number crunching

i've been toying with a new notion in the past few weeks. the notion of roots, of living, and of making an investment in those roots and subsequent living. i'm talking real estate, bitty, little real estate. i haven't had much of an interest in owning my own house. it stands as a prohibitively expensive roadblock to travel, especially expensive travel, which i tend to enjoy. skiing isn't cheap. visiting other contintents isn't cheap. neither is, nowadays, visiting other states. so i've enjoyed renting and knowing i have a fairly substantial disposable income for things like plane tickets, lift tickets, dinners out, and the like. the down side is at the end of the day, while i have invested in my well-being and there is a definite return on that for me, i haven't really done much for my pocket in the long run. and so, i am thinking about a little casa for myself.

long run thinking? me? now? i didn't think this is where i would end up, thinking long term after battling cancer. for a number of months i was unable to process plans beyond a couple of days, maybe a couple of weeks. but now i am thinking in years. i hope i'm not being too bold. there are always options to consider, the "what-if's" are different than they were even a year ago. a year ago i wasn't wondering "what if i get hit by a bus and die?" now, i still don't really wonder that but i do wonder other things, as you can imagine. not that they are concretely going to happen. but they do exist, they are part of my reality now, as they really were a year ago, but back then i didn't know it, didn't consider it. so. the long run. however long it is i think home owning would be a fun adventure. and i think if i do it the right way i can still get away with some good travel, too.

all the number crunching has lead me to a number of realizations and actions. i won't go into too many details about my financial health or lack thereof, but i will tell you, i've made some decisions.

(1) i'm buying myself some road tires and a wheel set for the IF; that pretty bike needs some smooth spinning goodness for the roads, and why not do a nice thing for my bike? it has done so much for me.

(2) i bought a plane ticket to the hampster for a weekend visit. the rumor is that the cabin and the mice miss me. those reasons alone are enough to lure me up for a few days.

(3) soon i will buy a plane ticket to minnesota, too, for more cabin lounging time.

see? i am certainly a financially stable individual with all my best interests at the forefront of my decision making capabilities. all growed up. something like that.