Long countdowns

The Android phones have all kinds of interesting apps. Today, I am playing around with one called MultiTimer.

This app is a countdown timer--countdowns to a certain time or to a certain date. Today, I started a couple timers counting down for distant dates.

One timer currently stands at 585 days, 11 hours, 15 minutes, 20 seconds. A year and a half, plus a month or so. Counting down to July 1, 2012.

That should be the date (more or less) when Freedom Fest starts in 2012. And that appears to be my next chance to see B. They already announced the dates for the event in 2011: It will be start June 30 and end July 4.

Because B works at a financial office, where it's really, really busy that time of year, she can't get days off or vacations in mid-summer. Her only break is at the Fourth of July, when they get a two-day holiday. This year (when the Fourth was on Sunday), they got Monday and Tuesday off. In 2011, the Fourth will be on Monday, and I'm guessing they will get Monday and Tuesday off again. She plans to retire at the end of 2011, and in the past they have talked about moving back to the Midwest --they are both originally from Ohio. So a visit in 2012 seems more possible.

In 2009, she was able to make the trip. But the days off at the office worked in her favor that year--she got Thursday and Friday off. It was hectic, but we made it work. To date, that's the first and last time we have ever met in person.

The other timer is at 1856 days, 12 hours, 14 minutes, 41 seconds. And counting. That's quite a while. Almost five years from now.

I will save you that math. It hits zero on Dec. 24, 2015. That's the day I turn 66 and will be able to retire with full Social Security benefits (if they don't change that by then, which seems possible).