I <3 Saturday

Saturday, the perfect day. A day off, insulated by yet another day off to come. For these wonderful weekend hours, they can't get me. No, I'm not paranoid, just beleaguered and besieged.

I spent my Saturday engaged in one of my favorite activities. Actually, two of my favorite activities. Shopping and dining out. We went to Target and to Borders. We managed to spend a small fortune at my beloved Target, but the purchases at Borders were made with a gift card. I still have two dollars and change left on the card to spend. Excellent!

I bought a book (nothing special, just chick lit), and we picked up a Chopin CD. Our interest in Chopin was piqued by watching a movie about him last week. The film was a woefully inaccurate depiction of Chopin's life, but we didn't know that until we Googled him later (though I had my suspicions).

We had a late lunch at The Olive Garden. Yes, I like the place. It beats the food court at the mall, and you can actually have a libation with your meal. I had a nice berry sangria, just perfect for mid-afternoon: tasty but not strong. From the look of things, we're not alone in our opinion. The place is always busy, and we had to wait (just briefly) for a table.

Today's theme turned out to be liquid refreshment. We bought a replacement for our one-cup coffee maker. This time, we got the Senseo. I picked one up for my mom a year or so ago, and I really like it. The blue model now sits proudly on my counter, its first few cups having already been produced and consumed. It brews one or two cups of coffee right into the mug, with a nice crema on top. Wish the red model had been available, but, oh well.

We made one last stop to pick up some beer for the house. Sangria, coffee and beer: a perfect Saturday.

Odds 'n' Ends

Saw this over at Maidink's blog and had to check it out:

Your Linguistic Profile:

50% General American English

35% Yankee

10% Dixie

5% Upper Midwestern

0% Midwestern

Of course, this doesn't ask about a few definitive words, like water (pronounced "wooder" in the Philly/South Jersey area), or sub vs. hoagie (I grew up saying hoagie, and sub really sounded alien to me. Sadly, sub is the word I use now - blame the move to the shore area and the influence of the husband). I know there are many more words that are important to this region, but it's late, and I can't think of them right now. Help me out here, folks, please! Pax, this is one of your specialties, so gimme a list, OK?

Just thought of another regionalism: down the shore. South Jerseyans and Southeastern Pennsylvanians go down the shore for their vacations. Contrary to common belief, however, people already at the shore do sometimes say that they are going to the beach. Example: "Last week we went down the shore for our vacation. We rented a place on Asbury in OC. It rained on Tuesday, so we didn't go to the beach or boards. We slept in, then went to Charlie's in Somers Point for lunch."

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If you haven't already visited Virginia Gal's blog, Gypsy Thoughts, check it out. Her series of posts called, "View from the 23rd Row," is an excellent resource for travelers. It's worth searching her blog for back issues of the series.

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Pax's Homemade Meme is circling the world at warp speed. Congrats, Pax, on achieving international renown!

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This might just possibly be the longest week at work ever on record. It feels like it, anyway. Will the weekend ever get here? Stay tuned for updates.

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I'm convinced that I have a barometer in my brain. I feel all of the high and low pressure systems that move through the area. And oh, those lows! Yesterday was pretty good, as was today, til a few hours ago. I can confirm the change in the weather that is expected to bring precipitation our way today.

'Night all!

Domesticity

Just taking a quick break between grocery shopping and making dinner. Tonight's menu:

Salad Course

Salad of Baby Red and Green Romaine

Main Course

German-Style Chicken

Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

Organic Edamame

Hot Dinner Rolls

Dessert

Fruited Yogurt Brulee

Choice of Beverage

The recipes for the above menu were taken from my Better Homes and Gardens New Dieter's Cookbook. They are tasty and healthy, a real bonus. And the red cabbage is a cheat: straight out of a jar.

Preparation for tomorrow's dining experience will begin this evening, as well. Crockpot pot roast will be the house special. Side dishes to be determined; probably butternut squash and Brussels sprouts.

This evening will be all about laundry, since I was lazy during the day today, and didn't get it started. Perhaps Mr. M. will take care of most of the dinner clean-up.

With all of this domestic bliss going on around here, I think it's time to plan something to look forward to in the near future. We have a vacation coming up in April, but we aren't planning to go away. We're thinking about a bigger trip in the fall, but we're just not sure how we feel about traveling right now. Our oldest dog will be 16 in June. She didn't do so well when we went to Alaska in September of 2004, and I'm afraid to leave her for very long. Perhaps we'll plan a couple of short trips as bookends around a few days at home. Or even just one short, luxurious trip. Oh, the possibilities!