"Some days it's dark. Some days I work. ..." [1]

Is January 24 still the most depressing day of the year in 2006? Seems that it must be, according to news stories.

Now, granted, I realize that the formula for Most Depressing Day isn't particularly scientific [2], but I find it quite suspicious that it's chosen the same day at least two years in a row, now.

But for those who're looking for a little Tuesday depression, here are some suggestions on how to prove the scientists right:

Listen...

to one or more of the following:

1. The Clientele, "K"
2. Dios, "Just Another Girl"
3. Dusty Springfield, "Breakfast in Bed"
4. ABBA, "The Winner Takes It All"
5. Jane Birkin, "Fuir le Bonheur"
6. The Go-Betweens, "I'm Allright"
7. The Beach Boys, "You Still Believe In Me"
8. The The, "Love is Stronger Than Death"
9. The Afghan Whigs, "When We Two Parted"
10. Willie Nelson, "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain"

Watch...

The Godfather: Part II. Or, maybe, watch it more than once! It gets more uplifting the second & third times round—I promise. [3]

Happy Sad Day!

[1] Best song ever.

[2] This is the frighteningly new-agey, feel-bad formula, btw:

The model is:

[W + (D-d)] x TQ
M x NA

The equation is broken down into seven variables: (W) weather, (D) debt, (d) monthly salary, (T) time since Christmas, (Q) time since failed quit attempt, (M) low motivational levels and (NA) the need to take action.

Of course, it leaves quite a few questions unanswered:

• What about the southern hemisphere, where the temperature in January can be above 100 degrees Fahrenheit?
• What about people who celebrate another holiday (or none at all) instead of Christmas?
• What if I have no motivation whatsoever, which would cause M to be (presumably) 0, which would cause a division by 0 condition, leading to an infinite amount of... something?
• & most importantly: What is the final unit of measurement? Days? Weeks? Minutes? Number of depressed people?

&c.

[3] Not really. But it does tend to numb you after a while, which can be helpful.