My Novels

Monday, January 27, 2003

I've come down with a mild cold. I'm sure I caught it from DH, as he had it for a week or so. I didn't ride my bike yesterday, due to the onset of the cold, although it was a mild, pleasant day. I felt bad about that, and went this morning, even though it was only in the 30s. I bundled up, and don't think it will cause my cold to be any worse.

Yesterday on our usual Sunday afternoon drive, we found some property and a house we might be interested in buying. We called the seller, and learned it is 10 acres and the older, rundown house for $45,000.00 It is only about five miles (or less) from the city, and a fairly good location. That is entirely in our price range (so we could pay cash), but the house needs a great deal of work to make it livable. However, at that price we could buy it and keep our home in the city, stay there on weekends sometimes and work on the house. The land also needs bush-hogging, cleaning up...but it lays well, flat and has two creeks so the horses could get water. There's an old, rotting house on the property and some of the lumber in it could be used for a barn. It all seems so much work though, and we're undecided. At least it is a definite potential though.

What I hate about getting older is that when stuff like this comes along, I always think what we could have done with such a place when we were younger. And though we're both still physically capable and healthy, it just seems a huge chore. Of course when we were younger, we didn't have the kind of funds to buy something like this for cash. Still, we're both more reluctant to take on demanding physical labor these days. We could hire some of the work done, and probably would, but just the minor stuff would be daunting. I have to admit we're just not as energetic OR enthusiastic as we were when younger -- and the loss of that kind of optimism and energy is also discouraging as one ages.

Here's a couple of interesting article links:

The Cyclic Universe
by Paul J. Steinhardt



Is the universe expanding indefinitely--the Big Bang model--or does it go through cycles of expansion and contraction? Paul Steinhardt, who is Albert Einstein Professor of Science at Princeton University and on the faculty of both the Department of Physics and the Department of Astrophysical Sciences, suggests a cyclic model that could successfully compete with the Big Bang model.


I'm fascinated, obsessed with such theories, and always find it amazing how much humans have learned about the cosmos -- and how much we have yet to discover. Unfortunately in my pessimistic viewpoint, no matter the TIME element, the cosmos (and humans) are all bound for oblivion.
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Unless, of course we destroy ourselves first for something petty...like, oh say...oil.

US begins secret talks to secure Iraq's oilfields



No excerpt, but an interesting article nevertheless. Here's an excerpt today from a news report regarding what the U.N. Inspectors have not found in Iraq:

....the inspectors had not found evidence of banned activity or production facilities at any of the sites investigated that the United States says exist.

Sort of makes you wonder what the war is going to be about, doesn't it? And I firmly believe there IS going to be a war -- Bushie wants it, ergo, we'll have it.

Not the most inspiring thoughts for today...but so be it.

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