This Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday – let’s make our dollars count. We’re asking Americans to hit pause on shopping from major corporations.
JOIN US ON NOV. 27TH – DEC. 1ST, 2025
Target
Target has rolled back their DEI initiatives, which included ending programs that help Black employees advance, cutting financial support for Black-Owned businesses, and removing LGBTQ+ products from their stores.
Amazon
Amazon holds a monopolistic position in the market, contributes to dangerous working conditions for its employees and drivers, and CEO Jeff Bezos has donated over $1 million to this administration.
Home Depot
Home Depot is allowing ICE agents to illegally detain and kidnap laborers from their stores. The laborers in our communities are not able to look for work safely.
How to Participate
Full Black Out: Don’t buy anything from Target, Amazon or Home Depot stores during this week. Use the time and money to connect with those you love, and rediscover what matters.
Redirect Spending: Skip the companies undermining democracy. Shop small, local, or with businesses affirming our humanity.
Join the Movement: Pledge to be a conscious consumer.
Amplify: Spread the word. Share the message in conversation and online.
No reason but whimsical demons to call this Fried-day.
It is Black Fried-day, though. Hearing shoppers declare themselves fried or exhausted today after a day of shopping would be about a one on the surprise scale that ends in ten on the high end.
Today is 11/25/2022. My friendsgiving (never sure if I should capitalize that word) was comfortable and satisfying. Smaller than planned, just twelve, but excellent conversation and a spread of food worthy of a feast. Hope you had a similarly rewarding day yesterday. Let’s do it again today.
Many will be doing it again today, because leftovers. More need not be said except I hope no one wastes food and that some is shared with the less fortunate. No one should be going hungry if we were socialized and organized right. There is more to say about it all, but it’s all been said.
Beautiful weather graced us yesterday but Gloomy Gus has taken Fried-day. Sun had a moment about an hour after its 7:13 AM rise but then Gus sprayed gray over the shine. Whether Gus will have his way with the sun until daylight’s departure at 1642 is open for betting. Currently between 3 and 4 C, a high of 55 F is possible. As always with the weather, politics, and the economy, we shall see.
Black Fried-Day has The Neurons circulating “D’You Know What I Mean?” by Oasis, 1997. This came about from listening to small knots of conversation and overhearing someone in each knot at least once rhetorically flourish, “Do you know what I mean?” Cogitating as part of the greater reflection process done later, that aspect amused me, along with hearing, “litte tiny” mentioned and “I was thinking to myself”. Those phrases always make The Neurons giggle, so they brought up the song. There were other songs with similar titles heard in the mental music stream for a bit but this one won the morning portion.
Stay pos and test neg. Enjoy your Fried-day as much as I enjoy this cuppa coffee which is about to meet my lips. Gotta go read a book, a highly entertaining tome called “Network Effect” by Martha Wells. Due back at the library tomorrow. Here’s the tune. Stay chilled.
All the leaves aren’t brown, and the sky’s not gray. Mr. Blue Sky and Ms. Sunshine have taken over again. Although temperatures threaten the gonads with freezing when out at night, the midnight views of moon, stars, planets, and galaxies have been clear and spectacular.
It’s 39 F out and rising since the sun brokered daybreak at 7:04 this morning. The gusting ways have finished for the moment. Leaves in all shades of reds and maroons, scarlets and plums, bronze and brown, lemon and gold, along with green variations, still hang in the trees. None have fallen to the ground in my neighborhood yet. I’m certain that past Octobers and Novembers found me raking leaves or planning to rake leaves as they migrate to the yard and driveway and cover the walk. Hasn’t happened yet this year. Yet. Always add the yet.
Yesterday afternoon after the wind closed up found us luxurious in sun-warmed sixty-degree (F) air. Won’t be as high today, the weather seers (weaers in professional terminology) boom on TV. Highs in our nugget of valley will be 52 F. The door closes on sunlight with the setting at 4:48 PM.
Met with my beer buddies last night. Elements of two local HS robotics teams — two teams, one school — met with us to introduce themselves, thank us for past donations, and show us their latest machines and what the competitive objectives are this year. Always fascinating to meet these young, intelligent, enthusiastic people. We’re happy to support them and made a $500 donation to their cause.
The Neurons have a Lizzo song in my morning mental music stream. Friend Jill commented that she doesn’t listen to the radio and doesn’t like much modern music. I heard “About Damn Time” yesterday, a song which came out this year, and wondered if Jill would like it. Its melody sounds like something out of the 1972 R&B era to my untutored old ears, so I thought that would appeal to Jill. A closer listening of the lyrics caused a re-appraisal of my position that Jill might like this song.
Didn’t matter. The Neurons had a hold of it and kept it going in the MMMS (trademark pending). So I offer it as Thursday’s theme music. It is a catchy, upbeat tune, so I don’t blame The Neurons.
This is Thursday, ya know, November 17, 2022. One week from today is Thanksgiving in the U.S. Time to start getting ready. Meanwhile, Black Friday will be the day after T-day, although many business entities declared that they’re starting Black Friday early. Cause, you know, it’s the American way to make things bigger and bigger and bigger until everyone says, “Too much. Please stop.” But as this involves money, shopping, and savings — and don’t you deserve a new car, truck, furniture, clothing or game? — this is gonna take some time to reach its saturation level and we all numb out. I think Black Friday started the week after Halloween this year.
Okay, on to Lizzo. Here’s the song. Hope you enjoy it. Stay positive and test negative. Get vaxxes as you can, and I’ll get some coffee, along with a slice of banana nut bread which a friend dropped off yesterday. Vax day is tomorrow for me and my spouse. Hope you have a tremendous Thursday.
Inhabitants of Earth, rock on! Rock on! And just like that, David Essex and his song of 1973, “Rock On”, plays in the morning mental music stream.
Hi there. Today is Thursday, November 18, 2021. Many folks are excited because Black Friday is upon us. Once a casual phenomena focused on one day of the year — the day after Thanksgiving as a day dedicated for gift shopping — Black Friday is acquiring mythic status among shoppers and retailers. I saw a banner from some large company that declares that Black Friday begins tomorrow, November 19. I know from the past that Black Friday sales are often extended to the following week, and that Black Friday sales often include the Saturday and Sunday after Friday. In other words, Black Friday is almost a new month in U.S. culture.
Despite growing BF hype, the sun came at 7:06 AM and will be out of my area at 4:48 PM. It’s windy again as weather fronts continue their quest to rule the weather. Temps are up to 56 F after dropping to 36 F during the night. It’s cloudy but rain probably isn’t part of Thursday’s plan.
Besides David Essex swimming through the music stream, I have Florence + the Machine playing “Shake it Out” from 2011. The latter came from thinking about dreams. As I did, the lyrics, “I like to keep my issues drawn, but it’s always darkest before the dawn,” came through. Then came the rest of the song. It’s Florence’s voice, though, that really holds me. It’s also a song about rebirth. Rebirth is a big facet of my life philosophy. *cliché alert* Every day is a new one, another chance to begin again, to be reborn in some way. Doesn’t always work but doesn’t thwart me from trying.
Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and get the vax and booster when you can. Here’s the music. I’ve already got coffee, so I’m good to go. Cheers
Seeing this, you ponder the supply chain. And location: China. Do they celebrate Christmas? I don’t believe so, except in Western homes — especially the United States — or places where profits are celebrated.
The time of year of the headline is digested: autumn has just begun. Christmas is three months away. But we know that we’ll soon see Christmas displays emerging at retail sites. Carols and festive music will rock out on radios and public announcement systems before Halloween. We’ll begin hearing about the latest must-have technology, games, and amazing stocking stuffers. Debates will re-emerge about Black Friday and its impact on Thanksgiving and families. The Elf will return to the shelf. And the car deals! Why, there’s never been anything else like it!
It’ll be a FordMercedesBenzBMWChevroletDodgeToyotaKiaVolkswagenJeep Christmas to remember, I’ll bet.
Black Friday began a few weeks ago. I received word on a Tuesday when a mailer arrived announcing that every Friday was Black Friday was Black Friday. Others didn’t start Black Friday until Wednesday or Thursday, but many vowed to continue it until January 1, with one chain declaring that every day is Black Friday.
For some reason, all this Black Friday chatter delivered Steely Dan performing “Black Friday” (1975) to my theme song stream. Steely Dan’s version of the day is much different than the buying extravaganza of this year. Steely Dan’s song relates more to the Black Fridays of financial and social collapse.
You’re not going to believe it, Michael, she said. I went shopping on Black Friday, last night. I never go shopping on Black Friday. I did this year.
I just wanted a “Wonder Woman” DVD. I love “Wonder Woman.” I’ve seen it twice. When I like a movie, though, I like watching the same ones over and over again. I don’t know why. I have this huge DVD collection. I wanted “Wonder Woman.” Walmart had it on sale for five dollars. Five dollars. My girlfriend was going to Walmart. I didn’t want to go. Just get me the “Wonder Woman” DVD, I said. No, she said. Come on, she said. Come with me. I finally gave in. Okay. I didn’t want to go. I didn’t need anything. But I went.
I got in the store, and I got my DVD. Five dollars. But, OMG, there were so many nice things there. I didn’t need anything, but I saw these things, and the prices were so good.
Still, I didn’t need them. I didn’t want them. But everyone was so nice. They were so sweet and polite. So I stayed, and walked around the store.
And then, I came face to face with my dream camera. Digital SLR. I’d been thinking about this camera for three years. Three years. But it’s five hundred dollars.
Well. The one on display had two extra lenses, and an extra card. Four hundred fifty dollars.
I didn’t want to buy it, but my girlfriend was like, you should totally buy it, you never buy yourself anything, you deserve it, you’ve been wanting it for three years.
So I picked it up and got in line. I thought, I can think it over while I’m in line, go over my budget, and think about it all, so it wasn’t an impulse.
Yes, I bought it. I spent a lot more than five dollars.
This is it in America. Finally, a world-shaking significant event has taken place:
Thanksgiving…has arrived.
Others will scoff. I scoff at the scoffers. Go ahead and scoff back at me scoffing at you for scoffing. You want a scoff off?
Let’s scoff.
But Thanksgiving happens every year, doubters say.
Oh, you doubters, I scoff. Yes, Thanksgiving happens every year, which is a large part of its importance. It’s one of the big holiday anchors in America, the others being Christmas, the Super Bowl, and the Academy Awards. Their annual occurrence don’t make them any less special and amazing anew every year. Thanksgiving is especially important for America because the holiday season that commences on the Black Friday the day after T-Day is economically critical for America’s commerce and pop-culture. The only thing not going on sale in this period is healthcare. I’m sure they’ll get around to it. Without Thanksgiving and Black Friday, they wouldn’t be Christmas, and then that damn music that’s been playing in stores since early October would go and on and on, like that damn pink Energizer bunny.
So you need a theme song that will carry you as you sit down with relatives and play twenty questions to catch up, confront a spread of food and gorge on dessert, or rush out the door to shop. Something to hum to yourself to gird your courage for these gritty, daunting moments.
Michael Seidel, writer 