list. I don't care if the hot toy for that year is "Chicken Molestor Elmo", "Latex Fantasy Barbie", "My Little Pony Dog Food Factory", or any of the hundreds of other things that the Saturday Morning AdvertisementCartoons are trying to sell your child. Because you know what, there's other kids that didn't get "Monster Truck Optimus Prime" or "OB/GYN Barbie", and they're not scarred for life.

I don't mind giving presents, though I usually limit it to close friends and selected family. But that's because I want to, not because I have some tinsel-wrapped monkey on my back screeching "buy! buy!" in my ear. All that this over-hyped promotion does is tick me off more, so that by the time the holiday actually rolls around, "holiday cheer" has been replaced with "holiday sarcasm". Enough already.

In IKEA we trust

In IKEA we trust

Swedes trust IKEA, purveyor of affordable assemble-yourself furniture and Swedish meatballs in 22 countries, more than their own government, politicians, media or trade unions, according to a new poll .

In IKEA we trust

In IKEA we trust

Swedes trust IKEA, purveyor of affordable assemble-yourself furniture and Swedish meatballs in 22 countries, more than their own government, politicians, media or trade unions, according to a new poll .