It’s bonus time! After a 5% salary bonus and a buy-back of six of my personal days, I’ll have a nice little chunk of change. Months ago, I thought I might use it for a new PC, but here it is December and I have no desire for a new machine.

There are some things that must be done, but the list is short:

• Pay off the bookshelves that we bought a few weeks ago
• Pay for the extras for Gareth’s bike (custom color, fenders, front kickstand)
• Pay for the Draftmaster tandem bike rack

After that, however, it’s fun stuff. I’m thinking that I’d like to get a roof rack for my car so that I won’t be leaving Brandy without the van for an entire day at a time. After that, I have to choose…

Do I want to purchase a new kayak or do I want to purchase a recumbent trike? I’m pretty equally torn on them. I already have one kayak, so maybe I don’t need a new one, but I also feel like I’m ready to step up to a more technically capable boat (especially one that weighs only 35 pounds). And on the other front, we’re about to introduce biking in the form of the Pino, so do I really need to go crazy and purchase a second cycle this year?

This is not to say that purchasing both is impossible. If I go for a heavier kayak (57 pounds as opposed to 35) and manage to sell my current boat for $500, I’d have enough to get both kayak and trike. Originally, I wanted to keep my old kayak for stream/creek runs where a 12′ boat might handle narrows better than a 14′ boat (and also so I could have it to offer to anyone willing to go paddling with me). If I change both items (heavier kayak, less sexy trike), I can get both without selling my old kayak.

Right about this point in the post, I’m sure Brandy is thinking along the lines of “Hey, how about using that cash for home improvement? A brick patio? New shed? A fence? Repainting the upstairs? Save it towards a down payment on a new house? Use it for a family vacation?” Those are all very good suggestions. But, of those, only the last one is any fun.