I guess it’s time for another journal entry. I don’t have a whole lot of news, but at least I can ramble aimlessly. I know how much my dedicated readers love to watch me show my less intelligent side. ~lol~

Well, let’s see… what shall I comment on first? Hrmmm… I guess the first thing that comes to mind is the movie release I’ve been waiting on. This Friday night (Jan 20th) is the opening night for Underworld: Evolution. The sequel to the blockbuster vampire vs. werewolf movie that had everyone talking. I can’t wait to see how it all works out. The wife and I are planning a late evening viewing at the local theater.

Coming up after that would be “tax season” with the delivery of our W2 forms, and subsequent trip to the local H&R BLOCK office for a rapid-refund. Some might argue the practical thinking behind paying for a fast return… but when you look at percentages, as we did last year, and realize that out of a ($5,500+) tax return… $100-$200 ain’t that much to pay to get your money in hand faster. After all, it is our money. Then comes the task of prioritizing the spending of said cash. (Mainly in an attempt to insure that the wife gets her fair share… or there will be hell to pay ~lol~) We have agreed on some very wise spending in order to position ourselves in a much more comfortable financial situation after it’s all said and done. I think we’re being very smart about this and we should be able to reduce (if not eliminate) a good amount of stress if we follow our plans and don’t lose our head.

After the tax-return events, we are looking down the barrel of yet another pair of birthdays. Both of ours fall in February. Hers is on the 6th and mine is on the 19th. I’m going to immensely enjoy watching my wife squirm as she turns 30 years old. She’s fighting the idea of being knocked out of her youthful 20’s… and I’m going to laugh as she joins the rest of us in “middle age”. Actually, I hope my “middle age” isn’t until about 45. It’d be kinda nice to be around for my grandkids and possibly great-grandkids. Somehow, I don’t think this world will be around long enough to see me be an old man.

The good Lord might even take me before that time comes about. Ya never know. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past 2 years… it’s this. Appreciate and savor the sweet moments of innocence and simple pleasures in life. When it’s over…it’s over. And the more I live, the more I realize just how short a year really is. When I stop to consider that I’ve already burnt up 32 of them, and that an average man’s lifespan is about 70 years, I suddenly realize that I better make the next 30-40 years as good as they can be. We’re only on this Merry-Go-Round for so long… then it’s the next generation’s turn at making sense of this thing called “life”.

We’re barely here long enough to stare in wonder… realize that most are trapped by the “system”… come to the conclusion that the odds are rarely in our favor… accept what we cannot change and appreciate that which we can… and make the odds a tiny bit better for those who come after us. Then, we become like so many of those who’ve come and gone before us. We are a fond memory. A name in a book. A grave marker erected by our posterity. We lay in wait, like those who we’ve visited and wondered about. It’s sobering. Life really is short. And what we leave behind is the blood of generations before us…a Surname…and the stark reminder that they, too, must make the best of the life they’ve been given.

The best that I can hope for is that my kids become better men than I’ve become. I’ve become worldly and backslidden and bitter. I try my best not to show a poor example to them. But I fear that I’m not the father I should be. I get the impression that most fathers feel that way, regardless of what they do right or wrong. I’ve been told on several occasions that “kids don’t come with instructions”. Mmm… that may be so, but regardless of the fact, ya gotta make them work. It’s not like a bicycle that you can take apart and reassemble until it comes out right. We get one shot. No pressure…right? I’m just thankful that I have my wife to help me. Actually, I should give her a lot more credit, here. She actually has “child rearing” down a bit better than I do. I muddle through and, for the most part, get them to do what I need them to do. But Mommy has the plan, man. Mommy knows best…and Daddy just tries his best to stay out of the way until he’s bellowed at.

I sincerely hope that after we restructure our finances with the “Almighty Tax Return”… that I can quit my 2nd job. Having to eat supper late at night and then trying to go to bed without my stomach getting nauseous just isn’t what I consider “fun”. Then, after staying up even later and trying to get enough rest before I have to get up at 5:30am just ain’t working out. I get sleepy by mid-morning and have to feed myself a non-stop stream of caffeinated drinks just to stay functioning. Not really a healthy thing… but what can I do? I have to have the income until we get caught up. The key, afterwards, is to maintain the budget without spurious spending.

Well… guess it’s about time to get some work done. I just felt like rambling. More later!!