One thing I like about winter is that it facilitates my self-improvement efforts. Deterred from my warm-weather habit of just bummin' around (walking, biking, sitting on a balcony somewhere), I have plenty of time to devote to such self-improvement initiatives as 1) reading a set number of books; 2) having stuff done to my hair; 3) working on the knitting projects I've started over the years; 4) paying semiregular attention to my blog, and other bloglike services. And so on. This is not to say that I wouldn't magically make the air 75 degrees right now, because if I would, I could. But I also appreciate this inside time which has allowed me to be so productive lately.

Thanksgiving was pretty great. I have to admit, I was worried that we wouldn't pull everything off - we had an extensive-ass menu - but we did. We did. Here is what the four of us cooked:

*Turkey (11.1 lbs.: the smallest bird we could find) & gravy
*Mashed potatoes (garlic, and also mashed potato casserole, which is regular mashed potatoes + sour cream + grated cheese, baked with cheese on top: one of Ali's concoctions)
*Old skool stuffing (so much butter)
*Corn bake
*Raspberry salad
*Cranberry, apple, and orange relish
*Steamed broccoli, steamed carrots
*Snowflake rolls (these, admittedly, were store bought)
*Chocolate cupcakes
*Pumpkin pie

and...

*Nachos, with Ali's specialty dip.

The nachos don't really fit into most people's Thanksgiving schemata, but they were a delicious accompaniment to football. My all-time favorite, of course, is my mom's stuffing: there's no written recipe, but the constant is BUTTER. I know she seasons it with thyme, sage, poultry seasoning, s&p, but the exact proportions are a mystery. Srsly, though: I look forward all year to this stuffing, and I did not leave the table disappointed.

Later, after we'd slept off our food hangovers and cleaned up, we saw Four Christmases. I wasn't too eager to see it, not being much of a Vince Vaughn fan (I guess I don't mind Reese Witherspoon?), but it wasn't too bad. I think this assessment was strongly influenced by my initial low expectations, though. Bottom line: Vince Vaughn does and always will play VV, and if you're not in the mood for his schtick, then this is not the holiday movie for you.

Happy post-Thanksgiving kickin' around to all, and to all a good morning! I'm not sure what's on the schedule for today, but I hope it doesn't involve shopping or simple carbohydrates...

Back to reality.

Yesterday I was a total slob: slovenly in the way I haven't been in at least a year. Saturday night, we (Ali, Eric, and I) threw a surprise birthday party for Sara, which was pretty badass. We had decorations (balloons, streamers, birthday banner), a full nacho/taco bar, a cake shaped like North Dakota, and plenty of boozes. The revelry lasted well into the night, then the later night, then the morning, and before we all knew it, it was five. Hence the subsequent slobbery.

Mostly I like to be awake and alert early: I'll wake up at 5:30 or 6, check email, eat breakfast, putter around, go to the gym, and so on. But yesterday, sleeping until 2, driving to BK still in my fleece pants, eating on the couch while staring at the blank TV, and not showering until 5:30 were the only acceptable choices. To be fair, I wasn't wholly unproductive: Ali and I cleaned up all the party-related mess (A. even got a Swiffer mop for the job: the mop is awesome), watched "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" (I would have resisted if I weren't such a zombie), baked for the grad conference bake sale (today!), and I did some homework for practicum. We also finished our Thanksgiving shopping, which took an hour or two longer than it should have, due to our hazy fascination with the just shelved Xmas merch. And our haziness in general.

If there's one thing I learned, it's that fleece pants are the greatest invention ever. I've never owned a pair before, but I'm starting to think I should pick up a few more in different colors. Has slovenliness invaded my life? Only time will tell...

Loafing.

MY ROOM IS THE HOTTEST THING ON EARTH!

It's true: I have only one fan - an upright variety by the name of "Hawaiian Breeze" - and I think (legit) that I might sweat to death before the evening is over. I've periodically mulled over the possibility of buying an A/C (especially last summer, aka, Suffer-in-the-Extreme-Heat-o-thon-2007), but have always resisted. Because I'm no wuss, right? Well, right now, I am.

Also: WTF is up with "Hawaiian Breeze" as a title? For starters, this li'l machine barely generates more than a whisper, let alone an actual breeze. Secondly: Hawaiian? I've never been to the islands, but I can't think the air there would be sweeter...

But don't mind me: I'm crotchety from having stayed up too late and BBQed a little too enthusiastically, if you catch my drift. Though the weekend as a whole was unproductive, E. and I did get some fresh local peaches at the farmers' market, and I managed to write one whole letter. Not a total loss, then: just partial.