thanksgiving portions

This is my favorite American holiday since it means I get to cook/eat on an extravagant and hideously enormous scale. No other time of the year am I allowed to use as much dairy products as on this single day. We also make it a general rule to not travel for this because I am so particular about the menu and I hate cooking in other people's kitchens. But this means we generally have A LOT of leftovers and this year was no exception. We are still eating Thanksgiving dinner. Thirteen plus pounds of turkey, a boneless ham, mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts and butternut squash, green beans, stuffing, mac and cheese, dinner rolls, pumpkin muffins and cranberry sauce for four adults and a nine month old is perhaps too much food.

writing anything as scathing as this review

I admit that I am no fan of Guy Fieri but apparently, neither is Pete Wells (who I actually am a fan of). His review of Guy's American Kitchen and Bar is so spectacularly comical and demoralizing that I just felt it needed mentioning. It's worth the read and I guess maybe Fieri needs to work on the things he does poorly too.

not freak out during basketball games

I went to Duke University and graduated with a degree in English and a love of college basketball. Most people probably think of me as pretty calm and not easily drawn into things but from November through March, I become a crazy person. I try not to watch my games with others because I become a loud, obnoxious asshole. Last night was the first time that Duke played Kentucky in over a decade and coincidentally, I used to be a UK fan having lived in Lexington as a kid. I hate John Calipari and what he is doing to college basketball and it was that much sweeter when we kicked their butts. All in all, it was a good night.

update: I switched channels during halftime and missed this:

WHAT THE F*CK? Seriously, this guy has no class and doesn't even have the balls to admit he made that comment.

momentary hero: megyn kelly

In my humble estimation, Megyn Kelly is someone who does many things poorly. Like understand facts and news and all sorts of things that pertain to her job. To me, she's pretty much just a Republican talking head but last night, I found out that there is something that she will stand up for against the likes of Karl Rove: the Fox News statisticians. For just a tiny moment, I had respect for her as a "journalist" (it's in quotes because it sticks too much in my craw to actually say it for real). So, cheers to you Megyn Kelly, my momentary hero.

zombie watching cable news on election day

It's finally here!! Election day! Hooray! I've been waiting FOREVER for this day. I voted (Obama) and now I get to sit back and watch cable news like it's my job. Fingers crossed! Go vote!

halloweening

So, I didn't grow up celebrating Halloween and I don't really like sweets all that much (possibly related traits?). I don't care to dress up and I don't like it when other full grown adults dress up. The rule in my house is to turn out the lights and not answer no matter how much the bell rings. My husband does not obey this rule and I wasn't thinking about it this year with the storm and all and I accidentally opened the door. I was greeted by a parent holding a small Cookie Monster. The look on my face pretty much told them all they needed to know, "I don't have any candy and now I feel like a bad person. Thanks for stopping by."

But I do make some kick-ass pumpkin bread.

waiting out the hurricane/noreaster or whatever

So, while I'm good at preparing for large storms, I am very bad at waiting them out. I have eaten multiple bags of chips, watched a lot of bad TV and read every blog post I care to read and then some. I am the type of person who can't stop watching weather news updates even when I know there is nothing to update. I also can't seem to get up off the couch. Luckily, the section of Philadelphia that I live in made it through with relatively little damage and I was able to walk around a bit outside today. Hopefully, the areas with damage are able to recover quickly and that everyone can go back to their daily lives soon.

preparing for hurricanes...oh wait. i'm actually good at this.

So, frankenstorm Sandy is on it's way here and having grown up in hurricane alley, I am quite prepared. Not overly so because realistically, I live in a major city so the power and water should be okay unless this turns out to be the storm of the century but I always have water and can goods anyway and now I've tied down my outdoor furniture. I just have to hope that my house doesn't flood. Stay safe!

waiting to vote

Seriously, can we just all vote already? If you are still undecided, well, flip a coin and vote Obama. Because if you don't know what's good for you by now, I'm not sure you will in two weeks.

being kept in binders

So, just to be clear, I am a fairly liberal Democrat and while normally not too political, I definitely watched the presidential debate last night. And yeah, I guess I'm the type of girl who's really hard to find/keep in a binder. Because you know, I'm a person, not a sheet of paper for people to pull out when they need to fill in some gender quota.

art heist masterminding

It's kinda incredible to me that people still steal art for a living. I am too chicken myself to do any such thing but I imagine it to be quite the adrenaline rush. Just think of how ninja it would be.

painting bathrooms

None of the greys were for the bathroom but on a similar note, painting bathrooms is the pits. So many nooks and crannies and fixtures to paint around. Ugh.

choosing colors

I wouldn't say that grey is my favorite color but it certain is my go to color. I love all shades of grey and would cover my entire house in it if my husband would let me.

keeping my mouth shut about others being old

I have an unreasonable fear of old people (they are so frail but mean!) and have a terrible habit of casually calling people old even when they are only a few years older than I am. Apparently people in their thirties get very offended by this.

tweeting

I think maybe I'm one of the few people who actually have a Twitter account but don't know what to do with it.

dusting

This one is not going to be accompanied by a pic since that would be unpleasant. But dusting is one of my most hated chores because it just NEVER ENDS. I have purchased all sorts of tools to aid me in my battle against the dust bunnies but those little suckers just keep coming back.

the Cold

One of the hardest experiences for me after moving up north is the Cold (in my mind, it's a proper noun. Definitely not common). I hail from North Carolina were the harshest winters were mild compared to the grey-washed frigid weather that will last for months here in Pennsylvania.

eating the basil that i grow

Grown from seed and they look so happy! I feel bad eating them...though I do have some tomatoes and mozzarella in the refrigerator that would like to make friends...

wearing my glasses

I have very bad eyesight and my doctor is constantly reprimanding me about the amount of time I spend in contacts. I love my glasses (thanks Warby Parker!) but wearing glasses is like wearing skirts, not ideal for all situations even when they are seriously cute.

exercising regularly

Yes, that is a TV remote control on my rear bike rack. And yes, my bike is on a trainer on a yoga mat.

getting started on the day

It's almost noon and all I have to show for it is clean teeth and checked email. Almost ashamed of myself. Almost.

easy to care for plants

This is our succulent. When we bought it, it stood about 7" tall. I won't throw it away yet in case a miracle occurs but outlook not so good.