I am a NASCAR fan, and I could not be more miserable.

I can feel all of you reading that statement nodding your head in total commiseration, because all NASCAR fans are pretty miserable in the long, cold, dark month of January, the absolute worst of the off-season. You feel my pain.

To make matters worse, I am unable to attend the motorsports show that is currently going on in Ft. Washington, PA. My son, Joshua, and I have attended this event four times in the past, and had such great times. What a great interruption to the hardest time of the year for racing fans. But due to dismal finances and the removal of a toenail (one not having anything to do with the other, in case you were wondering) here I sit, scouring a couple of hundred channels of TV and finding nothing on. And watching my cat, Tally, stare at my bandaged toe as only a bored cat can. There's nothing sadder than a bored human watching a bored feline.

I am watching with very little interest Robert Downey Jr. in a silly love comedy with Marisa Tomei. Even Downey Jr.'s lovable brown eyes can't catch my interest and keep it, and every time I think of 'Jr.' in my mind I start thinking of the driver of the No. 8 Bud car, and then I'm thinking of Daytona and testing. This is another event I have attended in the past. Another NASCAR event.

See? My mind can't even look into sexy eyes without coming full circle and back to NASCAR, and what I am missing.

Next to my computer I see the forms for the driver fan clubs that I can't send in quite yet. I also want to get Joshua some new Bobby Labonte gear reflecting Bobby’s team/car/sponsor change, and without too much trouble I have already located some die cast and t-shirt possibilities. That, too, has to be placed further down the 'go for it' list than paying the utility bills, which is a dang shame, if you ask me.

On a racing message board I recently visited the question was asked of its readers, "What races/tracks do you plan on attending this racing season?" That makes you squirm a little, when your answer must be 'none and none'. And undeniable envy of those who could respond otherwise.

So I suppose I will keep slowly peeling off these non-racing days with any racing that the SPEED channel offers, the replaying of old races, and the company of my NASCAR friends over the internet, through emails and posts on message boards.

There is the slight chance that I might do some projects saved for the off-season, but somehow I am never in the mood to do them during this awful time of year.

So just what is a penniless NASCAR fan to do? I guess the only answer is: suffer.