Sure, it's only about 7am, but what do I care. I'm going to talk about putting it off. Because I'm probably going to go to sleep soonish, and I feel like doing this.

I got some done yesterday. It'd been a little more than a week since I'd mowed the lawn.

I'm starting to really understand what they mean by 'growing like a weed'...those damned things get tall fast.

I think I'll try to not put it off for so long next time. I don't want to burn out my mower.

Let's talk about that, shall we?

I like my lawn mower. I really do. I think it's one of the coolest lawnmowers I've ever encountered. It doesn't need gas, and I don't have to spend lots of time yanking on a stupid little bit of plastic attached to string just to get it going.

Also, it doesn't cost two bucks a gallon to run.

It's an electric mower. Here, lemme show you....

That's my mower. It's really not that much more compared to some of the gas mowers on the market -- especially the self-propelled ones, which you just about need, given how heavy the damned things are.

The cord thing isn't so bad, so long as you're aware of it. I know a lot of people probably have a hard time being fully aware of their surroundings. Make it easy on yourself if you decide to switch. Get a bright orange one. Or maybe a yellow. Something that'll stand out and catch your attention before you run over it.

It really is quite nice. The one-control-for-height-adjustment thing really works quite easily. The plastic-ish [I don't want to just say 'plastic' because people will think 'flimsy'] body makes it really nice and light, so, when I have to, I can manoeuvre it with one hand. Both things coming from me means quite a bit. I'm not exactly the strongest person in the world at this point, and my hands really kinda suck.

It assembles very easily. I don't remember needing any tools at all, although I do recommend a good knife for hacking open the box. That thing puts up a fight.

What else....

Oh yes, the handle. The handle was one of the deciding factors in purchasing this thing. One of the others was two good 'reviews' regarding the electric mower concept in general from two people I know in a chatroom. The handle flips. No more having to turn the mower around at the end of a row. You just pull the little lever on the handle, and you can flip the handle and head back in the opposite direction. This makes the whole 'cord dance' thing much less of an issue than it would be if you actually had to do any real turning.

The handle is also height-adjustable. And it's where the 'on/off' switch is -- if you can call it a switch. It's a lot like gas mowers in this feature, except far less annoying. There's another little 'lever' thingie that's slightly 'harder' to get to than the flip switch -- which just means you really have to intend to do what you're doing when you turn this thing on. You get ahold of this particular thing and pull it up, holding it against the handle much like that 'bar' that some mowers have and that's what turns it on. If you let it go, the mower shuts off.

It'd be a little hard to actually get yourself under the blade while the mower was on, thanks to this feature. And, unlike a gas mower, when you let go of this thing you aren't doomed to pull-starting....

If you just remember to not mow when the grass is really wet, and remember to mow before the grass is up to your knees, this thing does the job nicely.

Also, it helps to have a smallish lawn. Of course, if you have a largeish lawn, you might as well buy a riding mower....

Not that anyone's wondering, but the other other reason I bought this thing was because of those goddamn California Compliant things.

Yeah, I know. I live in Colrado, but so does some of California. And I don't really want to buy a lawnmower just to have to turn around and buy another one when it suddenly becomes environmentally unfriendlier, or something. That, and I hate the idea of spending two bucks a gallon for gas, hauling it back, filling the mower, storing the extra gas, keeping around the oil and spark plugs and all that...it's just easier and somewhat cheaper to vacuum the lawn. A bit quieter too. And not so vibratey.

I've got a corded electric weedwhacker thingie of the same brand. The cordless wasn't that much more expensive, but it was a lot heavier. Damned battery.

Oh, and Darth Mix M&Ms are yummy.

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