We bought a new mattress and box springs recently, but we still don't have a headboard to go with it. The rest of our furniture we either brought into the relationship with us, bought used from a friend, acquired for free from a friend, or inherited from a relative or the lady who used to own our house. We've bought big appliances together (stove, washer and dryer). We bought a car and a motorcycle together. But this is the first piece of real, grown-up, non second-hand furniture. I'm just giddy. But that may be the Nicorette talking.

And getting this new couch will result in the loss of 50 percent of the butt-ugly furniture in the living room. Seventy percent if you figure by size. The remaining piece o' crap that really needs to go is what we call "the mom chair," an upholstered rocker in the worst greenish-yellow fabric imaginable.

But it's comfortable. It's like The Little Ugly Chair That Could. Everybody likes to sit in it. Maybe now that I'm manic and looking for things to do, I could go have it reupholstered. Though that would probably cost more than a new chair.

The couch we'll be putting on the magic curbside, where old shit goes to disappear in the night, is equally ugly with green fabric that's so dry rotted that it barely covers most of the cushions. We've been putting bedsheets over it to make it presentable. We really are old enough not to be hiding our furniture under sheets. Using sheets as dog and cat hair prophylactics, sure, but not just to hide the hidiosity.

It was a pretty good napping couch. Not as good as Jake's with the soft, soft fabric and Shih-tzu nap inducer accessories, but serviceable.

Farewell, ugly couch. May your next owners appreciate the many happy sits you've still got in you.

Buffy Spoiler space

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So, is Anya going to get all evil again, you think? I think Xander is being a complete butt. And it looks like there's some hope springing for Willow and Tara, which in Sunnydale ultimately means that T. will probably get the ax. Or claw. Or fangs.