A National Lampoon talent

spirit. I get up early and get a start on wiring my house's exterior with 11,000 clear Christmas lights. Each year I add more.

The sparkle my house gives off at night time is an expensive one. I avoid wondering what the amount of the energy bill is.

Joe Holden copy editor

Thanksgiving is already here. It's the beginning of the greatest season of the entire year. Thanksgiving is the threshold of eating, decorating, visiting with family, crazy mall confrontations, school break and so much more.

I will begin fasting on Sunday in order to pack it all in on Thursday qight.

Thanksgiving is the greatest holiday. Pack it in baby- all the food you can eat.

My brother was going to have his wisdom teeth pulled the day before this holiday. I counseled him out of that. He would have been at the mercy of good cranberriesand split-peasoup.

The day afterThanksgivingis good for gettingin thatChristmas

I also end up having to buy about 20 new sets each year because I always buy the cheap sets of lights from Kohl's Department Store and they usually crap out after so many years. For two bucks, you get a strand ofl 00 lights.

Avoid connecting more than three of those cheap light sets together. It can be horrendous trying to find the dumb set that decided to retire.

By the end of the day after Thanksgiving I have usually taken numerous spills off of ladders, been shocked and have severe frostbite. If you plan on decorating and you have bad similarly bad luck, here are some tips to help.

Do not lean the ladder on a scrawny tree or a skinny wire.

Theyarcflexible,bonesarenot If you have to lean t>tlt Ii winc;fow, were wonderful. J enjoy concerts I enjoy music when the person for the atmosphere, but also be- writing and singing the songs also cause I get to talk to people who playc; his or her 0\Vn instrument have the same interests as I do and When I saw Tori Amo5 about a are on the same level as far as pol- month ago, she played her pianos ltlcs goes. and sang her songs, to which she make sure it doesn't close while you're under it. Use a broomstick or something. A heavy window leaning on your head can give you a stiff neck. Also, while you are leaning, make sure you have good balance.

I am not a person that listens to ' wrote the lync-,. To me. that is the radio very much. When I do awesome. Not only does she have listen, I am in my car because I an amazmg voice, but her lyrics have yet to get a tape player in- are bold. If Tori has something she c;talled.The music on the radio has wants to say in a song she comes no meaning for me. Yes. there are out and say~ it mstead of thinkint some songs that I e 1jo), bt:.tfor the about whether the song 1s gomg to mo~t part the newer music on tht: ge: r dio air play. radio does not benJ my ear A ,ot I always find that no m tter of the newer musJc out there today where I go I can talk to people I 1s n->tsomethmg that will last for meet about mustc. It's something dee-des to come. It bothers me that b everywhere Tum on the that rnuc;ic ha, been so comrner- tel vbion for five seconds and you ciali7A!d.What e,er hdppened to he8" music, no matter what chanmaking mu~1cfor personal enjoy- nel is on. !\1usic 1, somethmg that ment instead of "who can make often gets ignored or taken for the most money.'' 1 remember granted because 1t 1s always there. learning about Hayden, Mozart To me, music is a treasure, and I and \Vagner. These musi~ians am one of the many boxes that were poor but respected for their holds it inside talents.

Familiarize yourself with the circuit-breaker box. If you have hooked up the number of lights I have, you are familiar with tripping these suckers.

If you see exposed wires it's better not to touch them.

When you get your Christmas tree, remember to carry it into your house from the base. If you pull it in though the tip of the tree, all of the needle fly off and the branches get bent for some reason.

Whatever you find yourself doing, remember to give thanks for the thingsyou have.

Each Thanksgiving I give thanksfor havingmadeit through anotherNationalLampoonsdecoratingexperience.

Random Things to do on Weekends

10. Jump in a Cabrini tour and ask who lives in the houses at the end of the driveways and other obscure questions. (Especially ifVmce De Fruscio is the student ambassador.)

9. Walleto the corner of North Wayne Ave. and Lancaster Ave. Push the buttons for the crosswalle sign. Skip across the street to the fun "chirpie" noises. Hang out with the kids on the benches. They are fun.

8. Go albino deer hunting. Bring a camera and submit your picture to us. We'll publish you. You'll be famous.

7. Ride the Cabrini shuttle to Radnor Train Station. Take the R5 to Thirtieth Street Station in Philadelphia. Then, take the Rl to the airport. Stare at the Celestial Ball Garden located in baggage claim.

6. Walk to Minilla's Diner on Lancaster Ave.

5. Go to the shady 24-hour Burger King off of Valley Forge Road.

4. Walleover to Eastern and play at the playground. Frolic with the ducks.

3. Bake cookies in the New Residence Hall. Bring some to us in apartments 102 and 103. We'll even let you use our kitcbens,but the new ovens in the NRH are better.

2. Grab all of your friends-and people that you don't know-and pay ultimate Frisbee by thepeace pole. •

1. Play man hunt behind the Mansion. Wear all black: and walk: lilcc the Pink:Panther. by Amy Gassen cl Renee Tomcanin