What Next? Thirtysomething DVDS?!
I have had a very grown-up sort of week. The kind of week where even a few healthy rounds of Alias on the PS2 and the new Bright Eyes CD can't cloud the fact that I am getting older. And with each passing day, week, month, and year I have to take on more responsibilities -- either by choice or by force. Most of these things are perfectly reasonable and will ultimately turn out to be "good" things, but when too many of these "grown up" things collide all at once it can be a bit intimidating.
Over the past 7 days I have had my house visited by a real estate agent who more then likely will be the associate we enter the selling component of the real estate market with. As I wrote about last weekend, this will be our second foray into the real estate world. The last time out we were 6 years younger, 6 years poorer, and basically had little to choose from in our housing market. We got a nice interest rate via a program for first time buyers and we have always felt like we did well with the purchase. Even though we're still very early in the selling process, this time around feels so different. As sellers we feel empowered, especially since we are choosing to sell as a means of moving up, as opposed to moving away or trying to get out from under something. As excited as we are about finding a new place, for now we are trying to stay focused on this place. We have a lot of work to do to get our house ready and that doesn't include the laundry list we will likely get from the realtor with all the things we hadn't even thought about yet. For now we are awaiting word from the agent with a "ballpark" figure and as long as it is not way below what we expect then we'll go to the next step. I suspect that in the next week or so we will do our taxes (which we'd do anyway), check our other financial resources, and then contact our broker -- thus inviting one more potential person in to get a piece of our wallets. Such is life I guess.
I was also visited this week by a contracted nurse for a life insurance company. Both my wife and I got to give him our blood, urine, weight, and blood pressure so that some pencil pusher in an office somewhere -- who will never meet either of us -- can search for the tiniest excuse possible to squeeze a few extra dollars out of us per month in exchange for some piece of mind. We won't be denied coverage. I know that. And more then likely our rate will be pretty low. We're non-smokers, we exercise regularly, neither of us is terribly overweight, and our family histories for disease or other conditions is pretty moderate. Still, there is no way to go through the process of obtaining additional life insurance without thinking about death; the death of me or my wife, what that would mean to each of us respectively, and above all else what it would mean for our kids. A word to the wise that was given to me not long ago: Don't spend too much time thinking about these things. Instead, take actions and make preparations so that when you do stop and think about it you will at least be able to take a deep breath and know you've done something. I should mention that I hate -- I'm using the word "hate" here -- needles of all shapes and sizes. And while this surely helped me to never become a smack addict, it has also kept me away from medical types more often then it should. So from now on I am going to try and remember something Warren Zevon said. For those who don't know, Zevon died of an inoperable cancer that, had it been caught earlier, might have been treatable. He said on Letterman that his failure to visit a doctor over the previous 20 years was "One of those phobias that didn't pay off." A humorous man to the end. While I am all for humor, I would really like my end to come much later then Zevon's.
Finally, on the work front I had a pile of assorted duties laid on me this week. Ever since my raise last October I have become the new go-to guy. Even though the pay increase was explained to me as "an adjustment" based on market research, and that my day to day duties wouldn't change that much, I never really believed it. When people pay you more they want more from you. More of your time, more of your energy, more of your blood, your soul, and your flesh. While I still put in the standard 40 hours a week, those 40 hours have become more intricate, more challenging, and more demanding. The biggest change in the last couple of months has been my attitude toward co-workers. I am usually a good natured co-worker; the type that if you ask me nicely I will do all I can to help you out. But these days I am a little less tolerant and look upon some of my peers with a more critical eye. I am learning to ask "Do you need me to do this because you need help or do you need me to do this because you're too lazy or refuse to learn how to do it?" This is not the easiest question for me to ask but it gets easier each time. And, sadly, the answer usually lies in the latter, not the former.
Anyway... I wish I had some cute one-liner to close this entry but I can't come up with anything. I am extremely tired as I write this. I want a nap...I want some sleep. I want my MTV!
J
*************
Question of the Day
Do you act your age? Why or why not? Do you feel older then you are? Younger?
Thanks.
Over the past 7 days I have had my house visited by a real estate agent who more then likely will be the associate we enter the selling component of the real estate market with. As I wrote about last weekend, this will be our second foray into the real estate world. The last time out we were 6 years younger, 6 years poorer, and basically had little to choose from in our housing market. We got a nice interest rate via a program for first time buyers and we have always felt like we did well with the purchase. Even though we're still very early in the selling process, this time around feels so different. As sellers we feel empowered, especially since we are choosing to sell as a means of moving up, as opposed to moving away or trying to get out from under something. As excited as we are about finding a new place, for now we are trying to stay focused on this place. We have a lot of work to do to get our house ready and that doesn't include the laundry list we will likely get from the realtor with all the things we hadn't even thought about yet. For now we are awaiting word from the agent with a "ballpark" figure and as long as it is not way below what we expect then we'll go to the next step. I suspect that in the next week or so we will do our taxes (which we'd do anyway), check our other financial resources, and then contact our broker -- thus inviting one more potential person in to get a piece of our wallets. Such is life I guess.
I was also visited this week by a contracted nurse for a life insurance company. Both my wife and I got to give him our blood, urine, weight, and blood pressure so that some pencil pusher in an office somewhere -- who will never meet either of us -- can search for the tiniest excuse possible to squeeze a few extra dollars out of us per month in exchange for some piece of mind. We won't be denied coverage. I know that. And more then likely our rate will be pretty low. We're non-smokers, we exercise regularly, neither of us is terribly overweight, and our family histories for disease or other conditions is pretty moderate. Still, there is no way to go through the process of obtaining additional life insurance without thinking about death; the death of me or my wife, what that would mean to each of us respectively, and above all else what it would mean for our kids. A word to the wise that was given to me not long ago: Don't spend too much time thinking about these things. Instead, take actions and make preparations so that when you do stop and think about it you will at least be able to take a deep breath and know you've done something. I should mention that I hate -- I'm using the word "hate" here -- needles of all shapes and sizes. And while this surely helped me to never become a smack addict, it has also kept me away from medical types more often then it should. So from now on I am going to try and remember something Warren Zevon said. For those who don't know, Zevon died of an inoperable cancer that, had it been caught earlier, might have been treatable. He said on Letterman that his failure to visit a doctor over the previous 20 years was "One of those phobias that didn't pay off." A humorous man to the end. While I am all for humor, I would really like my end to come much later then Zevon's.
Finally, on the work front I had a pile of assorted duties laid on me this week. Ever since my raise last October I have become the new go-to guy. Even though the pay increase was explained to me as "an adjustment" based on market research, and that my day to day duties wouldn't change that much, I never really believed it. When people pay you more they want more from you. More of your time, more of your energy, more of your blood, your soul, and your flesh. While I still put in the standard 40 hours a week, those 40 hours have become more intricate, more challenging, and more demanding. The biggest change in the last couple of months has been my attitude toward co-workers. I am usually a good natured co-worker; the type that if you ask me nicely I will do all I can to help you out. But these days I am a little less tolerant and look upon some of my peers with a more critical eye. I am learning to ask "Do you need me to do this because you need help or do you need me to do this because you're too lazy or refuse to learn how to do it?" This is not the easiest question for me to ask but it gets easier each time. And, sadly, the answer usually lies in the latter, not the former.
Anyway... I wish I had some cute one-liner to close this entry but I can't come up with anything. I am extremely tired as I write this. I want a nap...I want some sleep. I want my MTV!
J
*************
Question of the Day
Do you act your age? Why or why not? Do you feel older then you are? Younger?
Thanks.