I caved in after getting back from my thanks giving retreat. I spent some money on improving my workspace. This hard ware will carry forward reasonably well. A new LG 18.5inch wide monitor. It was the second cheapest on, the other being an acer with a lower contrast ratio. It is so good being able to see the details of text with out having to squint. Things have been busy. I have not read a book since I cam here. The norm is to watch an hour of tv before bed. Thankfully the high band width here makes it practical to snag the content from the web.