Another year over, A new one just begun

Happy New Year from The Center of NJ

The Need Season- 2008

(This is an update of a post I did a few years ago. It seems appropriate to re-run it now. -Sharon GR)

I ran into a neighbor in the grocery recently. She asked, "Thanksgiving shopping?" and commented about how it was better to get this all out of the way now because the stores are packed close to the holiday. I agreed; yes, I was shopping for Thanksgiving, but not for me. I met her in the canned veggies isle. I was stocking up for donations.

Now, we all know times are tough. Gas and oil prices shot way up, the economy tanked and jobs were lost left and right. But somehow, my "tough times" rarely include making a decision of whether to feed my kids or pay the heat bill, which means it ain't so tough for me after all. If I can afford high-speed internet to sit here and talk to you nice people, I can certainly afford to buy extra cans of food for the local food bank. There are kids whose parents do have to make that decision, and they need a bit of help. More this year than ever, even.

It's also good for my kids to help us do this. I ask them to carry the bags in, put cans in the donation boxes, and stock the shelves at the food pantry. I want them to grow up knowing that helping others is a regular part of life. So, the food banks get cans of soup and beans, and I get a nice little parenting moment out of it. We're both winners there.

New Jersey is the best state in the Union. By far. We are one of the richest, most educated groups of people ever assembled. We should also be one of the most generous.

So, I've got a few cans and jars of food in the car to take to the library's food drive. I'm realizing that I need to buy a couple more. Or, more accurately, that someone else needs me to.

"It's the difference between thinking of oneself as an accumulator of objects and material wealth, and imagining oneself as part of the fabric of problems and solutions." - Tata from Poor Impulse Control.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Happy Veterans Day

Happy Homecoming for Marine Reservists

A Day to Honor Local Veterans

Never let us forget that the only reason we are the land of the free is that we are the home of the brave.

Thank you.

Here's wishing everyone comes home safe, sound, and soon.

Laughing into the New Year

It was a year that strode boldly into the stall of human events and took a wide stance astride the porcelain bowl of history.

It was year in which roughly 17,000 leading presidential contenders, plus of course Dennis Kucinich, held roughly 63,000 debates, during which they spewed out roughly 153 trillion words; and yet the only truly memorable phrase emitted in any political context was "Don't tase me, Bro!''

It was a year filled with bizarre, insane, destructive behavior, an alarming amount of which involved astronauts.

Dave Barry's 2007 Year in Review.

Let Heaven and Nature Sing

Happy Holidays from the Center of NJ.

Looking for Raging Rudolph?

If you type "Raging Rudolph" into Google, this post comes up as the seventh result, so we've had a lot of visitors coming by looking for the Space Bass holiday adult classic. Welcome!

Space Bass has put several of his holiday films, including Raging Rudolph and The Reinfather, onto DVD and is offering them up on his web site. Looking for a last minute gift? Here ya go.

The Need Season- 2007 edition

(This is an update of a post I did two years ago. It seems appropriate to re-run it now. -Sharon GR)

I ran into a neighbor in the grocery yesterday. She asked, "Thanksgiving shopping?" and commented about how it was better to get this all out of the way this week because the stores are packed next week. I agreed; yes, I was shopping for Thanksgiving, but not for me. I met her in the canned veggies isle. I was stocking up for donations.

Now, we all know times are tough. Gas and oil prices shot way up this year, and pay raises were a lot harder to come by. But somehow, my "tough times" rarely include making a decision of whether to feed my kids or pay the electric bill, which means it ain't so tough for me after all. If I can afford high-speed internet to sit here and talk to you nice people, I can certainly afford to buy extra cans of food and some more books for the church and school holiday drives. There are kids whose parents do have to make that decision, and they need a bit of help.

It's also good for my kids to help us do this. I ask them to carry the bags in, put cans in the donation boxes, and stock the shelves at the food pantry. I want them to grow up knowing that helping others is a regular part of life. So, the food banks get cans of soup and beans, and I get a nice little parenting moment out of it. We're both winners there.

New Jersey is the best state in the Union. By far. We are one of the richest, most educated groups of people ever assembled. We should also be one of the most generous.

So, I've got a couple of bags of food in the car to take to the church donation drive. I'm realizing that I need to buy a couple more. Or, more accurately, that someone else needs me to.

"It's the difference between thinking of oneself as an accumulator of objects and material wealth, and imagining oneself as part of the fabric of problems and solutions." - Tata from Poor Impulse Control.

Arr!

Ahoy, mateys! It's International Talk Like A Pirate Day.

Avast, if ye need some help, there be a book fer ya:

Happy New Year from the Center of NJ

(This is a repeat of last year's post. I'm up to my eyeballs in busy and I don't have time to reword it- the sentiment is still the same. Happy to you and yours, -Sharon GR)

New Year's Eve is my holiday.

Let me explain.

For years, I was no fan of Christmas. I didn't have a Hallmark Holiday to look forward to; it was more of a tense thing we all did at a certain time of year. There are some traditions I would cling to fiercely, but at the same time it just felt like something we had to do. I kind of wished we could chuck the whole thing.

But, after tolerating family and obligations throughout Christmas, New Year's Eve was the reward. You get to have parties with friends- people you want to be with, not have to. That's the holiday I'd look forward to every year, the one I enjoyed. It was mine, not the obligation's.

My husband, on the other hand, did not follow my Scrooginess. He is a big kid at Christmas, still in love with the wonder and awe of the whole thing. After we became a family I stopped dreading it so much, and now with the children I enjoy the holiday as much as anyone. But there's still that part of my brain that has this attachment to New Year's Eve, and won't let it go.

Our New Year's celebration will be filled with a little bit of family but a lot of friends. These are the friends who are like family now; the ones we have chosen. This holiday has no hidden meaning, no religious significance, no national commemoration. It's about the friends, happy endings and new beginnings; what could be better than that?

Happy New Year to you and yours. I hope your endings are happy and your beginnings fresh and bright.

Happy Hollidays

The Center of NJ Life wishes you a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, Peaceful Kwanzaa, hope it was a Cool Solstice, Happy Hanukkah, and a good everything else.

Be Merry and Bright!

24-hour Christmas Show

Jon Solomon will do his annual Christmas Radio Show on WPRB 103.3FM starting 6PM on Dec 24th until 6PM Dec. 25th. No, that's not a typo- I really mean ith his 24-hour show.

This year will mark the 19th edition of the show, which is known regionally, nationally and internationally for its mix of rare, strange and confounding records that are directly or vaguely holiday-related. Mr. Solomon doesn't discriminate — well, not too much. Songs good, bad and bizarre make the playlist, as long as they're about Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year's or the winter months.

Have fun!

Raging Rudolph

A holiday classic. Not for the family.



Does my nose amuse you? Is it funny, like a clown?