I read in The Sunday Times : "T. S. ELIOT clearly got it hopelessly wrong. April is not the cruellest month. January is. And of all the 31 cheerless dawns in this grisly, grey, morning-after-the-night-before sort of month, the 24th is likely to be the most miserable of all. Which, I must gently inform you (in case you are too chronically dejected even to check the date), is today.

That, at least, is the assertion of Dr Cliff Arnall, of Cardiff University — one of those hip'n'happenin' academics who delight in applying their finely honed scientific minds to the vagaries and vicissitudes of everyday life. He has published a formula which apparently proves (at least to his own satisfaction) that, even if it didn't fall on a Monday this year, January 24 is the day on which you really ought to stay in bed.

His formula? It's (W+(D-d))xTQ MxNA, if you must know — where W stands for the weather at this time of year (ghastly); D-d for the gap between your Christmas shopping spree credit-card debts (astronomical) and your next pay cheque (pathetically inadequate); T for the time that has elapsed since those carefree, feel-good nights of yuletide boozing and carousing (so long ago that you can't remember them); Q for the time that has passed since you spinelessly broke your new year resolutions to quit smoking and eating burgers; M for your motivation level as you staggered out of bed this morning (zero), and NA for that nagging, desperate feeling that you "need to take action" of some sort to cheer yourself up — if only you could stop being depressed for long enough to work out what that action might be".

Ah well, it is not that depressing, today! To start with, it's cold yes, but sunny. That makes things better. We just came back from holidays a week ago, Xmas doesn't seem to be that far away in the past. Then our credit card bill has already been checked online, so we know how much we will have to pay. And you know, it is not as bad as it could have been. Hotels, gas and food in the US are very cheap when converted to British pounds. So our vacation has not been that expensive. I don't know of any broken New Year's resolutions. I didn't have any resolutions!...

:Leo en El Periodico : "Hay un dia nacional de la depresion ciudadana? Existe una fecha en la que la moral del pais toca fondo? En el Reino Unido, la de hoy, lunes 24 de enero, es, segun el psicologo Cliff Arnalls, la jornada más lugubre del año.
El inhospito cielo gris, los numeros rojos de la cuenta corriente y el abandono de los buenos propositos para el 2005, con el consiguiente bajon de la autoestima, hacen de la cuesta de este gelido fin de mes, la madre de todas las cuestas.
El doctor Arnalls, tutor de la Universidad de Cardiff, en Gales, cree haber dado con una formula matematica que determina el momento exacto en el que el llamado blues de enero pega mas duro. A la hora de establecer sus calculos, el experto ha tenido en cuenta el mal clima (W) las deudas (D), a las que hay que restar el dinero de la proxima paga (d), el tiempo transcurrido desde Navidad (T), los fallidos intentos de abandonar algun mal hábito (Q), los niveles de motivacion (M) y la necesidad de hacer planes de futuro (NA). El resultado se traduce en la formula 1/8W+(D-d) 3/8TQ MxNd, que viene a confirmar lo que muchos ya sabian: terminar el mes de enero es una de las experiencias mas penosas del anio".

Ah, pero no hoy no es tan deprimente! Para empezar, hace frio, si. Pero tambien brilla el sol! Hace una semana que volvimos de vacaciones, las Navidades no quedan tan lejos, como veis. Hemos echado una ojeada a nuestros gastos con targeta de credito y no es para tanto. La gasolina, los hoteles y la comida en Estados Unidos no son nada caros cuando lo conviertes a Libras ESterlinas. Asi que nuestras vacaciones no han sido un derroche. En cuanto a los buenos propositos/resoluciones de Anio Nuevo que no he cumplido... que resoluciones? NO tenia ninguna!...

The weather today:
Partly Cloudy
4C
UV Index:1 Low
Wind:From the North at 15 gusting to 28 mph
Dew Point:-1C
Humidity:70%
Visibility:6 miles
Barometer:1,030.1 mb