It's nearly empty now. Not quite as empty as I was aiming to have it by this point, but it's actually looking like having everything out is foreseeable.

Since it's been snowing nearly nonstop for the past two days, I finally just had to go ahead in spite of the weather.

The bedroom has nothing but a few cables and other random items lying around on the floor. I've moved about half the items from the kitchen (pots, pans, bowls, tupperwares, etc). The rest are ready to put into boxes.

In here, the living room, there's a couple chairs, the mattresses of the bed (which I was planning to move this evening, but the snow was going so hard that I pushed that until tomorrow). And of course, the computers. Dagobah, Illian, and Argo.

That's really about it. The place is pretty much bare.

Since I'm soon going to have something resembling a regular job, I can begin to work on a financial plan of some sort for the near future. I haven't yet devised it fully, but I'll put a few preliminary thoughts here.

Currently, I'm thinking there's a high degree of likelihood that I'll be staying with my parents for a couple months, probably until around the end of this year. At this point, it's already a foregone conclusion that the Castle Lair will be a thing of the past. Since events have already been set in motion for me to setup temporary residence with them, it makes sense to keep on that course for the short term, with a high degree of gratitude toward both of them.

My dad already has a cable internet connection for his iMac. He has generously said that I can plug one of my computers in if I can "make it work" so both of our computers can access the net. I expect setting up Argo to masquerade to be a no-brainer, since I'm doing the exact same thing at the Castle Lair right now. (I think he also sort of likes the idea having me as on-site tech support, as he seems to have no end of odd little problems, and not a clue about computers or networking, and his problems usually turn out to be pretty easy to fix.)

My mom. Earlier this month, she announced that she would be switching into a larger 2-bedroom apartment in the same complex she's in right now, and that I could stay in the other bedroom "for a while" if I wanted to. This was something she had been thinking about doing even before my situation came about, and now she was going to do it. (Which I can actually sort of believe, because I think she may have mentioned wanting to get a larger place last summer on an occassion or two.)

That's sort of nuts, because I really don't want to make staying with either of my parents an ongoing standing arrangement. My mom went ahead and signed up for this larger place before telling me about it, and said that she had wanted an extra room anyway, and I could use it for a while if I needed to. That's exceedingly nice, and will make things easier. Still, it wierds me out. Just a little. My mom. She's nuts, in a nice way. Anyway...

So... It looks like the dual-parent temporary residence arrangement might actually become a reality, for a very practical reason. Bed at one place, computer at the other. How will I decide where to go at any given moment? It could be a quandry. :)

Jaeger has also offered to let me put a net-connected computer in his alcove as well, which I could come to use on occassion. I'm thinking I might actually take him up on that with Dagobah (and Illian), if for no other reason than the fact that I have more work on buildmeasite that needs to be completed, and frankly, I suck at getting productive work done on it while I'm at home. If it's in the alcove, there are two things working in favor of better productivity: (1) I think I just do better psychologically if I'm not in the home environment where distractions are easy. (2) I can bug Jaeger in real time whenever I have a question about one of his cryptic perl modules. :)

I dunno how it will work out. We'll see.

Other matters....

B5 DVD set. Yes, next week. Now that I'm confirmed as having employment for the time being, I can feel less guilty about spending money on such an item. (My wage now will be nothing near what it was at my previous job, but at least I can count on something for a while.)

bouncing posted a nice little link on Content Solutions today, which got me thinking some more. Voluntary Simplicity. I love the concept. I'd like to be an adherent. At the same time, I find myself willfully pulled in the opposite direction. How can one simultaniously be for things such as "voluntary simplicity", and the tearing down of the corporate tyranny, while simultaniously drooling after every new DVD release Hollywood puts out?

I don't have an answer right now, and I don't know where my path will ultimately lead. I endeavor to trust my instincts, and live life to the fullest. Sometimes, I cannot help but have conflicting views. What else can I say?

Another issue regarding a promise which I made. I said that when I got a job, I would see her again, one more time. The one to whom I paid a sum of money so that I could feel what sex was like. Well, I now have a job offer secured. So what next?

I have to ask myself why I made that promise in the first place. Many would consider what occurred to be a shameful thing, a pity, or a sin. I considered it a beautiful gift to be cherished for the rest of my life. However, I didn't comprehend its value until long after the fact. Days and weeks later, I still felt my soul thanking her for what she had given me. Though I was not in love, I was deeply grateful. I still am.

So, the reason I made the promise was so that I could again go back for another few moments, this time with a more complete awareness and appreciation of what was happening. Though it may be folly, there is also a part of me that would like to believe that maybe, just maybe, I could give a little something back. So I would like to see her again, one more time. No more, no less.

Now, there are complications. The fact that I'm moving back in with my parents doesn't help. (The audience now has permission to laugh if the urge strikes.) This makes things much more awkward, but not impossible.

The other complication: Her web page indicates that she has gone on some sort of leave of absence, or some such. So it may very well be that I am too late. I don't know. (Apparently, it is not uncommon for people in her line of work to go into early retirement, especially if they handle their finances well. What's really funny is that some of the stuff she said got me thinking along the lines of this whole "voluntary simplicity" thing, though she didn't use those exact words. Wouldn't it be funny if she was out living it up in a mobile home somewhere, a few dozen grand buried under the pillow, with enough to feed herself and her kids until kingdom come. Either way, I would wish her well.)

Anyway, here's my thought. If she again becomes "available", I'll figure out a way to see her, say thanks, and maybe have a little more earthly pleasures. If not, I'll know it's for the best, and just use my brain to project a few good vibes in her metaphysical direction. That's that.

Hmmm.... Are there any other matters to discuss here in this almost-final mega-rambling from the castle?

How about another lyric. Here's a good one. Guess the artist, if you don't already know.