The update

It seems like it's been a while since I made a substantial update. Probably because of that whole finals thing. I took my time -- a week per paper -- and it was, kind of nice. Granted, I could have cut this down to one week, but then I would have needed to work fairly constantly, isolated myself in the disgusting germy library, etc... So instead, I wrote around 4-5 pages a day (after a day or two of research/outlining). And I took copious breaks, during which I patroled ebay, kept up with the feminist & leftie blogosphere, watched the Daily Show online, and watched some really horrible daytime tv. The only worthwhile thing I gained from watching tv was a recipe involving squash. And as everyone in frequent contact with me knows, winter squash is my new favorite food. Anyway, it was a recipe claiming to combine nutrition w/ taste (specifically for people with conditions/infections that prevent being able to taste very well, so eating veggies is, apparently, even less palatable a task). So it's simple, too: sauteed kale w/ cranberries and a dash of salt in winter squash. I used swiss chard instead. And it was good.

I hardly remember what I last did a major update about... I had people over for a nostalgic evening of Rudolph claymation (I feel like I said this already? probably)... And EM & L. hosted a game night -- probably the first time I've stayed up till 3 am playing Taboo, charades, & scattergories. I acted out "I love big butts and I cannot lie" -- luckily my teammates were incredibly intuitive and connected a song with 8 words, my pointing to myself, making a grandiose gesture, and slapping my ass, before the point at which I would have reached desperation and attempted the wiggle dance.

The next morning I was a bit, you know, late in getting up. But it was too depressing to skip the farmer's market again, so I biked over in record time. Beautiful & sunny day. And going to the market late has its own perks: like extra root vegetables for the same price, & discounted broccoli... I'm determined to better know the difference between these mysterious tubers. So I'm going to make a veggie stew -- so when Andrew arrives tomorrow I can like, feed him real food. Because I don't want him eating whatever the airports are dishing out.

Last night, in celebration of having my paper actually written, I took a trip to the shopping plaza. I've been wanting something to put in my bathroom. The thing is freaking huge. I could seriously fit an armchair in there. So something needed to be done, preferably something that would hold the towels that don't fit on the racks. Ross to the rescue: with yet another wicker basket. Maybe someday I'll replace it with a little table.

Then I headed to TJ's. Where I stocked up on baking supplies, dairy, etc... The entertaining part came when I needed to make a quick decision about what kind of alcohol to buy for the eggnog. I thought Mom used rum in the past, so I was ready to get the dark variety and call it a night. But then I thought I should ask someone: because if rum wasn't such a hot idea, I would be left with a large jug of "Whaler's Rum" sitting on top of my fridge. Which is cool and all, if you're Ishmael. So the first guy I asked wasn't sure, but thought perhaps bourbon. He asked another employee, who suggested brandy would be festive. I went for brandy because at least I've had it in something before, and it could be useful if I ever feel motivated to make sangria (right). At which decision the THIRD consulted checker agreed, and said it was a good brand. This is a good thing, since it'll likely be sitting on top of my fridge till summer.

Well -- now I feel up to date. I can now begin afresh when Andrew arrives.