Everwhere is walking distance if you have the time

[ClingingToHope]

Had a really enjoyable weekend with the girls. Friday we just hung out at home. Saturday we did a bunch of Christmas shopping. Sunday, we hit church and the gym and they both hung out with their mom for a couple of hours.

Saturday we bought blue Christmas lights -- one strand -- for the rental house. Why blue? XW hates blue Christmas lights so I said that's what I'm getting. We laughed and laughed about that.

We/I also spent about $100 on Christmas presents for XW from the girls. D9 is paying me back $15 through her weekly allowance for her gifts and D12 is paying me back $25. So I'll end up spending $60 on her.

I guess she/they bought me gifts as well.

Money is going well. Insurance company of guy who hit me already sent me back my $1,000 deductible. So that's sitting in the bank. Lots of basketball games are adding to the coffers. I'd saved up $400 towards Christmas through my credit union so I pulled that out. I even got an unexpected $50 check from some class action suit I knew nothing about.

So I'm heading into 2012 in the best financial position since -- perhaps December 2006.

Nothing lately from Prof-40. A new prospect tonight though. She's 41 and runs a mentoring program at the high school I work the basketball games for. Very small world.

She's sending me forms on how to become a mentor. So if we don't hit it off (she's a blond. Historically I haven't done well with blondes) at least I may be helping someone. The town I live in is growing increasingly poor. It's in a death spiral unless we turn it around for the next generation.

Funny thing with the accident. I've started seeing the (really pretty) chiropractor that I met through a church divorce group several months ago. The other company is paying for it so I thought why not. Twice a week for the next month.

She's given me some exercises to do and given me some very nice back, shoulder and neck rubs, but now my neck hurts worse than it ever did from the accident.

It may be from the fact I'm consciously trying to sit up straighter. She showed me an X-ray showing that I hold my head too far forward. Likely, it's from hunching to type on a computer for the last 19 years.

So I'm trying to keep my head back when driving and I elevated my monitor so I have to look straight at it.

And now my neck hurts.