Happy first Friday of December. I hope all of our American members survived Thanksgiving without too much stress or overeating. Now we're in the home stretch towards Christmas. Before you know it, it will be 2007. :eek: Time really flies. Speaking of time flying, the weekend is my one year wedding anniversary. I can't believe it's been a year. We're going to have a subdued anniversary celebration. Being so close to Christmas it's tough to go nuts on gifts so we've agreed to just concentrate on Christmas gifts. We've got a trip to Maui coming up to celebrate and mostly just to get away and relax. Neither of us can wait for that.

So begins the silly season of shopping. I simultaneously love and hate this time of year. Generally speaking, there is a sort of festive mood and people can be a little friendlier this time of year but then again, people do get very stressed out and the crowds abound. There is something to be said about a time of year when people think about others and have to figure out what people would want as a gift. It's the commercial side of the holiday but if nothing else, it gets people thinking about others. Having to figure out what a sibling or friend might want for Christmas makes you think about that person's personality, likes, dislikes, and what would make him or her happy. That's something that might happen just once a year. It's a small thing but if just this once a year people think about the wants of others rather than their own wants, at least there is some consideration and thoughtfulness for a short period of time. It's entertaining to see people running around with their brows furrowed as they search for gifts. Seeing men shop for women is the funniest thing to me. You can really see how lost some of them are. As nice as it is that people are sort of forced to be considerate, I know that after the holidays it's back to "me, me, me" so I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

Since it's the season of peace, or at least it's supposed to be, I just want to comment briefly on the secular violence in Iraq. Obviously there is a serious problem there and many are quick to blame the American presence there as the cause. I can't blame any of it on the American presence in Iraq. I don't think that has anything to do with the killing of one religious group by another and vice-a-versa. I honestly believe that if the American military never stepped foot into Iraq and there was not a tyrannical dictator who killed anyone who tried to start crap up, the violence we are seeing would still be happening. The only thing that can be remotely attributed to America is the removal of said tyrannical dictator who ruled with such unmitigated violence and initmidation that no one dared cause trouble. With that came the fear of being imprisoned, tortured, killed, poisoned, etc. What I am saying is that the blame should not be put on the American military or policies in Iraq. This issue is one where the responsbility falls squarely on the shoulders of the Iraqi people. The conflict between Shiites and Sunnis is what is causing the violence and also the inability for the new Iraqi government to get anything done. There is much history behind the secular violence, history that pre-dates Desert Storm and the current campaign. It is up to the people of Iraq to figure out for themselves. After all, they're just killing each other.

In one of the most shocking stories of the week, Calvin "Snoop Dogg" Broadus was arrested again on weapons and drug charges. This is not the first go 'round for ol' Snoop. He seems to have guns and drugs often and just as often he seems to not have a clue. It just disgusts me when a guy like this who is, has always been, and always will be a thug, is a role model for so many kids. Whether he likes it or not, he's a role model. There were so many celebrities that pissed me off this week. Should I care about these people just because they're famous? Not really but it's the whole train wreck phenomenon: you know you shouldn't look but you can't look away. Britney Spears (NWS link!) is just plain awful. Danny DeVito is a drunken midget who should keep his mouth shut which should both keep alcohol out of it and crap from spewing out. Poor Kid Rock! Or is it is it poor Pammy? Choosing who is worse is like choosing between whether burning to death is worse than being eaten alive by ferrel pigs. Kanye West is an idiot but you didn't need me to tell you that.

People never cease to amaze me and this woman is amazing in her need to be put to sleep. You your imagination on this one. Some people really need a hobby but this guy's hobby is just gross. Unfortunately, there are some really sleazy people out there and what's worse is that faking cancer to get money is not uncommon. If girls can play on boy's football teams, and I have seen this happen, why can't a boy compete in girl's gymnastics? Creepy! :eek: Get ready to buy new wallets to accomadate different sized US currency.

Have a great weekend everyone!

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