I like my MSN start up page. I know that by proclaiming my affection for anything developed by the evil Microsoft, that I risk condemnation and ridicule, but damn it, I like my MSN start up page.

For example, here is a sample of what I found today on my MSN start up page:

1) Today is the anniversary of President Reagan’s assasination attempt.
2) Lake Mead, the body of water behind the Hoover Dam, holds enough water to cover the state of Pennsylvania to a depth of 1 foot.
3) The definition of the word “cathiodermie:” beauty treatment: a beauty treatment in which an electric current is passed over the skin, through a special gel with which the skin is covered
4) Last week, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation beat American Idol (Tuesday) in the Nielsen Ratings.

See! How can I get that type of information anywhere else

A good friend of mine, who is a mother, related to me that she is sending her child to a private school. I’ve always had an aversion to private schools - mostly because I don’t want to believe that education has to be classist. I, myself, am a product of public school and went on to get an Ivy League education. I would like to believe that anyone with the smarts and dedication could do what I did. But perhaps I’m living in fantasy land. My friend told me that while she is spending about $4,500 a year to send her child to Kindergarten, her son’s best friend is going to a private school that costs $17,000 a year.

Seventeen thousand dollars. Per year.

How can someone possibly live up to this “investment” Will $17K a year guarantee success Will this child see this $17K a year as an entitlement to things that others might want but can’t have SEVENTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS! Damn.

My wife Andrea ran in the Carlsbad 5000 today. I was very proud of her (I chose the less painful role of spectator). After my wife ran, we stayed to watch the elite racers. Apparently the Carlsbad 5000 attracts some of the best runners in the world because it is on a flat course. There have been many world records run on this course and today we had the fortune to watch another world record fall in the women’s race. Kenya’s Isabella Ochichi won in 14 minutes, 53 seconds. She had a about a 50 meter lead on her nearest competitor and she looked great on the last .2 miles of the race. As I watched these world class athletes run by I was struck by the differences between them and a pseudo-athlete like myself. Here are few of these differences:

1) I will never have such muscular definition in my lifetime.
2) When finishing a race longer than 100 meters, these athletes look as fresh as a daisy while I look like I’ve been stranded in the desert for a week.
3) When diarrhea starts leaking out of my shorts during a race, I stop running. Apparently elite racers feel finishing the race is more important than letting thousands of people see excrement leaking down your legs.

10) Start referring to the cost of items in it’s “point” equivalent (e.g. That sofa costs an eighth of a point!)
9) You start wondering if the color of your ice cream would make a good paint color
8) You skip the front page and sports page of the morning paper and go straight to the Home Depot insert
7) “10 Deductions Homeowners miss” article on-line gets priority over “Watch live MLB games on your computer”
6) TLC & HGTV now are watched more often than ESPN and FOX Sports Net.
5) You can name at least 4 different refrigerator manufacturers.
4) You’ve visited IKEA five times without buying a thing (meatballs don’t count)
3) Conversations with friends revolve around best places to buy home accessories.
2) You have your mortgage broker’s number on speed dial.
1) Holy Crap! We’re buying a house!

Okay, I’m really going to start posting on this more often. Here’s the lowdown on my life over the past year and a half.

1) Moved to beautiful San Diego to buy a house.
2) Leave fantastic job as a Youth Center director to be an assistant director at a YMCA. This may be the worst decision of my life to date.
3) My wife takes forever to get a job with the County.
4) I realize my boss is out to make my life a living hell.
5) Also realize that the corporate office doesn’t care.
6) We get a house which we’ll pay a fortune for. It will be ready in April.
7) Did I mention my job sucks
8) Started therapy today. He didn’t think I was right for Prozac… yet.