The Friday Five, 4/3/20: 5 things I've been up to this week

End of quarantine, week 3. It's not any easier. I get to leave the house today and tomorrow because of medical reasons—I have a B12 shot today, and apparently I pull up to the parking lot and they'll do it there, which should be interesting.

Dinnerly deep-dish pizza with sausage and green pepper
Dinnerly deep-dish pizza with sausage and green pepper

What I've been up to this week:
  1. Cooking. And not eating out/doing takeout, surprisingly. Last Friday, I splurged and did Bangkok Cuisine through Uber Eats ... Uber Eats was doing free delivery, at least, but it was about $20 with tip and UE fees, and it would have been about $14 direct from the restaurant. I had a Dinnerly box arrive last week and I ordered EveryPlate this week and cooked some good meals from both of those. Honestly I haven't had much of an appetite these days, probably due to stress and also my medical reasons. I've been wanting to buy more dairy-free Hudsonville ice cream but can't justify a trip to the store just for that (quarantine ...) so I'm going to wait until I need essentials. 
  2. Virtual game night with friends. Last Friday, my boyfriend and my friends Cassie and Michael, who live in Portage, and I, did a virtual game night; however, we chose to play Machi Koro, so it was a bit of an elaborate setup on their end ... required like two laptops, and Cassie would message us pictures of the game board during it. Tonight we are repeating this but I think will do Jackbox, which should be easier since it's more of an online game. 
  3. Trying Target's drive-up option. I will be the first to say that I'm not a big fan of Target; however, I needed a new thermometer and also a bathroom item, and their app was very easy to use to order online for drive-up. The only problem I encountered was when I arrived and all four drive-up spots were full; however, someone soon left so I took their spot. Once you arrive, you "check in" on the app and then a Target employee came to bring me my two items. I asked if they take tips, too (I had cash at the ready), but they do not. 
  4. Switching my Xfinity Mobile plan to 3GB. I switched from Verizon to Xfinity Mobile's unlimited plan a few months ago, to get off my parents' antiquated phone plan (6GB for 3 people), and so far I'm liking it a lot, especially the flexibility. Due to quarantine, I had only used about 2.3 GB for last month's billing cycle, so I was able to switch to their 3GB plan ($30/mo. before taxes, vs. $45 for unlimited) last-minute. I've switched it back to Unlimited today but most likely will switch it back to 3GB before the month is over, as I don't anticipate using a lot of data outside my home (where I'm on WiFi). 
  5. Watching new TV shows. I started watching "Unorthodox" on Netflix yesterday, and it's really good so far; apparently it's based on a book of the same name. I encourage you to give it a try, as it's only four episodes long (each one being about 50 minutes each) and is pretty interesting.
Honey pork chops, garlic green beans and mashed potatoes, from EveryPlate
Honey pork chops, garlic green beans and mashed potatoes, from EveryPlate


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