And if I needed proof that 4 or 5 days of "weekend" was too much (heck, that almost qualifies for a once-a-year vacation!)

Just think about all the people who will SQUANDER and WASTE gobs of time watching TV, movies, sports, and spending hours in line waiting for Black Friday deals. Braving the Black Friday mobs is NOT restful. So either you need the rest, or you don't.

If you don't, then let's just have Black Friday be another workday, K?

Sorry I disagree Matthew, I'd take off a week if they'd let me, I just don't give a crap about "business" as I get older, i'm about as sick as that money-grubbing aspect of these "holidays" as I can get.

Me personally, i like to kick back, eat and have a few drinks with some family I rarely get to see once in a while, that's all good stuff. Besides, I just buried a cousin who died way too young. Nothing is guarnteed in this short time we're here on the planet.

Try to relax and enjoy your kin a little and don't worry about "money" so much, screw money, it's never brought most of us anything good anyway really. I need money, but I really don't care about money in the end and I certainly don't worship it or let it dictate my life.

And don't think for a second that I participate in all that "black" Friday and marketing nonsense.  :rolleyes:

Well said alaric. I got off work working about 8 hours in two shifts with a three-hour break in-between and glad to "relax" (I say it that way because I still like to run and exercise when I'm off) and spend time with my family, along with getting away from that greedy corporate nonsense.

I also do not take part in the consumer madness.

I still say --

Show me a man who has more than 2 consecutive days off work, and I'll show you a man who ends up wasting lots of time. I've been there, done that.

I just don't think man can handle much "rest" this side of eternity, without it degenerating into boredom, idleness or even sin.

The saints didn't kick back for days on end. In fact, the idea of 4 days of idleness has only become possible with the advent of grocery stores and mass-produced, government-subsidized food.

God seems to want man to have SOMETHING to do each day. Not just unbridled leisure for days on end.

Teach him to knit! I can't sit and just watch something without doing something with my hands.

At Thanksgiving yesterday the dad read everyone a story, it took all my patience trying to be polite company to sit there. I didn't feel so bad about being bored when the mom fell asleep!

Quote from: alaric

Sorry I disagree Matthew, I'd take off a week if they'd let me, I just don't give a crap about "business" as I get older, i'm about as sick as that money-grubbing aspect of these "holidays" as I can get.

Me personally, i like to kick back, eat and have a few drinks with some family I rarely get to see once in a while, that's all good stuff. Besides, I just buried a cousin who died way too young. Nothing is guarnteed in this short time we're here on the planet.

Try to relax and enjoy your kin a little and don't worry about "money" so much, screw money, it's never brought most of us anything good anyway really. I need money, but I really don't care about money in the end and I certainly don't worship it or let it dictate my life.

And don't think for a second that I participate in all that "black" Friday and marketing nonsense.  :rolleyes:

It's about making a living, not "money grubbing".

If you've ever owned a small business, you know what I mean. You put in lots of hours, and don't get much time off. It's part of a way of life that has its pros and cons. You don't necessarily make more money than your peers who "punch a click" or "work for the man", either.

But when you have your living carved out, you have to do what is necessary. For many (most?) small business owners, that precludes (prevents) taking 5 days off around Thanksgiving.

I was just at my wife's family get-together, and her brother (who owns his own business) spent a noticeable amount of time on "work". I'm assuming it was something important, but still... small business owners don't get to punch  out a bit early Wednesday and forget about work until Monday.

I got home from the get-together, and narrowly missed a call -- from a customer trying to place an order for a Gregorian chant CDs (he left a message on our machine). I don't think I'll worry about it until tomorrow -- I do believe in taking ONE day off for Thanksgiving, plus Sunday. I think 2 days off during a 7-day period is quite enough.

...unless I was working Retail during the Christmas season for those other 4 days. Then I might need a longer weekend. Hahaha

My father ran a small business from the house when I was young, believe me, I grew up around small business and I know exactly what  you and your family ( don't forget they pay their dues along with you) are going through. but my father always shut down around the holidays, although he was in the service industry and his type of work was not in demand around the holidays although he always stayed busy through the winters, but even during his busy time he couldn't wait to get us away somewhere and get away from damn work. He was also the hardest working man I ever knew so it wasn't like he had a lazy streak in him and he damn sure never allowed me to lay around the house and never, ever just gave money away, not that he really had much anyway.

I also have a lot of family in business, as a matter of fact my brother-in-law came up from the south and stayed the week with me and also owns a small contractor company and was stressed out on the phone all the time, I told him to turn the damn thing off and relax for a while, that headache will still be there when he gets back this weekend. But, I understand, you guys have a lot at stake and don't have the luxury just to go back on the clock when the time comes.

But just remember and I have to remind my family and friends who are in business, you guys signed on for that, no one put a gun to your heads. Also, you have a lot of luxury with time that a lot of us humps on the payroll don't. Me and my wife and everybody else working for someone have to be there at a set time, every day until the end of the day, every week throughout the year, barring sick time, vacation and holidays. I have worked construction for years, hour after hour and some of these jobs get insane, they want to work through anything and nothing is sacred to many of these idiots, their family, their home, their church even their own physical and mental health. They sell everyone and everything out, even God, to go make the Almighty Buck so they can purchase more "things" that they can play with like little kids, speaking of which, many of them don't want to have because it might infringe a little on their "lifestyles".

My point here is everybody is in a different situation at different times. But I learned many years ago that "money" wasn't going to determine my fate in life and to be honest, I never really made anyand everything went right back into my family which is my greatest investment and one of the best "things" I can give them is my time, so "business" will have to suffer. Oh well.

Or in the very least I'll never be rich.

but in my mind I already am. :wink:

That's a lot of hours and I know you work with your hands so it could become hazardous. I once woked a double shift left and came back 4 hours later to work the night. I was up over 24 hrs outside in the winter, freezing cold, tired, hungry and exhausted. I don't even know how I made it home, I was delerious and don't remember passing out at the dinner table where I woke up in the middle of the day. and then, went right back to work a few hours later. That job almost killed me and shortly after when I seen how much I made and how much good ol NY and big daddy gubamint took out of my check, I promised myself never again. And to be honest it wasn't really about the money, it was about my physical health and sanity. And also the greed from the companies and the men.. They should never allow people to work like that, I've worked them overtime jobs for years, some of these guys are really stupid, they would literally kill themselves to make a buck. The laws shouldn't allow it.

Well I'm still in my 20's so I have the energy to do it, but yeah I wouldn't work like that after I get into my 40's.

You're right though, the insane greed of corporations is, well insane, since not only have the workers' wages been falling for decades but because of free trade our manufactoring jobs are going overseas, while meanwhile those corporate types continue to rake in the billions.