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Last Christmas before the depression, so I'm going out with a bang
November 26th 2008, 18:28 CET by Chunkstyle Christmas is here again, so put your Santa hats on and have some fucking cheer. This may be the last one we get before a complete global meltdown, so what kind of stuff will you be buying and asking for? Guns? Ammo? Fallout 3, to educate yourself on the coming world? Or will you just have a good old-fashioned Christmas? Food, fun, family, lots of cool presents? What's on your Christmas list? What will you be giving? Will Chunkstyle run out of question marks and have to switch to semi-colons? |
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Topic: Last Christmas before the depression, so I'm going out with a bang
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Well, I don't mind buying stuff for kids, since that's just plain fun. I mean, really, the holiday is pretty much geared toward kids, anyway. "Oh, I don't believe in hypothetical situations, Mr. Donaghy. That's like lying to your brain." --Kenneth
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Oooh, you guys have just inspired me...my sister took a couple of classes of belly dance a while back but stopped because it was too spendy. Now that I'm teaching a full 6-week beginner series, maybe her Christmas gift will be to teach her and a friend the 6-week series for free. No cost to me except for my time, creates no waste, and is something she'd likely enjoy. Woot! |
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I told family and friends to stop getting me gifts... It hasn't worked with everyone, but it has with most*. My wife and I exchange gifts (buy things together for each other), but why I do I want/need anyone else to do that? Christmas is for the kids, lets get them a bit, but not too much and just hang out together and have a good time. I don't buy into the we have to buy this for that person or do this or that. We (my wife does of course) make fudge for people, send it out as gifts and don't ask for anything in return. It's fun, it's a great fudge and people don't have to feel obligated about things unless they want to. :) I've also quit mentioning my birthday to people. People always feel obligated to buy things or do something for it... it's just another day. I'll make it special for me in my own way and you keep your money. I sense a big win for both of us. *My mom can't manage with this plan most years. :p "some of those words want to be other words." - LP
"the concept that a happy worker is a productive worker is hardly an entry from Matt's Big Book Of Things The Fairies Said." - Dum |
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#12 by Jamie But please, nobody buy them another fricking stuffed animal. If you do, one of the existing animals will be slaughtered to make room. Make the kids dig a hole first and then force them to watch you kill it, it'll be good for them in the long run. <Hugin_len> Basically, cheesy doesn't have awful taste in music, he's simply very white.
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rofl "some of those words want to be other words." - LP
"the concept that a happy worker is a productive worker is hardly an entry from Matt's Big Book Of Things The Fairies Said." - Dum |
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#7 by Ergo We don't need pointless crap, and there are a lot of people out there that need help. There sure are, some of us still need 360s. #12 by Jamie And having kids makes gift giving and receiving more complicated. Our house is literally overflowing with toys for my 2 girls, so I've been pushing people to give them "experiences" or other things that don't take up space and create much waste. Stuff like subscriptions to kids' magazines (Highlights and Thomas the Tank Engine are favorites), swim lessons, membership to the science museum and other kid venues, etc. That and books. I don't mind books. But please, nobody buy them another fricking stuffed animal. If you do, one of the existing animals will be slaughtered to make room. Seems like a good idea to extend to adults, too. We told everyone gifts for our kids should come in the form of books, gift certificates or clothes this year. We have piles of toys they never play with, we don't need more. My wife and I probably aren't going to do anything, we don't have a lot to spend this year and I'd rather get stuff for the kids and give to our sub-for-Santa with what we do have. Maybe I'll trade in our Wii Fit for a game. MY kid and wife lost interest, and I prefer plain old treadmill. |
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This year I think we're going to do a $100 cap. Even that has been a fight with my brother (the one who bought a Lexus). No way would a waste-free Christmas fly. My dad doesn't celebrate Christmas at all, which is nice. Previously my ex and I had various agreements to only get each other a book or DVD or something, and invarably one or both of us would completely ignore that. One year I got her a $300 coat and she got me an XBox. Most of the stuff I really want isn't available locally, like a second strobist kit from Midwest Photo Exchange or a set of wireless triggers. I'm gonna try the music stores to see if they have cymbals that will work with the Ion. Caryn (#6): Having to really pull my belt tight this year because of having a house on the market in another state has really changed my relationship with money and actual things Oh man, that really sucks. Can you rent it out? Witnesses in the house heard Jones say "why did you pee on me Pooh Bear?" A few moments later, the witness heard the son say "Mama you done stabbed me."
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#19 by Shadarr Previously my ex and I had various agreements ... Ex? Didn't you guys just move in together (Vegas crapmeet girl?)? <Hugin_len> Basically, cheesy doesn't have awful taste in music, he's simply very white.
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Shadarr when did you and your girlfriend break up? Weren't you guys together for a long time? Was there a series of posts I missed, or did IRC get all the fun? |
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Hah! I'm not the only one! |
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Oh man, that really sucks. Can you rent it out? Just this week I sold it on a land contract, for numerous lengthy reasons I won't go into. So it's "sold", so to speak, but because of the way the contract is set up I'll still be paying a piece of the mortgage for the next three years, until it's sold outright. |
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Matt Perkins (#15): I've also quit mentioning my birthday to people. You just mentioned it to us, hippie. |
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Do you know my bday? I'm doubting it. "some of those words want to be other words." - LP
"the concept that a happy worker is a productive worker is hardly an entry from Matt's Big Book Of Things The Fairies Said." - Dum |
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July 2nd? You seem to mention it almost every year... Thanks again crapsifter. |
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Nope, not the 2nd. "some of those words want to be other words." - LP
"the concept that a happy worker is a productive worker is hardly an entry from Matt's Big Book Of Things The Fairies Said." - Dum |
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1st then. Whatever! |
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Nope "some of those words want to be other words." - LP
"the concept that a happy worker is a productive worker is hardly an entry from Matt's Big Book Of Things The Fairies Said." - Dum |
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Now you're just lying. |
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Nope "some of those words want to be other words." - LP
"the concept that a happy worker is a productive worker is hardly an entry from Matt's Big Book Of Things The Fairies Said." - Dum |
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You lied in July then. Or you live in some kind of timezone on the moon. Doesn't matter. The point is that you almost always tell us when it's your birthday. |
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I'm just fucking with you. Of course I tell you guys when it's my birthday, jackass. Which one of you is going to buy me a present? Exactly. Perfectly safe to complain about how old I am and no one here will think I need presents because of it. "some of those words want to be other words." - LP
"the concept that a happy worker is a productive worker is hardly an entry from Matt's Big Book Of Things The Fairies Said." - Dum |
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Not again guys. Why can't I move ?!!???!?1 |
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Heh.. Good, because I was just about to dismantle your whole case. |
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Some day I might put a santa hat on the physical mailbox, although it's a different mailbox now. |
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I told my parents to give a sheep or a llama or something equal to what they would have spent on us. We'll see if that actually works, or if they do that and still get us stuff. Lady, people aren't chocolates. But you know what they are, mostly? Bastards. Bastard-coated bastards with bastard filling.
Blog. 190 lbs. 10 to go. |
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CheesyPoof (#20): #19 by Shadarr Previously my ex and I had various agreements ... Ex? Didn't you guys just move in together (Vegas crapmeet girl?)? Yes, we moved in together in February. Broke up in late September. Dated for 13 years. I may have only mentioned it in IRC previously. I expect we'll be friends again sometime in the future, because we do get along well. Living together just highlighted the problems that were always there, but were masked by only seeing each other every other weekend. In brighter blog news, I just (as in yesterday) reconnected with a friend from my college newspaper days who I haven't seen in over a year, who also broke up with her longtime girlfriend ("only" five years) and it turns out we have even more in common than we previously knew. She has a Gamecube. She may even join my church choir. Witnesses in the house heard Jones say "why did you pee on me Pooh Bear?" A few moments later, the witness heard the son say "Mama you done stabbed me."
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bishop (#36): Some day I might put a santa hat on the physical mailbox, although it's a different mailbox now. I'm not surprise you can't find the original mailbox. Witnesses in the house heard Jones say "why did you pee on me Pooh Bear?" A few moments later, the witness heard the son say "Mama you done stabbed me."
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I totally want to step up to the plate and just buy gifts for people like Heifer gifts, but I have this feeling of dread that they'll open up the card and their smile will fade as they realize they didn't actually get anything for Christmas. Not that my family is a bunch of selfish bastards, but it's just that when it's not actually expected I'm sure it's a different kind of feeling. But I don't know. |
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I already bought me my own Christmas gift: a return ticket to Hong Kong for May 4th next year. "Wow I didn't expect it to be good. I mean no offense, but you're a bald headed punk rocker in bifocals and Genghis Khan mustache and the band sounds like Benny Goodman on crosstops with Alvin from the chipmunks on vocals..... I'll take one"
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Ha! Star Wars day. Moat.
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I got lucky I guess. I grew up with my Dad fighting EVERYONE on both my Mom and my Dad's side to stop the christmas bullshit. He outlawed it at his house for most of my childhood. And talked with us about and the commercialism and crap that goes with it, etc. So now, I can just blow it off and I'm one of his kids and it's all cool. He fought the good fight so I don't have to... :D "some of those words want to be other words." - LP
"the concept that a happy worker is a productive worker is hardly an entry from Matt's Big Book Of Things The Fairies Said." - Dum |
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Your childhood must have been a barrel of laughs. Moat.
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Caryn, we have the same difficulty. I don't feel comfortable doing it unless someone's asked me to do it. I suppose over a few years you could sort of wean people into it. Give them a share of something small one year plus a big gift, then a share of something larger plus a smaller gift...if they warm to it then you just shift it over to full-on charity gifts. We have a friend whose family is pretty wealthy, and each year they receive the largest-scale gifts from Heifer from their parents and give smaller charity gifts to each other based on their own choices. Max is flush with toys right now since he had his birthday, and I wish I could get people to just give books or clothes or maybe some savings bonds or a couple bucks for us to toss into his savings account. I don't mind the toys so much, but he gets a lot of them that he loves at first and then loses interest in after about a week. Lady, people aren't chocolates. But you know what they are, mostly? Bastards. Bastard-coated bastards with bastard filling.
Blog. 190 lbs. 10 to go. |
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My childhood was filled with MUCH laughing...but not really at the same things most others did. Like most people tell their kids santa is real and delivers presents. Well, my Dad didn't deny his realness, but suggested we shoot him down and take all of the presents for ourselves. We had a lot of fun with that one. Of course, my brother is still confused as to do what to this day... "I was never sure if it was a good idea or not. I mean, on the one hand, any present we could desire was in Santa's sack. On the other hand, all of those other kids wouldn't get their presents. It was a tough call." :) "some of those words want to be other words." - LP
"the concept that a happy worker is a productive worker is hardly an entry from Matt's Big Book Of Things The Fairies Said." - Dum |
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So I did a quick search on things that are similar to Heifer.org, and in the search turned up this post, which led me to this ratings page on Charity Navigator. Hrrm. I wonder if there are charities out there with a similar type of gift giving that do a better job of it than Heifer? |
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Matt Perkins (#46): On the other hand, all of those other kids wouldn't get their presents. It was a tough call." :) Well, at least you were charitable about it. :) Moat.
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Although I guess three out of four stars is okay. |
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That's an awesome site, Caryn. There are tales over here of Guide Dogs for the Blind having more money than they could possibly spend, because while the general public think guide doggies are soooooo cute omg in fact there's not that many blind people who need/can use them. But they don't tell anyone that. Moat.
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Well, I took the picture somewhere between 01 and 03. The mailbox was there since 93, easily. I replaced it in 06. It was time. |
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I always try to keep in mind that no charity is going to be perfectly efficient, though it is troubling that your donation might not actually go towards what you think it's going towards. 75% is pretty rough compared to something like Direct Relief International. Looks like there's a list of other similar charities at the bottom of that Heifer page, though. PATH seems to be one of the highest rated. If you can get people involved in the idea of the gift, it makes it a bit easier because then they can choose the charity to give to. Last year Google sent out gift cards for DonorsChoose as Christmas gifts(they seems well ranked). I thought it was a pretty cool idea because you make the call on what you donate towards. For example, say you want to help out a science class, so you search for someone who needs a microscope for their classroom. Lots of good charities out there, you just have to look around a bit. Lady, people aren't chocolates. But you know what they are, mostly? Bastards. Bastard-coated bastards with bastard filling.
Blog. 190 lbs. 10 to go. |
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Where's the mad scientist research charity on finishing the job of turning me into a cyborg mutate? |
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I suppose over a few years you could sort of wean people into it. Give them a share of something small one year plus a big gift, then a share of something larger plus a smaller gift...if they warm to it then you just shift it over to full-on charity gifts. That's a great idea, Jibble. Maybe I can try that this year. |
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I don't know how people do a full Thanksgiving meal with turkey, dressing, desserts, etc. Just finished my second pie, and I think I spent about 3 hours total between them. I guess that's what I get for relying on a combination of Alton Brown and Cooks Illustrated. The pumpkin pie smells gooooood, though... Lady, people aren't chocolates. But you know what they are, mostly? Bastards. Bastard-coated bastards with bastard filling.
Blog. 190 lbs. 10 to go. |
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THREE HOURS for pumpkin pie? What the fuck, Jibble? Seriously, that's way too long. In Wisconsin I used to make THE BEST pumpkin pie you ever had simply by getting some good sugar pumpkins from the local farms, cutting them, baking them, and then using them in my standard pie recipe. And there's hardly any work involved in that. Pumpkin pie simply shouldn't take you three hours, it's about the simplest pie you can make. |
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Although maybe the crust took up a large portion of that? I'm guessing you must have made a homemade crust. |
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Maybe he finished eating his second one in three hours. A fist bump? A pound? A terrorist fist jab?
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Jiblets. Sabrina Poirier, a student at Pensacola who withdrew in 1997, was disciplined for what is known on the campus as "optical intercourse" — staring too intently into the eyes of a member of the opposite sex. This is also referred to as "making eye babies."
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I made one pumpkin and one deep dish apple pie. Crusts took about 20-30 minutes including shaping. Pumpkin pie took about 30-40 minutes prep time, plus cooking time. The Cooks Illustrated recipe has a pretty long ingredient list (candied yams, pumpkin puree, grated ginger, maple syrup, and on and on) and involves pre-cooking the filling and passing it through a strainer to make sure it's smooth. My wife has taken to calling it "uppity pie", since we usually just make the canned pumpkin pie and call it a day. We'll see if it's worth the extra effort. Apple pie took the remaining time. Peeling, coring, and slicing five pounds of apples takes a little bit, then you cook them down to avoid having them shrink away from the crust during baking. Technically the recipe adds 30 minutes due to the cooling time for the shaped crust and the apples, so that's not really active prep time. I also included the cook time for both pies, so that pads the time a bit. Lady, people aren't chocolates. But you know what they are, mostly? Bastards. Bastard-coated bastards with bastard filling.
Blog. 190 lbs. 10 to go. |
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Yeah, I'll do it all but pie. Screw pie, it just takes too long. This year for our family diner I'm in charge of sweet potatoes and roast turkey, both done in a modified Alton Brown method. |
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I see now, Jibble. I have a hard time believing that the uppity pumpkin pie can beat a traditional pumpkin pie enough to be worth all that effort, so I'd like to hear how it turned out. |
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