During the winter holiday months of December and January, the christmas lights on your apartment balcony that I can see from my bedroom window makes me feel festive and joyful. When those same lights are STILL hanging there in April, they remind me of sketchy dive bars in East Providence.

Warm Regards,

MRod

Jill at Caffeine Court gave me this award for this post. If you haven't discovered Jill yet, you should check out her blog. She's really funny and she obviously has great taste (except for wearing her tennis skirts mid-winter, but then again, no one is perfect). This isn't a pass the love on kind of award, it's Jill's list of great posts for the week. I'm so excited to be on it, I can't even tell you. I don't think I've ever made it onto a great posts list before. Thank you so much, Jill!

But I will say that as soon as I can figure out how to make a cool Jerseygirl icon I'm going to start my own favorite posts list. Because I love to steal other people's cool ideas and all.

In other Jerseygirl news, I just want to report that I STILL SAW CHRISTMAS LIGHTS ON TODAY. It's February 1st, right? My blog stats calendar isn't wrong, is it? Speaking of blog stats, how come no one ever told me how comprehensive and addictive the Wordpress stats are? Blogger people, seriously, it is worth it to transfer to Wordpress for the stats alone. Although I should probably stop checking them every hour, right?

In addition to a free trip through the lights, SIL visitors received a Pepsi t-shirt and a can of Diet Pepsi Max.

As a reminder, the 11th season of Speedway In Lights comes to a close on Saturday, January 5th, complete with a fireworks show to wrap up the event.

Dean Dexter, a spokesperson from the Town Council, said “we are absolutely delighted to be switching the lights on next week as it will really help boost trade in the town centre in the run up to Christmas”. He went on to say that they have chosen to switch the lights on early to raise people’s spirits in the town as the economy borders on a recession.

Child's Pond Road resident Helen Bosworth said, “The festivities seem to be starting earlier and earlier so I am not surprised that they are being switched on in July”. Following the Christmas lights fiasco last year, it remains to be seen what decorations will festoon the town.

 

Dexter said “the lights will be even more impressive than those on display last year, and I think Huntingdon will be quaking in their boots when the lights are switched on in St Neots”.

Due to fears over health and safety, the big switch on will be taking place on Friday at 7pm before it gets too dark when it is deemed unsafe for young people to be hanging around in the Market Square. The lights are being switched on by a secret local celebrity. However, it is believed that the celebrity was chosen because they are currently filming Christmas scenes for a popular TV soap.

As for fears over pieces of buildings falling off under the strain of the lights, Expert Scientists were keen to assuage fears of residents. "Skyhooks. We'll use skyhooks," claimed an unnamed expert.

Story by Bebamag Reporter

First response was very enthusiastic, thank you very much, although I haven’t heard from a lot of you. Please remember that responses are encouraged, you know…conversation being a two way street and all. So, being ever optimistic…

Creation Vibrations is visiting again to an e-mail address near you. Onward to the second topic of conversation (bathroom, drink, popcorn, blah, blah, blah…). It seems I am chatty.

Conversation 2:

While sitting in the pool the other day enjoying the relief it was giving my back, something caught my eye. It was the little Christmas lights strung around the base of the hot tub deck. I love little twinkie lights. I always have. They remind me of holidays and Disney. But today I noticed something else about the light string. The string portion on the front looked different than that on the side.

At eye level the two views looked like this…

Funny how the same exact thing could look so radically different depending on how one looked at it.

Looking at the string by the straight on, end view the lights looked all crowded together with no spaces between. It was difficult to see what was supporting them if anything. Changing my view by 90°, looking at the string by the side view, it was easy to see that all the lights were separated by distinct spaces and were attached to a set of supporting wires.

These two views of the Christmas lights reminded me of the two views we can have of any situation. We can see our problems as coming one after another with no breathing space in between and no support from anywhere. Or we can see our problems as individual challenges with space (although sometimes small, space none the less) in between with a strong supporting system.

These days it seems we focus on the end view most of the time and why not, the problems seem endless and ever mounting. There’s never enough money, enough time, enough of anything! And that’s how the down spiral begins.

Segue (don’t you hate it when that happens… snicker) - I don’t know if I have spoken to most of you about down spiral. Let me paraphrase.

Most of the population feels that life goes like this….

With an occasional cycle of repeated negative behavior.

We are up, down, up, down, a crisis occurs and we run around and around looking for a solution and then we start with the up, down, up, down again. But speaking spiritually, we don’t have to oscillate back and forth in a narrow band of vibrations. We can travel to higher vibrations… and unfortunately to lower vibrations, hence the up spiral (travel to higher vibrations) and down spiral (travel to lower vibrations).

Okay, so where were we… oh yea… down spiral. It’s all too easy to get stuck in one. It’s especially difficult if it goes so far as to infect the whole household. When Rick and Dama are cranky, our usual healthy selves not so healthy, and the animals not up to their usual good health it drives me to examine myself. How is my energy? Am I all dark and sludgy inside? Am I running a repeated negative pattern of thought through my head? Sometimes I find I am. I would rather catch this situation before it spreads. But if it does, can anything be done to turn it around? Thank the hey hoo, yes!

The first thing I remember is that high vibrations cancel out lower vibrations sometimes by 100s of times. That’s 100’s of times! So just one positive, high vibrational thought can cancel out 100 or more negative thoughts. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that with just a few good thoughts thought persistently things can turn around.

So more positive thoughts, enough to drown out the negative. The nest thing is ferreting out unconscious negative thought patterns, like…

Thank goodness that’s over, that’s one less thing to worry about.

I don’t think I can handle another disappointment.

What else can go wrong?

Wonderful (said with a sarcastic sneer), that’s just my luck.

I can’t have that – I can’t afford it.

And what positive thoughts do you replace these with…

Thank you, thank you for a successful resolution to that issue.

Let’s take a deep breath and remember that there is always a good solution to everything.

What else can go right? (one of my favorites)

Okay (said with a smile), how do I change my “bad luck” (which doesn’t really exist) into fulfilled desires?

I can have that – How can I afford it?

Like they say, attitude is 90% of success. So back to the Christmas lights. When things look like the end on view, nothing but problems, I try to remember that attitude is 90% of success and switch my view 90° and look at the side view. The one with spaces between the challenges and support. I try to remember to keep my positive thoughts outweighing (by as much as I can) the negative ones. And that my goal is to spiral up, not down.

I love you all,

Donna

The biggest difference between LED light sets involves the nature of the LED units themselves.  All LED lights flicker; that is, LED lights turn on and off at a high rate of speed.  Lower quality Christmas lights using LEDs (which are sold in most big box retail stores) are known as 1/2 wave or non-rectified.  Non-rectified LED Christmas lights flicker at a rate of 60 hertz per second.  Although 60 hertz is very fast it is still dectable by the human eye.  Thus, most people can detect a faint flickering in non-rectified sets of LED string lights.  This flickering effect is most pronounced when the observer or the light itself are moving.  This is the most common complaint from consumers about LED Christmas lights.  So if you are concerned about the flicker look for flicker-free LED Christmas lights.

Higher quality LED light sets are fully rectified.  This means that the lights turn on and off at a rate of 120 hertz per second.  Although these lights sets still flicker like the non-rectified sets, they flicker so fast that it is not detectable by the human eye.  The rectified LED lights also are about 30-40% brighter.  The only downside of the rectified LED sets is that they are slightly less efficient.  This is because the LED is illuminated twice as much as it flickers at double the rate of the rectified sets.  However, the decreased efficiency is nominal.

The other thing to consider about LED holiday lights is whether to purchase a set with replaceable or non-replaceable bulbs.  Most of the light sets that were sold in the big box stores last year featured replaceable bulbs.  Although LED lights last a very long time and replacement will likely not be necessary, having the ability to replace a bulb seems to be a concern for many consumers.  The problem with most of the sets with replaceable bulbs is that the internal components of the light set are not corrision resistant.  The nature of a replaceable bulb unit is such that moisture will enter the light socket.  If the internal components are not corrosion resistant the light set will fail quickly if used outdoors or in a moist environment.  If you prefer a light set with replaceable bulbs be sure that you select a light set with corrosion resistant interanl components.  New high-quality LED Christmas light sets with replaceable and interchangeable bulbs are available.  These light sets not only feature non-corresive internal components but also allow the user to create custom sets since all of the bulbs are interchangeable.

The city engineer established an energy audit team to try to find solutions to the problem.  The team discussed eliminating certain "non-critical" street lights.  Others mentioned considering energy-efficient alternatives to the existing lamps.  The audit team also stated that they didn't think they could justify putting up Christmas lights this year in consideration of the existing energy problem.

HolidayLEDs.com offered to donate 4 cases of LED Christmas lights to the city so that they could retain the Christmas light display with very little impact on energy consumption.  The offer was received well by the Fairbanks community but not by the City's leadership.  Mayor Strle, replied to the offer with a firm rebuff: "“The city of Fairbanks isn’t about to be the next poster child for a LED holiday lighting company.  Perhaps the Mayor felt embarrassed about the cities' energy issues.  She shouldn't feel that way because we are all feeling the energy pinch.  To the contrary, she and her staff should be commended for taking action to resolve the problem and shouldn't be weary of accepting a genuine offer of support from a company that whose business is energy-efficient lighting.

The offer and the Mayor's subsequent public rejection has created a lot of controversie in the Fairbanks online community.  Hopefully this will not prevent the City from reconsidering the offer.

HolidayLEDs.com responded that the offer was still open and that it would like to donate the lights to the community even if not accepted by the City.  The company will solicit suggestions for prospective donees and conduct an online vote if the Mayor does not accept the offer.

So yesterday, June 1st, he takes the lights down. It's only 6 months til December. I mean, I feel like he made it to the halfway point, might as well just leave them up til Christmas again. Like, he was too lazy for the past 5 months to take them down, but said "June 1st, it's time"?!?

We Are Something Different

We are something different
Entering karaoke whorehouses
Maybe you want to sing?
Maybe you want a woman?
Ha-ha-ha!

At noon
The space is gone
Emptied of its nothing
Contents.
The bleached sheet smell.
You eat but you don't enjoy.

The half moon
She has pinchers
Like a translucent scorpion.
The eternal christmas
Lights blink red
The pathway of lowly giving.

I should know better
Than to address the moon.
It is for the opposite.
We are patrons
of the unnamed body.

David: oy
that last one was righteous
me: yeah man??
David: i just read it one minute ago
me: glad to hear you think so.. i think im gonna post a rewrite in the next few days ive got some improvements
David: hmm
me: i dont know if the sexual references are all out there enough..?? i mean everything i wrote is sexual in that
ending line I think might be "We are the hosts / of the unnamed body."
David: i don't like 'hosts'
as much as the rest of that
we live/in the unnamed body?
we are guests/ of the unnamed body?
guests/ in the unnamed body?
me: hrmm
what is it about hosts that you dont like?
David: well, for one, I don't entirely agree with what sarah says
i like the ending
me: hrm
David: second, the concepts of 'host' and 'body' are certainly familiar in conjunction with one another
me: yeah
David: i try to never use words in a way i've heard them before unless i'm doing it on purpose
me: well i think host has the advantage of resonance with "christmas"
but yeah i think unnamed body has this cthonic body of christ thing going on without the word host
David: right
it's more than you need
plus it has a ghostly, sinister quality to it
that the rest of the poem doesn't share
me: i was also considering this edit: At noon / The space is gone / Emptied of its no- / thing contents.
hrmmm yeah
but again, i dont know if thats too much
David: again, i like the original better
that weird jarring rhythm
of the original, i mean
me: yeah
David: and the unexpected shift from one object-word to another
me: the original plays better on the nothing makes you happy, and having no contents
David: i don't understand what you just said
me: heheh
So at noon the space is gone
meaning space is filled
emptied of its nothing contents... the space has been taken out, which is a weird way of saying something is in the place of space
but all these backward ways of filling space through negative description, still leaves the impression of emptiness despite the space being filled
David: true
and in a sense, there's nothing emptier than a full room
me: which, combined with the bleached sheet smell and eating and not enjoying is the unfulfilling sleeping with prostitutes
unfulfilling... thats interesting word for this poem as well
David: everything in such a saturated state that nothing has meaning of its own
me: yeah
exactly
im not exactly sure what the half moon is doing in the poem
but 28 days is the moon cycle and the time between periods
David: i didn't even think of that
for me, those natural images are about the defining aspect of the self-reflective life
which is that your perspective is constantly telescoping in and out
me: maybe i can call it a red scorpion instead of a translucent scorpion?
hrmmm
David: translucent gives away that you're talking about the moon
but red scorpion sounds better
but it also sounds kind of... badass?
me: and i could use red for the period reference to come out a bit more
heheh yeah
maybe i want "The eternal Christmas / Lights blink red the pathway / Of lowly giving."
or split it up better
"The eternal Christmas / Lights blink red / the pathway of lowly giving."
David: do you have to capitalize Christmas?
i need to think about capitalization
me: hrmm i dunno.. with surprise capitalization like that i think you have to be careful because it costs a fair amount to use it
David: and you don't want to inject any faithful childhood conservatism into your isolated tropical depression
me: a lowercase christmas plays more into the unnamed body
red scorpion or lights blink red?
David: blink red
me: yeah i think so too
is translucent a useful word since we already know im playing with the moon?
David: hard to say, but it depends on the level of opacity you're willing to work with
i might suggest leaving it in, even though strictly you might not need it
me: We are patrons of the unnamed body?
David: it's a question of audience.
ooh
me: yeah i think its ok for rhythm too
me: glad you like it man.. its the first one im excited about in a while

We are something different
Entering karaoke whorehouses
Maybe you want to sing?
Maybe you want a woman?
Ha-ha-ha!

At noon
The space is gone
Emptied of its nothing
Contents.
The bleached sheet smell.
You eat but you don't enjoy.

The half moon
She has pinchers
Like a translucent scorpion.
It's been 28 days.
The eternal Christmas
Lights blink the pathway
Of lowly giving.

I should know better
Than to address the moon.
It is for the opposite.
We are something different.

You can see additional pictures from my visit to "Alight at Night" in the Upper Canada Village - Alight at Night Gallery on my website.

For years, my wife has been asking me to put up outdoor Christmas lights.  This year I decided to break down and try.  After burning a hole in my wallet, I brought home a few boxes of lights.

I had no plan.  I figured that if I simply strung up a few lights along the front eves, it would suffice.  If I had time, I'd throw a few over the bushes and call it good.  It would be gloriously simple.  The kids would call me a hero and the neighbors would approve of my holiday cheer.  It would be one of those houses you drive by and think "Oh, how nice" and then look at the next house.

As I began my project, I quickly grasped the complexity of the physics required to string lights along our high-arching eves.  I also became concious of the fact that I had one outlet to work with.  All my estimates were falling very short.

"Well, I'll take this one step at a time" I thought to myself.  "I'll string up the middle section, hook it up to some lights on the bushes and then take it from there."  I began to work.  Soon the middle section was complete and one set was on a small bush.  I took an accounting of what assets I had left and what still lacked.  I was two sections and three bushes short.  I had one power strip, upping my outlet capacity to five, but I was all out of extension cords.  I was also out of lights for the eves.  The 50 foot estimate had doubled to 100 feet.  I would have to buy at least another 50 feet to complete the project!  The prospect of going to the store to buy more lights dampened my holiday spirit like seeing all your egg nog get dumped down the drain.  I lost all drive.  The whole project sputtered and came to a complete halt.

The sun set and the moment came to turn on the lights.  The kids were outside.  I flipped the switch and the kids squealed with joy.  I walked out to the street and bowed my head in shame of the half-assed effort I gave.

Jim, our neighbor, came outside to take a look.  "Looks good so far Apollo!  When you going to finish it?"  I hesitated and then mumbled something to the effect of "in a few days."  But I knew it wouldn't be done this year.  The eves above the garage and above the left side of the house were black holes.  No cheer eminated from the sides.  But the middle 50 feet and the one bush shone gloriously.  I felt like Charlie Brown bringing home a dumb ole Christmas tree whose needles were falling off and could not support a single ornament.

But at least our young kids loved it and I guess that is what's important.

Is there a reason that people have to have their Christmas lights on still? It is January 7th for Christ's sake. The house I passed looke like the one above. I thought I was going to be abducted by aliens. Turn those damn things off.

Seriously, what is the point of Christmas lights anyways? They light up your yard and distract people who are driving for a month. OK. Now Christmas is over, take those shits down, or keep them off. You people have them on 2 months before Christmas, do you really need them on another month? That is 4 months of Christmas lights!

I am going to go on a ninja mission and start cutting these lights down. They need to go, and they need to go now.

All the lights are coming on now
How i wish that it would snow now
i dont feel like going home now
i wish that i could stay
-The Christmas Song, The Raveonettes