Update (and Introduction)

Those sweet somethings who are the "Geek Squad" over at Best Buy have mangaged to back up 40 GB (whatever that is) of my information and install it on an "external hard drive." Apparently, this little silver box that my husband brought home contains all my photos and music. My laptop itself, however, might be a wide-screened figment of my past. I might have to go make friends with a new one very soon if I'm going to try to continue this blogging endeavor/obsession. I can now tell, at a distance, how much TIME I must have spent on my computer; during the day, I have this "big block of empty" in which I ask myself, "What am I supposed to be doing?"

Also, not surprisingly, this time away from my computer has granted me time to think of (what else?) ideas for new blog entries. For one, I'm going to launch a new series of themed-posts called "How to Live the Rich Life (Without Necessarily Having A Lot of Money)." Inspired by my 33rd birthday today, I would like to share with you all a few things that I've learned as a consequence of my years. (:




1. Set your table right out of the dishwasher (or sink). (It takes just as much time to put the dishes on the table as it does to put them on the cupboard.) If your table is already filled with pretty place settings, it really discourages you to load up your table surface with other clutter during the day--keys, books, mail, papers, etc. Also, since the table is already set, when mealtime rolls around, it encourages the family to sit down together to talk and share their day. I learned this particular tip from Ernest Hemingway, who kept his table in the Keys set with enough place settings for a dinner party at all times. (He also weighed himself every day and wrote the results directly on the bathroom wall next to the scale, but you won't catch me doing that.)