The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It is now officially The Christmas Season. The Crew got a new playlist and it includes holiday music. Tree lots have started to pop up on the streets. People have started to put up lights on their windows. I for one couldn't be more excited. I love everything about Christmastime, the shopping for loved ones, drinking hot chocolate, wrapping gifts, listening to Christmas music, singing Christmas hymns in church, seeing the lights that pop up on the city streets and buildings, the bell ringers, browsing the Christmas decorations in stores. I love it all. And yes, I'm listening to Christmas music as I type.


And today I brought out my Christmas decorations. I was a little undecided about putting anything out, since I'll be leaving in two weeks and won't even be here for Christmas, meaning my roommates would have to take everything down. But I couldn't fight the urge, and Maria insisted that I put my things up. She was a little stressed when I moved in and had boxes labeled "Christmas things", but she overcame it last year and I think actually enjoyed my decorations. And I don't really have that many things.

One of my favorite things about Christmas is the lights. I love to turn off all the lights except for the Christmas tree ones and just sit staring at it. Since I'm not getting a tree myself this year (although Marky Mark is going to put up his tree in our apartment this year because his roommates don't appreciate it) I wanted to put some up in my room. I love nothing more than lying in my bed with the illumination of multi-colored lights. But would you believe that every single one of my strands of lights are kaput! None of them light up! Some of them are kinda old, as they were hand-me-downs from my mom and dad, but is it too much to ask for just one of them to still light up?! At least the bells on my bell wreath still work.

Black Friday

Black Friday is different for those of us who work in retail. Instead of getting to participate in the great deals and craziness, we are forced to get to our jobs early and be just mere witnesses to the bedlam that ensues when the doors are opened. But before I make it seem like a totally awful thing, let me just say that it can actually be quite a fun and exciting experience for us workers.

I've worked three Black Friday's at Wal-mart; once as a cashier and twice as a frozen/meat associate. Since no one's buying frozen dinners or fresh meat on Black Friday, I got to help out on the floor. My year as a cashier was the least exciting BF. It's just standing at the register checking people out. But when I'm on the floor I get to see everything. I get to help out where needed and see all the people turn into complete crazies when it turned to 5:00. Since Wal-mart is open 24 hours, there are people in the building at all times. They get there extra early, some drawing maps of where the best deals are located and others coming with extra people to dispatch to different places in the store. They have a look in their eye and a sprint in their step. And then when the time finally comes for the pallets to be ripped open and the items on the floor to be released, it gets crazy and LOUD! One year there was a deaf associate who said she could actually hear the noise of the people!

I feel very saddened about the associate who was trampled to death at a Wal-mart store on Long Island. I can attest to how crazy people are when consumed by rampant consumerism. The year I was a cashier a few people came thru the register with battle wounds--blood and scratches--from fighting for a Bratz doll that was on sale for ten dollars. A Bratz doll!! My sister works at Wal-mart; she's a small girl and when she has to cut open a pallet then try to get out of the way of the crowd it can be quite scary. One year she almost got blocked in and had to fight her way out. People really do have no concern for those around the when a deal is at stake. Is it really worth it? Is your life really worth it?

BF at the Crew was a much less exciting event. We were not running any special offers for the day; we didn't even open early (well, we did open ten minutes early because there were a few people standing at the door who kept checking their watches). People who came and thought they were getting a great deal on our offer of 30% off Sale prices would be disheartened to know that we were offering that same deal all week long--and all through the weekend, too. So the day was pretty busy, but just made it feel like a Saturday (a day which really wasn't busy like a Saturday, so in the end it was pretty much all the same).

And you know what? I kinda missed the whole crazy spectacle of Wal-mart.

Turkey Day Photo Montage

Gobble Gobble

The cheesecake turned out great (you couldn't even tell there was more cinnamon than called for) and so was everything else. Well, except for the brussel sprouts. I even tried them to make sure I didn't like them. It is now a definite fact, based on experience, that brussel sprouts are gross.

So I wanted to do a photo montage of all the food we had, but my laptop has gone a bit haywire. So all you will get are the pictures I got on here before it shut down.

This is our turkey, Charles Brackleton, getting ready to be put in the oven.

I took pictures of the apple pie, the appetizers, the table, the napkins, me cutting my cheesecake, but you won't get any of those so just savor all these turkey pics!

I like to see a movie on Thanksgiving; it's a little tradition I started a couple years ago. This year's movie was Australia, and I had to see it alone because Maria was too tired to go. I guess I could've waited til Friday to see so we could all see it together, but then it just wouldn't be the same as watching it on Turkey day. But what's great about being in New York is that it's okay to go to a movie by yourself--you're usually not the only one. So I'm thankful for the city, that I can be surrounded by a million people and yet still be alone.

Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! In the spirit of the day, let me tell you a few things I'm thankful for:

--my family, because they're awesome
--friends near and far, old and new
--hulu.com
--the subway system
--excedrin
--libraries and books
--ironing boards
--hats, gloves and scarves
--my camera
--my job, even though I hate it, because it at least lets me pay rent (usually) and buy cute clothes (which I don't need)
--pandora.com
--eggs and toast
--my passport
--umbrellas
--my bed, its pillows and Winston
--an apartment whose heat works
--a body that works, for the most part
--movie theaters
--feeling loved by those around me
--the ability to heal, physically, emotionally, spiritually
--chocolate and ice cream
--sunsets and sunrises, although I haven't seen one in a while...
--all the food I'm going to be eating in a little while because I'm HUNGRY!

Did you know that Benjamin Franklin wanted our national bird to be the turkey? Read about that, and other fun facts, here. And with that I leave you with these cartoons.

A Turkey on the Subway

I picked up our Thanksgiving turkey this afternoon at Whole Foods. It was a little crazy, but after some help from a very polite and competent worker, I had my turkey and roasting pan in a bag and I was on my way. And how many times do you get to ride the subway with a turkey? It seemed like a strange but very cool thing to do.

And now I just got done making my first ever pumpkin cheesecake. It's currently in the oven, and I hope it turns out okay. I followed a recipe given to me by my friend Paula; her cheesecake is amazing and I figured I couldn't go wrong with her recipe. My signature dessert is white chocolate raspberry cheesecake that gets very good reviews from my family, but I decided to go with something more Thanksgiving-y. But I get very nervous about making something for the first time for a big event with other people. I sure hope it goes okay! I accidentally put in one Tablespoon of cinnamon instead of one teaspoon. Whooops! I guess we'll see how it tastes tomorrow...

So I'm very excited for tomorrow and the food I'll get to eat. Marky mark is a fabulous cook and has some great ideas for our turkey and meal. He is very gourmet; he is a self-proclaimed "foodie" and is kind of a food snob. He even has a special way he wants to fold our napkins! I will definitely take pictures tomorrow and post them. Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

The Perfect Man?

I wasn't going to do it, but I did. I wasn't going to waste my hard-earned moolah on it. But there were posters everywhere, catching my eye when I'd walk through the Times Square subway station. They stared down on me from huge billboards in Times Square. I brought it into my home on the cover of my favorite magazine. Those lame shows like Access Hollywood and Entertainment Tonight were practically having countdowns. Even the respected morning shows got on the bandwagon. It all amounted to the hype and anticipation being more exciting than the real thing (this is a theory I hold to be true for many things, as the events leading up to something are almost always more fun than the actual thing; I think it's because there's no disappointment involved in the anticipating, only in the actual experiencing).

What I'm talking about of course is Twilight. But I don't want to talk about my disappointment with the film, the silly dialog and the sophomoric acting. My main disappointment is that the young girls who the book and film are geared towards find Edward to be so perfect. When I happen to see one of those insipid entertainment shows, they invariably go to the crowd of girls waiting for the book, movie, whatever, and they just go on, usually with a lot of squeals, about how perfect he is. Really? Is Edward our standard of perfect?

For me I'd much prefer someone who has flaws and is real. Because what's perfect for me is not perfect for someone else. Perfect is only relative. Perfect people don't exist, but people who are perfect for someone do exist, in all their flaws, neuroses and imperfections. I certainly know that Edward isn't perfect for me, just as I wouldn't be a perfect fit for Edward; and he certainly wouldn't be a perfect fit for Jessica.

I just wish girls at that young age would be more preoccupied with studying, learning, traveling, laughing, being independent and free thinkers, than being concerned about finding their "perfect" Edward. Become their own person first so they'll know what's perfect for them, instead of what someone has created as perfect.

Disclaimer: I am not a Twilight hater. I read the book and loved it, and loved Edward (well, most of the time). I just hope the young girls who read it can see it as fiction and know that the real world, and real relationships, are much more complex, hard, satisfying, crazy, joyful, and beautiful.