Holiday cheer....

So, it is that time of year again. Santa has come and gone, leaving all sorts of wonderful (and useless) gadgets, clothes, toys, for the masses to amuse themselves with. As for me, I got a wonderful comforter which will be useful when the thermostat in my basement apartment in Ottawa begins to dip below the 19 degrees that it normally sits at (that is of course if climate change doesn't smack us as it did this week with record 14 degree temperatures in late December)....I also got a chess board and a set of mixing bowls, both gifts that will keep me occupied indoors when the winter weather sets in for real.

I got myself a few books over the past week, adding to the pile that never seems to shrink. One is an Atlas and the other, The Ascent of Money by Niall Ferguson is one that I had been hoping to pick up for awhile. Taking advantage of the 40% discount afforded me by boxing day and my irewards card and the return of a calendar that I didn't really need, I only had to shell out 6 bucks for a book that lists for 33! Should I feel bad about this? A recent article found on iht.com raises some interesting issues involving discount books.

Anyhow, I've just started the book. The theme (history of money) is quite apt considering the turmoil the global economy is experiencing due to "creative" debt vehicles.

Merry Christmas and happy New Year to all! I anticipate 2009 will be an interesting year....