Today Geoff and Amanda and I went to the Boston Antiques & Design Show in Wilmington, MA. We’d never been to this show before and we actually heard about it in a book we found at a used book sale at MIT. The book was awesome, it’s here if you want to check it out, but it may have mentioned that the show is held in a Shriners Auditorium. Shriners, like the guys wearing little fuzzy red fezzes.
Tag: inconsiderate jerks
Baby it’s cold outside
Yes, Geoff is correct in the post that he just put up. It isn’t cold outside. At all. But I’m not talking about actual weather, I’m talking about that blasted song. I’m talking about that “Christmas Song” that’s commonly referred to now as “The Rapey Song.”
You know the one. Once you actually listen to the words you get uncomfortable each time you hear it. It’s a duet. It’s ostensibly about flirting, a date, and a storm.
Dear, Death;
Please go on a vacation.
Two judges cause much celebration
I haven’t been able to do a lot of writing here on the blog lately. It’s been a combination of having a very full schedule and not sleeping well. I am working on trying to fix the part about not sleeping well. The full schedule will start easing off a bit after October 10th. I will probably post more about that in the near future.
In the meantime, I wanted to say something about two stories in the news that are related to the title of my post. One is in regards to civil rights, the other is in regards to one of New England’s favorite athletes.
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2015 has been kicking my ass
Regular readers will recall that a little while back I said we’d be away for a while due to the death of a friend. Truth be told, his loss was, at the time, the latest in a long string of Very Hard Things 2015 had handed us.
It seems, however, that June might bright A New Hope. (Sorry) But, before we get to the good stuff, let’s go over where we’ve been, shall we?
#BlackLivesMatter & #NoBoston2024 – The intersection of money, race & power
Anyone who isn’t a moneyed plutocrat in the very tiny ruling elite here in Boston – Marty Walsh, John Fish, Charlie Baker, and Shirley Leung, I’m looking at you – likely understands that yesterday’s announcement that Boston “won” the USOC nomination for the 2024 olympics is a Very Bad Thing. The Boston 2024 group has existed for about a year and, chaired by Fish, has been trying to essentially shame the populace into believing that if we do not do this thing, invite the world to come here for a 3 week-long party 9 years from now, we’re provincial losers and that Boston isn’t fit for the world stage.
To put it bluntly, the people at Boston2024 are liars.
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School Vacation Week: notes from the front
To most of us, most of the world even, this week is the festive week between Christmas and the New Year. Most Universities are in Intercession, some non-profits are closed, and many people choose to go on vacation. To those of us who work in education, this is School Vacation Week. To those of us who work in the Service Industry, this is Hell Week.
To those of us who do both, this is a tsunami of bad behavior, worse parenting, and unbelievable entitlement.
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When good causes go awry
Good people make mistakes. It happens. No one is perfect. How we acknowledge those mistakes, and how we try to make amends, that is what’s critical to getting along with everyone, especially those who are harmed by our mistakes. It makes a world of difference whether we recognize the harm we sometimes do as individuals, as organizations, and even as nations.
And that is why it truly pains me to see groups that I believe in make bad, even horrible mistakes, and then fail to do the right thing afterward. It is just heartbreaking. And lately it seems like it is one after another.
The Holidays and Tips from your Friendly Local Service Industry Professionals
December is upon us, we’ve survived Thanksgiving weekend and the Black Friday-Cyber Monday mayhem that ensued. I didn’t hear any stories about people getting trampled to death at Wal-Marts this year, but that just might be because I was working Fri-Sun and not watching the news.
To do my part to keep this month as harmonious and happy as possible, I’ve collected some tips and tricks from my own experience and from various individuals and places around the internet. Read these, learn them, and you’ll find that your shopping, dining, and general interactions with people will go better for the rest of the year and possibly into the next one.
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A Gentle Reminder as We Approach the Holiday Season
I know that there are a lot of people who follow this blog who understand this. I also know that there are a lot of people who follow this blog who might not. I’m asking you to read this post and try to understand before you ask the dreaded Holiday questions of one of us who works in the Service Industry, Retail, is in Food Service, or is a Professional Musician of some type.
Why I Can’t Spend the Holidays With You – A Guide
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The Books are Taking Over... 