Hello! Sasha never updates his w-e-b-l-o-g so I thought I'd help him out. Sash is doing well. Work is crazy (something about an audit), but he is doing lots of fencing (and giving lessons) and gyming to alleviate stress. We even go to yoga class together!

Our charge cards are also being well-exercised. There are a few new toys around the house. Fancy new cable, a new washer, and a pot rack. Jose from Grande communications stopped by Friday afternoon to scale a few trees and a telephone pole in order to hook us up to digital cable. Now I can tape (excuse me, "DVR") ER and Grey's Anatomy in high definition. Because we had to ditch Jose in favor of dinner and a show with the parentals (mine), Sash had to finish up all the connections in the house. He stayed up into the wee hours fiddling with shiny metal boxes that make lots of strange whirring noises. For some reason, the end result was hours and hours of HD Ren and Stimpy. I'll be sure to tap--DVR lots of medical dramas to balance out the toons.

The new washer is amazing--gone is the ancient, angrily buzzing Lady Kenmore that may or may not have done its job of getting clothes clean. She was no lady, folks. The "washing" process was inevitably interrupted when fencing straps, underwear straps, or tank top straps got wrapped boa constrictor-style around the agitator, thereby agitating us. Our clothes were sometimes sucked completely underneath the agitator by the naked gnome who lives below and dreams of wearing strappy clothing. No longer! I delight in cramming as much laundry in our new washer as possible and doing a load knowing that the gnome is SOL.

Finally, the pot rack has arrived! In pieces. So it's still sitting in its box on the dining room table.

No more Internet shopping for me...

Friday night we treated my parentals (well, treated my dad anyway--I forced me mum to attend) to "The Rat Pack: Live at the Sands." Francis, Dean, and Sammy crooned the night away.

**News Flash** Sash has just decided to watch more Ren and Stimpy in the name of choosing on something we can both agree on. I disagree! I disagree! I'm ten and my sister is watching Star Trek and I disagree!

Anyway, me mum fell asleep toward the end of the final act but dad enjoyed the whole show.

On Saturday, Sash and I gymmed in the a.m. (my step teacher played the Heineken song, which is very good for stepping) and then drove out to Enchanted Rock in the afternoon and watched the vultures soar, explored some caves, and communed with Nature and stuff. Then we headed over to Fredricksburg to experience Oktoberfest. We did the whole booth food bit, which was actually pretty good and maybe even authentic, and then we danced the night away. Mr. and Mrs. Devine (who have danced in all 50 states) were kind enough to teach us how to polka, and dancing with Sash was definitely the highlight of my evening. Even though the old guy spun me more. I was actually out of breath! Polka-ing involves a lot of hopping. Quick-quick-slow (and slow-quick-quick for the waltz). I'm learning! My brain now has polka pathways forming! We also got in some nice two-steps and Sash spun and twirled me plenty once we were back in familiar territory.

Sunday was the usual chores bit and stuff.

That's the goss, you heard it here first.

Cheers!