Everybody plays this Thing of Ours differently (within the confines of the rules, of course). Some eschew helmets and pads to take their chances without any precautions at all. Others don earbuds and listen only to carefully culled playlists. Both are viable options, but this one’s for those of you in the latter group.
Our new friends at AccuRadio have created not one, not five, but seven—count ’em, seven!—online radio channels where you won’t hear the Boy anywhere. So if you’re looking to play with your seatbelt fastened (again, nothing wrong with that!), take a look at their LDB-free offerings.
(Also note another opportunity to do some good if you’re of the mind. See their Season of Sharing page to vote for the charities that’ll receive a piece of their $25,000 pot. And, of course, you can always send something to Americares, which is our charity of choice again this year.)
I’m also adding that to our LDBC-safe media page, which includes links to a heapin’ helpin’ of hospitable playlists created by generous LDBCers.
And while you’re at it, peruse our list of deadly movies and TV so you know what to avoid once the game starts on Black Friday. (Please note, though: as that page says, it’s not even close to being a comprehensive list. But you’ll find a link there to an IMDb page that’s far more thorough.)
Just another reminder of the horror to come, people. (Hey, it’s my job.) Also, an apology to those of you who subscribe to site updates. I had to unpublish a bunch of stuff due to a tech SNAFU, so now as I publish it again, you’re probably getting notifications about, say, fresh posts from 2022. As they say in the news biz, we regret the error. We’ll try to take it slow.
You come for the king, you best not miss: the late Michael K. Williams comin’
“The game is out there. And it’s either play or get played.” Truer words, this time from The Wire‘s Omar Little, have never been spoken when it comes to the LDBC. And having just completed year 14 of the game being the game, it continues to surprise and amaze me, especially when it gets picked up or mentioned in unexpected places.
This year marked a good one.
The LDBC blog periodically receives pingbacks, which are notifications that another site or blog has linked to yours. Most of the time they’re spam, and sometimes they can be part of a DoS attack, so I don’t usually get excited about them. I just trash them or mark them as spam and move on. So when I received an automated notification about a pingback from a site called Aesthetics for Birds, I assumed it was a pet shop or some such thing trying to score a link back to their site.
Wrong.
It was better.
It’s a site run by a group of philosophy professors from various universities. And in this case, Texas State University Assistant Professor of Philosophy Anthony Cross was discussing his own downfall, courtesy of an AI-generated bit of ordnance that allowed Flo Rida to be weaponized. And he was far from the only victim of that new evil this time around.
LDBCer Molly’s terrifying holiday pal, Vams
But yet again, I’m struck by how far the fear of The Boy metastasizes year after year. I mean, I took one philosophy course in my freshman year, and all I remember is the professor, oozing condescension as he spelled out some elementary concept, asking us: “Do you understand that? Is it getting through to you?”
And I didn’t. So, realizing I was in over my head, I never took another class in that subject.
But here I am now, the steward of a game I’ve sworn to make as stupid and goofy as possible, inadvertently roping in someone undeniably more intelligent than I am. Because ultimately, we all need plenty of meaninglessness in our lives.
And I’ll bet Professor Cross could explain why.
Which reminds me of when, while working at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, I laughed at myself when telling my boss about all of the time and effort I put into a seemingly pointless holiday game.
“No, we need that!” she said. “We need more stupid stuff! Go out and do that!”
So I have. And every year, more and more people join us.
But experience has taught me that if you commit to being stupid long enough, life will find a way to make it resonate just the same.
For sadly, this year marked the departure of one us, too. As you’ll see in one of the Tales from the Trenches after the jump, Mara Fitter was introduced to our annual struggle by her sister Fawn, who passed away before the game officially ended this year. But they talked about it and decided: Fawn would go as far as she could in 2023 and, if she hadn’t heard the dread tune by the time she needed to go, Mara would declare victory for her.
Fawn and Mara Fitter
Fawn won.
And if this dopey game provided the two sisters with a little distraction during a rough and sad time, then I’m honored to have helped in that tiny way.
The game and all of you helped me, too, even if you didn’t know it. I just capped a year and a half without full-time work, complicated by some other life issues, by landing a great job. Which means that running the 2022 and 2023 games gave me something fun to do that didn’t involve filling out applications, interviewing, and getting rejected and ghosted. And I thank you all for that.
Gratitude. I’m heading into 2024 with a whole lot of it. If you are, too, and you’ve got a bit of extra cash to give, please consider donating to Americares. As always, it’s not a requirement. But they do good work.
Otherwise, wander on down below to see the LDBC-elfies, stats, and more, and take good care of yourselves until we meet again next Black Friday.
Don’t forget to be good to one another. Everyone’s trying their best.
It’s an unusually warm day here in Chicago, people, and Mrs. LDBC and I have to head to the store to pick up the ingredients for our traditional Mississippi Roast (an entire stick of butter and a whole jar of pepperoncini—it makes an impression). But here’s your yearly post-Struggle reminder: please share your victory LDBC-elfies as comments to a post on the Facebook page, tweet it out and tag @LDBChallenge, or post it to Instagram and tag @ldbchallenge.
Also, please report in via the form (bit.ly/LDBCform) if you haven’t already so that I’ve got a full dose of stats ready to go for the roundup.
Finally, if you’re in a giving mood, please consider donating to Americares, our usual charity. It’s not required, certainly, but if you’re willing and able, you can donate here.
As always, at a time of year when the dark arrives way too early, all of you and this Thing of Ours help me through, and I can’t thank you enough for that. Happy Holidays, and a very Happy New Year to you and yours.
A little help, if you can: once again, we’re battling the darkness that is The Boy by trying to shed some light on the situation. So if you’re willing and able to help this year, Americares is who we’re giving to this year.
As I say every year, there’s no obligation. Everybody’s welcome in this Thing of Ours, whether you contribute or not. But if you can, Americares is a great organization.
Apologies for going more than two weeks without an update, fellow LDBCers, but life got in the way. (Stupid life. Everybody tells you to get one, and now look.)
A few things to talk about here.
First off, I finally got my act together and created a page for LDBC-safe playlists created by several of our generous fellow strugglers. (And let’s give them a hearty “thank you,” shall we?) So now you’ve got hours and hours of rounded-corners listening, though I highly recommend checking each list before you actually play it. Everyone’s trying to do the right thing, but mistakes will be made.
Secondly, I realized I haven’t yet plugged this year’s charity, which is once again Americares. (Hey, they do good work, so why change?) My pitch is always the same: holiday time pinches many a wallet, so please don’t feel bad if you don’t make a donation. Should you be so inclined, though, please donate here.
Now, on to the carnage.
‘Tis another bloody year this year. (Is there any other kind?) Folks have been laid low by The Holdovers, even though it was added good and early to our toxic list. A Flo Rida mashup has been doing some damage, as has a Tom Mabe prank video of some young carolers singing the dread tune.
Tricia Abel as her goose was cooked
A first this year, however, is the downfall of poor Tricia Abel. To date, we’ve had videos of people’s reactions after being taken out, but Trish, who was shooting one of her delightful “Trish Makes a Dish” TikTok videos, recorded her demise in real time. There she is, happily getting into her routine, when she catches herself singing to the tune and realizes what’s playing. (Note that her picture and the link point to her overall TikTok presence. Do not watch the video of her being taken down while you’re still in the game because you can hear it playing, and you’ll be gone as well.)
And that’s the quick update on what’s happening in This Thing of Ours, people. As always, be ever vigilant. If you do take a tumble and The Boy finds you, please fill out the reporting form (https://bit.ly/LDBCform) so that you’re included in the game-end stats. And if you want to join in on the LDBC-elfie fun, tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter with a reaction shot.
Otherwise, try to be what the immortal Fred Rogers called a helper and be good to one another this holiday season, and enjoy this gallery of those who’ve been less fortunate thus far, yours truly included.
A friend of mine tells me I stink at self-promotion, so here’s my attempt to prove him wrong this year. If you’re looking for a gift for the reader in your life, the first three novels of my ongoing Commons series are available in ebook and paperback. The starter won an Illinois state libraries award, and I’m told the next two are worth a look as well.
Achilles Lamenting the Death of Patroclus, Gavin Hamilton, 1763
As is the case every year, it doesn’t take long for The Boy to claim a victim, and in this instance, it took only 37 minutes. Stephen Leigh is our 2023 First Fallen, meeting his fate at 12:37 am, San Diego time, on Day One. (The official rule is that you have to be the first to fill out the form, but Stephen did that, too.)
Worth noting: in doing so, Stephen also spared longtime LDBCer Susan Campbell Beachy, who was our very first First Fallen, from earning the honor of being our very first repeat First Fallen. (Or maybe he robbed her? We’ll have to ask her if she’s actually disappointed.)
However, Susan does have the honor (and it is one) of being our first LDBC-elfie poster this year. (LDBC-elfies are selfies taken at the moment of your downfall, for all your newcomers. And we’re not fussy; if you’re unable to capture the moment, you can always re-create it as soon as it’s safe to do so.)
Looks like it’s gonna be a tough one for 2023, people, so be ever vigilant, and remember why we’re doing this.
For Stephen!
Update: Well, here’s a new low. Because it was on my mind after posting and responding to comments, etc., I just whistled it to myself and took myself out on Day 1. First time in 14 years that I’ve ever suffered such self-inflicted ignominy.
As many a noted philosopher has said at such moments: Oy.
Puh-rum-pum-pum-pum, people. Once again, The Boy is back in town. But He won’t be dressed to kill, though he may be down at Dino’s Bar ‘n’ Grill if he figures he can score some victims. And, of course, He’ll be looking for you and yours.
But we can do this. Together, as always. Review the rules (bit.ly/LDBCrules). Fill out the official form (bit.ly/LDBCform) if He gets you so that you’re duly memorialized at the end of the game.
And don’t forget to grab an LDBC-elfie of yourself at the moment of your loss. You can submit on the Facebook page or via Twitter (be sure to tag @LDBChallenge). Need inspiration? See the gallery just below the charts and graphs in last year’s roundup. (And apologies for the required scrolling.)
While you’re at it, review our list of deadly TV shows and movies (bit.ly/LDBCtoxic), but be aware that it is not comprehensive. There are way too many for me to keep up with, so be forewarned and check before watching anything. (I can tell you that The Holdovers contains LDB and will kill you dead, so avoid it until we’re on the other side of This Thing of Ours.)
Also, here’s another rundown of the LDBC-safe playlists curated by your fellow LDBCers. As I’ve cautioned before, I haven’t verified their safety myself, so do your own due diligence before sampling them. And once again, thank you very much to their creators; you people rock:
Little Drummer Boy Challenge 