After a few days of ruminations on other topics, it's time to talk about money again.

I am lining up the bills that need to be paid on Friday, and trying to figure out a way to save enough money to visit my cousin in Midland for some golf the following weekend. All work and no play, after all.

Today he sent me this email: "I’ll be attending a funeral of a fallen comrade in Houston this Friday. This will probably screw up golf on the 15th and 16th. . . I've given up hope on ever having a normal life................"

My answer was, "Hell, a normal life is nothing but interruptions and crisis after crisis. It's a slow leak of cash from the wallet that you'd rather spend on beer."

I wonder when I got so cynical?