Three months and counting....

Don't let the heading fool you, I am not pregnant. Dad, pick yourself up off the floor. Instead, I'm celebrating (okay, acknowledging) three months of no TV. Truth be told, I do own a TV. A sharp 42-inch plasma. It's shiny and impressive in my living room. It's just never on. I'll start at the beginning...

I found myself in this position, not to make a statement about the mind-numbing effects of television, but for a far simpler reason – needing to save money. Cable cost $92 monthly. The rational side of my brain screamed $92 is a lot of jack for little return. The emotional side cried but which stripper Bret Michaels will choose on Rock of Love Tour Bus?

So I canceled my cable. While this is certainly not earth-shaking, it must be mentioned the role television fills to a person who lives alone. It is almost always on. From the morning newscast and weather to the last Law & Order, the barrage of voices was a constant hum in my life. It staved off the silence that can overwhelm single life existence.

TV characters were my friends. Matt Lauer and I dined together for breakfast. Meredith Grey helped clean my house. Ina Garten (the Barefoot Contessa) directed my dinner menu. Feeling down? The real housewives of Orange County lifted my self-esteem. Yes, I have real flesh and blood friends. But they have lives of their own.

The first month was tough. More than I'd anticipated. Being alone with my thoughts is not all that interesting. But like with any habit, it gets easier. I eat slower, read more and sadly, talk to myself more. Or maybe that's just the multiple personalities. And when it gets too quiet, hello music.

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I love Russell Brand, even in skinny jeans

Training is about a B- right now. Running has been minimal due to some calf issues. I blame the feet shoes. Boyfriend and I saw Get Him to the Greek last night and found it surprisingly good. (Unlike Hot Tub Time Machine , which we had high hopes for and was only ho-hum.) Laughed to the point of tears several times. Russell Brand can actually act and P Diddy is hilarious. If you like Superbad type humor, you will like this. I ranked it above The Hangover , though Boyfriend didn’t quite agree with that assessment. Followed movie with a scoop of chocolate-peanut butter from Baskin-Robbins. Perfect summer night.

Get This Party Started

So what do you do when you're reclining in a hospital bed, Olympic beach volleyball on the TV and watching petocin slowly drip through an IV into your arm? You blog. As of 3:32pm, all is manageable. Ask me in an hour or two and the tune will most likely be different. Petocin scares the crap out me, but as long as it gets the baby out of me, I'm trying to not freak out. I woke up this morning and greeted the day as a normal Monday. After walking Trudy a few miles and spending 40 minutes on the elliptical, it dawned on me I felt a little crampy, for lack of a better term. And without getting too graphic, I started to wonder if my water had broken. (It was nothing like it's portrayed on television.) So I called a handful of friends and my sister to get some feedback. All signs pointed to yes, so I called my doctor's office which said just go to the hospital. I took Trudy for a second walk while waiting for Husband to get home and try not to overreact. At the hospi...

White Elephant Gone Wrong

I don't like white elephant (WE) gift exchanges. Yes, they may include laughter and good-natured teasing (I prefer bad-natured teasing), but they include the stress of finding the perfect gift. Plus, I don't believe in re-gifting trash. A box full of old magazines is not a good WE gift. No one wants it. Therefore, you are done with the exchange if you pick this gift, which is what happened to Husband. My viewpoint is not shared with most people. One of those people is my stepmom who in recent years has included WE exchanges at our family Christmas. However, this year I was excited. If you have read my blog, you will know Husband is a saver. (We do not use the word hoarder.) We're also trying to get rid of stuff we no longer need. Husband also has friends that give him funny, ridiculous items that he saves. You can see how all this would add up to somehow already having the perfect WE gift. So there was hope. I'd already identified it - the velvet picture of a ...

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