What I'm Spending This Weeks Allowance On

A) Hookers and Blow

B) Porn

C) Cheetos and Weed

D) None of the Above

Of course the answer is D--Y'all know that the only money I spend anymore is on filling up my bookshelves with stuff from Amazon. No poker, no crazy biatches, and sadly no cool new restaurants in awhile, either. And any leftover big bills go in the couch fund coffee-can piggy bank. Oh yes, soon I shall be luxuriating my ample backside on some fine microfiber encased furnishings, while I do my damnedest to wear out the batteries on the remote control.

In the meantime, I do a bit of reading, as you may have noticed. No, I don't want a Kindle, either. I like the feel of a book in my hand, and I love to be surrounded by a collection of interesting books. I'll keep my music and photos digitized on a hand-held device, but I still prefer to read the old fashioned way (in the can, with my pants at my ankles!), and that's not gonna change.

So this time around, I got volumes 10 and 11 of the Aubrey/Maturin series on the way, The Far Side of the World, and The Reverse of the Medal (right now, I've just started reading book 7, The Surgeon's Mate), but that's not all. I still have that acoustic guitar sitting in the corner, and I'd rather it be used for something other than a dust magnet. So I ordered a couple of beginner-level instruction books--stuff with basic chords and scales and exercises. I'd really like to get back into it, without the expense of actual, you know, lessons.

I was sitting around picking at it the other day, and I was completely amazed that I pretty much lost all previous ability. I don't know how it happened, but I used to know dozens of songs, and right now, I can't play a damn thing. It's like whatever I've learned these past few years had to push that old useless knowledge out of my head in order to make room. Kinda like that time Homer Simpson took the winemaking course and then forgot how to drive.

So I'm looking forward to the next visit from the UPS man. My intention is to set aside a half-hour every day to practice and re-learn everything, and to bring back that muscle memory in my fingers. And next weeks allowance will probably spent on a new music stand. And a couple more Jack Aubrey books, of course...

Mikey