Tonight, House faces his toughest challenge yet.

I know that most House fans have been with the show for about 7 years, but I started this week. So, indulge me. I find this show strangely compelling...I only wish you had to watch it in order to follow some kind of over-indulgent, twisted story line. These episodes are pretty much one-offs. Which means I can jump right into a marathon on Bravo.

Right now I'm watching the one where House is pretending to be gay to weasel his way between his roommate doctor and the new neighbor so then the roommate doctor shows up at the restaurant where House and the cute neighbor lady are having dinner and proposes to House to get him to back off. I really like that lady's hair.

I like Olivia Wilde a lot better than the girl who was on the earlier episodes. Do we ever find out why she's so whiny? I mean earlier girl? Whiny.

Maybe I do need to watch these in order.

Please tell me you did something equally exciting with your weekend.

A Case of the Mondays.

Because the "Sunday Night Blues" hit extra hard in the dirty-snow days of late winter, sometimes we all (ok I) need a pick-me-up or pep talk to come up swinging come Monday. Today I wanted to remind myself of this little something I saw on my friend Melissa's blog a while back. I don't know where it came from originally...anyone know? I think I've seen it somewhere else.

Anyway, I need to take a minute to think about if I'm happy. But only a minute. If you think about it too long, you're never happy, and also, you become a self-absorbed crank with no friends. (Harsh but true.) Sometimes when I've got a case of the reds and I stop to think about if I'm happy, I realize I actually am, but I just have a pebble in my shoe. Usually by taking care of this small thing, which, let's be honest, is usually my attitude, I've turned my frown upside down by remembering all the good things I've got.

I'm going to sign off now before I get all Pollyanna on you.

Monday: we can do this, people.

Why Splenda?

So I like Diet Coke.

We know this, right?

One of the myriad reasons I love Cottonwood Heights, our current city, is that ever since we've lived here, I've always been able to find Diet Coke on sale. And not those lame 2 liter jobs. I mean a solid 5 for $14 12-pack sale.

I'm not kidding. Like every time I go shopping, there it is.

(Utah - land of addicts? Yes, I know.)

Well, the fun ended a couple weeks ago. This week when I went grocery shopping, there was nothing on sale. Nothing except...wait for it...Shasta.

If you, like me, have not had Shasta since you were 7, and even then you only drank the strawberry kiwi flavor, let me now assure you that it is horrid. Especially the diet flavors, which are all sweetened with Splenda.

Splenda!

Who thought of Splenda? Worst fake sweetener by a long shot.

So here is my question tally for the week, for those of you keeping score at home:

1) Why Winter?

2) Why Splenda?

3) Why Rachel McAdams movies post-Mean Girls?

Why winter?

Why winter? Really. I have been contemplating it all day (who are we kidding, I have been thinking about it since the day after Christmas), and I still don't understand its purpose. Like movies such as The Time Traveler's Wife, designed with the sole purpose of making people sad, winter's one goal is to inflict misery.

Today dawned sunny and clear, with scarcely any smog cover. If you know anything about our winter air quality in Utah, you understand what a big deal this is. The sun is quite deceiving, however, because the second I stepped outside the air made me cough.

People.

It is so cold, it literally takes my BREATH away.

I thought those were just song lyrics written for Maverick, and then only figuratively, but really they're about Utah and they're not romantic and they don't incite positive feelings.

In conclusion, I dislike winter and The Time Traveler's Wife.

Spring, pretty please?