[Stingy Jack]

Seeing as it is the first official day off for me for Christmas Break, I thought I would check in to the site to see what's new. Doesn't seem to have changed that much, although there are a lot of new members.

I think the last time I posted was sometime before Halloween, and then that fucking election threw me into a deep depression that I have yet to spring back from. The administration at my school has hit us teachers with a massive new "portfolio" staff-development system, which has occupied much of my time, and the school that my child is attending this year has, I just discovered, been holding prayers in the classroom. It's pretty fucking crazy when you're an atheist family and one day your 5 year old sits down to dinner and blesses the food before launching into a chorus of "Jesus, the Glorious Counsellor". Suffice it to say, I had a few words with her teacher and principal; but, this looks like one of those instances where I may have to contact the ACLU. Her teacher accused me of not informing her of my religious orientation at the start of the year. I replied: "I'm sorry, but I didn't think it would have been necessary, since what you're doing is illegal. That's like a burglar getting upset with me because I didn't inform him that I was going to be home." She didn't see it my way, naturally.

Halloween went off pretty good. We went to Tennessee to spend it with my sister and her family, and my kid racked up on the candy: two Wal-Mart bags and a plastic pumpkin full.

As far as Christmas goes, I'm really looking forward to it. It is getting to be a greater and greater challenge for me to guess all of the gifts I am going to receive. It drives my wife crazy that I somehow manage to figure out most of what I'm getting before Christmas morning. I believe I will be getting a new computer, which will be great ... I have been dying to play Doom 3.

The only decent horror flick I have seen since I last posted was Shaun of the Dead. The wife constantly brings home the new releases from her store, and Shaun has been the only one worthwhile. I even watched Ju-on, The Grudge ... and thought it stunk. What can I say. It didn't fucking go anywhere! Some ghosts haunt a house and kill some people. The end. There is barely a plot at all.

I saw Saw at the theaters and was greatly disappointed. Not nearly as grisly or disturbing as the ads made it out to be. Give me Se7en anyday.

Woah, shit!!

Sorry. Huge dog just ran past my office window.