So, what do you do for a living?

I want to give a shout out to everyone who works for a living. Not that being independently wealthy is a bad thing.. I wish more of us could claim that as our occupation. It's just that, this weekend, in the United States, we have a holiday that commemorates the value of work and workers.

To be honest, most holidays in the United States end up being "just" a day off. Labor Day, for example, is generally recognized as the "official" end of summer. It has little, if anything (in the "popular consciousness") to do with the labor reforms that inspired the holiday. Likewise, it's bookend Memorial Day, is generally considered to be the "official" beginning of summer. It has been so sanitized it does not cause us to reflect on the horrors of war, or those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Memorial Day started out as a day to remember just that: the ultimate sacrifice that Union soldiers made in the U.S. Civil War, and eventually evolved into a day to commemorate all of our military's fallen. Today, it is a sham.

It  ****ing **sses me off. We are now the land of the needy, and the home of the knave. America is damned.

Blogs tend to write themselves. Although I work very hard at producing a quality piece of text, the actual subject matter is often outside of my control. I have a theme I've been wanting to write on for a few blogs, for example, but other more important topics keep on popping up. So, the blog I really want to write keeps on getting pushed back.

But... to be real: holidays. In the grand scheme of things, most of them have nothing to do with what they were intended to be. And some of them, ... I just don't get.

For those who are unaware of the holidays celebrated in the United States, here's my rundown-

January 1 is New Year's Day. This one is a bit odd as it actually spans two years. In any event, for those who celebrate it, it is generally a "party" holiday, with much noise, drinking, dancing and occasional debauchery.

MLK Day (Martin Luther King Day) is officially observed on the third Monday of January. How many of us know that King was a Reverend? A Christian? Listen to his most famous speech, and share his dream. I Have A Dream  LISTEN TO IT.


February 14th is Valentine's Day. This is supposed to be a romantic holiday- it's origins go back to the guy who was supposedly was the 1st Christian martyr. Not exactly romantic.

March and April- not big for holidays in the U.S.

Nothing else happens until the 4th of July.  Independence Day- a grand old time. Probably the only time the holiday gets its true due.

Easter, Halloween Thanksgiving and Christmas:  religious holidays that have lost their meaning.

I think I've covered most everything. Happy holidays. 

As always, I am hochspeyer, blogging data analysis and management so you don't have to.