::: jeffphillips.org :::

It’s strange, being without debt. I’m so used to trying to decide how much will go toward debt vs savings – It’s like an old habit that doesn’t make sense anymore. Now, I don’t have to decide. I can simply move excess money into saving… AND NOT WORRY ABOUT DEBT! It is ia very strange feeling.

I suppose I got used to the pressure hanging over my head – or at least, used to its presence. I tried to explain my feelings to Laura, and this is the best that I could come up with: Imagine yourself wearing a 20-pound watch [some of you who wear dive watches may understand what I mean]. You wear this watch day and night, never taking it off. It’s not a comfortable watch – it’s cold and hard and has sharp edges. You keep having to look at it – you’re obsessed with the numbers on the front. You wear it for six years and while the watch isn’t what you’d call comforting, you become accostomed to its presence. Then, one day, you finally figure out that you don’t need it and that you can take it off and never pick it up again. Imagine the feeling of lightness – of freedom of movement.

Imaging also, that feeling of always wanting to look at the numbers – the numbers that aren’t there anymore [if any of you regualr watch wearers have forgotten to put on your watch, you know what I mean – you feel a little lost without it and keep trying to check the time on your empty arm…].

In fact it’s kind of like getting a cast off – you can finally itch where you couldn’t reach for so long and the feeling is simply sublime. But, even so, you still want to favor the limb: go easy on it, because you can’t quite believe that it’s as strong as it ever was and you don’t want to have to put that cast back on.

These feelings are very akin to what I have been experiencing this week.

Being debt free TOTALLY ROCKS! I’d recommend it to anyone.

There is dancing in the streets.

At least, in my street. Today was the day that The Debt went away.

It has been over six years of struggling, with both patience and impatience. But: now, we are debt free. No credit card debt – we have paid off the last one. We will be keeping two cards in a file cabinet, but the one which we just paid off will be cancelled and cut up once the payment clears.

Those who deserve thanks for helping me accomplish this task are: God most of all for his patience with me and his provision in my life, Laura for her willingness to work through the debt with me that I incurred, my parents for their wise council, and my grandmother for providing the final push over the edge.

So, even if you don’t know me well, you still should celebrate that one more person is free of the slavery of debt.

Go dance in your street.

I went ahead and did it – I cut up my second-to-last credit card [that is, of the ones that will go away – we will be keeping one Amex and one Visa just in case] – the Discover. We never used it and it was a rather tempting card since they would let me do large volume cash advances. So, I called the number and out came the scissors.

Chop, chop! One down, one to go! MBNA, you’re goin’ next!

If only it were a wee bit warmer, I’d be able to ride my bike. If only I were a whole LOT richer, we’d be able to afford a house in Northern Virginia.

Soon, we will be debt free – a process that began once I realized how much money I owed. Laura has been patient with me and we’ve finally made it to the point where once we pay off the last credit card, it gets cut up and cancelled.

I know – this post is not coherent. It’s a bit stream of consciousness. But, sometimes, that’s me.

Now that I have the motorcycle back from the shop, I’m aching to ride it. It’s been so cold, I’ve even been freezing in the car. Maybe it will thaw just enough for me to get on the bike in the morning. One can always, hope, yes?

Now that we’re going to pay off our consumer debt, we can start the long process of saving for a house. Maybe we can save enough to buy a house up here in Northern Virginia, yes?

If Only…

After a week without the bike, riding it home today in the high-40s temperature was wonderful. Taking it in for service fixed one minor nuisance issue [like my battery not lasting long enough] and one very large one. It seems that some time in the last few months, a small “rodent” [of what type, I’ll never know] either crawled or flew into the airbox where the air filter is and lodged there for a while. I doubt the creature survived the sub-freezing rides I made all winder, but it was certainly affecting my gas mileage and the smoothness of my engine. It left some kind of nest in there with hair/feathers or whatever it was. It was restricting the airflow substantially. Now, the engine can breathe the way it was intended and feels like it did when I first bought it.

I only recognize this now after the shop has cleaned all the mess out. “Oh, yeah – it rides much better now. Thank you!” Now, I’m back to 43+ miles per gallon.

So much for my observational skills…

Okay – so I’ve not posted for a while, I know. I’ve been a bit busy with other things and haven’t had a chance until now to post.

I’ve been bike-less now for a week since I took my motorcycle in for service. The one thing they needed to replace is the battery – and they had to order it. Aparently, that particular battery is only used in my model of motorcycle and none other, so it’s not all that common. I just called them and it’s ready, so I’ll get a nice mid-day ride today – especially since it’s not real cold today.

You know, I bet you they didn’t wash it… it’s probably still very dirty.

I am certainly enjoying the weather today – even with the wind. It’s a balmy 55 degrees outside and PERFECT for riding. As long as the rain that’s supposed to come waits until late evening, I’ll be great. Of coruse, after today, it’s supposed to get freezing again. Now that all the snow is gone, I had hoped for a few more days of False Spring, but it looks like tomorrow the chill begins again. After that – more snow.

Of course, what I really want to do is ditch work, take my new camera and go take some pictures. I guess that will have to wait…