Not to mention, I ran out of carrots.

Okay, coming up to the end of 2005, which has been without a doubt, a pretty weird year. Natural disasters fortelling the downfall of western civilization, soldiers losing their lives for oil, the looming energy crisis about to destabilize the world economy, and the environment getting worse, but for some odd reason, the human spirit marches merrily along, blissfully unaware of anything bad about to happen. I still haven't decided if I have hope or cautious optimimism for the year 2006, because there are still a lot of things that the powers that be aren't willing to divulge.

Sure, the year didn't suck nearly as much as the last for me (see archives for more details), but it's all a matter of perspective.

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So, my question is this: now why the HELL would I want to do a silly thing like that?

I have a (thankfully) uninteresting history with credit cards, having consistenly paid off my balance on a monthly basis since I received my very first credit card at the age of 16. I guess I'm a really good customer because they keep upping my limit whether I want them to or not. This can come in handy (let's just say my limit is sufficient to pay for a semester's tuition all in one go and leave it at that), it's really easy to abuse if I don't have my head on straight.

Stuff like this really tells me that credit companies do not have the best interests of the consumer in mind. I get one of these "payment optional" notices at least three or four times a year and in my opinion, it amounts to psychological mind games. Apart from the fact that your credit rating will likely take a hit, you will have to pay for interest in both cases. However, the effects of having your credit rating drop won't be felt immediately (unless you're planning on making a major purchase right away), whereas paying for interest is a little more immediate.

Interest payments are stupidly punishing. I remember paying off a Visa bill through the bank, but due to an error (on whose part, I don't know), the payment was shorted by $2. I was billed over $28 for interest payments, as the interest occured on the entire previous statement, not just the $2 owed. After enough complaining, the entire thing was reversed. Dumbasses.

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Givin' the finger to natural selection.

As I write this, my typing speed has been reduced by 25% as I attempt to adapt to a finger injury due to "Loss of extensor tendon continuity at the distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ)" (source: eMedicine.com). This condition is known as mallet finger. I don't even know how this happened. All I remember was attempting to do a forward hand-spring and not quite landing it properly, and the next thing I know, I can't straighten my right ring finger. After leaving class early to have it checked by my MD, I am sent to two different medical supply stores to get myself splinted.

I'm gonna be like this for about three weeks (although many resources seem to indicate SIX weeks), which is going to make a lot of everyday tasks a real pain in the butt. And I'm supposed to be going snowboarding tomorrow too.

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