Speaking of which, I spent way too much money. The College Work Committee meeting was over very quickly and after 3:00 pm I had too much time on my hands. I stopped to visit my brother at his architectural studio -- very, very nice space, by the way -- and then went to Tower City Center for a gift for Joe. Well, I ended up deciding then was the time to buy the cloths and shoes I had been thinking about and wearing them that night. Never done that before. So, nice casual/dress pants (cotton and nylon), belt, and socks at Banana Republic (I think I'm going to have to take the pants back -- they seem to be cut odd! read - incorrectly), Kenneth Cole shoes at some men's shoe store. The pair I really wanted were too wide for my narrow foot. They were slip-ons -- have a really hard time with those. I like the ones I bought, however! Well, I should if I actually spent that much money on them. So, there I was further in debt but looking pretty good, considering what I have to work with. It is a bad thing to have too much time on one's hands when one is downtown!!! Well, at least I spent more then $20.00, so I got a discount on parking. Whoopee!

After the shopping extravaganza, I still time on my hands and it was the beginning of rush hour, so I decided to drive through the flats and Oxbow areas. There is a lot of construction going on as new condo and apartment buildings are going up. These are not generic rectangular buildings, but very well designed and constructed buildings. They have also been renovating a large number of old buildings. Very neat. Very much coveted by me. Shame, I know. When I return, I would love to live in the area or around the Warehouse district. We shall see. I will probably be placed in some isolated village hundreds of miles from any big city where gay's are lynched. Not that that really happens in these parts, it is just passive-aggressive lynching.

So, then came Ruth's Chris Steak House. Very nice. Very male. Good service. Melt in your mouth steaks. Two and one half hour dinner. Good conversation and joking around. Joe got a flatulence device from Tim, which fit perfectly as Joe, for some odd reason, gets a big kick out of that kind of stuff. Howard Stern is his hero (almost). Anyway, stuffed, stuffed, stuffed, I went all out and everything was ala carte. Salad, Filet steak, garlic mashed potatoes, class of wine, coffee, dessert. $65.00, which was the most I have paid for a single dinner, I think. There comes a point where food just costs too much to justify, considering that much money could feed someone in a devastated third world country for a year. The steak was very good, everything else was okay. The potatoes were quite good, too. I've had better salads, wine, dessert, and coffee for much less. But the steak, none better (accept for yours, Dad!).

I haven't been sleeping well lately, again. Tuesday's and last night's drive home was too dangerous. At times, I have a hard time driving at nite and staying awake. The last two nites were prime examples. I don't think I realize how tired I am until I finally get home and thank God for getting me homes safely. I should not do that! It is very dangerous not only to myself but more importantly to others.

So much to do before I sell this house. I really need to get into hear and finish all the projects I have going inside while the weather is still bad. Once spring comes, too much work outside. Where is the balance between fixing up to sell and putting too much money into projects that aren't going to pay off? Lots of paint (nothing is really bad, but fresh paint never hurts). Lots of yard work. General painting and window repair outside. Lots of deep cleaning and crass cosmetic stuff. Oh boy.....