I knew I had a lot to do this morning so from the second I got out of bed it was go-go-go. I quickly worked out and then set out to pick up the donations for the food ministry and drop off another eBay sale at the post office. I also stopped into Fry’s and picked up last Friday’s freebie – Annie’s Organic and Natural Mac and Cheese…

I also picked up this Friday’s freebie – Smartfood Popcorn – which I had added to my account (and the accounts of the people I love) before I left home…

After a brief stop back at home, I headed back out to drop off the food donations and catch up with family friend and neighbor Karen. I arrived back home to eat breakfast and discovered that my internet – which had been stable all week – was suddenly dropping intermittently again. Unfortunately, the Century Link tech could not make it out to investigate until Monday.

I then went to the dog park to perform some mild maintenance and was happy that upon returning my internet connection was stable again (knock on wood) so I started listing more items on eBay while watching a wedding-themed episode of “The Chew.” That got me thinking – I am such a perfectionist/control freak, I will very likely bake the cake at my own wedding, which I promise will be the most elegant affair imaginable. Only the best for the woman who is a celebrity in my eyes (and makes me feel like a celebrity in return). Anyway, after “The Chew,” I watched “Days of Our Lives” and enjoyed some lunch, which included roasted asparagus…

Later, I continued to list items for sale on eBay while watching “Ellen,” on which Ellen DeGeneres was celebrating the 20th anniversary of the “coming out” episode of her former sitcom. It was touching to see how someone who had been stripped of everything simply for stating her truth is now more or less America’s sweetheart and one of the most influential people in the world. Her courage continues to be an inspiration. The fact is, we love who we love. And when your heart loves another heart, the most important thing you can ever do is hold onto that love for the rest of your life – and never give up on it no matter what.

As the day began to wind down, I watched the two most recent episodes of “Big Brother Canada.” One of the episodes featured a Power of Veto competition during which the houseguests had to try to keep their concentration while various things happened around them to break their focus – including the sound of their loved ones’ laughter. I can think of one person’s laugh that would tug at my heart so strongly that I would instantly lose it – my concentration the competition and my emotions. I also enjoyed some homemade kale chips that I made by roasting kale with a little olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and smoked paprika…

Oh and the guest for Breakthrough Entertainment’s Cinco de Mayo Special confirmed so tune in 10-11 a.m. PST tomorrow (Saturday, April 29) on KPHX 1480 AM for a fiesta that includes a review of the new film “How to Be a Latin Lover” and a “Both Ends of the Spectrum” segment during which Ana Aluisy, a relationship expert originally from Ecuador, discusses how you, too, can be a Latin lover and sweep the amazing woman in your life off her feet. And remember, you can also tune into the live audio feed from anywhere in the world via KPHX1480AM.com and the KPHX mobile apps or check out the live on-studio video feed and interact with us via Stream.Live/BreakRadioShow or the Stream mobile app.

I slept… somewhat better last night. My mind kept wandering and therefore kept me up an awful lot (again) but I tried to train it onto happy thoughts that brought me closer to comfort. My hamstrings remained somewhat sore but a slight limp is better than a full-on hobble. Anyway, after my workout, I rushed out the door to do some produce shopping…

Afterward, I picked up the donations for the food ministry and dropped off another eBay sale at the post office. Once back at home, I ate breakfast and did some planning for Breakthrough Entertainment’s Cinco de Mayo Special, including finalizing the music and sending an e-mail officially offering a segment to my desired guest. Several stressful situations later, I drove to the Outlets at Anthem’s food court…

There, I redeemed a coupon that I had for a free original pretzel from Auntie Anne’s Pretzels as part of a promotion they offered for National Pretzel Day (which, for the record, was yesterday, but due to technical difficulties celebrations had to be postponed until today)…

Once back at home, I watched “The Chew” (which didn’t feature any recipes I intend to try even though pimento cheese nachos and gingered plums sound pretty appealing) and “Days of Our Lives.” I also enjoyed a little lunch, which included the free original pretzel I had gotten from Auntie Anne’s Pretzels…

Because eBay’s 500-fee-free-listings promotion was ending at Midnight, I continued to list items for sale until my mind was spinning. Speaking of spinning, I spun my cat You’re Next around as we danced to “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” when Ellen DeGeneres surprised her audience with a special springtime edition of 12 Days of Giveaways. (It has been a tradition for You’re Next and I to spin around in circles every time Ellen plays the song during the holidays.) You’re Next pretends she hates it but I know it is all just a facade and deep down she actually loves it. By the way, remember the other day when I said I went to Villa Pizza at the Outlets at Anthem food court to redeem a coupon I had for a free slice of pizza…?

Well, I enjoyed that free slice of pizza as an early evening snack while I wound down my day and watched an episode of “Big Brother Canada” (which I have fallen a few episodes behind on)…

The pizza was good but “Big Brother Canada” was bad because OMG Kevin is nominated for eviction! Nooo! By the way, before I go to bed, since there was so much talk of the Outlets at Anthem in today’s entry, I thought I would share a very sad picture with you…

Doesn’t the mall look empty without the big Christmas tree? Only 176 more days until it goes back up. And that, ladies and gentlemen, will be the happy thought I train my mind on tonight, for having something to look forward to – no matter how far away in the future it may be – is the most comforting thing of all.

Today’s entry is a twofer – meaning it will contain two days in one. Now before you go accusing me of getting lazy, I would like to note that I had written an entire entry for yesterday but due to technical difficulties its content was lost in cyberspace. And I just don’t have the patience to recreate what was essentially an uneventful day.

Nonetheless, I got out of bed yesterday morning feeling as though I was getting off of a horse. Due to my massive brittlebushing pulling project at the dog park the day before that required me to perform a few hundred squats, my hamstrings were as tender as Elvis Presely’s love. I still managed to work out, though, and then I picked up donations for the food ministry, dropped off a couple of eBay sales at the post office and ran into Wal-Mart to see if they had any of the new snacks I have been looking for – such as Caramel M&M’s and Tositito’s Cantina Sopapilla Cinnamon and Sugar Tortilla Chips. Unfortunately, I emerged empty handed.

As I said, the rest of the day was relatively uneventful as I managed my eBay listings while watching “The Chew” and “Days of Our Lives.” I was particularly frustrated with a buyer who complained that the shipping price on his invoice was $2 more than the one quoted in the listing. I explained to him that I merely wanted to get the item – a “Pinky and the Brain” lithograph print – to him safe and sound. I repackaged the item three times before the buyer agreed that the extra $2 was worth it arriving in one piece. I ended my day with the the extremely emotional series finale of “Bates Motel.” Just say the word, Vera Farmiga – I would kill for a chance to stare forever into your eyes.

Fast forward to today when my hamstrings continued to be about as useful as a baseball bat on a golf course (I don’t do sports but at least I know that much). Once again, I worked out before heading out to drop off a couple of eBay sales at the post office. I also picked up the donations for the food ministry and dropped them off with organizer Karen. Thinking ahead, I asked her if she had a potato and fortunately she did. She also gave me a plantain, which I placed in one pocket, and two white onions, which I placed in the other – and that made me think of a funny joke. Upon arriving home, I quickly ate breakfast before heading back out to the dog park to do some maintenance work.

After that, I returned home and continued to manage my eBay listings. Once “The Chew” started, I got my chef on. I washed my potato, rubbed it with freshly ground sea salt and olive oil, wrapped it in tin foil and placed it in a 400-degree oven. During the 45 minutes it was baking, I followed up with the publicist I had e-mailed earlier in the week to inquire about interview talent availability and screening opportunities for the new film “How to Be a Latin Lover.” I had been approved to screen the film but they sounded less than optimistic about talent availability so I researched my options for other guests. When my potato was fully baked, I sliced it in half, spread some butter on it, poured my leftover mock Skyline Chili over it and sprinkled some onions and finely shredded cheddar cheese on top for a homemade 3-Way Potato…

Later, I watched “Days of Our Lives” and listed a few more items for sale on eBay. I laid down briefly to stretch out my sore hamstrings, rest my weary eyes and calm my mind – which seems to have been in a constant state of panic lately – but mere minutes after doing so an unwelcomed visitor paid a visit and caused my anxiety to flare up. I decided to use music to alleviate my nerves as I started selecting Latin love songs to play during this Saturday’s Breakthrough Entertainment. A little later I sliced the plantain on a bias and tossed the slices in a mixture of salt, cinnamon and sugar. I then fried them in butter and ended up with this tasty treat…

I wrapped up my day by screening “How to Be a Latin Lover.” Tune in to Breakthrough Entertainment 10-11 a.m. PST this Saturday, April 29 on KPHX 1480 AM for my review and to show us your sexy.

I slept with a fan oscillating in my room last night. A constant clicking from the fan kind of kept me awake a lot of the night but it beat sweating for 8 hours straight. After getting out of bed and taking my weekly weigh-in (I lost 2 lbs. in spite of my fish fry-day), I worked out while watching “The Amazing Race” and then headed out to pick up the donations to the food ministry for which I volunteer before dropping them off with food ministry organizer Karen. While there, I could not resist yet another photo op with Judah the horse…

I caught up with Karen while snapping several selfies with Judah but as soon as the camera starting clicking I had an entire farm full of other friends who apparently have some sort of attraction to the paparazzi since they all came running, begging for their chance to appear on “Tales from the Critic…”

Animals are such attention hogs, aren’t they? Anyway, after counting sheep (literally – not figuratively), I returned home briefly to eat breakfast before heading back out to yank a few hundred brittlebush out of the ground at the dog park – a tiring task that left me covered with bits of dry weeds and a couple gallons of dirty sweat dripping down my forehead into my eyes…

After I stumbled (blindly) out of the dog park, I returned home again to watch “The Chew.” Did you know that vichyssoise does not have fish in it? I never knew. But apparently it is a chilled soup made with potatoes, leeks and cream – and, in the case of the recipe featured on “The Chew,” asparagus. Anyway, I do not care for chilled soups so I will not be making that one. But I have continued to stretch the mock Skyline Chili I made last week, enjoying it today on a plate of corn-quinoa garden pagoda pasta for lunch…

After having my fill, I laid down for a few minutes as I did not feel very well. I believe that I overexerted myself in the not-even-scorching-yet Arizona heat at the dog park. I could not catch my breath and my muscles felt like mush. I then watched “Days of Our Lives” (boy that Brady and Nicole had some steamy scenes that got the blood pumping) while posting more items for sale on eBay.

I also reached out to the publicist for a movie called “How to Be a Latin Lover” (opening this Friday) to inquire about screener and interview talent availability as well as blasted out a mass e-mail requesting a real-life Latin lover to possibly share tips with our listeners (and me – I need all the help I can get when it comes to wooing women) on this Saturday’s Breakthrough Entertainment. I then decided to break out the new Mike and Ike Sundae Sweets I had gotten last weekend at Dollar Tree…

A while later I wound down my day while watching some TV, including the season finale of “2 Broke Girls,” before finally lying down to count sheep – figuratively this time…

I am posting this entry a day late (and a dollar short?) because I got very involved with reposting items for sale on eBay as part of their “500 insertion-fee-free listings” promotion that during my downtime I did not want to do anything but lie down and enjoy some TV.

But starting from the beginning, I worked out while watching “The Amazing Race” (I started a new season) before heading out to pick up the donations to the food ministry for which I volunteer. Upon arriving, I moved a chair out of the walkway and a man a few feet away barked, “I was just about to sit there!” I jumped and coward in disbelief that – once again – I was getting yelled at by a stranger. But then the man laughed and said, “I’m just playing, man.” It is pretty sad when the world has trained you to expect to be its whipping post so that someone’s lighthearted attempt at humor has such a debilitating effect on you.

Once back at home, I enjoyed a salad for breakfast, bathed my pet duck Frozen and did some work at the dog park. I then took a trip to the Outlets at Anthem to redeem an expiring coupon for a free slice of pizza at Villa Pizza (which I saved for a future meal). A while later, I enjoyed the Texas Style Spud – a giant baked potato with butter, chopped pit-smoked beef brisket and shredded cheddar cheese – that I had gotten yesterday from Jason’s Deli…

It was spudtacular but holy tater that thing was enormous (that’s what she said). After lunch, I spent my afternoon reposting items for sale on eBay – a task that took a lot longer than it should have as a result of the site’s malfunctioning software. Once I was done doing that, I relaxed while watching episodes of “Saving Hope,” “Bates Motel” and “Superstore.” Oh and I also celebrated National English Muffin Day…

Speaking of special days to celebrate, Red Nose Day – an epic night of fundraising that, through the power of entertainment, raises awareness and money to help kids in need both at home and around the world – is a little over one month away. More than $60 million has been raised since 2015 and you can begin to contribute again soon as, according to an e-mail I received today, red noses are once again being sold (for $1) at Walgreens. Mark your calendars for May 25, when I – and hopefully millions of other Americans – will be wearing our red noses with pride.

I have had it with these mother trucking nightmares in my mother trucking head. They keep me up at night and make it almost impossible to fall back to sleep – especially after I check my e-mail at 1 a.m. and see that my guest for today’s show has to cancel her appearance due to a flight schedule change.

Nonetheless, after tossing and turning and constantly thinking about how I was going to compensate for the setback, I worked out while watching the finale of the season of “The Amazing Race” that featured a few blind-dating couples. I find it so strange that the overwhelming emotion exhibited by the first team when they cross the finish line affects me so greatly. I have no connection to these people except for having watched them race around the world for 12 episodes yet I cannot help but cry tears of happiness for them – even if one of the winners resembles a friend and former unrequited crush of mine.

Anyway, once I was able to compose myself, I got ready by bathing, eating and getting dressed. I wore a green shirt in honor of both Earth Day and the recently deceased loved one of someone for whom I care very deeply. After picking up donations to the food ministry for which I volunteer, I departed for the KPHX-AM studio, where I co-hosted Breakthrough Entertainment’s Earth Day Special with Dave Isaac…

The audio is available in the archive for your listening pleasure if you missed the live broadcast but let’s just say there was an awful lot of talk of sex on today’s show. We learned that our board engineer Eric Reinert is as hairless as an Olympic swimmer and that Dave has seen some attractive drunkards during his days here on Earth. Afterward, I picked up a baked potato I had gotten free for my mom’s birthday as part of a promotion at Jason’s Deli…

I took the baked potato to go and will enjoy it later this week but one of my favorite parts of going to Jason’s Deli is partaking in the restaurant’s complimentary soft-serve ice cream…

That was only my first of two treats today, though. I drove to Desert Ridge Marketplace and dropped into Islands Fine Burgers and Drinks…

There, I redeemed a coupon for a free slice of Kona Pie that I enjoyed with my mom in honor of her April 1 birthday…

I also stopped briefly at Ulta Beauty, where my mom redeemed another birthday coupon – this one for Lancôme Monsieur Big Mascara…

I had one final stop to make before traveling back home – El Pollo Loco, where I redeemed (you guessed it) yet another one of my mom’s birthday coupons for a free meal, which I took to-go…

After a short stop at home, I delivered the food ministry donations to organizer Karen and visited with her for a few minutes before returning home to finally enjoy the taco salad – slathered with salsa, dressing and cilantro – that I had gotten at El Pollo Loco…

I finished my day by watching the season finale of “24: Legacy” and the most recent episode of “Prison Break” before heading off to bed.