So yeah. The posts have been sparce of late, and I appreciate you five for not hounding me about it. I should probably be upset that you don't miss me, but I am just too doggone tired. Tuckered out, exhausted, wind out of my sails, k.o'd... you get the picture.

I have been getting up waaay too early so that I actually have some time to do things for myself during the day, such as workin' out. Now those of you who know me understand that I'm no jock - but sometimes you gotta work off the day before it happens. This little action saves the lives of some of my colleagues and other annoying people who cross my path.

I have also been making an effort to get to work well before 8 am so that I have some time to settle in, get my tea and get to work before the hoardes come in. My work load is just south of insane. Part of the reason for this, is because I'm on the steep end of a learning curve. Since I work with a slacker or two who make my life more difficult during the working day, I have also been staying late in the office. I'm not sure where my life went, but I'm thinking it is time to get it back.

To begin the process, I visited several furniture stores after work today. I am trying to replace the cabinet the Wall of Sound lived in before the wood split nd had to be returned to Pier One. The ideal piece would be wooden (cherry would be nice), have three shelves and two side doors or drawers. Sounds simple enough, right?

First I went into Crate and Barrel. I did find something that sort of met my needs, but cost $900. The wood was beautiful, but the piece was kind of stocky and not my taste. However, for the bargan price of $795.00 I found a 5 tier tower, also made of wood, with a bottom drawer and was too elegant to be called a shelf. It carried the name etagiere. This thing is lovely. It doesn't give me enough space behind doors/drawers, but if it were 1/2 the price, I'd consider it.

Moving right along, I found two "contemporary furnishing" stores - Retrosomethingorother and Room and Board. Now, Room and Board has some absolutely lovely furniture. All hard woods, clean lines, imaginative styling... but really, they didn't have much that would hold a stereo. It was a good thing too. The 4 tier bookshelf was over a grand. So I wandered down the stairs to the Retromewhasit store and was completely ignored by the sales staff. I mean, I was invisible. Could it be the fleece boots I wear with a business suit on days like today? The fact that I wasn't wearing a fur coat - was that it? Or do I just not have the "Gold Coast" look about me?

One look at a price tag told me why I was being snubbed. I'd have to mortgage the condo I haven't bought yet in order to purchase any of the items in the store.Truth is, I found several great possible homes for the WOS., but they all cost more than DOUBLE my prized audio system. I've learned my lesson. If the sales staff won't talk to you, get out of the "showroom".

I walked down the Magnficent Mile to the Pottery Barn. I climbed up and down all the levels and peered in all the corners. Nothing they had was worthy of my attention, and nothing in that store was worth it's asking price.

A short El ride in an impossibly crowded train took me to the Crate and Barrel Outlet, where nothing was to be found. I went to the C&B across the street from that, because it is bigger than the one I'd been to before, but it had all the same stuff. Cost Plus across the street had nothing at all.

Because it was there, I happened into the Best Buy, where incidentally, I think I found the TV of my dreams. I looked around for some kind of media center furniture, and found pressboard schlocky crapola stuck together with gum. The price was better than right though - $80-$200! But since it was ugly and not worthy to be in the same room as my precious WOS, I left, too exhausted to climb back up to the El. I went into the Whole Foods to pick up some dinner, and then caught a cab home.

I hated having to come home to the electronic love of my life sitting on the floor. I explained to it that I saw nothing befitting its majesty, but somehow I still feel guilty.