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See

On Saturday we bought this:




I'm a wee bit embarrassed for spending so much on such a monstrous television, as it has often been something I've snickered at in the past. But, alas, here we are in our thirties living dangerously close to the city limits. Basically, I love it and I can't believe we waited this long. We told ourselves we'd use our tax return for it and now it's become our early (and only) Christmas present to each other.

Eat

Yesterday I decided to make caramelized apples as a seasonal Sunday treat. It turns out it is very easy. You just slice up some apples (I used Granny Smith) with plenty of butter and then add in some brown sugar. We decided to get crazy and add vanilla, cinnamon and oatmeal. Then top with five times suggested serving size of Cool Whip and add more cinnamon. It's like breakfast!


Drink

On Friday night my friend Ruth came over and other Dan made her a Pumpkin Pie cocktail. I dislike the taste of pumpkin, but those who enjoy it seem to think this is a hit. It is made from pumpkin-infused vodka (homemade!) and amaretto. Shaken and poured into a martini glass.



I chose to drink vodka sodas and then way too many Coronas as the evening went on. I ended up singing Yaz's "Only You" at the Beacon Hill Pub's karaoke night.

Fun time!

Read

I received this book from my parents for my birthday and began reading it yesterday:



The author's point-of-view is that she finds the acamedic approach to literature disheartening and political. She dropped out of graduate school because she found that her peers didn't even enjoy reading books and felt that their job as students was to pick apart the Greats based on contemporary societal trends and politicial correctness. Instead, she wants to focus on the written word and the stories as they were intended by the authors.

So far, oddly, I'm getting waves of nostalgia for my college lit courses. We'll see how it goes. Not a bad read so far....

Remember

Saturday afternoon (prior to purchasing Monster TV) we checked out the new toy store on 12th Avenue on Capitol Hill called Izilla Toys.



The logo is right; it is fun for everyone! Apparently it had a previous location in Madison Valley and has now moved digs. The space is deceptively large and they are about to expand next door to include a separate book section. The owner is incredibly helpful. I told him I was shopping for nephews ages 2, 4 and 7 and he knew exactly where to take me, asking all the right questions and pointing out that their products are all made in safe conditions (not in China) with natural woods and stains.

I easily found 3 gifts, and spotted something very exciting from my own childhood: Smurfs are back! They look a little different, though, and it is cause for some concern as to how much my current stash is worth...but good to know the little blue guys are getting back in the game.

Worry

My right eye was twitching earlier, but now it seems to have stopped. The strange symptom that I thought was dizziness seems to be doing away.

Worried that soon I'll have something new to worry about as it's a somewhat low-anxiety day....