It's hard to believe that it's 8 p.m. and I still have a couple of errands to run before I can relax with a good book and ease into the weekend.

It's even harder to believe I'm not completely exhausted after the full day at work, followed by several other errands on the way home.

Next up: the 25th annual Miami Book Fair International. While I think it's totally fabulous that my cousin will be doing a reading of her picture book in Children's Alley, what I'm really looking forward to is the Art Spiegelman event. My dilemma: Which book of his do I bring in the hopes that he'll sign it? Tune in tomorrow for the answer to that and other interesting tidbits.

It's not even the midpoint of November, and I'm already concerned about not having enough time to get my holiday shopping done.

It's not as if I have all that many gifts to buy. In fact, I can take care of one by making a phone call. And, if it wasn't for my self-imposed ban on buying things via the Internet, I could probably have it all done within the hour.

But, no. I had to go and make things difficult. I'm the kind of person who likes to comparison-shop. I have to go to every possible place to survey the stock and decide where to get the best items for the best prices. Usually, I end up at Target. (And, as I've already discovered, Target is stocked and ready for me.)

I was hoping to get the shopping done last weekend, but I didn't really know what I needed at that point. This weekend is the Miami Book Fair, and I'll be there both days. Next weekend, I have plans all Saturday, which leaves me Sunday for laundry and errands. I could make some time then.

Or, I could go the day before Thanksgiving.

You see, I like to get all my shopping squared away before the traditional holiday shopping season even begins. That way, I can sleep in and relax on Black Friday while half my neighbors line up at midnight to get into the Sawgrass Mills outlet mall. Of course, there is a chance that I won't be able to sleep, and somewhere around 4 a.m., I'll give up trying and go shopping instead. That's how I ended up with a four-piece Pierre Cardin luggage set last year. (Hey, it was a really good deal! I had to buy it! It was purple and gold!)

Regardless, I'm glad I had the chance to think this through. I'll have no worries about my holiday shopping because I know that two weeks from now, it'll all be done.

A 13-hour day + the end of Daylight Savings Time = a very tired me.

It wasn't enough that everything that could possibly go wrong today went wrong. No, it had to be pitch-black when I headed back home, too.

At least there wasn't any traffic because everyone else was already home.

Mondays are one of the few nights that I watch prime time television. My favorite show that night is "How I Met Your Mother," and I usually stick around for "Two and a Half Men." (I very strongly believe that half-hour sitcoms were meant to be watched in pairs, which is why it is so odd for me on Thursdays, but that's another story for another blog entry.)

One of the things I like best about "HIMYM" is that when a character mentions a ridiculously named Web site, it actually exists. If you go there, you will see that it is exactly as the character on the show described it. And it's (as Barney might say) awesome!

There was the episode that gave us http://www.tedmosbyisajerk.com/. According to the site's visitor counter, more than 510,000 people have visited since Oct. 9, 2006. It's even got blog entries!

In another episode, "Everything Must Go," there was
http://www.guyforceshiswifetodressinagarbagebagforthenextthreeyears.com/ and http://www.lilyandmarshallselltheirstuff.com/. The former has a slide show of a guy with a girl wearing a garbage bag, while the latter is a link to a charity auction of items from the show.

Last night's episode gave us http://www.notafathersday.com/. You see, as Lily and Marshall decide whether or not they're ready to have a child, Barney gets a call from a one-night stand, telling him he's going to be a father. That turns out to be a false alarm, but at that moment, Barney declares the day Not A Father's Day, in honor of all the men who have chosen to remain childless. There's even a mission statement and an oath. The site is, naturally, sponsored by Goliath National Bank. There are even mugs and T-shirts available for purchase. (The link takes you to a page where you can buy them, plus "HIMYM" gear, including "The Bro Code," a book referenced last season in the episode of the same name.)

I love how the creators and writers of "HIMYM" reward their faithful watchers with fun stuff like that.

What I don't love is CBS' deal with Bertolli and Lara Spencer, who hosts "The Insider." During the commercial breaks, we see Lara preparing or eating some Bertolli meal and talking about the episode, and how well it goes with her meal. This is followed by an actual commercial for the food. I hate that. It doesn't make me want to buy Bertolli (even if it is easy to prepare) or watch "The Insider." CBS, I'm ashamed of you. If you want to integrate products into your show, look at how "30 Rock" or "The Office" accomplishes that. (But don't look at "My Name Is Earl." The part of a recent episode where Jane Seymour entices Joy with a necklace from Kay Jewelers through a vanity mirror was horrible. I actually felt kind of sorry for Jane.)

So, there you have it: the good and the bad of Monday night television. Next up (TV-wise) for me is NBC's "Comedy Night Done Right" on Thursday. Three out of four sitcoms ain't bad.

I'm getting an apprentice!

I've been in my current position for almost six years, but when I'm out of the office, my department scrambles to make up for my absence.

Well, that's about to change.

We've identified someone who's willing and able to be trained in the intricacies of my job. In other words: She's a perfectionist, just like me.

The training will begin in a few weeks, and I couldn't be happier. My bosses have always said I have to have a backup, but there was never anyone who, in my opinion, would be up for the task. As of today, there is. And I couldn't be more thrilled.

Today I caught a movie on TV that I hadn't seen in several years 1997's "As Good As It Gets." The film garnered Academy Awards in 1998 for its leading actor and actress, Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt.

I never did see the film in the theater, but I did catch it on TV. I distinctly remember thinking that it wasn't that great a movie. After watching it again -- albeit not uninterrupted and not from the beginning -- I have to say that it was much better than I had remembered.

Yes, the lead actors were good. I didn't like Hunt's Brooklyn accent, but I did like Nicholson's obsessive-compulsiveness. I still though Greg Kinnear's performance was the best, but I also took notice of Shirley Knight, who played Hunt's mother.

Of course, I loved the ending, and having Art Garfunkel sing "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" over the end credits was a special treat. One thing I must mention, though: During the road trip to Baltimore, they stopped at a gas station, where regular unleaded was $1.13 a gallon. Boy, how times have changed. It's been 12 years since the movie was filmed, and gas prices are up more than 100 percent. (Of course, if you go by the high of about $4 earlier this year, that's up 254 percent.)

I just watched the 1999 movie "My Favorite Martian," starring Christopher Lloyd and Jeff Daniels. I never saw 1963-66 the television series with Ray Walston, but I can only imagine that it was as silly as the movie. The movie also stars Daryl Hannah, Christine Ebersole, Wallace Shawn and Wayne Knight's voice (as a talking suit). There's also a really clever cameo with a nod to the TV series, and I couldn't help but compare some bits to Back to the Future, which, of course, starred Lloyd as Doc Brown. Sure, I was reading "Entertainment Weekly" during most of the movie. But, it was an enjoyable way to pass the time while my laundry was getting done.

It has always been my goal to get all of my holiday shopping finished before Thanksgiving. (Any deal I find after that will be for me.)

Apparently, I am not the only person who has this idea. One of my co-workers told me that Wal-Mart is getting a jump on Black Friday by starting its sale tomorrow. That's a full 20 days before Black Friday. I know the economy's bad and the retail sector is suffering. At this rate, stores will be giving away merchandise by the time Black Friday rolls around.

One of the malls near me is actually opening at midnight on Black Friday. I'm debated whether or not I need to go straight from Thanksgiving dinner to the mall, so I can claim a parking spot.

Nah. By then, all my holiday shopping will be done.

Long day.
Very tired.
Must sleep.
More tomorrow.

For the most part, today was a day of great joy in my workplace. All my co-workers that I deal with on a daily basis were for Obama, and we shared our stories of how we spent yesterday evening watching returns, talking about how ridiculous the networks' special effects were. We felt that someone should remind them that this is a federal election, not a "Star Wars" movie.

Unfortunately, our joy on the outcome of the big race was tempered by the outcomes of some smaller ones. Florida voters passed a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between one man and one woman, and specifies that no other union is to be recognized in the state. This not only affects gay people, but straight individuals, too, including senior citizens who live together, but don't marry because of the potential loss of benefits (for example, those from a deceased spouse).

We also didn't pass an amendment that would give community colleges the opportunity to appeal to their local communities to vote for a special sales tax that would go directly to the colleges. In these tough times, local community colleges have had to cut programs, but enrollment keeps rising. That this didn't pass doesn't make sense to me at all. I guess people see the word "tax" and automatically freak out. There was nothing that said we'd be taxed. It just said that the community colleges would be able to ask us to vote on if we would agree to a tax at some point in the future. Should the tax pass, it would be for five years, with reauthorization necessary for continuation of the tax. Oh, well. I guess all those community college students are going to have to start teaching themselves.

Aside from the election, it was just a really long Wednesday. Since the time change, I haven't been able to deal with the fact that I leave work in total darkness. Sure, it's easier to get up in the morning. But, I don't like the evenings anymore. It makes me tired. Goodnight.

Election Day fever is sweeping the nation -- and some other nations, too.

The polls closed here 10 minutes ago, although I'm sure there are still people on line to vote. No matter -- the news programs will start analyzing and whatnot, coloring each state red or blue as they see fit. Well, I'm not going to watch any of it. It's "Jeopardy!" for me, and then I'm snuggling up with my book for the night. Hopefully, I will wake up tomorrow to the news that "my guy" is now the president-elect.

It's time for a change, don't you think?

8 p.m. update: "Jeopardy!" was pre-empted for extended election coverage. I'm totally bummed, but also completely sucked in. I hope they call this thing early, because I don't want to be up all night, glued to my TV, listening to everyone say it's "too close to call."

11 p.m. update: All the news anchors are announcing that Barack Obama has been elected the 44th president of the United States. And I'm happy that my guy won because I am getting a little tired.

12:30 a.m. update: I'm finally closing up shop for the night because I've seen McCain's concession speech (so classy) and Obama's victory speech (so moving). There were tears in my eyes, and I'm not even ashamed to admit it. (Hey, if Oprah can cry, then so can I.)

Another day, another Silver Alert. This one was for a white van with an Alabama tag. It frightens me to think that some elderly driver could be lost so far from home.

Daylight Savings Time ended yesterday, and I'm sure it's going to take me all week to get used to it. I find it's unusually bright when I head to work in the morning and extremely dark when I head home at night. Of course, it didn't help that I was away from home for exactly 12 hours.

I was out of town for five days, four of which had mail service. I received three campaign fliers: two for a candidate I had voted for, and one urging me to vote for the opposing party. With Election Day tomorrow, I'd say that's it for this season. (Although you never do know. There could be some latecomers at the end of the week. But, I hope not.)

Atlanta was great: The weather was cool, the play was enjoyable and spending time with friends was fun. (But, no, I won't be going back up there for Thanksgiving.)

One piece of campaign mail, urging me to save the economy by voting for the opposing party was the only offensive piece in today's mail. Well, only slightly less offensive was the news that my homeowners association fee would go up yet again next year. I did get a coupon worth $10 off a $30 purchase, so I came out ahead on this particular trip to the mailbox.

And that will have to tide me over for nearly a week, as I leave in the morning for Atlanta, where temperatures will be anywhere from the low 30s to the high 60s. Frankly, I'm thrilled to be able to break out the turtlenecks, gloves and scarf that only get taken out and worn once a year. (I don't like them to feel so neglected.)

As per my usual night-before-a-trip ritual, I have yet to begin packing, and my flight leaves in 15 hours and 15 minutes. That gives me about 13 hours and 40 minutes to finish and, knowing me, I bet I can do it.

I'll be back Nov. 3 with all the details from my Wicked Weekend.

There was one piece of campaign mail from the correct political party, and one from the incorrect political party, so I'm going to call it a draw. Can I also call it a draw if I got a car insurance bill in one envelope and a coupon in another? No? Didn't really think so.

So, tonight, "How I Met Your Mother" is a repeat from last season. Fortunately, it's "Sandcastles in the Sand," one of my favorite episodes. So, I get to snuggle up on the couch, pop some gnocchi and get lost in Robin Sparkles' power ballad. Now that's entertainment.

I am pleased to report that there was no campaign literature in today's mail. Of course, there was no mail today, so if there had been any such literature, I would have been really confused.

I did, however, receive one call, asking me to volunteer for my party nominee's campaign. Of course, once I told to friendly voice on the other end of the call that I was a member of the media, she immediately understood and reminded me to vote on Nov. 4. I told her I'd already taken care of that last week, she thanked me and we hung up. End of weekend politics for me.

Of course, rumor has it that my mother ran into Matt Damon (I hope she didn't hurt him) at our local campaign headquarters -- and she has the pictures to prove it. More details to come.

I only got one piece of campaign mail today, but it was addressed to someone who hasn't lived at this address in at least 15 years. Plus, it was for a candidate whose party I don't belong to. So, it just angered me.

I did, however, receive a recorded message from the man from my party who's running for sheriff. Maybe it was the New York/New Jersey accent, but I thought he kind of sounded like a thug. I voted for him anyway.

No Silver Alerts, no campaign fliers in the mail. My Entertainment Weekly, however, did look as if it was left out in the rain (with the cake from "MacArthur Park," no doubt).

I intend to spend the next 48 hours relaxing, while accomplishing all that I need to do to prepare for my Wednesday morning departure. Should be easy as pie (or, possibly, a cupcake).

Another day, another Silver Alert.

I really hope this doesn't happen more than once a week. It could get even more depressing. Today, they are looking for a 2007 white Toyota Camry. (In my mind, the only thing more prevalent than a white Toyota Camry is a beige one, so good luck.)

Also, there were two pieces of campaign literature in my mailbox today. (Yes, I'm keeping track until the election's over.)

A very long day.
And I don't have much to say.
But I can haiku.

So, how did that sound to you?

In the two weeks since Gov. Charlie Crist signed Florida's Silver Alert program into law, I have seen two such alerts posted on overhead "smart signs" during my daily commute. At first, I didn't know what a Silver Alert was, but when I found out, it made sense to me.

A Silver Alert is designed to help missing people with cognitive disabilities or dementia. Since Florida has more people age 65 and older than any other state, I'd stay it's about time it joined Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina and Texas as a state with such a program.

The first Silver Alert went out a week after the program began. Luckily, the 86-year-old Boynton Beach man was found alive -- when he crashed near the jail in Miami. When I read the story, I thought of my late grandfather, who kept driving far longer than he should have, frequently getting lost and driving for hours before finally returning home.

So far, all the alerts have been successful. I'm glad we're doing this, but it makes me sad to think it's such a necessity.