what the h......

Today I woke up with the urge to clean the bedroom. Not the usual cleaning; the remove-everything-rearrange-the-furniture-vacuum-under-the-bed kind of cleaning. I could not figure out why. Was it the warm air blowing? The sunshine in the windows? I could not figure it out. Then it happened. I opened the windows to let in some fresh air and there it was-the unmistakeable sign of spring: A bird song? Nope. Cardinals interloping? Not even. Trees budding? HA! It was a LAWNMOWER!!!!! Someone is mowing their lawn! It must be spring! The smell of grass and petrol exhaust mixing together to form that sweet fragrance,sending chemicals coursing through one's cells eliciting that "urge to purge"...What a beautiful day!!!
To hell with that groundhog and his day! Only 3 more weeks until Vernal Equinox- yippie!

Days of yesteryear...

I have been reminiscing with old friends via Facebook and have to say it has been fun. I know some people have hang-ups about their past (or was that only me?) but it seems time does have a way...Thanks to all my friends (old and new)who have spent time with me in good times and bad.
Now for the "old" Mike to creep out- does all this feeling of blissful contentment mean the end is near? Is this when the other shoe drops? More therapy is looming.

Double trouble...

What a morning! I made the mistake of opening my IRA statement after looking at my W-2 and (in totality) it was almost more than I could bear! How much more can I lose before I too am considered worthy of a "bailout"? I forgot I lose half of my income each year to taxes, healthcare and retirement deductions- then find out I've lost 25% of my retirement account just in the last quarter! And if that wasn't enough, just yesterday I hear my employer is considering requiring us to shoulder their portion of our retirement, "voluntarily" give up 2% of salary, and what ever other brilliant ideas they dream up.
Which makes me ask- why does it seem each time goverment begins cost-cutting measures, they always look at the most required services first? I suppose we don't really need Emergency Services or teachers or schools; by all means, let's ensure the landscapers and consultants and politicians all maintain their positions! Because we all know there could never be a city worth living in without these people! Don't you agree?!?!?!?