no work, no tv, no problem

so as many of you know, tim & i decided that we are too cheap to pay for cable - nay, to smart to pay for cable - which is funny because we have a beautiful flatscreen lcd samsung hd-tv, and nothing fabulous to watch on it! but honestly, who wants to pay an extra $25 per month for 20 channels of hd news and weather? or $60 per month to get a decent list of channels, of which we will frequently comment "there isn't anything good on." that's an extra $300 - $720 per year! and for what? hulu is free and it plays all my favorite shows :)
so today, while i am off work (horray!) i find myself suddenly realizing the reliance we have on tv as a time-waster, space-filler, and silence-breaker when it is too hot outside to do anything else but stay inside. so instead, i suddenly have time to do something that i rarely get to do; surf the internet.
it's amazing how many things there are to look at! normally when i get online i am doing one of three things: (1) checking email, (2) getting directions, or (3) online banking & bill pay. and, oh yeah, (4) blogging - but this is a fairly new venture. so when i get a chance to browse around, i feel like i get to discover new places, foods, concepts, people, clothes, and trends. and suddenly, i have spent hours online, i can barely remember what it was i originally intended to search for, and have probably found something that i now "must have" and can't believe i never realized it before!
so today i found a cool link: design sponge. i haven't dissected the site entirely yet, but aside from the interesting staff list, diy's and such, i did find a neat city guide for phoenix (see "what i'm into right now" - phoenix guide) which lists a bunch of mom & pop type places for clothing, furniture, food, drinks, & more. which reminds me - i should definitely be taking in more local and less franchised, well... everything. i think i'll start with this list.