Today, well, today, my magazine subscription list is thin. I get The Atlantic Monthly (LOVE!) and The New Yorker (LOVE, but it’s hard to keep up with its weekly delivery). In particular, The Atlantic Monthly is really up my alley. Interesting and varied topics that are rarely repeats from previous issues. In-depth discussions (but, not necessarily super deep discussions). Things that get me thinking. I guess you could say I’m kind of serious when it comes to the magazines I read on a regular basis.

The other day, I was in line at Whole Foods when I saw an article about babywearing (which is a whole industry in and of itself). I wound up purchasing the magazine (Mothering), because the article was too long to finish while in line and it’s something Sweets and I are interested in. The combination of purchasing that magazine and reading Jess’ blog post got me thinking … what magazines and reading material should I be considering for the next year or so in regards to parenting?

I mean, parenting magazines have to run the gamut from light ‘n fluffy to more in-depth topics, right? For all the parents out there, which magazines offer quality over quantity? Which ones do you read and which ones do you skip? And for the non-parents out there, are there any interesting magazines I should consider adding to my subscription base (I’m always open to new ideas)??

Some of the shows scheduled in our DVR include:

Boston Med. When I first heard about this show, I yawned. Granted, I only heard the name of it, but I couldn’t help but think the networks were trying to come up with the next ER. And then I realized, it’s not a drama, but a documentary series. They’ve put mics on top residents, nurses, doctors and surgeons in three of Boston’s most prominent hospitals. Did I tell you one of my childhood friends is an ER doctor in one of those hospitals? Supposedly, she was mic’d, but we haven’t yet seen her on the show. Sweets loves this show, because he insists it’s a good representation of what goes on behind the scenes. I like this show, because I pretend I have a glimpse into what his life is like at work.

White Collar. I’m always a sucker for a good police crime drama. Only this one involves hottie, Matt Bomer (whom I recently learned is gay and with partner and children – damn!). And there really isn’t much violence or bad language. But, there are guns and bad guys and the FBI and a good, not-terribly-serious USA Network show that I’m so happy just started Season 2.

Friday Night Lights. High school football in Texas is huge. And this show does a great job of highlighting its importance within small Texas communities … as well as other politics and drama that takes place when people are trying to get by. Plus, I get my weekly dose of Tim Riggins and Coach Taylor – yummy. (And don’t worry, Sweets gets his fill of Tami Taylor, too – she’s not too bad on the eyes).

The Big C. This show hasn’t started yet, but it will be added to our DVR queue when it starts in August. It stars Laura Linney and follows her fictional bout with a cancer diagnosis. I think it’s supposed to be a dark comedy. Plus, my brother has worked with Laura Linney before and speaks highly of her. More reason to watch!

Wipeout. Not my first choice. But, did I mention Sweets finds it hilarious? (Did you check out the video of him?) Sometimes, you have to concede in order to keep matters of matrimony balanced.

Real Housewives of New Jersey (and soon to be RH of DC). Don’t hate me. I know it’s trashy. But, it’s like a traffic accident – I’m one of those rubber-neckers who must slow down to watch. Sometimes, it’s too good not to watch.

Top Chef DC. I love a good competition. I love good food. I love Eric Ripert and Tom Collichio. And Sweets loves him some Padma. Throw all those together in a mixing bowl and the Top Chef series spits out on the other end. I’ve watched every season and the show never ceases to reel me in.

Intervention and Obsessed. These shows have been on for a while, but we only recently started watching them. Intervention follows people with addictions to alcohol and drugs and shows their road to recovery. Obsessed follows people with OCD afflictions and their road to recovery. Its fascinating.

I know there are other popular TV shows … Glee (I don’t do musicals), True Blood (I don’t do sci fi), Entourage (we’re a few seasons behind, but it is in our Netflix queue), Mad Men (also in our Netflix queue) and others. What are the top shows you’re watching this summer? And does the good weather affect your ability to watch them and/or affect how full your DVR gets?

As adults, though, we’ve actually grown to like each other quite a bit. We may still live very different lives (me, pseudo 9-5, while his days go well into the night)  … and he may be difficult to track down as a result … but, when we do finally cross paths, we actually get along. We’ve grown to appreciate each other, even in our differences.

That’s why I was sort of excited to have him visit this past week. It’s so rare that we just get to visit with each other, as we often coordinate with our parents (let it be noted, whose company we also enjoy). But, this past week? It was my brother, his boyfriend and their dog. Camping out in our guest bedroom. Doing their own thing by day and catching up with us by night. And it’s not like we let the evening hours go to waste.

• We brought the dogs to one of the local beaches that allows the beasts to be off-leash and let the dogs run like wild.
• We met up with one of the baby’s mamas to see a show opening at her theater (Chicago friends, go see This Train, starring and about local radio favorite Tony Fitzpatrick and his story about not quite fitting in – it only runs through August 1!).
• We hung in one night while my brother made turkey chili (and I made garlic bread, so no juice would go to waste!).
• We went with my brother, his partner and the baby’s mamas to see The Kids Are All Right (thumbs up!), which was hilarious given the company in which we saw the movie and the movie’s topic: it’s about a gay couple whose teenage children decide they want to meet their biological father.
• We met up with Sweets’ folks, my brother, his boyfriend and the baby’s mamas to see an opening at the other baby mama’s theater — Queertopia, which was about stories of queer youth (another recommended show that’s only running through next weekend).
• We went with Sweets’ parents, my brother and his boyfriend to one of our favorite burger joints (the boyfriend said he had a taste for a burger, so I knew exactly where we had to take him!).
• And we even managed to host brunch at our place – so all the above people, plus some favorite friends and family had one last chance to see my brother, his boyfriend and the dog, before they leave.

I’d be lying if I didn’t say I wasn’t exhausted. I’m lucky if I do one or two things in a week, let alone a week of non-stop fun. It was most definitely exhausting. But, getting to see my brother for that much time? Fight-free time? Time where he picked up after himself and actually was a big help around the house? Yeah, I’ll take a little exhaustion for that kind of week. It was truly special and so very rare (because, my brother and his main squeeze never have the same breaks from work, so travel for them usually consists of only a day or two at a time)!

And the amazing thing about this past week? I get a replay next month. My brother and his boyfriend will be coming back to Chicago. For a whole week. Again! Only this time, the terms will be a little different. Yeah, it’ll be a whole week. And yeah, they’ll likely be staying with us. But, their visit is in anticipation of baby #2. That’s right. There’s another baby entering our family fold, months before I’m due! Lots of babies this year. Plenty of celebrations. And, I’ll take each and every one!

What were you up to this weekend? Any highlights you’d like to share?

Dear Former Tenants: Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for finally moving your offices. I’ve only been hearing about this move for the past year and wondering when it would finally take place. I’m not sorry to admit I’m excited to have the bathroom to myself. While the women of your office were generally clean (except that one older lady who liked to pee on seats and not wash her hands), I must admit I’m pretty darn stoked to have the secret bathroom at the back of our floor all to myself. That said, I’m kind of jealous your offices moved downtown. I think I’d still be willing to share a bathroom if our offices would move closer to where I live!

Dear Window Installers: Thanks to you, a good chunk of our garden has been ruined for the year. We counted no fewer than three beautiful plants that were trampled  beyond recognition due to your day spent in our yard. I get you had a job to do. I just wish we had known that you wouldn’t step around our plants; at least we could’ve temporarily moved them to give you the space you needed.

Dear Teenage Taggers: We’re sick of you. No, seriously, we’re sick of you. You come through our alleys, mark up our garage doors and dumpsters and think we won’t mind. Well, we do. You’re not welcome in our neighborhood. We’ve been in touch with our Alderman and the police. People down the street have installed a “Monitored by Video Surveillance” sign and will hopefully follow-up with installation of actual cameras. You’re praying on innocent people, but we’re not dead. Remember that.

Dear Tourists and Suburbanites: Go away! OK, that’s not entirely fair nor true. Let’s try this one on for size…  when you have your summer hours (i.e., no work!) and I’m still working, your insistence on coming downtown during rush hour ruins my commute. So … I’ll welcome you with open arms into the city so long as you come down for the Taste or to see the museums or whatever else you’re coming to see at either 3PM or 7PM and not between. Then, we can all get along.

Dear Body: I was patient with you through 3 months of morning sickness. I accepted that it came with the territory. But, this whole set-back into feeling queasy again? After a couple weeks of feeling great? Totally not cool. It is no longer acceptable to behave that way. Let it be known, I’m watching you.

Dear Homeless Guy: I noticed you in our park the other morning. I’ve never seen you (or any other people residing in the park) before. I know you might be a perfectly harmless guy, but letting you set up shop in our park isn’t a good idea. I’m pretty sure there are city ordinances against sleeping overnight in city parks. While I know shelters wouldn’t be your home by choice and might not accept that huge grocery cart overflowing with your valued possessions, please know it’s a more suitable place for you than our park.

Dear Police: Please note the homeless guy setting up residence under the fir trees in our park. I expect you to be as diligent about permanently removing him as you have been about removing dog owners and their unleashed, but well behaved dogs from the park. I’ll be paying close attention.

Dear FIFA Refs: I am blind. I can’t see. I wanna be a referee! Seriously. There were some astoundingly, outrageous and egregious calls made during last weekend’s World Cup soccer matches. I still don’t understand why you’re one of the last holdouts on instant replay. But, if you insist, the least you could do is install another ref in the press box to help confirm your calls, especially on the big plays. It’s only fair to all the players who put their heart and soul on the fields, let alone the millions of fans who are watching.

Phew, I’m feeling better now. How about you – any letters you’d like to write?

Anyway, this past weekend? Was one of the seemingly few fully free weekends we have until this fall. Sweets had a happy hour party thing to go to on Friday night. He skipped in. In preference of spending a little time at home with SoMi and me. We almost cleared out our DVR of shows like Friday Night Lights, Top Chef DC, The Next Food Network Star and Wipeout (Sweets howls when watching that show, which entertains me to no end).

Saturday, Sweets and I set the alarm early, so he could go on a long bike ride while I took SoMi for a long walk. We then spent a few hours not really watching after, but being on site/on call for a family member who recently had major surgery. We also watched the first half of the US-Ghana soccer game. We came home to watch the rest of the soccer match (and the unfortunate outcome for the US team). I might have napped for a couple hours. We watched the Cubs-Sox baseball game. I started to make another dress. Did laundry. Ate pizza. And passed out later than planned.

Sunday was another early morning. We met friends at a local watering hole to watch the England-Germany soccer match. Had our friends not arrived at 8:15 (45 minutes before game time), we wouldn’t have been able to sit down to watch the game. The place was packed. As the skies became more cloudy outside, the satellite went out inside. Thank goodness for smart phones. Someone yelled out that Germany had scored and a few other patrons (in a heavily English bar) yelled happily. Within 10 minutes or so, the satellite readjusted and we were all happily watching the game. Sometime later in the game, second half, with Germany already up 4-1, there was a flat out power outage. Not only did all the TVs go blank, but the already warm bar (no A/C) got downright sweaty once the ceiling fans stopped whirring. When it was clear this outage would not be reversed anytime soon, we paid our bill and went on our way.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about my summer goals. I published this post before announcing my pregnancy, but if you go back to that post, you’ll see I allude to changes we want to make around the house related to the new addition. Things like organizing the second bedroom (into a nursery!) and adding more shelves to our laundry room (so we can store diapers!). After the soccer game, Sweets and I made our way to the Container Store to inquire about some shelving for the laundry room. Working with one of their consultants, we put together a plan we think will work nicely for us. It’s not cheap, but given we don’t have a mortgage payment in July (thanks to refinancing), we’ll use some of that money towards our shelving project.

The rest of the day was spent at home. Watching the Argentina-Mexico soccer match. Doing more laundry. Doing some research into daycare options (around here, some of the more popular options have wait lists of up to 2 years!). Working on the dress. You know, stuff to keep us out of the heat, humidity and threat of rain.

Our weekend wasn’t particularly exciting. But, we were productive. We did spend time with each other. And we certainly enjoyed some of the freedoms we will miss for the rest of this summer when our lives are already planned for us.

Was your weekend planned for you or were you able to be spontaneous? Any highlights you care to share?