Cliff May Restovation

Isn't it funny how songs that were popular on radio when you were a kid stick with you? It's been decades since Billy Joel's acapella hit off the "An Innocent Man" album was on the charts -- and yet it was the first thing that came to mind when I thought about how long it's been since my last posting.

Has my enthusiasm waned? Have I lost interest? Am I losing my mind?

I'm sure those and other questions have gone through your minds. But, actually, this has just been a very jam-packed Spring. Many of you have sent me private messages urging me to write for formal publications. Well I took your advice....sort of. I am the Senior Editor for The Monkey's Trunk. To those who think I've gone off the deep end...it's just a hobby. So far, after two issues, I've been paid....drumroll please....with one 1:43rd scale model car.

Something else super exciting!

Have you ever seen a television catch on fire before? It's really quite exciting. I'm just sitting there minding my own business when the picture -- after looking great for 18 years -- suddenly deteriorated. It shifted. It shafted. And finally, it sizzled. Ultimately the picture collapsed into a bright white spot at the center of the screen and smoke along with the stench of burnt electronics spewed forth into the room. Even my smoke detector protested. So I got a new TV:

I must say, my expectations for a $600 37" LCD HDTV were not very high but I'm shocked. I find this unit every bit as nice as the Samsung costing over twice as much. The only thing is that it doesn't have the name cachet.

What does this have to do with my house? Well, I was all set to bring in a contractor to get a new frontdoor; I was literally right in the middle of the email to the carpenter when my TV burned up, along with the money I planned to use on the door.