mipmup.

ok, dish.

1. first, recommend to me:
* a movie
* a book
* a musical artist, song, or album

2. ask me three questions, no more, no less. ask me anything you want.

3. paste this into your journal, allowing your friends to ask you anything.

[thanks, french toast girl.]

nothing at all?

i'm beginning to think they're onto something here (more - er - religious-oriented info here.)

and i'm not thinking that because i've suddenly bought into "the reason for the season" (gawd no. i'm no canadian mennonite. i must drink.). i'm just wondering if it's just all "too much." the buying. the frantic shopping. the wrapping. the packing. the sending. the opening. the wanting. the must-haves. the "how could theys?" and especially this. you know i've been on a kick to give only handmade gifts. well, i'm not doing that well on that (just forget i said that), but this just might be the prime opportunity for improvement. last year, due to financial constraints (that's a euphemism) we gave cds to our family members and gave toys to the kids. it worked out famously. unfortunately, my own personal wishlist was no less than 30 items so i guess i'm a complete hypocrite. well, my heart is in the right place, people.

art credit: adbusters.

my head weighs 20 pounds.

when i'm sick two things happen inevitably: i get extraordinarily irrational and i overreact to everything. some may even say i get dramatic. well, it's happened again. my first cold/flu of the season has brought me to crankfactor 5, a bedroom tantrum because my nose didn't work (have you ever tried to sleep sitting up?) and a 20-pound head.

and i've realized that my marriage is completely susceptible to an affair because i am most decidedly not interesting.

because i couldn't sleep and i didn't want to subject my husband to my irrational, dramatic overreactions, i figured i better just be by myself and surf. msn posted the enticing question, "is your marriage ripe for an affair?" after reading the list of what not to dos, i realize now that i need to get a life (caveat: you know i'm sick if i'm buying into this drivel). not only will i be more independent, but i'll be more interesting to my husband and he'll be less likely to stray. personally, i don't think he's going to stray because who else can explode in an instant due to a head cold like me? nothing else says "i love you" or "i am interesting" than that. right? plus, i've gone through two boxes of ultra-soft tissues in less than 24 hours. now that's charming.

of course, now my mind is spinning with: "hm. it has been seven years and there was that marilyn monroe movie about that." "i'm not working so does that mean i'm not interesting?" "do i ask him questions about his day playfully?" "do i seem like i have a life?" shit. as if i wasn't stuck (or sick) enough as it is. now i have to worry about affair-proofing because i'm totally lost and have no direction in my life. super. so i ask him if i'm boring. he says he's not answering that kind of question because i get all emotinal when i'm sick.

and on top of all of this, i'm breaking out because of the upper lip wax i was given by the former cheerleader at my local salon. i knew there was something awfully telling about her level of perkiness.

and don't you hate when you can't sneeze and you have to?

and searching through my bloglines peeps, all i find is how crafty everyone is and how talented and how richly they live and blah blah blah. can't anyone just be boring like me?

and my beloved dog is still at my mom's and i can't pick her up because i'm sick. ugh.

i can't figure out christmas cards either. i'm not crafty. i'm not creative. and i'm not cheerful.

anyway, i've done everything i possibly can to alleviate my cold. i've run through all my natural healing books (can't take any over-the-counter cold medicine) and tried pretty much everything. i even tried to look at this positively: "this is my body detoxifying itself." no luck.

so when i threw my tantrum, my husband did what any husband would do: he gave me a soma so that i would shut up and go to sleep already.

see? he's not going anywhere. he still wants to drug me.

friday favorites.

1. not having a cold during the holidays.
2. not having a cold during the holidays.
3. not having a cold during the holidays.
4. not having a cold during the holidays.
5. not having a cold during the holidays.

[promise, real favorites next week when i've knocked the socks off this cold virus.]

94.

my grandpa, 1910 to today. he passed peacefully in his sleep, thank goodness.

"and ever has it been known that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation."
— kahlil gibran

ps my favorite part of this picture is the missing piece of his glasses. that, and the fact that my grandpa had been legally blind for at least 15 years and wearing glasses, defective or not, didn't make any difference whatsoever.

photo credit: me.

holiday tipping tipster.

got this handy holiday tip guide in my inbox from the emily post peeps. holiday sure can get expensive. sheesh.

friday favorites.

it's back (promise)!

here are my friday favorites for this week:

• learning how to make my own favicon. found a link to a freeware photoshop plugin (mac-friendly) via jennifer.

• reduce, reuse, recycle and you don't have to look like a hippie either! after coveting life begins at thirty's "take-everywhere" bag (i think i may have even drooled), she told me that yes, i could get my very own if i just visited this store. thank god for ecommerce. i may have had to steal hers. $9.95, including little teeny, fit-in-your-purse container (so why does the model look so sad?). and while i was there, i picked up these mesh produce bags. at less than three bucks each, you gotta get some of these. read why it's important to say "neither" when your bagboy asks you "paper or plastic?"


• "almost natural" polish remover. i discovered this while i was in berkeley (big surprise). at $6.95, it's pretty expensive compared to the everyday brand, but when i considered that it as no acetone, no elthyl acetate and is cruelty-free, i had to give it a try. i have to work a little harder to get my polish off, but i still recommend it for all the added benefits.


• ecco bella cosmetics. in my quest to rid myself of beauty products that have lots of chemicals and animal products, i found ecco bella. actually, i found them while i was in kansas (real surprise). i tried their lip color (it's not the one on their site though) and loved it. it's not drying at all and it lasts. recently, when i ran out of my chanel mascara, which i had been using for years, i tried their mascara. it's easy to apply and lasts all day. what more could i want? and please, don't judge them by their site. relaunch anyone?


• grateful body botanical skin treatment. i ran out of my beloved mirra mid-stay so i had to cheat. on the recommendation of the fairly-new skin expert at elephant pharmacy in berkeley (hearts!), i tried the thirstyskin formula. when i got home, i was surprised to find it was an oil (even though i just noticed that it says "deeply hydrating oils" right on the label). you know how you get a fuzzy around too many skin care products? anyway, i gave it a shot and though my better half says i smell like pencil when i get into bed, i think it's working well for my skin. the product is organic, too. i can't remember the exact price, but i think it was around $12. and a little goes a long way. oh, and don't judge their products by their site either, ok?

photo/art credits: grateful body; resuablebags.com; ecco bella; no miss.

warmies.

inspired by the recipe for spinach rice congee (jook) at da*xiang (her posts always make me hungry) and a recipe of tyler's (he's hot) i've made before, i came up with a variation that was easy and warmed us up. it is 65 here, you know. be warned, the soup is pretty salty, so if you're sensitive or watching your sodium, adjust accordingly. thanks for the inspiration, stef! yu-choy is one of my favorite vegetables and is almost available all year where we live. it has a mild flavor and is like chinese broccoli, but it cooks faster, is less bitter (to me) and is more tender.

yu-choy tofu soup
4 cups vegetable broth (if you're making the broth from bouillon cubes, i'd only use one to four cups water)
2-inch piece fresh ginger, cut in half
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup (or less) bragg's or soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sambal (or more if you like it spicy)
1 package firm organic tofu, cubed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 hot chile, minced
1 pound yu-choy (also called "yu choy sum", check your farmers' market. can sub other greens, like spinach or napa cabbage)
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup brown rice, cooked, for serving

to make the broth, combine vegetable broth, ginger, rice vinegar, bragg's, oyster sauce and sambal. simmer for 20 minutes. add vegetable and sesame oils to a large saucepan or wok. stir-fry the ginger and garlic with the chili. add cubed tofu and sauté until hot. add yu-choy. combine and let cook for a couple of minutes. add broth. simmer about five minutes. be careful not to overcook the yu-choy or it turns greyish. add cilantro. serve over brown rice.

best map so far.

for the sake of science.

go gossip about yourself and your s.o. it's all in the name of almighty etiquette written by the great-grandson of emily post (who said that a successful person's third generation is always useless?):

a new survey on couples
peter post has started work on an etiquette book for couples which is scheduled for publication in october 2005. a special survey has been created on the emily post website to explore how couples interact with each other and with others... . by taking the survey, you will help shape the advice in the book.

ten survey responders will be chosen randomly to receive a copy of the just released emily post's etiquette 17th edition.

* please note that all surveys are submitted only to the emily post institute; all responses are tabulated by a member of the emily post family, and no email addresses are ever given or sold to any other individual, company or organization.

there's no way in hell i put my email on that thing.

or if you're feeling up to it, take this longevity quiz. apparently, i'll be dying at the age of 109.4. jesus.