January 3, 2010

It is cold and blustery outside. The temperature is about 17 degrees but with the wind it feels like -10. Now that's really cold.

We decided to stay close to home today. So close that we are not planning to step outside the apartment all day. Here, inside is nice and cozy and absolutely not warm.

This stupid building is so cheap with the heat it is amazing. They have two boilers. Last year one was converted to gas only while the other can operate on oil or gas. That doesn't mean we have unlimited heat it only means that heat is not supplied more than before. At least we do have hot water in abundant supply.

In this building gas is free. I mean the cooking gas! Which means we do not have to pay for it. When it gets too cold we turn on the ranges in the kitchen for some heat compensation.

It gets a little boring to be home all day. TV has nothing but football (American) and I am not a football fan. Everything else is reruns. We wrote e-mails, talked to people in Hungary, we talked to friends on the telephone, we are already slept out so what remains is eating.

But that's a big no-no. One can sit home and eat himself to oblivion. I worked so hard on my diet I will not give it up now. Actually I'm happy the Holidays are over because the excuses for excessive eating will not work any longer.

Also when one is retired and at home all the time everything is put away correctly, filed properly and placed in its place. Which means I can't say 'oh, good now I have time to reorganize my things'. My things are as organized as can be. Or at least as I like them.

Today we are still living in a holiday vacuum. Banks are closed, the Stock Market is closed, there is no mail which means no bills. But tomorrow life as we know it begins again. Mail will deliver the bills, and the Market will control the economy.

We will start worrying again about our future. First, if will there be one, and second, what kind of future will it be?

We really don't have to look very far. The seers say that the World will come to an end on December 21, 2012. Actually the ancient Mayans said that. And the Mayans were no dummies. Actually I think they were. They sacrificed virgins. Sacrificed them for what? Did they have so many that they could afford sacrificing them?

After too many sacrifices they must have had a shortage of virgins. That shows no foresight. If they couldn't foresee virgin shortage how could they foresee the end of the world several thousands of years hence.

Actually if the Mayans were really smart they would have farmed their virgins and developed an enormous supply by now. There is a real shortage of these now in Paradise. The old ones are getting really tired and worn out by the constant arrivals of the so called martyrs.