Love is a strange thing

I'm a cynic. It's something of an addiction. When any offer of any kind comes along, my first thought is what's in it for the person offering. My next thought is something like "What's it going to cost me?" That expense can either be financial or emotional, but I always expect a cost greater than the value I receive.

Except when I'm in love. Then I'm a puppy happily following my Sweetheart down any path without a care or a worry. This, too, is someone of an addiction.

My history, to date, is that after some period of time, I wake up and realize that while I haven't given away the farm, I did give away all the farm tools.

I've struggled in this new relationship to look before I leap. It's been a lot easier than any previous attempt because Stacey doesn't leap very often and when she does it's usually a direction I don't mind going. I can say "no" to her easily, too. It's a no-worries relationship like that.

All in all, I like "Lynn in love" more than the Cynic.

neigbors pool

Actually, it's just a hole in the ground at this point.

Chad and Lori did almost everything they should have done before work started. They picked the pool design they wanted then got several estimates for cost. They didn't go with the lowest bidder in favor of a slightly higher bid with a company that has a solid reputation. They even did some of the demolition themselves.

What they didn't do was talk to other people in the neighborhood about their lessons learned in the pool game.

$200/hour to dig the hole. This is not a bad price. The cost of machines is quite high. The pool contractor bid 10 hours of digging into the job. He also said that unforeseen difficulties might make the excavation take a little longer.

We are now at 30 hours and counting.I think they are close to finished. Say another five hours.

Chad and Lori are not happy. They had pushed their budget to the edge based on the bid they received. Now it looks like they need to find another $5k. I think they better start looking for an additional $15k. These things never come in at the bid price.

speaking of money

Two in college (UCSB and UCB) and another who will start in the fall.

A change in the medical insurance for Stacey and her kids changed the deductible a lot and through some horrible, but unavoidable, timing, the deductible is being paid twice this year. Not a big deal if you don't spend any time with doctors, but this has also been a really bad six months for family health. Expensive prescription drugs, two surgeries and a broken bone.

Add to that a brand new driver with lousy grades.

Stacey and I have to get serious about finding a decent source of additional income or she is going to go slowly into the never ending tunnel of consumer debt while eating up her retirement money.

An extra $100k a year for the next five years would do nicely. :)