I would like to start by saying that phone calls from my mechanic result in flu like symptoms. This is a strange phenomenon that I feel should be studied by the NIH.

Tuesday saw the driving odyssey that was Caron's retirement party. I was gone for 12 hours: 4 to drive up, 4 at dinner, and 4 to drive back. The party was wonderful, and I'm glad I went if only to see the Jersey ladies. Caron was adorable as always, and there were even a few Tiger Puppet photos to be had. On the way home I was getting pretty groggy, but hit my second wind around exit 3 on the Turnpike, so all was good for the rest of the drive. Probably in under 60 seconds after entering my apartment, I was curled up in bed, blissfully asleep.

I've now started my Christmas shopping, with what I believe to be some good ideas. The budget's shrunk a bit since talking to the mechanic, but I should still be able to make a decent showing. What's hard here is that I've received some wonderful presents over the past year or so, most notably from Bryce, Therese, and Aunt Mary. While I can't afford to duplicate their efforts this year's gifts need to at least reflect the fact that I'm aware of how generous and thoughtful they've been. This is where un(der)employment becomes problematic.

On the topic of employment, the midterm elections have clearly created some upheaval. While I'm hoping that will send funding toward the types of places that would employ me, it has also led to uncertainty for my roommate the Senate staffer. I'm clearly joyous over the outcomes, but the ramifications of the political process on the lives of its worker bees hadn't really been driven home to me before. It's all just such a mess.

Plans for the trip home and to Mexico continue. We seems almost to be creating a German Christmas in Baja, which could be terribly entertaining.

On a personal level, everything seems to be pretty much static. That should explain the lack of emotional tirades and insecure ramblings recently. Don't worry, I'm sure I'll get neurotic about something soon.