How Sad a Passage

COUNTESS "This young gentlewoman had a father,--O, that 'had'! how sad a passage 'tis!--whose skill was almost as great as his honesty; had it stretched so far, would have made nature immortal, and death should have play for lack of work." -Act I scene i, All's Well that Ends Well.

Thursday, December 31, 2015

You Better Belize It

3 hours away from 2016, 1 for NS (and Tancook -what's the ferry schedule for Jan 1??)

The rib is killing me, remember that?  And wondering about omniscience, and whether it is a mystery as to what will happen, and if anyone/anything knows now or has known.  If a tree falls in the forest, etc...

There is a certain magic to this day, the changing of the calendar.  It is palpable.  Not just for resolutions, but for life itself.  There are only so many of them that you will see, and so they should be noted.  Embraced, and with an equal amount of nostalgia and freshness.

"What is love?" and "Fool in the Rain" and "Drinking in LA" and...   what is the last song you want to hear before the year turns in SJS?  Let's make it Nina, and then Ron.  RIP, then and now. 

And, so I leave you, McMahon.  For now.  There is more to be said, but it can be said later.  Because, there is only one resolution for 2016.  And you know it.  And it is an easy one.  Tancook it. 

Monday, December 21, 2015

"We believe in us"

So sayeth the magnificent Ozil, and who could say otherwise after that dominant performance, if a  nervy finish.  Toure Yaya strikes an outrageous goal to leave Cech stranded, but for once it is not enough, and we are moving clear of the pack toward... say it to belize it... Leicester at the top. 

Southampton away on Boxing Day.  Then Bournemouth and Newcastle at home.  Top by the start of the new year, you would think, with rivals floundering and key players returning for the run-in.  Now is the time.  This is the year, etc.  (Look back on this and weep, I hope not!)  Post the GMac goodbye, after a career-highlighting name-drop.  Remember?  The Trump debate invitation not materializing, but knowingly time to move on from that, so what odds.

Ay, ay.  Been thinking more and more about the "summer place".  How can you not?  The more the realtor searches into the evening continue, the more the Tancook comes up trumps in terms of price and location and mystique.  There is the thought of waiting, and patience.  But why, and for what odds?  Only snow.  And the idea that something could occur over the winter to the spot that would lead to doubt.

If that is truly the reason, it is unconvincing.  Because it is not like the owner will fix it up for you if damage is caused.  More likely a surprising winter offer may grab the attention, and allow for the acceptance of the low-ball.  So, is this a plan I see developing?  Visit on a Friday in January, with the agent, as early as the 15th.  Offer subject to the usual caveats, with a decent deposit.  Maybe even without an agent of your own, or with Stacey to accompany?  Close on March 1, just after the return from the Barca/Tidal extravaganza (where I have just booked the castle view, because, again, why not)?  Or even April 1 an option if more time needed?  The key is to start the ball rolling and give yourself an impetus to begin.

Come what may, I like it.  It feels like the place.  A cool, non-negotiable $65,000/70,000 all-in on the table (depending on inspection), with 20% down, to see where they will go?  Run the mortgage out a few years so there is room to put the rest toward 601 and the RRSP?  And flexibility to pay down as required in future?  I do not even mind keeping the payments to a 25 year cycle, as this is one that you will now own for good.  Heh.

More, surely, anon.  Think I have finally sobered up from those massive two steins.  One for each goal.  As 2016 ticks closer.  More time to reflect on the year that is passing soon.  And excitement for the developments on the beach to come.  The setting of consequential decisions in motion.  So you will never have to wonder what if...  hahaha.

Tuesday, December 01, 2015

Ferry Go-Cups

As posted to the Coast, as a summary of last Friday past and the JP celebrations...  "How glorious to live in a city that can take you out on the water for $2.50 as a way to kick off/continue a big night out!  And how extra-wondrous it is, when it's the last late ferry on a Friday, and there are beautiful people to meet willing to take a chance on random, Guinness-fueled dancing adventures with strangers.  Thanks for entertaining us old guys, kiddo, and good luck on your LSATs.  Too bad we didn't get your number, but perhaps we'll keep our eyes out for you on the boat in 2016."

Haha, that's a hilarious back-handed way to keep the door just slightly ajar, when it should be closed.  But the world is funny in its randomness, and it is the kind of thing worth throwing out there in recognition of a memorably hazy, Sazerac-fuelled night.  More please.  Even as the clock ticks toward the possibilty of the Northern Lights, a new nephew, and Belize as another year around the sun winds to a close. 

Dreary November is past, and now we wait with growing anticipation to see what is next.  Antarctica and the rest of the Southern hemisphere odyssey firmly in the mind for Winter 2018 now, after some office changes that mean it makes sense to wait - to see if there are other conspirators to be recruited and avoid the frustrations of waiting on the list.  Lots of possibilities to come in the interim too - Everest Base Camp, RR/Bear, Tancook, MX-5, etc.  Me gusto mucho. 

December 1.  Off we go to finish 2015 with a bang.