I just finished our quarterly taxes, and I wanted you to be the first to know. Doing bookkeeping is the sort of thing I ought to hate to do, but in fact I find it very soothing and satisfying. Putting all those numbers into those categories is a lot of fun, and I get to learn things about our business. But all in all I'm glad I only have to do it once a quarter.

I've been doing enough travelling lately to convince myself that I'd benefit by having a Tablet PC to draw with while I'm on the road. I'm looking hard at the Toshiba M200 - I got to play with my friend's while I was in San Diego and it was pretty sweet. For the second time I have missed an opportunity to get one at auction (eBay and Yahoo!) for $1200, which would have been an amazing discount. Perhaps it's an omen. I'm also looking at the brand-new Averatec 3500, which is a little heavier but includes a DVD drive, which is attractive. And, auction bargains aside, a steal at $1350.

I've noticed that the tone of my materialism is changing. For a long time when I decided I wanted something I wanted the best and I wanted it now. These days I am a little more flexible about the details and I'm willing to spend some time looking for a bargain. I figure one day I'll be able to want something and not get it, and then, who knows, maybe I'll be able to skip the actual wanting and just be happy with what I've got. Uh huh, right.

Follow-up: I bought a slightly-used Toshiba M205 (M200 + external DVD drive) on eBay, should be here by August 5th or so.