What do you get when you hand pick musicians from Red Hot Chili Peppers, Incubus, No Doubt, Cibo Matto, Beck, Buckcherry, Garbage, Soul Coughing, Sean Lennon, then add several drummers who represent the likes of Dr. Dre and Alanis Morrissette and tell them to make a record? You get Action Figure Party, and it rocks. Big time. It rocks my socks off and you too will be sockless once you pick up this pristine example of jazz-fusion-funk-rock-hippityhop.
You can either buy it new, or buy it used for as little as a penny plus S&H like I did. That’s right, for a whopping grand total of two bucks and change, I am the proud new owner of a like-new Action Figure Party disc. It rocks. Buy it soon. Go without your daily latte tomorrow and buy it. Don’t get that value meal super-sized and buy it. Walk to work for a couple days and buy it. Donate plasma and buy it. Just find a way to buy it.
Stolen excerpt from Mary Hunt’s Everyday Cheapskate Blog, which touches on a very touchy subject this time of year, and I thought she addressed it as well as anyone I’ve heard:
“Every year about this time I get a dozen or so, shall we say, “emotionally packed,” messages from people wanting to take me to task for referring to Christmas as “Xmas.” This year is no different. Already I’ve received more than my share of angry messages given the few times I have actually made this reference in print.
Even though my first reaction is to be irritated, I try to respond to each in a calm and collected manner. However, this year I have decided in the interest of time (I don’t have a lot extra), to make one collective response in advance, right here. Then I will post this in a visible spot and simply refer angry writers to it.
To quibble about the abbreviation “Xmas” is to me silly if not ridiculous. It’s a short cut, a quick way to type or write a long word. I abbreviate all the time and if my mind is really racing I even abbreviate abbreviations. It’s not unusual for my mind to race faster than my fingers can keep up.
I often use the @ symbol in place of the word “at.” In fact I’ve been known to reach for the ampersand (&) in favor of a three-stroke word, “and.” I often use my initials “mh” to close a quick email to a friend.
(I wish there was such an abbreviation for “stewardesses,” which is not easy to type. Perhaps that’s because it is the longest word in the English language that is typed with the left hand only.)
As for “Xmas,” go ahead and call me naïve, but I do not believe there is some heretical message or commie plot involved trying to, as some of you insist, take the “Christ” out of Christmas.
It is interesting to note that the symbol “X” is the first Greek character in Christ’s name. And “X” was the secret sign of a person’s devotion to Christ in times when people were persecuted for being Christians.
The word “Christ” and its compounds, including “Christmas,” have been abbreviated for at least the past 1,000 years—long before the modern “Xmas” was commonly used. Possibly this is why Xmas is accepted over Cmas or Qmas.
The term “Christmas” is not a scriptural one. It is unlikely that our Savior was born on December 25th, the traditional date for celebrating Saturnalia, the advent of Saturn or Tammuz in ancient Babylonian mythological lore.
I think that the Almighty is above fussing about a silly abbreviation, especially a legitimate one. He inhabits our praise and our worship … no matter what time of year or the way we spell a word.
So, to one and all I say Merry Xmas. Happy Xew Xear, too!”
Chances are if you read this blog, you’ve already heard about the birth of our little girl, LilyAnna Quinn Guthner. She was born Thursday night and weighed in at 7lbs 4 oz and was 19in long. Nellie and I chose to have her at a local birthing center and did a full water birth with a midwife, which was amazing. Several sleepless nights have ensued, but we’re loving it for now anyway! Overall, she’s about the best thing that’s ever happened to us.
