Following a second listen of Madonna's "Hard Candy" CD, I can say with 100 percent certainty that this is not an end-of-the-day album. First-thing-in-the-morning album, sure. Workout accompaniment, definitely.

But it's not the kind of thing I want to listen to after a long day at the office. (Not that there's anything wrong with that, but the constant thumping tends to be headache-inducing.)

And so, I give the album my blessing. Just not after 6 p.m. on a weekday.

Although it has been on top of the DVD player -- which doubles as a CD player -- for two months, my copy of Madonna's "Hard Candy" has been unopened until today. (Well, I did take off the cellophane about a month ago, but I actually took the CD out today.)

And then, I even went so far as to load it into the player.

I know, I know: It was a big day in the CD's relatively short life.

I hit play and went to the other side of the apartment, where I could hear all the words, but I wasn't really giving it a critical listen. After the first time, nothing really stood out, but overall, it seemed to be a good dance record. Since I don't find myself dancing around the apartment very often, I don't know if this is something that will get a lot of play.

The good news, for me, is that it's an upbeat album, so it might find its way into my car's CD rotation sooner than later.

I spent most of the day at home, doing laundry and watching movies. I did, however, run a few errands, so it wasn't as if I stayed inside all day. But it was really warm outside, so I was glad to be indoors.

The day's high point was when my stimulate-the-economy check arrived. Within hours, it was in my bank account. Within days, it will be part of my monthly check to Discover Card. Thanks, federal government, for helping to subsidize my Broadway habit. Let's do it again next year!

Of course, next year, I probably won't be able to afford airfare to New York. Road trip, anyone?

This week was as slow as molasses. It's amazing that I can make it through five days in a row at the office anymore. Thank goodness next Friday is a national holiday.

What a difference a day makes.

Today actually was easy and breezy -- and over fairly early.

Now, it's dinnertime, followed by relaxation.

Adios, muchachos!

I have not yet begun to eat dinner.

This is significant because it's not as if I'm withholding a meal by choice. I got home less than 15 minutes ago, and I wanted to record my feelings for the day before I got bogged down with such trivial things as nightly nutrition.

It was a really long day today.

After two days of steady work flow, I figured today would be easy, breezy -- and over early.

Boy, was I wrong.

There's always one story that holds up the works. Today, there were several. It was as if we were doing things twice, just for fun. Except it wasn't -- fun, that is.

But, it's all over now, and I can finally dig in to my dinner.

It's about time.

I finally finished the "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" DVD set. I had watched the final two episodes on Sunday night, but tonight, I watched the special feature.

That's right: Just one special feature. (There was also a commentary by writer Aaron Sorkin and director Thomas Schlamme on the pilot episode, but I don't listen to those, so they don't really count in my book.)

The one special feature began with a tour of the set, led by Timothy Busfield. I found his voice so low that I had to crank my volume up to 40 (it's usually at 20) just so I could hear what he was saying. Of course, that meant that when they put in actual clips to illustrate what he was talking about, I had to dial the volume back down. How inconsiderate is that?

After the tour was finished, I was prepared for that to be the end of the feature, but it wasn't. There were some interviews with Sorkin, Schlamme and other cast members (who all told the interviewer how lucky they felt to be working with such geniuses). It appeared that the interviews were done very early on in the process (by one account, on Day 3) and everyone was full of hope. At that point, there wasn't really much of anything to be said.

Unfortunately, much like the 22 episodes of "Studio 60," the 30-minute documentary was over quickly -- much sooner than I had hoped. Part of me wished they could have gotten the gang back together after the show had wrapped, just so they could all talk about the experience. I guess that would've been too much to ask.

Today, I played catch-up.

It's incredible that I can be away from work for a couple of days and still have done all I should have done in three workdays within a single workday.

Does this mean I can take two days off every week and still have enough time to finish all the necessary work? And if so, when can I start?

I am on a New York City high!

The trip was wonderful, and all the performances were fabulous.

I was thrilled to see James Earl Jones as Big Daddy, Patti LuPone as Momma Rose and Bradley Whitford ... as himself. (Yes, he was great as Bernard in Boeing-Boeing, but he was even better when we met him at the stage door afterward. He was so personable -- and adorable -- as he signed Playbills and took pictures with us.)

And, for those who are wondering: I even managed to overpack my suitcase at the very last minute.

My plane is scheduled to take off in three hours, 50 minutes -- and I haven't quite finished packing yet.

It's not that I don't know what it bring; it's that I'm lazy and must wait to do it at the last minute. It usually works out fine. And if it doesn't, I'm going to New York, where things can always be bought!

Today was what I hope is the last bad week I'll have for a very long time.

Starting tomorrow, only good things for me! (At least that's what I'm counting on.)

When I'm stressed out, all I want to do is crawl into bed and sleep until I am completely rested.

So, why is it that, when I'm at my most stressed, I can never seem to get a decent night's sleep?

Today, we buried my aunt.

She is in some good company, next to her husband (my uncle), sister (my grandmother) and brother-in-law (my grandfather). Across the walk is my other grandmother.

At her funeral, her oldest friend spoke of how my aunt promised that they'd both live to 102 -- and how she was angry that she'd lied, only living to 78. But they'd had a good run: It had been a 70-year friendship.

Rest in peace, auntie. We're all going to miss you.

I just finished watching this year's Tony Awards, and I'm totally psyched for my trip to New York later this week.

I'll be seeing four shows -- two plays, two musicals; all revivals -- and I'm pleased to report that two of them were given multiple Tonys. Boeing-Boeing won for Best Revival of a Play, and its Mark Rylance won for Best Performance for a Leading Actor in a Play. On the musical side, Gypsy's Laura Benanti, Boyd Gaines and Patti LuPone were honored for their work as featured actress, featured actor and lead actress, respectively.

The night's big winners were the first-ever revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific., which took seven awards, and the new play August: Osage County, which garnered five. I knew South Pacific was great because I was unable to get tickets to see that. I had heard some good things about August: Osage County, as well, but there were other things I wanted to see more.

I was surprised that Sunday in the Park with George did not win for any of the technical categories, because I have heard that the visuals are absolutely stunning. I'll be able to give my full review of that show and the others -- including Cat on a Hot Tin Roof -- in just one week.

When things are looking down, there's one sure-fire way to turn a frown upside-down: kids.

Tonight, I got to spend a few hours with a few youngsters (ages 2, 3 and 4) and a few oldsters (ages withheld). What an absolute delight it was to see the kids running around and giggling and playing and getting chocolate cake all over their faces.

If I was able to spend more time around this trio, I think my life would be a lot less stressful.

Some say that 13 is an unlucky number. And that Friday the 13th is the unluckiest day of them all. I was never caught up with all of that -- until now.

You see, I've only known good things to happen on the 13th. In fact, one of my cousins was both born and married on that day. Today is her 10th wedding anniversary.

In future years, it will also stand as another, more solemn, anniversary.

My aunt passed away late this afternoon. It was not completely unexpected, but is still (a little) overwhelming and (a lot) sad. She was only 78. It was far too soon to lose her, and I already miss her terribly.

Several hours before my aunt's death, word spread of the sudden death from apparent heart attack of NBC News' chief Washington correspondent and "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert. He was 58.

The past few days have been tough for me and my family. On Wednesday, I was able to visit my aunt, hold her hand and talk to her one last time. Although she did not respond, I'd like to think she knew I was there.

Unfortunately, unlike me and my family, Russert's family didn't even have a chance to say goodbye. He collapsed at NBC's Washington bureau, where he was doing voiceovers for Sunday's show. He was taken to Sibley Memorial Hospital, where resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.

May you both rest in peace.

"When the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window."

No, I'm not practicing for the lead in a community theater production of "The Sound of Music." But, I am taking this line to heart.

Waiting for a loved one to pass on is never easy. There is nothing that is under your control. All you can do is hope that it's as quick and painless as possible.

So, as I wait for word of the inevitable, the phone rings, and it's good news.

"Eight pounds, four ounces," my friend tells me.

After a 24-minute labor, his wife has delivered a second son.

Maria was right. As the Lord closes the door on one life, He has opened a window on another.

Jonna pooped on Xena.

I'm not sure it's the kind of thing anyone would want to have posted on a blog, but that's too bad. There are so many tough things going on right now that I need to keep reminding myself that there are some things worth laughing about.

Here's what happened (as I understand it, third-hand): Jonna's mom (my cousin) was trying to change the 2-year-old's diaper. Jonna somehow got away from her and ended up sitting on Xena, the kindest Golden Muttriever you'll ever meet. And, upon this canine throne, Jonna decided she would do her business.

I bet she laughed when it was all over.

At least I hope she did. Because there are some things worth laughing about, and this is definitely one of them.

It was another unremarkable Tuesday. If anything important happens in the next two hours, I'll have to report it in tomorrow's post.

I have just finished watching two episodes of the short-lived "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip."

The DVD set of the show's one and only season was released in October, yet I waited until last week to rip open the plastic.

My timing could not have been better.

After a long day of work, sometimes it's good to plop down on the couch to watch a well-written piece of entertainment.

Well, that and I'm gearing up to see Bradley Whitford in the revival of "Boeing-Boeing" in less than two weeks. I figure that if, after the show, I get to meet him at the stage door, I should have something funny and obscure to say to him.

Right now, the No. 1-ranked University of Miami Hurricanes (50-8) are heading into the last inning of the last game of a best-of-3 Super Regional series against the University of Arizona Wildcats (41-17).

The Hurricanes -- the first-ever winner of the ACC Tournament -- lost Friday's game, 6-3, but bounced back to win on Saturday, 14-10.

Miami is the national No. 1 seed for post-season play. According to its Web site, "The last time Miami was the No. 1 national seed, the Hurricanes won the 1999 College World Series. UM is the only No. 1 national seed to ever win the CWS."

Of course, history means nothing in a double-elimination tournament.

Before the current series began, the Hurricanes were a perfect 8-0 in Super Regional home games played at Mark Light Field. Miami won two games against Wake Forest in 1999, two games against Clemson in 2001, two games against NC State in 2003 and two games against Florida in 2004. The Hurricanes were 12-7 all-time in NCAA Super Regional games.

Anyway, since I don't have cable, I'm trying to follow the game on the Internet. The Gametracker feature on CBS College Sports is fantastic, although it seems to be a little confused. It has the UM logo next to "Arizona," and the Arizona logo next to "Miami" on the scoreboard. The photos of the players seem to be a little off, as well. (In other words, it's really difficult for me to figure out who's on first.) I don't even know if Miami is considered the home team in this game. Right now, it appears they aren't, and Arizona will have one more chance to score. Two runs would send this into extra innings, but I'd like it to be settled by 11 because I have to go to bed soon. (It is a school night, after all!)

Update: The Hurricanes hung on to win, 4-2, and will be making their 23rd trip to Omaha for the College World Series. Go Canes!

Well, so far, so good: I have not used any gas today.

Of course, that means I have not ventured beyond the condo, either, but I'm OK with that. I accomplished lots of things that needed to be done within the walls of my home.

Tomorrow, however, will be different. I don't know exactly where I'll be headed, but I'm definitely going to be moving in some sort of direction. And that's always a good thing.

Another workweek is done, and it's time to sit back, relax, do a little laundry and count down to Monday morning.

On second thought, scratch that last one.

Instead, I'll be enjoying every minute of the next 57.5 hours -- and using as little gas as possible (by not driving more than is absolutely necessary).

Today, I am 34.

I don't feel 34.

Of course, I don't really know what 34 is supposed to feel like.

I guess I'll be finding out soon.

Have you ever had one of those days where you are so busy and you work so hard that when you finally see a light at the end of the tunnel, you think it's nearly bedtime?

Well, I did today.

Unfortunately, it was only 4 p.m., and I was about 90 minutes from being done with work -- although it felt about six hours later.

Maybe it was because I knew my day wasn't really over. After I left work, there were errands to run, dinner to eat and cleaning to do. And, I'm surprisingly not tired after all that.

Weird, eh?

If I thought yesterday was difficult, today was only more of the same.

And I have a feeling it's going to be a really tough week for me.

The memo was written -- "It was really good," I was told -- and passed along to the higher-ups. Now, it's just a matter of waiting to see what happens next.

The thing that makes it so difficult for me is the feeling I get in the pit of my stomach that tells me that what I have done will surely have a negative impact on a person's life. Or, I could look at it another way: that what I did will set in motion a series of events that will make life better for the person, and me and my co-workers. We'll have to wait and see on that one.

It's tough when you're in a semi-management position at work and you have to document someone's inability to do assigned tasks.

I know this because it's something I'm dealing with this week. I'm finding it difficult to separate the fact that this person is generally nice with the fact that the business we are in requires everyone to do their jobs well -- and then do other things, too.

What I thought would be a quickie meeting toward the end of the day ended up being an hourlong strategy session about how best to write a memo that outlined someone's deficiencies, while attempting to assist with possible solutions.

I tell you: At times, being a semi-manager is harder than you'd think.

Today, I finally got to meet my new cousin, Jonna.

She's just as I had imagined her -- only better. Six weeks of photos gave me a fairly good idea of what to expect, but it was so wonderful to finally be face to face, instead of half a world away.

She's a little bit shy around strangers, but I suppose that's normal. In less than three days, she's met a lot of people, and I'm willing to bet she finds it a little overwhelming.

Two things I know for sure: She already has a sense of fashion and she loves her daddy.

I can't wait to get to know her better.