Now that the kids have reached a manageable age, along with making time for some sort of 'date night' that gets us out and about together, my wife and I both have things we'd like to do in the evenings, such as exercise, yoga, shop, outings with friends. As much as we love the kids, we need some modest, reasonable concept of 'A Life'. Up until now, it's been a process of ongoing negotiations based on the specifics of a given event, and we've never really set aside personal time we can count on as our own.
Well, gues what? In exchange for covering one night a week for her, I've just received a standing "Hall Pass" for every week, each Thursday, starting at 6.30PST. Don Pardo... tell them what he's won!
Thaaaaats right... TNL is now available for GSM, starting this week! This means no more trying to scramble and negotiate an opportunity to consume car-bombs at CBHannigans with TiVo alumni. No more cajoling required to initiate a guys night out to see the latest action/adventure flick on the big screen. No more days on end of the same frickin' routine, broken only by the commute to and from the office, gripping the wheel and staring alone into the distance, knowing that something somewhere has to break.Starting this week, with the annual MacWorld dinner as a kick off, I've got a chunk of time to call my own each Thursday night. So if my friends wanna meet for beers.. I'm there. If I need to coordinate some website help and development, I've got an open window of time. If a friend wants my assistance setting up and populating a home media center, I know when we can make it happen. If I need a few dedicated hours to sip coffee and work on this website, it's an option. And if a friend needs help moving some heavy furniture around or has some sewage lines that take two people to clean out, uh, I'm afraid I've already made plans. :-)