HOLIDAY TIME IS ALNOST HERE

I have that giddy holiday feeling. You know the one, all warm and fuzzy inside for no reason. I also have a bit of nerves. I absolutely love the holidays. Not only will I be going home on Saturday to spend the holidays with my family but Tony will be joining me on Christmas Eve. After 4.5 years of being a couple we will get to spend Christmas day together. This is pretty freaking exciting. Although, I think after finally getting incredibly comfortable with my family and the new people nerves having worn off, we just might scare him with our slightly nuts and painfully happy festivities. Oh well.

Last week I was talking to him about our trip home and I was saying how he would get to go to the Christmas Café (just our table) and get breakfast and he said, “I don’t’ want to have to go to any Christmas Café. I just want to hang around the house.” Once I explained that he would be hanging around the house and would get to be served breakfast with my parents by Sister and I he was more agreeable. Although, I swear he knew the Christmas Café existed. I think he doesn’t listen to me sometimes. I then pictured him flying in and being accosted with Harry Connick Jr. singing “This Christmas” (cause it’s hilarious) and Sister draping him with tree decorating stuffs. HEHEHEHE. I’ll get pictures.

Plus, Hanukkah starts while I will be home. This means that I will NOT forget to light candles this year. Last year I had every intention of lighting my menorah. I took it out of the drawer got it set up nice and pretty and went to get the candles...get the candles…where were the candles? I spent the next eight days reminding myself to go to the store and buy candles. I failed completely. After the holiday break I returned to work and told my Jewish colleague of my failed menorah attempts. Amusingly enough she had candles but no menorah. That gave us a good chuckle. Tony should also enjoy lighting the menorah. Although he was raised Catholic, he has a strong affinity for all things Jewish. I think he knows more Yiddish than I do.

At this point all the presents are ordered and the planning is done. Well, most of the planning. I am having thoughts about the traditional Christmas Pizza. We usually do two big pies with different toppings. I will have to check it out with Sister because Christmas cooking has kind of become our thing but I think that we should do more, smaller pies this year, thus maximizing our flavor variations. I have all kinds of wondrous pizza ideas milling around in my head. A Mexican pizza with beans and salsa as the base, a pesto pizza like we had last year mmmmm, a caramelized onion and apple pizza with brie, a normal pizza, a wild mushroom pizza with some kind of delicious sauce. Oh, Christmas Pizza, why must you be so far away?

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season and all the wonderful things that come with it. Hooray!

ITS ONE OF THE MOST WONDERFUL TIMES OF THE YEAR

Tomorrow is a special day; Monica will turn the big 3-0. It also happens to be Thanksgiving. While the main festivities for Monica will be on Saturday, her birthday couldn’t be ignored and I got her a Baskin Robbins ice cream cake. No pies at my house. We will keep ourselves entertained with Wii, PS3, TV karaoke, and if Netflix behaves Kung Fu Panda on blu-ray.

When I get home I will start the final stage of Thanksgiving preparations. Cleaning the living room and getting stage one of cooking going. When Tony gets home we will start cleaning our room. We might need the extra space. Our menu for thanksgiving is an awesome one:
Main dishes:
Turkey
Ham
Turkey Tofu (NOT tofurkey)

Sides:
Butter dipped rolls
Collard Greens
Macaroni and Cheese
Stuffing (turkey and vegetarian)
Sweet Potatoes
Mashed Potatoes (regular and roasted garlic blue cheese)
Cranberry Sauce (homemade no cans here)
Asparagus soup
Brussel Sprouts
Vegetarian gravy

Dessert:
Gravy Cake
Aforementioned ice cream cake

Tonight I will help Monica’s turkey thaw, marinate the tofu and assemble the turkey tofu casserole, and make the cranberry sauce. The rest should be okay for tomorrow. I think we have 12 people confirmed and we may get up to 7 more stoppers by. It should be a good time. I hope everyone has as much fun as we will. I hope there is enough wine. Happy Turkey Day Everyone!

ON CHEATING AND CELEBRATION

Happy Juneteenth Folks! If you don’t know what that means look it up, learn a little something. On this glorious day I will be celebrating by playing video games and eating a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup. Sure my actions will have absolutely nothing to do with the holiday itself but it sure will feel good doing them.

Monica and I have been taken over by a game called wordtwist on Facebook. If you happen to know this game and are awesome at it please, feel free to challenge us. If you are not awesome you will more than likely be destroyed. In our efforts to become even more awesome at this game (she is a little more awesome than me but we are essentially equal in awesomeness) we have decided to cheat at scrabble to learn more seven letter words. I know that cheating is wrong but since we are agreed on the matter and are using the cheating as a learning opportunity to better ourselves it is okay. Plus, if we are only cheating while playing each other and we are both doing it is it really cheating? Probably not.

The other day I watched Seven Samurai. I have no idea why it took me so long to see this film. It was pretty incredible. It was also incredibly long. For me to not get bored watching a 208min movie that is black and white and has subtitles something pretty freaking awesome must be happening. I’m not entirely sure why I liked it so much but those samurai were some stand up fellows.

The top chef reunion show was pretty bogus. No dirt was strewn about. I was somewhat disappointed. It was a happy-loving-huggy affair. I do kind of almost sort of want an “I have a culinary boner” t-shirt but I would never wear it so I don’t.

Oh! Sulu got married!!! George Takei and his partner looked so happy over there in California. It just made me smile. I love Sulu. I love the original Star Trek. I am pretty curious as to the new movie. I am not curious (no I am, I lied) about the Prince of Persia movie. While I am positive that Jake Gyllenhal is not the best guy to play the prince and I wish they had picked someone slightly swarthier I am not sure who the best person would really be. I thin I decided that dude who played the shrink in “Sunshine” (which I think no one has seen) is the best I have come up with. At least Jake is better than Orlando Bloom.

1. She feels like/ A stranger has come in the night/ And stolen her life/ And left her with this

2. Looking at the devil/ Grinning at his gun/ Fingers start shaking/ I begin to run

3. Come/ As you are/ As you were/ As I want you to be. Come As You Are, Nirvana. Identified by Mom.

4. Oh so long/ For this night I’ve prayed/ That a star/ Would guide you my way/ To share with/ Me this special day

5. Dawn is a feeling/ A beautiful ceiling/ The smell of grass just lets you pass/ Into a dream. Dawn: Dawn is a Feeling, The Moody Blues. Identified by Mom.

HAPPY DAY OF FORCED LOVE

I'm not so big on Valentines Day. I always thought once I got someone special in my life that it would suddenly mean a lot more. Instead it has come to mean a lot less. It is actually a pleasant surprise.

My dismissive attitude to Valentines Day doesn't mean I don't like love and affection. In fact, I like those things quite a bit. I think hugs are the greatest. To celebrate valentines day I present you all with the best hug I have ever seen in my life.



Don't you all wish you had a friend like that?

I thought about putting up love songs for the guessing today but it was far too much work. It's all shuffle like normal.

1. I see us in the park/ Strolling the summer days/ Of imaginings in my head. Knocks Me Off My Feet, Stevie Wonder. Identified by Mom.

2. Well I went to school/ Oh/ Well I went to school/ Haha/ Well I went to school/ In Olympia. Rock Star, Hole. Identified by Jason.

3. Dear I thought I'd drop a line/ The weather's cool/ The folks are fine/ I'm in bed each night by nine

4. Sitting down by my window/ Looking at the rain/ Sitting down my window/ All around I felt it/ All I could see was the rain

5. I feel pretty/ Oh so pretty/ I feel pretty and witty and gay. I Feel Pretty, West Side Story. Identified by Chatty Knitter.

DANG THAT LOOKS GOOD

I gave my first Financial Fitness workshop today and it went just swimmingly. I had seven people initially sign up and Brenda got three emails saying people canceled but three came so I was happy. I hear we have a 50% show rate anyway so I was only expecting three. I had some very minor technical glitches but nothing that disrupted the presentation as a whole.

Glitch 1. To get the presentations on the computer that hooks up to the projector you have to email them to yourself then download them onto that computer. I did this with no problem. However, I neglected to close out my email when I was done. Therefore, every time I got a new email during the presentation a window would pop up that said “you have new mail”. It would go away after a few seconds but it was slightly embarrassing.

Glitch 2. Not only did I not close out my email, I didn’t close out anything. Therefore, when I needed to go to a website during the presentation, I had to sift through all these mucky windows to get there. I thought it made me look a little technically incompetent. I also flubbed the should be seamless transition back into the slide show.

Glitch 3. This is actually not a glitch, I just thought it was. There is a remote thing by the computer that I assumed you were supposed to operate your presentation with. I couldn’t’ make it work so I operated the presentation by mouse. I guess that is just how it works.

Needless to say those errors are really minor. On a scale of 1-5 I received one 4 and two 5s for the presentation and two people said they planned to take action on what was discussed so that is a good thing. I was even able to answer all questions. Tomorrow’s presentation may be another story. While the material is easier only three people signed up. We’ll see what happens.

Although I haven’t had a Foodie Friday in some time, I thought now may be a good time for some foodie stuff. Why? Because Mom sent pictures from Christmas and that means you can see the Christmas Pizza. Yes, my family eats pizza for Christmas dinner. We never had a tradition and one year my sister said she wanted pizza and fudge. It stuck. Shoshana and her friend Will handled the crust, cheese grating (mozzarella, romano, provolone), and ingredient chopping while I made the sauces and picked ingredients. This year we made some beautiful pizzas.


Pesto
3 cups fresh basil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 cup + (or so) olive oil (add more if needed)
Squirt of lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste (All this stuff is really to taste)

Toppings
Artichoke hearts
Spinach
Feta
Onion
Fresh Basil

The lemon juice was a totally new thing to my pesto making but it really hit the spot. I tasted it and thought it needed citrus but wasn’t sure but Shoshana suggested it and I knew she was right. It was delicious.


Red Sauce
1 big can of whole tomatoes drained
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup fresh basil
Dash sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Toppings
Mushrooms
Onion
Fresh Garlic
Fresh Basil

I think we ended up adding some of the drained out tomato juice to the sauce for volume but you can’t blend it all together, then you don’t get the nice chunky quality.

1. When the Witch Doctor Life/ throws his silent bones/ some are crowned kings/ while others lose their thrones

2. Hot Cha where are you/ Everybody’s eyes are closed/ I can’t see why I miss you so/ So Hot Cha where are you. Hot Cha, They Might Be Giants. Identified by Monica

3. Little bag of bones been out all night/ Little bag of bones been out all night/ Can you hear him scratching at the screen door. Kitty, The Presidents of the United States of America, Identified by Jason.

4. On a rooftop in Brooklyn/ One in the morning. Watching the lights flash/ In Manhattan

5. Look on yonder misty mountain/ See the young monk meditating/ Rhododendron forest/ Over dusty hills I ask you. Epistle to Dippy, Donovan. Identified by Monica

RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR

Being back at work after many days off is never an easy thing. Luckily, I have plenty or organizing and planning to do and it doesn’t involve an extraordinary amount of brain power. Mostly I just have to read lists and then put the information in different places. Good times. My office is freezing. I think I need a heater. When I get home I am totally sitting in front of one.

Since my last post the year has changed. I had a fantastic New Years Eve and a very slow New Years Day. So it goes. Tony and I got all dressed up at around 5pm and left the house at six for our 7pm reservations at MK. We got there at 6:55 and were promptly taken to our table, which was nice and private but still in the middle of everything. We were thoroughly overwhelmed by the wine list and asked the waiter to recommend something, he did and it was delicious. I have no idea what it was. All I remember is it was Spanish and white and had an apricot aftertaste.

Our meal started with an amuse bouche. I had some salsify with a few sprigs of what was either very large sprouts or very small greens, a lemon sauce (we’ll call it a reduction to be fancy), and some black truffle shavings. It was delicious. Tony had some kind of shooter in an oyster shell. I think there was something cucumberish about it. He said it was nice.

Course two was an endive and field green salad for me and a lobster salad for Tony. Endive is an interesting food. It is very bitter and yet somewhat sweet, almost licoricesque. The dressing was light and lemonish and complimented the bitterness of the salad very well. There were also some baby croutons and orange slices in there that went perfectly. Tony said the lobster salad was good.

The third course was, in my opinion, the highlight. I had a sunchoke soup that was poured tableside over two small piles of diced endive topped with an orange slice. It was creamy, just the right temperature, and had the most delicate flavor that I’ve had in quite some time. However, it still really stuck to the ribs. The tiny orange slices were the icing on the cake. The way they just burst apart and complimented the soup was exceptional. Tony had the squab which was served over lentils. His face lit up when he tasted it and seemed to enjoy it most of all. Monica later told him that squab is pigeon. He still thought it was tasty.

My main course was a risotto trio. The first didn’t quite seem like a risotto as it appeared to be made of diced endive (a common thread) but I could be wrong about that. It was topped with baby carrots and delicious carrot foam. I was ecstatic about getting foam on my meal. It just made me think of Marcel and smile and laugh. I was surprised at how carroty and delicious the foam actually was. The second risotto had a delicious parmesan flavor and was topped with I believe oyster mushrooms that were cooked to perfection. MMM delicious. The last was a black truffle infused risotto with an abundance of black truffle shavings. Also divine. We ordered some pomme frites with the main course and they were served with a white truffle aioli. Those were some killer fries. Unfortunately, we were fat too full to eat all of them. Tony had turbot which he said was tasty but he was getting too full to really enjoy it anymore.

The dessert course was also a highlight for me. I ordered the lemon dessert while Tony opted for the chocolate. I was so glad I had the lemon. The chocolate wasn’t bad; warm chocolate cake with some chocolate moose type stuff on the side. The lemon was heavenly. I had a very light custard that just melted on the tongue and it had these sweet lemon curls of wonder on top. Then there was the lemon tart with a caramelized crust on top and a flaky wonderful crust on the bottom. Although I couldn’t finish it I most certainly wanted to. Although we took longer than the 90 minutes we were told we would get the staff didn’t rush us out at all and were more than accommodating throughout the meal. They were an absolute delight.

Then it was into a cab and over to Dave’s place. He assured us that the march to the lake would be optional so we didn’t need to go home and change first, which was good. I don’t know if I would have made it back out had I been able to enter my cozy abode. In true Dave fashion there was a plethora of delicious looking food at his house, sadly we were far too full for anything although I did sneak a couple handfuls of popcorn and a forkful of enchilada at around 1 or so. I did help myself to the rum and hot apple cider though. MMMM. After a march around the block (although some continued on to the lake) and some more chillin, Tony, Brooke, and I headed home and proceeded to drink some wine which I think helped me feel very lethargic on Monday. I went to bed around 3 while Tony and Brooke stayed up until about 7. Crazy. Tony still managed to get up around 9, take a shower, and head to the store to buy breakfast. What a goofball.

I forgot my iPod today, although I did remember to bring my iPod speaker to the office. No songs today.

IT'S ALMOST TIME

I finished all my x-mas shopping this morning. I even stayed under budget by a whopping $6.50. Everything is being shipped to my parent’s house because while my stuff is all guaranteed to arrive by Dec 24th, I will be leaving my home on the 21st so that would be no good. How glad am I that I didn’t wait until the shipping guarantee was about to expire. I was truly afraid that I was going to fall into that your stuff can’t be delivered on time so you will actually have to go to the store trap. I actually tried to go to the store yesterday for some things but even with a 30% discount stuff was cheaper online. Not a good sign for stores.

I am so excited to go home for the holidays and this next week will be a hard one. I have plenty to keep me busy at work but I am still yearning for my vacation. Tony and I will be apart yet again on x-mas day. I want to go home and he wants to go home and we haven’t figured out a way to compromise. We are toying with the idea of trying to do both next year. Who knows, it might work. Our next challenge is to find somewhere to eat for New Years. We better get on that stat. I am sure it will be hard to get a table anywhere. After dinner it will be all about Dave’s party, which probably means going out to the lake to look at “fireworks”. Should be fun.

1. We are two mariners/ Our ships sole survivors/ In this belly of a whale. _________, The Decemberists. Partially identified by Identified by Monica

2. I let the beast in too soon/I don't know how to live/ Without my hand on his throat/ I fight him always and still

3. Have mercy on me sir/ allow me to impose on you/ I have no place to stay/ And my bones are cold right through

4. Sleepwalking through the all night drugstore/ Baptized in fluorescent light/ I found religion in the greeting card aisle/ And now I know Hallmark was right.

5. Confidence is a preference for the habitual voyeur of what is known as /parklife/And morning soup can be avoided if you take a route straight through what is known as/ parklife

SINCE THE FEAST

I learned a few things during this year’s Thanksgiving.

1. Don’t make a dish you haven’t prepared before but you saw done on the Food Network with much larger vegetables than the ones you could find. It just won’t work out quite right. My artichokes were not served although I did take them home and manage to make a few incredibly tasty bites.

2. If you want Tony to do karaoke you have to pick a Beastie Boys song.

3. Even when you think there is plenty of food, plenty of drunken people will eat things you had planned to eat for leftovers

4. Good food and good fun will make fast friends

5. Sometimes to have proper leftover plates the next day you need to go back to the store and get some more potatoes.

I started my new job at DePaul University on Monday. The first day was a general new employee orientation where people from all departments came and talked to us about new hire things. It was a day with a lot of paper. Tuesday we did our Electronic stuffs orientation which didn’t take too long at all and then were to report to our respective departments. I wasn’t scheduled to be in my department until noon due to my supervisor having a meeting and we got out at 10:30. I took a seat in Starbucks, had a chai, did the crossword puzzle and read Prometheus Bound. I then met my manger, went to lunch, got introduced around the loop office and then was shown to my office at the Lincoln Park campus. There were more introductions and I was given the Staples catalogue to order things for my desk. I spent a long time deciding if I want black mesh desk accessories or black solid ones with rounded corners. I am going with the mesh because it fits my futuristic office furniture a little better.

Today I went in to my office and read over things for about an hour. I left at 10am to get to the Loop campus and meet my supervisor at 10:30. I was late. I have no idea how that happened but she told me that sometimes it can take up to 45min. Granted, I was only five min late but it didn’t make me feel too spiffy. We spent the morning going over departmental structure, my goals until June ’08 and the things our program is measured by. Then we started in on the Financial Literacy workshops that I will be teaching. We got through one before lunch. It is like the financial stuff I was teaching before but much more in-depth. After lunch we’ll go into the three others.

Things are looking pretty good. Everyone here is incredibly nice and welcoming. One of the guys the Lincoln Park office has a banjo. Monica would totally want to hang out with this guy. Although there is a ton to learn and not all that much time to learn it before I have to get out there and teach/supervise/create I think that I’m really going to enjoy it and that is a great feeling.

1. Make a list little Lars never seen a star/ Put his fans behind bars/ Can’t you see mp3 means you’re stealing from me/ you should have bought a Cd

2. Daddy’s ghost behind you/ sleeping dog beside you/ You’re a point of mystery/ You’re the prayer inside me

3. Does it make you happy to ignore me on streets/ I guess by now you think I’m weak/ I wish you could have said something before now

4. So I go/ Though it hurts me so/ I'm crying/ For your love

5. Girl I must warn you/ I sense something strange in my mind/ Situation is serious/ Let's do it cause we're running out of time. Poison, BBD. Identified by Monica.

A SPOOKY MEME

I found this meme over at Katrina's blog and just had to take it. I am like totally trying to get in the spirit.

1. What's the scariest movie you've ever seen?
Hands down it was the original Amityville Horror. That was easily the scariest thing ever created. It was based on a true story which made it even more terrifying. The new one was horrible, I fell asleep in the theater.

2. What was your favorite Halloween costume as a child?
Voltron, I was wicked awesome. I had a mask and a Blazing Sword that talked. I had big old shoulders made of cardboard.

3. Given enough money what would be your fantasy Halloween costume?
I really want Tony and I to go as Ernie and Bert because he is tall and I am short, I have a roundhead and he has a long one. It shouldn’t be that hard to do but since we love Ernie and Bert so much we would want it to be perfect and since I don’t have time to shop for the perfect striped sweaters or make a very very long paperclip chain I would want to hire someone to do this for us.

4. When was the last time you went trick-or-treating?
I want to say I was 14 or 15. I was far too old for it.

5. What is your favorite Halloween candy?
As far as traditional Halloween candy goes I would say candy corn. It is incredibly disgusting and tastes as if chalk were made of marshmallows but I still like it.

6. Tell us about a scary nightmare you once had.
Well the scariest are the nightmares about the Blue Meanies. If you want true horror click on the link. My first nightmare was of a HUGE monarch butterfly wearing high top turquoise Chuck Taylor’s stomping around my bed and looking at me. It sucked.

7. What is your supernatural fear?
The guy outside the window. He has a long long beard and fucked up teeth. He has wispy long falling off hair and he cackles. He looks like he spent way too long out at sea. I swear I have seen him outside my bedroom window many many times. The thing is that my bedroom is almost never on the first floor. He also doesn’t generally have a body.

8. What is your "creepy-crawly" fear?
Pede-like creatures are the worst of all creatures. You know em, those really fast centipede type creatures that can swim so you can't drown them in the toilet. Ugh.

9. Tell us about a time when you saw a ghost or heard something go bump in the night.
Other than the headless old man at the window I would have to say in the Marshall Field Music Building at SLC. It has always been said that the building is haunted. People would get trapped in practice rooms or other strange things would happen. The stories of where the ghost originated are vast and unconnected. One day I was in there with my sister and her friend Corey and I went into this dark back stairway for some reason. The door slammed shut on me (no one was around because they were on a different floor) and it wouldn’t open. It was pitch black and utterly terrifying. I pulled and pulled and pushed and twisted the knob but all in vain. Then it just swung open. Very strange.

10. Would you stay overnight in a real haunted house?
I might say that I would but if something real fucked happened I would be out the door.

11. Are you a traditionalist or a creative carver of your Jack-O'Lantern?
I haven’t carved a pumpkin in a really long time but I like to think that I would do something creative. Then again, I would probably try but not be happy with it and then just cut some triangles for eyes and a crooked mouth to cover up my errors.

12. How much do you decorate your house at Halloween?
None. That is for people with kids.

13. What do you want on your tombstone?
I don’t really expect to have one because I am going to live forever.

1. My dick costs a late night fee/ Your dick got the HIV/ My dick plays on the double feature screen/ Your dick went straight to DVD.

2. Slippin’ on through the sensors/ Trippin’ over rails and fences/ Slippin’ on through the sensors/ Made of the mist in the abyss.

3. I feel unhappy/ I feel so sad/ I’ve lost the best friend/ That I ever had.

4. I really know how it feels to be/ Stressed out stressed out/ when you’re face to face with your adversity

5. Sucking on my titties like you wanted me calling me/ all the time like Blondie/ Check out my chrissy behind it's fine

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEAD

I write about a lot of things on this blog but have noticed that in the 252 posts I have only mentioned my sister, Shoshana, in seven of them. I find that to be very odd. Maybe it is because I am so protective of her that I don’t want to put Shoshana stuff out there for everyone to see. Maybe it is just because when we talk it is often in code and doesn’t make sense to other people. Either way, I think today is a good time to talk about her because today she is one quarter of a century old.

I remember running down the hall when she was being born. I remember holding her afterward and just being amazed at how much she was like me. I don’t remember the actual birth, it was probably too gross to remember or maybe I wasn’t in the room for that part.

She was a horrible baby. She was huge and mean and would push me off our mother’s lap when we were both trying to sit on it. I still loved her though. She got better as she got older, more fun to play with and easier to push back. You can’t go around pushing a baby when you are three. It’s just not right. She had this impish quality to her face and her eyes were always twinkling with mischievous intent. That quality hasn’t entirely left her. There is nothing quite as worrisome as Shoshana with a glint in her eye and a cackle on her lips. It means she will probably want me to do something. Or else that she just farted. She loves farting and general crass behavior but I don’t think she realizes that most people don’t. A weird one is that Shoshana.

She is the only extrovert in a family of introverts and sometimes that makes her incredibly annoying. She has these urges to go out and do things and has the energy of a ten year old. I would rather sit on my ass most of the time. I will say, however, that when I go to visit her she brings out the doer in me and when she comes to visit me I bring out the sitting on the couch and watching TV in her.

Some of my favorite Shoshana memories were while we were on summer vacations. We would watch MTV and The Box for hours and hours. We would play games and run around the yard. I would cook burritos for us for lunch. I would try desperately to make home friend potatoes but didn’t quite understand how long a potato had to cook and over what heat. I always made her eat what I made. I got better. Those were the days. There were also the days years later when I would come home form college and pass out in bed only to awaken to her snuggled up next to me. It creeped me out and I wanted to kick her but Shoshana has never been one to go light on the affection and I knew she just missed me.

We were always very close, even when fighting. We could always count on each other for some good game playing or Lego building. If I wanted to play Lego tomorrow she would be the first one I would think of. Unfortunately, she lives across the country and I don’t get the chance very often.

For her age, Shoshana has done quite a bit. I usually don’t think of her achievements as all that special because she’s my stupid little sister and so what. She has taught High School, worked as a community organizer, designed a new High School that opened in The Bronx, and most recently up and moved to LA to join Americorp and work with Habitat for Humanity. She’s made a difference to so many people in her life and is working on influencing more. She may even become a firefighter. I still can’t keep a straight face when I think of that prospect but if it is what she really wants I am sure she will make it happen. That’s the kind of kid she is. I’m proud of her. Even though I rarely say it I hope she always knows.

1. If this world were mine/ I would place at your feet/ all that I own/ You’ve been so good to me
2. I prayed to/ Heaven today/ Bring its hammer down on me/ And pound you out of my head/ I can’t think with you in there

3. I spend the afternoon in cars/ I sit in traffic jams for hours/ Don’t push me I am not ok

4. Fish heads/ Fish Heads/ Rolly polly fish heads/ Eat them up yum. Fishheads, Barnes and Barnes. Identified by Johnny Yen.

5. I am intrinsically no good/ I have a heart that’s made of wood/ And I am only biding time/ Only reciting memorized lines. The Hem Of Your Garment, Cake. Identified by Brooke.

FROM ABOVE YOU IT DEVOURS

This morning I hopped out of bed, donned a robe, and stepped into the hallway. I was immediately greeted with a horrific thought. Winter is almost here. I know, I know, it is technically quite a way off and there is an entire season called fall before winter truly arrives. Regardless, I felt the biting sting of cold on my face, fingers, and feet and all I wanted to do was to crawl back into bed and cry.

It has been a really nice summer. I have enjoyed wonderful weather, most of it not annoyingly hot. I have had nice vacations and plenty of in the city fun. It has very likely been one of the better summers I have had in some time. Maybe that is the reason that I am so reluctant for it to end. It has simply been too nice. Maybe I have an even nicer fall and a stupendous winter ahead of me. I just don’t know. All I know was that it was cold. Like up at the cabin without proper clothing cold. Boo.

According to the seven-day forecast, there isn’t a single day about 70 in sight. I know it is September and I know I live in Chicago but it still doesn’t seem right. Why is it that 60 degree weather as we ease into fall feels so incredibly warm but as we leave summer it is so gosh darned cold.

On a happier note, I have decided to go to my High School reunion on the 22th. I am still a little mad at them that it is on Yom Kippur but oh well. I told the planning people very early on that I thought that was very rude being the highest of the High Holy days and all. They didn’t seem to care although someone did mention that they would bring it up to the planning committee. Such a thing would never happen in New York. Unfortunately, Tony won’t be coming with me. I would have liked to see him by my side but it just isn’t practical financially and it is a lot of family time all at once. Tony loves my family very much but they aren’t his family and three visits in a month is a lot for him. He also could care less about meeting people I went to high school with. I guess it is just that insecure teenage girl in me that wants to have a boyfriend. What a lame I am. I’ll be meeting up with some good friends beforehand for dinner and in all honesty hearing they were going to be getting together and them saying how great it would be if I came was my main motivation. We’ll see how it goes.

1. In one hand dreams a plenty/ In her smile a secret spell. In her blood disappointments/ These she knows oh too well.

2. I rap for listeners/ Bluntheads, fly ladies, and prisoners/ Hennessey holders and old school niggas then I’ll be dissin/ an unofficial that smoke woolie Thai/ I dropped out of Cooley High

3. It’s too good/ It’s too nice/ She makes me fingers too quick/ Is it love/ No not love/ She turns my sexual tricks

4. I miss you/ But I haven’t met you yet/ So special/ But it hasn’t happened yet

And a special song just for the birthday girl, FRIEND, Happy Birthday Friend! No one but Friend is allowed to name this song even if they know it and they really want to.

5. Now I’m just average common too/ I’m just like him the same as you/ I’m everybody’s brother and son/ I ain’t different than anyone/ Ain’t no use in talking to me/ Just the same as talking to you

BACK TO IT

Things seem to finally be getting back to normal. After my planned vacation I returned to work to hear that I was getting an unplanned vacation because the new office building we were moving into wasn’t ready. We were given three days off and asked to report in Friday the 31st at the new location. On Friday we worked for about half the day because things still weren’t really ready to go. When I came back to the office today I still had no power and no phone at my workstation.

Notice how I said workstation and not office? That is because I no longer have an office. Despite constant reassurances and the fact that my office was on the floor plan it no longer exists because there wasn’t room for it. There are, however, about 8 storage rooms and one empty office. The empty office is, I believe, an overflow area for the executive team to work in when their offices, the board room, and the executive work area just aren’t doing it. When I complained about this in an angry email I got called into the Deputy Director’s office and was told I was unprofessional. Huh. I would have thought it was unprofessional to neglect to tell an employee that they no longer have an office and let them find out when they go to tour the new facility, but maybe I am wrong.

When I came in this morning there was still no power and no phone. I helped unpack some other rooms and sat around until about 12:30 when I left with a co-worker for a nice long lunch. When I got back both the phone and the computer were on. Hooray. That means I can get back to the important things like my job and my blog. I start teaching my Customer Service class again next week. That should be awesome.

Over the holiday weekend my parents were in town for the Chicago Jazz fest. It was a great time. While they were here we listened to good music and ate good food. In fact, we even hit up The Gage where Johnny Yen works but I didn’t see anyone there that looked like him. The food was just as awesome as he says it is on his blog. YUM. It was so great to have them here, even though I just saw them the other week in Minneapolis. I love those guys.

At Jazz fest there were a couple of jerks and I love to talk about jerks on my blog. Jerk #1 was the no smoking lady. While I am a huge supporter of no smoking in areas where there are no smoking signs or where it is socially expected that no one light up, I am not a huge supporter of asking people not to smoke when there are none of those things going on; like at a free outdoor concert in the park. She first turned to some young folk and held up a fake cigarette to her lips while giving them a disapproving wag of the finger. It wasn’t just what she was doing but the way in which she was doing it that made me want to die. After they put their cigarettes out (nice kids because if it was certain folk I know they would have blown smoke in her face or used her head for an ashtray) she turned to a grown man a row in front of her. He looked at her like she had lost her mind so she went to security. The guard she approached was smoking, which was pretty funny. Although I couldn’t hear their conversation the security guard did a lot of shrugging and shaking her head while the lady waved her hands about and looked upset. On her way back the lady spoke to the smoking man again and he got up and left the seating area to finish his cigarette. This leaves me with a question, did she lie to the man or was he just fed up with her?

Then there was the self-important jerk sitting all alone in the row in front of my parents and I. This guy turned to some young people who appeared to be tourists from Japan who were sitting next to us and did the talking motion with his hands at them. They weren’t talking very loud because I couldn’t hear them and I was right there. In fact, my Mom and I had to be talking just as loud. He didn’t say anything to us though. Again, it is a free outdoor concert, get a life guy. Then some kids came and sat in the row in front of him despite the fact that he had five empty seats on one side of him and about seven on the other, he tapped one of the kids on the shoulder and asked if he would trade seats with his shorter friend so that this guy could see. The kicker is that they moved. Maybe I am an ass but I would have looked at him and said, “Why don’t you see if your view improves in one of the twelve empty seats surrounding you?” How rude.

To continue with things getting back to normal, here are some songs to guess.

1. I went all the way to Paris/ To forget your face/ Captured in stained glass/ Young lives long since past/ Statues of lovers everyplace

2. Tie yourself to me/ No one else knows/ You’re not rid of me/ No you’re not rid of me. Rid Of Me, PJ Harvey. Identified by Eve.

3. No you didn’t just leave/ I actually kicked you out/ I couldn’t hardly believe that the words came out my mouth. In The Way, Ani DiFranco. Identified by Brooke.

4. I don’t want to wait in vain for your love/ From the very first time I set my eyes on you girl/ My heart says follow through. Waiting in Vain, Bob Marley. Identified by Phil

5. Baby your magic is working/ I lose control of myself/ Whenever you are near me/ I feel myself changing/ From a guy thought too cynical for love into a hopeless romantic

IT'S ALL HAPPENING AT THE ZOO

I took Monday off of work so that Tony and I could go to the zoo, the Lincoln Park (free) Zoo to be exact. We haven’t been in a long time and zoo trips are one of our favorite things to do. Our first date was actually a picnic at and a walk through the zoo. There is something about animals that just makes the day brighter.

Every time I go to the zoo I get pushed by small children. I don’t stand right up next to the glass because even though I am incredibly short I am usually taller than the children running around the zoo. I think that by standing a little back from the glass I give them a chance to get close and see the action. They don’t seem to appreciate my courtesy. Instead, they push me aside. Why they would push me to the side when there is a perfectly good space right in front of me I may never figure out. I hate kids at the zoo.

Being a Monday, the zoo was slightly less crowded than our usual weekend trips. This was a good thing. There were far fewer children to push me. Being 90 degrees, the animals were all sleeping. That was a little disappointing. Regardless, I had some new zoo experiences.

New Experience #1: The Barn
We had heard there was a petting zoo and were very excited to be able to get there early enough to go to it. The thing was that as we walked around the barn area we saw no opportunities to pet animals. There was a mama pig with piglets scrambling for a teat but no way to pet them. There were cows with big eyes and wet noses but no way to pet them. There were sheep; wooly and sedate but still, no way to pet them. Then we came upon goats. There was a lady in the pen with them as well as some small children. Hooray!!! We could pet goats. We stood in line and asked if we could go in even though we were grown-ups. The lady said of course. We were only allowed to pet on the back and sides of the goat, not the head. It was fine. We would have preferred to feed the goats but that wasn’t an option. We washed our hands and head out.

New Experience #2: The Polar Bear
I have been to the zoo many many times. I have never seen the Polar Bear. I had come to believe that the Polar Bear probably didn’t exist. The only proof I had was the bear shaped footprints in the grime at the bottom of the bear pool. Those could have easily been placed with a fake paw. However, as we rounded the corner I spotted it. A big white bear splayed across the rocks, apparently fast asleep. I didn’t care that it was sleeping. I knew it existed. I was also entertained by this interaction

Lady 1: Look a big white bear
Lady 2: It’s supposed to be black though
Lady 1: Really?
Lady 2: Yeah, the bear is black. It’s just his fur that is white.
Me and Tony: Awesome

New Experience #3: The Red Panda
I was very excited about the new Red Panda (which isn’t really a bear at all) that the zoo recently acquired. They are easily one of the most perfect looking animals around. They couldn’t get much cuter. I knew it was supposed to be by the cats but we couldn’t find it. Then, we went around the back of the cathouse. We found the cage marked “Red Panda”. We didn’t see the thing. That’s ok though. It will be like my new Polar Bear. I’ll have to go back to the zoo over and over again and try to get a glimpse of him. When I do spot him, I will do all in my power to take him home. For now I, like you, will have to be satisfied with a picture.



1. You snake/ You crawled/ Between my legs/ Said want it all/ It’s yours you bet.

2. Who loves the sun/ Who cares that it makes plants grow/ Who cares what it does since you broke my heart. Who Loves The Sun, The Velvet Underground. Identified by Monica.

3. I am just a new boy/ Stranger in this town/ Where are all the good times/ Who’s going to show this stranger around

4. And I tell you everything/ And hope that you won’t tell on me/ Not give you anything/ And know that you won’t tell on me

5. Well there’s a light in your eye that keeps shining/ Like a star that can’t wait for the night/ I hate to think I’ve been blinded, Baby. Why can’t I see you tonight?

EARLY HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND NATALIE IS A STUPID

Today a horrible thing happened. My iPod was slightly destroyed. I think that I will be able to fix it but I am slightly nervous. Lakeiya’s (you can see all posts that include Lakeiya here and the most important one that indroduces her here) last day at the office is today, “sob, cry, wail,” and I made her three CDs to send her off on her way. One is full of soul, one is bubbly happy and fun, and the other isfull of really good songs. They are great CDs. I hope she enjoys them half as much as I do. I wanted to make sure the playlists were on my iPod so that I could enjoy them. I wasn’t sure if they were getting added properly so I synced them to the iPod. MISTAKE!!! It erased everything but those playlists. I should certainly know better but I was half asleep and it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Of course my iTunes library is still intact. However, there are some songs on there that I can’t play in iTunes for reasons unknown. It can’t find the source file or something. Anyway, I think I can still put them on the iPod but I’m not sure. I know I can’t put them on CDs. I am so worried. All my Wesly Willis might be lost. Much of me Belle and Sebastian is also in that same boat. I’ll have to wait until I get home to be sure but keep your fingers crossed for me and for my shuffle game. One good thing to come out of it is that I can now clean up my iPod and get rid of all the crap that ended up on it.

Tomorrow my Blog will be one year old. It also happens to be Lakeiya's birthday. I don’t typically post on Saturdays and tomorrow will probably not be an exception to that rule. Because of that, I wanted to give this page a happy birthday a little bit early. Thanks to everyone for reading and commenting and making this a happy page. It has become more than something to do to keep me from being bored. It has become something I enjoy and has grown and has allowed me to be introduced to some interesting people. Happy Birthday to you, my Almost Interesting friend and to you my Certainly Interesting but Soon Departing friend.

The one unguessed song from this week:
These are the games that we employ/ I am a girl and you’re a boy/ No matter what you said to me/ I didn’t have the energy. happens to be “The Chair That Squeaks,” by The Rapture. I wouldn’t have known it either.

MOIST DOGS AND BEER

There is nothing like having a day off in the middle of the week to throw off your schedule. I am now wondering why I didn’t think to take today and tomorrow as vacation days. It would have made so much sense. Maybe I’ll take Monday? Maybe not.

I’m not complaining. I was happy to have the 4th off of work. It is what was supposed to happen. It allowed for some BBQing and that is something that I don’t get to experience too often. Our apartment has a very small back “porch” type area and we aren’t allowed to grill. There was a plethora of fantastic food to be had and more beer was drank that probably should have been possible. For most of the day there were seven people there. Three more showed up later but they didn’t drink much at all. I think there were 60 beers purchased and at least 50 were drunk. That comes to around 7 or so beers a person. It doesn’t seem possible that I drank that much because I barely felt a buzz but I also usually had a beer. I was there for 8 hours. I suppose anything is technically possible.

One thing that really can’t be beat is grilled corn on the cob. Corn was the real motivation for the BBQ. Other foods are just dandy but not much beats the deliciousness of a hot fresh off the grill butter covered cob of grilled corn sprinkled generously with chili powder. That’s the stuff to use people. Salt is for suckers. The meat eaters brought some meat and the boys from Ohio were pretty adept at grill-mastering. That meant that Jamie, our usual and “competent” grill-master got to spend more time chillin'. That’s how it should be.

There were dogs there. Jamie has a French Bulldog and Jaclyn has a Boston Terrier. The two are tremendous friends. They romp and play and are easily the most entertaining thing at any gathering. Unfortunately, their playing leaves them both relatively moist, what with the biting and licking and all, and they like to play underfoot. I am a little freaked out sometimes by moist dog. I know they don’t go around peeing on themselves but you never know. They had a whole yard to romp in and they romped under our feet on the patio. We moved the table into the yard to catch some shade (which terrified me because I know the yard gets poopy) and they romped under our feet in the yard when there was a whole patio to romp on. Dogs are funny. What attention whores they are.

Sometime soon I am going with Monica to find her a doggie. I am really looking forward to it. I am also looking forward to the day when Tony and I can get a dog. We have to get a different apartment first (I am 90% sure) and that is sad because our place is the absolute best. It has a dishwasher. Tat might not be major to some of you but that is big stuff to me. I’ve never had a dog. Tony has. I have my perfect dog in mind but Tony is more of the just find a good one and take it home type of guy. Because of my allergies I think I can be a little pickier and get the dog of my dreams. I hope I hope I hope I can get one eventually. How cute would I be walking this thing around? The Welsh Corgi is my friend. I would take a Cardigan (with tail) or a Pembroke (no tail see above). They are both utterly adorable.

Song 1 is the only one left after the first shuffle. Katrina is one the right track with Green Day. That should bring out the title.

1. Something’s on my mind/ It’s been for quite some time/ This time I’m on to you. Fuck Off and Die (F.O.D), Green Day. Identified by Monica.

2. I got a letter form the DMV the other day/ I opened it read it/ It said they were suckers/ They tried to tell me that my license was suspended/ I got offended for a minute then pretended. Mr. Officer, The Pharcyde. Identified by Monica.

3. I think I’ll walk to the moon/ I don’t think I’ll be back soon/ I’ll take some water and time/ And I’ll be fine/ Yes, I’ll be fine

4. Mommy had/ A little baby/ There he is/ Fast asleep/ He’s just/ a little plaything/ Why not/ Wake him up. Stay Up Late, Talking Heads. Identified by Mom.

5. There lived a certain man in Russia long ago/ He was big and strong in his eyes a flaming glow/ Most people looked at him with terror and with fear/ But to Moscow chicks he was such a lovely dear.

LENTIL SALAD WITH MINT, RED PEPPER, AND FETA

Junior year of college I switched to a reduced meal plan. I still had a few meals from the school but most were going to be home cooked. It was the thing to do since I had a kitchen and Brooke was off campus and Jaclyn’s dorm was accessible by car or bus so I couldn’t eat with them. I didn’t have too many other friends that I would actually want to eat with. What a loser. So I got a mini fridge for my room (because no one should leave their food accessible to the crazies I lived with that year) and made food that would last a long time.

When reading Danielle’s Meatless Monday post, I was reminded of this salad that sustained me for many many many meals that year. Maybe I had it for too many meals because I haven’t had it in ages but it is so incredibly delicious that I wonder why. Maybe the reason is that somewhere along the way I lost my recipe notebook. Jaclyn’s favorite lentil rosemary and potato soup is lost forever. I bet I could recreate it though, any maybe I should.

Anyway, here is lentil salad with mint, red pepper, and feta. It is yet another very garlicky recipe so those of you who don’t like garlic can leave any or all of it out but it does taste good in there. If you are going to leave some out I would suggest the pressed garlic in the dressing because the cloves that get cooked with the lentils will become very subtle and mild. This would be a great dish to bring to all those BBQs you are planning on going to this weekend.

-1 cup dry lentils
-3 bay leaves
-4 whole garlic cloves, peeled and bruised
-1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-4 tbsp red wine vinegar
-Juice of 1/2 lemon
-2 garlic cloves, pressed
-1tsp ground cumin
-salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
-1 small red onion, diced
-1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
-3 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
-½ cup feta cheese crumbled
-¼ cup Kalamata olives pitted and diced

-Pick over the lentils so you don’t eat any rocks. Wash the lentils and place in a large saucepan with the bay leaves, bruised garlic, and oregano.
-Cover with water by a few inches. Bring to boil, turn down the heat and simmer, uncovered for about 30 minutes, or until tender. The garlic should be mushy at this point so when you toss the salad it will mush in nicely and leave a mild garlic flavorMix
-Drain, remove bay leaves, and cool for about 30 minutes.
-While cooling, place olive oil, vinegar, pressed garlic, lmon juice, and cumin in a small bowl.
-Toss the vinaigrette with the lentils, onions, red pepper
-Let sit for 20 minutes.
-Taste and season as needed with additional spices if needed
-Add mint, feta, and olives. Stir together.
-Serve as is or over a bed of baby spinach or your favorite greens.
Enjoy

This salad keeps very well. I would usually make a double serving and eat it for an entire week.

1. They call me the wild rose/ But my name was Eliza Day/ Why they call me it I do not know/ For my name was Eliza Day. Where The Wild Roses Grow, Nick Cave. Identified by Jamie.

2. Cecelia/ You’re breaking my heart/ You’re shaking my confidence daily. Cecilia, Simon and Garfunkel. Identified by Mom.

3. Do you feel like a chain store/ practically floored/ One of many zeros/ Kicked around bored. Coffee and TV, Blur. Identified by Jamie.

4. Wish you gave me your number/ Wish I could call you today/ Just to hear a voice/ I got a long way to go/ I'm getting further away

5. Long Long Long Long time ago/ Before the wind before the snow/ lived a man lived a man I know/ Lived a freak of nature named Sir Psycho. Sir Psycho Sexy, Red Hot CHili Peppers. Identified by Danielle

IN WHICH NATALIE WONDERS WHAT TO DO

As you readers know, Tony and I love us some TV. We like all types of things on TV. However, Tony recently decided that it was an overload of media and that he was sick of it. I don’t blame him. I was kind of sick of it too. We now have to find other things to do. As this has only really been going on for a few days we have been ok. As the week progresses we may run out ofother things to do. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Keep in mind that all things have to be completely free.

The first night we painted. Our first x-mas together one of Tony’s presents was a painting I did. I promised that it was the first in a series of three and that he would get the next one either for his birthday or Christmas the next year. Two Birthdays and two Christmases later, he still only has one painting. The beginning of the second has been done for close to 7 months but I haven't ever finished it. Now it is 95% done. To finish I need masking tape, I don’t have any. I’m broke. The soonest it can be finished is Friday. My sister got me a nice set of paints for Christmas and there was a small matboard included so Tony used it to paint a picture of Mr. Snodgrass, our plecostomus. It is a very nice picture.

Yesterday we played a game of scrabble. Usually I can get Tony to play two in a row but yesterday was not one of those days. We also played a fair amount of Bully, our current video game. We realize a video game is a lot like TV but it isn’t the same. Bully is funny and fun. Tony also suggested that we write a children’s book. We started. It was tons of fun. We work very well together and aren’t offended when the other doesn’t agree with where the story is going.

We undoubtedly have a lot more we can do with our story, we can probably play a few more games of scrabble and are only 43% finished with Bully. However, I don’t know how long this aversion to television will last. It is getting nice outside so we can go for walks more often. Tonight he is planning to go buy a bike (thanks Mom) so he can ride around all day. I hate biking so I won’t be joining him in that activity.

I can’t help but think we will need a few more things to do. We are creative people but can only clean the house, play with artistic expression, and beat up those who try to control us so much before we run out of things to do. So what do you do? I know there are some non TV addicts out there. Let’s hear some ideas.

Sweet Leaf, Black Sabbath- So here is the thing. This song is freaking awesome. I feel bad about how opposed I was to Black Sabbath because I associated them with metal and associated metal with hair metal. I’m glad I got over that.

Black Sunshine, Me Phi Me- Some people will see this and laugh hysterically. Others will say, Me Phi Me, what the hell is that? Both are totally valid responses. The invalid response would probably be to say “Me Phi Me, I totally dig them too.”

Swing, Ani DiFranco- The easiest way to ruin a great song is to put a really bad rap at the end of it. The fastest way to ruin anything is, in fact, bad rap. However, if you are at the Radio-Television Correspondents' Association Dinner this rule does not apply. In that case, bad rap is exactly the thing to get the party started.

WHAT ARE WE LIVING FOR?

With Tony’s help, I got the glass out of my foot last night. It was a team effort of hot bowls of water, sterilized needles, and patience. I can walk with much less pain now. I can’t believe I walked around with that glass in my foot for so long. I honestly thought it was out of my foot and I was just having residual pain. Boy was I wrong. That was a big old piece of glass. I wonder why it was so hard to find before? I mean maybe it was just working its way out and was closer to the surface than it was Wednesday. Either way I’m feeling frisky and fine.

My Mom sent me pictures from Christmas. I thought about putting a few of them up but since I don’t have permission I will put up one of just me. This is me putting up one of the Natalie ornaments. I have two like this. One I think my parents got and one my grandparents but I could be wrong. It is a festive ball with a snowy sled scene and the year of my birth, 1979. There is one Shoshana ornament that says 1982. For some reason hers is pink and mine are blue. I don’t think it has anything to do with me being a boy though. Shoshana and I also have sled shaped ornaments with our names embroidered on them in Hebrew. We are diverse and stuff.

While I was looking at the Christmas pictures I started thinking that it would be nice to have a house like theirs and how I probably never will. Even if I am eventually able to buy someplace to live in Chicago, I doubt it will be a nice old house like theirs. I just don’t think I’ll be able to afford it. That got me thinking more about where I want to be in life and what is really important. Do I even care enough about Chicago to buy something here? The answer is that I really don’t know. I am pretty ambivalent to Chicago. I like it fine but don’t love it. When I think of places to move New York always comes up but I’d be even less likely to find a home for myself there and I do want a home of some sort so New York is somewhat out of the question. When I was driving around Minneapolis there were so many condos and homes for sale and the prices were so reasonable. It kind of pissed me off. Not that the places were anything I could afford but they were reasonable and big. Not that I really want to move back to Minneapolis. To get the kind of space I always pictured myself having I would have to go somewhere I don’t particularly want to be, namely the South. I’m not moving down South.

I guess maybe I just have to reevaluate my priorities and really decide what it is that I want. Do I want to stay here? Do I want to move somewhere else? Do I want a house with a yard? Can I even have one if I want it? All these questions are just too much sometimes. It seems like something a grown-up should decide. Which, of course, is me but that isn’t the point. I guess I just always thought that things would be a lot easier than they turned out to be. Maybe most people did. Maybe if I had made different choices things would have been easier. The question is would I be happier in that easy life? What would I have to complain about? Obviously everyone has problems of some sort so I guess there would be plenty to keep my mind occupied.
I was just talking to one of my students who was talking about how ready he is to be an adult and I thought back to myself at 20 and realized I thought I was ready to be an adult too. I thought I was an adult. At 27 I feel less adult than I did at 20. I wonder why that is? I certainly know more and am a more mature and reasonable human being. What is it then that makes someone feel truly grown up? Will I ever feel that way? I really hope so. I get that we can always learn and grow as people but at some point I would like to be able to confidently assert my adultness. Maybe that is something that solidifies with children. I guess I think it would be better to have children when I already have a firm grasp on adulthood. Maybe I am asking too much. I know I have a while before kids anyway. I think maybe I need to do some goal setting. I haven’t formally set any goals for myself since graduating from college. I have had ideas and made plans but never any real lofty goals that I could work for every day of my life and feel great about accomplishing. I tend to shy away from goals and always have. Maybe it’s because I don’t want to not achieve them. I generally achieve the really important things. Huh. Something to think about.

Something else to think about is why I want to feel settled down and grown up in the first place. Is it some innate human desire or is it just the way I am wired. Does everyone feel the need to nest? To what degree do people experience these needs and are some people more apt to nest than others? Who knows?

Let the shuffle decide.

Prenzlauerberg, Berlin- I discovered this band on the blog of someone who I unfortunately don’t remember at all. I feel kind of bad about that. Either way this "Gulag Orkestar" album of theirs is pretty freakin good. Then again I have no idea what their lyrics are about although some of them do seem to be in English, maybe. I hope I’m not listening to some awful stuff.

October Sky, Isobel Campbell- Oh why did she ever leave Belle and Sebastian? I know she put out a great album but then what? Why not stay with the coolest band ever and just go do a little side project? People do that all the time. Oh well. Belle and Sebastian don’t seem to have suffered all that much from her loss. I feel like I know this song. Does anyone else know a song called October Sky that has no words and is rather jazzy?

Executioner of Love, The Dirtbombs- I don’t think I have ever heard of this band before. It kind of reminds me of “Heaven On My Mind” meets “Paranoid” meets “And I Love Her”. That is actually not a bad description. I thought it may have got out of hand but now I think I was pretty right on.

2007 HAS ARRIVED

It feels oddly normal to be back at work. Seems almost like the last week never happened. Sometimes travel does that to me. There is something very surreal about not doing what you normally do. Maybe this doesn’t happen for people who don’t work the 9-5, maybe it does. I’m not sure. I just know it happens to me. There wasn’t enough time of vacation to have it feel like my normal life so instead it feels like it never happened. Let me quickly sum up vacation. Ok came back here at end of post, this is not going to be quick at all, sorry. Damn my long windedness.

Minneapolis was wonderful. I saw family and friends of family (although not all the friends I would have liked to see) and we had good times. We had good times Christmas Eve when the Jews in the family came over and we ate copious amounts of snacky wonderment (hummus, bean dips (mild and hot), cheese plate (mmm cheese brie in particular), olive varieties, broccoli pie, veggies and dip) and get festive. The fact that we made broccoli pie specifically because my youngest cousin hates broccoli was particularly great. The next day, we continued to have good times despite the fact that Christmas was ruined. See, Daddy had the nerve to get up and go downstairs before Shoshana and I woke him up and said he could. Mom kind of let us tell her when she could come downstairs but wasn’t really having it. Didn’t matter, Daddy had already ruined Christmas. Actually, I ruined it because I was up and on the phone with Tony (or maybe I was reading because it would have been early for him but I really think I was on the phone) when I heard Dad get up and go downstairs. If I had any sense, the second I woke up I would have got my Sister and we would have woken our parents and had a proper Christmas morning. Maybe it is odd for a 27 and a 24 year old to wake up their parents for Christmas in the first place. We had wonderful breakfast at the Christmas Cafe and then enjoyed presents. Eventually, we made our way to a friend of Shoshana’s house for a party and drove around looking at a few lights since we hadn't had time on Christmas Eve because of watching Figure Skating and cooking and stuff. We returned home at about 10pm to make the Christmas Pizzas, which were delicious although not ready until midnight in true Daniels fashion. Despite being ruined, Christmas was great fun.

I returned to my home late Tuesday night after a delayed flight and the fact that they left a baggage cart with my bag on it (and about 1/5 of the rest of the flights bags too) on the runway and decided that I was going to splurge on a cab home because no way was I getting on the train for 2 hours at that point. Cab wasn’t cheap but was much needed. I was very happy to see Tony and open the adorable gift bag his mom left me.

Wednesday morning disaster struck. I was making breakfast after being horribly woken by Peapod delivering the wrong kind of gift certificates, when I pivoted my heel right on top of a piece of glass in the kitchen. I felt it screw into my foot and knew I was in trouble. It was in a place I just couldn’t reach and Tony was sleeping. When he did try to get it out there was no finding the thing. Maybe it was already out? Maybe it bored so deep into my foot three was no finding it? I debated the Dr. but knowing that they just dig around in the foot and may or may not find the glass I decided against it. I decided to simply stay in bed. I had planned to spend my vacation in bed anyway and with the new RF modulator my folks got me I could even play video games and hook up the long since useless DVD player. Bed was good. Warm soakings of the foot were good. Dressings of the wound were good. I was calm.

Friday I was coaxed out of bed to spend Best Buy gift cards and look for a furniture piece for the kitchen and buy some groceries. We were hungry. Got my foot bound up tight and set out into the world. Bought a bunch of games at Best Buy and some snacks to eat on the way to the grocery store. Didn’t tell the sales associate that he didn’t ring up one of the games. Started to say something but Tony looked at me like a crazy person. I remembered that the gift cards would no longer cover the cost if he rung up the game (something we were already aware of but had accepted), remembered I was poor and decided to keep my mouth shut. I obviously still feel a wee bit bad about the whole thing. Realize that I am probably lame for that. Foot started to hurt a little cause of the glass and the walking and all that. Was happy to be hom and have food to eat. Dave came over to make us dinner because he had left his pan at our house at Thanksgiving time. That was cool.

Saturday spent in bed/couch again playing new games. Sunday spent in couch/bed as long as possible then went off to Dave E. Wo’s fantastic New Year’s Gala. Brought him his pan. He tried to make us arrive earlier with threats that all food would be gone otherwise but we didn’t believe him and there was plenty of food to be had at 11 when we arrived. In true Wo fashion we had to then walk to the beach to watch “fireworks” for the New Year. Now Fireworks are at Navy Pier and Soldier Field about 500N and 500S respectively (I’m guesstimating don’t get all down on me people who live here) Dave lives at about 5600N (again a guess) so the point is that although you can see the fireworks they are miniscule. Also in true people I know fashion we were running late so the group is running down to the beach with a almost able to walk Natalie and her trusty Tony lagging behind. If he hadn’t been there I probably would have had to stop and cry because I was so far behind everyone. It did allow for a more private turning of midnight though which was nice. We caught up with everyone about 12:02 or so and had some champagne. After returning to Dave’s he made pizza (I knew food wouldn’t be missed) and we hung out until about 2 when we went home. Note to self, cabs home from Dave’s w/tip are under $10 don’t stress about it if you are there late you can handle that.

Yesterday was spent back in bed/couch and today my foot is 98% normal. Hooray! However, that doesn’t mean I didn’t have signs that this year may not be fantastic. The first sign was that at about 4am this morning, after a week of no alarm sleeping bliss I sat straight up and had to sneeze uncontrollably. Then I thought about hw the alarm would eventually go off. Then I couldn’t sleep at all and kept having to sneeze. Someone’s body didn’t want to go to work this morning. After my morning pee I thought I was going to have to call the ambulance. Then I remembered that before peeing I had emptied out my soggy cereal and milk in the toilet so I wasn’t having a serious medical emergency. Merely a serious lapse in memory. So this year I am predicting will be full of not wanting to go to work and scaring myself for no reason. Oh, before anyone thinks of asking, I have no resolutions. Happy 2007.

Dumb, Nirvana- Man I like this song like it was 1997 even though it came out way before that. Can you believe that was 10 years ago? I can't. I was all little and shit then. Thought I was grown. Now I think I was dumb.

Doomsday, MF Doom- When I was at home playing Marvel Ultimate Alliance with Dad I thought a lot about MF Doom. Why? Cause we were battling Dr. Doom of course. Duh. I love MF Doom's mask and the music is pretty good too.

Swing, Ani DiFranco- Ok so my beef with this song is probably the same as everyone's. It is such a fantastic song and then she goes with that whole rap thing and the guy comes in and it suddently sucks. You had to get the single to get a version without that mess. I suppose I could download it and replace the crappy album version with the better one on my iPod. Sounds like a lot of work.

A STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS

If they say I am Ulysses why not embrace it.

Can’t blog. Tummy hurts. Eyes droopy. Christmas party at work last night was fun. Drank plenty. Sang songs. After stomach weakened by chicken plenty of drinking became too much drinking. Had to lie down under desk like Costanza. Luckily most people were gone by then. Made Tony come downtown to take me home. Good thing he likes me or I would have slept under my desk. Everyone would be like “didn’t you have on that bright green and white dress yesterday?” I would say no and try to fool them. I would fail. Today work is hard. Tummy hurts and head hurts. Ate piece of cornbread, took 4 hours. Department is going out to dinner in 30min. I can’t eat anything. Will have delicious water. MMMMM water. Going to see Rocky Balboa tonight with Tony and his best bud Ryan. Should be suckingly awesome. Tony and Ryan love Rocky. I never saw a single Rocky movie until living with Tony. Now I have seen them all, some more than once. It’s ok, now he has seen a bunch of musicals. None more than once though but he does often think about watching Fiddler On The Roof. He loves that movie. Everyone loves that movie. It’s really good. All evens out. Sister is at home with parents. I will be there soon. I will eat nachos at The Good Earth. Best nachos ever. I don’t even care because food sounds awful. Other work people are drinking the leftover alcohol from yesterday. Asked me to join. Shook my head no way. Maybe a little sip would take the edge off. I can’t even think about it. Sounds awful. Must keep blogging to pass time until leaving for dinner I can’t eat at. Will get something and take it home. Maybe I will be able to eat later. I love food. I want a nap. I hope I don’t sleep through Rocky Balboa. I almost fell asleep today in a meeting I didn’t even have to go to. I didn’t though. Tomorrow is the last day of working until next year. I love that. I can’t wait to not be at work working. Non-profits are cool cause you get long breaks. At least you do at this one. Sometimes, if Christmas is at the right time, we get almost two weeks off. That is freaking awesome. My sister’s bag got lost at the airport. In it were all the presets. I hope they find the bag because I like presents. I like my sister more though. I’m glad they didn’t lose her. Once my suitcase got lost and I had to wait days for it to arrive. I didn’t have anything to wear and Cho-Cho was missing. I was pissed. At least I got to shop. There is shitty shopping in New Haven. There is shitty everything in New Haven. What a crappy place. I had fun there. I am sleepy. I hear it is about to snow in Minneapolis. I hope that it doesn’t snow so much that I won’t be able to fly there on Saturday. That would really make me sad. I like my family. I like Christmas traditions. The only ones I can think of right now are about food. I wonder if the tree is already decorated or if they are waiting for me. They don’t have to. I know you’ll read this Mom. You don’t have to wait for me. You can if you want to. I know you don’t care but Shoshana will have a fit because she will want me to put those silly silver beads on my head and prance around like an idiot. She will want to sing “This Christmas” over and over. I love Shoshana. She asked if she should wait for me to get there before going to eat nachos. She is a good sister. Christmas morning we will have the Christmas Cafe for the parents. Sister and I will be rude waitresses and yell at them and make them a delicious breakfast. When we were little and started the Christmas Cafe we had menus and they were all festive. Now we just go in the kitchen open the fridge and yell out what we can make. We are assholes. Maybe I’ll think of a delicious breakfast to prepare and parents won’t be subjected to such awfulness. Maybe I won’t. Why am I thinking of food so much. My tummy feels awful. Maybe it is because I am actually very hungry but know that I can’t eat anything because it will be bad for everyone involved. I have to write about food instead and eat vicariously through my words. Christmas dinner will be delicious. We make pizzas and fudge. Pizza is really good. I should be thinking of delicious pizzas to make. I should send parents a list of things to buy. I don’t even know why I am thinking about pizza because I never make pizza, only Shoshana and Mom do. I like to cook but they were the ones to make Christmas pizza fist and it just stayed that way. Mom and Shoshana you should make a pesto pizza with things like sun dried tomato and spinach and garlic and mushrooms and kalmata olives and feta MMMMM feta. Oh it sounds so delicious. I am so hungry. I feel so awful. It is now 15min until time to go order food I can’t eat. This is going to be fun.

Jello Biafra, Wesley Willis- When Tony and I went to see Jello Biafra he played a lot of Wesley Willis. They were friends. Jello kind of discovered Wesley if I remember it right. I used to think Jello was the black guy in the Dead Kennedys but he isn’t. Tony laughed at me when I told him that. What kind of white guy is called Jello Biafra?

Take Me Out, Franz Ferdinand- Man there was a time when I couldn’t get enough of this song. The video for it was on The N all the time after Degrassi and there were legs stomping everywhere and it was so wonderful and fun.

Ferocious, They Ponys- I don’t think I have ever heard this song before. I kind of like it but I don’t love it. That’s all I have to say about that.