Details.

Candies made: Fleur de sal caramels dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with salt, Guinness truffles dipped in dark chocolate and topped with a bit of white, to give the effect of a lovely pint and bourbon balls, adapted to suit my father’s request of “no nuts” but no nuts just means there is more room for bourbon. For the first time in the many years I have made these candies, everything went swimmingly. So swimmingly that I now believe that I want to be a chocolatier…which is like a mousketeer but with better hats. Maybe if I open a little chocolate shop I will find Alfred Molina asleep in the window one morning (They’ve been showing that movie on cable a lot lately, you know…Spiderman 2. No, wait…Doc Ock never fell asleep in a chocolate shop window…did he?)

Baked goods made: 3 half sheets of brownies, two with chocolate chips, one with peppermint chips. All taken as potlucks or given as gifts.

Types of guacamole made: Two, spicy and not so spicy.

Baked goods not made: the dough for almond scented sugar cookies remains in the fridge. It’s going to have to be frozen and baked when I get back.

Gifts exchanged: Many and it’s not even Christmas yet. (Personalized sharpies and a cookbook by Robert Irvine (who is, by the way, built like…like…something godly) feature among my booty).

Holiday Specials watched: How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which I marvel at and learn from every year. The colors! The rhyme scheme! The mimicry of Clement Clark Moore! BRILLIANT. Also, Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire, a classic in these here parts.

Holiday Parties attended: Three. Office luncheon, Friend’s open house. Eggnog Party.

Packages Mailed: many. Check your mailboxes!

CDs made: see above. Many. Many.

Gifts wrapped: None yet. Well, no, I wrapped all the gifts for our California Christmas but all the New Jersey gifts are waiting for me to arrive.

Suitcases packed: None. Gotta fix that! Must remember warm socks and gloves!

Peppermint Soy Mochas consumed: only a few. But that could change after the jet lag hits.

Plans made to see movies: Sweeney Todd on the 21st. Oh yes. Please. Johnny who? It’s all about the Rickman, baby. Futurama: Bender’s Big Score in the new year. I’ve seen it once but I can certainly see it again.

Mp3 players loaded: One, mine. With mellow music. Papa M, Mogawi, Iron and Wine and a little Kaiser Chiefs for good measure. Throw in some New York Dolls, Jarvis Cocker, Thom Yorke, Radiohead and Lemon Jelly, add a little M83, some Boards of Canada, a dash of Thievery Corp, maybe some Snow Patrol, a few Premiere Opera podcasts and the audio books of The Hitchiker’s Guide and Anansi Boys and that should cover a very long flight.

Books chosen for trip: About 14. But I am trying to tell myself to only take two , Cakes and Ale by W. Somerset Maugham and The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde (Brenda, have you read Jasper Fforde? I have a feeling you might like him.) But I can pretty much guarantee that there will be more.

And just because…my current desktop:



Have a happy whatever you celebrate!

Cube.

Nanette is wondering what your cubicle looks like. I am looking for something to post. It’s kismet…or something.

I don’t really have a “cubicle”. I have a half wall. And a large glass window behind me. And another desk in front of me. But I do have a desk. And a heck of a lot of stuff on it.

Here’s the view directly in front of me. If you recognize that website you’ll realize I am looking for plane tickets for my September vacation. Which I am really looking forward to…really, really looking forward to. A lot. And that would be a tiny little hedgehog on top of my monitor. A souvenir from the home of Anne Hathaway, the wife of William Shakespeare. It had a beautiful garden but I didn’t have the time to go inside. The hand shaped thing on the left is my cell phone holder. It used to light up when my phone would ring but I think the battery may be dead. The line of type on the bottom of the monitor is from “Howl” and the stickers around the monitor are…let’s see…well there’s a Batman, Hello Kitty, my nephew, a “Support our Troops, Remember our Veterans” and a fortune cookie fortune that says “Sell your ideas—they are totally acceptable.” It’s not exactly encouraging but it’s better than nothing. Oh and the tiny round sticker at the top just says “No.” I didn’t put there, but I don’t know who did.


Ah, the view to the left…lollipops, Batman, photos of my nephews, a brush for cleaning my keyboard, postcards I have yet to mail, glasses…what else is over there? My page a day calendar, currently on March 2. A small stack of comics, including Hellboy and Buffy, my most recent purchase from etsy.com, (a nicely lettered little thing from here) and my shopping list (blueberries, tomatoes, soy milk, soy creamer, pita bread), and my glasses.

To the right we have Hellboy, of course, and John Hodgman watching over me, the terribly exciting hard drive and telephone and…more Hellboy…some art, an ornament made by my oldest nephew and office info.

And to the right and behind me, the wall…calendar (a Christmas from the BFF), more Hellboy, some cupcakes, Alan Rickman, Eddie Izzard, Mr. Toast, Shakespeare, Sky Ape, a tiny picture of Doctor Who. Nothing but entertainment here.

That’s it. Well, that’s not true, I have a big credenza behind me but it’s kind of a mess at the moment, covered with books, magazines, a paper cutter, action figures a 12” Spike doll, a hamster that dances to “I’m too Sexy” and a lamp with a leopard print shade.


Oh and my plants! You can see my plants in those pictures of my desk. I have three. They are named Monstro, Killer and Teeny. I am trying to grow them into some sort of screen so no one can see me. It seems to be working pretty well.