H is for: "Home Depot"

as in, I thought all those thousands and thousands American Express points would be for that super-fancy flat screen tv in their catalog and I would be watching the NBA finals on a huge, HDTV plasma screen, but instead I'm being practical and trading them in for a bunch of gift cards to Home Depot.

Because it's all about home improvement.

Because that's what happens when you buy a house that was built in 1972 that has never been updated. And because that's what happens when you are not practical and get a whim to tear out the lawn and suddenly have a big old dirt patch in your front yard and the neighbors are starting to talk.

And because it suddenly occurs to you that American Express can pay for all those plants and fancy new baseboards and slate tiles. And so it's gift cards, not big booming sound and a mega-sharp picture.