Post Scrooge Adjustments and Other Monday Musings

The talented Jody Rollins as Bob Cratchit, as I present my last line as Scrooge.  At least for this season!

My current run as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol is now over.

I must make some post play adjustments.

I have to re-concentrate my efforts on the more financial aspects of my family.  I am certainly not giving up charity and benevolence, but I do have family responsibilities to fulfill.  

I very, very much want to be in The Wizard of Oz that WACT is doing this February, but as it is scheduled in tax season, and as I need to put in so many hours, I find it impossible to do.  

The amount of hours I need to work would interfere with a play, but I can only work so many hours in accounting.  Firstly, if I have not made it clear, I am not a firm partner.  I am just a staff accountant.  They pay me overtime for extra hours (thank goodness), but there is only so many hours that they are going to pay me.  Secondly, and honestly, at my age, there are only so many hours a week that I can concentrate on accounting.  My mental stamina only goes so far.  

The time that I can retire from accounting is very iffy.  Even though my younger sister is retiring in March, and her husband, who is a year older than me, retired two years ago, and I see other friends and family retiring by at least 62, I just don't know when I can do it.  But I have to keep trying, keep hoping.

Another element to that is figuring other ways to make money, ways that are relatively self-employed.  I am a pretty good actor (although often plagued by wardrobe malfunctions) but I have long since given up on making money from that.  I could make some money selling comics and stuff off e-bay, but that is real hit and miss, not to mention a huge pain in the rear.  So that leaves writing.

What that means to y'all is some changes to The Strait Line.  I am re-organizing things to emphasize writings that I could potentially turn into e-books.  Can I make a lot of money that way?  Probably not.  But I have to try.  I just have to try.

I will be suspending Saturday Political Soap Box at least until after tax season.  This is to free up Saturday for writings that could lead to e-books.  Some of these are things that don't generate a lot of page views, but are nevertheless important to me.  This means, hopefully, more History of the Trap, Crowley Stories, Stories From A Stony Land, and autobiographical stories for the old Pat T collection.  Political posts, Ripping good Yarn posts, and general interest stories like this will continue to exist, particularly on weekdays when my time is more limited, but they will be less frequent.

I also need to become more involved with my church.  I have been elected to Vestry, and some of the squabbling that I have seen in other churches has unfortunately come to ours.  We have a great Reverend, many wonderful people at our church, and I am confident we will come out stronger and more united than ever.  But I want to be there to help us through it.

A Christmas Carol was a great joy to be involved with, particularly with Alison and Benjamin involved.  But that is now over.  It is time for Christmas, and then the Great Tax Submarine begins.  Periscope up!

Until next time,

T. M. Strait