squiggy: while I'm not at the point you are, I wholly agree with you. I've come to realize, especially lately, that I must continually examine my priorities to make sure that pursuit of in-the-end worthless things doesn't grab a hold of me. (I suffer from a pervasive "project" mentality which makes me feel like I must always be doing something. But you know, 99.9999% of the world doesn't give a da** what I do or think, and never will! Sometimes that's frustrating, but sometimes it's a wonderful relief.)

raph, I like your idea . I was just thinking yesterday that I haven't been camping since I graduated and got married. My wife and I started planning to build up a modest collection of outdoor stuff and start up hiking and backpacking again this fall. Church volunteer work is going to get a high priority too.

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In other news, someone discharged a firearm in the parking lot outside our apartment last night. Fortunately, they were arrested, and the renters who were hosting them were given the boot. Certainly the strangest and most exciting incident since we moved here.