Fallling Into a Routine

Saturday/Sunday Dec. 10 & 11

Things are somewhat falling into a routine here, so I’m going to combine blog entries like I did last winter.

Saturday is earmarked for some routine chores, so I changed out the kitties’ litter boxes, and put them in the dining room to get them out of the guest room in preparation for Dawn’s visit. There’s  no furniture in the dining room anyway, so this is a good place for them. I also went to Walgreens to get my prescriptions set up. There was only one pharmacist on duty, and he only wanted to set up the three Rx’s that I was out of, so it looks like I will have to make at least one more trip to get everything set up. Chalk up another example of how everything is harder than you think.

I got back to the condo and decided to go down for a nap this afternoon. Abby keeps me company and lies still next to me the whole time. Very sweet, and a rare occurrence from Abby who I swear suffers from kitty A.D.D. I get up around 4 p.m., pack the gym bag and head over to 24 Hour Fitness for my usual workout and swim. I hit the Target store afterward in search of a DVD and finally give up. Once again, the “format wars” (in this latest iteration between Blue Ray and standard DVD) are limiting the choices, and the manufacturers/marketers are pushing toward Blue Ray. The only thing I’m remotely interested in is “Adjustment Bureau,” and it’s is $14, and It’s not worth that much to me. I settle instead on a slice of red velvet cake from the bakery, and bring that back to the condo along with a needed 4-pack of T.P.

Back at the condo, I mix up a nice large margarita, and have that with chicken/sausage jambalaya, some fresh fruit, and half of my red velvet cake for dessert. TV, as predicted, is lousy tonight.

Sunday morning I peel and section a grapefruit, put it in a container, and head over to Starbucks for a New York Times, an Orlando Sentinel, and a tall Pike Place blend. In all, it runs me just shy of 10 bucks. I sit outside with my papers, my coffee, and my grapefruit, and read the book section and the arts/entertainment sections of the NYT. I find that Stephen King’s “11/22/63” has been voted one of the 10 best books of 2011,so I decide to download a sample chapter on my phone. Yes, my phone has a “books” app, and can download books. So I have a look. The screen holds about 3 paragraphs at a time, and you flip the pages by running your finger across the screen. Pretty cool  stuff. The book is good, but I’ll probably download it onto my Kindle, where it will be easier to read. I think that will make a good read for the cruise coming up Jan. 9. There’s also a good article in the AE section about Noomi Repace, the woman who played the computer geek (Elisabeth Salander) in the Swedish “Dragon Tattoo” movie. She has been busy since the movie came out, and has a role in the new upcoming Sherlock Holmes movie. The article also talks about the “new” Elisabeth, Rooney Mara. God, it’s good to read a paper written and edited well. I really want to see the Dragon movie. It opens next Friday, the 16^th.

There are absolutely NO usable “coopens” in this week’s Orlando Sentinel, so the $1.79 provides nothing more than a few diversionary stories.

I pack the gym bag and head over to 24 Hour Fitness. They have headphones for sale there, and I decide to pop $15 for a new set for the MP3 player. These have cushiony earbuds to block out the background noise, and there’s a TON of background noise at 24HF. The place is absolutely throbbing during the week when it’s busy and most of the cardio machines are going all at once. It makes a HUGE difference over the cheap set that came with the player. It’s like hearing the songs for the first time all over again. It starts to pour rain while I am working out … the rain that was called for in the weekend forecast. I finish up, then head over to Five Guys Burgers, which is just up the street from 24HF. The burger is delicious. Dawn, I’ll have to get you to one of these establishments while you are here. I recommend the double-patty “standard” burger at $4.99 with lettuce, tomato, pickle, grilled onion, and ketchup. They also have a single-patty “light” burger, but that is for wimps. If you’re gonna go, go big or stay home.

Back at the condo, I put the TV on mostly for background noise, but finish up the Orlando Sentinel and take a couple more chunks out of the NYT. I hit the sack around 10 p.m. Big day tomorrow, with a five hour shift at the animal shelter.

Expenses: groceries: $10, earbuds $15, papers and coffee $10; dinner at Five Guys $8. Total: $43.

Bruce