So a month or so ago, they instituted this new policy at my office that forbade all music. Even if you were sitting, like I do, in your very own seperate office, you were not allowed to play music.

The office manager, a completely seperate person from my boss, decided that some of the people in the office (the one's she oversees) were allowed to play Holiday music.

So I called my boss, and told him of this development. And told him that MY relgious observations require me to listen to the Chemical Brothers, and would I be able to play them, or would I have to call the ACLU.

Saturate is playing right now.

R O T F L

Oh Stash, how I love thee.

Fuck, man, we need to hang out again soon. Maybe we can each take a hand in torturing those responsible for making your office environment torture?

Playing the race card eh? :roll:

'Pooter my droog, due to my circumstances I do not get to travel as much as I would like, but mi casa es su casa, any time you want.

And nah Iggy, I was playin' the First Amendment card... it's this quaint old thing we got here in the U.S., and has the nearly unique distinction of being, probably, the only thing we have that's better than what you can get in the U.K.

nicely done stash

I've heard about this amendment thing. Free speech or something? Except that everytime I'm online I see just the opposite going on in your country. It's run by a bunch of total bastards, and I know we're next as we seem to follow all the mistake the USA makes, 10 years behind, like the obesity epidemic.

Aye, 'tis true Iggy.

After September of 2001, everyone freaked out; but it's just one of the contributing factors to the state of the nation here. People are confused between the freedom of speech and issues like security, obscenity, and religion. I was really happy to hear that Stash's boss was all for the prospect of music for all instead of just for Christians. It gives me hope.

What doesn't give me hope is instances such as a recent case where a man from Ohio was arrested for writing in an internet forum, like this one, that he wished the Columbine shooters had succeeded because it would stop the teachers from whining, or something to that effect. He obviously wasn't happy about teachers complaining about their salaries or working conditions.

The town's police chief defended the arrest, and was quoted in saying, "You can't say the word "bomb" at the airport, and this should be no different."

It is, indeed, confusing, but an internet forum should be treated no differently than a bar or your home, even. It's understandable that you shouldn't joke around about security threats in an area which is intended to be wholly secure, e.g. an airport or the White House. But to refrain from writing something on the net because you're afraid is a condition of a police state, not a free one.

Sorry to rant. I do love this country for all of its follies, and one of the reasons is because, for the most part, us deviant little buggers can get away listening to anything we want and saying the things we like.

I despise Christmas music with a passion. I really, really do. I'm a right bah-humbug kind of person around the holidays. Just ask 'stash. Chock it up to years in retail, being stressed out always this time of year, being in choir for 2 years in high school and being forced to sing bad carols, crummy holidays at home growing up or whatever - but hearing Christmas music honestly and truly makes me sick to my stomach. I don't mind festive pagan rooted traditions like Christmas trees and all of that, nor do I mind nativity scenes and other such cult-like things. I'm not offended by that, if anything the decorations and festivities are fun even for us heathens. And it's fun for the kids because that's what Christmas should be about - for the kids and giving to the kids and teaching them to give and accept graciously and have fun doing it. The food and candy and baked goods (as long as it's not fruit cake) is very nice indeed. But Christmas music, I don't want to fuckin' hear it. Shoppers don't like it, and god knows the poor sales people that are forced to listen to the same loops of Christmas jingles over and over for 9 hours a day don't like it either.

The only tolerable Christmas music I can stand is the Southpark Christmas. Because, you know, it's hard to be a jew on Christmas. And it's Christmastime in hell, too you know.

Christmas music has no place in an office. I'm sorry but it doesn't. None. Forcing people to listen to Christmas music in an office is lame. It's as lame as forcing shoppers to listen to it at the mall.

I'm pms'ing. Where's my fucking Christmas chocolate.

Ha Whirly! I am a grinch when it comes to Christmas music myself, it makes me angry, infuriated. But I guess it wouldn't be Christmas in NY without my annual festive rage at the music, tourists, snow, cold, tourists, fanny pack-packing tourists, bad gifts, awkward conversations with family, nosy questions, touri...

Well played, sir..... well played :)

Simply brilliant.

hehehe apostle - I have to admit I love NYC at Christmas time. I spent 2 Christmases there many years ago they were some of the best holidays I had. But that's from the outside looking in. I imagine for you having to live there and deal with all the tourists on a constant basis really grinds you down. Man, I feel your pain... :(

One good thing about Christmas is it's me and stash's anniversary comin' up! And I have xanax!!

thank god i don't work in retail anymore three months of non stop xmas music all day every day at work, chrsitmas music playing in october ain't right

Ok, best thing I've ever heard. I might say that a lot, but that really is incredibly awesome.

And as for the irritation of x-mas (I very rarely use it's long spelling - I'm not religious, so why use it's religious name?), after 19 years, it's kinda gotten annoying. My poor dad, for the past four years, had to write the local bank an x-mas jingle for their radio spot. Drove both of us mad by the end of it all. Anyway, this year we decided to shove a pencil up tradition's nose and put up what we like to call... the x-mas lamp. It's really just a 7-foot torch lamp with blinking, flashing lights draped on it with a black light bulb on the tip-top. It sates the inner raver in me. I plan to get some laser projectors next year. What's perfect is that this fits rather well into the - ahem - religious observations of listening to the Chemical Brothers. This house is nothing but speakers, I swear.

Xmas for me has gotten to the point where I just don't care for it anymore. Having to spend a day with a bunch of family members is gruesome; I'm surprised I haven't shot myself in the head yet, I swear. At this point, Xmas is nothing but an excuse to get free things that would normally cost me an arm and a leg.

The tradition of Xmas needs to be thrown in the trash and a new way of celebrating the holiday should be in order. If you've got some creative ideas throw some out onto this thread! I'd love to hear some feedback on how I (or all of us) could celebrate Xmas differently next year.

If your idea involves lasers, then I like it already. :)

I got married on Christmas day. It seemed like a great day to get married at the time, haha. We thought (at the time) "Great, now we have an excuse to have Christmas to ourselves and our families will completely understand!!"

hehehe, how silly and young we were.

I grew up in one of those weird Jewish families that wasn't very religious AT ALL, and somehow some way down the line, my parents gave in and we glumly went through the motions of Christmas which were feigned and showy (probably because my dad had work parties at our house and had to show off, I don't know, the whole experience growing up was rather glum and painful).

stash's family are rather close. The ones they aren't close to, they tolerate (probably because it makes for a good story at the end of the day). But even though it was me and stash's anniversary, we still got caught up in the family shuffle on Christmas day going from my family to his mom's and then his dad and stepmom's. It was more exhausting than anything.

Once our son was born, that was pretty much it. Christmas is a done deal spent with family, no way to get out of it. The good thing is, we are now in the position to choose to have Christmas at our house. If the family wants to see our son open up gifts and stuff (because after he gets all his toys he doesn't want to leave home), they can come to us and we have the meal and all that good stuff here at home. And we get to choose who we want to have over, and really - it's not so bad. Once the day arrives and my son's head is exploding with excitement over his holiday loot, I like to see that excitement in my son. It's all good.

This year we're celebrating Christmas Eve at my house, rather than doing the thang on Christmas Day.

@ madpooter, saying bomb at an airport....I used to work at an airport and there were days (well, nights) where we worked out how easy it could be to get away with putting a bomb on a plane. mind you most of the guys working there did stupid enough shit that I till don't know ow tjey were hired on.