So many people seem to welcome Friday as the start of a weekend filled with friends and a chance to relax and rewind.

And there seem to be just as many folks who look at the weekend as a marathon of chores, cleaning, shopping and catching up on all the things that they led slide during the week.

I know some people who look at it as an endurance contest, seeing how many things they can check off their "to-do" list: painting a room, getting groceries, preparing make-ahead meals and running errands. By Sunday night, they collapse on the couch, grateful for a chance to return to the relatively relaxed pace of work.

And some friends see it as a challenge, seeing how late they can sleep in, hitting at least a couple of restaurants, catching a movie, ignoring laundry and dusting.

STLtoday.com offers a huge events calendar to find things to fill those leisure hours -- if that's what you seek. But which way do you spend your weekend? Is it an endurance contest of chores and to-do lists? Or do you make sure to spend most of it relaxing and doing only what appeals to you?