I put our old gas grill to the curb a three days ago with a “free” sign on it. The grill is still there. It may not be great, but for free, I would have thought someone would have scooped it up. I guess people expect a new stainless steel Char Broil or something. Jeez.

Last year, wife and I finally bought a new TV. Every other TV we had prior to this had been obtained for free, so it was high time that we spent some cash and got something nice for ourselves. Since we were moving into our new house, and spending money on having surround sound speakers put into the ceiling, we wanted a nice TV too.

What we found is that choosing a new TV is hard work. We got quite the education from every sales clerk we encounter, as well as his or her opinion on what we should buy. You never know if they’re telling you the truth, or just looking for a commission. At any rate, we should have just checked out LCD TV Reviews for the real deal and honest truth on what to look for. In the end, we got a 42 inch Samsung DLP high def and we love it.

On Tuesday, Coach Torts named Johan Holmquist the starter for the game against the Islanders. Torts was very candid about his lack of confidence in his goal tenders and their recent play. The Bolts called up AHL Springfield netminder Kari Ramo, who made the AHl All Stars, to possibly get some game time. More likely, it was meant to send a message. But who knows, a year ago, rookie Cam Ward replaced Martin Gerber and took the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup.

Whew, the Bolts pulled out an overtime victory on Tuesday against the New York Islanders. The Bolts outskated New York all night, but still had to overcome some shaky goaltending to get the win. Vincent Lecavalier scored his 49th goal of the season. I’ll be at the game on Saturday, so maybe he’ll get number 50 on Saturday.

We do drug screening at work, but once you get busted for using (we’re a drug free workplace) I’m not sure if we offer help and counseling, or referrals, or just say come back when you’re clean. I’ve always wondered how people pick a rehab center, out of the thousands of places in the country. Do you take your doctors advice? Listen to a priest? A friend? How about calling a drug rehab treatment referral service? This non-profit groups takes phone calls and helps people find a match for a drug rehab center that will work for them, or their friends and family.

On St. Patty’s Day I lost my cell phone. I think I left it in the cab we took home, but I’m not sure. I’ve called the cab company three days in a row and still have not got a call back. That’s a little irritating.

When people talk about money, you hear things like, “I’m a spender.” Or, “I’m a saver.” I think I’m a little bit of both. I was a saver before getting married, and even had some stock from my company tucked away for a rainy day. Once my wife and I needed a house and had kids though, my rainy day had come. It was nice to know when we shopped for mortgages that we had a down payment thanks to that stock I had purchased. I know that not everyone out looking at loans has a down payment, and it made a difference for us in the rate and terms that we got. Once the mortgage lender determined that all of our current accounts were in order we were off shopping for curtains and home insurance.

That was 4 or 5 moves ago, and thanks to the equity we built up in our last home, we were able to build a new home, which we moved into last May. One of the best pieces of debt advice we got was to not be afraid of using our credit cards, as long as we used them wisely. By that I mean that a little debt is good, as long as you pay it off in a timely fashion. Lenders like to see that you’ve used credit wisely and paid off debts in advance. Instead of closing old accounts, we paid them off and left them open, to show that we have willpower too.

Tuesday was a beautiful day. Not too hot or muggy. I mowed and edged the lawn and have a few plants to put in the ground. Top the day off with a cookout on the lanai and a cold brewski.

When I was out Saturday night celebrating my Irish heritage, I lost my cell phone. I think I left it in our cab we took back to our hotel room. So far, the cab company has not found it. Looks like I’ll be buying another phone.

The Bolts have a big game on Tuesday as they play host to the New York Islanders. The Bolts are only 4 points ahead of the Islanders in the standings and can not afford to loose anymore games.