Adventures on Vacation

Today THE Wife had her knee "scoped". The doc went in with his fiber-optic thingamajigs, looked around, cleaned out some floating debris, did a bit of smoothing, and even took pictures. It seems the knee is not as bad off as the MRI's led him to believe, and she'll be getting her second lube job in several weeks. So she gets a week off to watch me work outside, which all you husbands know really turn those wives on. It's either that or simply perverse pleasure.

I am finally going to bite the bullet and replace this circa 1985 Sears LXI color television with a new digital model. Yes, I'd love to land me one of those 42 inch plasma jobs, but I haven't had that much disposable cash since around 1985. So, it looks like I'll have to settle for what they call an SDTV, which is nothing more than a regular TV with a built in digital tuner, so that although you can receive digital signals, you just don't get HD. However, for me, it's still going to be a great leap forward. For one thing, this TV we've owned for all these years that refuses to die lacks any of the higher quality inputs, such as S-video or component video. Just having those inputs alone, when viewing a DVD, will be fantastically better than what we've been seeing. Plus, I live out where I get all kinds of noise and ghosting on these analog channels, which will be cured altogether by digital signals, which you either get, in all their beautiful clarity, or you don't get at all. So, for less than $300, I'll at least still be able to watch a better TV than I do now, even if it isn't HDTV, which I'm not exactly sure I like that much better anyway, from what I've seen in the stores.

Tomorrow, barring any thunderstorms which have been predicted as a possibility, I will be getting out to the terrace garden to shred all those poor, innocent piles of leaves that have been lounging around, minding their own business. Hopefully, they will understand, in their own leafy way, that their impending doom in the maw of my shredder is for the greater good of all plant kind, at least the kinds of plants we hope to grow in this terrace.

I took my second stop-smoking pill this moment. I've taken two so far and nothing weird has happened, thank Bob. No seizures, no hair growing out of strange places, no sudden urges to sacrifice animals or local republicans. I still have five days before I'm supposed to go cold turkey, but for now I'm smoking as usual with no lack of my usual cravings. I don't think any real side effects (like nausea) will show up till I start taking the 2 pills per day or the 1 bigger dose pill after that, and I suppose the effect on my cravings won't show up till then either. I choose to remain optimistic that I am burning thru my last carton of coffin nails.

I suppose I could slip in some rage against the machine, but it seems so pointless lately. I haven't seen the Democrats make any real, concrete attempts to reign in King George, and it all seems as though that we are destined to follow the same course as of all the empires that rose and fell before us. Pax Americana. Hail Dubya!

UPDATE (Next day.....)

Didn't get this out last night. Woke up to rain showers, so there went my day shredding leaves. Instead I'll be taking THE Wife across the river to the Barne's and Noble Bookstore, a place she loves to browse. That is, if the rain lightens up enough for me to trust her on her crutches. Day three of my Chantix treatment. Why do I have this strange kinship with badgers all of a sudden?

Till next post, Blessed Be!