Things and stuff.

"The packaging for a microwavable "microwave" dinner is programmed for a shelf life of maybe six months, a cook time of two minutes and a landfill dead-time of centuries."
~ David Wann

It must suck to be Roger Clemens these days. Besides the steroid allegations, now he's being accused of having an affair with Mindy McCready when she was 15-years old. They're saying it was a "friendly" relationship and not sexual. Uh-huh. And I'm the Queen of England. Maybe it's payback for all that fame and fortune or maybe it's just that he's a skunk. I'm going with skunk, since I believe that the Universe is a randomly divined sequence of events and that such things as luck, payback and coincidence are excuses.

I'm wondering where the end is. The end for the price of gasoline, food and other staples of modern life. Cable TV is outrageously priced. If you don't have health care, prescription drugs are almost impossible to afford. Going to a professional sporting event is quickly becoming too expensive for average people. The overall "cost of life" is to the point where a quiet evening at home is no longer a luxury - it's a necessity.

I no longer drink beer for the sake of it. I have restricted myself to the high-alcohol content brews that are at least 8%, and sometimes as high as 14%. The 14-percenters are a bit harsh, but when you compare the "bang for the buck", there's a real bargain there. It's cheaper than wine and easier to drink than mixing something. After all, if you believe that men drink beer for the taste, you'll also believe that they buy Playboy for the articles.

I've started a new job with my company, and there's supposed to be a substantial salary increase involved, supposedly 5%. I've been working it since January but so far, I haven't seen a nickel. They tell me that my increase will be retroactive, but they tell me a lot of things. Meanwhile, I may be asking if anyone knows a good labor attorney. Either they'll pay me four-plus months of my wage increase or I'll have to take a day off to go to court.

It appears that the pool renovations at my condo (that I wrote about a few days ago) will happen, and I think they were going to happen regardless of the vote, since they were moving the equipment in as they were collecting the ballots. In a lengthy discussion with my condo manager, he told me that the pool contributes 30% to the value of our homes. I found it hard to believe, since a 50-foot concrete hole in the ground can't possibly be worth that much. Does anyone know a realtor who can answer a finely-worded e-mail?

The cat (in case you were wondering) is still purring along. He is supposed to have a kidney malfunction, but I find that I get up to pee at night more than he does. Generally, he sleeps right through, while I'm up at least twice. I'm thinking that he's healthier than me at this stage. He's 17 years and 3 months, and the way I figure it, he's been a gift that, even if he develops something life-threatening over the next year or so, I've had a wonderful time with him and - forgive me if this sounds harsh - but I'd just as soon let him go naturally than to spend thousands of dollars and prolong a possibly painful existence for the sake of my guilty conscience and the veterinarian's bank account. From what I gather, aging pets are a gold-mine for vets, since they prey on guilty owners who will do anything to keep Fido alive for another three weeks.

I'm going to sit down and have a long talk with the kitty about all of this when the time comes. That's a better conscience soother than two thousand dollars worth of vet bills and an extra three weeks.