I've had a real weekend! And it was wonderful!
Yesterday morning as I got off around 8am, I stopped by the grocery on the way home for juice, milk and Parmesan cheese for my leftover spaghetti at home; and I picked up a little sushi for lunch too.
Went through the mail, watched Mansfield Park (from Netflix - which I had seen before) as I ate a big breakfast. Then I couldn't help re-watching some Jane Eyre (1983, BBC) that I had watched last Sunday... I loved it so much, I thought about it all week long during the underway. Took a couple-hour nap since I was so tired from Friday's duty day.
Wrote more posts online for my Darling's weekly song project, then watched an episode of Fawlty Towers and Midsomer Murders. How bout that for contrasting TV shows! To finish the relaxing day out I watched The Lilies of the Field (1963, Sidney Poitier) that I enjoyed very much. I didn't bother with doing much of anything since I knew I had Sunday as well. Had a nice little chat with Linda before going to bed though.
I managed to spend this Sunday pretty wisely, only missing out on one thing I planned to do. Woke pretty early without an alarm around 8am. I cleaned up right away, even cleaning the house before breakfast. Breakfast was neat because I used the "perfect pancake" pan that I got online after seeing Grampa and Gramma's earlier this month. And even though I burned them a little, they were still pretty good. Listened to Enya and Michelle Tumes while I ate.
Then I packed up the laundry and my new paperback copy of Captain Blood and headed over to Ocean View for some beachfront reading in the brisk fall breeze. While the laundry dried, I drove across the street to the library where I purchased some printable sheet music (Music of the Night, All I Ask of You, May It Be & Only Time). By the time I made it home I had time for an episode of Fawlty Towers before going to church. And church was very good... an introduction to the topic that will last until Christmas: seeing God's plan for Christ throughout the Old Testament. He preached on 1Cor. 2 (Paul teaching about the fulfillment of "Moses and the Prophets" and the story from Luke 24 of Jesus "opening up the Scriptures" to his unknowing disciples after the resurrection, showing them God's plan for himself.
Back at home I played my new music on my horn... all five flats in a couple of the pieces... and re-learned a few fingerings for D flat and A flat... not very common key signatures. Enjoyed it a great deal; I love those Phantom songs.
Jw
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Life as a Couch Potato
With the exception of Saturday, the last week (since I got back from North Carolina) has been very busy... very few hours at home after work, and Duty every three days...doesn't allow for much. More often than not I simply ate dinner at home and watched something (usually many things) on Netflix. I recently started watching Midsomer Murders... a Dick Van Dyke episode here and there... a Foyle's War or two... a documentary about Denali National Park... and a tour of New England with Stephen Fry. And I also enjoyed discs in the mail... The Nine Tailors, The Road to Bali, and Blazing Saddles just yesterday. But besides all that, I created a blog for my Darling's music picks every week and did some shopping online.
Saturday was a different story though... I slept in so long! Had a nice big breakfast, and later on I drove over to Newport News to the model store Hobbytown USA. I picked up supplies for the model destroyer I'm going to build. I think it was that afternoon when I made tacos for dinner... and that lasted me for a few days!
I managed to play a little on the cello I rented the other day... and I got my laundry done the other night when the weather turned. Suddenly it was feeling like fall with the chilly wind and cloudy skies every now and then. Read some more in Neptune's Inferno in my car to escape the network television played inside while my clothes washed and dried. Yesterday it was spaghetti for dinner at home and I even cleaned up the kitchen afterwords.
It sure was nice to relax when I could this last week; I really needed it.
Jw
Saturday was a different story though... I slept in so long! Had a nice big breakfast, and later on I drove over to Newport News to the model store Hobbytown USA. I picked up supplies for the model destroyer I'm going to build. I think it was that afternoon when I made tacos for dinner... and that lasted me for a few days!
I managed to play a little on the cello I rented the other day... and I got my laundry done the other night when the weather turned. Suddenly it was feeling like fall with the chilly wind and cloudy skies every now and then. Read some more in Neptune's Inferno in my car to escape the network television played inside while my clothes washed and dried. Yesterday it was spaghetti for dinner at home and I even cleaned up the kitchen afterwords.
It sure was nice to relax when I could this last week; I really needed it.
Jw
Monday, September 9, 2013
Escape to Asheville
Much of my long weekend in North Carolina with my Mom and Grandparents was spent relaxing, lingering over meals and talking, going to the production of CATS at the Playhouse downtown, and building this puzzle:
It was a glorious, restful time... I loved seeing my family and leaving the Navy far behind me in my mind.
Jw
It was a glorious, restful time... I loved seeing my family and leaving the Navy far behind me in my mind.
Jw
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
An Eventful, Relaxing End to a Week
Monday the 26th, and Tuesday the 27th were late days at work; so I didn't do much at home besides crash. I did do some coloring in coloring books... a fine way to relax I suppose. Also, I played a bunch more on my French horn, which is always fun to do. I had steak for dinner at home one of these nights... so good.
Wednesday was different at work since I had to go out in town for some things... and I had some Panera Bread with my shipmate while we were out. Four cheese souffle and a little reading in Neptune's Inferno as well. That evening at home I set up my account for my churches' online forum and responded to the thread in my email that got me interested in finally doing it. Also talked with my family back home, and that was awfully nice. I think it was the weekend that I bought the futon for my extra bedroom... I set it up that evening and was very pleased with it. Also went swimming at the community pool for the first time... only one in it for a while... and the weather was so pleasant.
Thursday at lunch time I was let off the ship to do another errand and stopped by a little Chinese place on Hampton Blvd called Golden Dragon. They have a shrimp pad Thai that I adore, so I had that and watched the news on TV about Syria as I ate. Two different people asked me what my dish was as they came up near the counter to order. :) That night I stopped by Burger King for some fast food, went home and watched Sleeping Beauty again. I don't think I'll ever get enough of that film.
Friday I got off early, although a little later than the rest of my division (by choice). And I had such a good time... all week I had been thinking of trying out Carrabba's Italian Grill, after seeing so many ads on TV during the underway, and then remembering one of my first classes talking about how much she loved it. So I drove all the way to Lynnhaven Pkwy in Virginia Beach to experiment. Goodness, my waitress was buoyant. She squeee'd with delight when I told her it was my first time. She did suggest an excellent dish too... so I was impressed with the friendly service and the taste. They make the Olive Garden seem like McDonald's. I had a perfectly seared, tender grilled chicken breast with goat cheese and red peppers on top. And for an extra dollar, my side became a small portion of fettuccine Alfredo with mushrooms and peas mixed in just because I asked. Oh, but the chicken soup! Goodness! I've never had better. And the bread with oil and spice for dipping was nice too. Okay, enough about the food. I also got to sit outside in perfect evening weather and watch ESPN's promo stuff for college football's opening weekend... including a tidbit on the Huskies. Never had time to read my book... the service was way too fast.
After that lovely experience, I went back to the mall and spent a good long time in Barnes & Noble, just poking around looking at everything. I bought one book... an illustrated history of knights that looks very fun... otherwise I looked up books that I thought interesting online while I browsed, and generally found them for a quarter or half the price. Got a little memoir from Dick Van Dyke, and another interesting one... Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle (can't wait to look at that one!). Also: Bridging the Military-Civilian Divide: What Each Side Must Know About The Other—And Itself (promises to be fun!), The Conquest of the Ocean (so pretty!), and lastly (and randomly) a sci-fi young-adult novel by Jasper Fforde.. The Last Dragonslayer. On my way home I remembered to stop off at Walmart to return a couple things I didn't need, and to pick up a floor lamp for the spare bedroom.
Saturday I had duty, so nothing much happened. But come Sunday, I had a whole two days to myself... and boy, did I enjoy them! Started off with a fabulous breakfast to include singed spam and waffles. Then I finished reading the last Arn book... Birth of the Kingdom. I cried at the last paragraph, partly from it's power, and partly because I was so sad that there was no more to read! While I heartily enjoyed the film, as usual, the books were a thousand times better... the five-hour miniseries just scratched the surface of this extraordinary trilogy. I loved how much the author knew and respected the middle ages... reminded me of C.S. Lewis.
There were a few things that I've been wanting to do for a while that I finally decided on this weekend: I subscribed to MHQ for two years (military history quarterly - I've been buying them off the newsstand since I joined the Navy); second (on Monday), I rented a cello. Stopped at a music store in Virginia Beach that I looked up in order to get more music for my horn... and remembered my desire to branch out. Lastly, I signed up for Netflix, and found the amount of things I can watch directly on my TV astounding: the entire series of Foyle's War, Dick Van Dyke, Midsomer Murders, Miss Marple, Ken Burns' Civil War and Baseball, and even Star Trek and MacGuyver... instantly! ...as well as a wide variety of classic and modern films. Monday I watched the last of season 6 Foyle, an episode of Jack Benny, and a Cary Grant film I'd never seen before: People Will Talk, which was very fun.
Sunday I managed to get my laundry done before church... and I enjoyed another trip to Ynot Pizza afterwords. Monday (Labor Day) afforded time to sleep in, more fabulous breakfast, time to reorganize my clothes (including the ones that got shipped here from home - finally), put together the extra coffee table I had bought during the summer (in the spare bedroom), then finish with the grand musical shopping trip and movie-watching marathon before mentioned.
How enjoyable are simple things!
Jw
Wednesday was different at work since I had to go out in town for some things... and I had some Panera Bread with my shipmate while we were out. Four cheese souffle and a little reading in Neptune's Inferno as well. That evening at home I set up my account for my churches' online forum and responded to the thread in my email that got me interested in finally doing it. Also talked with my family back home, and that was awfully nice. I think it was the weekend that I bought the futon for my extra bedroom... I set it up that evening and was very pleased with it. Also went swimming at the community pool for the first time... only one in it for a while... and the weather was so pleasant.
Thursday at lunch time I was let off the ship to do another errand and stopped by a little Chinese place on Hampton Blvd called Golden Dragon. They have a shrimp pad Thai that I adore, so I had that and watched the news on TV about Syria as I ate. Two different people asked me what my dish was as they came up near the counter to order. :) That night I stopped by Burger King for some fast food, went home and watched Sleeping Beauty again. I don't think I'll ever get enough of that film.
Friday I got off early, although a little later than the rest of my division (by choice). And I had such a good time... all week I had been thinking of trying out Carrabba's Italian Grill, after seeing so many ads on TV during the underway, and then remembering one of my first classes talking about how much she loved it. So I drove all the way to Lynnhaven Pkwy in Virginia Beach to experiment. Goodness, my waitress was buoyant. She squeee'd with delight when I told her it was my first time. She did suggest an excellent dish too... so I was impressed with the friendly service and the taste. They make the Olive Garden seem like McDonald's. I had a perfectly seared, tender grilled chicken breast with goat cheese and red peppers on top. And for an extra dollar, my side became a small portion of fettuccine Alfredo with mushrooms and peas mixed in just because I asked. Oh, but the chicken soup! Goodness! I've never had better. And the bread with oil and spice for dipping was nice too. Okay, enough about the food. I also got to sit outside in perfect evening weather and watch ESPN's promo stuff for college football's opening weekend... including a tidbit on the Huskies. Never had time to read my book... the service was way too fast.
After that lovely experience, I went back to the mall and spent a good long time in Barnes & Noble, just poking around looking at everything. I bought one book... an illustrated history of knights that looks very fun... otherwise I looked up books that I thought interesting online while I browsed, and generally found them for a quarter or half the price. Got a little memoir from Dick Van Dyke, and another interesting one... Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle (can't wait to look at that one!). Also: Bridging the Military-Civilian Divide: What Each Side Must Know About The Other—And Itself (promises to be fun!), The Conquest of the Ocean (so pretty!), and lastly (and randomly) a sci-fi young-adult novel by Jasper Fforde.. The Last Dragonslayer. On my way home I remembered to stop off at Walmart to return a couple things I didn't need, and to pick up a floor lamp for the spare bedroom.
Saturday I had duty, so nothing much happened. But come Sunday, I had a whole two days to myself... and boy, did I enjoy them! Started off with a fabulous breakfast to include singed spam and waffles. Then I finished reading the last Arn book... Birth of the Kingdom. I cried at the last paragraph, partly from it's power, and partly because I was so sad that there was no more to read! While I heartily enjoyed the film, as usual, the books were a thousand times better... the five-hour miniseries just scratched the surface of this extraordinary trilogy. I loved how much the author knew and respected the middle ages... reminded me of C.S. Lewis.
There were a few things that I've been wanting to do for a while that I finally decided on this weekend: I subscribed to MHQ for two years (military history quarterly - I've been buying them off the newsstand since I joined the Navy); second (on Monday), I rented a cello. Stopped at a music store in Virginia Beach that I looked up in order to get more music for my horn... and remembered my desire to branch out. Lastly, I signed up for Netflix, and found the amount of things I can watch directly on my TV astounding: the entire series of Foyle's War, Dick Van Dyke, Midsomer Murders, Miss Marple, Ken Burns' Civil War and Baseball, and even Star Trek and MacGuyver... instantly! ...as well as a wide variety of classic and modern films. Monday I watched the last of season 6 Foyle, an episode of Jack Benny, and a Cary Grant film I'd never seen before: People Will Talk, which was very fun.
Sunday I managed to get my laundry done before church... and I enjoyed another trip to Ynot Pizza afterwords. Monday (Labor Day) afforded time to sleep in, more fabulous breakfast, time to reorganize my clothes (including the ones that got shipped here from home - finally), put together the extra coffee table I had bought during the summer (in the spare bedroom), then finish with the grand musical shopping trip and movie-watching marathon before mentioned.
How enjoyable are simple things!
Jw
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