Merry Christmas

Slowing Down...

So today is my last day at work for this year. I have to be grateful that I am actually still having a job. We were supposed to close down latest by the end of this year. Now it looks as if we “bought” some additional months, maybe until March or even June 2010. But then, we were supposed to close down already a while ago, practically living in the fear of loosing our jobs for about 2 – 2.5 years now. It is freaking annoying and does not make every day’s life easier, specifically if you have to deal with all that stupid crap I have to cope with.

However, Christmas and New Years time always brings a little halt to the world. It is a bit as if the world spins around slower, taking a gear back. Within these days not much can – or better will- happen. I envy the people who can travel home to see family, meet old friends and so on. In my case, there are not many places where I could go. My sisters back in the homelands are busy with their families (in their families 3 babies were recently born – I am a great uncle now) and friends. I would love to have a big reunion kind of thing once, being in the same house, lots of people, kids, food, craziness etc. However, we will try our best here. B-Girl’s mom will visit from Russia. B-Daughter will spend some days with her father M.Oron (I have not written about all the latest stuff he got everyone busy with and which will be much trouble for everyone…). The balcony is decorated with lights and the rooms are decorated with Christmas devotionalia. We may have some friends over for dinner or so. It also will be Little B’s first Christmas and although he most likely cares least about any presents, he already has a ton of them waiting to be unwrapped. Of course all of them have blinky, beepy, noise creating devices included. Maybe the year will not finish that silent…

Anyways, I am not sure how often I will be able to check, post, comment and just in case, and for those of you who will be gone: I already wish you a merry Christmas , winter solstices or yule or whatever else you may be celebrating and a happy, pleasant, healthy, successful, interesting, joyful, awesome year 2010!!  May the sun shine upon and within you!

No Balls

This is not another tribute post to jstickmann who just recently left us. Other people have done that much better than I possibly could.

This is about my disgust that someone took advantage out of his death. A traffic whore who had no reason to make fun of someone’s death or insult the feelings of a grieving family. The only reason why he did that could be 1) stick or his family have previously insulted that person or 2) this person is emotionally crippled. Everyone who knew jstickmann or just read his blog have a guess… In the comments to the post of that person, people assumed that he just may not have bought the story of jstickmann’s death and only was suspicious and by that may have used some irony or so. Irony! Seriously, if the brother of someone writes that his brother just passed away, how can people doubt that? In case anyone would make fun of his own death for creating traffic, that person would be burned in the blogging community forever. In case the account was hacked, well someone would explain that after realizing. There was no reason to suspect anything. However, even if that would have been the initial reason, as soon as it became obvious that there was no hoax involved, the poster could have joined the discussion. Yet, he chickened out. He was passive, most likely enjoying the “discussion”, counting the hits. He just did not have the guts to make any comment.

What is worse was the following post. A whiny, wimpy fishing for support asking “would you follow a request of taking one of your posts down”. He got lots of “freedom of speech” comments on that one. Let me tell you what: freedom of speech supports the freedom of expressing any opinion about any issue, irrespective how ridiculous it may be. Freedom of speech never intended to protect people from insulting and harming someone else for no reason at all. The requests for taking down that post were not done because of someone wanting to censor someone else. It was out of a request for showing at least a slight sign of respect for the loss and grief a family is suffering from. It was about realizing that some attention deficit driven “joke” was going too far. But to openly accepting responsibility for what you do, expressing an apology, putting things in order, that would request some balls. But as we know, Oxen have no balls.

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Anyways, I  was just blown off by such arrogance and ignorance as well as emotional autism. I do not want to end this post with anger so I want to give a word to jstickmann himself: from the entry of his site:

“MY ART IS.. THE WORDS MY HEART ARE NOT ABLE TO SPEAK, THE LIGHT MY EYES CANNOT PROJECT OF THEIR OWN, THE SOULS LONGINGS LOCKED INSIDE THE FRIEND/LOVER THAT NEVER LEAVES . A GIFT MEANT ONLY TO GIVE... jstickmann”

Other’s have used this one before me but these are maybe the best and simplest words to explain what jstickmann was like.

And as he would end:

Peace…

The Book Of Love contains Pomplamoose

A while ago I found a little band called Pomplamoose on youtube. Go check it out, http://www.youtube.com/user/pomplamoosemusic?blend=1&ob=4#p/u/0/s_b0I4KVpFk  They do some re-makes of older songs. They perform very well and their videos are so much fun. You can see how much fun they have doing what they do. Check “September”, the guy’s granny dances in that one. Pretty well made version of a great song.

The girl has her own page where she has her own stuff: http://www.youtube.com/NatalyDawn

The most recent song added there is “The Book of Love”, originally performed by Peter Gabriel (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nZGv8VTBVE ). It is part of the soundtrack of the movie “Shall We Dance” with Richard Gere, Susan Sharandon and JLo. I kind of like the movie but this song somehow got me – first in the version of Nataly, the Pomplamoose girl but I also like the original. Dunno, but I had it stuck in my head for a couple of days and without thinking I started singing it to Little B – although I am not really going to propose to him ;). He seems to like it.

P.S. He also likes ol’ blue eyes Frankieboy Sinatra. I (tried to) sing “I Love Paris” to him and it made him smile – I wonder why…

and maybe someone can tell me how to embed the videos instead of just refering to the links...

Save me a piece, please?

Since most of you reside over there (points left), I wish you all a merry Thanksgiving. May the Turducken be yummy and the stuffing not stuff you too much. Keep some for later...

Two years ago I had my first and only real Thanksgiving experience in NY with a friend's family. They are Jewish Orthodox, so this was a very special one. I have posted about this, so I will not repeat myself but these are such sweet memories, I wish I would be there again.

However, hope you all enjoy a great Holiday with your families and loved ones....