1. The first TV I remember as a child was a big Zenith console model. It was black and white, but had a fairly sizable screen for that time. My mother had a gigantic philodendron sitting on top of it and she claimed that the warmth of the TV made it so lush and full. Perhaps the frequent doses of Miracle-Gro also had something to do with that. I spent many a happy sick day lying on the sofa watching daytime TV – The Donna Reed Show, Father Knows Best, The Beverly Hillbillies, Bewitched, The Andy Griffith Show, and, my all-time favorite, The Dick Van Dyke Show.

2. My mother bought a small black and white portable set for some obscenely low bargain price. The financial reality, however, was a bit more complicated, as my father decided we needed a travel trailer in which to house the TV. Thus we acquired a lovely turquoise and white 16’ Fan trailer, furnished with Lilliputian-sized appliances, an overhang that my sister and slept in when we traveled, turquoise-and-brown themed decorative elements, and a little shelf for the sale-priced TV. Of course, there was rarely any TV reception where we camped, but that wasn’t the point, was it?

3. The next big TV was a monstrous color RCA console – one of those that had large speakers flanking the screen, along with the top that lifted up on either side, hiding a turntable on one side and a receiver on the other. The problem was that my mother insisted on covering the entire top of the TV, even the parts that lifted up, with lots of knick-knacks, making it impossible to load up the turntable, or turn the radio on and off, without spending 15 minutes unloading and reloading the bric-a-brac. The radio was always tuned to an “Easy Listening” station, and the stereo played The Lettermen and The Mitch Miller Orchestra. As soon as I had enough money saved I bought my own stereo ($99 from Korvettes, if I recall correctly) so that I would not have to endure my parents’ music.

4. My father indulged himself with a set of Sony components as he was beginning his retirement – TV, VCR (one of those horrible top-loading models that was the size of a Volkswagon), receiver, maybe a turntable or a cassette player – I don’t quite remember, but I think this was post-8-track tape era. My sister continued to use the various pieces of that set long after my father had passed away, until, one by one, they began to be consigned to the dustbin of electronics history.

My current TV? Silent, unused, shrouded by the armoire, waiting for a soul brave enough to connect all the connections, wire up all the wires, and make sounds and pictures appear. Without scratching the paint, of course.

Update - the new TV is now broadcasting, and both cable and DVD work. The Fifth Element, a perpetual favorite, currently graces the screen.

Exercise: I went to Target twice today - surely that counts?

Books: I tried to kill off Da Vinci this morning, but did not have time before taking the cats to the vet.

Music: Listened to one of Rebecca's radio stations today. Brain damage ensues within the first minute of listening.

Movies: The Anniversary Party. Lots of great performances. Are there people who really live like that? It was tough to concentrate on Alan Cumming as the male lead when I kept thinking of him in his role as the evil Floop in the first Spy Kids movie.

Cats: According to the vet, both Xena and Hercules are healthy but need to lose weight. They're back on the special formula diet food again. Hercules needs to go back in to get his teeth cleaned and the rest of his mats combed out, and Tabitha will go to be groomed as well.

Dreams: Rebecca was playing the piano. After essentially taking the summer off from her lessons, this was quite surprising, even to the dream me.