It was pouring on Saturday. I had new books to read; old movies to watch; the Saturday part of The Sunday Times. It was going to be a perfect stay at home day; I had been waiting for a day like this for months.

I checked my email; and went to say hello to Courting, as some of you know, Courting, our computer Savannah Falls, and our imaginary dog, Toto have a very special relationship.

No, all you people with sick and warped minds, it’s not like that. But if I’m going to spend ten hours a day writing, I need to warm up; either by commenting on blogs or by writing little pieces that I delete about a girl named Savannah, her dog Toto and their very exciting life in Manhattan; which might or might not be mine.

Okay that was one true confession; three more to come today. The only pop-up’s I ever get are for free computers. I can easily ignore them. On Saturday the pop-up was for a free IPOD NANO, white or black. I had to have this; had to have it. Every kid I know owns one; which is usually my excuse for buying things.

Of course I know that nothing comes really free on the Internet. I then checked “no” on most forms; I did opt for some free magazines that I know I will continue getting after the free trial but I wanted them anyway.

I filled out Harris poll after Harris poll since most asked for my opinion on Bush and company; this wasn’t a sacrifice. I am now an official Nielson household; have always wanted to be one. Too bad I watch so little TV, though tonight is James Spader night, uh, I mean Boston Legal.

I was exceptionally careful while filling out the forms. I didn’t want my six hundred, luxurious though totally lacking in ammenities, square feet of prime Manhattan real estate painted. Actually I do, but not from a painter found through the IPOD forms; nor did I want my mortgage readjusted; my credit rating changed in an hour or a home equity loan.

Nor did I want a free vacation that would have cost me my life because I would have been hooked into some long distant carrier I neither heard of nor need. I did win five dollars in a PCH lotto, remember them? I use Gmail and put all the new things I have elected to receive directly into Spam, never to be bothered again. Once every several weeks I go through the Spam and see if there’s anything important or anything that will cost me in anyway.

Five hours after I began I was finally finished. Really hope the black IPOD NANO comes. By the time I finished the forms I was so tired and spacey that I really don’t know if I ever exactly filled out the IPOD form. It probably would have been cheaper and a lot less work just to buy one. Now people are telling me that the NANO is too flimsy. Will let you know.

Third confession: late Sunday afternoon I took a walk. There was a large tour group on the corner of Broadway and 75th Street. I don’t know what the tour guide was saying because I don’t know sign language. Yes this was a deaf/mute tour group. I really needed to get somewhere and to get there I had to walk past that specific corner.

Have you ever said “excuse me,” to a group of deaf/mutes? I tried to be polite; I really did. But I think I might have accidentally shoved a few people. If I shoved you, and you are reading this, I was the really nice person who wasn’t yelling “EXCUSE ME” at the top of my lungs, nor was I the woman who was shoving with her elbows.

I was the woman who looked totally bewildered and had a huge smile plastered on my face because frankly I had never been in this situation before. You were all very nice and tried to make me feel comfortable. I appreciated that very much.

Fourth and last true confession: at Bring it on! certain people who shall remain nameless have recently bought Roomba’s. When I lived in Riverdale for five long years I had wall to wall carpeting everywhere including the bathroom. I went through at least one vaccum cleaner a year and became totally obsessed with them until I found the eight pound Oreck. Now I have no carpeting. I thought I was over my vaccum cleaner obsession. When Rafe bought his wife a Roomba for her birthday I yelled at him so much, he bought another so that they can work the remotes together or something like that.

A nameless person at Bring it on told me that they wash bare floors. I want one even more than I want an IPOD NANO, and I almost prostituted myself for that. When a feeling like this comes over me, well, it grows and grows….

A few other things; I know many Pakastani’s. They own most of the magazine stands and stores in Manhattan. The owner of the stand nearest my house has on occasion fed quarters into the parking meters for my friends cars; he is open late, helps keep the neighborhood a bit safer and is an all around good guy.

The scope of that disaster is beyond my imagination. My favorite college student has a long constantly updated list of resources.

I love comments; everybody does. That’s one reason I love to blog; it feeds an immediate need for ego gratification. That was my fourth true confession.

If you’re going to leave a comment telling me that I’m too verbose, don’t. I don’t go to your blogs to tell you that you’re totally boring or can’t write. If you have an absolute need to say that something about me is horrible go to Bring it on! where I’m used to being bashed.

The post I put in Sunday was about a friend who had died 20 years ago Sunday, he was my first but not my last friend to die from AIDS.

My mom would have celebrated a birthday yesterday; instead she suddenly died four years ago Friday. She seemed to lose her immense will to live after 9/11 and I have always considered her another 9/11 casualty. This is the first year I haven’t been crazed during these deaths. I have to thank all my blogging friends, new and old for that.

You have renewed my faith in America and the world. Now let’s just rid our country of this administration…Convict Tom Delay; indict Karl Rove, impeach Bush.

Now go to Bring it on! and see Cranky’s newest video

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