I have come to the conclusion that The Budget is all winter’s fault.

The Budget should not be announced during winter, at all. Because ever since Bill English's fine proclamation that everything would be okay, and not to worry because National’s Got This, I’ve been kind of...blue (and not just my nose and my feet – heating’s a bit shoddy at mine.)

I thought at first it might be something to do with the fact that The Budget kind of sucks for teachers, especially this one teacher who has worked out, sarcastically and mathematically, why increased class sizes are a bad idea. But no, it’s cold and I figure all those teachers out there are probably just having a moan ‘cos it’s cold and they have to go to school in the rain, and let’s face it, at any age no one wants to go to school in the rain.

Then I thought maybe I’ve been feeling sorry for the students, who really need to get their training finished get a job and start contributing. And by golly (sorry, I'm PG-thirteened here) anyone (who doesn’t have rich parents or major savings) wanting to do post grad study had better get mighty cosy living in their parents basement, and like it. Damn it.

But clearly the whole protest thing wasn’t to do with The Budget, right? The poor buggers were protesting outside in the wintery cold, which is bound to make anyone irritable, and it was at peak hour and there were people trapped in their cars trying to leave Auckland in the dark. Doesn’t matter all those students that got beeped at a few nights ago are going to remember that moment – when they stood up for something they were angry, passionate about...and got the equivalent of that swatting action you do when a mosquito is hanging around. Not at all. It was just that it was really freezing.

But then I thought, maybe I’m not sad/angry/frustrated/hypothermic because of The Budget coming out in winter at all!

Maybe it’s the whole bikini boxing thing! Maybe it's the fact this sporting endeavour, although it proudly proclaims it will somehow be recorded in the annals of sporting history, is realistically more likely to be attended for the fact that people apparently find a couple of chicks boxing in their bikinis a great appetizer to a couple of men beating each other up. Sex and violence, people.  I’m also upset that I’ve managed to break, within a month of making, my resolution to steadfastly ignore anything to do with anything Ridge-like.

Oh, yeah. And now there’s lingerie football.

So I don’t know. What was I talking about? Oh yes, The Budget. Which is winter’s fault, because why else would I be bummed that, despite Bill’s proclamations of World Peace and puppies and kittens and central heating for All New Zealand - (I assume, in all honesty I got about 10 minutes into the Budget speech – it’s 30 minutes long, have you tried to watch that thing? The MP guy on the right of the screen totally falls asleep really quickly) – I still have no money.

And I wanted to give money to a home-grown site called Dori.co.nz this week, which sometimes doesn’t get donated to because No One Has Any Money Anymore. I want a story t-shirt, $10 from the sale of which would go to Auckland City Mission. I can’t afford a story t-shirt.

Which is clearly winter’s fault, because The Budget was revealed during a time when I’m already sad/angry/concerned that much of what I earn goes on noodles and The Heating Bill, as well as the internet, which in turn probably is the reason I’ve been huddled up trawling through the news finding stuff to be angry with. And I know that people have it worse off than me - namely some students, a few teachers, and the folks the City Mission helps out.

If The Budget was revealed during summer, I’d be out doing summery things and would have gotten the 30-second digestable soundbite on How All Is Well, and I wouldn’t be reading stuff about how Stuff Isn’t Really All That Well.

Ah well, like John Key says - at least we aren't Greece.

And I just remembered something John Key said, didn't I?

Damn you, winter. You have a lot to answer for.