Despite all of my protestations, and even after I explicitly asked to be taken off the gift sub list (my request was honored), earlier this afternoon some anonymous Kossack benefactor threw one my way anyway. Thanks, whoever the hell you are.
Since I'm at home and using the AdBlock Firefox add-in, I haven't noticed any difference at all in the dKos experience. Maybe I'll see a change under IE7 when I get back to work next week year. I guess the ads I never notice won't be there to not notice.
Look, I don't want to sound unappreciative. I'm no good at receiving presents, don't really feel comfortable with it. There's lots of childhood/upbringing stuff behind that aversion, but I'd prefer to discuss that with my therapist, if you don't mind. I've been commenting and diarizing (is that a word?) here on dKos since before Day 1, so it's not like I was going to leave because of some easily ignorable advertisements.
That said...
...before learning of the gift, I had just about decided to plunk down the C-note and buy myself a subscription. More (much more) to support Markos and the site's activities than for whatever minimal convenience it might give me.
So now I have this money pigeon-holed for a subscription that I no longer need to buy for myself. What do I do now?
The solution you're going to suggest, of course, is to buy one for someone else. Pay it forward, and all that stuff. But I'm too lazy to go and search out the list of to-be-gifted. Ideas? Names of worthies?
PS. Happy New Year!
5:14 PM PT: Pay it forward accomplished. (No, I won't tell you who received it.)