My friend Natasha was recently trying to check my blog, and missed a letter. She came across "Karen Cares" and the bizzarro version of me, right down to the woman's appearance!
Pretty freaky ...

"Do They Know It's Christmas?" was recorded by Band-Aid on November 25, 1984, and sold over 3 million copies, making it the best selling single in UK history until "Candle in the Wind '97". It raised £8 million for the famine in Ethiopia.

Despite all of this, I think that "Do They Know It's Christmas?" is the most arrogant, self-centred song I have ever heard, if for nothing else but for this one line:

Well, tonight thank God it's them instead of you!

What a lovely sentiment ...

I don't question that their hearts were in the right place, and that the proceeds of that song did a lot of good. It also led to other projects and the birth of the idea that celebrities can use their talents for charity. However, you can tell it was written before the era of political correctness. It reminds me of my grandma saying to me in the summer of 1994:

"I feel sorry for those poor people in Wanda!"
"I think it's pronouced Rwanda, Grandma".
"Oh, well ... whatever."

I currently have a client from Africa. I asked her to listen to "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and let me know what she thinks. She had never heard it before, and sat there shaking her head:

• In some places in Africa, it does snow.
• Things do grow in Africa.
• The only water flowing is not "the bitter sting of tears". In fact, she told me that she often went fishing when she lived in Africa, but "our lakes are not like yours - the water is clean in ours".
• She always knew when it was Christmas.

Some Christmas cartoons from ReverendFun.com ...

Is it just me, or are there too many questions at fast food restaurants lately? Everything is itemized down to the tiniest detail. I suppose that the goal of this is to make ordering "idiot proof", but, in my opinion, removing any opportunity for cashiers to think is making a whole new generation of super idiots.

I went to Tim Horton's recently, and foolishly told the person behind the counter, "I would like a large ham and swiss sandwich on brown with no mayo". That was apparently too much information too quickly, because he looked totally flustered, and began to ask me:

"What kind of sandwich?"
"What size?"
"White or brown?"
"Toasted or untoasted?"
"Lettuce?"
"Tomatoe?"
"Do you want a combo?"

If I wanted any of those things, I would have said so. He was actually cutting me off as I tried to tell him my order in an effort to follow the computer prompts.

"Hey, buddy - I'm asking the questions here!"

There was no question for whether I wanted "mayo", so even though I'd told him multiple times, when I got home, I found that my sandwich had mayo on it. I was pretty disgruntled, but I received no sympathy. My best friend told me that my failure to co-operate was what had caused the problem.

The next time I went to Tim Horton's, I answered all the questions as they were asked to me ... but the same thing happened again. I went back later that day and asked the cashier how I could serve them better in order to get food I actually wanted to eat, but even they didn't have an answer for me.

One question that they neglected to ask me was, "Are you familiar with our new 'Hide and Seek' system of distributing the food?". They have apparently abandoned the tried and true system of me ordering my food, receiving it and taking my seat, in order to serve me more efficiently. I order my food, I pay for it and I pick it up at various different stations ... but they didn't tell me that, so I just stood there for awhile while everyone ignored me.

I am fine with all of my food coming to another area so that people can continue to order, but at Tim Horton's, it pops up all over the place, and then just sits there up for grabs. When I started catching on to that, I tried to ask questions like, "Is this mine?" and "Where is my hot chocolate? Is that it down there?", but no one responded.

I have resolved that I am no longer going to order at Tim Horton's. I am just going to stand around the pick-up station and see what shows up that looks interesting. I think I'll have a better chance to get something I'll actually like, not to mention that it will be much faster and cheaper.

Melodie appeared in "Life of Ronnie" today as Ronnie's bratty sister, Odie! "Odie" is apparently Melodie's nickname, because she doesn't like "Mel". I also met her parents over Christmas, who really do look like their characters.