>”to see what i have lost makes me able to see what i have gained.” (michael j. fox)

this week, i was blessed to connect with an intelligent, helpful and service-oriented customer service representative at SBC when i called to question a gigantic bill that i had received. after many many minutes on the phone with her, she with her supervisor, and he with his supervisor, the phone call resulted in a $200 credit and a change in my dish network satellite services. i cancelled a premium channels package, and i upgraded instead to the next level of service with regular satellite service. (that has got to be the longest sentence i’ve ever forced on you to date!)

anyway, i don’t watch much television (at all — “my name is earl”, “everybody hates chris” and “e.r.”) with any frequency, unless, of course, i am avoiding cleaning house. however, there were a few channels that i knew i would really enjoy, based on my interests and predilections, like BRAVO, BBC America, DIY. and a few others. anyway, they were just out of my reach on the next level of service. so, i decided to pay a few extra dollars and get what i really wanted. a valuable lesson. sort of like choosing organic and hormone-free food and dairy products. it really does taste better, and i believe when it tastes better, we eat less of it. because we are satisfied sooner.

anyhoo, tonight, i watched, for the first time in a very long time, one of my all-time favorite programs on BRAVO called “Inside The Actors Studio”. so very interesting to me. even if i have no real interest in the interviewee. i always learn something fascinating or something that lends a little more understanding to their body of work.

aside — i just made an amazing gumbo. seriously. CJF’s secret recipe.

okay, back to it.

this past week, i read a million little pieces and my friend leonard by james frey. riveting. obviously. i read the first one in less than three days. and the second one, which i was only going to the bookstore to “look at” sucked me right in. i read 115 pages of leonard at Borders, and that night, i read all the way up to page 253 and finished it the next day. then i was kind of mad that i had spent $18.00 and used it up so quickly. but i rolled with it.