(Almost) Christmas Tidings!

Hey everyone–I’m posting on my lunch break at work, since the office has basically no one in it, and I’ve been sitting in the dark by myself working on budgets for an hour.

I need a diversion.

JW and I are taking off from the Second City at around 3PM to head back to Camp Waterloo for the holidays. What awaits us there are family, friends from far off places, and, most importantly, my favorite holiday meal.

Feast of the Seven (ish) Fishes.

It’s an Italian thing. I’m not exactly sure of the symbolism behind it, but for me personally it means sitting around a table with all the people you love, eating littleneck clams from the shells, balancing a pound of spaghetti in crab sauce on your Chinet plate (there are like 15437 of us–real dishes were not an option) and scrunching up your nose at the eel when it comes to you (unless you’re my Aunt Rose or my cousin Eric–I believe they were our fans). And even though I now celebrate it with a smaller group, it’s still my favorite. This is a tradition I relish in–apparently it’s a mostly Southern Italian thing as well, which I found out through some light research.

According to my Aunt Lenore, we are from Northern Italy, and this is why my hair is blond and my eyes are blue.

I restrained myself from explaining to her that:

1) We are from dirty, crowded Naples. Which is in the South.

2) My blue eyes and blond hair are in the family minority. The culprit is probably my grandfather’s Irish and German blood.

In any case, despite my Nordic looks, I do celebrate in the Italian way, which includes warming up the Granpappy (a mini version of a Fry Daddy) and deep frying some shrimp. And also making them several other ways. In addition to several other types of fish. (You know, so we can get up to seven).

Since my sorellina and I both love blogging, we decided to blog our way through this ridiculous, extravagant, and delicious meal.

You can find the updates here:

campwaterloo.wordpress.com

Please, feel free to take a look–this should be interesting. But for now, it’s time for lunch. A couple more hours and I’ll be on the road!

 

Let it snow…

Sorry New England, I know you guys all got Nor’easter-ed on, but the snow here in the Second City is just lovely this morning.

What a nice way to say good morning, Cornelia Avenue

Have a good morning, chicks!

 

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree…

Quick post tonight, my friends. I am so Mario-ed out that I am going to curl up with The Lacuna for an hour and read as if my life depends on it.

My good name at the CPL relies on being done by Wednesday morning.

Anyway, I’m thinking Christmas carols this evening, and thus, a list of my favorites:

1. Wham’s “Last Christmas”. This heartbreaking diddy also has a sweet little beat. And it reminds me of JD and college. We were obsessed.

2. James Taylor’s (and everyone else’s) “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”. His voice is so dreamy. I’m in love. My aunts and mother raised me on this man, and I refuse to look elsewhere. Take that.

3. Natalie Merchant’s “Children Go Where I Send Thee”. It’s off “A Very Special Christmas 3“, which reminds me of my mom, dad, brother and sister. And listening to all our volumes on repeat on our five disc CD changer. Because that’s what you did in the 90s. Anyway, I love trio-ing with my mom and sister to this one. I hope to do it in a couple days.

4. Jerry Vale’s “O Holy Night”. Once again, a Christmas classic. And Jerry Vale = my grandfather, in my book. The thing for me about people who are no longer with us is that sometimes, something happens and you pause, and you know they’re actually not gone at all. You can just feel them all around you. That’s how I feel when I hear Jerry Vale, especially at Christmas.

5. Any halfway decent version of “Baby it’s Cold Outside”. Once JW and I were stranded a little bit in a snowstorm heading home for Christmas in Waterloo, and I tried to get him to sing Christmas songs with him. This only annoyed him, but finally he was so bored that we broke out in a giggly (or straight up guffawing, in his case) duet of this song. I didn’t mind the snow so much then.

The list goes on, but I’ll end there for tonight. Hope everyone is warm and safe, and almost ready for Christmas!

 

O.M.G.

So today was another day of inactivity. I mean, I went to the gym again for awhile, but I also devoted much of my day to couch sitting, cookie baking, football watching (see you in 2010 Bears), and guiltily playing more Mario than I should have.

As previously mentioned, I’m obsessed.

I also made this:

The most delicious meal I’ve made in at least six months.

I know that I have what some may think is an unhealthy fascination with PW. But after making this ridiculously good dinner, I am now even more unconcerned with what people think of my obsession than usual.

I used more tomatoes than she called for and frantically ran around the kitchen completing steps without any assistance because as I put water on to boil, I realized something.

This meal is meant to be made in a foil packet.

For some reason, unknown to me, I had no foil.

I will point out that I do have poultry twine, parchment paper, and cheesecloth.

So I sent JW out into the cold night to get me some aluminum foil, while I put together everything else.

When he got back, he patiently explained to me how I could fit all of the pasta, tomatoes, garlic, wine, oil, shrimp and parsley into the packet successfully.

I told him to stop explaining to someone who is hopeless with any sort of spatial skills and to please just do it for me.

We are a great match.

Once we got everything into the packet (I use the term “we” loosely here), we baked all the goodness for 15 minutes and then pulled out what looked to be a beautiful Christmas miracle.

And oh, it was.

We kept looking at each other incredulously while we were eating, and Jon kept muttering “Oh my God” every few minutes. I was, of course, pleased as punch.

He then asked me if I thought PW would have him as a ranch hand.

I told him I’d look into it.

In any case, this dish is amazing. I’d give it a 10.5. And it was easy, and relatively quick. If you have any kind of person you might be trying to impress (or a boyfriend you’re trying to run off to Oklahoma) you should make it right away. I can’t think of something more delicious that I’ve made lately.

So enjoy my chickadees, and hope your weekend was as lovely as mine!

 

Winter Weekending

So today JW and I did something that we rarely ever do, which is…

Nothing.

We didn’t do anything today. Well, that’s not true, but aside from a trip to the gym everything we did today involved a fair amount of major relaxation.

I’m feeling antsy by now, but it was a day well spent.

We woke up this morning and ate a delicious breakfast, complete with bacon, which really is what makes a breakfast complete.

As my friend L always says, Bacon is nature’s candy.

Truth fact.

After a big breakfast, we decided to open our presents to each other for Christmas, because I knew that JW certainly couldn’t wait nearly another week. He has a patience problem when it comes to gifts.

So we opened gifts, one of which (a gift to me) was the new Super Mario game for the Wii.

This game = insane.

You guys.

This game is awesome. Every problem I ever had with sharing Mario with my sister is over (hear that Jennie? I won’t make you play with an unplugged controller while trying to convince you you’re actually moving Mario along). This is because after 20 years, Nintendo has created a Mario game where you can play up to four player. But everyone gets to play at once.

This is fantastic. No more waiting for the other player to die before getting your turn (Mario 2) or alternating who gets to play the “hard” levels (Mario 3). No more fighting over Mushroom Houses, because you both get to go in.

I realize if you’re not into Mario, you’re wondering what I’m talking about. But you’re just going to have to take my word for it.

This one’s coming home to Camp Waterloo next week.

After setting a limit on Mario (I can’t play too long, it ends so terribly), we went to the gym, worked out, came home and showered and then threw back on sitting pants and sweatshirts.

We spent the afternoon eating sandwiches and watching Up. Oh, man.

Oh man.

You guys, this one was tough.

Here’s a little summary, courtesy of IMDB:

A young Carl Fredrickson meets a young adventure spirited girl named Ellie. They both dream of going to a Lost Land in South America. 70 years later, Ellie has died. Carl remembers the promise he made to her. Then, when he inadvertently hits a construction worker, he is forced to go to a retirement home. But before they can take him, he and his house fly away. However he has a stowaway aboard. An 8 year old boy named Russell, whose trying to get an assisting the elderly badge. Together, they embark in an adventure, where they encounter talking dogs, an evil villain and a rare bird named Kevin.

Okay, so this summary is a little poorly written and oh-so-vague, but this movie is both delightful and oh-so-sad. I cried at least seventeen times, and I’m not usually a crier (although, this seems to be changing lately). I was literally sobbing. The movie deals with grieving and moving on and letting go, all with humor and beautiful, amazing animation. You should see this. But with a box of tissues.

Anyway, after finally wiping my face dry post movie (I didn’t even let JW watch the bonus scenes–I was too worried they’d set me off again), there was Elf (one of my favorite Christmas movies), pork chops with sage and butter, mashed potatoes, and peas, and then Whole Foods chocolate cake and hot cocoa to top it all off.

And so many more bouts of Mario. I finally had to take a break, which led me here to my trusty blog, but I can still hear JW in the living room, cursing the bad guys of Mario’s World.

This was a lovely, relaxing day.

But tomorrow, I’ve gotta get away from Mario.

Have a good night kids!

 

Are we at the end then? No? All right.

So this week has been a little nuts. Holiday party-ing, volunteering, and holiday party-ing again tomorrow.

Smack dab in the middle was a lovely little dinner with JW and LW, complete with Christmas gift giving.

I could barely remember where I kept my pots and pans, it had been so long since I last touched them.

I selected a creamy-cheesy-tortellini and pea dish. I used this recipe, but to be honest, I of course improvised to my heart’s desire.

Because honestly, who only makes 9 oz. of tortellini? Especially when your boyfriend instead picks up 32 oz?

He’s a Palluzzi-in-training.

Anyway, dinner was delicious, especially because it involved both tortellini and peas. I love this combo because the pea always gets so perfectly stuck in the tortellini, and then I feel as though all is right in the world, even when it’s -5 degrees with the windchill.

I digress.

After dinner and some white wine (sorry Y scale, no rest for the weary–see ya in 2010), Liz presented me with this snazzy little gift:

Simple Diary

This is what it looks like

Now, as someone who has been given a gazillion journals in her life, I was sure I had it figured out. Another book of dauntingly white pages for me to toss into a giant pile because even though I love blank lined pages so very much, I also am terrified of all that white space searching for thoughts.

I don’t always have the thoughts I wish I had.

However, the twist on this bright blue beauty is that most of the words are already in the journal. You need only fill in the blanks and check off boxes.

Example:

Your day was (only choose one):

_ schnitzel  _baloney _a catastrophe

Your anger is something:

_yes _no

This is finally under control: ____________

See? Isn’t it fun?

I thought so. It’s a different, fast and easy way to keep track of your feelings and your days without the daunting White Space.

If you like the White Space, feel free to borrow a journal or two from me. I have them scattered around my house where they can guilt trip me one at a time.

These Simply Diaries are probably a great last minute holiday gift, or an early birthday present, or just a hey-look-what-I-found token of esteem. I know I appreciate mine!

In addition, I found this little statement on their website, courtesy of their founder:

When I was in China a few years ago I had the opportunity to meet some pandas in their natural habitat. All they did all day was eat bamboo, sleep and wait for rain. I would add in smile, but that’s my interpretation. They seemed completely happy.  We should all be pandas, if only for a moment each day. Imagine.

My kind of guy, don’t you think?

 

A few notes on this cold morning…

1. I didn’t hate getting up this morning to go to the gym as much as I thought I would. I did hate that I wore capris and it was below freezing.

2. It turns out the old tendonitis is also not a fan of the cold. It’s been a little achy the past couple of days, which I’m remedying with some Advil and more stretching than I normally do.

3. The Y scale hates when I eat cheese fries and drink Miller Lite all weekend. It was just confirmed this morning. Before the sun even came up. I’m trying to rectify the situation with a lot of oatmeal.

4. Tonight I am volunteering at a school library with K. I’ve decided to channel my seventeen year old self and go do something for other people–it has been far too long and my inner teenager is like, so embarrassed of me. Lol.

5. I’m thinking of trying this place out for dinner tonight with K. I’ve been meaning to for several years, and it’s about time I got around to it. Plus, it’s close to home and looks to be a delightful array of Thai food.

I promise to not eat anything deep fried. I have to go face the Y again tomorrow.

Enjoy your Tuesdays, chickadees.

 

What a weekend…

Ok, so it’s the holiday season here in the Second City, which means a lot of things. Twinkling lights, thousands of American girl bag toting tourists, sub-freezing temperatures and most of all, holiday parties.

Which basically means alcohol.

This also means that I spent the entirety of the weekend drinking, eating things that really shouldn’t be consumed by humans, and going to bed at ridiculously early hours.

Oh, did I not mention that none of this was the more socially acceptable nighttime drinking? Well, it wasn’t. And in the words of my friend M:

“There’s a reason you drink at night.”

Oh, she is so wise.

So, first up was Saturday’s annual T-box bar crawl.

It started before 10:00 AM. By 10:00 AM I was wearing a Christmas tree sweater and antlers.

There are no better pictures, because no one was in good enough shape to take them.

In any case, I was dressed rather mildly in comparison to my 7000 other bar crawlers.

There was, I kid you not, a straight up flock of penguins.

In any case, I left the bar crawl at 5:30, after having more Miller Lite than I care to say, and then went home and slept for several hours. I woke up at midnight and ate some cheese fries that JW was kind enough to bring to me. I vowed to never drink again and went to sleep.

Then the next day, I headed to an annual Holiday brunch with my friends. All was well, because brunch is an innocent medley of pastries, bacon, and other assorted foodstuffs.

Except, this one involved expertly made Bloody Marys by Allison, and then some sloppy mimosas made by me.

I had a flashback this afternoon at work in which I recalled pouring both champagne and vodka into my glass.

I’m not even sure there was orange juice involved.

Here she is, brewing the delightful drinks which are the reason I must give up drinking.

We also did fun things, like conduct a White Elephant and play Uno.

Oh yeah, we ate brunch too.

Friends with their new gifts!

Brunch for all.

We rounded things out with a little Uno.

In any case, at around five, I came home from this Round 2 pretty tipsy.

I’m a repeat offender.

However, during the parts of the weekend which I most vividly remember, I am glad that I was surrounded by my friends in this season of the holidays.

But next time, I think I’ll stick to Diet Pepsi.

Hope everyone’s had a good Monday- I’m on the mend here, and anticipate an improvement once I get myself to the Y tomorrow morning to sweat out any residual vodka and cheese fries.

It worked in college, so I’m reapplying the process. It’s what you’d call a best practice.

 

-20 in the wind

That’s what NPR tells me it’s like outside, on this pre-Christmas day. Right now I’m warm and cozy in my apartment, but I’m gonna have to go out there.

And I can’t even find my mittens. This is going to be the longest two blocks of my life.

I also think I donated my hat when I cleaned out my closet last week. Or lost it. In any case, I’m about to be hatless, and gloveless.

Probably limbless, by the time ths is over.

But last night, when it was snowing and lit up, and I was listening to Frank Sinatra, and trotting down Michigan Avenue on my way to pick up wine, I felt like there was no other place I’d rather be.

What a city it is.

This is the image I’ll try to recall as frostbite claims my extremities.

Also, I’m gonna go look for that hat and my mitts one more time.

 

Past. Present. Future.

Yesterday was a lovely, warm, recovery sort of day.

This is who I was recovering from. These rugby players are trouble. But fun.

What a lovely Chicago sunset that ended my lovely Sunday

Today I woke up to the first real snow of the season, and spent the night with JW watching Law & Order SVU. Never enough order on that show lately.

Snowy rooftop. That's the wizard's house. More on him another time.

Tomorrow is my friend B’s birthday. And also, a Tuesday, which is on the whole easier to take than a Monday.

I won’t post a picture of B. He might be opposed, and I’m in no mood to Facebook poach.

Here’s to a good Tuesday, my friends!