Connections, and missing them

So the blogger most famously known as 130 lbs. of Fury is in the area, but due to family commitments (his, none of my family has been committed lately, no matter how deserving) we're not gonna be able to get together for food this time around. I try to fatten up the skinny bastard whenever he comes through, but so far, it's not taking.

And one of the main reasons I can't eat dinner with him Wednesday night, is because, social butterfly that I am, I already have plans for dinner in the next state over with my dear friends the Spacepeople. Spaceman and Mrs. Spaceman are going to be my congenial tour guides through some of Nashville's gastrointestinal delights as I prepare for my meeting the next morning. Hopefully they'll be gentle and I'll be sober by my 10 AM meeting.

Yeah, just a couple of days after I drive home from Tennessee, I'm driving even further into the state. The guy I need to meet was out of town last week when I was just a two-hour drive away, so I'm driving 7 hours to meet with him on this project. Yeah, it's that good a project, and he requested our company specifically from the manufacturer, so it's a given that I'm gonna make the drive.

Someday I'll get back to playing poker, but lately I've been playing with money, and today I got some great news. My mortgage called me and told me that the house was appraised at $40K more than we paid for it 9 years ago, and my refi is approved and will come in around $200 less per month than I'm paying now, even with switching from a 30 year note to a 15.

Yes, my interest rate was that bad.

Really, really bad.

So I might actually be able to refi for enough cash to be able to put central heating and air conditioning in this joint, and maybe, just maybe, if the stars all align properly and I hold my mouth just right, replace at least some of the windows as well. That would dramatically reduce our heating bill, as electric baseboard heaters are most kindly described as somewhat inefficient. So that possibility is on the horizon, and those home improvements would be very cool (and warm at appropriate times).

And the theatre thing is starting to kick back up. I start rehearsals tomorrow night for The Diary of Anne Frank at our local community theatre. I'm doing lights and Suzy is doing costumes, and she's way farther along than I am. But it also takes a longer time frame to costume a show than it does to design lights, so that's normal. I hang and focus Saturday, program the show Sunday morning, and we have first tech rehearsal Sunday night. I'm done with my part by opening night, which is nice, but it's a very different vibe than when I act or direct because I'm coming in at the end when all the other members of the team have had weeks of working together, and I'm in and out in a few days. But the check always clears, so I don't really have any gripes.

And before long we'll be having auditions for our summer shows. This year I'm directing Twelfth Night, and Chris is directing Richard III, both are among my favorite shows, so I'm looking forward to the summer.

And there's a new feature coming to PokerStage. I'm going to start reviewing albums I really like, and books I've recently read. Not just to boost links to my Amazon.com affiliate deal, but because I think there's enough people out there who like the same type of music and books that I do that there might be an audience.