Holiday Shopping, Carousels, and You.

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Last year, I wrote a little piece on Black Friday where I touted why I was going to “miss” Black Friday. And I cited reasons for not participating. Here’s the 2012 version: 

• Avoiding having to see people pushing, shoving, and getting into cat fights!
• Being wedged in with screaming, angry, desperate people! Hello, claustrophobia!
• Standing on line for a half hour all for the sake of saving five dollars!

Need I say more?

Instead, I took a short drive from my home to Santa Monica since I had only 
visited the famous pier there once before. It’s quite different from decades ago and has a rich history. There was once (as there were on many piers I’ve since learned, a huge ballroom, in the days before TV, where home entertainment encompassed huddling around the radio to hear a favorite program. 

The famous sign from 1940!

Thankfully, the pier had a section that told the story of the pier via several glass enclosed displays with copy and plenty of great photos.

I truly appreciated that. Lately, since I’ve just started watching the show Boardwalk Empire, my interest in how people lived almost 100 years ago has opened wide. 

Kids are enchanted by it!

Oh, and the carousel! Philadelphia Toboggan Company, #62. Surprisingly, there was little information about this merry-go-round posted in the building it was housed it. The structure surrounding it, now known as the Santa Monica Looff Hippodrome dates from 1916

However, the carousel within is not original to the building. What is now known as the Santa Monica Looff Hippodrome was built in 1922 and moved from a park in Venice CA to Santa Monica in 1947. The first carousel was sold in 1939 and replaced by a Parker carousel which was housed there only for a few years. Sadly, there appears to be no information on the fate of the original Looff carousel; chances are that it was disassembled and the beautiful hand carvings were sold off.

Let’s focus on the beautiful merry-go-rounds that are left; scattered around the United States for us to enjoy! Thankfully, both the building and the carousel are designated National Historic Landmarks since 1987; how wonderful is that! And the carousel is one of only three that have been designated as landmarks. Santa Cruz, hello; you need to add the historic 1911 Looff that’s one of the few remaining which allows a rider to ‘catch the brass ring’ to that list.

Just think. On Black Friday, I gained knowledge, was out in the foggy day strolling on a pier (a little exercise!), getting some great sight-seeing in, keeping my sanity, and now I have the opportunity to share a little piece of history with all of you. And while I was watching the carousel go round and some folks were going round and round in a parking lot searching for that elusive parking spot. Whatever you did on Black Friday I hope it was enjoyable! 

The Hollies tune below is dedicated to everyone who shopped and/or rode on a merry-go-round on Black Friday. Once you've stopped running around in circles, you are more than welcome to follow me onTwitter, like my Facebook page, circle my page on Google+ or visit the website. 

Employer Access to Your Social Network Accounts? Fuggedaboutit!

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In the past few months there’s been a lot of uproar on the subject of allowing an employer to see a potential employee’s Facebook account. Have heard and read that it’s illegal, though I don’t know for sure. 


The good news is there are current initiatives from several states that may put it all to rest. 


One in particular, 'The Social Networking Online Protection Act’, would prevent potential and current employers from asking for access to a social media account of an employee or potential one. Hurray!


Here’s my ponderings on this subject.


How private IS your Facebook profile? If it’s set to public, your future employer will see it without even having to ask you. Are you nursing a beer in any photos? Is your language colorful? If so, you may be kissing that job goodbye.


If you are set to friends only or custom, a potential employer will see your profile pic and cover art and little else.

If you don’t want an employer to find anything, there’s a few options in Facebook as far as how searchable you are. Your profile can be removed from being searchable all together or perhaps you’d like friends of friends to find you; it’s another option to consider. 


In all the discussion about Facebook profiles lately, why hasn’t Google+ received the same scrutiny? After all, there’s 170 to 195 million accounts there (dependent on source). Surely, there’s accounts that are tightly wrapped that never go beyond those folks in circles that an employer would love to take a look at.


And what about all those private accounts on Twitter? You know, the protected ones where the tweep has to follow you back before you can see their tweets? 


Employers, don’t you want to see EVERYTHING? Why just Facebook?


But it gets better. Employers, why not ask to enter a potential employee’s home then? Have a look around. Do they make the bed and do the dishes? Is there a recycling bin? Are yesterday’s clothes strewn about on the floor?


No, you wouldn’t think of going to see someone’s home, would you? Is asking to see a Facebook account just as invasive? Family photos, the pet dog, their last vacation to the Jersey Shore or Santa Cruz? It seems absurd to even ask to see the private life of someone. 


If someone has the ability to do the job, is it necessary to know more? It certainly wasn’t not so many years ago. 



Facebook will defend you, the user, against this practice. How hard will they fight for you? Well, that remains to be seen. 


Of course, you can always get sneaky and have TWO Facebook accounts. One that is buried way underground where you can hang out with your closest friends and curse, rant, and let it all hang out to your heart’s content and the other that’s more public and on the generic side. Don’t tell anyone I suggested this to you…


Do you have secrets? Carly Simon doesn't. 

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