Pretty boring vacation and Thanksgiving. With recent car and dental bills I couldn't afford to go anywhere, so I spent the week at home buying Christmas gifts and wasting a lot of time playing dozens of games at ticket2ridegame.com (I'm tarkus9 and yes my rank is 200 and something. I like these games but I'm not all that good at them) As for Thanksgiving, my girlfriend had it right I think: young children really make a holiday fun, and none of my younger neices or nephews were there. Christmas promises to be more entertaining.

Last night I watched "Jersey Girl", the Kevin Smith film with Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, and Jennifer Lopez. Not as bad as I expected. Ben Affleck had a few bad scenes and his daughter acted a bit too grown up for a seven year old at times, but Liv Tyler redeemed herself with an understated, perfectly played role after her horrendous performance in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

I'm starting to get pretty low on cash, and yesterday evening I got served with a summons for an overdue student loan. Basically it means that in a couple of months my bank accounts won't be safe, and potentially my car could be seized. I'd like to be able to do something about this financial mess, but the job that I have makes paying the kind of money I owe on these loans impossible. I had a job in a private firm a couple of years ago that I was hoping would be the ticket out, but things did not work there. I might end up taking an extra job if the crunch gets too bad.

Finally, to anyone reading this who is still suffering from post-election angst, I offer the following web site:

The Depressed Democrats Guide to Recovery