My Random Thoughts

My head has been pounding since early this morning. I haven’t quite been able to shake it. I guess i’m going to have to suck it up and take some advil. I’ll be leaving for the airport soon, maybe I can snooze on the plane.

TS Epsilon – I am SO over this hurrican season. The screen people are here fixing the damage from Wilma. How appropriate.

I keep trying to logically figure out, move or not move. I’ve even made a spreadsheet – it shows its actually more expensive to live in PA, just from the perspective of living expenses (mortgage, insurance, taxes). I was actually amazed. I expected to see a much bigger difference to the positive for PA. NO! I’m really confused now. It’s becoming more and more of an emotional decision, rather than a logical one.

The big unknown is what type of damage we’ll run into next year, and there will be some. Last year we ran into a new roof – that cost us $14000 and we only got about half from the insurance company. We’re still paying for that. And there was the pool screen repair at $2000. This year its the pool screen repair at $2000. We still haven’t painted or replaced trees and landscaping, which will cost us a little more. When I look at those things, i know that I won’t have that kind of expense moving up north. CRAZY

Well, I think what tips the balance is the repairs. What it comes back to is if we weren’t in a period of heavy storm activity and if we hadn’t gotten hit so many times in 2 years, and if insurance wasn’t going up, and FPL wasn’t putting surcharges on everything, it would be a laugh – of course we’d stay – it’s great down here, we’re having fun and it would be cheaper. But getting knocked with out of pocket expenses every year – that hurts.

This is almost like making it real. I think we’ve decided to pull the plug on Florida and go back north. Our reasons are many but it still feels like a punch in the gut thinking about going. I’m going to miss the friends I’ve made down here. I’m going to miss the easy access to the diving. I”m going to miss the lobstering (yeah, I’m really going to miss the lobstering). The weather is great, my pool is great, my house is great.

What is comes down to is that we can’t afford to live here anymore. Insurance is just obnoxious and getting worse. You have to have it, but even then it doesn’t cover everything. The hurricane deductible is a hard pill to swallow. What’s even worse is that I think we’re under insured, based on the housing values right now. I can’t afford to ramp it up. Well, I could, but the point is that I think it’s a waste of money when I’ll just have a higher deductible for hurricane coverage. Hurricane season is about the only damage we get.

So, for all the good things about this place it comes down to a financial decision. The other considerations are being close to family again which is never a bad thing (talk to me in a year and I’ll tell you if I’ve changed my mind on that). I’ll be happy to see the seasons again, palm trees and Santa Clause just don’t go together, no matter how hard I try to make them. Maybe it’s true that you are where you grew up and it’s hard to take that out of you. Maybe for me the south is a vacation destination, not a home. If that’s the case why does this feel so uncomfortable.

SO – had all sorts of ambitious plans for today. I was going to get them all done. Yeah, and then I picked up Harry Potter…..and those plans just didn’t happen. Ah well…..maybe tomorrow. I need to get something done, i’m leaving for Chicago Wednesday night and then off to California next week. Busy Busy!

I’m still tired. Slept great last night, except for the dreams of Harry Potter. Guess that’s what I get for reading right before bed. Today is clean up the office day. I’m scared. Maybe I should be make more Christmas Cards Day. that would be less scary.

I should be cleaning right now, but this is much more fun. Another successful day of diving. We brought home six lobster today, making our freezer very very happy. I caught another one with my hands. I was going to write bare hands, but uh, that would be painful. I’m looking forward to our next outing. I’m also looking forward to tomorrow’s day of rest!

but it was still a good day…..the lobster are ours!

We havent been diving since Labor Day. Way too long to be out of the water, but we had storms, the oceans were angry, the vis was poor. FINALLY, all of the conditions came together. The vis wasn’t the greatest, but it was good enough. The current was blowing down there. It certainly made trying to get those bugs out a challenge. We’re going back out tomorrow, hopefully we’ll get even more than today.

I wanted to take my camera out, it finally came back from the shop, but with the vis and the current from today, it was probably a good thing that I didn’t. I may take the housing tomorrow just to pressure test it. I want to make sure it’s not going to leak when I do take it with the camera.

There really is som great diving here. I can see the pretty stuff, like in any of the islands, but I can also lobster and have a little sport doing it. The best part is I don’t have to pay through the nose and take an airplane to get there. It does leave you tired. I didn’t sleep very well last night, so maybe that’s why I’m tired, but man, I’m ready to drop.

spent a lot of time today working on the website — love trial software. It’s looking pretty good.

Pulled the Christmas Tree out of the closet, going to decorate tomorrow. I fear this weekend is going to be too short to do everything i want. SIGH

Ahhhh, I love the night before a holiday. Somehow it seems even more delicious than the holiday. I just see these days before me where I can do things. I want to sleep in, but I want to get up early so I can take advantage of the day.

I’m not making any sense.

way to many things…i’m reworking the website, but i’m thinking i may just use the blog software since i can create pages. and what more do i need? this is just a vanity site anyway. so what. gotta think on that.

I am having fun messing with CSS and templates. mabey I’ll get caught up on this techno stuff yet…..sure