Realizing the Five Day Weekend dream, one step at a time.

Greetings again from The Friends of the Five Day Weekend. (That's the name we used to register this site, and we've kind of grown into it....so there you go, instant identity.)

Since we made our first few posts, we've been scrambling around trying to get at least somewhat organized. We've got some meaty stuff in the works -- a full Web site, even -- but more on that later.

For now, we just wanted to pass on some Web sites and news bits that seem in sync with our lofty goal:

• Shutdown Day -- We of the Five Day don't hate computers (we're using one right now), but we definitely think that our culture's addiction to being online 24/7 is a major barrier to actually getting out and enjoying life. So see if you can rise to the challenge this Saturday and spend a day afk.

• The Work Less Party -- Apparently there's a Canadian group that not only is advocating a shorter work week, but also using the same "Work less, live more" mantra as us. Who knew? Given, they're only pushing for a 32-hour work week, but they make many of the same points that we've been using to rally our cause. Huzzah! We ordered a copy of their book (shown above) to add to our growing library.

• Motivational speaker Marsha Egan has developed a 12-step program for e-mail addicts. We have no idea what the steps are, but we like that they're delivered to you daily ... by e-mail!

• The folks over at I-am-bored.com have put together a random excuse maker, which you're welcome to try to use for an extra day off work. Of course, we can't vouch for the effectiveness of excuses like "I have to revive my filthy portfolio" or "I have to rock my husky banjo."

Well, we hope these tidbits get you in the Five Day Weekend mindset. Stay tuned for more.