I became a U2 fan in the early days between Boy and October. To me and my friends, they were the most exciting band on the planet. Though I didn’t get to see them live until the ’83 War tour for some reason. It all came flooding back tonight when poking around on YouTube and I found a cache of rare (to me anyway) U2 performances from the early-80’s. This one of “I Will Follow†was recorded by German TV just a couple of months after I’d seen them in Austin. Call me crazy but I think this video is better than the official concert film shot at Red Rocks that same year.
Jamie Cullum has been posting quick improvisations daily this week on his blog Terrified Studios. Definitely worth checking out. And his 12/30 noodling can even be downloaded as an MP3. Nice way to cap off the year.
Pleased to report I started and finished all my holiday shopping in the past week, using online (remote relations) and local, non-chain stores (husband and friends) only. No malls or big boxes endured. I hate, hate, hate that world. (See Nov 28 rant.) I’m thrilled to live in a time and place where alternatives exist.
VW silences email for its German employees when they’re off the clock. Great. Personal time should be personal. Now how about they send down an edict to make the new cars un-dorky?
While I generally agree with the Occupy movement’s sentiments about holding financial executives accountable for the economic mess they created, I’m convinced it’s time to end the actual occupations. Over the last few weeks, the Occupy message has disintegrated to the point that coverage focuses only on the bizarre struggle to camp in urban parks. You’ve lost the battle kids. Last I looked, the constitution made no mention of a right to wallow in your own filth.
Black Friday. Cyber Monday. Buy, buy, buy. Spend, spend, spend. And so begins the most depressing time of the year.
Working holiday retail while in college permanently soured me on the so-called season of joy. But my hostility to the frenzy of consumer debt gets worse every year.
I went out of my way not to spend any money beyond typical expenditures this past weekend. The only out-of-the-ordinary purchase (non-food) was an ebook for a new book club effort. Even so, I didn’t really spend money since my iTunes account still had a rebate credit from September’s iMac purchase. Take that crafty retailers and your not-so-unwitting cheerleading stooges in the media.
I’ve also decided that I’m not attending any holiday parties this year. I know, tragic, given my bubbly outlook. Don’t feel like putting on a happy face.
We’ll celebrate our 24th anniversary on December 10 but that’s it for festivities. (Nice trick for a pair of 29 year olds.)
The real irony is that I’m generally quite happy the remaining 10.5 months of the year. Contentedly married. (See above.) Extra comfortable house. Two nice vehicles. Travel several times per year. Plenty to eat, drink and otherwise imbibe. Etc. Life’s good.
It’s just that for the next six weeks or so, I refuse to join in the national greed orgy. Not going into debt. Not buying tons of crap no one needs. Not spreading false cheer. How positively un-American.
