I've almost ditched my phone and other almost-updates

1.  My home phone was hooked up last week, and I purchased a phone (two, actually) and an answering machine.  The plan now is to get Margo a new cell phone tomorrow and end my service with AT&T on Wednesday.  Keep me honest, dear readers.

2.  We saw our dear friend Lisa George and her son and two step-children at the end of August.  It was wonderful, and made me want to hang out with her more.  Sadly, at least in terms of her proximity (which we were not taking any advantage of at all), things in her life changed significantly earlier this month, and she moved back to Montana.  Which has inspired my own nostalgia for Montana (or Iowa, or wherever I could live in a small town, quite frankly).  More on that later, perhaps.

3.  Hiking has been a bust this year.  We were so busy this summer that we hardly got any hiking in at all.  We had a couple of nice hikes (Little Si, which nearly killed us; Squak Mountain), but hiking largely fell by the wayside.

4.  Playing the Wii every week has also fallen by the wayside.  Unless, of course, watching Doctor Who on Netflix Streaming counts as playing the Wii.  (and can I tell you how much I love Doctor Who?  I have a new board on Pinterest devoted to Dr. Who geekery)

5.  Trying new recipes every week.  I've tried a bunch of new recipes.  Whether I've tried one every week is debatable.  Maybe on average.  We bought a new programmable slow cooker, and I have made some nasty shit in that thing.  Recipes that look good on first blush, but result in the wasting of enormous quantities of food and the eating of cold cereal for dinner.  One recent positive standout, however, were the batch of snickerdoodle pumpkin cream cheese sandwich cookies that Margo and I recently collaborated on.  Those were an unmitigated success.  Also, Margo has been cooking more, which is great, but reduces my opportunities to use new recipes.

6.  I have no update on the countertops, much to Margo's chagrin.  We keep spending the money in the home improvements/fun savings account on fun and travel rather than on home improvements. 

7.  We are heading to the Seahawks-Bengals game on Sunday!!!  I'm pretty stoked.  Also trying not to think about the miserable fantasy football season I'm having this year.  I'm 1-6 and have had the low score in the league in two weeks.  Quite a fall from last season, where I actually did pretty well.  Apparently that beginner's luck only lasts a year, regardless of the degree of your naivete.

8.  I haven't gotten a pedicure in months.  My pedicure buddy has two small children and has had a hard time getting away for a pedicure.  And I haven't had the impetus to go on my own.  And Margo hates to have her feet touched, so I'm on my own.

9.  We are trying out the Tahoma Farms CSA through Terra Organics.  I'm really liking Terra Organics and the Tahoma Farms CSA.  The CSA will end this week or next, and then we have the option of a number of other organic produce boxes.  Two appealing options are the Pacific Northwest box and a build-your-own option as well.  Another nice feature is that they deliver.  We come home on Tuesday evenings to a box of organic produce. 

10.  No dinner parties as of yet, but we are hosting a brunch potluck this weekend.  I'm thinking that might count.

11.  We actually went to Zoo Tunes twice this summer.  Once to see Lucinda Williams (who was significantly less drunk than the other time I saw her) and once to see Brandi Carlile, who totally rocked.  Things I learned:  we need some of those low chairs for outside concerts and I really don't like being out on weeknights.