Lazy Days

One of the nice bonuses of living in the TLF is that we get daily housekeeping if needed. They require that they have access to your rooms at least every three days to clean the apartment so we can't use the "do not disturb" card more than three days in a row. The apartment also comes with only the basics in dishes and we keep a small amount of food here so I'm limited in what I can cook. Since we are compensated for meals while living in the TLF, we are eating out more often. We live about a mile from the commissary so we have to walk that distance with any groceries we buy. We keep a few staples for sandwiches like peanut butter/jelly and bread and drinks as well as breakfast items, but we're usually eating out at least one and sometimes two meals a day. We were talking at dinner the other day about how lazy our lives have become. He no longer has to mow the lawns, take out trash or water plants, I'm cooking very little and not cleaning other than doing dishes and laundry. Our lives are pretty cushy right now. Because of this we have to find new ways to keep busy on the weekends. We have been getting a lot of walking exercise since we don't have a vehicle but that also limits the distances we can travel.

Today we decided to spend a few hours at the library reading (or sleeping for some of us). They have much more comfortable chairs there so it's nice to get out of our claustrophobic apartment and sit somewhere else for a change. I went to the library on Friday and got a library card for us with my new ID. Of course, doing so brought to light another one of my pet peeves about living overseas... I am basically a nobody here. I'm the dependent and Russ is called "my sponsor" so his name has to be on everything I do. That meant I couldn't get a library card in my name. It has to be in his.Of course that then makes him responsible for overdue books too. Because of this, Russ now has a library card which is something he hasn't had in many many years. They have a nice selection of DVD's here so after reading for awhile we decided to rent a TV series and start watching it during our evening hours.They have a decent selection of books here too. I've seen at least one book from most of my favorite authors. Getting a library card is usually one of the first things I do when I get settled into a new area. It gives me a feeling of peace when I can be around books for some reason. Bookstores and libraries are two of my favorite places. I'm sure I'll spend many hours enjoying the library while here.