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So, the reason I wrote two kinda long posts about my teeth is that I've been meaning to post some thoughts about things I want or need to do this year. Of course, I've been thinking about some of these things since December or earlier - I remain a master procrastinator, I can't even post about my plans for "the coming year" at the beginning, instead I post over a full month into the year.
The dental work in fact was first brought up four or five years ago, when I made my years-overdue final visit to my orthodontist; but the need to start visiting a dentist here in Seattle (also something delayed by procrastination) finally got me to put that in motion for real. So the dental work is really a carryover from last year, but - considering only the time since I started seriously investigating it when I first went to my new dentist in August/September - the delay is not my fault. Anyhow, this is something I hope to finish with in the first half of the year - though I think there was some suggestion I may need braces again for a bit, which is annoying.
Enough with the teeth already. Another thing I want to investigate this year, and possibly act upon, is buying a condo. I still like my apartment and location, but now that I'm "settled in" to Seattle, I think it's time to start looking at owning my own place. I've never considered this before, so I have no idea how much it costs to buy a condo - that is, how large a down payment I'd have to make, and what monthly payments would be. So I need to do research on what's available where, and for how much. I suspect that even if my medical insurance fully covers the dental work, I'm still not going to have enough spare cash to get started on a condo this year. There's no huge hurry to move out in any case, but I do think it's something that should happen next year if it doesn't this year.
A third idea I was toying with was buying a new computer this year. Of course I think the new PowerMac G5 is way cool, but I really don't need a new desktop machine - my current one may be nearly three years old--actually, it might be three years old this very week, come to think of it--but it still works fine and is adequate for my needs, except possibly needing a bigger or secondary hard disk to hold my music. :) But I was thinking about getting a PowerBook. I was also thinking about getting a Windows PC laptop (*gasp!!*) solely on the ground that having one would give me the option to work at home when necessary - currently I use a desktop at work, so if there's anything I have to do say over the weekend, I have to go to the office. However, it seems that if I do feel that way, Work will get a laptop for me to use instead of the desktop. And if I'm actually going to purchase my own laptop, I'd really rather have a Mac, of course. This is the most tentative idea, and I'm not allowing myself to act on it until after my dental work is taken care of.
There's one more major purchase down the road, so to speak - a new car. My car's running fine and I take care of it, but as my friend Doug pointed out, it's also over eight years old with over 120K miles, so in the next year or two I'll probably have to replace it. Ideally I won't have to look into that for a couple years, though; it'll be nasty if I move into a condo, say by this time next year, and then find I have to start making new car payments immediately as well.
All right, that's plenty long enough for this entry, I think. There are some other things I want to write about but they'll wait - I need to get to bed. Oh, but one last thought: since I'm writing about unfinished business for this year, I should mention something from last year. I mentioned once or twice hoping to meet Zannah since I moved here, and then I never posted that I finally did meet her and the James around last September. She was very nice and gracious (the James was nice too, though I didn't get to talk to him as much), and I believe I did not act like a total Internet fanboy. :) Though I'm posting about it, so I guess I am. :) Anyhow, since I'd mentioned wanting to meet her, I figured I should post that I have done so.
Right - bedtime!
The dental work in fact was first brought up four or five years ago, when I made my years-overdue final visit to my orthodontist; but the need to start visiting a dentist here in Seattle (also something delayed by procrastination) finally got me to put that in motion for real. So the dental work is really a carryover from last year, but - considering only the time since I started seriously investigating it when I first went to my new dentist in August/September - the delay is not my fault. Anyhow, this is something I hope to finish with in the first half of the year - though I think there was some suggestion I may need braces again for a bit, which is annoying.
Enough with the teeth already. Another thing I want to investigate this year, and possibly act upon, is buying a condo. I still like my apartment and location, but now that I'm "settled in" to Seattle, I think it's time to start looking at owning my own place. I've never considered this before, so I have no idea how much it costs to buy a condo - that is, how large a down payment I'd have to make, and what monthly payments would be. So I need to do research on what's available where, and for how much. I suspect that even if my medical insurance fully covers the dental work, I'm still not going to have enough spare cash to get started on a condo this year. There's no huge hurry to move out in any case, but I do think it's something that should happen next year if it doesn't this year.
A third idea I was toying with was buying a new computer this year. Of course I think the new PowerMac G5 is way cool, but I really don't need a new desktop machine - my current one may be nearly three years old--actually, it might be three years old this very week, come to think of it--but it still works fine and is adequate for my needs, except possibly needing a bigger or secondary hard disk to hold my music. :) But I was thinking about getting a PowerBook. I was also thinking about getting a Windows PC laptop (*gasp!!*) solely on the ground that having one would give me the option to work at home when necessary - currently I use a desktop at work, so if there's anything I have to do say over the weekend, I have to go to the office. However, it seems that if I do feel that way, Work will get a laptop for me to use instead of the desktop. And if I'm actually going to purchase my own laptop, I'd really rather have a Mac, of course. This is the most tentative idea, and I'm not allowing myself to act on it until after my dental work is taken care of.
There's one more major purchase down the road, so to speak - a new car. My car's running fine and I take care of it, but as my friend Doug pointed out, it's also over eight years old with over 120K miles, so in the next year or two I'll probably have to replace it. Ideally I won't have to look into that for a couple years, though; it'll be nasty if I move into a condo, say by this time next year, and then find I have to start making new car payments immediately as well.
All right, that's plenty long enough for this entry, I think. There are some other things I want to write about but they'll wait - I need to get to bed. Oh, but one last thought: since I'm writing about unfinished business for this year, I should mention something from last year. I mentioned once or twice hoping to meet Zannah since I moved here, and then I never posted that I finally did meet her and the James around last September. She was very nice and gracious (the James was nice too, though I didn't get to talk to him as much), and I believe I did not act like a total Internet fanboy. :) Though I'm posting about it, so I guess I am. :) Anyhow, since I'd mentioned wanting to meet her, I figured I should post that I have done so.
Right - bedtime!
