Numbers anyone?

I had fun playing with spreadsheets and numbers today. I can get immersed in spreadsheets, budgets, statistics, and graphs. Maybe I should have been an accountant. What's wrong with me anyway?

WOW! Here it is half-way through October, and I've only posted four times this month! Am I lazy, tired, bored or too busy? I suspect it's a little of all. I know it is not that I've been thinking less about retirement. I'm sure I am boring everyone I know with it. Some days I feel like I radiate it--like I'm a retirement transmitter. It's kind of an odd feeling--knowing those retirement waves are going out there, permeating the universe. I just hope they aren't doing any damage. I really have no control over them, or me it seems. . .

Head in sand

I had lunch with some dear friends from my former place of employment today. It was great to see them, and we ate at one of the old haunts, which made it extra special. In some ways I feel like we've grown up together, but I guess it's more like we've grown old together. The conversation, as it always does, turned to retirement. I love being able to talk to them and hear their plans, how they are preparing. I know I'm not nearly as prepared as they are, but I can't let that stop me. They both have a financial adviser. I decided years ago that I would never be able to do what that guy thought I should to be prepared, so I never went back--solved that problem. But, I am glad they are following his advice--maybe they'll take me in for a little while if I can't make it!

Monday mourning

I don't have to work tomorrow! Wow--that feels so good. It hasn't been a bad year, and I have always tried to subscribe to a friend of mine's theory that once you reach Halloween, the school year is almost over because you slide on into Thanksgiving and the winter holidays, and before you know it summer is here! It really feels that way too. It's just that it is such a whirlwind that you're almost always tired. I just want to be able to sleep late, or at least not have to worry about it if I have trouble getting to sleep.

So, I will enjoy this weekend and try not to think about how Monday morning is going to be here all too soon.

Lucky me

I have to write this very quickly, otherwise i will fall asleep. I just wanted to report on my winnings today! No, I didn't turn in my new scratch-off and try again. But, I did get a telephone call from Borders this morning informing me that I was one of three educator winners of a gift bag. I hustled on down to Borders so I could pick out the best one. They were all really nice. The bag is lovely, and it was filled with some very useful thngs. Some were good for the library, and others I gave to my assistant, one of my favorite English teachers, and a couple I kept for myself. So, I am a winner! Things are looking up for a comfortable retirement! Scratch-off here I come . . .

A winner

The other night I dreamed that I won $10,000,000 on a scratch-off lottery ticket. Of course, I always interpret things like that as omens. So today I bought a scratch-off. I don't think they have one for $10,000,000, so I just asked the guy for the dollar scratch-off with the highest payout. It turned out to be $500 a week for twenty years. Now that would be a nice supplement to my retirement pay.

The back of the ticket informed me that I had a 1 in 6 million chance of winning that $500 a week. I know that may not sound like very good odds, but I'm one in over 6,789,000,000 people in the world, so it seemed to me my odds of winning on this scratch-off are better than that. I was psyched. Once I got the ticket, I had to decide whether I should scratch it off right then, or wait until I got home. How was I to know if that decision would affect the karma of whether I won or lost. Since I had to meet someone at home, I decided to wait. When I got home, I had to walk Elvis. Again, the scratching was postponed. Finally, after Elvis and I got home and he had some fresh water and hugs, it was time for the scratch-off!

And now you are wondering if I won. And yes, I did. I won enough to buy another scratch-off tomorrow. The way I see it, my odds are even better now!

Is this real or Memorex?

I don't know how this could have happened, but last night at our Monday night dinner, the conversation turned to my retirement! "Crazy C" had joined us for dinner. She and I have been tossing around the idea of job sharing next year. Mr. Edd, formerly known as He Who Shall Not be Named, said he was sure I would be just as busy in retirement. But, I worry about that. I have this fear that the fatigue I sometimes experience (okay my increasingly natural tendency to be lazy) will keep me from learning and doing all of the things I have been anticipating for all of these years. What if all I do is watch movies?