I think this is one of those seminal moments when you really understand that you're not a kid any more. This 80-mile round-trip commute to Boulder, even just three days a week, is wearing me out.

I'm working from home today but I was so exhausted that I actually rolled out of bed only five minutes before I was scheduled to start work. (Fortunately, "working from home" means getting the computers(s) and phone turned on by 8:30, so it's not a major issue.)

Yesterday's 9-hour day didn't amuse me, either. Bernie and I had a deal that he'd only expect six hours work on the days I drive to Boulder. It was purely my own generosity (and my disinclination to listen to him bitch about it all) that made me volunteer to work from home for two hours every morning, for a total of seven on commute days. But, having done that, I don't expect to be kept in the Boulder office for seven hours after I arrive.

Nor do I expect to be expected to spend three hours in hard, manual labor every day I'm in Boulder, but I knew that was part of moving, so I'm not really bitching about having had to do it. I'm just bitching about not being young enough to do hard, manual labor without consequences any more.

There are other drawbacks. I had to gas up my car Wednesday! I just gassed it up last week. I'm accustomed to gassing up my car every 16 days or so, not every week. On the news last night, they said the price of gas is going back up. It's already back over $3 in places.

And highway driving, especially coming back to Denver, driving westerly into the setting sun, is making replacing my windshield (especially after this week's drive, when two more rocks added their share of damage to the glass) an ever-more urgent matter, which is going to cost money. (I carry a $500 deductible, so these smaller repairs are my problem.)

Not to mention the fact that if I'm going to keep making this commute, I need to put the car into the shop and get a tune-up and have it checked over really thoroughly. I suspect that I need shocks, among other things. I don't know what those cost, but they sound expensive, you know?

I'm dancing on the edge of dishonesty since I haven't yet notified my insurance agent that the discount I get for driving less than 10 miles each way to work every day no longer applies. I think I'm going to have to tell him next week. I wonder how much my premium will increase?

To be honest, I'm not sure I can afford to let Bernie keep paying me until the end of the month.

Still. Be strong, Anne! So what if you only make enough to cover rent/bills and fix the car up? The car needs fixed up anyhow and at least you'll get the bills paid. You can go 30 days without any extra money. You'll have rent money, food money, utility/credit card money, and car insurance (one hopes--how much will it increase?) money. Many people would consider themselves wealthy with all of that. As long as the car doesn't cost more than $700 or so to fix up, you'll survive.

Quite easily, in fact, so stop whining.