Taking Back Thursday

It's barely noon, and already today kicks ass, and it's only going to get better. I'll give you a bulleted list.

This morning, my mission was to complete the goal that I had for yesterday: meet with one of my profs, who I'll nickname Ronald the Red (sounds very Nordic, doesn't it?). Ronald the Red knows the guy who's the head of this particular niche of the federal government. He's willing to go to bat for me and try to get me a job there. It's not Central Intelligence, but it has the benefit of being something I'm absolutely qualified for, and it would get me in the door to federal employment, which would facilitate a jump later on. That's worthy of a hearty "Booyeah!"

As of this morning, I had $3048.02 remaining in my bank account. It's tough for me to go to College City, have free time, and not go to Borders. I finally asked, while I was there, for someone to show me where a couple of things were. While I did not elect to buy all of those items, I decided that the excellent and friendly customer service justified buying one of the three. I bought the least expensive, MI-5 Volume 1 for the retail price of $49.99, which took me just below the $3000 mark. Having "broken the bubble", I'm now more comfortable with spending a couple hundred dollars on entertainment costs, leaving my finances just below $2800; I can, most likely, hold the line, spending no more than $100 over the next four weeks. When I get paid at the end of the month, I'll be back over $3000, and may be able to buy a few more items before completely tightening my belt. I am becoming the master of financial discipline.

I'm going to try to spend the rest of the day completing miscellaneous tasks: reorganizing my CDs, doing some reading, polishing my boots and shoes, synchronizing my clocks, et cetera. That way, I can accomplish a great deal, and feel somewhat settled.

So, what else will I be buying? You're all familiar with the ever-changing Stuff Fly Wants list. Here's what I'll be buying:

Embalming: History, Theory, and Practice by Robert G. Mayer - $84.05 (Amazon price $67.07)

Pagan Celtic Ireland by Barry Raftery - $29.95 (Amazon price $18.87)

Sports Night - Complete Series - $59.99 (Amazon price $47.99)

MI-5 Volume 2 - $79.98 (Amazon price $71.98)

Since I know that there are several folks out there who love it when this historian talks about money, so let's do the math.

Total suggested retail price: $303.96

How much I could have gotten it all for: $245.89

What I'll get it all for: $255.90

Maximum possible savings: $58.07

Actual savings: $48.06

Behold, readers! I give you the "vicious cycle" that Brandon whines about constantly! I give you temporary gains, but eventual failure of the economy! Or maybe Brandon just has no clue what he's talking about. Now, I blog on the news.