A friend told me today that the utilities company is going to cut the power to his business this coming week.
"The Economy"
We live in pretty cruddy times I suppose. There's a war that people seem to either hate or believe we're morally obligated to. We're politically divided and filled with animosity. People are either losing their jobs or thinking about what would happen if they did, and that slows everything down. Now, our finances haven't been directly affected yet, but I've noticed recently that every time I whip out the ol' debit card, it hurts a little to spend that dollar. I think I'm actually spending less as a result of it.
So, while the wife is out of town, I've been thinking about life. It is a little terrifying to consider selling an affordable house on which I have a fixed rate mortgage and a decent amount of equity, moving to a new state, and essentially starting out on a new career. I am terrified. I've said it twice for emphasis.
Of course I realize that this is where it happens, here on the edge. You have to take a risk or two, even if the poor-house is probable. If there is one thing I always forget, it is that I'm resourceful. We've been to the crap-farm before, Les and I, and we kept it together. They weren't the best of times, but we kept it together. We'll keep keeping it together, I suspect.
I have to keep remembering - this is for school. I believe in education. I believe that educated people have a better chance at the careers they want instead of the jobs they fall into. I believe that becoming educated is a fulfilling experience. I also believe that cowardly actions don't lead to anything positive, and recognize the difference between cowardice and irresponsibility.
The good news is, I'm still young. So, staying here seems cowardly. Maybe if we had a kid or something it would be different, but we don't and have no plans to... and, actually, come to think of it, having kids never seemed to deter my parents in any serious manner from moving (and, honestly, I have to say that consistent movement helped forge the personality I have today, so no complaints from me at this point... or back then, really).
I revert, in times like these, to a few rules - channel my unstoppable shopaholism into things that are useful and long-lasting (sensible coat, decent watch, good books - the stuff every guy needs), quit eating out by succumbing to my natural mistrust of every other living human, and just being smart about stuff. Keep the cars running, keep the card payments down, all of that stuff.
School is going well this semester. I signed up for my classes for spring, also. My mythology class takes place in... Second Life. I'm not a huge fan of Second Life, to be honest, but it is an interesting idea and if the system manages not to get in the way of learning (I suspect there will be some WebCT components as well) I'm game to try it. Hopefully the strange folks who seem drawn to a recourse-free virtual existence will leave us alone during class.
Quick question: How do people have time to play video games? Seriously.
