Today I expect to help a lot of people that are very angry and incredulous that the most popular Christmas items are already sold out by the 23rd of December.

We all have Christmas off, of course, but my other day off is Christmas Eve and I don't work until 1 on the 26th. It's a bona fide Christmas break, dudes.

Last night I started my weekly podcast hosting gig at the Torch. It's on the same night as my other podcast, which is kind of a pain, but at least I know for which night of the week the bulk of my beer is reserved.

Today's my 14th anniversary. I'm working from 8 to 4, then have to watch a wrestling show at 7 so I can host a podcast on it for the website that pays me. Then I have to do another wrestling podcast.

The Milkmaid and I are celebrating tomorrow.

Sour Cream bit it in a snowbank and got some stitches on her lower lip last night. I got stitches three times in my life; she'll catch me with one more incident.

AOL finally killed off AOL Instant Messenger last week. Couldn't keep up with texting. I wish we could go back to those simpler times...

Looks like the Vikes clinch the North with a win or tie today. Regardless, the postseason is within reach.

What grade of failure are we in for this year? Just going to fizzle out? Or crank it up to Epic and take it all the way to the Bank only to blow it in one of an infinite number of strangely imaginative scenarios?

Edge of my seat, friends.

Tonight I go down to Blue Earth for a Christmas celebration with...a majority of my dad's family. One of his siblings and his wife have isolated themselves from the rest, and it's created a very difficult dynamic. It's also heartbreaking, of course. Even though I only saw them a couple of times a year, they're always part of my childhood holiday memories. Now they'll have passed on a generation from now, and I'm not sure they'll matriculate back into the family before then.

I was going to miss out on that coveted silver airline status by roughly 120 miles (out of 25,000). I fly just enough where it's a pain not to have it as I'm taller and need the legroom (all the legroom!). Anyway, I'm flying to a nearby hub for a matter of hours then flying back. At about $100, that's $500 cheaper than the option to just buy my way across the finish line. Also, it's cheaper as 2 one-way flights than round trip. Weird system all around.

Yesterday was my mom's 60th birthday, and between work and then my two podcasts, I missed my chance to call her. I of course remembered the date helplessly while recording my stupid pro wrestling thing. Well, we did talk the day before, partially about her birthday. Oh well.