I learned a few lessons after last week’s post on gun control. Namely, hot-button issues garner a lot of attention, regardless of your stance. And the more passionate people are about a topic, the more discourse you’re going to receive. I rarely stray from the humorous slice-of-daily-life stuff, but maybe I should do so more often. It felt good to take a stand and ruffle a few feathers along the way. And it was a nice change of pace from writing about hot buttered rum and curried chicken.
But too much politics can grow weary, so it’s back to the regular grind today.
Only, it’s not the regular grind, because as I am writing this post Tara is enjoying a one-hour massage, while I’m stuck at work toiling away. It’s tough when your significant other has a holiday and you don’t. She was quick to point out that I had a couple of days off around Christmas when she had to work, and that is true, but there’s a big difference: I was the one relaxing at home then. This time the opposite is occurring, and I gotta say, it’s not nearly as much fun when the shoe is on the other foot. Then again, I’ve never had Martin Luther King Jr. Day off, so it’s hardly surprising. (Look for more whining next month, when I’m working on President’s Day and she is off). The massage was a Christmas gift, and I’m glad she’s getting to enjoy it, but I’d be happier if she were engaging in an activity slightly less pleasurable, like scooping the litter box or cleaning the bathroom.
Wait. She likes cleaning. Strike that.
It’s also not the regular grind because yesterday, we broke down and bought a Keurig coffeemaker. (Ha-ha, get it, “grind”? Gotta love coffee puns). This was huge. Not only was it our first big-ticket joint purchase, but the Keurig is amazeballs! Years ago, my employer brought one in, and those little K-cups were the hit of the office. They’re convenient, tasty, brew quickly, and eliminate wasted coffee. The one thing holding me back was the fact that the coffee itself is expensive, but Tara’s mom bought one last year that included a permanent filter you can use with your own regular coffee, and that was enough to convince me we should take the plunge. OK, it’s not like buying a couch together, or a house, but I was still pretty excited as we wheeled that baby out of Costco. Partly because it was new and shiny, and partly because it is OURS. And my Green Mountain roast this morning took all of ten seconds to brew. We may end up seriously hopped up on caffeine now. Only time will tell.
It turned out to be a pretty fun weekend. Earlier in the day we were in Powell’s Books, and I actually bought a book on existentialism that examines the works of philosophers like Nietzsche, Sartre and Kierkegaard. I have no idea if I’ll ever actually read the thing, but I wanted to look smart while walking out of there. Plus, the Calvin & Hobbes collection I really wanted was sold out.
The evening before, we took the kids out to dinner at Boppin’ Bo’s Malt Shoppe, and then went to see The Hobbit in 3D. Not only was it Tara’s first 3D movie ever, but also her first experience with anything Middle Earth. I’m a huge Tolkien fan, so I was nervous throughout, hoping she would like it and not find the references to “Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thor” too tedious, or laugh over Bilbo’s gigantic hairy feet. As soon as the end credits rolled I asked her what she thought, and she was pretty much blown away. In fact, the first thing she said was, “Now I want to see Lord of the Rings.”
Be still my heart, sweet music to my ears! Honey, that can be arranged. I’m already proposing a marathon of the trilogy, maybe next weekend. I did it once before on my own, and that was a mammoth undertaking that took twelve hours. Afterwards I swore I would never attempt the feat again, but I would do it for my girlfriend. Anything to encourage her appreciation of LOTR. After all, there are two more Hobbit films coming out, and it would be nice if she knew about the events that took place 60 years down the road.
Enough for now. Work beckons. For some of us, anyway.
Grumble.
Related articles
- 11 Ways to Re-use Your Keurig Kcups (crosscountrycoffeeblog.com)
Mark My Words 
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