Relief of a Sort

 Well, that was a game!  Ok, Duke won, that is all that matters, but... it was a real (and close) slugfest.  All those turnovers in the first half!  Thank God MSU decided not to play the inside game and allowed the Blue Devils to get to the line so many times.  The three-point shooting was meh -- I guess they went down when it counted -- but at least the defense played with... intelligence?  Rotation?  Toughness?  Duke needed the win, and next is the "scheduled the hell out of that one" part of the schedule, with lots of mid-majors in Cameron.  Nothing wrong with that, but...I guess if the time is used to develop rotations, try new things, and see what guys can do... 

Today I was... lagging all day.  While I suspect the heavy lunch we had at work was a driving factor, the crazy and long day yesterday didn't help, as my sleep schedule has been interrupted.  I will recover, eventually, but I skipped the gym after work (to be sure, I had a meeting) and just came home.  Probably wise but now I feel fat.  

I read the inflation data today with interest, but -- and some people seemed to pick up on this -- a slowing increase in prices (especially of food) is NOT the same at no increase, or even deflation (which I do not think could happen, but we could try). Prices are still going up, and they will continue to do so this holiday season (and beyond).  I note -- as we see record crowds at the food pantry -- that everyone is hiring, and that is a part of the equation (along with the Fed and their high interest rates) that no one mentions.  I think about interest rates quite a bit, mainly because I am nearing paying off my HELOC, and while this would mean I start the bathroom, do I want to assume that much debt with such rates?  I mean, I probably will, but...I could start after Xmas and put some money away, which might not be a bad idea...  plunking a down payment on the desk will limit the carnage when I write the next HELOC check.  I mean, I am 99% sure I am hosting Christmas, and if I can get a new bathroom and new carpeting... well, it would be nice in many ways.