This past weekend was eventful. Friday and Saturday evening saw me working like a mofo ‘cause a brotha’s gotta pay rent. I was made aware on Saturday that, for the first time in the three years I’ve been working for the company, I’ll be receiving a X-mas bonus. Starbucks really does get a bad wrap when it comes to employee compensation. I may not agree with many of their business practices, but for the most part they’ve taken good care of yours truly.

On to Sunday. I actually had a day off and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Jilly and I started off with brunch then proceeded to fight the crowds at the mall. I now intend on doing all my X-mas shopping online, as I had my fill of the Amerikan retail orgy in the hour I spent in line to buy my aunt a gift.

After the mall, Jilly and I participated in the quintessential holiday activity, X-mas tree selection. There were many options, shapes and sizes. After careful consideration of these options, we emerged with a 10-foot Balsam Fir. Decorating the tree proved to be a fiasco, complete with tree-stand issues involving multiple runs to the hardware store. In the end, we got the tree standing upright.

Here is a picture of the final product. Notice how we’ve trained Monty to pose for the camera.

After the decorating festivities, I sat down to watch the most exciting football game I’ve seen in quite some time. The Steelers proved that they are THE best team in the NFL with their come-from-behind victory over the Jaguars. Rookie Ben Roethlisburger demonstrated poise and maturity during the hurry-up offense on the final drive of the game. This kid was a blessing for this team. I can’t wait to see the way he performs in three years. 11 and 1. Jacksonville, we’ll be back.