I Miss The Kids in the Hall

My cousin-in-law is getting back into KITH. Enjoy!

The Best Cookies Ever

Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprints

Happy Hanukkah!

I'm all done with my Xmas shopping. How about you? I also picked up menorah candles at CVS that were a complete gyp. They last an hour until melting down to the nub which is kinda the exact opposite of why Hanukkah is celebrated. It's the $5.99 box of blue and white candles at CVS on their token Jew end-cap. Don't buy them!

Work has been going really well. We have a new hire who started last month so I'm not the new kid of the block anymore. Plus, since we have a newbie, I'm being assigned new projects/jobs! In general, I really like the people I work with. The only two speed bumps are my boss and one co-worker. This past week, I had an awesome realization - that if I don't get defensive and/or take my ego out of the situation, dealing with my boss is so much easier. Most of the time when I instinctively feel like she's talking down to me, she's just reasoning things out aloud for herself. And she messes up like normal humans too! Granted I felt like I had taken a crazy pill before I realized, "Wow, boss lady is SO WRONG!" The other co-worker is just a hurdle work-ethic wise. He's incredibly lazy, a slow learner, and is a bit clueless about office politics. One morning I was trying to update a database that someone had left open on their computer while they went to a meeting. Sir Clueless suggested that I just over to this other workers cubicle and pull the power cord on his computer. Scary, no?

Health-wise, I've lost over 5lbs since Thanksgiving just through watching what I eat and cutting out the crap. I also think the prenatal vitamins are finally having an effect on my hair. Woohoo! Additionally, I discovered spray nasal decongestant and it is phenomnenal.

The MBTA Princess: A Haiku

Dolce and Gabbana
Dirty looks with a jostle
That ring is fake, bitch

The Holidays: This is Why I Drink

A couple weeks ago, I decided to be alcohol-free for the holidays. My main reasons were health and economics. Because quite seriously folks, most of the major holidays over the past several years can be remembered through a haze of wine when I said X amount of inappropriate things. I figured this year I'm 33 and should be able to deal with my family in a healthy sober manner.

I was very, very wrong. One aunt was very interested in why I wasn't drinking at Thanksgiving and I tried to answer her nonchalantly. She gave me her tips on not overdoing it (this is the aunt who can be counted on embarrassing all her children at the holidays). Then, I made a lame stirrup pants joke to a cousin who was so offended she sulked the entire meal - she's 29 people. Somehow, after the meal, I shocked another cousin with the "news" that I had converted to Judaism which became some huge uncomfortable discussion in which I thought my grandfather called another family member a "JAP". Meanwhile, my raging anti-Semitic uncle was looking at me with disgust. You can see how my Thanksgiving was not the mature communal holiday that I had imagined. In my family, drinking brings about two possible outcomes: wildly inappropriate/hilarious talk or license to be an asshole.

Come the Xmas Eve family celebration, I will be drinking!

Time to Cut to the Hair of the Matter

I am taking prenatal vitamins not to get pregnant but to hopefully combat my rapidly thinning hair. It really started to get bad over the summer when I noticed, gee I can see a lot more of my scalp than usual. I thought it was just the contrast of growing out my dark roots against my pale skin. A couple weeks ago, I went to a hair salon for the first time in about a year. The stylist told me that I am getting really thin around my crown and recommended prenatal vitamins or rogaine. After checking with my doctor, I went on prenatal vitamins. She said that nothing should really happen and giving the vitamins a try won't hurt. Eventually, I should get a blood work-up and/or see a dermatologist. On top of the vitamins, I have been trying this stuff. It is offered as a free trial, but in the fine print they will charge you about $90 for the next shipment so make sure you cancel your "membership" ASAP! I like the smell and how it makes my hair feel but no miracles yet. Of course there are a bunch of styling tricks to make my hair look fuller - like parting it on the side. The funny thing is once I was made aware of this problem, I noticed a bunch of women on the T with thinning hair. So I don't feel so alone!

The Scar I Forgot

This morning I got a paper cut on my left index finger. As I was looking at the slice on my finger, I noticed this pale white blotch right next to it. It is a scar from high school that I had completely forgotten about. BTW, I have a bunch of scars on me because I didn't bother to get stitches.

So, this scar on my left index finger happened one morning in high school as I was getting ready to go to school. I was pissed about something or other and I was combing through my closet for an outfit to wear. I grabbed a hangar wrong and somehow the hooked part of a wire hangar embedded its tip in my finger. When I took the hangar out of my finger, a nice chunk of flesh came with it. I was still pissed, so I just slapped a band aid on the hole in my finger and went to school. Don't you just love teenage anger and drama? I'm sure I went through the day feeling like the person I was pissed at caused my injury. Oh to be 16...