It's amazing how when circumstances change, one can really begin to appreciate the positive and good things they have in their life.

For example... I usually complain and gripe about having to live in a 34' RV. It's tough at times because I feel so isolated--- I don't have local friends to go and do stuff with and I don't have family members nearby either. However, I don't miss the days when Ben and I used to "hotel-hop" before we bought the RV!!!

Last Friday, one of the project engineers from Atlanta, called Ben to ask him if he and his co-worker, Phong, could go up to Orlando to take care of something. So, I made hotel arrangements for all of us (no, Phong is not sharing our room you silly people!) and we left yesterday morning from Ft. Lauderdale to drive up to Orlando.

I spend the afternoon in the hotel room. No one was online for a long time to chat with so I was quite bored. I did watch an interesting program on juvenile felons(?) in Colorado who were up for a parole hearing. They showed their interview with the parole board. I wish I could have seen the rest of the show (I dont know if the kid was released or not) but alas, Ben came in and we left to go have dinner with Phong.

I don't want to sound like a snob, but I do miss the comforts of home---even if "home" is a 34' RV! At least I have a washer & dryer at my disposal. I have all my food and can cook anything I want so long as I have the ingredients. I have a nice, large monitor for my computer. I have my MUSIC!!! (I did bring the MyFi with me but the batteries died after 4hrs so I need to charge it up in the car on the base.) I can listen to CDs if I want.

Sadly, I miss my TV and TiVo the most. I know. I sound stuck-up. But the great thing about TiVo is: if you want to make a comment about a show to the person you're watching it with, you can just click 'pause', say your piece, and go back to watching without missing a beat! And when I watch CNN Headline news in the morning, if I miss the crawl, I can REWIND live tv so I don't actually miss anything. I can record at the touch of a button. I can click on "guide" to see what's coming on next. I can click on "info" to get details about the current programming. And, because I have a triple LNB, I can switch between two channels back and forth and back and forth without missing anything----the TiVo automatically continuously records 30 minutes of programming each time you stop on a channel. (Per LNB) I can even set up programs to record weeks in advance.

And now, I have hi-def!!! Of course, not ALL the channels are hi-definition, but some are. When we first go the hi-def receiver, I was watching ANYTHING on those channels just cuz the clarity was so good and the colors were so crisp and defined. My favorite hi-def show is "Sunrise Earth."

Each episode is recorded in a gorgeous nature setting in the US just at dawn. I've seen moose in a lake in Maine, I've seen cows on a farm in New Jersey, I've seen gators in the swamp in Florida, I've seen mountains in Wyoming, I've seen meadows in Montana, I've seen fields in California and even hot air ballons in Vermont.

There is virtually no narration. Just the sound of the birds chirping or whatever other animals are wakening in that area at dawn. It's so peaceful.

It's tranquil and serene.....

.....it's definitely the opposite of my technologically advanced life!!!

Thought Of The Day:"For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three."--Alice Kahn

Until next time...peace, love, & HEALTH!!!