A Little Short at the Bodonkey

Nice effort, but just one short of the money at the weekly Bodonkey. However, that sweet overlay got me T$109, which will almost cover my next ten Bodonkeys. How can you beat that?

Work, Getting Older, the Sucky Housing Market, and Nocturnal Ramblings

The busiest time of the year for me at work (Nov 1 - Jan 15) is almost through. In my younger days, I used to revel in those difficult times, enjoying the challenge. Now, I find myself worn out and barely crawling to the finish line. However, I have some projects lined up that will keep me busy this spring so I won't become a total lazy ass.

I have a milestone birthday coming in a week and a half, and frankly, I don't know how I will react. I spoke with my oldest daughter today and told her about a David Bowie concert I had tickets to, but eventually ended up not going. Shit -- the concert took place over 15 years before she was born!

I was talking with a guy about the Rose Bowl, lamenting the poor showing of Illinois. I was recalling how the last Rose Bowl that Illinois played in sucked, and then asked, "I bet you weren't even born when the Illini played UCLA in the Rose Bowl." Ding!

The downturn in the housing market came at a bad time. I still have a house on the market, and am waiting for the nice spring weather to get here so I can finally sell it. In the meantime, I was thinking about all the people in the world and local community who are struggling financially, yet I have this nice empty house just sitting there. Somehow it just doesn't seem right.

I guess that in looking back, I really have very little to complain about regarding my life. I have largely done what I wanted, and most things seemed to have worked out for me. Give me some chocolate, Chinese food, affection from my wife, and a few trips to Las Vegas each year, and I am pretty satisfied. When asked what I wanted this past Christmas (knowing money would be a little tight due to the house on the market), I said "nothing." It was true. My son, however, had a multi-page list with probably 100 items. My daughters were no slouches either, having a well-defined list of designer items or toys. Well ... maybe after the house sells, I'll get that laptop I want, the new big screen HD television, the return trip to Maui, ...