Sad news yesterday. One of my all-time personal favorites – Leslie Nielsen – passed away at the age of 84, which seems awfully young to me these days. I’m sure everybody thinks of Airplane or The Naked Gun series, but my favorite is probably Forbidden Planet, in which Nielsen costarred with Robby the Robot (and other lesser-known actors like Ann Francis, Walter Pidgeon, and Earl Holliman). He also gave a memorable guest performance of Col. Buzz Buzzington in an episode of M*A*S*H, and was, of course, the ill-fated captain in the original The Poseidon Adventure. Like most talented, funny people, Leslie Nielsen was born in Canada (his father was a Mountie, even). We’ll miss you, Leslie.

More sad news locally, as our own missing blonde girl event (you may have heard about it, as it made the national news) came to an unhappy – yet predictable – end with the discovery of her body not far from where she lived. Home for the holidays, the 20 yr old college student (who they kept referring to as a “woman,” but at my advanced age, 20 just seems like a young kid) was apparently killed by an ex-boyfriend in her own home and dumped “like garbage” (as our always happy to garner publicity DA so tactfully stated) in a field not far from where she lived. Very sad.

What, we make it through Black Frickin’ Friday, and now they expect us to go back to work and use our corporate Internet connections to buy more shit? Where do they think I’m gonna get the money for all this economy stimulatin’? I do have my eye on a set of Paynes forks for the tractor, though. But $284 plus another $30+ shipping is a bit more than I feel comfortable spending, what with the first mortgage payment due Wednesday. I will, of course, have to get them – but I probably wouldn’t be using them before next spring, and they’re only $15 off anyway, so I reckon I’ll hold off for now.

The thought of having to go back to work again today is pretty sickening. But only another 13½ years to go.