PhoneBoy Says

This story about a guy who buys a defective CD at Worst Buy is hilarious!

Jaden pointed it out to me.

So many choices…

Cold air plus sun plus moisture everywhere equals this.

It's pretty simple really: I need " by myself" time--lots of it. The only time I get that time is after everyone goes to bed.

One reason the holidays are stressful for me is that there are more people around than usual. This year, everyone came over to our house for dinner. That meant more people and it made me feel uncomfortable. Not that these are people I don't know--not that kind of awkward--but I feel weird all the same. When they decided to move the party down to my in-laws down the street and there was a sinkful of dishes that needed to get done, I was happy to stay behind. It was a relief, even if it was a bit of work.

I am not exactly terrified of large groups of people, though there was a time when I was terrified of public speaking. In 7th grade, I tried out to be the MC for the school's talent show. I was one of the MCs for the school talent show in 5th grade, but for some reason I was scared as hell to even audition for the one in 7th grade. I eventually got over that as I was, for a time, a technical trainer.

I think being around people takes a certain kind of energy--an energy that seems to ebb and flow in me. Some days, I tolerate it more than others. When I'm around others, I have to worry about a lot of different things--things that are hard for me to even be conscious of. Or I get too self-conscious and can't enjoy the moment for what it is. Just thinking about it all makes me anxious.

Alone time at night when everyone's in bed is my coping mechanism for dealing with day-to-day interaction with people. It's my time to recharge before I, well, "recharge." Does anyone else feel this way, or am I just messed up? Probably both. ;)

What is one of your addictions?
Submitted by Paperheart.

Food, as evidenced by my increasing waistline. It did shrink there for a while, but it's been tough to listen to all of the conflicting advice about "what is okay to eat and what is not," not to mention temptation on stuff I know I shouldn't eat. I've fallen off the wagon and need to get back on.

What were your top 5 TV shows of 2006?

You know, TV seems like such a silly thing. Controlled by a bunch of dinosaurs who generally don't get it. The networks are starting to wake up a little, but I think it's too late and TV as we know it is going to change. So with that in mind, I will list the top 5 shows--TV or Internet-based--that I like:

• Heroes -- Okay, it's a TV show, but it's really good. I can't wait until it starts up again.
• GeekBrief.Tv -- My wife walked by one night while I was watching it and said "how can you watch this?" Cali Lewis is HOT. And she's talking about gadgets. 'nuff said.
• Battlestar Galatica -- I resisted this one for a while, but decided to climb on board when I saw a freebie on iTunes that summarized the first two seasons worth. Okay, now I'm hooked.
• Ask a Ninja -- This is just hilarious. "I look forward to killing you soon."
• Cranky Geeks -- I have always been a sucker for John C. Dvorak. The panelists he has on are even crankier than he is.

I watch other things, but these are the ones I try not to miss.

A napping girl.