Money Out, Stuff In

I learned a lesson Friday night, its importance subjective: if you're planning to write after a long day at work, and having to force it because you've found no inspiration to write in the past two weeks (well, PLENTY of inspiration, but who wants to hear about correcting your vehicle title?), DON'T have a beer with dinner.

Secondary lesson: going to bed at 9:00 pm — which is about three hours earlier than your usual — when you're really tired from a long day at work and from racking your brain over a beer to come up with SOMETHING to write can be tremendously refreshing.

Pardon My Dust
Improvements are underway. There has long been a list of things I've wanted, — material things, if you will; toys — that I am certainly aware will not make me whole, but they will help to fill the alone times with distraction. There was a small distribution from my father's estate, and a small settlement from xMrs. Farrago in the wake of the divorce, and these will make it possible to get the things I've wanted.

They're not all frivolous things, mind you. I've long wanted a tow package installed on the Xterra so that I can get a hitch-mounted bike rack and take my bike to faraway places to ride it. See? Health-conscious. Tow package installed. Bike rack purchased.

Last week for work I had to watch several Suze Orman DVDs to find a quote where she says how much and why she hates variable annuity life insurance policies. I used to watch the weekly Suze Orman show with xMrs. Farrago. It wasn't my choice, as xMrs. Farrago handled the money, and I often fell asleep before the show was over. Despite filtering for only one phrase — "variable annuity" — and trying to filter out Ms. Orman's annoying voice, a few messages got through. Prominent among them was, "Get rid of credit card debt." It wasn't a lot, but in the lean early months of the separation I leaned on the plastic for a few things. Suze's message is simple: if you have the cash, pay off the credit cards. Transfer those monthly payments to a savings or retirement account. Get rich.

Well, she didn't say that last one, but that's the idea. So, another good thing: future-conscious. Credit card debt eliminated.

And she never once mentioned variable annuity life insurance.

Back in the summer, while working to divide our finances, we sat with Margo the Bank Girl. A couple years ago, when I first met Margo, she was a plump girl, with splotchy skin, and who seemed very uncomfortable. This summer it had been about a year since I had seen her, and she was a totally different person. She had slimmed down drastically, she seemed more alert and alive…but she still has splotchy skin. She told me she had lost about 45 pounds since she had started working with a personal trainer.

Hmmm. If I know anything about myself, it's that I'm horribly unmotivated when it comes to moving muscles with any more weight on them than themselves. However, I also know that with friendly encouragement — and occasional threats of violence — I'm comfortable with supervision. I've already spoken with one personal trainer, and I'm looking into another. So, when the current spate of travel abates (I leave for Atlanta Sunday afternoon — 5 days) I will place myself at the mercy of a sadistic, muscle-bound beast — or maybe I'll work with a guy — and, hopefully, I'll come out the other side looking and feeling awesome. Naked pics here if that happens.

(Not of ME!! What are you, SICK or something?!)

I've written it and published it, so now I have to do it.

I've put myself on a cleaning schedule. HOUSE cleaning, you sick people! (still working on coming up with a shower schedule…) Rather than kill myself — and most of a day — trying to clean the whole apartment, I do one room a week. There are five rooms in the apartment: bedroom/half bath; full bath/main hallway; kitchen; living room; office. I've completed one cycle and the tidy (generally) place feels great. I've tried to police myself where clutter and piles are concerned. There are a few here and there, and in the living room there's still a gaggle of boxes of stuff I just don't have places for. But the dust is gone! I'm two weeks behind, however. Honestly, though, there's little to clean at the moment.

The new Tempur-Pedic memory foam queen bed was delivered this morning.

The coming weeks and months see possible new furniture, stereo- and computer equipment.

No, unfortunately, no upgrades are planned for the ol' Farrago blog web place space site. The only improvement possible here would be if I were to stop writing all together.