Every woman needs a certain special little appliance to brighten the day. It doesn't necessarily need to be an everyday-use sort of thing, but sometimes it helps just knowing it's there, even if you don't actually use it.

It took me 29 years to find my perfect one, but this past Thursday, I finally did. I've been a wee bit obsessed with it since then... I haven't been using the computer, calling people on the telephone, eating, sleeping... I've just been plugging in at the slightest little excuse. It's a little embarrassing, really, but I'm telling myself that if I give in and indulge myself now, the novelty will wear off and I won't have such a constant awareness of this lovely, sleek, sexy piece of machinery. But even if not, well, some things are worth the trade-off.

I'm talking, of course, about my new Kitchenaid stand mixer. This baby is just wonderful. I have already made cookies good enough to numb several key areas of the cerebral cortex and waffles that make procreation seem unnecessary in terms of sheer endorphin bliss. I am in the process of freezing ice cream which I am confident will be worth every tiny little calorie.

I have a suspicion that this will impact my home life for some time to come. Never fear, though... the mixer is too heavy to bring to work, so I can still log on then.