I'm also as normal preparing for the yearly trip about 600 miles south to the home town -- driving the interstates it's actually more like 1,000 miles. As usual for the last few years, I prepare for this trip with very uncertain academic prospects bearing down on me.

This time around, I believe I've actually managed to fail at least two classes. The one class I did get everything turned in -- the day after the semester ended. The other two? Well, I just wrote the professors. No, it doesn't look good.

However, I only need to complete an internship to graduate -- so grad school immediately following no longer seems the most likely path. But maybe working a little bit and taking a break would be good -- I certainly seem burned out enough on it.

Things otherwise? Well, there is an almost $4,000 bill in collections that someone ran up with a cell phone and through fraud somehow left me with. I'm supposing that's something I'll have to deal with at some point.

So right -- if I haven't been taking care of my school, and I haven't been taking care of my money ... and, I haven't even been writing here ... exactly what have I been up to?

Um. Well, honestly, I've been rather obscenely obsessed with a certain MMORPG. And if you don't know what a MMORPG is, be glad you're not that big a geek. But it's a lot of fun, up to the point that really it's rather a bit like crack. I mean, think about it -- what addicts anybody to any drug, or anthing for that matter? How their brain responds to it -- the subjective experience of the "high" they get when they encounter whatever it is they're addicted to.

Well, Christ. I hate to admit it, but the fact of the matter is that most of my everyday life seems rather tedious and unexciting compared to gorgeously-rendered explosions and energy beams and a billion other superpowers, set in a backdrop of competition and a fictional struggle of good versus evil. Yes, as I said, I hate to admit it. Because for all the draw of fantasy, the fact of the matter is that life itself has every reason to be a million more exciting -- after all, life has real rewards and consequences. Life has the opportunity for real gain and real accomplishment.

Of course, real life accomplishment requires real life effort, and the truth is I seem to have grown horribly lazy in the last several years. I suppose I've always had a weakness towards it -- I think it comes from things having always come somewhat easy to me. Because things don't require much effort, I think I'm always tempted to feel they shouldn't require any at all.

It's funny, because I feel fairly detached and clinical in laying out my flaws here. Perhaps because I don't believe them ultimately unredeemable? I'm a grown-up daydreamer who really just needs to keep in mind to keep the passions of my dreams grounded in reality.

Speaking of which, I was out with Lesbian Best Friend last night, which was the first time we'd just hung out just the two of us in some time. The first we'd hung out in a while at all, honestly. And she said a number of interesting and enlightening things to me -- I guess kind of reminding me of why I've valued her friendship as long as I have. I think the exact nature of our relationship changes with time, but her honesty and essential kindness remain a constant.

Anyhow, one of the interesting things she said was that I needed to "step up my game" when it came to women. It wasn't that she was saying that I needed to work on my approach when it comes to women (which is what I tend to think) but really that she was saying I needed to work on approaching at all. And it's true -- when you're the kind of guy sitting at home playing virtual hero on a computer, you're obviously not getting out too much to meet new people. And isn't that just sad, sad, sad?

So it's funny, because that actually happens to be the area I think I would most easily and enthusiastically like to move from my wonderful daydreaming self into a more reality-oriented self. Which is to say, I've had some fantastic sexual fantasies in my life, but really they all pale when compared to the excitement and fulfillment possible with the real thing.

And ain't that just the truth of real life? Fantasies are appealing because they're pretty simple and easy ways to approximate what we imagine perfection to be -- the funny thing is that the imperfection of reality ends up seeming far more perfect in the end, doesn't it?

So all in all, I share LBF's advice in a universal sense with you all -- by all means, step up your game. Life is not a dress rehearsal, and every missed opportunity is one more life-defining moment you may have missed.

And shall I be taking this advice? Hey, don't pressure me, buddy. It's the holidays after all.

So you all be sure to enjoy them. Enjoy your loved ones, and take the time to reflect.