T I X

This is a picture of my latest toy/gadget. I got it as a belated birthday gift from my buddies at work. They must some how know how much of a "gadget guy" I am. The photo isn't that great because it is actually a picture of the box it came in. The real object is mounted in my office and it glows with "curiosity" for all my clients and buyers. Mike, my "Super Host", bought it in Vegas at the Discovery Store. Lainie went in with him on it; so appropriate in several ways.

Yes, it is a clock. It is called "T I X" the Clock. It is about a foot long and 3-4 inches deep and wide. It is digital and lights up with constant and flashing display of the changing time. I makes no sound. It can be set to change every second with a different configuration or every 4 seconds or once a minute. I've got it set at every 4 seconds. It has 4 display areas of place value. ie. from the left reading right, like a digital readout, it has the tens, the ones(units) in hours, no colon to separate the hours from minutes; then the tens and ones of the minutes. The tens of the hours place only has 3 possible lit-up dots or squares in red...for 10, 20, or 30. The ones of the hours has nine dots in green, 3 x3. The tens of the minutes place has six places for blue dots/squares 2 x3. The ones place of the minutes of course has nine places in red, 3 x 3. These all are changing every 4 seconds and are challenging anyone to read the time as fast as they can.

You know the "teacher" in me loves this sort of thing. I would've used it in my classroom in all kinds of ways, not the least of which would be: "whoever reads it first, gets to line up first for recess". Yep, this is the sort of thing I liked to do. It is mesmerizing in my office. I certainly makes me more aware of the passage of time...which is sometimes not a good thing. Yes, if I'm not busy, the day can drag. Then I put on my little radio to drown out the "musak" we have to play.

It is also, I realize, a somewhat subtle reminder - unintentional - that my time "T I X" relentlessly toward "full retirement". Yes, I think the "end" of the work-a-day discipline is "in sight". I won't say when. I've got too many "escrows" to cash in on. I'd be foolish to cut out on them. As long as I am able to "sell" and do the job required, and as long as I feel "healthy" and vibrant/vigorous when I go to work...looking forward to the challenges and escrow problems, I'm there! That could be awhile yet...(I hope)...

I was noticing in my daily "What Happened on this Day in History" service I get by email: "3114 B.C.E. from this day was reckoned the Mayan Long Count end-of-the-world date: December 21, 2012" So...that will be my projected retirement plan, as of now. Boy, I hope I make it. That's alot of clock watching. ;-) BOB!