Is Black Friday Really Gray?

A theatre friend is organizing a "Zombie Flash Mob: Occupy Black Friday" event.  Lots of gray face paint but no blood is the make-up strategy.  They'll walk up and down the retail strip, bags in hands, stiff-legging it as they groan: "shopping, shopping."

To what end?  The fun of dressing up like zombies?  Yeah, I can see that.  To stop the mindless consumerism associated with the day?  Hmm...  I think it's going to take more than zombies to achieve that.

A couple of thoughts: if you mock and embarrass people, they're more apt to get angry than change their behavior.  And there are a lot of people shopping today because they have the day off, and if they're looking for deals, it's probably because their wallets are pretty thin.  If some folks want to camp out in front of Best Buy, who am I to insist that their idea of fun not include bargain hunting? To each his own.  Mostly friends and families are out today, so it's still a day about bonding, even if their activity isn't of the highest, spiritual ideal.

As a deck curmudgeon, of course, I'm staying home.  But for those of you venturing out, I say: keep the zombie fun on the sidewalks and the shopping fun in the stores, and that should keep away the cops' sense of fun: the soul-chilling use of pepper-spray.

11/11/2011

On this Veteran's Day, I salute our vets and those currently serving in our American forces.  I'd also like to thank the men in my family who have proudly served here and overseas:  Major George P. Kniess, Captain Silas S. Jones, George P. Kniess, Jr. (Marines), Ronald J. Kniess (Army) and Walter J. Barkey (Army).   I'm truly grateful not only today but every day. 

Snow

The furniture cushions are gone.  Winterizing has begun.  That said, the happy lights will remain operational for as long as possible.  Snow is but frozen water--I can wade through it with a shovel.  A cat tunnel will be dug, to keep Maggie the Cat happy, and deck vistas will remain accessible, to keep me pondering--my simple, yet so soulful pleasure. 

More to come, my friends, and I hope it isn't just graupel....