See?

The hair is shorter, but the noggin is still enormous.

I took a “before” photo of myself, which is horrifying.  I won’t post it; don’t ask.  And there’s another “after” photo that would’ve been better than this one, but it’s super fuzzy.  Just imagine it longer and scraggly.  Or you could just imagine how it looked by using my description to a friend the other day: Muppet hair, which would actually make it more Fraggley than scraggly.

 My hair was longer.  And I wear more clothes.

Anyway, so that’s what’s been up with me.  I needed a bit of a change, although not terribly drastic (still, it’s much shorter than usual).  What else?  I had a stomach bug that came on quickly Monday night, sent me home early from work on Tuesday (I just needed to sleep), and seemed to go away during the day today (Wednesday).  So I’ve already been sick twice this year.  I think that’s enough, right?

And, as if you didn’t know, the most exciting part of the week was last night’s season premiere of Lost !  So awesome!  If you watched and you’re totally confused, go to Entertainment Weekly’s site to read Jeff Jensen’s recap.  Actually, I can’t guarantee that you won’t still be confused, but you’ll definitely be entertained!  And it give you lots to think about.  But the photo of Locke may creep you out:

 Yikes!  Maybe he’s pissed because he still doesn’t understand what’s up with Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalt!

If you didn’t watch the final episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, watch this now:

Classy guy.  For real. 

And then watch this because it’s funny:

I heart Conan.  And Pee Wee.

I had to watch Conan’s final show on my DVR on Saturday because, while it was airing, I was picking Miriam up at the airport.  She came home Friday night, but she’s not feeling any better.  So that’s not good.

This weekend was pretty relaxed.  I didn’t have any plans, so on Saturday, I did something I really wanted to do: I went to the movies!  I finally saw Up in the Air.

He can fire me anytime.

Today, after my 4.4-mile run, I did something else I keep wanting to do: I made pancakes!  I’m terrible at making pancakes, but these turned out pretty well.  I used this recipe from Kath Eats Real Food; I halved the recipe and topped them with pure maple syrup and a sliced banana.  Tasty and filling!  I didn’t even think about taking a picture because, like I said, my pancakes don’t usually turn out so well.  Yay!

I’ve also spent some time reading this book I won:

Caitlin from Healthy Tipping Point hosted this giveaway on her site, and I was one of five lucky winners!  Thanks, Caitlin (and the SparkPeople.com folks, of course)!  I haven’t gotten too far into the book yet, but I’m looking forward to getting some good tips.

And last, but not least:

Nice jugs!

Today is my mother’s birthday!  Happy birthday, Mama!  I love you!

Go to www.hopeforhaitinow.org to help. 

Cheers to Aunt Selma. We’ll miss you, little lady.

Jeers to the devastation in Haiti. Please help if you can.

Cheers to George Clooney.

*Swoon*

Jeers to the apparent crack in my windshield. I’m sick of always having to deal with some problem with my car.

Cheers to going back to our old work hours. It’s great to have that half hour back every day. It may not sound like much, but it really makes a difference.

Jeers to such a lame first cheers and jeers list of the year.  I thought I had more today.  What is everyone else cheering and jeering these days?  I don’t want to end on a  jeer, so…

Cheers to Paul McCartney!  Here’s the song that got him the Golden Globe nomination.

I ended 2009 with a stomach bug.  I’ve started 2010 with a sinus infection and conjunctivitis (otherwise known as pink eye).  Happy new year!

Making a reappearance

Yup, I have to wear my glasses again.  I only have to use the drops for five days this time, though, and I’ll be putting in my contacts right after that.  As long as the eye isn’t still red and nasty, that is.  In the meantime, my sinuses are clogged, my hands are being washed even more frequently (I didn’t think that was possible), and I’m just gross.  Oh, and did I mention that I took a personal day on the first day of the year?  And the best part of that personal day had to be the two hours spent waiting to be seen at urgent care!  I would’ve gone to see my own doctor, but apparently my doctor’s office doesn’t make time to see sick people.

Anyway, I promised myself that I would blog more in 2010.  I mentioned last year that I’d like to blog more of my meals in an effort to keep myself accountable, but I haven’t done that.  Hey, I haven’t even updated the blog in weeks.  So this is a start.  I’m going to try to be better about it, but no more promising myself anything.  Not only is that setting myself up for disappointment, but I’m also not going to force myself to write when I don’t feel inspired.

So what have I been doing for the last few weeks (besides catching nasty illnesses)?  I’ve been spending time with my family.  The northerners arrived on Christmas Eve, and the southerners arrived in parts (my mom and I picked up my sister-in-law and JP last Wednesday, and my brother arrived on New Year’s Day and immediately turned into a penguin in order to adapt to the weather).  All the kids (The Pie, Mowgli, and The Duck were all here in addition to JP) are adorable, hilarious, and wonderful.  Having them around makes me a happy auntie!  Everyone left today; I miss them all already.  (Editor’s note: They actually all left yesterday when I wrote this part.  I still miss them today, too.)

Before their arrival, but after my last post, I did a lot of baking.  I took some photos of some of my cookies for the blog, but they seem irrelevant now…since I ate them all.  Well, that’s not entirely true.  A lot of them were gifts for coworkers (mine and Miriam’s), but then we (yes, I’m blaming others, too) ate most of the leftovers.  A few things may have ended up in the fuh-ree-zuh.

Speaking of freezers, I hate winter.  It’s been bitter cold here.  But it’s worse elsewhere.  Miriam landed in Michigan today (to go to the same hospital for treatment that I wrote about here), where it’s 2 degrees!  Poor Moo.  Send some good thoughts her way; let’s hope she’s admitted to the program quickly and feels well  soon so she can come home where it’s warmer (although not much; I’m wearing two pairs of socks and my toes are still icicles).   In the meantime, I’m off to thaw out in a hot shower followed by a cup of tea to warm up the insides.  Later, gators.

Although this was taken on the third night.

Happy Chanukah, everyone!  I received some great gifts from my family, including snow tires from my mom (seriously, great gift) and The Beatles Monopoly game from Miriam!

Money can’t buy me love!

I also finally bought a real lunch bag with my Target gift card from Lil.  Thanks, Lil!

In other news, it’s freezing here.  Winter has finally set in for good, methinks.  But it won’t stop me from getting out of the house!  This past weekend, I went out for a run on Saturday and on Sunday.  It was also not quite 30 degrees, so I had to dress appropriately.

Fuzzy photo.  And I look wide.  What a tool.

Here’s my ridiculous getup: Two long-sleeved shirts made of wick-away fabric, a fleece jacket, and thin long johns under my pants.  Plus gloves and a hat.  And sunglasses, of course.  Don’t I look ready to go?  (Actually, this was taken after I got back.)  So was this:

Can’t you see me running?  This was taken in real time.  Yes, I’m that slow.

I have more to write, but I just remembered that I have a dentist appointment first thing in the morning, which comes with an early wake-up call.  Sure wish I remembered that an hour ago.  Goodnight!

…for some cheers and jeers!

Cheers to Thanksgiving!

Appetizers and wine.  I ate and drank while I cooked.

Dinner (for three!) included spinach salad with walnuts and strawberries, cranberry crunch, a fake meatloaf, roasted root vegetables, and close-up shots of the salad and vegetables (the other food, while delicious, is not photogenic when separated from its serving dish).

Thanksgiving was spent at home with Mama and Miriam.  I woke up in the morning, went for a run, and prepared most of the food you see above (Mama made the cranberry crunch).   I also made Miriam an unpictured cocktail!  Vodka and pineapple juice.  She’s declared herself a vodka girl.  Cheers to that!

Cheers to my family.  Thanks for spending the holiday with me.  And thanks for eating my food, even if it wasn’t as tasty as I would’ve liked.  I wish the whole family could’ve spent Thanksgiving together!

Cheers to other good food I’ve enjoyed recently.

Another dish I made: quinoa topped with sautéed vegetables (I’m sure there’s onions, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach in there) and baked tofu (with some marinade I threw together).  Delicious!

Jeers to cancer and lives lost too soon. 

Cheers to a night filled with karaoke and Elvis!  That would be three guys dressed up as Elvis: one Afro Elvis (he was about seven feet tall with a wig and a white Elvis suit); one Pompadour Elvis (with the aforementioned hairstyle and a black Elvis suit); and Mexican Elvis (complete with sombrero and glasses; for all we know, Elvis has been hiding south of the border all these years and resurfaced at our local karaoke bar!).  Good times were had by all, especially me, since I, as designated drinker, enjoyed the shot that the Elvises (Elvi?) bought for Lil!

Cheers to free stuff!  I almost forgot about the giveaway I won!  Thanks to Feed Me I’m Cranky; she always posts giveaways that are happening around the blogs, and through her site, I found a giveaway and won!

Thanks to the folks at Mix My Granola for the gift certificate toward my very own granola mix!  It contains (in case you can’t read it in the photo) organic granola, cranberries, roasted almonds, organic flax seeds, chocolate mini morsels, and lots of LOVE!  And it’s delicious.  I especially like it sprinkled on top of my oatmeal, which means it’s lasted a while, since I only have time to make oatmeal on the weekend.  Go check it out and make your own mix (or you can use mine!). 

Jeers to my computer.  It’s so slow lately, making it nearly impossible to get things done.   So, while I’m at it, I’ll end this post with a few things that I was going to post separately. 

Cheers to The Beatles!  As I mentioned a couple of posts back, my Beatles box set arrived just in time for my trip to Toronto!  Only two months after I ordered it.  Huzzah!

 I ripped open the package and immediately hugged the set.

I love you, boys.

And speaking of The Beatles…

Cheers to John Lennon.  Jeers, again, to lives lost too soon.  John Lennon died 29 years ago today.  Cheers to the music left behind.

Dearest blog reader(s),

I haven’t forgotten about you.  I know you are anxiously awaiting my next post.  It must be hard sitting there, day after day, longing for my quick wit and fabulous photography to appear on your screen.  I promise you a Thanksgiving weekend (and month of November, really) update soon.  In the next day or so even!  But in the meantime, I’ve broken a promise to myself: I didn’t go to sleep early.  And can you guess one reason why I’m still awake?  That’s right, the lack of blog post; it keeps me up at night.  See, I’m always thinking of you, reader(s).   And in return, I’m hoping you’ll come back when I replace this placeholder with a real post.

Sweet dreams!