Leaving those problems behind...

I spent close to 8 hours thinking about money.

I saw 2 accidents as they happened and a slew of cars with busted tires. The Blazer was so dirty from the weekend's snowstorm that changing lanes included mystery and I made it back to Portland without one broken gas gauge-related scare. If one lane isn't under construction on the East Coast, the other one is. And if they're both being worked on, at least there is the breakdown lane. If congestion on 95 is a result of the Stimulus Bill, I'm not sure I want to deal with the results of the Health care Bill.

Left Philly somewhere between 9 and 10 in the morning and backed into the driveway a few minutes before 5:30- a real solid day of driving north, slightly east, and occasionally west. The good news is that Boston-area talk radio starts to come through right about where the Ipod dies, about 40 miles outside of Hartford, and who doesn't like to hear two dudes talk about the Sox two days before Christmas. Apparently Rasheed Wallace has anger issues, the Pats have pass rush issues, and the Bruins have issues I don't care about.

Christmas is getting weirder as I get older. I don't really want anything and get stressed out about buying for others. Why can't we just hang out by the Christmas tree instead of piling presents up underneath it? I do my shopping in one quick burst of people-dodging, but I hear other people talk about it like it's work. On Saturday, with the snow falling and South Street all but closed except for the bars, some retail shops still remained open, hoping that people still would venture out and buy shit. Sure the hats store had people in it, but I doubt it's because folks were buying fedoras for their loved ones.

Maybe I would think about this differently if I had money?

I would probably think about a lot of things differently if I had money. If anything, yesterday, I would have thought about money less because I would have flown home instead of driving. It's tough times, dude.

But it's good times too and it's important to remember that. Constantly dwelling on the shit side of life isn't going to make it any easier to deal with and it won't make answers come that much easier. Pity parties are always easier to attend, but that doesn't make them better. My mom always says that we'll work it, that we'll figure out something and she's usually right. Problems are just temporary, they'll pass. Sure they'll most likely be replaced by new problems, but we love change and we'll take it when we can and from wherever it comes from.

On the way home I'm going to think about baseball, my sassy pants lady friend, and cereal.

Money problems, I'm leaving you on the side of the road like a busted tire. Dress warm, cause it's cold as shit outside and I'm taking the blankets with me. You're on your own.

Happy Boxing Day, Canada.