It's the most.. wonderful time of the year

This past Friday was the official start of the holidays for me. Too bad we have already been experiencing the ads, the displays and in some places, the songs for close to a month. I guess I'm still burned out on Christmas after working retail in high school and college. All the marketing people that think it's a great idea to get a jump on Christmas advertising in stores need to work in their own stores during that time and subject themselves to their own water torture. After hearing Feliz Navidad for the fifth time in an hour people begin associating "I want to wish you a Merry Christmas" with "I want to wish you life of torture". Not having worked for a church, I can only imagine it's the same way there. Well, the same but without Feliz Navidad, unless the pastor is a sadist. Actually, I kind of know it's that way. My mom is in charge of the children's choirs at her church and she always seems on edge until they are finished singing on Christmas Eve. I know other who work(ed) at churches and it sounds like all the additional work drives the Christmas spirit out of them as well. It's not like any of us WANT to be annoyed by the holiday, we just are. What is sad to me is that even though I am no longer working in retail, I am still jaded about the holidays. Part of it is a conditional response after the six years of retail. The other part is just a growing sense of bitterness towards the commercialization/exploitation of such a wonderful day. So far this year, the bitterness has been relatively tame, I am hoping it stays that way.

Huh?

A couple of months ago, a magazine I received had an article about a high profile environmentalist that was hired by Wal-Mart to do some consulting for them. Obviously it was to help them in their sustainability efforts, but the guy is catching all sorts of crap from his supposed friends for "selling out". I read the article, pretty interesting stuff on some of the things they're trying to do. But that's all beside the point. Last week I received the new issue and there were some lettors to the editor about the article. All but one were positive. I just couldn't fathom the negative one. The writer seemed ANGRY at Wal-Mart for pursuing a good sustainability. Their main issue was that they weren't doing it because it was good for the planet, but because it was good for their profit margins. Now, if they were acting evil like they normally do to increase profits, it would be understandable for anyone to be upset. This isn't the case this time. In fact, I believe that anyone that cares about the planet, regardless of their feelings towards Wal-Mart, should be celebrating what they are doing. Why? Because they are showing that doing the right thing can be a win-win situation. The environmentalists should be happy with less pollution and the shareholders should be happy with increased profits. What do I know?

Seasonal Thoughts......

Fall as my favorite season. There are just so many great things about it. The weather finally cooling off... finally...... stupid global warming, the colors of the trees and in the world of sports there is something for everyone: World Series, Football regular season, the start of both Basketball and Hockey, NASCAR's Chase for the Cup, I'm sure I'm missing something but that's all that ESPN has been talking about. Then there is all things pumpkin that comes out; ice cream, pie, cannoli (my coworker made some tasty ones) and most importantly pumpkin beer.

On a completely unrelated note, the NC Art Museum is having a photo contest this fall. There are four themes, the first theme is "Your Point of View". Here is my submission for the theme.

Last week at my Bible study group we discussed John 10:22-42 where Jesus is asked by the Jewish leaders "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." In some translations, "Christ" is interpreted as "Messiah" and that got us discussing the historical context of what was expected of the Messiah. According to some scholars, the Jewish leaders of the day were expecting the "Messiah" to be a geo-political savior, not a spiritual savior. It is easy to see how the leaders back then could think that way. They were God's chosen people, they were supposed to rule their area as long as they were faithful, hence the Messiah was supposed to restore that kind of glory. I'm not trying to excuse them, Jesus provided plenty of evidence to the contrary. Sadly, there is a vocal sect of Christianity that is now like the ancient Jewish leaders. It is my belief that the supposed leaders of the Christian movement, the Religious Right, the whatever name the media is using this week are the modern day pharisees. What troubles me is that these are the people the majority of the population thinks of when they hear the word "Christian" even if they know others. I wish that more people would see this article from the Wall Street Journal editorial page about the "evangelical power elite". It's nothing amazing, it's just an article about leaders of companies or political figures that are active followers but do not make stump speeches about it. My hope/prayer is that people start to hear about these quiet followers than the loudmouth gasbags.

I'm tired......

I'm tired, and not just because I stayed up late playing Halo.

I'm tired of acting like I have it together. I'm a nutcase. I'm insecure about most everything. I feel like I'm a fraud living someone else's life and I will be busted at any point now.

For that matter, I'm tired of being insecure. I have a hard time seeing how blessed I am to have the life God has granted me. I have a great family/friends, a good job, I don't live in a place where I should fear for my life every day..... why is it so hard for me to be happy with that?

I'm tired of idiot drivers that don't realize they're idiots. How hard is it to NOT be in the left hand lane if you're driving the same speed or slower than people to your right?

I'm tired of people feeling like they have to fill the void of breaks in conversations.

I'm tired of handing things over to God only to take them back the next month/week/day/hour/minute. Why can't I give up control? I do give up control, but it's only when I'm tired and beat down mentally. It seems that I only want to pass the load over to someone until I feel strong enough to carry the burden again.

I'm tired of the hot weather. When the heck is it going to be fall?

I'm tired of being tired.

Premiere Update

I watched Big Shots last night. I won't be watching again. It's like they tried to make a version of Desperate Housewives and Sex and the City but with guys...... which is sad because I liked the cast. I just couldn't get into it. I might give it another try but it's going to be one of those instances where I'm just bored.

This story could come right out of a TV show. I'm thinking the marriage is already over.

Season/Series Premieres

Heroes. Good start to the new season. Of course there were no questions answered, just more posed. As a coworker said, they're not good about answering questions, just setting up cliffhangers. The new characters weren't that impressive. The South American brother and sister team is only intriguing in seeing how they get into the US. The girl's powers seem cool but I'm wondering where they go with that. Claire's new friend is just creepy. Kind of stalkerish. I'm personally holding out for Veronica Mars to show up.

Life. New show starring Lt/Cpt/Major Winters from the Band of Brothers mini-series on HBO (if you never caught it, I suggest watching it, amazing series). Looks like a decent series.

Office. Ok, this is the one that I was waiting for. Freaking awesome. Jim and Pam are dating... they try to hide it, but they get busted. Just like Michael does when he's changing in his office and Pam walks in and sees him.... well...... naked from the waist down. Jan is now unemployed and living in Michael's condo and just overall mooching off of him. Dwight kills Angela's favorite cat Sprinkles (Godspeed Sprinkles, we'll miss you) and calls it a mercy killing. I mean really, if you like the Office, you watched the show and you loved it. If you didn't watch it, what were you thinking?

Shows I'm looking forward to premiering:
30 Rock - good show, premiere has Seinfeld has himself.
Big Shots - Ok, maybe I'll watch, maybe I won't but the cast looks pretty impressive
Cavemen - Just making sure you're paying attention. There is no way I am possibly watching this show.

Snacky McSnackAttack

Today is one of those days where I just can't eat enough which is bizarre considering the past week I haven't been that hungry. I think it started with me picking up 5 dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts for the client and of course... I had to have one. But they were hot.... so I had two.... that was it for the morning. Well maybe a Starburst or two but those don’t count. Then off to lunch with the partner and some other co-workers at the Duck and Dumpling. I get back, and immediately go for more Starburst. And of course, there is the siren’s call of the remaining doughnuts….. Snacky McSnackAttack strikes again.

Life without cable

With the departure of my roommate and the full load of all utility expenses on my shoulder I have decided to cut off my cable. I took in the box to their service center this past Saturday. I was thinking that TimeWarner would be slack and take their time in sending a tech out to actually turn it off..... I had previously disconnected service with TimeWarner at an old apartment and they never got around to turning the signal off. I was thinking that would happen again...... Well, I get home yesterday and there is no cable. It's hard to realize how addicted, dependent comforted we are by things in our life until they are no longer there.