In this chapter, the narrator and his friends discuss the upcoming New Year's shopping trip. They're planning to buy a lot of food, but they're worried that they'll run out of things to buy before the new year. The narrator is bummed that he's not earning enough money to go on vacation. He's also bummed that his daughter isn't doing well at school. He doesn't know why, but he thinks it's because she's a stay-at-home mom, so she won't be able to go to the movies or to the theater. He also worries about his daughter's health, because he thinks she might be sick or something. He wonders why he hasn't been able to finish his work in time for the New Year, and he wonders if he should have gone on vacation earlier. He thinks he'll have to cut back on his vacation, since he can't really catch up with his work.