...plays Sims and eats Mexican breakfast burritos.

Angus is off to Stockholm today to go to his kids' Parent-Teacher conferences. As I'm not a parent, I hate his ex-wife with the burning fire of white hot molten lava (and the feeling is mutual, actually) and it's important for Angus to have alone time with his kids, I'm staying home.

Now once upon a time Angus and I both used to be away from home a lot for work. True, we were married to other people then, but we both recall the days where we worked two to three weeks out of every month in a foreign location. Angus recalls with particular dread how often he had to fly to Madrid about 8 years ago - as he was living in Sweden and there were no direct flights, he would have to change planes and would wind up flying over 6 hours to get to a place that really is only a 2.5 hour flight away, should a carrier be so kind as to fly there direct. I too used to be away all the time, and the luxury of it really wanes when you find out the truth, that a business trip consists of airport, taxi, hotel, office, taxi, airport. Lather, rinse, repeat.

These days we're generally away from each other maybe one night every other month or so, usually when one of us has to go to Upper Buttfuck. The journey is such a dog, we often elect to just stay overnight and retain our sanity. So our evenings apart are rare.

Now, it's not to say we don't miss each other while we're apart because we do (cue the "awwwwwwwwww" cooing soundtrack here.) But at the same time, I think we both quietly think that an evening or two away from each other is also healthy. We do what we want on those evenings, and they're somewhat restorative. By the time the other person comes back we are more than ready for them to be home, and tired of being the sole center of entertainment and affection for two cats and a dog, tired of hearing only our own voices for a few days, and tired of sleeping in the big bed alone.

So what wonders do I have in mind for the next couple of days?

- Play Sims until my ears bleed. Especially since Angus re-built the PC and installed a new killer graphics card.

- Eat macaroni and cheese. Often. Even though he too likes our homemade mac and cheese, I have a religious fervor for the stuff and can eat it without tiring.

- Eat Mexican breakfast burritos. Composed of tortilla filled with potato, salsa, cheese and scrambled egg, they're not everyone's cup of tea.

- Have waffles for lunch. He's not so much a waffle fan, but I love me some waffles.

(If you see a food theme here, it's because there is one. I do not hide the fact that I love food, and my tastes are a bit...strange.)

- Wear my favorite pajamas. Unless it's that time of month for me, in which case I wear granny panties and a pair of boxers, we both sleep in the nude. When he's away I like to pull out my favorite pair of boxers and my enormous oversized Calvin and Hobbes T-Shirt and sleep in them. I do not pretend I look hot in them, but man am I comfortable.

- Watch endless episodes of CSI, Gilmour Girls, and those Discovery Channel shows of the religious nutters who have 14 kids or more. I love those shows, I watch them with the fascinated horror one would have if watching a giant sea squid take down a school of fish. He and I don't see eye to eye on most TV shows, so this is my hall pass to go mad.

- Re-run Sense and Sensibility. I love that movie, I think I've seen it 100 times and I never bore of it. I also watch bad 80's movies that I know would drive him mad - Weird Science, The Breakfast Club, Outrageous Fortune, Real Genius...these kinds of things make me laugh and take me back (hey-I never said I was sophisticated or anything.)

- Sleep with a stuffed bear and a stuffed dog. WHAT? You find that weird? That an almost 33 year-old woman is sleeping with cuddly toys? Don't you know that stuffed animals present an invisible barrier of protection that bad guys and vampires cannot cross? Geez.

Surely it's not weird that I have my own routine when he's away. I'd bet you have a similar shtick, too.

So there you have it. An action packed plan. It's true I'm off to London first thing tomorrow for a meeting but then my schedule is my own. A lot of people are off work, winding down before the Easter holidays arrive, and so work is very, very slow.

If you're trying to reach me, be advised that for the next few days I'll probably be feeding my face with some bizarre carbohydrate concoction while watching something involving the Brat Pack while trying to play Sims at the same time.

-H.

Posted by: Everydaystranger at 08:36 AM | Comments (18) | Add Comment
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1 Sounds like a perfect weekend to me! I know exactly what you mean about having an evening or weekend to yourself - it is lovely but I'm always ready to welcome him back home! Enjoy your carbohyrates, CSI and the Rat Pack!!

Posted by: Suzie at March 22, 2007 09:20 AM (YqqaU)

2 I gotta say, some away time can be an awfully good thing. My particular carb fetish is toasted cheese ravioli. Jen thinks they're vile and is convinced they're going to give me a heart attack by the time I'm 40, so I have actually eaten them three nights in a row when she was away for a week once.

Posted by: maolcolm at March 22, 2007 09:40 AM (76vF6)

3 I liked living by myself, because I could do what I wanted, when I wanted and not have to explain. Trust me I used to keep odd hours, and have a tendency even now to deal with insomnia. I would clean and re-arrange my entire house at 3 a.m. If I were to do that now I think the boy would kill me, well maybe not kill me but drug my water with a mild sedative! I actually prefer to clean by myself, so when he's gone I try to take advantage. I know, clean, right? I especially enjoy mornings by myself because then I don't have to share the bathroom and my entire get ready process is so much more relaxing. Have fun with your mac & cheese and CSI!

Posted by: Angela at March 22, 2007 11:47 AM (CfX1n)

4 Sounds like a fabulous weekend! Have a great, and relaxing time with the house ALL to yourself!

Posted by: wn at March 22, 2007 12:04 PM (MlWdo)

5 I do the same thing when my husband is away! I'll eat all the foods he hates (mmm shrimp), and then watch girly movies and my favorite guilty pleasure junk tv shows (mostly on mtv). I like having the place to myself every now and then

Posted by: geeky at March 22, 2007 01:04 PM (ziVl9)

6 When my boy is away, my thoughts turn to food as well. And now you've made me want mac and cheese. By the way, would you care to share your recipe? I like mine, but am always up for a new one!

Posted by: donna at March 22, 2007 03:03 PM (Np8VQ)

7 I loooooove me some alone time. You are going to watch Sixteen Candles right? RIGHT!? And remember, stuffed animals keep the scary clowns away too. On a side note-I know you know this but Angus is fucking awesome. There are a lot of dads who wouldn't go to Parent-Teacher conferences even if they were across the street, let alone another country. You guys rock, seriously.

Posted by: Teresa at March 22, 2007 03:05 PM (OlIQC)

8 Please tell me you got the Sims2 Seasons -- it's SO WORTH IT. I, the Simmer who only built houses for my fabulously wealthy Sims, get bored and quit playing, is on her THIRD GENERATION of Sims (remember Marcy and Michael? They're with Grimmy but their daughter just gave birth to twins). Me. Doing actual game play. Who would have guessed? Anyway. I can so picture your Aspiration Meter with the "eat mac & cheese" icon. Yes. I'm strange. Quit looking at me like that. Heh. xoxo

Posted by: jUST mE at March 22, 2007 03:41 PM (NKAcN)

9 P.S. [CTRL+SHIFT+C] and type "aging off" without the quotes. I learned that the hard way after being so sad when my Sim Kitty turned into a ghost. Heh.

Posted by: jUST mE at March 22, 2007 03:43 PM (NKAcN)

10 Sounds like a nice, relaxing time. I'm all for praising Angus on being a "great dad", too!

Posted by: sue at March 22, 2007 04:28 PM (WbfZD)

11 No refried beans and onions in there? Tsk tsk.

Posted by: Sigivald at March 22, 2007 05:27 PM (4JnZM)

12 Sims and breakfast burritos??? You are my kind of woman. Then theres the mac and cheese and 80's movies... I think you're my new girl crush! grace

Posted by: grace at March 22, 2007 06:37 PM (SlJYu)

13 Real Genius? Excellent movie. I try to watch it at least once a year. And while we're (I'm) on the subject of goofy 80s movies, might I suggest Better Off Dead? A bizarre, yet very funny movie.

Posted by: physics geek at March 22, 2007 08:39 PM (KqeHJ)

14 Physics Geek-Are you kidding? I LOVE that movie! I still walk around waiting to get a chance to say: "Get your testicles off of me!" in a French accent. Plus, it had early John Cusack. He-llo...

Posted by: Helen at March 22, 2007 09:36 PM (bDVmH)

15 Hum sounds like you could title this.... A Teenage Girl from the 80's. Seems we all celebrate our down time the same way. PJs and bratpackish movies. My VHS version of Sense and Sensibility finally bit the dust and I just upgraded to DVD. Of course my favorite movies from the 80's are Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Sixteen Candles, but then again, John Hughes loved to film in Chicago...as he grew up and graduated HS in this area. so....... "No more yanky my wanky....THE DONGA NEED FOOD!"

Posted by: Heidi at March 22, 2007 11:12 PM (S9vcb)

16 breakfast burritos ALMOST rule!! the good shit is Chilaquieles!... damn straight!. uh..you have heard of Chilaquieles?? Sure ya have. Texas right? You may even have seen them made by some punk-ass sissy boy chef like emeril lagasse or some other limpwrist on the food channel. but their perversion would be something that my chickens would not touch with a ten foot beak. No. You have to stick to traditonal ingrediants and preparation. Ok ok.. I will give you my crunchy granola special that even my pescado vegan friends chow down. start with 3 or 4 medium corn tortillas shred them up into bite size pc. heat up 3-4 tbl sp. corn oil in a well seasoned cast iron skillet. chop onion, celery, (a good bit, enough for everybody) asperagus and or brocoli, maybe some shredded carrots. When the oil is hot.. brown tortillas then onion celery and veggies. season with sage black pepper and toss in sliced pickled jalapenos..you know the ones. in the jar or can. Ok. When everything is nicely brown whip up 4-6 large eggs and stir in. salt and pepper some more. Now here is Helen's favorite part. turn off the heat.. sprinkle with half cup of your favorite shredded cheese.. to melt salsa brava on the side - optional. Hot coffee mmmmm heaven.

Posted by: j.m at March 24, 2007 06:41 AM (0KGz0)

17 Will you be getting the new Sony playstation now that it's out?

Posted by: Max Cady at March 24, 2007 06:59 PM (e98TC)

18 Yum...mexican breakfast burritos...think we need to have those tomorrow morning. Did you mention favorite pajamas with matching comfy socks?

Posted by: Steff at March 24, 2007 09:12 PM (EpjaR)

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