After two call-free weekends in a row with the AppyHubs, I've noticed that having an amazing weekend in the summer in Madison doesn't seem to take much effort. Witness last weekend's rewards just for LEAVING OUR HOUSE:But the real reward was meeting the woman who gave us the chairs. She is amazing.

Anyway, I started a tally in my head tonight, and decided to store it on the old blog for posterity. We've lived in the Great Midwest for exactly two months this Tuesday, and here's what I have to show for it.

3 house concerts
2 neighborhood festivals
1 samba show
1 todd snider show
2 concerts on the square
4 softball games
2 trips to chicago by train
1 pig roast
14 restaurants visited, including 3 breweries
1 game of settlers
1 10-hour job interview
1 house purchased
20 miles jogged (FAIL)
1 visit with high school friends
6 skype conversations
7 pieces of mail from my parents
2 pieces of mail from becca
1 cd cover design process begun and almost finished
1 teaching memoir blog started
250 email conversations
1 art fair
1 farmers' market (also FAIL)
1 vet visit
1 dentist visit
2 graduate school visits
6 songs recorded in garage band
2 movies at the fancy sundance theatre
1 dylan tribute concert at a brewery
1 successful grant edit for a local community center
2 jam sessions with a couple of family docs from galveston
2 concerts at the memorial union, 1 including fireworks
5 trips to trader joe's, which is now 1.5 miles from our house
and countless warnings from locals about how truly harsh the winter is going to be.

I realize some of you out there accomplish approximately this much before I wake up in the morning (I'm looking at YOU, 500Jerk), but I guess what I'm realizing is that we just DO more stuff here. The energy of the town is kind of infectious. I guess when you know a 7 month winter is around the corner, and you dedicate a pretty substantial amount of time to beer-drinking, you sure as heck better get active when you can. Still on the list are camping on one of the beautiful lakes nearby, lining up some shows, and buying a bike. Slightly lower on the list is getting a real job. I'll let you know how that goes.