Every now and again a person needs a weekend “off.”

I took one last weekend, since the significant one was home in-between schooling obligations. 
Which actually meant, paradoxically, more work and busy-busy time for me than the weekends I’m working.

Hmm, what’s up with that?

Of course the weekend also meant fine dining and arts and entertainment galore,
just not the kind of fine dining and arts and entertainment that I typically enjoy (with a few exceptions.)

As I had some work I had to do in the morning of our first day, I lucked out of missing a trip to Odyssey I, a  kiddie wonderland in University Place that basically is set up like a habitrail for small two-legged individuals, in addition to having arcade-like games a’ la Chuck E Cheese (but no beer.)

Our first night dinner together, at Red Robin, sort of set the tone for what the rest of the weekend’s fine dining would entail, though you couldn’t really observe the tone over the din.

Day two involved a trip to the SuperMall to get wee one some new togs; she picked out her tooth fairy toy (the glittery magical thing left her a tenner â€" no fair, I shouted â€" I only ever got quarters, when I was even left any money at all) and rode a cat on the carousel; we headed north to the Westfield Mall (is it the Southcenter Westfield? I have no idea how that private branding malls things works anymore) to hit fine dining #2, the Rainforest Café. Our “safari” had to wait 50 minutes for a seat, which was situated in the prime real-estate “trail” to the restroom, and the meal was…um… fine. (truth: my salad-limp.  Cheese sticks? Soggy. Yellowtail Shiraz? Overpriced, but fine.)

That night, the significant one and I met up with good friends at Paddy Coyne's, where my steak salad was great, and where my wine was, once again, fine.

Kulture Lab, after dinner, was good fun, but I guess the boys in our party wanted to check out extreme death fighting (Ultimate Fighting? I don’t know) on cable; we were home early, since the Significant One was still, physically, set to Eastern Time.

The next day was mellow, with time at the park riding her park for the wee one while I got to launder clothes.  Note to homemakers all over: Georgia mud, once set, does not readily come out of ACUs. 

As a show of his appreciation, the man took us to Carl’s Jr, where I ate quite possibly the largest burger I’ve ever seen in my life.  With a salad and diet lemonade, since I was calorie conscious or something.

More laundry, and re-watching Flushed Away while drinking cheap pink wine spritzers ended day three, while a headache began day four.

He worked, we spent more family time together later in the day, and I cooked a tenderloin, French fingerling potatoes with European-style butter and hand-picked rosemary, and asparagus and mushrooms, all procured by Dave's Meat and Produce (except for the rosemary â€" that was courtesy my unkempt garden).

It was a fine, peaceful end to a not entirely peaceful weekend, but sometimes the odd weekend of rest makes you appreciate that even when rest is available, it’s often not the chosen option. â€" Jessica Corey-Butler