I spent my day researching the variables for replacing my son's dead cell phone. He's three states away, so I have to work out the ability for him to sign the contract as an "authorized user" on the account, or get it here and send it there. In the end, he agreed to use my last phone for a while. We'll run the plan contract down some more, reduce the damage as far as buying out the rest of the contract in order to be in good standing to set up a new contract with a new phone. I suspect he'll suffer from "fat fingers" with the tiny keyboard on mine, but it will do in a pinch. I didn't buy insurance for any of our phones, but I am thinking I might for his, since he's so far away much of the year.

Someone suggested that he should just take what I offer, and I suppose in a barebones situation, that could be the case. But he did a helluva lot of work to have great grades and to win national scholar status, and as a consequence, we sent him three states away to college. He was accepted at the University of Texas, and I think he'd have gone there if there had been equal funding. Since it was in his best educational interest to go to a Tier 1 university, he's gone out west. And if I can help him avoid homesickness by having the connection to his old friends from school via text, computer, etc, then I will do it. He uses the text all the time, so getting him to go for a few days without a phone and wait for this one was pretty remarkable. I'm glad he understood the finances of the thing.

I'm watching one of my NetFlix disks tonight, and have been working on the kitchen. I took out some of my frozen okra to bread and fry for dinner tonight - I was reading a recent Martha Stewart Living and the woman who writes some of the gourmet cooking articles said she prefers fresh veggies, but she does like frozen okra for things, it's one veggie that does freeze well. I am encouraged to grow more next year, and we can all (in our neighborhood) freeze it. :) I know breaded fried okra is simply a vehicle for delivering crispy oily breading into the meal, but it is wonderful!

For exercise today, I didn't get out, but I did decide to use the one step in my house as a step exercise place. I spent five minutes listening to the news and stepping up and down. I may switch and use the taller stool, get more of a workout, but I think I'll have to do something like this for exercise on these very cold days.

SRS