A new stream of income

Good news! My dad got a job!

On Monday he starts as a trainer for Essilor, The World's Leader in Opthalmic Lenses. He'll be traveling frequently for his new position, and he just found out he'll be headed to Dallas next Tuesday for a few days.

While I'm certainly happy for him and my mom, there is a downside: He is quickly becoming very self-important. He hasn't been braggy per se, but I can see it in his eyes: That spark of renewed meaning and purpose that can be really annoying to the people around you. Maybe I just got used to the basset-hound expression he's been wearing of late. These things are tough to quantify.

As a positive, he'll be getting a paycheck again. Which means now the mooching can really begin in earnest.

Elsewhere, click here to read my sage advice about outsmarting the bloodsuckers health care system (and you know you can trust me, since I've been known to physicians as a walking medical mystery), as well as a happy turn of chance regarding our dwindling bank account.