"with my mind on my money and my money on my mind"

below is a random list of things that are on my mind these days. am finding that lists are good proxies for blog posts when my brain is too distracted to come up with complete sentences and real transitional phrases.

1. the crazy media frenzy surrounding the duke lacrosse players rape scandal charges and how i think it illustrates that nothing is ever truly black and white
2. color schemes for my apt and if i am skilled enough to paint my walls by myself (current plan: yellow for kitchen, apple green for bathroom, one red wall in living room, TBD for bedroom, maybe some kind of calming sage-y or taupe-y situation), and when the hell will i have time for this anyway?
3. the fact that i have four business trips scheduled in the next four weeks (some are to unexciting places like dallas, but there's a NY trip thrown in for good measure and a few days on a cruise ship out of LA - now that's hot)
4. the fact that i've already spent $596.86 at target and bed bath & beyond and still need to purchase a slew of big-ticket items yet (read: TV, entertainment stand, coffee table, kitchen table, dresser for bedroom, and digital camera)... granted, i have a bunch of things i need to return, so that number should go down a little, but still! $596! holy crap.
5. whether i should buy all these big-ticket furniture items new at a relatively cheap place like target or keep on haunting craig's list for deals, an activity which is turning into a part-time job.
6. how the rear bumper on my car (which was recently repaired after the stupid fender bender) is starting to fall off eeeever so slightly, grr, stupid f'ing body shop and their f'ing craptastic workmanship. am currently weighing pros and cons of the effort required to bring car back into the shop and raise hell for shoddy repair job.
7. how the people whose wireless internet i am totally stealing need to get it together and improve their network so that i can steal a better-quality product. i usually steal the network of someone named "don'tworrybehappy" and i often find myself yelling at my laptop that i! am! not! happy! b/c the signal! keeps! going! dead! and for those of you who are going to suggest that i get my own damn wireless already, i know, i know, i will... once i get a TV and can get cable and do it all at once.
8. the Great Washer/Dryer debate. to rent or to buy used, that is the question. whether 'tis nobler to go with the rental and not have to worry about installs or repairs or what to do with it after the year is up or to take arms against the idea of spending money and owning nothing, and by opposing, end this?

please help. any advice or counsel would be greatly appreciated. i will think happy thoughts for you and be your friend forever and ever amen.