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So the only thing I'm asking for this year is a deluxe leather recliner. My Uncle Charlie has one, and he practically LIVES in that thing. The main reason I want my own recliner is because if I had one, I wouldn't have to go up to my room after watching TV late at night. I could just sleep right in the chair. Plus, these recliners have all sorts of features, like a neck massager and adjustable firmness and stuff like that. I figure I could use the "vibrate" feature to

make Dad's lectures a lot more tolerable. The only reason I'd ever need to get up is to go to the bathroom. But maybe I should just wait until next year to ask for a recliner, because I bet they'll have that taken care of in the new model. Thursday I asked Mom to take me back to Bombshells Beauty

Salon again today, even though I didn't really need a haircut. I just felt like catching up on the town gossip. HIIIIIIIIIIIII, GREGGGGGGG! Annette, my hairstylist, said she heard from a lady who knows Mrs. Jefferson that me and Rowley had a falling out. Apparently, Rowley's "heartbroken" because I didn't invite him to my birthday party. Well, if Rowley's upset, you wouldn't know it from looking at him. Every time I see Rowley, he's palling around with his dad. So the way it looks to me, he's already got himself a new best friend.

I just wanna say I think it stinks that Rowley gets to go to the country club even though he still owes money on that fruit smoothie bill. Unfortunately, Rowley's chummy relationship with his dad is starting to affect my life. Mom says the way Rowley and his dad hang out together is "neat" and that me and Dad should go fishing or play catch in the front yard or something. But the thing is, me and Dad just aren't cut out for that kind of father-son stuff. The last time Mom tried to get me and Dad to do something like that together, it ended with me having to pull him out of Rappahannock Creek.

Mom won't let it go, though. She says she wants to see more "affection" between Dad and us boys. And that's created some really awkward moments. Friday Today I was watching TV, minding my own business, when I heard a knock at the front door. Mom said there was a "friend" there to see me, so I thought it

must be Rowley coming to apologize. But it wasn't Rowley. It was Fregley. After I recovered from my initial shock, I slammed the door shut. I started to panic because I didn't know what Fregley was doing at my front door. After a few minutes went by, I looked out the side window, and Fregley was still standing there.