I can’t believe it’s August! It feels like we’re well into September. When I got up an hour ago it was 65º in here. It’s only to be a few degrees warmer today, but because it’s sunny today, the place should warm up nicely in a few hours.

Tom’s 99% sure we can make about $300 a day but doesn’t know if that’ll happen in a month from now or in 9 months, as he puts it. It’s hard to believe his income could more than triple! He makes about $400 a week, so to go from that to $300 a day would be utterly amazing! And of course, he only gets paid for 5 days a week and not 7. This would be a little over $100,000 a year! What a wonderful way to be wrong too, because I was so sure we’d be broke for most of our lives. I always used to say that it’d be nice if our struggles weren’t mere punishments, but simply compensation for future riches. Well, just maybe it was. I wouldn’t just get the things I slowly planned on getting on this income, but the things I’d never bother to consider that I’d like to have, but that weren’t high priorities on my list. There’s still a lot of work to be done, Tom says, but it’s way cool to know that there’s a way out of Oregon after all. The handicapping program won’t hit every single race, but once he goes through the motions of fine-tuning the steps he needs to complete, it should hit about a third of the races and then we can simply pack up and go. We can go anywhere we want that has an internet connection until we decide where we want to settle. Pretty neat, considering the fact that just a few weeks ago there seemed to be no way out of Oregon. I’d have had to stop shopping altogether and we’d have had to save which would’ve taken years without a big win or that partnership he’s never going to get. That’s okay, though, as far as the partnership goes because we’d rather work for ourselves than for someone else. We can’t get fired or laid off if we’re our own bosses, nor can anyone take our house away if it’s all paid for.

Later…

Tom came home sick after just two hours of work. He said he was up all night with the runs and throwing up. He’s been sleeping since he got in. He’s pretty sure it’s just a 24-hour bug. I hope that’s all it is and not something trying to punish or delay him from getting the programming done. I suggested it could be because he got run down by not sleeping enough, but he doesn’t think that’s it. They’ve also been giving him overtime lately because someone quit. We wish they’d either hire someone else or give him a raise, but that’s life for you. It’s when you don’t need/want the overtime that you get it. And it’s the person who wishes she could puke her weight off that can’t while the one who doesn’t want to can’t help it.

It’s been a little noisier today. Less Kim and more dog. There have been more animals going up and down the street too, on roller skates and skateboards, but they haven’t been a problem so far.