Christmas music and cats and dogs

Christmas music. Some stations start playing only Christmas music beginning in the middle of November. As far as I'm concerned, that's insane. Like nuttier than squirrel turds insane. What program director in his/her right mind thinks that's a wise decision? I mean, I know I refuse to even tune to a channel on the radio if it's before the middle of December and the channel plays even 50% Christmas music. There have to be more people like me, people who want to actually hear REAL music most of the time. If I was in marketing or advertising for a company, there's no way I'd advertise on a radio station that played only Christmas music for a full month and a half, at least during that month and a half. How can these radio stations still turn a profit? Seriously, a MONTH AND A HALF.

There is no holiday season that should last so long that Aunt Flo can show up twice during the celebration. How can Christmas season last longer than the lunar cycle? Maybe it's payback to all the non-Christians who get the day off, even though they don't -- at least in the Biblical sense -- celebrate Christmas. I'm all for paid holidays, so the standard two days off for Christmas is nice, but at the expense of "Christmas spirit" for a full month and a half? And at the same time, giving everyone, even those who bitch incessantly about it, a free couple paid days off? I'd rather everyone in the country just be given September 11 off as a national holiday and a floating day that you could use at Christmas time if you wanted. Wouldn't that be a kick in the pants to non-Christians? Suddenly not getting a long weekend at the end of the year? I suppose it's no more of a kick in the pants than now, having no national holidays to observe whatever it may be that they do or do not worship. But whatever. They'd still be pissed. Either way, it won't happen.

Seriously, if this country is going to continue down this path of being "PC", then isn't it time that the Christmas holiday be demoted from being a national holiday? There's plenty of people, not only in the U.S.A., but in the whole world, who get a "free day" because this country has gone so overboard with Christmas. I'm just saying.

Christmas is great. But it's only one day. Not 45. Someone please send out a memo. Would it surprise anyone to find out that they've been playing Christmas music here at work for the past couple of weeks? No? Didn't think so.

So after that observation-turned-rant, where is there to go? To the sports world? To drunken debauchery? To (regular) music? Weather, perhaps? No, I think we're in the mood for animal talk.

Cats or dogs? The debate rages on. Some people like dogs, some like cats, some like both. Some people just hate cats in general. Probably, they've never been around a "nice" cat. I enjoy being around both cats and dogs.

There is something to be said for walking in your front door to be greeted by a dog that's bouncing off the walls. For some reason, dogs seem to behave like it's the first time they've ever seen you every time they see you. That level of excitement is nice to a certain extent. When you're sitting in the living room watching television and the dog sees another dog being walked outside on the sidewalk and lets out an abrupt, loud bark, the excitement isn't so welcome anymore.

On the flip side, cats can have a variety of different behaviors when you walk in the door. Some cats are just always timid, and are always hiding somewhere when they hear the front door. Others seem rather annoyed that you're been away from home. Still others come "show the love", as they've been lonely since you left. Some of them are pick-up kitties, and others are, at most, lap cats. Much differently than dogs, they don't really get excited when someone "new" comes in the front door if someone's already home.

They both beg for human food. Cats don't need to be walked, but then sometimes that's a disadvantage. Cats also don't need to be taken out to go number 1 or number 2, but dogs can actually be taught to obey. Certain breeds of dogs are extremely ugly to me, while the same is not true for cats.

But I guess it really boils down to what you want, a pussy or a bitch.

Take it easy.