Good vs. Evil

• Enjoying (even indulging) in holiday treats with friends and family around Christmastime: Good.
• Eating the leftover goodies all in one sitting (at work, no less) so as to "hurry and get them out of the house so I can get back to eating 'right' ": Bad. Very, very bad.

(You know, that second point sounds an awful lot like binging. I guess I'm half bulimic. Furthermore, why can't I just bring myself to throw it out? I'm sure even the environmentalists would agree that, in this case, waste would be an acceptable alternative. Sigh.)

Oh yah; I'm back from the Christmas Travels. Expect frequent updates on all our holiday partying. (Teaser: highlights include Fireworks, LOTS of Snow, Interstate 6 Dance Parties, Lawrence Welk, Handicap Vans, and Mothers in all shapes and forms.)

A Christmas Miricle

My dreams came true tonight.  And if you too have anxiously been waiting the return of your favorite Kiwi folk parody band, wait no further.  Click here. 

Your welcome and Happy Holidays.

(Photo via Google Image search)

PS - Thanks for the heads-up Skyler!

One of those posts where I just tell you about how awesome my day was.

Because gas is so cheap again, we decided to drive all over Southern CA on Saturday. The day started pretty early in San Marino at this fantastic French cafe, Julienne's, where Kenny, Amelia, Hudd, Jason, Charlie, and I enjoyed delicacies like Creme Brule French Toast and Candied Bacon. And yes, I indulged in a macaroon (Thanks Jasche!). It's not Christmas without a trip to Julienne!

From San Marino, we bid a temporary farewell to Jason and Charlie (who was the best little baby at the restaurant!) and made our way down into L.A. to check out Unique L.A.. It's not your mama's craft boutique - it sells stuff I'd actually want to buy and use and display in my home (like faux bois gift wrap, rad paintings/posters, Little Otsu planners, jewelry, etc.). We were all surprised by how good the show actually was. Etsy had their DIY lab set up, there was a gift wrap station, you could make your own silk screened tee shirt, and photographer Rafael Cruz had a photo booth, which we enjoyed maybe a little too much. Case in point:

Kenny decided he'd rather not have a chin for these photos. Doesn't Hudd look like Ricky Gervais' character from Extras? "Are you havin' a laugh?!"These glasses made me go cross-eyed. It actually kind of hurt after a few seconds.
Amy is really into whatever she's pretending to listen to. That's some good acting, eh?From LA Kenny and I cruised down to Costa Mesa to join Angela and Jamie (and Angela's awesome parents) for some tamale-making. I think we assembled 10-dozen. Not even kidding. Kenny's creative juices were flowing as he combined all the ingredients for a tamale that ended up resembling a burrito. All teasing aside, I have to admit it tasted awesome.

From Costa Mesa, we recruited Angela and Jamie and headed back to Monrovia for some hot chocolate and treats with some of Kenny's cousins. A small group of us then headed to Pasadena to get our fill of Christmas decorations at Stats and to do some shopping on Colorado. The evening ended with some ice cream - well Angela and Jamie enjoyed it; Kenny and I were too sugared out at that point (sorry guys) - and finally the drive back home.

I think it took Kenny twenty seconds to fall asleep after getting home. Not even exaggerating.

Faux Pas

I generally make it a rule NOT to discuss religion or politics at work. Which was kinda hard when my boss, on his way out of my office, turns and says to me: "I hear [you] Mormons are being blamed for getting Proposition 8 to pass."

Pretty sure I just stared at him.

(Note: I should say here that I have a really good relationship with my boss who is - fortunately - a really good guy. Thus the awkwardness was short lived. Still......)

Anyway, perhaps it was this encounter that had me all riled up on politics today as I perused today's papers. Some familiar quotes I found especially poignant were as follows:

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." -Voltaire

A government big enough to give you what you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have." - Gerald Ford

On another note. Is it okay to have a mad crush on 315-year old philosophers/writers? 'Cause, were he around today, I'd totally throw myself at Voltaire.

Brains, wit, influence, french? What's not to love? And that hair.... oh, that hair.

Amendment to "Faux Pas"

For the record, I would only give myself to Voltaire if Kenny weren’t around. Because if one has a kind, smart, driven, funny, strong, and handsome companion around...who needs Voltaire?

(Are you happy now, Kenny?)

Christmas Vacation

You know the adage “I need a vacation to recoup from my vacation”? Well I think I need a night off from the Holidays. (I’m exhausted.) Can I get an Amen?

Also, I want a fireplace. (And some cold weather to match.)

Desk Job Injury

Would you still be my friend if I started wearing an eye patch?

This isn't a rhetorical question; would you? Inquiring minds need to know. 'Cause I'm honestly considering it.

I stare at a computer screen all day for work (and then some more at home as I check up on every one's blogs. Warning: blog-stalking is a hazardous addiction; just say no). As a result (I think) of my excessive screen time, my eye has started twitching. Uncontrollably. Every few minutes. All day. I'm fairly certain this twitch is undetectable to anyone looking at me, but that doesn't change the fact that I still can feel it twitching. And it's really anoying. I've tried squinting and closing one eye while working, but I once caught a reflection of my face while doing this and it wasn't a pretty thing. And I'm positive others can see that.

Eye strain is apparently a common hazard of desk-job employment. In the safety section of my Employee Handbook there's a whole section on avoiding desk-job related injuries such as back problems and the dreaded carpal tunnel. (Do I feel like a dork even discussing this? You bet.) The Handbook focuses primarily on proper ergonomics i.e. "make sure elbows bend at a 90 degree angle as they rest on the keyboard" and "make sure the middle of the computer screen is set in your direct eye line when sitting in correct posture" etc, etc. (I'm paraphrasing, but this is the gist of it.) Regarding eye strain, I try to follow The Handbook's advice and "focus on something at least 20 feet away every 20 minutes," but it's not helping.

I had no idea this job would be so dangerous. Between my cheap chair aggravating the arthritis in my neck (this is true by the way; untreated spinal injuries=arthritis.), the sore forearms and wrists, and now the eye twitching, I'm a little desperate.

Desperate enough to go for, say, an eye patch?