You're older than you've ever been

Where have I been? I've been lost in my own mind. Thinking a lot lately, mostly about politics. Mostly because I listen to NPR on both commutes, which can be fun, but also tires the mind out after a while. Indictments and Appointments and filibusters and global health... whew! I'm tired just writing all that.

I got stuck on NPR mostly because the radio sucks for music these days and I'm not kidding. I love classical music anyway, so that's a bonus. I think I'm destined to become an old fuddy-duddy though, because currently it's either NPR or AM 1160, which is "the voice of the arts in Atlanta." (They play a mix of Broadway and Sinatra and classical. Sometimes they throw a few oldies -- too many for my liking, really -- I mean, would you put the Shirelles in the same playlist as Bach or Leonard Bernstein? I THINK NOT. But on the whole, it's a much, much more palatable mix than the Alternative station, the "non-station" station, the Soft Hits station, or the Christian station, all of which I am just barely able to tolerate anymore for various reasons.)

At any rate, I've decided it's high time for me to embrace adulthood. (Hi, I'm 31.) As AJ gets older he'll need a Mommy who is informed, opinionated, and organized -- mostly organized -- and those are things I am currently Not. So, I'm developing Opinions about things. I'm reading some political blogs. (I'm not telling which ones, are you crazy? I don't do confrontation. Not even now, With Opinions. But I will tell you it took me for-freakin-ever to dig through all the EXTREMISTS before I found what I was looking for. Sheesh, there are some Wackos out there.)

Monday, Husband and I refinanced our mortgage after a month of planning and waiting for the closing date. I feel very smart about that, and even though we didn't save an Enormous Bundle on our monthly payment, we knocked our interest rate down a good bit and got out from under PMI, so that's all good. (See? Only Real Grown-Ups use acronyms like PMI.) Next on my list is to reevaluate our 401k plans and make sure we're invested in all the right things, then set up AJ's 529 for college savings, which should have been done a year ago. And, oh yeah, to contribute to it. (Ha! Contribute what, I'm not too sure.) And then: To Organize.

I use a Palm, but since AJ's birth I have not been very good about keeping up with it. But I have declared it is to become The Master Calendar, and I will be the Calendar Keeper. The Social Secretary. The Family Manager. I will know who has a soccer game and who has an orthodontist appointment, because by the time we get to THOSE kinds of commitments, I'll be an old pro. And I'll also be OLD by that time, so it's good that I'll have all these adult habits broken in.