I lost about 23 pounds these last two months after starting the "low fat diet". I didn't go on the diet with the purpose of losing weight, but it is pretty cool to be slimming down a little bit. I hope to lose another 30-40 pounds to where I won't be "officially" overweight, but that could take some time, in light of the fact that I haven't been as faithful to it as I should be...I've gained back 3 pounds over the last few days. That's not too much, I know. Still, I am somewhat discouraged by not being able to restrict the fat that I eat. There were some circumstances that led to all the extra eating I've been doing the last 5 days, but I'd just as soon not say anything.

So, seeing as how I have nothing else to write about, here are some rambling thoughts inspired by some of the stuff I can see from where I sit.

I can't say that I've ever regretted buying the HDTV we own. It's an LG, and I couldn't even tell you how big the screen is, because I just can't be bothered to worry about such things. I have never been happy with the sound quality...not so much the sound itself but the volume level. It just doesn't turn up loud enough, and I can't figure out how to get the satellite sound to come through the home theater.

Speaking of the home theater...I can't say that I've ever been too happy with it. There is basically no graphic EQ to be manipulated so you're stuck with the factory sound. Which leaves quite a bit to be desired, even when playing back DVDs. It's MUCH worse if you attempt to use it as a CD player, even with it's 6 or 7 Dolby pre-sets. Nothing but lows and highs, with no mids whatsoever, which, I suppose, should be obvious when you consider the speaker set-up (two tiny speakers and a only a subwoofer for this function). I will admit that operas and classical music concerts do sound rather good with the DTS 5.1 sound...but I can't help but wonder just how much BETTER they might sound on a different (probably more expensive) unit. Had to send it back to the manufacturer a few months ago because it stopped reading discs. The warranty was just barely alive, but they did fix the problem, so I can't complain about that (seeing as how all I've been doing here is complaining.

Currently playing on the home theater is one of the discs from the "Gilligan's Island Complete 3rd Season". I'm not paying it much attention. I only have it on for company. The episode that's on right now is the one where the astronauts are orbitting directly above the island and the castaways are trying to find a way to signal them from below (driven into such straits that Mr. Howell's supply of brandy is sacrificed as starter fuel). I've got all 3 seasons of the show, but I don't really watch them very much. It's just a nostalgia thing, I'm sure. My middle school routine included watching "Gilligan's Island" as soon as I got home. They were cheap at Wal-Mart and sometimes that's the only reason a person needs. I don't watch too many DVDs anyway...I do have the complete "SCTV", and I very much enjoyed watching through it, show-by-show. But it will be a long time before I want to do it again. I got those extremely cheap as well, or wouldn't have bothered.

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