You Shouldn't Have, No Really

According to Holidays with Style, ahot gift this year is the Wellbox. Who would really pay $1600 for a home Endermologie unit? In addition, if you receive one, what is the giver trying to tell you? Really people, give to charity or something more productive.

I still have to write up a Xmas list, or at least drop hints for my parents and bf as to what I want. A Wellbox will not be on it, neither will Twisted Sisters' A Twisted Christmas.

Gobble gobble

This was my first non-traditional Thanksgiving meal. Jason's mom made paella. It was great! We went through one and a third bottles of the botrytis semillon. Maybe I should get an importer's license.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Isn't that (nauseatingly) cute? - The Redux

Unless you've been in an ashram, you have been subjected to the media blitz of TomKat: The Wedding. They snubbed the Mayor of Bracciano, and they did not wave to the locals. Italians are warm, they just wanted a hello. Sheesh. Even though the whole Scientology schtick is too weird for my taste, I think the vow to never go to bed without discussing differences is sweet and practical.

Not sure how I feel about her dress, but I did love her sapphire earrings.

Isn't that (nauseatingly) cute?

In more cybertrolling news:

My ex now has a live-in gf and a dog. He is such a neat freak, the dog hair probably makes him insane, especially when he is studying. His new flavor-of-the-month is younger, and I bet she's footing the bill for their living expenses (he was trying to get me to do the same). Coincidentally, she looks like the model in the StaySlim commercials. Isn't that special?

Proof I Can Bake Too!

This weekend my friend F turned 29. She didn't want to do a big-deal shindig, and she didn't want her mom slaving over a stove for four days either (it's a genetic trait in Italian women that kicks in during pregnancy). So we ordered in heaps of Chinese food, and I baked a cake, a Bundt no less. It was not from scratch; I used the souped-up (or rather, puddinged-up) version on the side panel of the Duncan Hines Devil's Food box. I guess everyone liked it because the next morning I got the following text message:
Yay. Cake for breakfast! thanks again!
Last month I also baked Jason the apple cake, that was supposed to be for Rosh Hashanah, but ended up being more of a Harvest Cake. At first I thought I burned it, but it was just that the sides and top turned very golden-brown. Brought some of it to work and gave some to mom. It was very moist and crumbly, but it tasted good. I also brought in our homemade pumpkin bars after Halloween, and they hardly lasted two minutes during our morning meeting.

Yeay for baked goods, especially when they come out of my oven.

Crack(berry) addict

My boss asked me to upgrade my work mobile to a Blackberry. While I'm not against the concept, I hate the effects its availability has had on society. It makes me almost violent when people are furiously typing away way after the plane boarding door close and we're on the tarmac. Plus, I went on a date a few years ago with a guy who checked it every two minutes, and needless to say, he did not get a second date. I communicated this to my boss, and he is OK with me not being tethered to it at all hours. I also informed him of the steep upgrade costs since I was already under contract for a phone.

Long story short, I caved and took it. So far, I have been restrained. It's my new toy. Let's see how long it takes me to either chuck it against the wall or check into rehab.

Yawn

About 98% of my office is in Lost Wages for the rest of the week. The place looks like a ghost town, slightly better than how the former Andersen offices looked when they met an untimely demise 4 1/2 years ago. This is even better than being on vacation.