My mother asked me if I was planning to attend the Macy's Corporate Day of Sponsored Thanks and Massive One Time Only Sales Parade... she always checks to see if I'm attending cultural (by which I mean "televised") events.

My response: "Of COURSE not!"

These "cultural" events combine my two least favorite things in the entire world: 1) cold weather; 2) more importantly, immense crowds of people. I don't like groups greater than four, I certainly am not going to subject myself to a Manhattan Tourist Festival of Overpriced Coffee (brought to you by Macy's).

I'm a Southern California kid, through and through. When I first moved to this coast, I was always assuming I missed a digit in the weather forecast. 17 degrees? I can live with 117 (if it's a dry heat). 3 degrees? You've got to be kidding me.

Oh desert dwellers, I envy you. Not having to dress and undress yourself every time you enter a building.

My friend Briana (my host for my Thanksgiving retreat) was pleased to find that it was snowing on Tuesday night. My friend Allie was pleased to note the same thing.

I can buy this from my SoCal homegirl Allie; the first time it snowed during my freshman year I, too, was innocently pleased. But Briana hails from Pennsyltucky, has lived in cold weather all her life, and continues to celebrate the snowfall? After only two years, I'm already fed up! It simply makes life more difficult, and significantly more slippery.

I am heading back to THE CITY today, where I plan to continue to wage the war in my head, with the sides consisting of:

For the Blue Team (or I guess Green is funnier): BUY NOTHING DAY!!
For the Red White and Blue Team (ha!): "There are many movies in the theatre, and I totally have a day off!"

I think what will end up happening is this: I will continue to mock and disparage the system of corporate greed and marketing exhibited by this country, hate you for your part in it, and still go watch the new James Bond movie today, 'cause fuck you, I can do what I want! I'm an American damnit, and I want to be treated like one.

But seriously... the only money I'm spending today is for my train ticket back into New York. Read more about Buy Nothing Day at the Adbusters webpage. It's a step, if a small one. It might be too late for this year, but mark your calendars for 2003!