Mid-Life Crisis...continued...

Apparently no one is going to solve my 'mid-life crisis' for me. Though thanks to those of you who commiserated or chimed in with your own suggestions for improving my work-a-day outlook.

• I didn't win the powerball Saturday.


• The dog, though cute as can be in a snazzy-if-late-in-the-season haircut, hasn't auditioned lately.


• And of course, two days after I give in and post an updated resume on Monster, there's some sort of hacking going on and my plea to prospective employers is possibly being used to generate even more spam in my e-mail.

I have been giving this whole career-switch thing some serious thought. I considered several options while strolling around the season's first Oktoberfest yesterday. Yes, I said first. One beer-fueled excuse to wear silly hats, leather shorts and funny hats isn't enough in Zinzinnati. Perhaps the least expensive potential new career, start-up cost wise, came to my mind as we drank warm beer and waited for the tug-o-war between the German societies and the Ancient Order of Hibernians (GO IRISH) to begin.

One of the gaming booths at this and many other local festivals features The Rat Game -- I'm sure it has a more formal name. But the gist of it is you put a quarter on the color/number square you think the rat will run toward when released and if he/she goes down the hole on your square, you win.

Do you have any idea how many quarters beer-fueled festival goers will bet on a rat? Multiply that by three days, then by the number of potential bookings each summer/fall, subtract minimal marketing & equipment costs (Rat Game Here signs, maybe a catchy t-shirt or so for the rat handler to wear). And feeding a rat, of course, is even less expensive...

Or maybe I target a different market segment. A guinea pig instead of a rat, church festivals and pta fairs, maybe even take the game indoor since guineas are a bit more sanitary than a rat. They're also cuter and come in more varieties.

Hmmm...