Mortgages and Meatloafs

It will be a long, long time before we ever buy a home again, especially in Chicago where the taxes alone set you back about $4,000 a year. If I could turn back the clocks, we would've never bought a condo, but people kept saying renting is the equivalent to throwing your money away. I'd much rather throw my money away if it's a smaller amount and there's virtually no responsibility or risk attached to it. We eventually want to move to Kentucky or somewhere more laid back and nature-filled than Chicago, but darnit, Chicago's pretty awesome and the thought of leaving it is not easy. I guess it's expensive to live here because they know people will pay it. There aren't many cities in the world where we can walk to the beach, pick up homemade tamales on the way home at the corner store and then go to the zoo downtown. But the price is enough headache to make me want out of here, especially since I know I'll never make a lot of money unless Obama decides teachers should get raises across the board. Boo hoo, poor me, I have a job I love.
Speaking of my job, the spring semester is over, so the summer is all mine! This doesn't help our money situation, but it at least affords me the time to work on my second book, "I'd Like to Thank My Colon." I will be done with it by the end of August. It's so daunting because now that I'll actually have time to dig into it, I'm getting cold feet. It's almost more convenient to not have time, so I can fall back on that comfy excuse.
I made meatloaf tonight, and anytime I think about it, I get sick. I was a vegetarian for about 11 years and I've never liked meat, but I try to eat it because it's cheap and easy, but I think I need to stick to my bean and tofu-filled recipes from my old life. I just hate the taste of meat unless it's a Culver butter burger or bacon or pepperoni pizza! Okay, it turns out I like meat that's really disgusting and so processed that it's really not even meat, but pretty much just a clogged artery on a plate. Yuuummmmmy!
This is a random blog post, but my summer of writing began today, so I'm digging in full-force. I also want to read more, and right now I'm reading a book of essays by Stuart Dybek. His name is familiar to me, and I have no idea why.
Can't stop thinking of the nasty meatloaf and the layer of fat that bubbled to the bottom of the pan....
Good night.