There is Less of Me

I bit the bullet and finally admitted to myself I was never going to succeed on my own. Oh, I know what's good for me, I know what foods are going to help and hinder weight loss, but putting that knowledge into action has eluded me. So I signed up for Weight Watchers.

I've done this before. In fact, I've done it three times before. And I've succeeded as long as I followed the program. But as soon as I slacked off, the weight came back. So why should this time be successful? Obviously my initial interest in losing weight is for San Francisco this summer. Nothing like a big event to get one motivated. And while I won't be at goal, I should still lose enough to justify new clothes. My health is a concern. Although I don't have blood pressure problems, my cholesterol is high. As I get older, I notice my joints are aging, all the extra weight can't be helping. Being a mom makes me aware of what my children see. I don't want them to hear me preach about eating right and yet ignore that advice myself.

I don't go in for fad diets. I lived with a mother who did that and it did nothing but make her miserable. They never succeeded. She has been doing weight watchers off and on for years and while she hasn't been losing weight for awhile, she hasn't gained either.

Some days are tougher than others. I have to train myself to like vegetables. And drink water. Alcoholic beverages are loaded with empty calories, so I have said goodbye to my regular glass of wine. Which is not to say I've dropped those things entirely.

Its all about choices. What is the better choice at the moment? If I really want the glass of wine, that's fine, but I need to make a choice somewhere else in the day. It works out okay. I miss french fries. I REALLY miss Starbucks. My drink of choice is 3 points, and that's the non-fat version. But I'm working on a new mindset, trying to downplay the importance of those things, replacing them in my priority list with other things like uh, writing.

I'm at the point now where I really need to kick in with the exercise. I'm resistant. Its not the exercise, its the time it takes from my schedule. But if I really want to succeed I will make the concessions.

Is anyone else a Weight Watchers veteran? Maybe we should have our own RWA chapter.

New Toy

Looks like I'll be going to San Francisco in style this summer. This is hubby's new toy. It is a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, quite a mouthful but a phrase I've been living with for over two years.

My husband is a car guy. The man bleeds Ford blue. I remember the first time I saw his original mustang (a 1988 LX 5.0) I was taken aback by how clean it was. You could eat lunch off the motor. The timing of his wedding proposal to me was linked to the fact he couldn't get a certain car part, so he bought an engagement ring instead. He subscribes to at least 5 "different" car magazines. I put that in quotes because they all look the same to me. He assures me they are unique. Yeah, right.

He's been looking and waiting for this particular car for awhile. When the Shelbys were originally released, the dealers were able to get $25K over sticker. DH will not spend a penny over sticker on any car, it's part of his moral code, like not committing murder or not putting ketchup on a hot dog. So he has had to bide his time.

Finally he found a dealer who would sell it to him at sticker. He flew up to Sacramento Tuesday and drove it home. It was like Christmas morning around here yesterday. I've gotten to drive it once. It was fun but it is wicked fast (not our fastest car, however) and it's 6 speed stick shift. I don't like driving stick.

Anyway, that's our new toy and hubby's drooling obsession can end. Except there is that new Bullitt Mustang.....

Doldrums

So I've been working on a post expressing my exuberance of over the emergence of spring. The grayness of winter has left the southland, promising Beach Boy-kinds of days and the kind of sun that forces me to wear sunglasses. We got the convertible out of storage and I'd already driven it once. ONCE. Friday things changed. It started getting downright chilly. Last night it started raining. It's pouring right now. Ugh.

Anyway, the start of spring turns up the level of activities around here. The kindergarten classes at her school did a Medieval Day. Here's my little princess. The teachers cordoned off the kindergarten area from the rest of the school and turned it into a village. They had a stage with a lutest, harpist, bagpipe player and a juggler performing. Parents put on workshops with various crafts and skills like paper making and grinding wheat. At the end the kids had a huge feast. It was really cute if a tad ambitious.

We are knee-deep in baseball. Hubby is coaching a team again this year. Some of you might remember we had a team with 7 girls on it last year. This year he decided it wasn't worth the controversy and drafted only two girls (Diva and one other). Didn't matter. Only 4 girls are playing in their division this year. However, the two girls on our team are two of the best players. When they play together in the infield, the are lethal. We get lots of comments. Usually its "I didn't know girls could play baseball like that." What the hell kind of comment is that? What are they supposed to play like? I better get off that soapbox or my "I am woman hear me roar" persona will flare up like a bad case of heartburn.

Supernerd was gone last week to Outdoor Science School. It was weird having my little boy gone for a whole week. He was cut off from his computer, video games, television, etc. He didn't even have time to read. I was worried. I half expected a meltdown. But he came back happy if a little (okay, a lot) stinky. He took one shower and confessed tonight that he'd forgotten to take his toiletries with him so he didn't use soap. And he only brushed his teeth once since he'd forgotten toothpaste. I mentioned that he could have borrowed a dab of paste from his buddies, but apparently oral hygiene was low on the list of things they were worried about.

Work has been horrible. Hubby had a summary judgement motion one week and a trial this week, ergo I was chained to the copy machine doing exhibits and creating trial notebooks. I can't tell you how much that blows. We need to get through April then it will be time to start interviewing my replacement. I wish his old secretary would come back.

Now the amazing thing is that I've kept up my writing. Unfortunately, that means my blogging shrank. Given 5 minutes to choose between writing and blogging, writing has won out. I've found by writing a little bit everyday, I've made real progress. And when I'm stuck, I make myself quit. Sure enough, the next day when I give myself 5 minutes, I am able to pick back up and continue on.

This week should be a bit more mellow. Trials are over and we have a lull before the next begins. Now its time to start focusing on that diet. The end of July will be here before I know it.

San Francisco

So I did it. I registered for conference. Haven't done anything else. Well, I have quit eating in the hopes of losing a few pounds before hand, but I haven't planned out the logistics yet. I'm not sure if I am going to drive or fly. Have no idea where I'm staying either. The conference hotel has sold out and if any of you are on the RWA loops, I'm sure you've heard
ad nauseum about that fiasco. I'm not too concerned, there are a gazillion hotels in the city, most of them two or three blocks from the conference. The bad part is that you must walk through prime shopping areas to get back and forth. I could easily get distracted on my travels.

My hubby is thinking of going. I'm 50/50 on this idea. Being a mother hen type, I worry that he won't have anything to do during the day. Yeah, I know, there isn't much to see in The City. But here is the big thing: in the 13 years we've been married, the longest we've ever been apart was three days/two nights. It bothers both of us to think we could be apart that long. I've been separated from my kids for over a week, but not my husband. I did tell him there would be no children on this trip. I don't think they would want to go anyway.

Anyway, I am signed up to go and I plan on going whether I'm by myself or not. Either way, I plan on having a good time.

Writing Muscles

I went to my chapter meeting on Saturday. I always drag my feet about going, I'm not sure why. I enjoy the meetings and such, enjoy the camaraderie of meeting with my fellow writers and having an excuse to wander around a bookstore afterwards. I think my reluctance to go stems from my guilt over not writing. Who goes to a writer's group and doesn't write?

Our speaker didn't show so we filled the time in with other things. For me, that meant picking the brains of the other writers about my lack of writing. Shannon Donnelly is a very active member of our chapter and is one of the smartest people I know, told me I'm out of writing shape. I sit down, expect to write 10 pages then get disappointed because I am unable to accomplish my goal. I am setting myself up for failure. It made sense to me. When I'm writing regularly, I tend to write 5-10 pages a day. But that is wehn I'm in writing "shape." Shannon mentioned an article she had written about "writing muscle." If you are struggling with writing I recommend reading it, she makes a great deal of sense. She also helped me with a game plan for my next novel and getting myself back into the business of writing to sell. She's also pushing me to head to conference. So the next thing is to plunk the money down for conference. I'm hoping that will give me the impetus to get going on my writing.

The Lady Vanishes

Nothing too dramatic to account for my disappearance. I've been sick most of this month. Just a cold that grew into something worse. With three kids, work and all the other stuff, I didn't get the opportunity to convalesce at all. Anyway, this is the first week where I've actually felt human.

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment. There always seems so much to do. And instead of diving in and getting it done, I sit almost catatonic and play video games instead. I know most of that is due to pounding sinuses and nights spent hacking up a lung, but it can be crushing. I didn't realize how much I would miss those four hours a day I had at home that I now spend at the office. I certainly didn't appreciate it when I had it. Isn't that how it is in life? We don't have the wisdom to appreciate what we have until we lose it.

I actually like work. I'm not sure why, it is kind of dull work, but it isn't housecleaning. At first it was difficult to get into the swing of things, but now I find it kind of relaxing. And it doesn't involve my kids.

Oh, for Valentine's Day I did get these:

They are pink fresh water pearls. I love pearls, I think they are so elegant. I wear them all the time, particularly when I clean house. Gives me that June Cleever feeling.

Cool Things

Last week was insane. The whole work-home thing totally sucks. But since the bulk of you know all about that, we can skip that discussion. It didn't help that the weather was miserable. Today is actually sunny and it has lifted my mood considerably. This is a picture of my new stained glass window. We designed it with the help of the artist and picked out the colors. Isn't it awesome? This is a picture of the view from the window. When we planned the window, I made it clear I wanted to preserve this view. I'd like to cut the neighbors' trees down, but I don't think they are going to go for that (I'm kidding).

I found this little do-dad at Costco this weekend. It's called an Alto Cordless by Logitech. One thing I miss about the desktop is how nice and high the monitor is for my vision and for a full-sized keyboard. I get both with this. Of course my notebook is starting to tire. The kids don't like using it because the letters have all worn off the keyboard. But this device really helps.

A Little Before and After

I've been a slug about posting any pictures from my remodel. I can't seem to keep any of the rooms clean long enough to take a nice picture. The first shot is a before, I dare you to find description that doesn't include the word "igloo." The second is the after. The picture is one I bought in Hawaii and had the space above the fireplace designed to fit. The firebox was replaced with a wood burning stove which has had a lot of use lately. Hopefully I will be getting some more photos up.

I did get some good news last night. My housekeeper was able to slot me back into her schedule so she will be coming this week.

Reading Revolution or Evolution

This is a photo from the mountains behind my house (I found it at the L.A. Times website. It would take me about 20 minutes to get there from my house. Isn't it pretty? That's about the only nice thing I can say about the weather right now. I'm a weather wimp. I don't like the cold. Winter for me means I have to put on a sweater. And when you have kids, rain sucks. They spend the entire time at school inside their classrooms and they get home so wired and obnoxious, they could be mistaken for rabid chimpanzees.

I hate going out in this weather. I just want to cuddle up with a book and a cup of tea. I have a stack of books calling my name and little time to read right now. I could sit and read at night, but by the time evening rolls around, I'm so tired and my brain is so numb, I just want to watch t.v. However, previous to this, I had been reading quite a bit and I've noticed how much my reading has changed. My choices have broadened considerably. I notice I go through changes periodically. When I was young, I read nothing but romances, historical romances, nothing else. Even in college that's what I read. Then I moved onto techno thrillers a la Tom Clancy. Then I moved on to Robert Ludlum. I slipped there into John Steinbeck and into non-fiction adventure. Then somehow I slid back into romance although I moved away from historicals and read other sub-genres. I discovered paranormal romance and that was it, I read paranormal romance exclusively. But that has petered out. I think I got tired of angsty vampires searching for their soulmate. I moved onto dark urban fantasy, but I choose books with little romance. And that isn't my exclusive reading. I've been reading cozy mysteries, literary fiction, horror and whatever else strikes. Except for romance. I have no taste for it. Odd considering I'm a card carrying member of RWA, a board member of my local chapter and have a stack of Golden Heart entries to judge.

Of course I haven't been writing romance much lately either. Perhaps as I start writing in the genre again, my interest will pick up. I have nothing against the genre, but perhaps a break is necessary to bring a fresh perspective?

Does your reading tastes change on a regular basis or are you stalwart of your favored genre?

The Other Blog

I blogged over at Villa in Tuscany today about the heart and soul of our stories.

I was going to post here as well but I had a lousy morning and I have a ton of stuff to do before the end of the afternoon. I would rather take a nap right now but there are about three loads of laundry crying my name in piteous tones.

Would You Like to Buy Some Cookies?

It is that time again. Girl Scouts are out to ruin our diets with their innocously named cookis. A "Thin Mint" doesn't sound dangerous right? How can an "All About" be harmful? Every cookie has a Girl Scout virtue baked right in.

Last year I was the cookie manager for my daughter's troop. I've retired. Once was enough, I was far too stressed. The leader is taking it over and I told her I would help. I much better in a supporting role. Each girl has a goal to sell 200 boxes of cookies. My daugter wants to go out door to door and sell cookies. Ughhhh....Which means I get to go door to door selling cookies. I'd rather get a root canal.

Oddly enough I still have cookies from last year. I got real tired of cookies. But I don't think it would take much to get me hooked into the cycle again. And they've introduced the "Lemon Chalet" cookie, a sandwich cookie with lemon cream. Yum. Course this little thing has 80 calories per cookie. Yikes.

Do you like Girl Scout cookies? Do you have a favorite? Were you in Girl Scouts?

Sometimes We Get What We Deserve

Have you ever heard a song on the radio that digs itself into your skin like a tick and you aren't satisfied til you own it? This happnes to me pretty frequently but with the power of iTunes I'm usually pacified rather quickly.

The other day the radio played an old song from the early 80's that I loved. Nothing would do, I had to have that song. For those interested, the song is "Nowhere Girl" by B-Movie. Not a big top ten in this country or anything but it was one of my favorite songs back when I was in high school.

Anyway, I downloaded the song from iTunes and synched my iPod, preparing to start the rest of my afternoon. I had plenty to do. There's laundry, sweeping, dinner, heck, even writing to be done. But I my song and I was ready to go. I get upstairs and decide to fold a small load of laundry before I went back downstairs to do some writing.

It was the wrong version.

Totally sent me into a tailspin. I spent the rest of the afternoon looking for the right version. It couldn't be found on iTunes or Amazon (Amazon offers downloads for use with iPods now). I finally found it on Yahoo and downloaded it (a total pain, I might add). So of course I tried to move it into iTunes so I could play it on my iPod. No such luck, the damn song is protected. I can listen to it on my computer until I can think of some way around it or the song finally gets offered on iTunes.

But there is a lesson to be learned. I lost valuable time looking for something silly like an obscure pop song. That time could have been used for a multiple amount of other activities. Anytime that I complain that I don't have time to do something, I can remember the parable of the pop song. I can never have that time back and the rewards are limited.

Long Time No Post

Where has the time gone? Nowhere fun, I can tell ya. I'm no longer an SAHM. My hubby's secretary moved to Las Vegas and lucky me, I get to take her place. I work four hours a day at the office. It totally sucks. Luckily I have Yahoo messenger there and I can chat with Melissa and we can figure out who's day blows more. I should probably install MySpaceIM so I can compare rotten days to my other chat friends.

It isn't hard work but it is boring. My dh is an attorney and he does most of his own stuff. I pretty much do all the filing and make sure his documents get filed with the court and served on the interested parties. I also answer the phone but fortunately hardly anyone calls him. Most of his clients communicate by email. You would think this electronic form of communication would save on paper. BUT NO...Mr. Sustainable prints out the damn things.

Of course I'm still expected to do the same things that I did as an SAHM. Volunteer at the school. Clean house. Cook. I end up doing three meals a day essentially. Breakfast in the morning. Making four lunches (which is a mighty pain) and then dinner. As you can imagine, I'm not getting much free time to do a whole lot else. I've worked outside the home before, but things were different then. I had two kids and a smaller house. Neither of them were in school yet. My husband came home and did the cooking at night. I had a housekeeper.

I'm probably going to hire someone to come in and clean. But the house still isn't done. Yeah, I know, a familiar refrain from my blogs. They are working on the outside of the house. We are having some stone work done and getting the house re-stuccoed. We decided to bite the bullet and just get it all done now. Then we will never have to do it again.

I'm back to writing again. I should be doing laundry or something but I'm squeezing in some time. I've gone back to writing a romance and I'm doing it in 3rd person, more to see if I still can. Romance writing is so hard. Making a relationship the focal point of a book is tough. In the last few years I've written more about one character developing with the romance being a secondary element. I write a lot of action with fight scenes and magic. Switching that concept the other way around is a lot harder. Which is why I'm doing it in third. I can get into more heads that way.

I'm going to try and visit y'all throughout the day. I'm home right now waiting for a fireplace to show up. Long story.

Happy New Year

It's hard to believe 2007 is already drawing to a close.  Talk about a tumultuous ride.  The year opened up with a lot of promise on the writing front but didn't pan out.  I suppose I should feel a little worse about that, but writing has never been the basis of my life.  Yes, I want to get published and I still think I will, but the desire doesn't consume me like other writers I know.

I'm not going to make any resolutions this year.  It is a fruitless exercise in any case.  I've yet to accomplish them.  But they make good blog fodder, don't they? 

I do need to work on goal setting.  I've taken a vacation from any sort of organization for the last four months and now I need to get back to some kind of routine.  Especially since it appears I will be going back to work part time for awhile.  I'll save those details for another post.

But back to what I was thinking about for the post.  What happened in 2007 that profoundly affected you?  Without a doubt, for me, was the remodel.  I truly had no idea how drastic an event it would be and how difficult it would  be to live through.  I'm thrilled with the results (I promise to get pictures up one of these days.  We still aren't finished, hence the delay).  It gave new meaning to the phrase "Home, Sweet Home" for me.

What about you?  I know many of you have been through some major events this year and I wonder as you look back and reflect, how you thinks those situations changed you.

How to Clean a Kitchen

I'm thinking about cleaning my kitchen today. And I'm researching the subject. Yeah, that takes a special kind of illness to do something like that. But I have my Martha Stewart book out and a book called Cleaning Plain and Simple to show me the proper way to clean. I actually give a damn about my kitchen now so I want to do it right. Also, my kitchen is bigger with more surfaces needed tending, so I want to find a more efficient way of cleaning. And efficiency is not part of my natural make up.

I love instructions. I'm not much of a free-spirit in most facets of my life. I like to be told how to fold, how to cook, how to sew, paint, apply make up, raise my kids, etc. etc. Until it comes to writing. Then all of my rebellion comes out. Oh, I apply some of the rules because some of them make me a better writer. But I like to think it is my own choice and I'm not following anyone's rules but my own. In truth, as much of a rebel as I think I am, I admit while I'm writing, I'm pretty rigid. I have my own rules for how I write and I don't vere from them. Nobody is telling me what to do except for the voice in my head.

My theory is that my yearning for order in my outside life spills over into my writing life subconsciously. All of those skills I hone in the other parts of my life make themselves useful in writing.

Do you notice behaviors or skills you use in your daily life making themselves known in your writing life?

Thirteen Things I Bought for my Kitchen

I just remodeled my kitchen and have had the fun of filling it with new stuff. Here's 13 great things I've bought:

1. Cookware from Kohl's. This is the Food Network brand and I love them.

2. Senseo Coffeemaker. This pod maker is actually for the bar. I've had one before and totally used it to death. When it died I was stuck with enough pods to keep me in brew for a year. Hence, a new one.

3. A toaster oven. I got it for the kids to use for heating up pizza.

4. A whistling tea kette. Suddenly everyone drinks tea in the house.

5. New everyday china. This isn't it exactly...I bought the set at Costco so they have their own sets. But it is based on these patterns.

6. Nice china. I never got china at my wedding. Really had no need for it. But Costco had a deal.

7. A new toaster. My last toaster was a fire hazard. I love this one.

8. Food storage containers. I can tell you, these are the best I've ever had. Got them at Costco. You can put them in the dishasher. My husband had chili in one, left it at his office for over the weekend. I put it in the dishwasher and it came out perfect.

9. New baking sheets. Superglue won't stick to these.

10. Dish rack. Real Simple recommended this one and it works great.

11. New glassware. We are generally acrylic people, but I was at Costco....

12. New flatware. Yeah, you got it, Costco. We had a flat and two carts when we left the store.

13. My favorite, a new Kitchenaid. I already have an older one when there was just one model available to the public. This one has 575 watts of mixing power. It was also my Christmas present.


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There's No Place Like Home

I'm back home and it feels...okay.

I know, as badly as I wanted to come home, it has been very difficult to get back into the swing of things. It feels like a new home, everything is so different. They aren't done hence I haven't posted any pictures yet. Its more than I hoped for, but the work of moving back into the house has been exhausting. I still have people here everyday. We've gone ahead and decided to work on the exterior as well. There are a few cabinet pieces missing and my book case around my fireplace isn't done. But it is livable.

As you can see, I'm trying to get into the holiday spirit. I haven't put up my decorations yet. We tend to wait until two weeks before Christmas. Also, we aren't sure where our decorations are. My attic was completely re-arranged, so heaven only knows where my stuff is. I did buy a new Christmas village from Kohl's. The contractor built in a pot shelf in my family room and I'm going to put it there.

My car got broken into the other day. It was a smash and grab. They smashed my driver's side door and ransacked my center console and glove box. The only thing they took was the dock for my iPod that I plugged into the cigarette lighter. Oddly enough, there was a wad of cash sitting there and they didn't take it. Apparently they were looking for my iPod. As it pretty much stays with me at all times, their efforts were wasted. The dock was a total piece of junk. But it did end up costing me $200 for a new window and I had to wait around all day for the glass guy to come and fix it.

I haven't gotten back into writing yet. I think by next week I'll be able to dive in. Right now I have a to-do list a mile long trying to clean up after the construction. I finally went grocery shopping for the first time in months. Anyway, I hope to catch up with all of you this week.

Getting There

By this time next week I should be in my house. The last couple of weeks have been really difficult as I came to terms with the fact I wouldn't be hosting Thanksgiving this year. I felt pretty lousy for the last couple of weeks. The constant disruptions and the inability to be home has taken its toll on me.

This week, however, they are finishing up. The are doing the last of the tile today and the painters were in today doing the final touch up. We still have more work to do but it isn't the kind that will keep us out of the house. I'm hoping they get more of my appliances in and we can get back to normal.

Sorry, Wylie, I'm not going to win Nano this year. However, I actually have written over 6K words and I am enjoying my WIP. My lack of stability has cut into my writing time. I'm the type of writer who will pound out some words in the morning before anyone is up then go back to it for an hour or so when the kids are at school and then some more time when they are out of school and at home. Ah well, I'm pleased that I got anything written and I'm more pleased that I'm actually enthusiastic about my writing.

Today is Thing's birthday. Diva's was Friday. For Veteran's Day, we headed over to the Los Angeles Farmers Market and the kids ate at a crepe booth. When we got there I realized we were next door to the American Girl Place. Diva asked for a doll for her birthday so while the others were shopping, she and I ran over there and she picked out a doll (and I'm considerably broker). She is thrilled with her doll. I stomp around and glare at any other kids who want to touch it. It definitely needs more care than most dolls. She is enchanted.

Anyway, I'm hoping to hit some blogs today although I have to go the gym today. My friend said she had some gossip for me and the only way I'd hear it is if I went to workout. Better be worth it.

Setbacks

We've had a setback in the remodel and now I'm hoping the project is done by Thanksgiving. I'm bordering on a meltdown. I feel bad because there are people who have lost everything in the fires and there are homeless people out on the streets. I don't have it so bad when compared to others. However, I'm afraid I'm going to wallow in self-pity for the rest of the day. By tomorrow I'll be more upbeat and able to appreciate what I do have.

I have determined that this fiasco will not impact my committment to Nano this year. I've decided on something new, far lighter than what I had originally decided to work on. I'm looking forward to the intense distraction that Nano brings to me. November is always a difficult month with all of the family obligations I have. My brain seems to crave the escape of writing.

This Saturday is my chapter meeting and I volunteered to present (dummy me). I'm going to talk about goal-setting, something I'm incredibly week at. I'm hoping that I can gain something from all the prep work I've done. How good are you at setting goals and sticking to it? Not just for writing but for other things in life?

The Lady and the Gentleman

Last Thursday was Cotillion for my kids. Basically it is a charm class held once a month. They learn how to behave properly and how to dance. It's quite amusing to watch but I have noticed my son says "thank you" a lot more often. I knew my daughter would enjoy it but my son seems to like it even more. The downside is the clothes. The boys must wear a coat and tie and the girls must wear party dresses, white gloves and closed toe party shoes. It gets expensive. I found a great place online for this dress called Cutie Clothes that was reasonable and got my order out to me in just a couple of days. I also got this dress for not too bad. Luckily enough for my son, I bought a coat and pants and only change the shirt and tie. I had hoped to do some sewing for my daughter but, well, this whole remodel thing happened. I think she may get one more dress and then she needs to repeat.

We've been fortunate in my area to be the only place without wind. We haven't had any at my house and all of the fires are a good distance away. We are getting a lot of smoke and I can feel my throat and nose burning from it. Hubby's oral surgery went so much better than expected. He didn't after any nasty after-effects and the pain has been minimal. We got a new 42" plasma tv this weekend and he felt well enough to mount it on the wall.

Now onto a totally different topic. Does anyone else watch "Desperate Housewives?" Is it me or is Susan the most annoying character on television? I told my husband we are speeding through her scenes. He likes Teri Hatcher so he refused although he did agree to mute the sound.