SNL: Adele Saves Thanksgiving

Isn't it funny how the "difficult" family members at Thanksgiving dinner are almost universally accepted as being your conspiracy theory spewing Uncle Ned or your anti-gay Aunt Maude, or some other hard-right conservative relative? Oh sure, there may be the belligerent college kid, back from school, being negative and morose, but it's the crazy conservative trope that pops up the most. Small wonder. Bobby Moynihan's "Drunk Uncle" is based on a similar premise. Here, Adele saves the day.

WKRP in Cincinnati: "Turkeys Away!"

If you ask any fan or even casual viewer of WKRP in Cincinnati to name their favorite episodes, this one is certain to be in their top three. And if you're too young to remember the show, or never watched it? Settle in for 24 minutes, and enjoy.

Blogger Down!: Post-Thanksgiving Flu Strikes ye Editor

Well, not only has it been a holiday weekend (when I tend to barely blog at all), I've been down with the flu. Yes, kids, temperatures all the way to 102.8! Ain't that fun? Probably picked it up from a grocery cart or something. I've got to start grabbing those handi-wipes they've got there.

 

So, we'll see if any blogging gets done before Monday. Or even Tuesday! I'll try, but no promises. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, and didn't get trampled on Black Friday!

WKRP in Cincinnati: "Turkeys Away!"

If you never watched WKRP in Cincinnati, this is the first episode you should watch. And if you did? Watch it again! It's a Thanksgiving tradition! Have a great Thanksgiving everybody.

 

Blast from the Past: Over the River and Through the Woods. . .Thanksgiving Commercials!

Okay, this is an experiment that might just peter out before I can make a full-length post. I'm going to try to find some good ol' vintage Thanksgiving-themed commercials. The product is unimportant, and can range from Stovetop Stuffing to holiday specials or "very special episodes" of old TV shows. My goal is just to find 6-12 Thanksgivingy nostalgic nuggets for you to peruse. Let's see what happens!

1. Stovetop Stuffing (1980) - This one was obvious, and the first thing I thought of. It's an ongoing campaign running at least back to the 1970s: stuffing or potatoes? I don't think I've ever had a Thanksgiving without both! Still, this is a bit of a fail, because I couldn't find a vintage one specifically about Thanksgiving. Close, but no tom turkey. Moving on. . .

2. Butterball Turkey (1974) - This is better! Though Melissa Gilbert only mentions a "holiday," we're getting closer.
 

3. Cool Whip (1969) - Finally, we're  spot-on for the Thanksgiving holiday, and surely this one sparks some nostalgic memories for people out there old enough to remember!

4. Durkee French-fried Onions (1993) - Another one that is specifically Thanksgiving, and since we're four-clips deep, this topic is at least half-way viable! And I love these things, straight out of the bag. Nom-nom-nom.
 

5. MetLife Insurance (1989) - Charlie Brown and the Peanuts characters had a holiday special), and they also were hucksters for MetLife for many years (maybe still?).

6. Quaker Oats (1980s) - Wilford Brimley brings his folksy charm to oats. . .which really have little to do with Thanksgiving (or diabetes), other than that this is a Thanksgiving-themed ad!
 

 

7. Alka-Seltzer (1970s) - This one is for after Thanksgiving! I can't believe I at the whole thing!
 

And that will have to do it, because though this search might turn up some more fun memories, YouTube's search feature is terrible at sorting this subject out for some reason. Anyway, here's to a short work week (unless you're unlucky enough to work for a greedy retailer), and a very happy Thanksgiving!

Black Friday Becomes. . .Gray Thursday?

Can you believe it's Walking Dead time in the stores again?
Image from source, USAToday

I did "Black Friday" only once. It was a bust for me, because the stores I happened to be interested in really weren't doing much. Lowe's and Home Depot didn't have throngs, at least not the year I tried it. I'm more apt to try Cyber Monday or other online specials. But some people have turned Black Friday into part of their holiday traditions.

In an effort to capitalize on the demand, and make up for a "shortened" shopping season (due to Thanksgiving being so late in the month this year), big stores like Walmart are jumping the gun further than ever, moving the starts of their big shopping events into dinnertime, and even all the way to dawn, Thanksgiving morning. I get the impulse, but I think they're really potentially defusing their own manufactured tradition. By spreading it out, and bleeding over an especially cherished holiday, they're going to alienate some, make family pariahs of others, and cause confusion about where to go, when. I'm sure there will be some savvy shoppers linked up with cell phones and iPads, networking with friends and family, and scheduling an all-day, all-night blitz. But no way your average shopper is going to do that.

I think they've muddied the concept, and are shooting themselves in the foot.

[Excerpt]

Walmart to launch Black Friday sales earlier

As the holiday shopping season kicks off, Walmart is the latest major retailer to announce an even earlier launch to annual Black Friday weekend sales — beginning at dinnertime Thanksgiving evening. Following a slew of similar announcements from stores including Target, Best Buy and Macy's, Walmart said today that it will hold two major sales events at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Thursday evening, two hours earlier than last year. . .

Read more at: USA Today 

What Was It???

Was it Porn?... Guns?... Hookers?... Blow?... Oh yeah...

The Stupid Monkey would like to offer a heartfelt apology to our Dear Editor for the failed assignment...

On another note: I would like to congratulate my stupid monkey brain for finally remembering what it was I was supposed to do.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Back to Vegas

And back to work. My full-time job, my part-time job and my hobby job (this blog). Whew, that's a lot of work! Maybe I should've taken a little more time off? 

In any event, my arrival in Las Vegas tonight will be rather late, and work is rather early on Monday morning. So, unless I had an extraordinary stretch of time during my trip (I'm writing this before I've even left Vegas in the first place, how trippy is that? Hello, future me!), there won't be a Blast from the Past feature this week, and shoot, I might not even blog again until Monday night! So, please come back when I've gotten myself back together, and slogging on toward Christmas!

Reasons to be Thankful This Year!

Preach it, Rachel!

 

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

WKRP in Cincinnati, "Turkeys Away!"

If you ask any fan or even casual viewer of WKRP in Cincinnati to name their favorite episodes, this one is certain to be in their top three. And if you're too young to remember the show, or never watched it? Settle in for 24 minutes, and enjoy.

Back to Ohio, Day One

Assuming all went well, I will have landed just after this post appears on the blog. Today is the jet lag-heavy first day of the trip, after a night flight in from Las Vegas. No solid plans for the day either, just milling about with whichever family members have time for me. I may check in on the blog later, but don't known when or where yet. In the meantime, here's a classic Thanksgiving-themed video from my childhood: It's Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown!

Greenlee Gazette on Vacation

Since I'm leaving on the night flight to Ohio on Tuesday, the likelihood of me getting much blogging done before then is very low. I'm going to try to put a few things up tonight, maybe seed the blog with a few choice time-release nuggets, and call it a night. I'll be popping in when possible, and my good friend Rev. Stu' of Stupid Monkey Planet of Primatheism will descend from the canopy if he's able. So the place won't be dead or anything, but it will be lighter than usual.

Of course, Thanksgiving week is traditionally one of the deadest blogging weeks there is. Trust me, your other haunts will be drying to a trickle too. So thanks for dropping by, please come back when there's more going on around here. And bring your friends!

PS. To really liven the place up, click GreenleeGazette, and let it run for a few minutes!

Hat tip to Alexander at VoenixRising.com.

I'm Back!

A drawing of The Hulk by my nephew, Lux

I'm officially back from my Thanksgiving trip to Ohio. And therefore,

- I'm back home.
- I'm back to work.
- I'm back on my diet.
- I'm back to the gym.
- I'm back to blogging.

But that last one is almost as hard as some of the other things. I've got 200 emails to sift through for one. But one way or another, I'm going to get some posts up before morning. Meanwhile, let me thank Stupid Monkey Planet for his help while I was away. Be sure to join him over on Facebook.

Back soon!

Back to Ohio, Day Four: Back to Las Vegas

Trips home--in the age of unpaid vacations--generally mean an abbreviated stay. I try to incorporate a holiday, or a day that I'd be off anyway, along with a weekend. It used to be I could go for nine or more days, with a whole week off, both weekends, and maybe an extra day. But that much time can sometimes be too much. So, shortened trips can sometimes be a little more appropriate. But you know what? I hate going back to work 8 or 9 hours after I get home from a trip.




















I hope you've enjoyed the posts by Stupid Monkey Planet, my partner in crime. I'll be back blogging on Monday night, but don't expect too much. It might be Tuesday before I really feel up to it!

Back to Ohio, Day Three: My City Was Gone

No, my city's not gone. Actually, my city was Whitehall, and in that city, my high school is gone, or soon will be. Every single school in Whitehall is being torn down, and rebuilt on the same land, sometimes concurrently. I can't really believe that this is the best use of taxpayer money, and surely there will be a bond issue up for a vote in order to successfully open the schools, but all that is beside the point. My high school will very soon be rubble, and then less than that. I guess the gym and auditorium will remain, and be incorporated into the new school, which is something.

Back to Ohio, Day Two: The Aftermath

This is my second day in Ohio, the day after Thanksgiving. The first of four "cheat" days in my diet and exercise regimen, which has helped me shed 30 pounds in 2-1/2 months. Did I do any damage? Am I in a coma? Well, I'm not really sure, since I'm writing this before my departure! When I go away, I always do two things: I "seed" the blog with a few time-release posts. And, more importantly, I enlist the help of Stupid Monkey Planet, who livens things up around here considerably.

But given that this is a long, slow, food-coma weekend, both the Monkey and I are apt to only be around sporadically. Which is okay, because it is also a record low time for readers. So if you're here, what's wrong with you? There's cold turkey and mayonnaise in the fridge. You know you want to. . .

And now, some Thanksgiving weirdness, from Roseanne. . .

hApPyTurKEydAy!

click image, make BIG

Some questions Mad Magazine suggests asking the Butterball Turkey Hotline.

Enjoy...

Blast from the Past: WKRP's "Turkeys Away"

WKRP in Cincinnatti was one of those TV shows that seemed to be hated by its home network, while it was loved by viewers. But CBS moved it around so often, it finally succumbed after four seasons. It was revived after a nostalgia wave hit, but it wasn't the same. Probably no other episode of WKRP stands out in our memories quite as much as Turkeys Away. It's a classic. And it's still funny, even if they did change the music to generic crap. Thanks, ASCAP. Anyway, enjoy!

Weekend Update: Turkey Coma

I'm presently having one of the lightest number of blog posts runs in a while. I guess I'm just not feeling it. Thanksgiving time is one of the worst times for finding interesting things to blog about, but to be honest, I'm not looking very hard. I'll likely be back later in the day, and for sure on Sunday. But for now? Still shaking off the sleepies from my turkey coma. Have a great day, everybody.

Happy Monday, Happy Shopping

The long holiday weekend presents problems for bloggers like me. There is something of a news vacuum, and finding interesting stories to relate can be difficult. Many bloggers took the opportunity as a vacation from blogging, and believe me, I get that! But I found the habit more difficult to break.

Still, I haven't got much to put up for today yet, and I'm off to work after a few hours sleep. But you're probably not reading this anyway, given that it's "Cyber Monday," and you're probably all shopping (maybe while at work? Tsk! Tsk!). I'll try to resist that temptation, though I did just buy a few things for the family before turning in.

I'll be back this evening, but please take a look at the posts from this weekend. They're varied and unusual in some cases, plus they were a lot of work! Enjoy, and thanks for reading.