It's one of Phoenix's rare rainy days, and for a change I was smart enough to grab an umbrella before dashing out the door this morning. The umbrella is a traditional full-size style with a wood handle, not the compact fold-up variety that everyone else carries these days. I feel like Mary Poppins.

In the past week, two people have told me that I walk like Meg Ryan. I've never heard this before in my life. Is this a new skill I've developed without even trying?

Four years after buying my house, I've finally saved enough money to remodel my bathroom and replace my worn living room and dining furniture. So my spare time in the last few weeks has been largely devoted to trips to Lowe's, The Home Depot, and just about every furniture store I can think of. The process may sound like fun, but it's a lot of work for those of us who are decision-making challenged. I have a list of 15 separate items I have to buy for the bathroom remodel alone. Sink. Wall tile. Floor tile. Faucet. Medicine cabinet. Lighting fixture. The list goes on....

I finally nailed down most of my decisions during a recent trip to The Home Depot, only to have an employee throw another complication my way with a seemingly simply question: "What color grout do you want?"

This is the sort of thing that can send me over the edge.

I've been listening to a lot of 70s and 80s music in recent months, and have come to this conclusion: I like nothing by Elton John or the Eagles.

Oh, to be back in junior high now that they've come out with Hostess-inspired lip balms with flavors that mimic Twinkies, Ding Dongs, SnoBalls, Cupcakes and Fruit Pies. If I were 12, I'd be, like, using these all the time.