cable-ready and not willing

do i miss tv? mmm... not really. although, i still dont feel like i'm using my time wisely.

old schedule
5pm leave work
6:15pm get home, put down bag, put on work out clothes
6:15 - 7pm work out in front of TV (or with book, on rare occasions)
-tv watched: seinfeld or bernie mac or simpsons as no cable hook up on porch
7 - 9pm prime time tv & supper
9 - 10pm attempt to read book/clean apartment
10 - 11pm daily show & colbert report
11pm onwards: struggle to choose between bad late night tv, reading and sleeping

new schedule
5pm leave work
5:30pm get home, put down bag, put on sweats, look for roomies upstairs
5:30 - 9pm assortment of cribbage, Wii, long chats & supper
9pm - think about working out/berate self for forgetting to work out
10pm - read in bed or watch old movie (of late - hitchcock films)
11pm onwards: the ultimate question - read or sleep?

so you see, it's really not that different. in fact, those hours between 5:30 and 9 are pretty well lost to me. where do they go? why is it a good idea to watch 6 episodes of heros via computer-hooked-to-tv? why is working late so detrimental to functional after work activities? why is getting up early to excercise so damn hard? is colbert report still funny when you're not watching it?

and today i found out that our work's tech-guy does not watch tv at all - except for WWE. and therin lays our quote of the week: "the WWE is like the circus without wires!".

date night

... was fabulous. went to a tavolo which happens to be hidden a half block away from our apartment. it's this great duplex that has been renovated, so you cant really tell it's a restaurant unless you know it's there. you walk in the front door, and have to pass through heavy curtains to get into the main dining room, which keeps to the house theme nicely - i felt like i was in someone's dolled up parlor.

we started off the evening with a plate of italian cured meats. after much deliberation (and hearing the specials of the day), we settled on a bottle of italian "pinot negro", which was a beautiful inky purple and light on the toungue. reviews touted the "pillow-like" gnocci, so sucker that i am, i insisted we try it. was not let down: melt in your mouth pasta-goodness (with sage butter). mmm...

my entree was very good - a white fish cooked to delicate flakey perfection, accompanied with new potatoes and a veggie (i honestly cant remember what it was - it was good, but overshadowed). h's entree was by far the best: rack of lamb, done to the pinkiest medium-rare with garlic spinach, which was blanched and had a generous coating of olive oil.

the service was attentive - i never had an empty water glass, the atmosphere was homey and i left fat, happy and a little more than tipsy. yes, i am a spoiled lady!

glamor shots; all the glory of my life w/o the nitty-gritties

set scene: comfy cozy in bed, under the covers with a good book. low lighting, low hum of traffic coming from shutter-drawn window.
action: reading text - snow flower and the secret fan by lisa see
assumed time frame: 15 - 60 minutes each week night.
actual time frame: three nights in april spent frantically racing through text. only evidence of reading race in book blog where entries only posted morning after reading binge.
thoughts: while this book generated a lot of talk on the blog, i had been putting my efforts into plowing through john irving's latest tome. it's 900 pages of insanity and taking the better part of my reading life hostage. must finish asap.

set scene: after a long day of work, settling down on the couch with a beer and a comic book. tv droning in the background.
action: flipping pages, admiring artwork, getting a bit queasy looking at zombies & reading the walking dead.
assumed time frame: 1 hour
actual time frame: 1 hour
thoughts: i enjoy apocolyptic comics. it was a fast read with pretty decent artwork. complaints: a bit predictable & had that already-been-done-before feel.

set scene: boxes, dust, moldy tupperware and stress in apartment on 36xx marshfield
action: moving to 21xx rice; upgrading life to "adult"; scrubbing windows.
assumed time frame: 2 weeks around moving day to pack up, load up, haul, unpack.
actual time frame: 2 days to pack up, load up, haul... 3 weeks to unpack & "upgrade life".
thoughts: ugh. but our place looks fabulous, and we have more than enough space for visitors of all types. (hint hint)

set scene: a cold, blustery sunday; a warm, toasty apartment. me, bent over a sewing machine.
action: making a purse from scratch!
assumed time frame: all day
actual time frame: all day
thoughts: i will make the strap differently nex time, but overall, i'm in love with the fabric, style and aesthetic of creation. dont ask me to make you one, but if you're lucky, it may happen.

set scene: swank "w" hotel in downtown chicago, right off the lake. beautiful decor, fun company, a case of the sniffles...
action: mini-break w/ b & carrie
assumed time frame: two nights and two days in 32 degree, windy chicago with the onset of flu and zero dollars in wallet.
actual time frame: two nights in a room with fluffy beds, "gourmet" bath products and a huge lcd tv.
thoughts: i wish 10lees & little b could have been there; i wish i hadnt used up all the kleenex in the room on the first night; i wish i could have made a fabulous purchase at banana like carrie did... but i'm happy that b & i were both tired and wanted to soak up the luxury of the room w/o feeling guilt about not "seeing the town" (eff that - we live here!). it was fabulous. set scene: shedd aquarium, downtown chicago; one of the finest first days of spring. participants - me, sarah, little lady #1 & meredith.
action: ooing & ahhing over fishies & water mammals with a cute-as-a-button 1 year old
assumed time frame: a few hours
actual time frame: a few hours
thoughts: its so much more fun to visit places like this with kiddos - they help you remember why everything in this world is amazing.

set scene: a benign drizzly spring day, 8am. coffee in hand, bag on shoulder, back door locked.
action: walking to jetta, unlocking door, stowing work accoutrements, putting key in ignition, turning key, hearing engine go "er-er-er-rrrrrrrr.....pllll". pausing. turning key again - repeat noise. before bursting into tears, calling good friend & co-worker ebeth for ride to work. returning from work, getting car fixed.
assumed time frame: about two days to fix car
actual time frame: 8 days total to: acquire sub-car from loving sis, let rain stop, let jetta dry out, work two jobs, drop jetta at pepboys, pay bucks to fix jetta, return sub-car to loving sis.
thoughts: i hate cars.