I am loyal – almost to a fault. I have stayed at jobs longer than I should have out of loyalty. I have used the same toothpast since 1994 – mostly out of loyalty. I also go to the same Starbucks – even though it’s a little out of the way because it has a Cheers-like atmosphere – the place where “everybody knows my name.” There will be a new Starbucks opening up one block from my work and I probably won’t frequent it because loyalty counts.

Frasier ended it’s 11 year run tonight. I admit that I did not watch it the last few years but I found myself lured back to the final episode. It was like visiting an old friend. I got caught up and left satisfied.

Frasier, of course, was a spinoff from Cheers. Not many spinoffs can claim such success. Maybe the Jeffersons (from Archie Bunker) or Laverne & Shirley from Happy Days. Mork & Mindy was also an enjoyable spinoff from Happy Days. These shows provided me much pleasure in my formative years. Unfortunately Happy Days also provided Joanie Loves Chachi. I still have nightmares from that show.

Nick Cannon works out at my Y. Very nice young man. Anyone who started out as a Nickelodeon regular is okay in my book.

For the past week I have been returning home from work and, instead of my ritual of plopping down in front of the TV, I have been doing chores. Bed needs to be made? I’m your man. Dishwasher emptied? That’s me. Laundry folded? You bet.

Somebody write Dr. Phil.

1) Apparently, we live in a crime-infested neighborhood because I’ve had no less than 4 alarm company salespeople visit me in the past week.
2) Even IKEA can get expensive in a hurry
3) You can get little plastic bins for your pantry for eighty-three cents a piece
4) What we need and what we want for the house are two entirely different things
5) No matter how new the house, something WILL go wrong (ever see sewage spill out on your driveway)

If one has just bought a house, one can count on one, if not both, cars needing major repairs.