I hate that crap

I just had to send an email to my niece telling her I won't be coming to Boston for her college graduation, so I'm sure she'll be disappointed. Next I'll be sending an email to a certain BALCO-labs-fueled poker blogger telling him I won't be joining him in Vegas to celebrate the advent of his oldness.

This fiscal responsibility thing sucks ass.

But these are the correct decisions long-term. My tax bill for 2007 is a little more than I expected, and the flight to Boston for 3 (me, Suzy and my sister) plus hotel is a little more than I can swing without piling up more shit on my credit cards right now. Ditto Vegas. And I've worked for the past couple months at trying to eliminate debt, so I can't allow myself to accumulate more debt for fun stuff right now.

Accumulating more debt for a heating system, new windows, a new stove and a new back door are all more or less necessities, especially considering that I think the $20K I'm looking at putting into new windows and a central heating and A/C system in the Casa de Falstaff will repay itself in cash within ten years. Yes, my heating situation in the winter is so bad that I think if I install windows and an A/C system I can likely see close to $2K a year in savings.

So the Falstaff party tour is on hold due to an impending sense of fiscal responsibility. Jebus, I sound like a Republican. Not one of the Rove/Bush Republicans, but a real one. I am becoming more fiscally conservative, because I've decided that I like money. A lot. And I like it more when I have more of it. So that's what I'm concentrating on right now, saving more money and taking care of things on the home front. Not to mention the craziness that is my business travel.

And by the way, I think Nashville may be the coolest town I've ever spent not nearly enough time in. I'm looking forward to my next trip up there, and it doesn't hurt that I've got a couple of great friends like Mr. & Mrs. Spaceman to hang with.