last five entries:

Poof, begone!
My (lack of) budget and Christmas presents!
Tumbleweeds
Holiday Ranting
I'm (With) Stupid

- +

Holiday Ranting
2001-12-24 - 7:45 p.m.

#2 entry of the day...

I'm a little peeved right now. Every year that I've been independent of my family (so about 1989), I've done my own Christmas cards. Since I've got friends from all kinds of areas in my life, this adds up. At this point, I can break my friend "groups" up into several distinct categories: California (1970s-early 80s), Massachusetts (rest of the 80s), Army (early 90s), and finally the college years in Tampa (mid to late 90s).

While I may not keep in touch all that well during the year, I almost always send out a huge group of cards, letting people know I'm okay and updating them with my latest contact information. I also never just sign my name. If I'm sending a card, I'm at least going to try and write a short paragraph, though it usually turns out to be a half card or more.

Although I send out a good 30-40 cards each year (for the past decade), I often get under 10 cards in return. Some may be Christmas cards that people already sent while others might be letters in response to my original card, but at least there was something.

Well, this year I've been pretty preoccupied with other things (12 hour marathon Playstation 2 settings for one), and I realized I wasn't going to be able to get any Christmas cards out on time. I thought about it, and I decided that I'd have to turn to e-cards. Yeah, they aren't quite the same, but it's something, isn't it? Especially if I plan on writing something unique in each one.

So that was the plan.

Today is the 24th of December, Christmas Eve, and I haven't received jack shit from anyone. Not one damn card. I can understand my family since I was there last week, and my girlfriend and I are meeting up next week so that's cool too (even though she apparently HAS sent me a card), but as for all the friends I have from my past, apparently most of them have better things to do. I know sending cards out shouldn't be based on whether I get one back, but when the same thing happens EVERY year, well, it gets a tad bit annoying.

As such, I decided to hell with it. I'm not sending anyone anything this year. My primary reason for sending things out has always been to keep in touch (versus the whole holiday thing), but if no one else wants to make an effort, then maybe I'm better off shutting down certain sections of my past anyway. What's the point in trying to retain friends that apparently don't want (or care) to keep in touch.

Hmm, after reading that last paragraph, I guess I should note a few things. I WILL be sending a couple e-cards out to people I am in regular contact with. Most of my ranting here is directed towards people who I only talk to once or twice a year. Suffice to say that if you are reading this and you know me, it's probably not directed at you.

Just had to get that off my chest.


Before I get completely out of rant mode, let me bring up the commercial I currently hate most in the world right now. It's a Lexus car commercial, and the whole theme of it is people getting new Lexus cars for Christmas. Everything is fine and dandy until they get to the last subject, which entails two parents at the table with their 17-22 year old daughter, and they say, "We got you a CD player for Christmas". They then open the curtains and there is a brand new Lexus out there, with a cute little ribbon on it.

Stop the fucking presses.

Okay, despite the fact it is a pretty exorbitant gift, I can understand a wealthy couple buying their parents a new Lexus or maybe a spouse buying one for their significant other. But parents buying their kid a brand new Lexus? That's friggin' insane.

I'm tempted to go off on a related rant, about how shit like that is what is screwing this country up, but I'm going to hold back from now. Despite what I say about all these parents spoiling their kids and bending over backwards to give them whatever the hell they want, it ain't gonna change a thing. Parents will be parents, and nowadays that means parents will think with their wallets and not their brains. But like I said, no rant on that for now.

I just wanted to say I hate that commercial. And if you watch real close, in the split second between hearing she got a CD player and then seeing the Lexus, you can almost see disappointment on the chick's face. Now, I know it's just a commercial, but I'm well aware similar things will be happening in affluent neighborhoods all over the country tomorrow.

Then ask me why I don't shed a tear when the little bastards wrap their new SUVs or luxury coupes around a telephone pole in a drunken haze on New Year's Eve.

Okay, rant off.

Oh, that telephone pole comment reminds me of something I was just thinking about the other day. If anyone reads John Powers' diary on here, ask him in his guestbook to relate the story of how he almost wasted my ass on a telephone pole one night way back when. I still think I'm dain bramaged to this very day because of it. You bastard. :) Actually, I'd tell the story myself if it weren't for my being passed out in the back of the car.

Alrighty, back to work I go.

Until next time...

previous - next

Sign my guestbook!

name:


mail:


url:


comments: