A Real Vacation!
Since Jon and I have been together, we’ve only gone on a few small trips. The longest one was a year before the wedding when we spent a couple of days in Wisconsin Dells and then went to northern Illinois for my family reunion. After we got married we only spent two nights away from home, so rather than a honeymoon, we called it a honeymeteor. It was over in a flash, heh.
This spring, we’re finally going on a REAL vacation! The kind that lasts over a week! It has been a long time since I’ve had the chance to travel to a new place and I’m seriously excited! Our niece’s first birthday is coming up, so we’re going to take a road trip out to Ohio to visit. I don’t think I’ve ever been to Ohio before, and while it’s not New York or Washington D.C. I’m still looking forward to wandering around in Cleveland. I totally need to try the spaghetti with chili on top.
On the way we’re going to do some stuff in Chicago – maybe go to the Museum of Science and Industry, or walk around Navy Pier. I’m also hoping to go to the Indiana Dunes, since they’re not far off the interstate and they are lovely! Check out this photo by binarydreams! I can’t wait!
The Loop
My husband and I are in a seemingly endless loop of not planning ahead to buy meal ingredients when we grocery shop, then not finding anything worth fixing in the house, and eventually going out to eat. We cook a meal for both of us to eat at home together, on average, about once every two weeks. Most of the time we end up at a restaurant or maybe each eat our own little separate meal at home. It means only about 1 in 10 meals involves food being cooked in our apartment for the two of us to share, since the maximum number of non-breakfast meals we could eat together each week is only five (due to our work schedules).
I go back and forth between thinking it’s a problem and just not caring that much because we’re both relatively happy with life. Yes, it costs more money to go out, but it can also be really fun to try a new restaurant and not have dishes to wash after dinner. It does make life feel a bit more chaotic than necessary sometimes though, because it feels like we’re on-the-go an awful lot.
The good news is that my best friend Mara suggested we get together roughly once a month to cook a new recipe! Maybe I’ll eventually learn a bit about what ingredients I should have in the apartment so that if I do want to cook, and spend a quieter night at home, I can! Our first cooking experiment will be on Saturday, and even though I don’t know what we’re making yet, I can’t wait!
How the Internet Has Changed Your Life
I dislike talking on the phone. Phones make me feel awkward and tongue-tied. I like to imagine that I’m intelligent, at least on some levels, but phones have this weird habit of zapping my brain to bumbling mush.
When I first learned about the online ordering possibilities for pizza, my world was made brighter. And cheesier. And all around more tasty. I discovered a Chinese restaurant with online ordering about a month ago, and I’m certain my life is now complete. Bad day? There could soon be crab rangoon on the way without using a phone!
I know the internet has changed my life in far more complicated ways, such as introducing me to my IRL husband and best friend, but I seriously love that I can order dinner online and have it delivered to my doorstep. *grin*
Would You Rather?
Jon, Joe and I went to The Chatterbox Pub for dinner yesterday. It was tasty, as usual. I probably won’t order the grilled cheese again though, because their focaccia bread just doesn’t work right for that type of sandwich. It doesn’t get that crusty, buttery crunch that makes grilled cheese so divine! Sad, right? The Bora Bora Brew and tomato dill soup were more than enough to make up for the sandwich though. Yum! Next time I might try the Breakfast BLT, cause that sounds really good. I also need to have the ribs someday!
While we were there, we got out a game called Zobmondo: Would You Rather…? and went through a few of the cards. Now, I’ve never bothered with the actual game play, so I can’t recommend that, but the question cards are a lot of fun. It’s really interesting to hear what other people would choose! The questions go a bit like this:
Would You Rather…
Spend the evening with a person to whom you’re very sexually attracted but when you’re extremely tired, dirty, and sweaty from a long day of work
-OR-
Just go home and watch TV?and
Would You Rather…
Have nine lives
-OR-
Three wishes (excluding extra lives, immortality, invincibility, or more wishes)?
It’s fascinating to hear people justify their answers, and to contemplate why I pick what I pick. These types of questions, while often silly and preposterous, help me determine what my values and preferences truly are. It’s easy for me to say something like “Learning is important to me”, but when faced with a question of which I’d rather do: Go to the library to study a subject I like -OR- Go see the new movie I’ve been looking forward to, I’ll often pick the movie! I really enjoy visual stimulation and entertainment. I like fantasy and escapism.
My day to day preferences, and what I may say my priorities are, are often in conflict. This is not a bad thing to discover. It could help me refocus my priorities on things I’ll actually accomplish. Things that are a better fit with my daily preferences. I’ll just have to keep asking myself that question: Would I Rather…?
Beware!
A couple of shots from a photo walk with a friend…
Afterward, we went to Aster Cafe, where we were among the first people to experience the restaurant’s reopening! It was really fun, especially since it was so spur-of-the-moment. It’s not everyday you accidentally stumble into a business’s trial run!
We were in the right place at the right time, I guess. And yes, the blue cheese plate w/honey, pear slices, and walnuts was scrumptious!!
Your Host
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