Before I get busy with other more important things,

New England 31, San Diego 10.

I wish I could say I felt confident for SD to beat up on the Pats, expecially after they did a mock celebration on the Bolts' logo after last year's playoff game.  But the Chargers suffered too many injuries last week.  If LaDanian Tomlinson isn't 100%, I don't think they can do it.  I understand Phil Rivers is out with a bad knee.  Volek isn't a bad backup, but neither is in a class with Brady.  I'd love to see an upset, but my guess is it ain't gonna happen this week in the frigid Gillette field.

Green Bay 20, NY Giants 16.

Game time temp is supposed to be 2 degrees.  Favre better take something off his passes or you might see a spate of hand injuries to Packer receivers.  The Giants' pass rush make them a dangerous foe, but look for the wily veteran Favre to prevail.  Deduct points from both sides for missed kicks - that ball is going to be like a frozen rock.

Super Bowl XXYYZZ:  New England Patriots vs. Green Bay Packers

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I am officially too poor to shop at Wegman's.

The price of a cheap loaf of bread shot up to 99 cents, a 30-cent increase.  Milk is up to about $1.17 a quart.  I can get a quart of oil for less, and it doesn't go bad.  But I don't need oil (see below).

They say much of this is due to the pursuit of ethanol as a cheap, inexpensive fuel source.  All this pursuit has done is give farmers a chance to raise prices, and grocers like Wegmans to stick it to the consumer.  Basically, any animal that eats corn is now more costly to eat.  Wheat fields are being plowed under so that famers can grow corn, so bread and wheat products are on the rise.   Meanwhile, the oil companies are battling to stay on top of the corn-growers, so expect the lawyers to get rich while ethanol becomes as costly to buy as gasoline.  Believe me folks, nobody's going to win this one.  To quote Danny DeVito from War of the Roses, "There's no winning in this.  There are only degrees of losing."

I am officially too poor to drive a car.

I'm waving the white flag.  The gas prices at $3.20-plus are doing me in.

I am officially too poor to bank at M&T Bank.

One bank fee escalated into nearly $400 in fees.  Enough is enough.  I'm not paying.


My point in confessing my poverty is that the next president will have a revolution on his/her hands unless they find a way to reel in runaway costs for everyday necessities.  You've got an executive class who can afford it, and who don't really care, and then you have a growing class of people who have to do without other things just to buy gas, milk and bread.    Guess what?  When the average citizens start giving up vacations and stop buying new cars and cell phones and washing machines and groceries, those rich cats are going to see their empires crumble, too. 

At some point, common sense has to kick in, and companies need to bridge the gap between the top executives and the people actually performing the labor.  Nudge them.  Conserve gasoline by combining trips and eliminating unnecessary travel.  Stop buying milk, or if you have kids who need the nutrients, buy less.  Don't buy corn at exorbitant prices.  Eat less bread, and bake your own pastries and desserts.  Your grocer will get the message.