Better off? Probably so

And here's a reason we need economists.

The headline says Better off [than you were 8 years ago]? Probably not. But, really? I bet you as an individual probably are, because that's 8 years you've had in which to make your life better. Whatever you do -- save money, pay off loans, fix up a home, get a degree, work on a relationship, raise kids -- it's probably paid off over the last 8 years.

So yeah. I'm better off than I was when I was 23 in late 2000, in pretty much every respect, but mostly just because of time passing. I need the analysis of the economists to tell me whether 23-year-olds now are better off than I was then, and that's why that headline is so misleading. It is totally possible for people to spend their lives becoming better off, even if the trends are negative.

Irony: I'd probably like being an economist, but it seems economically silly to think about becoming one. *whistles*

What I learned from my fall vacation

I accidentally chose the last week of Daylight Saving Time to take my vacation, and I learned that eating, sleeping and spending days following the sun around, soaking up a lot of lumens, is a good use of this final week before the Plunge Into Darkness. It turns out I can still cook. I still like to read (and I did read: Anathem, The Graveyard Book, The Time Traveler's Wife, and bits of many other things).

Also... most people don't really care what happens with me and this job I was taking a break from. Most of my friends just want me to be okay and keep being their friend; Nala wants snuggles and for me to throw twist-ties for her to bat out of the air; my parents just want me to be okay. Yeah, my plan (born of indoctrination, I mean long habit) is still to snap back into work mode after today and try to make things work at Zillian. But I don't want to sacrifice all my quality of life to it, either, so that means maintaining some psychological distance from now on -- or at least trying. Judging by the bad dreams I had last night, I get an F so far, which doesn't make me hopeful. Still, there's the chance that with the Noid out of the picture it'll all be drastically different, so I don't want to walk away without seeing.

Here is our newest toy, demonstrated by heisenbug:



I'm planning to roll out of bed every morning and onto that thing for 20 or 30 minutes. I've never been much for morning exercise, but now that I have this in my living room, it might be easier. I'm hoping for more alertness in the mornings as well as more calories burned, and we already know there's a cardio/sanity link.

On the phone with my mother in OK

"I'm looking online at my favorite electoral projection site. It looks like you are not in a swing state."
"No, I am not. But I am voting. And I am not voting for McCain."
"What a surprise, I am not voting for McCain either."
"Well, don't tell your dad."
"He's not voting for McCain."
"You're kidding."
"Nope."
"Wow."