Today was mentally exhausting. That is the easiest way I can put it. My mind is just spent. Little fires, big fires, unnecessary fires. Finding out I won't get to replace the head on my staff that was lost to long term disability due to year-end budget restraints. How do I keep production at the same level when down people? Good friends of ours separating and most-likely headed down the road to the D word. Other friends having to put their dog down. Sister-on-law in the hospital with complications. Hopefully both she and our unborn nephew will be all right. Temps below zero tonight. No motivation.

I'm done whining now. I know that I have numerous things that are good. But, nonetheless, I'm glad it's the end of the day.

Good night, all ya' all.

I Hate Ebay

Okay, maybe hate is a strong word, but all that stupid site does is get my hopes up and frustrates me 99% of the time. One of you out there knows what I've been looking for. To another one of you out there, I guess that I, too, am a follower. I'm trying to classify this as a need, but I truly know better. Back to Ebay. I watch, I watch, I watch. 6 days left, 5 days left, 4 days left, 1 hour left. Steady price, steady price, steady price, steady price. Hey, I may be able to afford this one. Last 36 seconds, price nearly doubles and most of that increase in in the last 15 seconds. Dang nab it. Guess I won't be getting that item as my top end just got blown out of the water. Yeah, yeah, I know the process. I know that everyone waits to try to sneak in their bids. Hedging their bets if you will. I know that I tend to do the same thing. Why do I get my hopes up? One easy answer: a nearly new, unscratched Salsa dos Niner frame for $300. A savings of $600. That carrot is always dangling in front of me. I shouldn't get so worked up, yet I do. Maybe it's a disease. Maybe it's stupidity. Maybe it's the rush I get when I'm able to tell C Todd how inexpensively I've been able to build a new steed that I plan on selling to him to turn a profit. Maybe I should give this all up and keep my stress and tension levels down.

Gotta fly, there's an auction ending soon.

Celebrate Today

Today is the 75th anniversary of something that we should all celebrate. It was this date, in 1933, that Prohibition ended.

Bottoms up, all y'all!

Oh yeah...

Happy World Toilet Day everybody!

Honda Civic Owners Beware!

I was downtown this morning and chose to park on the street rather than roll up and down the lot to find a parking spot. I had left enough room before the ally for a small car to park in front of me. A youngish male decided that he was going to park there. I was early and was checking some account balances and such while remaining inside the Toy. He backed, backed, backed, backed. Yes, I'm sure you know where this is going. Yup, right into the front end of my old vehicle. I have a steel bumper and steel tow hooks on the front end. The Civic has plastic bumpers. Just after he hit me, he looked into his rearview mirror and realized that I was in my truck. He had a bit of a horrified look on his face, put the car into drive and took off. Why the warning in this title? It appears that a tow hook is more than capable of putting a hole in a Civic bumper while sustaining no damage itself.

Julie and I have had the rule of "no tv during dinner" for a long, long time. It makes us take the time and talk about the day's happenings and other things. Gosh, heaven forbid a married couple take time out of the day and enjoy each other's company and conversation. While I was making dinner, I had turned the tv in the family room toward the kitchen so that I could watch hockey on a 32" screen rather than a 13". I served up dinner and turned off the tv before I sat down. Julie looked at me and said, "You can leave the game on if you want. I know you don't get to see hockey as much as you'd like lately." I looked at her and said, "No worries, it's 2nd intermission anyway." I then got a look from her and heard her say, "Nice timing."

Dang... I was so close.

Sunday morning came in with homemade apple-cinnamon-oatmeal pancakes. Most excellent. Could have downed many, many more than I did, but I keep it to just a few normal sized ones and washed them down with a few mugs of good coffee and thermosed the rest of the pot for later use. I've been told that if I switch to more generic brands of goods, I'll be able to afford a cross bike in a few months. Hope CB doesn't mind when I take the Folger's/MJB/Maxwell House or even better still the can that just says coffee and I grind the grounds into an espresso grind for his 'cinos when he's here.

The rest of the day brought gutter cleaning, flowerbed cleaning, leaf cleaning and numerous other getting ready for winter projects including coming up with a way to ensure that our problematic downspout stays connected so we don't end up with water in the basement. Split some firewood and brought some kindling closer to the house.

Took about an hour break in between to grab some lunch and went back to my list. We're pretty much set for winter now as far as outside is concerned. Need to make sure the snow blower is ready, but I gave it a tune-up this spring. I'm not too worried there.

I keep looking at my bike on the trainer. It's set, it's ready to go. Can't bear the thought of it. Think I'll be out in cold weather as long as possible. I'm good for a few more degrees drop.

Happy Monday all y'all.