(no subject)

[felicula]

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYBODY!

This morning, mechanchaos and I decided we wanted to do something for lunch, since he had to work this afternoon and evening. We decided going out for lunch would be easier on the finances, and came to an agreement on going to Yangtze. They have a nice atmosphere for having a sit-down meal, and it would be a touch classier than fast food. I quickly imagined how long my leftovers would last, now that I'm keeping a strict eye on my portion sizes.

We managed to be dressed and on the road by 11:00am, mechanchaos needing to be leaving home for his job at 1:00pm. It was a relatively short drive, but we had difficulty finding a place to park. mechanchaos pulled the Subaru in several lots, but each was pay parking. I didn't want to risk a ticket, nor did I want to pay $4 to be in an unattended lot. After much frustration, driving around, and turning around, we managed to find a parking meter right in front of the place. It was a sweet deal, both for location, and for the fact that meters are free on weekends.

We got out, locking the car behind us. The ambient scent of cooking Chinese food was unavoidable. We walked up to the door. mechanchaos tried first one handle, then the other. Both were... locked? UGH! I scanned the entrance way for a sign stating their hours of operation, but there was none to be seen. Being as we had already wasted a smattering of time on parking, we weren't going to wait for them to open if there was a chance they wouldn't be open until well after we would have had to leave.

Rather disheartened, we headed back towards home debating whether to try someplace else or just give up entirely. Neither of us really wanted to give up, so we passed our street by and took a left on Ridge Road. By the time we reached the strip of restaurants, though, I realized that the average time it would take in most of them would exceed the amount of time we had remaining. Thinking it would be a quicker, and still relatively decent alternative, we decided to try Perkins. Despite the full lot, we pulled in and parked. Opening the door, we were confronted with the sight of countless waiting families. Before another step forward, we turned right around and left.

I'd thought I was disheartened before... There was a little place called DaVinci's in the same plaza. We walked over only to find that one closed too. There was also an Old Country Buffet and a Manhattan Bagel. I can't justify going to Old Country Buffet now that I'm trying valiently to cut down on how much I eat at meals. I wouldn't feel I was getting my money's worth. So, within moments we were in the Manhattan Bagel deciding what to order. $8.03 for the two of us is certainly a relatively friendly meal out. I had an egg and cheese on a bagel, and asked them to put on a slice of lettuce and tomato to round out my meal. Water to drink for me, to cut down on sugar. mechanchaos chose the Empire State bagel sandwich. It always impresses me how I can feel so much more full just by rounding out my meal. We ended up home with plenty of time for mechanchaos to pack his dinner for work. We had enough time left after he packed up for a few minutes of snuggles before he had to run.

Fast food may not be the most romantic of Valentine's Day meals, but it was helpful in ending the frustration and fitting our needs.

On the other hand, I spent the rest of the day after mechanchaos went to work just vegging... I had my goodbye hugs and kisses in bed, then drifted off to sleep until 5:30pm. When I woke up, I didn't leave the bed until about 8pm.

I forgot how good it could feel to take an entire day to do absolutely nothing. I'm thankful that I have enough days between now and when we go to Buffalo to pick up Aidan. I can afford to take it easy for a day and not worry about catching up with what I need to do.