My husband is on vacation this week. He has a lot more vacation than I do and tends to take a couple of vacations a year where I go off to work and he is home with hours to fill. The week between Christmas and New Year's is one of his favorite vacation times. I have shared this with him in the past, but with my current retail career, I don't have a lot of vacation time, so he is on his own.
My husband goes into his vacation with the best intentions. He will lay out a series of tasks he would like to fulfill. Now two of his vacations fall during peak times, one is MeatFest, which I will post about sometime in the future. The other is New Year's Eve.
New Year's Eve in my family has evolved over the years into our current tradition.
We gather at my in-laws' house and have a seafood feast. Some years back my husband, who is a most excellent cook, decided to give lobster bisque a try. We had fallen in love with it at Emeril's in Las Vegas. Our first trip I ordered the bisque and he ordered the gumbo, an oversight he still regrets.
It took a couple of years and gallons of heavy cream to master, but he has done it. It is like heaven in a bowl. I am salivating in anticipation.
It starts with a trip to the "Green Mile" for lobsters. We pool our Christmas money and my husband picks them out of the tank. I love lobster, I just can't choose them. There is just something about pointing at a living creature with intent.
"You will die so I can enjoy your delicious flesh in melted butter."
I just can't do it. Once they are dead, no problem. Let's eat!
So this is his goal for the week. It is quite an undertaking to make bisque for ten or fifteen people so I don't hassle him...much.
It is hard to get an email at work from him in the middle of the day like the one I got today.
"Decisions, decisions, "Dinner For Schmucks", "Sixteen Candles", "City Slickers 2" and "Dumb and Dumber" are all starting at the same time."
This is my husband's typical week of vacation. He is a guy who loves to relax.
Monday: Sleep late, take a nap. "It's only the first day of vacation, I need to relax."
Tuesday: Get up a little earlier. Take two naps. "It's only Tuesday, I have all week to do stuff!"
Wednesday: "Vacation is already half over! I need to rest some more!!"
Thursday: "Well, vacation is almost over, but I better do something on my to-do list." Install shelf in kitchen. Recover rest of day by napping extra.
Friday: "It's the last day of vacation. I haven't napped enough!!!!"
He then spends the weekend mourning the end of his vacation by watching football while napping. He can somehow hear when I just press the guide so it is inevitable that I find a reason to go to a movie.
On New Year's Eve week, he will make bisque and also creme brulee so I am a little more forgiving of his leisure. And this year he did do some cleaning on Tuesday for our family party so I didn't hassle him too much when I discovered he hadn't even ventured to the porch for the mail.
By the way he chose "Dinner for Schmucks."
He sounds like a great guy! :)
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