The annual bleg
Remember when, things were different then? Lo, these many years ago, when there was a season I looked forward to all year. Alas, decades of deregulation and tax cuts threw our economy into the shitter and left the national savings account badly overdrawn. I was a victim, no recession has ever hit me like this. In no time I went from comfortable to trying to survive on a 12 dollar an hour job with no viable path to a living wage. It basically turned Christmas into another bill I couldn’t afford. Fortunately, I have some really kind readers who changed that when they pitched a few bucks into this week’s annual bleg.
I am technically poor (Wow, it’s weird to actually write that), at least for now, and readers here aren’t exactly collecting dancing horses. But enough has already come that I was able to get afford a groupon for a great deal on a tablet! Now, obviously it’s not an iPad, or even a super expensive device with every feature, but I like the model and needed one bad. I’ll post more details when it arrives.
The thing is, I underestimated how it would hit me emotionally … Maybe it’s the consumer stimulus vs reward drilled into me over the years by a commercial culture, like a hamster nosing that button for fix, or more likely the effect of any luxury on someone who has gone without for a bit. But just that one act of shopping, playing with various devices, and then ordering something nice for myself after so long made me feel the holiday spirit more than I have in three years. All morning I’ve felt excited, like I used to around Christmas — can’t wait to play with it! I’m even scheming how to stretch my modest year-end bonus and surprise some people in my life with something thoughtful. That mental vacation is all because of you guys, and I just wanted you to know how much better you made me feel.
5 comments
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Johnny Vector
December 4, 2012 at 7:50 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Yay! Merry Christmas, man!
Oh shit, that’s gonna get me kicked out of the People’s Front for the Elimination of Christmas, isn’t it?
Tigger_the_Wing
December 5, 2012 at 12:51 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
*Aims a kick*
Oops, sorry wrong group. We’re the Christmas Elimination People’s Front.
Merry, merry Christmas and every other holiday ever, Stephen!
StevoR
December 5, 2012 at 7:43 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Wish you have a Happy Xmas – Solstice /Saturnalia / Sol Invictus and a merry New Year! :-)
fastlane
December 6, 2012 at 2:12 pm (UTC -6) Link to this comment
Happy Monkey and Merry Squidmas!
bradleybetts
December 13, 2012 at 9:08 am (UTC -6) Link to this comment
@Tigger_The_Wing
Splitter!
:)
Hey, Mr. Darksyde, Merry Christmas!