Good.

The Secret Service said Thursday that Sen. Barack Obama was being placed under their protection, the earliest ever for a presidential candidate.

But I'm still nervous.

Medieval Times

What a bizarre way to spend a 25th birthday.

Our knight lost, but my vegetarian meals was tops.

We were reprimanded by employees who said to Bill and Alex, "M'lord, if you are having a cigarette, please leave your beverage inside" and before that, to me, "M'lady, I need to see an ID." It cracked me up.

Here's me with the birthday boy.

A Purse or a Prize?

There's a Neiman Marcus across the street from my new office. The only time I've ever been in one was with my mom, who was returning a $1,200 Chloe bag given to her by one of my dad's Japanese bosses.

She used the money to repair the bumper on her car.

The next year, she got a Prada purse which was converted into a college payment for my brother.

This past Christmas, she got a Louis Vuitton briefcase that was actually a style I would carry. She wouldn't turn it over to me though. "This could be a down payment on building a garage for the Vermont house!" she declared.

I love how upset my mom's yuppie friends and my Manhattanite cousins get when they hear she's returned this upscale gifts.

I also love that I was raised to view marked-up fashion items such as these with disdain, and to view the people who carry them as superficial and wasteful. Thanks, Mom.

I like this picture

Crock Pot Revolution

When I asked for a crock pot for Christmas, my mother said, "My, you're becoming quite domesticated." It annoyed me, of course, but maybe it's true. Because I love my crock pot. I love throwing a bunch of stuff in it and walking away for a whole day only to return to a lovely-smelling kitchen and a hot meal.

Before I started my new job, I'd cook on Saturdays, chopping and prepping in the morning and then lounging all day until our bellies grumbled at 6 pm.

Now I've begun preparing everything at night and putting it in the pot. I take it out of the refrigerator in the morning, set it on low and go to work. Sure, it's supposed to cook for only 8 or 9 hours and it's in the pot for nearly 12 hours by the time we get home, but nothing beats coming home to a meal that's ready to eat. No discussion of what to have or who's turn it is to cook.

Best invention ever.

I need to buy another one though, since it's tricky to either put chicken on one side and tofu on the other, or to find something we can both eat. If I had two, we'd be golden.

Globe cartoon