Today, Tonight, Tomorrow

GUSHING (TODAY): I woke up early this morning because I swore I heard the sound of reindeer hoofs on my rooftop. I looked out my window to see 2 inches of fresh snow, but my wondering eyes saw no sleigh or fat man in red. But I swear I could hear the faint sound of a FedEx airplane touching down somewhere in the Detroit area and I know what it's carrying.

This! My all new Blackberry 8830! The pain and suffering of the last 10-days is over and my company has decided to forgo fixing my old Blackberry and setting me up with this beauty. It's a "stylish way to get things done." Are you kidding me? How perfect. I'm stylish. I like getting things done. This is like my long lost twin. There's a tear in my eye.

PREPARING (TONIGHT/TOMORROW): For the big time. It's been a long seven months, but its back. American Idol. Tonight! I suffer for you people and I personally sat through three hours of pre-Idol coverage as televised by TV Guide Channel, E!, and some other cable network that seems to exist only to extend the brand of its network prime time shows. Tonight ...I watch. I listen. And America will be watching right along with me. Hopefully, tomorrow, they'll read what I have to say. I gotta admit, I'm a little nervous. I didn't start writing about Idol until the top-10, last year ...so this is gonna be a bit different. I predict someone will put their hand by their ear as if they're wearing a headset ...my favorite wanna-be-singer move ever.

DETOXING: From my uber-consumption of caffeine. My half-caff-half-decaff self-imposed intervention is going well. The first few days were a little foggy. I was irritable. It was the weekend and my family got the brunt of my DTs. But, this is going well. I hope my R.E.M.-sleep is getting better and when I come out on the other side that I'm better for it.