Because of his lack of energy, Shmoop says, he has been "hibing" since childhood. He says that he cannot sleep through the winter because it is the end of year and the new year. His father has been laid off, and his sister has not been able to get a job because she has never known love for a man after years of trying. She has failed her college entrance exam and has no intention of taking it again. Shmo says he will have to let her know what he is thinking one day, and that he will put on a tape and wait for the "new future" to come along. He worries that he is being out done, and he will not allow anyone to sleep. He will not let anyone sleep, he says, because it connects to "a side ways hole" .