LOST. Damn, you are good. However, I called everything that happened in jest.

I also saw the latest episode of House. If anyone else watches this, will someone please let me know how the girl got back on the show? I apparently missed something along the way.

And in my final TV mention, my oh-so-friggin� awesome Benito apparently has a little nerdiness in him. He�s really into Battlestar Galactica (which comes on Friday evenings, if that tells you how nerdy it is), and he�s had me watch bits and pieces as he catches up on it. Lo and behold, I�m getting sorta interested in the storyline.

Now let�s keep this a secret, okay? He doesn�t read often, so he likely won�t find out.

Benito had to go to work on Saturday and Sunday for some checking-overs and finalizations, so I was on my own.

I spent Saturday walking around the neighborhood near my old house. I started with a destination of The Spice House and braved the rain and humidity for the couple-mile walk.

I ended up with just a Jamaican jerk spice and a peppercorn dip mix, and I�m thoroughly pleased with each. Right now I�ve got some fake chicken swimming in an authentic Jamaican jerk marinade and a jar of dressing in the fridge. My mouth will be a happy mouth tonight.

The rest of Saturday was grocery shopping, lounging, and reading. Lots and lots of reading.

I finished a so-so Pulitzer Prize fiction novel, a book on how to write a novel in 30 days, and a book on being a better real estate agent.

I�ve read a good number of Pulitzer Prize-winning novels lately, and I�ve got to say that very few have even made it on the Jo-meter. This latest one didn�t really even have a point. And the one before that either. And The Hours was lame. Etc., etc., etc. I can honestly say that the only one I�ve really enjoyed was The Age of Innocence, the first one I read compliments of crowhihs when I needed reading material for the flight home from our Vegas trip.

The second book was in preparation of this November�s NaNoWrimo. I also made a list of potential book topics or characters, coming up with three I really rather like.

The first is a collection of short stories about women. A previous professor of mine wrote a book of stories about women police officers in Baton Rouge, and the idea is a neat one that can be applied to any number of subjects. Since it�s not officially a novel, I�m not officially supposed to write that. But whatever. It�s an idea.

The second was prompted when I was thinking romantic thoughts. Although kinda odd, I wondered about getting amnesia and how it would affect my life. I�m fairly certain that it would be very easy to fall in love with Benito again. And from there I wrote down �Woman has amnesia and falls in love with her husband again.�

This isn�t quite the type of book that my mind could complete, so I took it a step more: �Woman has an accident and fakes her illness to continue getting sympathy and attention from her previously adulterous husband.� I took this even further: �Her doctor knows she�s faking, but he doesn�t say anything because he�s secretly in love with her and looks forward to her regular doctor visits.�

This is a promising story.

And then stuck a cobweb in my brain I have this idea for a story about a disgruntled Mary Kay sales lady. I�ve gone no further than that, but the thought intrigues me.

The third book that day that I finished was on being a better real estate agent. Since I have that shiny license looking to be used, I might as well learn a few things before I hang the license on the wall and call it a profession.

I�m making appointments with real estate brokers this week to try to find myself a home. Once that�s done, I�m going to see about changing my regular work schedule from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. It�ll be rough for a while, but it�s a workable solution to needing more time in the afternoons and evenings. Once all of that�s done, I�ll start looking for people who need houses. Ta-da!

I�m on a quest to have a certain amount of money in my savings account by time I�m 30. It�s totally do-able, but now I�m on a quest to beat that deadline. It�s sorta like my 101 Things to do in 1001 Days list: I have a deadline, and it�s been stated. I now have to do it.

Sunday. Blah blah blah. The weather was again crummy, so I waited most of the day out before going to the library to re-supply the stack of books on my bed stand.

I got another real estate book (one will always be in my weekly collection since I can�t learn too much about it), a book on physical anthropology, and a book a friend recommended for me on choice theory.

Benito and I were talking the other night, and we were questioning what smart people do later in life to remain smart. I don�t look at myself and say, �Self, you�re smart,� but I know I�m pretty bright. Since the last time I proved that I had some actual brains (graduating magna cum laude in the university honors program at 19), I�ve taken all the community college classes I can really take, and I read like crazy. I guess that takes up my brain power pretty well.

I may waste a lot of time writing drivel on my and other people�s blogs, watching Law and Order, and talking to Hambone, but what are a few slow brain cells gonna hurt anyway?

In the midst of my other time wasting activity (Netflix), I recently watched an interesting documentary on Tammy Faye Bakker. The production value of the DVD wasn�t too hot and could very easily turn people away, but I enjoyed the story of her life quite a bit.

So many people who are good and kind for the particular purpose of going to heaven annoy the piss out of me. If you only motivation to be nice is the fear of hell, there�s something wrong with you.

There. I�ll say it.

Based off of what this documentary showed, Tammy Faye really was a remarkable woman. She seemed to love everyone because it was the right thing to do. To have an interview with an HIV-positive gay man in the early 1980s and start crying, asking why Christians turn their backs on their brothers, especially those in need... Damn. That really summed up her character quite nicely.

There was also this part showing her giving a recent sermon about letting go of those who wronged you in the past. If you followed her life, you know that Jerry Falwell completely fucked her over. She mentioned how for years and years she carried this anger toward him. But in the end, it wasn�t causing harm to Jerry; it was only causing her grief. So she decided just to let it go and let God deal with it.

Now, I�m not a religious person. I�m all for living my life without taking the risk that there�s even a god to sort things out and make it all even-Steven in the end. I follow karma for no reason other than the point that if you�re a jerk, people will be a jerk right back.

But I�ll admit that Tammy Faye�s words really resonated with me. Over a few events in my lifetime, I�ve gathered a certain amount of anger toward a few people who really and truly wronged me.

And by thinking about what she said, I was able to knock my list from three people down to one. I dismissed one person as a not-so-good friend and left it at that. The other I realized was essentially a little girl in a very bad situation that she wasn�t aware of. Hell, I wasn�t even tuned into it until now.

So there. Two people off my back. Amazingly enough, I actually do feel kinda better about it.

Okay, this was an accidental divulgence into something a little more than my usual topical one-way discussions. I won�t hit the delete key quite yet because I think there�s some merit to what I just said. So let�s just pretend that I didn�t get all deep on you for a moment and move along.

Rats! Today I found out that my jean jacket has a hole in its sleeve.

Okay, that was a good attempt at something else. That attempt is enough for me. I�m outta here. Have a good night.�