Thursday Thirteen, Five Day Weekend style

Thirteen things you didn't know about the Friends of the Five Day Weekend:

1. We are not alone.

2. Actually, there are more than 500 of us just on MySpace.

3. And thousands have signed the petition

4. Our plan might save lives.

5. We're not the first to propose this.

6. We really enjoyed this guy's take on overwork.

7. Our site, Fivedayweekend.org, is currently ranked 168,348th on Technorati.

8. We won't be happy until we're 145,208th.

9. Our bus, the Work Less Express, literally stopped working after the Atlanta rally. We were so proud.

10. But now it's back, and it's barreling toward Greensboro, N.C.

11. As much as we've researched the history of time off, we still learned a lot from this great article.

12. We're honored to be endorsed by SpiderElvis.

13. We are chagrined to find ourselves working on a Thursday, two days into the weekend. But that's how much we care.

The Five Day Weekend: America's salvation? Or harbinger of doom?

When we took the Work Less Express on the road a mere week and a half ago, our No. 1 goal was to start a discussion about how our nation works — and doesn't work.

Well, we've definitely sparked some conversations, with people airing strong opinions on both sides. We thought we'd share a few of the e-mails and online comments we've received, both positive and negative.

LOVING THE FIVE DAY WEEKEND:

"A friend of mine mentioned your cause to me and I was sold immediately. I am sorry I missed you guys yesterday when you were in Atlanta. I would have been there. If there is anything I can do, please let me know." — Mark A.

"Awesome. I've already started the movement here in KC. I'll gladly promote it more." — Darren P.

"I am a high school student and I have taken interest in your movement. However, many of my friends would like to know if the five-day-weekend will apply to school too; if so, I think that I could muster up a whole lot of support for you movement. I hope this goes somewhere, I think it would be really cool to have a five day weekend. Thank you very much." — Eli W.

"Please give me some serious feedback on this plan as I would be happy to look at instituting it with my company." — Kerry L.

"Hats off to your organization. Two-day work week is great. We can use the time to relax and be revived and stop being so grouchy. We Americans are some of the most irritable people in the world. I think it is because we are over worked." — Loraine S. (One of the many, many excellent comments posted on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's story about our rally.)

"I happen to remember when everything close at 12:00 on Wednesday and stores were open till 12:00 on Saturday's and everything was closed on Sunday. Now it seems like the norm is to be open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Something needs to be done now and maybe the 5 day week-end is the best thing." — Chuck

NOT SO MUCH LOVING THE FIVE DAY WEEKEND:

"Please get realistic or give up this lost cause. Your unrealistic plan causes other plans to loose credibility. If you think it is so great in France, MOVE THERE! Their economy is in the toilet and their unemployment rate is through the roof." — David M.

"Most Americans already are a bunch of spoiled, self serving, lazy, over-weight, over paid, slobs now. This idiotic idea will surely put us under, economically and health-wise. ... If this flies are you going to take responsibility for the futher collapse of America's work ethics? If everyone would work 6 days a week for one year America's debt would be paid in full." — Kelly

"Your idea has such a socialist undertone I wonder if you have a liberal hidden agenda since you seem to place the onus on corporations for “making people work so hard”. Well the facts are simple: Nobody is forcing anyone to work beyond what is required of them." — Rick A.

"Y'all are a bunch of ass clowns." — Ryan N.



So ... what do you think?

Atlanta embraces Five Day Weekend like a lost sibling.

After holding our first rally with an exuberant crowd in our hometown of Asheville last week, we weren't sure what to expect when we took the movement to the distant streets of Atlanta yesterday.

But we're happy to report that the weather cooperated, and we found more than 200 overworked souls (and yes, some sympathetic street people) willing to sign our petition to Congress.

We fielded lots of good, sometimes tough questions about the Five Day Weekend plan. But overall, everyone who came out seemed receptive to the idea of re-orienting our lives to work less and live more.

Big thanks to the entertainers who turned out, especially The A-Sides, an incredibly fun rock duo that played throughout the lunchtime affair.

And, of course, thanks to the many Georgians who came out or joined up with the cause online. Our online petition has skyrocketed quickly, with more than 1,300 signatures in the first week alone. And yes, we're seriously sending it to Congress when the rally tour is done, so don't forget to sign.

Next stop? Charlotte.

But before then, here's the gratuitous rally photo slideshow: