I did it. I went to Le Tar-jay today and bought the Senseo coffeemaker. I had been toying with the idea for quite a while, because I waste a lot of coffee. I don't do it on purpose, but it works something like this - I drink a lot of coffee in the morning (because I get up too damn early), so I make a pot just for myself. So I get one large mug down and the dog says it's time for the lake walk. I have actually managed to rationalize myself out of walking in the morning because of the damn coffee - if I let it sit while we're gone it gets scorched, and I despise re-heated coffee even when I have a functioning microwave. So I almost never drink all that I make. So I dump a lot of coffee, and coffee ain't cheap. And yes, I managed to avoid morning walking lately by using the freakin' coffee as my excuse. The lameness of my rationalizations knows no bounds at times.

But while I've been off this week Murphy and I have been walking at 6:30 a.m., and I really like it and need it and it is important that I continue it. I can do this before work if I just quit spending so much morning time with blogs and coffee. I can do without the morning blog reading but there is no way I can do without the coffee, as we established last week that I have a crackhead-like coffee habit. Enter the Senseo - single-servings of really good coffee on demand- a mug before walkies, a mug upon return, and a third while doing makeup and I can face the day. I had to set it up and fire it up when I brought it home, and damn, that thing makes really good coffee! Very rich, an espresso-like crema on top, and it's very, very easy to use, a very ingenious design. If you fear it because it looks like something out of Star Trek, don't worry, it's as easy to operate as the most basic Mr. Coffee. No more throwing out wasted coffee, no more burned coffee, no more excuses that I'll be wasting a pot of good coffee if I take the time to take the dog around the lake. Hence, no more excuses not to get back to walking daily. This is all very good.

My other purchase was all Borders.com's fault. They sent me a 25% off coupon for any book, and they had Melissa Leapman's Hot Knits on the shelf. I have not seen a knitting book with so many things I'd like to make AND wear in a long time. I know it's geared for "younger knitters" and I'll be 46 at the end of this month, but screw it, these are real, stylish knitted things, not elaborately-stitched afghans with sleeves. I am definitely making the Audrey cabled cardigan and the Diana v-necked tank and the Marnie cardigan. Oh, and the Deborah jacket. And if I ever get my abs to regain their former structure (and I have not given up on this project), the Katherine dress is sooo cool, but I would have to find a substitute for merino wool for this climate. I rarely see so many things I'd actually want to wear in any knitting magazine, so I considered this book a good investment.

So did I rush home and cast on a Diana tank? No, because that would make sense. Instead I had a strong yearning to fondle my beloved Cascade 220, which is as practical as a mink coat in my climate, so I cast on another Constant Companion bag, which I need like a hole in the head. Knitting isn't logical. We knit for reasons other than covering our bodies or providing useful things for the home. We can do that at the mall. We play with yarn because it fills a creative hole in our lives, and for me that hole needed to be plugged with chocolate brown Cascade 220. The bag will be a chocolate brown with lighter, cafe-au-lait stripes. I don't need it, but I want it. So there.