Sunday, November 14, 2010

Rambling on Domestic Matters

First of all, you've all got wonderful six-word autobiographies, and I like hearing from you. Keep it up!

Sundays are domestic day at Casa Five, and they have their own Sunday routine. Sundays are the only day that the First Mate and I have off, so this usually begins with sleeping in until the late morning and then making a huge and delicious breakfast. Afterward comes what my grandmother used to refer to as "One Great Hour of Swearing," wherein we do all the tedious but important regular chores like vacuuming the carpet, scrubbing out the tub, and cleaning all the burners on the stovetop.

Once the apartment is clean, Sunday afternoons are adventure time with the First Mate. We try to check out places we haven't been or discover things that are interesting. Today, for example, we went to the Arboretum and took a tour of the effigy mounds. I learned that they were built in the shape of birds and something called a water panther, which shapes are fairly dimly visible from the ground, but still. The more you know. Normally I'm terrible at domesticity and even worse at routine, but it's nice to have this as an anchor to my week. The First Mate and I are generally busy and have fairly disparate interests, so it's good to have committed time for finding common ground.

It's also good, I find, to have designated cleaning time. When you cook as much as we do, work as much as we do, and don't have a dishwasher, things can get fairly horrific fast. I have, however, reached the age where I just can't let a cluttered living space slide like I did in college. All the old tricks like eating ramen noodles with a staple remover or drinking out of quickly-rinsed margarine tubs no longer seem even marginally acceptable. I used to motivate myself to clean house by watching YouTube clips about compulsive hoarding and thinking "There but for the grace of god and a few loads of laundry go I," but that's probably pretty voyeuristic and damaging. Much nicer to fill up on pancakes, blast some Cake, and tackle dishes with a partner.

I go through phases of nesting, where I like to think about establishing routines and having days in to clean and planning for eventual upgrades to the living space. In between these, I swing like a pendulum into free-spirit mode, where I am always on the verge of selling all of my possessions, buying a van, changing my name to Coyote, and driving west to Find America. (I have a sneaking suspicion it will turn out to be throwing up malt liquor behind a 24-hour Super Wal-Mart.) This, coupled with my pattern of keeping jobs for a year or two and then moving a few hundred miles, occasionally raises doubts about how well I'll ever manage to stay in one place. Does this happen to everyone my age, I wonder? Clearly not, as most of the people with whom I went to high school are married already. All pendulums eventually settle to a comfortable center, don't they? Here's hoping I do too.

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Posted by Silent Five @ 8:39 PM

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"All pendulums eventually settle to a comfortable center, don't they? Here's hoping I do too."

Why? That doesn't seem desirable at all, frankly.

Posted by Blogger Jacob @ 9:15 PM #
 

It would be nice to be confident that I will one day find an occupation that holds my interest for long enough to get good at it.

Posted by Blogger Silent Five @ 5:51 AM #
 

"[...] I swing like a pendulum into free-spirit mode, where I am always on the verge of selling all of my possessions, buying a van, changing my name to Coyote, and driving west to Find America. (I have a sneaking suspicion it will turn out to be throwing up malt liquor behind a 24-hour Super Wal-Mart.)"

Do I love you? No. No, I do not. I *love* you. Also we should totally road trip across America because that's the best bad idea I've ever had. Also also please nag me until I finish Hart and Mandy's poor neglected chapbook.

Posted by Anonymous Anonymous @ 11:35 PM #
 
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Word of the Week

gymnosophy [jim-NAH-so-fee]

n. Philosophical, amusing, or nonsensical insights realized when naked, as in the shower or in bed. (recent coinage: att. S. Galasso, 2010)

Victoria and Albert enjoyed a spot of postprandial concupiscence culminating in a night of gymnosophy and coffee and crumpets at dawn.

The Silent Top Five: Bacon-Flavored Desserts

1) Bacon cheesecake.
2) Bacon gumballs.
3) Bacon ice cream.
4) Bacon-orange bars.
5) Bacon apple pie.

Standard Disclaimer

This is all in no way meant to incur copyright-infringement-related wrath. I'm harmless. I promise. Oh, and if you're offended by anything I may post herein, I guarantee I didn't mean to do so (unless, of course, you are a humorless prig. In which case, go right on and be offended, with my blessings.)