I was on the couch most of the day yesterday.  Oddly enough, it was quite a productive afternoon.

I haven’t quite gotten caught up with all my magazines.  I would leave them on my little side table/cabinet by the couch so I can read them when I plop down.  However, the Man of the House doesn’t like seeing stuff on there (even though he generally sits on the other side of the couch), so he would put them in the cabinet.

Since I don’t see the magazines there, I forget about them.  Until the newest one arrives in the mail to remind me about the last one that I didn’t read.

“Everyday with Rachael Ray” and “Real Simple” get read earlier on and don’t hang around the house very long.  I read through them and ripped out the recipes or tips I need and then tossed the mags.  With “Self” magazine, this one needs a thorough reading so it goes straight to the bathroom counter.  (Yes, I read a lot in there.  It’s a family thing.)  I usually keep them in there also because I see them every morning when I get ready.  Just seeing the magazines there is a good enough  motivator.  And finally, “Entertainment Weekly” gets read almost immediately, or before bed, as any good pop culture vulture would.

However, the one that I get really, REALLY behind on is “Food & Wine”.  These guys do need undivided attention.  Unlike a recipe book like Rachael Ray’s or generally boring foods of Real Simple, F&W is an educational read for me.  After all, I am an inspiring cook.  You can’t really improve your skills cooking simple stuff all the time!

I read F&W almost as thoroughly as I read “Self”.  I did put it in the bathroom once and found it thoroughly inappropriate for obvious reasons.

So yesterday, I put the telly on and parked my butt on the couch and went through the stack.  2 Rachael Ray’s and one Real Simple later, I finally got to F&W and found that I pretty much haven’t read them since August.

And boy, what a resource!  I learned all sorts of things just going through 2 of those last night.  I may not rip out all of the recipes but I briefly look at those left behind as well.  I checked out the ingredients I didn’t know and was surprised by little things I picked up like Jose Andres.  Last week I didn’t even know who the guy was until I saw him on Anthony Bourdain’s D.C. episode.  Now I saw in F&W that he has a restaurant, The Bazaar, in LA at SLS Hotel, AND next week is LA Restaurant week and you can get a prefix there for $44.

Knowledge is indeed power.

And all of this from sitting on a couch, reading magazines and watching television.

ASIDE: I also watched 2 documentaries over the past few days.  Encounters at the End of the World about people who live and work in Antarctica.  And then I watched via Netflix on-demand Man on Wire about Phillippe Petit who walked the wire between the top of the World Trade Center towers back in the 70s.  Both are essentially about a completely different breed of human, seeking their places in the world in non-traditional ways.  Encounters was a little bit slow at time but Man on Wire played out like a crime caper and it was quite fun to watch.  See? Horizon expanded over the time spent on a couch!