What with all the talk of anniversaries lately (happy belated 13th to Mrs and Mr F-and-or-O-Kat, BTW), there’s yet another special date coming up this week. Notice of this one comes via the WTF Podcast Newsletter.

This week, Tuesday marks my 12th year sober.

The thing I’m taking away from that is that I’ve actually been married longer than Marc’s been sober. Maron, of course, has not managed to stay married during all that time, while, I, for my part, have not managed to remain sober for the past 13 years either (though, to be fair, I haven’t actually been trying).

I will, of course, refrain from suggesting that you need to be wasted (at least occasionally) to stay married.

No doubt, not being a neurotic, angry creative genius helps. Also being married to somebody you like, and who isn’t a recovering addict (of course, I don’t really know the circumstances with Marc’s previous relationship, but I’m siding with him because, well, because he was with there with me – and my wife, I hasten to add – in bed every morning for a year and a half).

There’s something to be said for being a happy idiot, I guess. Not that I’m all that happy much of the time (not until I can retire, anyway). But no brain no pain, and if I’m not the most interesting and exciting companion on the planet, at least I try not to bother anybody too much.

Speaking of not very happy and the lack-o-retirement possibilities, how’s that whole 401k thingie doing this morning? In case you didn’t notice, the “markets” (one of those very rare and mysterious singularities that end with an ‘s’ and that nobody actually understands – least of all economists) took a dump yesterday.

If you were listening to “the news” (speaking of plural singularities) you may have gotten the idea that this came about because S&P downgraded the USA. But it turns out, that wasn’t it. It was because the economy sucks (and the economy sucks because the idiot teabaggers and their Republican pimps would rather kill every man, woman and child (except for rich men and unborn children, of course) than pump money into the economy.

Teabaggers are proud of themselves. Republicans are, well, Republicans, and the Democrats are equal parts scared and spineless. And our President is…. Beats me, I quit trying to figure him out. None of that matters, though.

What matter is that, after 4 days off, I have to go back to work today. This really (really) blows.