We thought being trapped in the mud after the heavy rains would be the worst of it, but then, exhausted and still a little hung-over, we ventured out from our soaked and filthy tent to join 70,000 other desperate souls trying make their way home after an epic adventure at the Burning Man festival in Nevada.
Um, well, not us, exactly – but somebody, maybe? Just having a little fun over here at Chez Boring … which is just how I like it.
No holidays where we have to fly anywhere, thank you very much. I spent most of the summer playing golf early to avoid the heat. I played with a guy the other day who told his wife he didn’t want to go anywhere anymore – just to the golf course and back. I bowed my head in silent admiration.
Oh, I got new glasses and had to drive 30 minutes to find the same frames so I wouldn’t have to get anything different. When I was online trying to find identical frames, I saw an ad for an optometric shop with the slogan “Life is too short for boring frames.” I was like, no, no, not for Donna. I’m sticking with black until something darker comes along.
Our Friday tradition is Dale’s homemade pizza and a movie. In preparation, we made a liquor store run to get “back-up beer.” We have a kegerator, and there’s no gauge to tell you when it’s getting low. You can pick it up and see if it feels lighter, but Dale prefers to go with my recommendation, based on my reputation as “the beer whisperer.”
What can I say? I just have this second sense when the keg is getting low.
A second keg will fit in there until the first one kicks. That’s the back-up beer. Today’s choice is Panic IPA by Track Seven Brewery. Before the pandemic, a few of us in the cul-de-sac used to have driveway parties, and Dale would wheel the kegerator out onto the front porch for the neighbors to enjoy. We were the envy of the hood, and not just because we’re young and good-looking.
Then everyone went inside their houses and never came out.
Tonight’s pizza has a OO crust topped with a creamy white garlic parmesan cheese sauce. Then two more cheeses – whole milk mozzarella and smoked gouda. The rest of the toppings are smoked salmon, capers, red onion and diced fresh tomatoes. It’s one of our favorites.
I’m not sure which movie we’ll watch. We’ve been focusing on bad 50s monster movies and have watched 30 of them to date! The Amazon watchlist keeps expanding. Most are pretty awful often involving an inquisitive scientist with a beautiful (unattached) daughter and a confident (unattached) military man sent to investigate strange goings on. Surprisingly, the monsters are few and far between.
We laugh a lot, so there’s that.
I’m reading The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly. This is book four of seven in the Lincoln Lawyer series and it parallels the second season of the TV show, which puts a different spin on the character Lisa Trammell. I like both versions, but they are quite different. There will be a new book in the series published in November, so now’s the time to catch up!
The weather is really beautiful here in Northern California, so we’re just trying to enjoy it. Dale and I always talk about hiking when it’s not too hot, but then we never do it. We agreed this week to try and do a hike every Thursday. There will be some weeks when it won’t work for various reasons, but I wanted to pick a specific day so when I book appointments, I’ll know to keep Thursdays open.
I know, so busy am I.
You had me going on that first paragraph. I was thinking, “like, what, they went to Burning Man? Really??” and then you pulled the punch. Great timing is great comedic writing.
“I’m sticking with black until something darker comes along” belongs on a t-shirt. A black one of course.
I laughed so hard at your response. It was worth it just for that reaction.
You really had me in the opening paragraph. I thought “Really? That sounds so out of the box for Donna and her husband.” Good one Donna.
Funny, but because my life these past couple of years became more and more circumscribed by increased issues with the pain in my leg (hip, now that I know), and is still somewhat limited while I regain normal walking and movement (yay! I love my new hip and my physical therapist), I was thinking back over my life when I was younger and how full it was of exciting and different things that I explored and did. What do I want to do going forward? Now that the limitations I had are being lifted, where do I want to go?
Well, as exciting as my life used to be, it was pretty frenetic and disjointed and had many sinkholes to balance out the excitement. I’ve come to enjoy and appreciate my quiet life in retirement. I realized that there are no big exciting things that I want to do going forward. I like my life. I have more options now and I ‘grew’ two whole inches with my new hip in place. Pain is gone. Those are all good reasons to make me a happy camper.
Appreciating the mundane in life isn’t boring. It’s a gift.
Ok, nabbed another one.
I so resonate with what you said about the quiet life. We were pretty wild when we were young. It was good then, but this is now, and now is perfect. I don’t need much in the way of excitement. I saw a thing the other day about having a “chuck it” list instead of a “bucket list.”
I’m so happy your surgery turned out so well. No pain, growing two inches. That’s incredible. Not being in pain is the good life.
You got me, too! I had that very thought about the exodus from Black Rock City. A black t-shirt ’til something darker comes along reminds me of the tough enough to wear pink campaign seen at some rodeos & wagon races. One of my friends had shirts made for the Bensmiller team – tough enough to wear pink or any other damn color. And in the vein of t-shirts, I’ve done enough “Friday nights” back in the day; you know – been there, done that, bought the t-shirts. I just had the most delicious Friday beginning with a slow morning; puttered in the kitchen preparing some grated zucchini for the freezer; tidied up after yesterday’s play date with the 2 yr old neighbor; read (Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides) for an hour on the porch in the fall sunshine with a cup of tea; walked 2 miles. Supper will be my choice of borscht or tomato soup, enjoying garden offerings.
That sounds like a beautiful day. I do love the slow start, but sometimes golf interferes with that. It’s a fair trade-off. I agree with you about the Friday nights — been there, done that. I read Middlesex a long time ago and loved it. It is soup season — yay!!! Of course, I say that, but to me, it’s always soup season.
Hey Donna, I knew that tent was going to get you into trouble, but I didn’t think you and Dale would be hanging with Burning Man groupies. Just let us know how Death Valley works out. Ok, we love Chez Boring because that’s the life we live…on purpose. No need for all the excitement here. I love the idea of a Friday Pizza night, movie and beer…or for me, it would be wine. All good. I also like the hiking day. Heck, I like designated days for whatever. It keeps like somewhat exciting.
I guess I’ll have to write a post about not going to Death Valley after all. It’s a story!
I’m so happy to finally understand we’re not the only ones who are loving Chez Boring.
I love a good IPA but I always feel like I should have hair on my chest when I order one. Apparently women should only order a light beer?!? Nice talent to be a “beer whisperer.” Love your Friday night tradition!
I have to be careful with the hearty IPAs. I love them, but they are higher alcohol. More is not better — just another lifestyle tip from Retirement Confidential.
Thank you for sharing this slice of your life. I laughed out loud a few times while reading it.
Glad you enjoyed it. Laughing is generally a good thing!
I love this!! Thank you. Calm — it’s what a lot of us have been seeking all along. I seriously don’t miss all the drama from work.
My husband and I almost went to Burning Man several years ago. Friends wanted to go (bucket list item for them) and talked us into going with them. We even went as far as putting a (refundable, thank goodness) deposit on an RV we’d share with them. Fortunately, my husband had second thoughts, which he could truthfully blame on a medical condition, and we pulled out. It was a classic case of “going to Abilene” for both of us. I much prefer calm and boring… and clean, private bathrooms.
I love your Friday night tradition. Much more our style than partying in the desert with 100,000 unwashed burners.
Wow, you went way further with it than we ever would! Love the reference to Abilene — I remember seeing that video in a seminar back in the 80s. Death Valley was sort of Abelene for us.
Yes, my chin was on my chest with your first paragraph. I am one serious card carrier of the Old Fogies club. Also, your very exotic pizza sounded so impressive. We are sausage and pepperoni fans. But that is mostly because my husband will eat only about six things. For him, trying new foods ended in about 1959. But he is a great and loving guy.
As for new and exciting activities, a blogger that I read spoke of her teenage son participating in a working cattle round up. Oh man, I wanted to do that so badly. I’m 74, but still waiting for my invitation to arrive. Do you think they might make fun of my stick horse?
We also love sausage and pepperoni! I think my sister only eats cheese pizza. Everyone’s different.
I used to play golf with a woman who went to the same place every year to work on the cattle round-up. Oregon, California, Washington? I can’t recall. She was an experienced rider but definitely not super-fit or anything like that. She absolutely loved it. The stick horse might not cut it.
Ha ha! Love what you did with your opening paragraphs. I don’t do camping – never did, never will. Himself loved camping before he met me, but these days he’s really too old and cronky to cope with stuff like that, even if he won’t accept it, so I see myself as providing a service by saying a firm “no!”
I, like you, admire that man’s firm statement on going away. I will go away – occasionally – but I have to have fully scoped out the facilities and ensured that they meet my needs *and* wants.
We camped when we were younger but have given it up. At first, it was hard to spend money on a hotel room, but I’m getting used to it now!
The occasional short trip is fine. I’m just not into the big journeys anymore.
Had to let you know… I was also “OMG, Burning man?!?” Good one. I did see the traveling exhibit and it was fascinating. Not that I would ever consider going, but fascinating.
I’m also realizing I don’t want the hassle of travel. Maybe that will change in the future, as there are many places I always said I’d like to see. But right now, I’m enjoying putting down roots in our new place.
Sorry for the trickery, but it was sort of fun!
Travel or not, I think it’s great you’re realizing what you want and don’t want. I mean, it sounds so easy, but dag, it’s a hard nut to crack.