Polianiac

Last night, I decided to break away from the now monotonous routine of writing up what is beginning to feel like endless research. Research on school desegregation and current racial strife, research on the role Anthropology is now playing in the military, research about people, their lives, which ultimately constitutes the story of our lives. I gave me the night off; and that included not watching any cable news programming…

Where did that choice lead me? Straight to FX which was running Armageddon (1998) and The Day After Tomorrow (2004)  back to back. Yeah, now there is some uplifting sci-fi (?).  What I did not expect were the commercials, advertising the obvious desperation that can be found in this year’s holiday retail season. Wow… talk about science-fiction!

It is science-fiction for me to contemplate standing at Kohl’s department store at 4 a.m. on any morning.  That is just nuts! In my half-century life, 4 a.m. is much more likely to be bed-time than it is to be any-time, for any-thing else. And yes, even that is a bit extreme. Just for grins, I decided to find out what other retailers were doing in these desperate measures for desperate times days. Lo and behold, there is an entire website dedicated to the science fiction world known as Black Friday. The site features listings of many retail establishments, their sale times in stores, and actually their corresponding sale events online. Amazing… I could simply log onto Kohl’s at 1 a.m. and then sleep in.

Coincidentally, I received an email this morning encouraging me to consider “The Story of Stuff” before participating in Black Friday… It is an interesting story and especially illuminating considering the global economic crisis. Like it or not, we are all in this together! 

No matter how you spend the Thanksgiving holiday, I truly wish you a thank-ful experience. I will start by saying Thank You to all of you who make my blogging experience one of the most fascinating and enriching endeavors I have ever undertaken. You truly brighten and liven each and every day… THANKS!

Michelle Carnes, American University: Thank you for your contribution re: “The Story of Stuff” ~khl

Room With a View, November 25, 2008 

I stood there in Safeway, staring into the freezer, strategically located in the middle of the Butcher Block section. There they were — all ready for Thanksgiving; a freezer full of Butterball victims.  I could not shake the mental picture, running through my head, of Sarah Palin standing in front of a Turkey Guillotine… If that were not enough, there were all those books I have been forced to read, starting with “Chicken” an expose of the chicken farming industry. That ripped it. The whole turkey scene has definitely lost its appeal this year.

As I left that area of the store, I knew I had to do something to replace the vile, disgusting mental images now dominating my every thought.  I looked down at my list, in hopes of merely changing the subject—there I saw “eggs”…  Oh joy!

By now, I imagined myself going holiday postal on the Dairy Aisle: “Straightjacket on Aisle 12 for the blonde raving lunatic, screaming obscenities against all poultry and poultry products!” Vegan suddenly seemed a viable alternative. Then I thought about Addams Family Values (1993) with Pugsley Addams dressed up as a turkey singing, “EAT ME!”

There it was: my Thanksgiving Theme Song.  I made it to the check out without further incident… Enjoy!

Room with a View, November 21, 2008

I stood there at Subway feeling my face crinkling up… Oh God, I am seriously going to need Botox if this keeps up.  

“It’s a Holly Jolly Christmas; it’s the best time of the year!”—the song pierced the air like a spear thrown though every one of my five senses. Who wrote this song and when? Little did I know it would be followed by what I am certain was the Andrews Sisters singing “Frosty the Snowman”. Wow. This Subway is really in the spirit today; but why did it feel like a Norman Rockwell painting, and furthermore, why did I find it cognitively dissonant?

Who knows, maybe it is just middle-aged push back… What I do know is there is something to be said for high tech good Christmas Music that fills your soul with hope and anticipation of good things. For me, that comes from Manheim Steamroller and Trans Siberian Orchestra just to get the ball rolling. So if we must celebrate Christmas before giving Thanks vis a vis Thanksgiving; I vote for a modern version that allows me to feel connected to the real post-modern world. For all its foibles, it is my reality.

Then there is Jib-Jab who offers a completely different take on the season: Make-your-own-video sendables for the entire holiday season, including Turkey Day! Now that’s apropos: Who would have ever thought… Yeah, I am going to have to play with this… Stay tuned! HA!

Room With a View:  November 20, 2008 

Hello all!

I just wanted to drop you a line from this place called “the zone”.  The zone is kind of a cool place, as long as you don’t think about the outside world. I do want to thank my blog friends at Today.com. I am not so far out there that I don’t check in on you from time to time. I am sure you will blog me out of the zone if something earth shattering happens—like Turkey Tetrazzini for Thanksgiving Dinner at the Alaska Governor’s Mansion there in Wasilla…

The zone is different from real life; and only lasts two-three weeks two times a year. It is a place where you do not know day from night or even what day of the week it is—you simply know what you have to tackle next. You set the alarm so you remember to eat, you make yourself go outside at least once a day, and your friends know better than to call you on the phone. They know when it is over we will meet and eat and laugh till we gag– about something.

In the meantime, it is just me and the work… and yes, I will tell you all about the work when it is done. In the meantime, maybe I can drop a hint or two…  So to all my fellow “zoners” hang in and to everyone else: Have a terrific weekend!