It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year . . . Sort Of.

So, on a positive note, I finished most of my Christmas shopping today. I spent an hour searching around Amazon for good books for my friends' kids because they all have WAY too many toys and clothes. I was even able to find a copy of one of my favorite books from childhood (which i still have) for Baby A and Laney Bug. (The name will remain a secret until they have opened their gifts because their parents read this!) I have also decided that I need the Miami Vice box set DVDs of all five seasons. I'm not quite sure what that says about me, but I'm willing to risk damaging my reputation to get a little Sonny Crocket in my life.

In not so great news, as I was leaving work today, I ran into one of my buddies who works downstairs from me at the American Diabetes Association. Today, the ADA laid off 10% of it's workforce. A week before Christmas. So please, please, please keep all of those affected in your thoughts and prayers - this is not going to be a good holiday season for many of our fellow Americans.

Mollygood, Bye.

Last week was hell week for me at work. On top of being as sick as a dog, I also had to contend with it being period close, which means, in addition to my normal workload, I also had to deal with short suspense requirements and monthly reports. But I fared okay, and managed to survive . . . looking forward to this week and a lighter workload.

One of the things I enjoy most about my workday is taking a few minutes to check out of whatever I am working on, and logging in over at Mollygood – the best gossip web site ever created. You see, Mollygood isn’t your normal gossip site. It’s thoughtful and thought provoking, and unlike Perez Hilton and many other sites, the commenters are mature and intelligent – with a few exceptions (Matt, my dear, I’m looking at you!). And they are snarky. Very, very snarky. And I love it. I always feel like I’m among friends when I visit the site.

When I logged in around midday on Monday, however, I was in for a big shock. Instead of the normal posts, there were farewells from Whitney Little and Cord Jefferson the two editors of the site. Mollygood is being shut down, along with its sister site Stereohyped. I cannot begin to tell you, dear reader, how infuriating it is to know that such an awesome site is falling victim to the flagging economy, while Perez Hilton is alive and well. (No, really, Perez Hilton needs to die.)

This means no more well-written posts on my favorite celebrities. No more Commies. No more Whitney and her unfortunate love for homosexual men and cats. No more Cord – who gets my vote for sexiest man alive for being not only attractive, but also intelligent, kind (he recently donated a kidney to his father), and comfortable enough in his masculinity to let himself be transformed into a drag queen for his audience. And worst of all, no more Hags. Because the people who commented on the post were (and continue to be) every bit as critical to the dynamic of the site as the editors.

So where am I supposed to go now for my daily dose of sanity? Jossip (parent site of Mollygood, and a dull, dry read if ever there was one)? Popsugar (which seems to mindlessly worship all things celebrity)? Maybe D-Listed (which seems to be the best option)? The truth is this – Mollygood is irreplaceable. There is no way to recreate the dynamic that has slowly but surely developed over the last few years at the site.

So to my Hags, I bid a fond adieu. I may have to create a Facebook account for the sole purpose of keeping in touch with some of the funniest bitches I have ever had the pleasure of meeting (online). Sar, sopthemadness, Cait, Ilnazhad, Skaði, cooter, payter, Chelsea, mae, evil twin, deimos, Lisa (#105), BmoreKate, Tangerine Speedo, and the countless others – you are awesome. Thanks for filling all of those hours at work that should have been filled with, well, work. I will miss you all.

Cord, Whitney, and the Original Molly – thanks for the mammaries.