Think good thoughts for me today because if everything goes according to [my] plan then sometime in early September I'll be the one shouting, “C'mon, wheel! Big money!”

A really good run today. Pretty much the first time since I started this that I've been able to tweak my stride. I've been so busy trying to breathe the other times that I've mostly just plodded along. Today I did some tempo runs. The acoustic “Everlong” and FOTCs' “Hurt Feelings” helped a LOT. Thanks, fellas.

Michael Jackson is dead. I'm glad that most outlets seem to be focusing on his revolutionary-artist aspects rather than his sad-cum-twisted aspects. I mean, the man was an epoch.

Nobody is sadder about his death than my buddy Chris, who has spent the past three weeks at his job at a major Internet ticket outlet purchasing empty seats for what was to be MJ's London concert series, and who now has a whole lot of refunds to process.

Wow, this is truly neat-o: My recent Wallet Blog post about ENERGY STAR got quoted on the MSN Money “Smart Spending” blog. Booyah!

So while my mom's rehabbing her new knee, I'm taking care of her bills. And I had to call AT&T Wireless, because she lost her phone a year ago and we'd been paying the minimum until her contract ran out, because it was more economical that way. Well, I'd set up the lower payment plan for her last year, with no problem.

And yet now that I'm calling to potentially cancel her cell-phone account, they won't give me access. They say that I don't have the last four digits of her social security number. Well, it seems that somehow, that number has been changed from what it was last year.

Of course this couldn't have *anything* to do with the fact that 1) the lower rate has ended and they're back to sucking $26.33 out of her bank account every month, and 2) I spoke with the cancellation department.

And then, when I called her AT&T residential service, to get her credit balance of $10.66 sent to her in the form of a check, the automated attendant told me the office is closed and to call back between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Yeah, a-holes. It's 10:56 a.m. right now.

So instead, I went to www.att.com, to get them to send me an email. Got to their “Contact Us” page and typed my subject line, but their /common/fsrscripts/attinvite.html was not found on this server, so the “Continue” button doesn't work.

I effing hate AT&T. Had forgotten how much until just now. If you want to improve the quality of your life, dump AT&T pronto. In fact, I'm pretty sure that Sean moved to New Zealand just to get away from AT&T. Not such a bad idea, buddy.

I haven't watched their show this season out of protest, but I did visit E! Online late last night to find out what their “surprise announcement” was. Splitsville. Divorcetown. It's too bad. But, based upon the wise words of my dad's wife, not surprising.

You see, shortly before Monstro and I were married, Donna shared with us her #1 tip for keeping a marriage together.

“Don't ever renew your vows,” she told us. “Everyone I ever knew who renewed their vows got divorced shortly thereafter.”

When Jon and Kate went to Hawaii last season and renewed their vows on their ninth wedding annviersary, a frisson of foreshadowing crept along my spine. I was hoping they'd beat Donna's odds.

No va, amigo.

So, let this be a lesson to you: don't renew your vows. Oh, and don't have a million kids and then have a TV show about it. And don't be an insufferable shrew or an irresponsible prick. All of the above will send you the way of Jon Minus Kate.

Yes, Jon and Kate are going to make an announcement on their show tomorrow night. We all know what it is. They're pregnant! Duh.

To my beloved Monstro, aka BEST DAD EVER, and all the other dads and dads-to-be out there, today and everyday, amen.

My shins hurt from my foolish run yesterday (ALWAYS stretch before running, doofus), so I walked *really fast* around the track five times. It hurt more than my mile-and-a-quarter run the other day. Maybe I'm still recovering.

It was raining like eff today, all day, but I wanted to run, so I stopped at the track on my way to get Lex and ran a fast 200, a slow 100, and a quick 100, all without stopping. Yeah, just once around the track, but at a speedy pace. Made my left shin hurt, at least. 🙂