I'm an electronic squirrel

The late Richard Jeni did a stand-up comedy routine back in the 90's where he compared himself to a platypus, nature's most confused creature. (I'd link it from You Tube but I date myself!) I don't connect with the platypus, but recently I realized, when it comes to electronics, that I've become a squirrel. What do I mean exactly? Well I get comfort in knowing that I have years worth of songs in my iTunes collection. Decades maybe. It doesn't matter that I can't possibly listen to B.B. King for nine straight days. What matters is knowing the songs are there. Should I want a break from music, thankfully we have whole seasons worth of television programs stockpiled on the upstairs DVR. (The dvr downstairs is where my daughters record hours worth of shows on cake bakers and wedding dress shopping.) As soon as there's not a live sporting event on (never) I'll get around to that viewing. The Entourage episodes, not the dysfunctional dress shoppers. Just in case the power goes out I've got a whole stack of unread books on the nightstand with my battery-powered headlamp in the drawer. Add in the two 64 ounce jars of Jif peanut butter from Costco and I've shamed all squirrels. Now maybe the Wall Street Journal will quit writing about how Americans don't save. (I read that in last Monday's paper I had squirreled away.)

A razor blade business

I hate to use the word "hate." But one universal hate is arriving at the copy machine only to find it out of paper. Anyone I've seen in this situation swears the name of the prior user as "lazy." As much as I abhor filling up the copier I've found a new machine that's a joy to fill. Over the holidays my wife purchased a Keurig single-cup coffee maker at Costco. (Yes, it was actually ON her shopping list.) The coffee tastes great, there's no waste, no mess and it's fun. We've been happily tasting our way through the K-Cup samples. On a day where the Detroit temp might hit a high of 4 degrees I can't underestimate the warming factor. And our house smells great, too.