Lins and I had an appointment to finish up our taxes for this year (and mine from last year, too -- oh, and the previous) with our tax dude, who is wonderfully eccentric, in that accounting-and-math-nerd sort of way, which, in and of itself, is so cool. So we drive to the dude's house -- only about 6 blocks away -- and we get there and ring the doorbell. Nothing... An upstairs window slowly slides open... "I'm infectious. I meant to call, but I've been sleeping all day." It was straight out of the Island of Dr. Moreau. Hee... Fun stuff.

So I don't have the tax rebate check (from last year) in hand yet. Gee, what to do with it when I get it... What to do... Oh! Hey! The XBox is only $199 now! Hey! What a great idea! That will go perfectly in my Space-Age-Bachelor-Pad Den!

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Speaking of the Space-Age-Bachelor-Pad Den, late last week, the station wagon-owning friends K&K and Lins and I ventured over to St. Paul to pick up my kickass couch -- remember? eBay? $51 when I was going to go up to $100? Yeah, that one.

Here's our model, Oscar, with the couch.

Um. Hi. This is, um. Hey. I'm tired. It's my naptime, you know.

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Apparently there was a basketball game last night. I didn't even know about it. I looked through the satellite guide for "NBA Basketball" -- stopped at TNT and TBS just to be sure.

I'm hoping that it wasn't on one of those 2 networks, because if it was, that means it was the last broadcast of the year for them -- which means it's the last broadcast of the year for their fabulous studio show with Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and The Round Mound of Re-Bound, Charles Barkley. I love the show.

During the season, if it was a crappy game, I'd still try to tune in just for the studio show. It was that good.

Barkley is liable to say damn near anything and there's an overall great vibe on the set.

Hopefully they'll all be back together next year. It sounds like Kenny Smith might go into an NBA front office or coaching type position, though.

I just hope Charles can stay on a network that gives him as much leeway as the good people at TNT and TBS have. Good times.

Rock on, kiddies. That's all I have for now.
Eric