How do you like to spend your evenings at home?

[mvansand76]

 

Ok, Ok, it's Summer now, so not a lot of evenings in front of the campfire, but if you do stay home, what do you like to do? Snuggle up on the couch in your pyjamas? Watch a DVD? Cuddle with your dog/cat/boyfriend/girlfriend?

 

[injest]

I don't think my husband would even let me HAVE a boyfriend...so that option is out...

sounds like fun though!!

[mvansand76]

I don't think my husband would even let me HAVE a boyfriend...so that option is out...

sounds like fun though!!

OK....  Husband then? 

[Kelda]

I don't think my husband would even let me HAVE a boyfriend...so that option is out...

sounds like fun though!!

 

I am a laze at night if I can help it - although a Thursday night is band practice night and Wednesday evening is normally callanetics night. Friday is defintely normally a slob at home night after a long working week!

[David In Indy]

We generally watch movies in the evening. Quite often friends will come over, I'll pop some corn and we'll sit around and watch a DVD. I'll be sitting on the couch with my laptop catching up on work or posting on Bettermost as everyone else watches the movies. 

Sometimes we go out to dinner or to a movie, or to one of the bars but most of the time we stay here at the house and friends will come over and visit. It's fun!

[shortfiction]

I eat dinner between 5 and 6, mess around on the Internet, walk with a pal or alone between 7 and 8, shower, watch TV or a DVD after that, and just wind down till about 11pm.

[David In Indy]

I don't think my husband would even let me HAVE a boyfriend...so that option is out...

sounds like fun though!!

Now WHY ON EARTH would that thought have even crossed your mind Jess! I'm shocked.

*David shakes his head in disbelief*

Mmm mm mm... 


tsk. tsk.

[injest]

Now WHY ON EARTH would that thought have even crossed your mind Jess! I'm shocked.

*David shakes his head in disbelief*

Mmm mm mm... 


tsk. tsk.

WHAT??

[David In Indy]

Just picking on you Jess. 

[David In Indy]

And the day I stop picking on you is the day I don't love you no more! 

[Brown Eyes]

Well, I like my evenings after work to be really laid-back. Here's my typical, totally non-exciting evening.  I live two long city blocks away from work.  So, I get out of work at 5-ish most nights and I walk home.  And my favorite thing to do is to do a light workout and then immediately change into comfy clothes and make dinner.  I usually eat dinner around 6:30 so that I can watch the news while I eat.  Then most of the time I watch a little TV or read, play with my cat and then... of course spend hours on BetterMost.
 

My job involves a lot of required social things in the evenings so many of my weekday nights get consumed by work just like the daytime hours.  Lately my job feels entirely *too* all consuming.  So, I really love my really quiet, simple time at home.  It helps me to de-stress.

[David In Indy]

Amanda, I'm looking at your avatar right now and you look sooooo cute in that hat! 

[mvansand76]

Well, I like my evenings after work to be really laid-back. Here's my typical, totally non-exciting evening.  I live two long city blocks away from work.  So, I get out of work at 5-ish most nights and I walk home.  And my favorite thing to do is to do a light workout and then immediately change into comfy clothes and make dinner.  I usually eat dinner around 6:30 so that I can watch the news while I eat.  Then most of the time I watch a little TV or read, play with my cat and then... of course spend hours on BetterMost.
 

My job involves a lot of required social things in the evenings so many of my weekday nights get consumed by work just like the daytime hours.  Lately my job feels entirely *too* all consuming.  So, I really love my really quiet, simple time at home.  It helps me to de-stress.

What is it you do exactly, Amanda? I know what you mean about de-stressing after work, I have the same feeling when I get home.

I usually come home to a clean house, as my boyfriend does the cleaning, and then I start cooking dinner for the both of us and we watch some TV. Then I usually start writing for a bit,on the laptop or in my notebook and then.... NOTHING! Or at least, I try... I need to get away from the computer as much as possible because of the problems with my hand and shoulder, but it's difficult sometimes!

[David In Indy]

What is it you do exactly, Amanda? I know what you mean about de-stressing after work, I have the same feeling when I get home.

I usually come home to a clean house, as my boyfriend does the cleaning, and then I start cooking dinner for the both of us and we watch some TV. Then I usually start writing for a bit,on the laptop or in my notebook and then.... NOTHING! Or at least, I try... I need to get away from the computer as much as possible because of the problems with my hand and shoulder, but it's difficult sometimes!

You're one of the lucky ones! 

You've got a good boyfriend there, Melissa! 

[mvansand76]

You're one of the lucky ones! 

You've got a good boyfriend there, Melissa! 

I know! And he's cute too! I will put up a pic of him and me as my avatar!

[David In Indy]

I know! And he's cute too! I will put up a pic of him and me as my avatar!

There he is!! Hi Jan-Willem!!

Yes, he's a cutie! 

[David In Indy]

That's a really good picture of the two of you btw! 

[Kelda]

What do you do?   
I'm an art curator

More than one thing?
no

Work at home?
Avoiding bringing work home with me is a major, daily goal of mine.  But, alas, I often find myself bringing "homework" home.  But, no, I don't technically work at home.

Seasonal work?   FT, PT, variable, on call, hourly?
full time

Are you doing what you wanted to do?     Would you prefer some other line of work?  
Yes, this job is my first career job out of grad school and I spent 7 years in grad school hoping to become a curator.  So, sometimes I pinch myself with how lucky I was to land this job right off the bat.  But, it's been a major adjustment starting this job.  And, lots of aspects of it are very different from how I imagined them.  But, yes, I love my job.

 

[Brown Eyes]

Amanda, I'm looking at your avatar right now and you look sooooo cute in that hat! 

Thanks David!     I bought it especially for the BBQ in May.  I was sitting right next to Katherine and ohiomyown waiting for the hayride to begin when that photo was snapped. So, it was a very happy moment.

What is it you do exactly, Amanda? I know what you mean about de-stressing after work, I have the same feeling when I get home.

Thanks Kelda for the quote from the thread about what we do for a living.  Yup, I'm a curator at an art museum, so I often have to go to things like dinners and cocktail parties, etc.  Which, of course is often a lot of fun... but even though these things appear to be social events on the surface, there's often a lot of real work involved and I always feel like I'm performing when I'm at those types of events (which at times can be stressful).  I'm not really complaining... but at the moment I feel like my life is almost entirely devoted to work, which is beginning to get me down.


And, yes, Mel, your new avatar is cute.

[Ellemeno]

I'm usually extremely eager for my husband to come home about 6:15pm, because by then I am pretty tired from caring for our 4 year old.  I try to have dinner pretty much ready (if I cook - sometimes she and I have already eaten, and husb forages for himself).  Some evenings when he gets home, I am so done that I ask to be able to slip away for a half hour or so, when I read, or BetterMost, or watch TV.  Sometimes (like last night) I fall asleep and never really wake up for the rest of the evening. 

But my favorites are evenings like tonight: I was still feeling strong and chipper when husb came home, and while he and daughter played in backyard, I started dinner (simple tortellini and broccoli). While waiting for the pasta water to boil, we all played with our new tennis rackets in the backyard.  Then we ate and talked and told about our day (daughter went to her very first movie in a real movie theater, so lots ot talk about with that).  Then we all cleaned the table, and played a couple of 4 year old-type table games.  Then husb and daughter did bath and get ready for bed while I BetterMosted.  Then we did bedtime snack and quiet chatting, and husb put daughter to bed while I went to the store and got some things done around the house.  Husb fell asleep right after daughter, and here I am for a last BetterMost session.

I used to talk on the phone to friends in the evening, but don't seem to hardly ever anymore.  Also don't watch much TV.  Mostly BetterMost, chores, reading, or a movie on my laptop.  Quiet things that won't distract my daughter from falling asleep and staying asleep.

[Kelda]

Do you know Elle, that sounds quite blissful - sounds nice.

[Dobie1018]

I spend my evenings de-stressing from my hectic and stressful work day (I'm a legal secretary) with my 3 dogs and 2 cats.  I spend my evenings doing things with my dogs - either training them or walking them.  I also attend dog training classes a couple nights a week, I also do yard work or laundry sometimes.  Sometimes I bring one of the dogs on a therapy visit, as my 3 dogs are all registered therapy dogs.  Then I always check my e-mail, and come here and to IMDB to see what everybody's up to.  I don't live a very exciting life I guess! 
 

[Kelda]

its nice to have un-exciting evening life!

Tell us more about your therapy dogs- sounds interesting.

[Kerry]

I'm guessing this means an average evening when one is veg'ing-out at home, rather than when one is visiting friends or eating out?

If that's the case, my usual routine is pretty predictable:

* Unpack my work bag

* Read my snail mail (mostly window-face!)

* Wash

* Light a candle

* Meditate

* Change into casual clothes

* Prepare and cook my evening meal

* Watch the 7 o'clock television news as I eat (clear up when the sports news is on)

* Watch television and/or chat on the phone

* Usually turn off the television at about 9.30

* If I've had an idea for a cartoon during the day, I'll draw a cartoon

* Respond to my e-mail

* Log-onto BetterMost for an hour or so before I retire (approx. 8-10am east coast USA time)

* Change into my PJs and brush teeth

* Lights out usually around midnight

[notBastet]

I don't have a routine!!

 

**pouts**

The only thing that happens for sure is the dogs and cats get fed (sometime between 7 and 10:30 pm depending on the other events of the day).  (The dogs also get an evening outing to pee.)

Lately a very routine thing is that I go to sleep on the left hand side of the bed, and by morning the Pekingnese has pushed me over to the right hand side of the bed!

[Kerry]

I don't have a routine!!

 

**pouts**

The only thing that happens for sure is the dogs and cats get fed (sometime between 7 and 10:30 pm depending on the other events of the day).  (The dogs also get an evening outing to pee.)

Lately a very routine thing is that I go to sleep on the left hand side of the bed, and by morning the Pekingnese has pushed me over to the right hand side of the bed!

Aww, I looove Pekingese doggies! Pomeranians, too! 

[jstephens9]

I tend to just like to have quiet evenings at home. It seems that when I get home from work I can get quite lazy. I deal with a lot of people at work with more than their share of computer problems that I have to fix for them. I tend to be a bit of a loner anyway so I am quite grateful to get home and away from people. Since I have been going to school many evenings are taken up with homework. A lot of times though I get sidetracked and do other things on the Internet. It seems that Bettermost is getting more and more of my time. I do have several television shows that I like to watch such as Amazing Race, Survivor, Cold Case, Two and A Half Men, Ghost Whisperer and some others. My 15 pound black cat, Code, also takes up a lot of my time. He likes to be fed, have treats and play. I normally go to bed pretty early since I have to get up at 5am to get ready for another days work.

[Dobie1018]

Hi Kelda and everyone!  Happy Labor Day to all!  Presently I have 3 dogs:


Demi the Doberman, and Crusher & Murphy the Basset Hounds.  I take one dog at a time on visits to nursing homes and visits with children, mostly on weekends when I am not working.  I belong to our local therapy dog group, Space Coast Therapy Dogs, and we have regularly scheduled monthly visits at various nursing homes, hospitals and schools.  Demi absolutely adores children and the smaller kids' faces are even with hers, so she can give them lots of kisses.  We go to one place on the 2nd Saturday of the month to a home for abused and abandoned children.  There are about 13 children there at a time, and they range in age from under a year old to about 10 or 11 years old.  They are very needy and cling to us and to the dogs when we visit.  They love to walk the dogs, and run with the dogs, groom the dogs, and give them treats.  They talk to the dogs and laugh and smile with them.  It's heartbreaking for us sometimes because the kids do not have their moms and dads around, and some of them are just toddlers at 2 or 3 years old.
 When I bring one of my Bassets to a nursing home, I put them up on a wooden cart on wheels that my ex-husband made for me a few years ago.  Basset Hounds are very low to the ground and the beds in the nursing home are usually hip-high and being on a cart is really the only way that people can see them.  The top of the cart is high enough to be at bed level. The dogs brighten up the lives of the residents, comfort them, and get them talking - sometimes to the dogs, and sometimes to us, when they sometimes haven't spoken to anyone in a long time.  It's very rewarding for us as handlers, and everyone benefits - the patients, us, and the dogs too because they love going to visit people and love all the attention lavished on them.  Dogs are great because they don't care what you look like, don't care if you're mentally challenged or in a wheelchair or in a brace, or have had a stroke and are partially paralyzed or whatever your condition is.  They love everybody for who they are - just because they are human beings.  The dogs seem to know and understand when someone is handicapped in some way and are very patient and steady with the residents.  I've been going on visits with the dogs in my life for over 10 years and really enjoy it! 

[Brokeback_Dev]

Hi Dobie1018.  I think its great you have therapy dogs.  They bring such happiness to a person's otherwise dull life.

Do you live on the East Coast of Florida?  The east coast is considered the Space Coast.  Just an observation.  Im on the west coast, the Nature Coast. 

I have three dogs too.  A pit mix, Candice or Candi or Sweet Pea lol, a Border Collie named Boomer they are working dogs ironically bred for herding sheep.  We rescued him from a very abusive family.   Finally, the only one I've had since a baby. He's papered, my Jake Russell, Coby.  All the dogs get along very well.

Boomer suffered tremendously.   We got him at about 4 months old.  This woman was looking to get the puppy away from her abusive husband..  So we took him without thinking twice.  My God what that poor dog went through.  We handle him with kid gloves.  He's fine now.  Very loving and very protective.  He does not warm up to men easily though, if at all.

They keep us very busy.  We play with them enjoy watching them play with each other.  They are so much fun.

[Brokeback_Dev]

here's a good pic of Boomer still under a year old.  We think he's about 14 months old now. 

[Brokeback_Dev]

Boomer and Candi

[Shasta542]

He's very pretty, Dev. I'm so glad that you and your family found him and have given him a good home. Border collies are supposed to be one of the most intelligent dog breeds. I had a BC a long time ago named Annie. She was a really pretty and sweet dog, but she had to be on medication for epilepsy, and I think she'd been hurt before I bought her(probably accidentally) when she was a puppy. She was a good dog. Boomer looks like he's living a great life now. Good for all of ya!

Awwww--Candi is cute too!!

[Brokeback_Dev]

Candi was dropped off to live with us because someone we know could not keep her anymore.  We didnt know it, but she was badly neglected..  You could see her ribs.. I wasnt sure if that was normal for her breed.   She was very timid and was afraid to eat her dog food. When I realized she wasnt eating I actually hand fed her food till she felt comfortable enough to eat what was there for her to eat as she wished anytime she wanted. 

I found out she had been left alone for days at a time as a puppy.  If i knew that was happening she would have been with me much sooner.  She's very well behaved actually our most well behaved dog and listens to her commands well.

We love her very much even if she is a pit.  We got her spayed for free at a dog clinic that was subsidized by the county in a program called operation Pit Snip to cut down on the breeding of pit bull dogs in the county.  Many of these animals are abused and raised for dog fighting.   Its very sad.....  My candi got her name because she came to live with us around Christmastime last year and she was as sweet as a candy cane.  I love her with all my heart.  And if anything she'd lick you to death before she bite anyone!

[Wishes]

dev, what cute dogs and they are right were they belong. On the bed!  Our pets belong where we are.

[jstephens9]

Right now my evenings at home seem to center around trying to study for classes, but ending up on Bettermost  I will be so glad when I no longer have classes to worry about. But I just have about 5 weeks left to graduate with the masters 

[Kelda]

Right now my evenings at home seem to center around trying to study for classes, but ending up on Bettermost  I will be so glad when I no longer have classes to worry about. But I just have about 5 weeks left to graduate with the masters 

what an achivement! Congratulations Jack!

[Kelda]

bumping some old threads

[Peter John Shields]

I have tea at around 6pm. Then pudding and a cup of tea. Then if I haven't earlier I try to write my story for an hour or so. Then shower or bath, pjs and maybe watch a documentary on the telly. Bed by about 10pm.

[Front-Ranger]

I like your evening ritual...mind if I borrow it?

[Jeff Wrangler]

That does sound kind of cozy, doesn't it? 

[Peter John Shields]

Sure you two.
Go ahead 
I also need to feed my cat, forgot to mention that!

[Peter John Shields]

Oh and I listen to The Archers religiously on radio 4 - that's my treat.
Usually while I have my cup of tea.
Normally try to read a book in bed too before I fall asleep. 

[Front-Ranger]

A whole book?

[Peter John Shields]

Ha-ha not quite.  LOL

[CellarDweller]

Let's see.......

I usually get home from the gym (yes I've started going again) between 5 - 6.  I change out of the sweaty clothes and fix dinner.  Then it's time for TV and internet.  If the temps are mild, I'll go for a walk after dinner.  When I get home from that, shower, and just relax before bed at 10.

[Monika]

Food - internet - bed

[Sason]

LOL Monika!   

That's about it for me too.   

[Kelda]

Food - internet - bed

me too!

[CellarDweller]

the ladies of Bettermost have only three needs for their evenings. 

[Kelda]

the ladies of Bettermost have only three needs for their evenings.