Mitch Please: 10 Things 11/14 - Chicago fall 2021

Mitch here!

I have had exactly 10 Things on my mind this week. No more, no less.

  • Please submit your Dear Mitch questions hereI love writing this column so don’t leave me hanging!
  • Never knock on my door. I should preface this with I’m a nice guy! I swear! But after seven years with a miniature dachshund in my house, I’m ready to kindly request that no one ever knock on my door ever again. It terrifies my dog, sends her into a hysterical barking fit, wakes up my children, and gives me a heart attack. I’ve tried everything short of putting a sign on my door saying “Leave Me Alone!” (Which I’ve considered.) At our old place, I glued down our door knocker and people still didn’t get the hint. At our new place, I replaced our functioning doorbell with a broken dummy doorbell so people would think they’re ringing but are inadvertently leaving me alone. But still the knocking persists. I should stop here and address the question many you likely have: What happens when friends come over? How do you know when they’ve arrived? WELL, they’re my friends! So they know about my disabled doorknob. And if they’re new potential friends, I simply tell them ahead of time that the doorbell isn’t work (i.e. I broke it) and to text when they’ve arrived! Am I nuts? I’m probably nuts.
  • I’m going on a trip by myself this week. I realize this might not be a big deal for any of you, but I haven’t been on a plane without my family in like five years. I’m not nervous or anything; I’m just not sure what I’m going to do with all this freedom. I might cartwheel down the jetway. (I’m going golfing with my brothers- and father-in-law in Mississippi. Back to Mississippi I go!)
  • I hate the time change. I know this isn’t exactly a controversial opinion anymore, but our current time change situation makes NO SENSE. As a reminder, the Daylight Saving Time just ended. We are now on Standard Time, which begs the question “Why would we need to save daylight during the time of year when daylight is abundant?” And don’t blame it on farmers. My whole family is farmers and those people don’t care what time it says on the clock. They’re self-employed. They’re fine. And they agree with me. If it were up to me (and them), we’d change the clocks back to Daylight Saving Time and keep it there forever. And not call it “Daylight Savings Time,” because it would just be time. At least we have this hilarious Daylight Saving Trailer as a result of this mess.
  • Whales are huge. I’m a big fan of marine mammals. As a kid, I had posters of dolphins and whales on my walls instead of sports dudes. So I was absolutely enthralled with the recent report from NPR which says that scientists now know that whales eat WAY MORE than was previously assumed. According to NPR, a single Blue Whale can eat up to 20,000 pounds of food per day! That’s 80,000 Big Macs per day, lol. I guess it makes sense that the largest animal to ever exist in the history of world would be hungry, but dang, that’s a lot of food. Also, bizarrely, it is now believed that despite attacking krill patches as much as 500 times per day (!), whales are actually good for krill populations due to nutrient recycling. Man, I love whales.
  • I went to IKEA. And survived to tell the tale. Listen, I love IKEA. I go nuts in there. But now that I’m a bit older with kids and everything, I just don’t go—ever. It’s probably been six or seven years since I’ve been in an IKEA, actually. So I was driving in the burbs last week and it was so much fun. I could’ve spent the whole day in there.
  • OK I lied. I went to IKEA to specifically buy their new Sonos speakers. In typical IKEA fashion, they’re named the indecipherable Symfonisk, but they’re the cheapest Sonos speakers to ever exist and I love them. I love them so much that I’m going to sell all my old Sonos stuff and buy a dozen of these new Ikea speakers. There is something wrong with me. Gadget life is the best life.
  • What I’m watching: Love Life Season 2. I loved it. I think this might be my favorite show on TV. Season 2 with William Jackson Harper, Jessica Williams and my new favorite character in the history of television, “Comedian CP,” is even better than Anna Kendrick’s Season 1. This show tells stories that I’ve never seen before, but in a relatable and emotionally intellegent, modern kind of way. Also, it’s really funny. It’s on HBO. Watch it. Kelly and I are obsessed.
  • What I’m Listening to: Paris Cafe. Now that Lucy is up and running with her pre-school 2x per week, I’m actually getting to spend some time in my office. I find that I waste a lot of time messing with Spotify during the work day, so I’m always on the hunt for good playlists to set the mood and facilitate a good workflow. This week, Kelly and I enjoyed this Paris Cafe vibe so much we played it throughout the whole house.
  • What/Where I’m Eating: Armitage Ale House. As much as I love my neighborhood, our restaurant game is sleepy. Which is why I’m so excited about our first big new restaurant in years: Armitage Ale House! Stepping into this place is like a time machine into early 20th century London with intricately wood paneled walls, a roaring fireplace, an incredibly gigantic bar and busy crowd full of neighbors. We went last week with our friends Dave and Natalie, and ran into a bunch of other friends while we were there. It’s the neighborhood spot. To top it off, they have both London Curry and Pot Pie sections on their menu—my two favorite foods. This place is perfect!