Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Whistling Past the Graveyard

From the Seattle Business Journal:

The National Retail Federation says that more people are waiting longer to start holiday shopping this year, likely because they are waiting for more discounting from retailers. Teague said the real question is how much the last-minute shoppers will wind up spending when they do get out and shop.
My alternate theory is that people are waiting to shop because, well, the economy sucks and they don't have a job. I sincerely doubt that you're going to see a big surge in shopping in the next two days, particularly given the weather here in the Pacific Northwest.

(via Slog)

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Saturday, December 20, 2008

I Feel Like I've Been Too Hard on Governor Gregoire....


....after all, she really has been a good friend to teachers over the years, and her budget does try to preserve some of the I-728 money that the Seattle Times would have seen cut much further, and we teaching folk did get a 5.1% COLA last year, which isn't bad at all, and she is protecting our health bennies, which is awfully good, so what the hell, here's my make-up Christmas Blingee to celebrate our Governor.

Happy Holidays!

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Thursday, December 04, 2008

MSN Says You Should Tip Your Child's Teacher $20

Really, they do! For me that would be $460. I think I should put this out on the email list I have for my class parents.

What I'll get are the usual gifts, the chocolate and the ties, and those are pretty cool too.

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Friday, November 28, 2008

I'm Not Shopping on Black Friday

Goldy reminds me why. Then there's the guy who was trampled to death by Wal-Mart shoppers, also picked up on by Wonkette. And the shoot-out at Toys 'R' Us.

This year I did about half of my Christmas shopping on-line. I like it better that way.

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Saturday, November 15, 2008

At My Local Station, Gas is $1.95 a Gallon

At this rate we'll be under a dollar by Christmas! ;-)

Speaking of Christmas, got my last Christmas gift in the mail today. Shopping for friends and family is done. Now comes the wrapping, which I'm actually pretty good at. This year my goal is to get Christmas cards done during the Thanksgiving weekend, which would also be a neat, neat thing to have done.

I'm ready for the holidays.

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Friday, January 04, 2008

The Chronicle of Higher Ed on Holiday Gifts for Teachers

For next year, an idea from a college professor.

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Sunday, December 23, 2007

The Christmas Post


The gifts are mostly wrapped, the cards have been sent. Mrs. finished all her cooking, and the Cute Deaf Baby is absolutely loving all the lights and bric-a-brac that define the season.

Coming in March I'll finish up year 2 of the blog and begin year three. It's been a busy two years, with the birth of my daughter, my work with the WEA, and beginning my principal's certificate, and I appreciate you all having been here for the ride.

I'll be taking a few days of shortly to immerse in the Christmas fun, so here's my annual Christmas post, today using a meme that I first saw at The Science Goddess' website.

  • Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both. Bags are nice and easy for oddly shaped things.
  • Real tree or artificial? Real, but this is where Mrs. and I have a split. She likes the pines, with their clearly defined branches. I like fir trees, blobs of green. We always get pine.
  • When do you put up the tree? Sometime after December 8th. My mom's birthday is December 8th, and she always said that we weren't going to get ours until she got hers. Mom is very provincial about her birthday.
  • When do you take down the tree? Usually, January 2nd. I like having it done before school gets back in session.
  • Do you like eggnog? Ugh.
  • Favourite gift received as a child? My grandfather had a huge, huge collection of old copies of Life magazine that he gave to me when I was 10. I loved those magazines.
  • Do you have a nativity scene? Yep. It's sitting on the bar right now, not that that means anyhting.
  • Hardest person to buy for? My wife, oddly enough, because she doesn't like jewelry, flowers, furniture, electronics, and I can't get her taste in books nailed. My dad is a close second, because he's just plain hard to read.
  • Easiest person to buy for? Me!
  • Worst Christmas gift ever received? A game for the Sega Genesis. Nothing wrong with the game, mind you, except we were a Super Nintendo household.
  • Mail or e-mail Christmas cards? Mail. Did 120 this year!
  • Favourite Christmas movie? I'll always make the time for A Christmas Story.
  • When do you start shopping for Christmas? All year long. We have a box we store them in and pull them out when the season comes.
  • Have you ever regifted a Christmas present? Oh heck yes.
  • Favourite thing to eat at Christmas? My wife's fudge. My God, does she ever make good fudge.
  • Clear lights or coloured on the tree? Colored. Clear lights annoy me. Why even bother?
  • Favourite Christmas song? Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies. That's music, right there.
  • Travel for Christmas or stay at home? I travel because I have to, but my druthers would be to stay at home.
  • Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dang right!
  • Angel on the tree top or a star? Star.
  • Open the presents on Christmas Eve or morning? Oh boy. We usually open one gift on Christmas eve, go over to my sister-in-laws house on Christmas morning and open presents there, then bring everyone up to our place Christmas night to open more presents. It's a season, after all.
  • Most annoying thing about this time of year? Not having enough time to do all that I want to do.
  • What I love most about Christmas? The spirit. When it all comes together and everyone just relaxes and enjoys, that's a great thing to see.


May God bless you and keep you safe during this holiday season; have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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Friday, December 22, 2006

The Christmas Post


I'll be off for a while enjoying my Christmas loot, and while I try not to stray into other political realms here I would like to leave you with some song lyrics that accurately sum up what I think about the situation in Iraq. Please keep our soldiers in your hearts and prayers during this Christmas season.

Happy Holidays!


If you love this land of the free
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring them back from overseas
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

It will make the politicians sad, I know
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
They wanna tangle with their foe
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

They wanna test their grand theories
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
With the blood of you and me
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

Now we'll give no more brave young lives
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
For the gleam in someone's eyes
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

(Hooo-hooo hooo-hooo)
(Hooo-hooo hooo-hooo)

The men will cheer and the boys will shout
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Yeah and we will all turn out
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

The church bells will ring with joy
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
To welcome our darlin' girls and boys
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

We willl lift their voice and sound
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Yeah, when Johnny comes marching home
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring them back from overseas
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

If you love this land of the free
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring them back from overseas
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home
Bring 'em home, bring 'em home

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Monday, December 11, 2006

Irony!

Have you been following the story of the group who sent home a note inviting kids to attend their "pagan ritual" to learn more about the holidays?

Turns out, Reverend Jerry Falwell is the one who opened the door by insisting that Christian groups be allowed to send home mail with the kids, since the Boy Scouts and such were able to.

If you're an ed student doing research on just what it means for a school to be an open forum, this is a perfect case to demonstrate the point.

(Thanks, too, to Right Wing Nation for the information)

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