The Diver's Christmas...

The kids thought every day was Christmas when I was diving heavily a few years ago. Any given night could bring new toys and interesting modern urban artifacts. I slowed down and then stopped entirely when I nearly got caught and had to lead some cops on a merry chase. Not that the diving itself was an issue, but my five vehicle, a P.O.S. suburban had no valid plates. I have had various phony and semi-phony plates on it for the entire roughly 6 years I have owned it. I dumped $3500 into it and it never did pass emissions. I think it would now except for a smog pump, but I am loathe to spend any more money on it. I once put it up on eBay. A good running Chevy small block 'crate' (factory replacement) 350 with a NEW Edelbrock Carburetor should have been worth more than the top bid of $600 so I never did sell it. I had some outstanding tickets and a suspended license from said tickets so I had to balance the risk of finding myself once again in lock-up over what I might find in the trash.

I think I mentioned previously that I am more inclined to see diving as a fun pursuit, a modern anthropological excursion when I don't "need" anything. When times are tight it can really help supplement, and I have no conscious qualms about providing for my family in that way, but sub-consciously it digs at the psyche a bit.

I have been virtually unemployed for two year, living off a healthy home equity credit line, telling myself each month that I had to dig deeper for professional licensing fees, data, software, business insurance, hardware, gas, communication points etc, that next month will be different and the income will exceed the expenses. It never happened. I have an upcoming job that pays one tenth the hourly rate of my profession, but it has benefits and a steady paycheck even though the hours are horrendous, I am looking forward to being gainfully employed.

Mean time, I have no cash and no way to get cash. I got some help from the church with a mortgage payment, and knowing our dire circumstances they passed the hat and came up with several hundred dollars towards Christmas. Their generosity overwhelms us. I smiled that we didn't spend that much in a good year. (Although we probably did, it just is harder to notice where it all goes when several checking accounts debit cards, credit cards and cash are involved.) I resolved we wouldn't spend it all and have a cushion after wards. We spent it all. pretty much. We had already purchased at very low cost several nice items for Christmas, including the Knives below, a Gray's Anatomy (the anatomical dissection book not the show) Book, and other relevant volumes to the kids interests, clothing, games, and small toys. I had my car packed with items that were dove for, stuffed animals mostly. Never buy a stuffed animal they are thrown out by the train load. A little carpet cleaner and elbow grease and they are clean and fresh as they were the day they were packed into a box in a dirty sweatshop in a third world country.

Christmas Trees are something I have always scrounged. Usually in the forest. But with gas at $3 a gallon I cant justify spending $60 in gas to get a free tree. We often buy the tree on Christmas eve if we have to. This is usually done when we don't have a vehicle we trust to take up to the cold. For $5 at closing time you can get the trees that they will have to pay to dispose of the next day. This time I went later, after they closed. This season there weren't nearly as many lots. Many locations that have lights strung up and an RV selling them were out of business this year. The nearest lot was completely bare. I finally found one, stacks of trees, the salesman asleep in his truck. Up and over the fence and back with an 8' spruce. I hope when he wakes he appreciates the fact that he has one less to haul to the dump.