Catching Up

First -- what I'm reading. I said to Mary the other night if she remembered years back (and I do mean YEARS) when we smoked. It never failed that you'd light a cigarette at a bus stop and as soon as it was lit, the bus would come. Without fail. These days, as soon as I plunk down in my big chair to read, the delivery comes, the phone rings, something happens. Without fail. So here's what I've started. It's a new novel. This one is also fairly dark, but so far I'd give it a B-

Mary is in Pennsylvania, today and tomorrow for a big family Thanksgiving and has sent along this shot of Gwenyth and Uncle Matt "after a big meal:"

As for me, my main computer is in hospice, and I really don't want to buy a new one. This is slightly embarrassing, but this is a computer that coffee got spilled on at a conference. Amy ran out to Wal-Mart and bought me an external keyboard -- and that was two years ago, and I was still using that $19.95 keyboard. You might say I've gotten my money's worth out of this computer.

 I don't know why I'm so disinterested in my computer since I depend on it solely to make money, but I wish the whole topic interested me more. If it were up to me, I'd hand over my credit card and have someone go buy one with zero input from me. I'll admit when I'm lazy, but this isn't about laziness. I was never one to cut out articles and shop and compare and I think I've done fairly well over the years buying appliances simply by closing my eyes and pointing practically at random. I still have my small computer (which I'm on now), but it's really a temporary fix.

What has worked well for me is to buy the whatever on Best Buy's website. I do some comparing online like when I bought my new digital camera and then I go to the store in person and pick it up. It makes my hair stand on end to think of having to interact with the sales help in an electronics store. I've yet to meet a knowledgeable one. I'm sure they exist, but I've never met one. But when I buy it on the web site, go and pick it up, I minimize the pain of shopping and comparing only to be told they're out of stock.

I did my share of Black Friday shopping, but (here I go again complaining) I hate when you take a store up on a deal, only to be sent a better deal the next day. For example, I bought two books as presents from the History Book Club under the offer of "buy two books and get a third for $2.99"). I bought the two books as gifts, then bought a third for myself for $2.99. The following day I got an offer of buy one book, get one free. That's definitely a better offer.

I had a number of emails from this site where I buy clothes -- and I decided to hold out this time for a better deal, and today I got one. (Yeah, don't ask me tomorrow!) It was buy one top, get one free, which I did. Then I bought a third. If you spent more than $100, you got a free gift (which turned out to be shea butter body cream) and then for $150, I got free shipping. I feel as if that were a good deal.

And finally, and this *is* lazy -- is there anything more delightful than taking a mini-snooze in the middle of the day?