1.25.2008

Where HAS the time gone?

Josh was on the phone with a friend last night, and his friend was incredulous that we don't watch TV, that we don't even have an antenna for our TV. His exact words (according to Josh) were

"What do you DO?" meaning, How on earth do you fill your time at home, if not with LOST and CSI and American Idol?

Maybe I'm being a bit harsh. In case you were also wondering, here is what we do:
  • Work. As expected, this takes up a lot of time- 40 or more hours a week!
  • Cook. I get home between 4:30 and 5:30, and we eat dinner no later than 6, then I clean up after dinner (most of the time, anyway). Sometimes after dinner, if I'm craving something sweet, I'll whip up some brownies or another dessert. If I saw a recipe online I just HAVE to try, I'll spend my free time in the evening experimenting.
  • Regular weekly activities. Monday and Wednesday evenings are full with bible studies and choir practices & helping out at church. We go to church for worship on the weekends, and once every 4 weeks or so, Josh is there all weekend for a choir performance.
  • Friends and family. We enjoy getting together with loved ones, so at least one evening a week is spent over dinner with family or friends- sometimes at our house, sometimes in a restaurant, sometimes at another house.
  • Chores. Because we're not home most the day, the house doesn't get terribly dirty, but dishes and clothes still need to be washed, as well as other regular-cleaning tasks. Mostly, the clothes & house cleaning get done on the weekends. In this category I'm also including business-y chores like paying bills and budgeting, etc.
  • Home improvement. This has been a big one lately. Curtains. A light fixture. Decorating. Hanging things on walls. Finding a place for everything. Still working on it.
  • Reading. I've been reading more lately, and it's good for me. I've been meaning to post some quotes from my current book, The Complete Fairy Tales of George McDonald.
  • Talking. We sit and talk and dream and plan. There is nothing better, really, then to just spend time conversing with the love of my life.
  • Games. We've really gotten into board games. If we pull one out, we'll usually play it at least a couple times in a row that evening. I like having non-virtual fun.
  • Computer Time. One of the blessings of dial-up is the fact that it's more painful to waste time online. We pay bills, research things we need to know, blog, upload pictures, and not a lot else.
  • DVDs. Every now and then, we'll watch a movie, or an episode of Star Trek: Next Generation or Firefly. This has been happening a lot less lately- in fact, the TV hasn't been on since last week, I'm pretty sure.
  • Sleep. I'll admit, I go to bed really early, like 9:30. And I'm a morning person- my favorite time of the week is Saturday mornings between 6:30 and 10- the world is quiet, and I can get so much done.
  • Anticipated time-takers. In the foreseeable months, we will have new things to take our time- a garden & yard to take care of, and perhaps even a pet. I look forward when we can get outside more and have fun with picnics and hikes and swing sets at the park.
What I don't get is, these aren't out-of-the-ordinary things- I'm pretty sure that the above list is stuff everyone does- so how do people have time to watch TV at all?

5 comments:

Becca said...

Preach it, Sister Joanna! Did we know that we were both Browncoats? I'm sure we've talked about it before. Have you read The Lost Princess by George MacDonald? So good. Excellent post, by the way.

Larissa said...

We don't have a TV at all and I don't miss it. A couple games to look into are Lost Cities and 3 Dragon Ante. Lost Cities is a great 2 player game. I haven't played it yet, but Daniel recommends Puerto Rico. I'm assuming you've played Settlers before. We like it better with the Cities and Knights expansion pack. I bet you would like Order of the Stick as well. It's based of a comic you might also enjoy

Melissa Whittington said...

We have a TV and DVD player in the bedroom for watching a movie or Star Trek episode before bed (Season 6 now, of TNG! I'm really enjoying it). I *still* don't have Firefly. The TV's not hooked up to cable or anything. And I don't want that to change. :)

By the way, I'd LOVE it if you posted reviews/thoughts about books you're reading after you've finished them. I really enjoy writing down what I think of my books I've read. I'd love to read yours. :)

Joanna said...

Larissa- you hit the nail on the head. Our games of choice are Settlers, Carcassone, Puerto Rico, and Ticket to Ride. If we want something quicker, we'll pull out Fluxx, Uno, Skip Bo, or Phase 10. Seriously, when buying a coffee table for our apartment, we were excited to find a table big enough to hold these games, with their large set-ups (at Goodwill! For $13!)

Melissa- At every Christmas, birthday, or other present-giving event, Josh is collecting the whole TNG series. I think we only have one or two seasons to go.

Anonymous said...

You are going to have to come play our 2 new games with us: Music Edition Catch Phrase and The Singing Bee. Maybe tomorrow at Anne and Steve's after dinner? We've been dying for adult conversation!

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