"Be Nice to Mary" Week

Well, for some reason, this seems to be "Be Nice to Mary Week" to make up for the previous week in which both my laptop AND my glasses broke. Anyone who knows me is aware that I wear tri-focal progressive lenses; thank God for Tom, tape and Krazy Glue!!! If I thought being incommunicado was bad, finding my glasses in two pieces on Thanksgiving morning -- split at the bridge -- was far, far worse. My vision is bad enough that I could not even have patched my own glasses, if it weren't for my hero having saved the damsel in distress.

So, in the universe's greatly appreciated effort to make the inconveniences and expenses up to me, my friends (both in the real world and in cyberspace) seem to have just inundated me with lovely compliments and invitations and gifts ... I am humbled. Even my ex-husband -- whom I hadn't seen in 4 years until this past weekend, now that he's back in Michigan -- apparently told Jeremy after I'd left that "Your mom's a babe!"

And then, because my ego apparently hadn't been stroked enough, along comes the fabulous Robin of Your Daily Dose to dedicate a highly entertaining tidbit from "Friends" to me, in honor of my having moved in with Tom. (And, as always, she has a psychic gift, knowing full well without ever having met me that I would be in a tizzy about having my stuff moved!)


Robin has strength I cannot even conceive of, being able to write and envision BIG IDEAS and maintain a sense of humor despite suffering debilitating migraines. And she has love and generosity of spirit in abundance, despite her chronic pain. She is priceless!

But, as though all of this weren't sufficient, Robin also gave me an award:

And here is the lovely compliment she paid me while doing so:

Yenta Mary ~ Whose blog is the least like mine? Well, that would be Mary's blog. It is a cooking blog and I don't hardly cook anymore. However, she does manage to throw some living in there and she is the best commenter. She is an amazing person. I might be a magnet for horrible boyfriends, but I am a magnet for the best blogging buddies. And Mary is TOPS!

Well ... wow. I, the verbose one, am rendered speechless.

Except that I'm not permitted to be speechless for very long. I have to find 7 folks -- only 7, which is always hard; not finding that many, but narrowing it down to so few -- and then share 7 fascinating blurbs about lil ol' moi ... hmmmm.

So, let's get started 'cause this is hard work and I'll need to reward myself with a treat afterwards!

1. Amy's Dinner: Amy puts bbq pork into macaroni and cheese ... 'nough said!

2. The Culinary Cellar: Debbie generously shares her love by giving away cookbooks, those most prized possessions that are so dear to me.

3. Eat Drink Wash Up: Karen loves Roxy Music as much as I do, and is most witty and entertaining ... :)

4. Foodie Road Show: Angela is a fabulous cook, and a fellow bleeding heart and peanut butter addict.

5. From Chaos Comes Happiness: Leanne has an exceptional sense of humor and perspective of what's important in life, and warmth and wisdom to match.

6. Mini Eats: Allie makes the cutest jewelry and luscious-looking tidbits from clay, and I get lots of compliments on my dangly earrings that look like miniature pieces of yellow cake with dark chocolate frosting.

7. Positive Kismet: Elizabeth shares positive thinking and inspiration, which are much needed in the clutter of noise and stress we all endure.

And now, for the soul baring (or inanity, whichever you prefer):

1. I have a bit of an OCD; I like things in their proper place (as Robin already guessed!). I will walk around the house straightening, tidying, putting items back where they belong. Not so much a "neat freak" as a control freak, I think.

2. Although I am normally someone who makes about 20 different kinds of cookies for the holidays to give to loved ones, I have yet to make even one batch yet. Being behind -- let alone this far behind -- is very disconcerting. I don't like it.

3. I am currently wearing gold nail polish, which is as "neutral" -- to go with everything -- as I get.

4. Now that I live near downtown, I have started taking the bus to work. I love it!!! I grew up in NYC taking the bus and walking, and it's wonderful to return to my "city girl" roots instead of feeling like a Suburbanite just for having lived in an area of town not as accessible to the bus routes.

5. I am not quite done with my Christmas shopping, but I am very, very close to it ... yay!!! Still have a ways to go on Jeremy's birthday presents -- he'll be 20 on January 10 (and with any luck we won't have a blizzard, as we did when he turned 2 and again when he turned 18) -- but I'm making progress.

6. I love peppermint -- candy canes, peppermint patties, ice cream, tea, you name it. I was shocked -- shocked! -- last night to find out that Tom doesn't like candy canes but will eat peppermint if baked into something (presumably like brownies). Good thing he has other amazing qualities, or this might be a deal breaker!!!

7. When I had t.v. (no cable at Tom's, 'cause we're not t.v. watchers though he likes to watch movies), my guilty pleasure was watching "Hoarders." It made me feel infinitely better about my own housekeeping abilities (I find people either cook or clean, but rarely are inspired by both)! And it served as a warning to Jeremy, who has distinct hoarding tendencies because his father and maternal grandmother are hoarders, and his maternal grandfather is a Martha Stewart-like hoarder who at least has everything packed and labelled properly.

So, there you have it -- have a fabulous weekend!!!

Back At It, Sorta

Hi, there -- me again!

We finally got internet service back at work, so there's been mucho catching up to do. My laptop situation is being resolved as I type, and with any luck I'll be back to posting inanity and fluff very soon. I'm surprised at how well I've dealt with my withdrawal symptoms, and how I've distracted myself: I made a Christmas stocking (remedially, because I am not a seamstress, but it was a labor of love), I've completed several crossword puzzles, I've nearly finished a book, I've baked, I've exercised … it's been good for me!

So, I am still unable to show you some of the amazing things I've made and eaten lately because I have nothing to download my pictures to; and I can't really take hours out of my work day (or stay for hours in the evening) to write my own personal blog posts. (It's bad enough -- and perhaps this is what God was chastising me for when He yanked my cyber-access so abruptly??? -- that I check email or comments every so often throughout the day … tsk, tsk.) But I had to at least check in with my friends and followers for Thanksgiving, to offer my deep appreciation for your support and your encouragement.

My ex-husband is in recovery and has attended many an A.A. meeting. For those of you who may not know much about how they work, there is usually a theme: sometimes they read from the Alcoholics Anonymous book, sometimes attendees pick a topic. And if anyone ever wants to get out early, they volunteer to lead the minions in a discussion of gratitude -- it's the shortest meeting imaginable!

While I've always joked about that, in all honesty I have to hang my own head in shame at how much I take for granted, how much I kvetch about, and how little I show genuine appreciation for gifts that the universe has bestowed upon me. And so, as everyone else is doing (since when am I a lemming???), I am going to offer a list of some things I'm grateful for this year. I sat in the Sanctuary at work to offer some silent thanks, and now I'll take some of it into the public realm.

Health: Never, ever take it for granted! I am one of the healthiest people I know, with good blood pressure and cholesterol/sugar levels, no arthritis, no chronic pain, no significant impediments other than an increasingly feeble memory. I take a thyroid pill each morning along with my vitamins -- that's it. Many of my loved ones have both physical and psychiatric difficulties, and one very special person has been hospitalized twice this year with 5 or 6 (we've lost count) trips to the ER for a variety of issues. Those of us who have good health should be on our knees with gratitude for it, rather than just blissfully scurrying about during our days. Health is a precious commodity, and it is more valuable than many others which would be lost without it.

Money: There's never enough of it, and I worry about it constantly both day and night. Dealing with finances is soul-deadening and I loathe it; I'd like greater financial security, rather than always being tense and careful. However, I have a job that provides both income and health insurance, not to mention some truly dear friends/co-workers … I have a home and the ability to pay rent … I have two cars (my Suburban and Jeremy's Beetle) which have been paid off … have clothes, and even relish the thrill of touring thrift shops for new goodies … I have enough food that I can cook and bake what I please, as well as eating out fairly frequently, and engage in the frivolity of writing about it … I have money to donate to some of my favorite charities in $18 increments (18 being symbolic of "life" in Judaism) … I have no late bills and no creditors seeking a pound or more of my flesh … I have heat, lights, water, and even enough disposable funds to grudgingly cough up to get my computer fixed. I am immensely grateful for all of these blessings and others I haven't either listed or thought of.

Family: I am a firm believer that a family is created by the people one chooses to be with, ones who love you, rather than necessarily being determined by DNA. I have my priceless, beloved Jeremy, without whom my life would cease to exist; Tom, who is a cherished member of my family even if we're not married; Tom's daughter and sisters and brother and nephew and nieces and father and stepmother and grandmother and cousins, who have welcomed me because I love and care for Tom, who is precious to them; Wendy and Connie, my bestest girlfriends without whom I would not have survived much "tsuris" ([TSOOH-riss] = heartache); my parents, who admittedly make me insane but who are there when I need them; my "bubbes" ([BUH-beez] = grandmothers), the amazing elderly women at work who have adopted me and whom I adore; the friends I've gathered in recent years through work, whom I consider to be extended family … I am truly blessed with people to love who remarkably love me in return.





Followers/Friends: I started this blog in March, and am utterly astounded that I am nearing 500 followers! And I have also met wonderful friends whom I would never have encountered anywhere but cyberspace, whom I look forward to hearing from and sharing with each day. The support, encouragement, cheering, commiserating, and just genuine t.l.c. you've all offered to me throughout this adventure is so amazing! I am genuinely grateful for your having found me, followed me, and friended me. But then, people always do bond over food, don't they … ?

Have a lovely, blessed, warm, hearty, fattening, happy Thanksgiving!!! We've got Chanukkah fast approaching, and the Christmas and New Year and birthday season soon thereafter … there's always more food, and traditions to continue ... :)

*#&&@(*&#$(*@&#$!!!

Hello, everyone!

Sorry for the obscene greeting above, but it's warranted -- I am currently sitting at the library, typing up a quick post to let everyone know why I've been a.w.o.l. No post today, no reading/commenting on my friends' posts, no obsessive checking of The New York Times ... nothin'. I am virtually cut off from the rest of the universe, for awhile.

Our internet service at work got shut down accidentally yesterday -- still not fixed, and boy! You don't realize how addicted you are -- or how dependent you are for a variety of responsibilities -- until you don't have it. Comcast claims to be working on the problem, which was their error ... we shall see if we have access on Monday. You know it's bad when you have to resort to filing, and when slapping address labels on the monthly newsletter suddenly sounds like a good diversion!

So I went home last night, ready to catch up on what I couldn't check on during the day. I signed on to HootSuite.com, checked Facebook and Twitter, then went into the kitchen to make a phone call. I came back out to my laptop to see the "BSOD" as the tech guy at Staples put it: Blue Screen of Death.

Sooooo, Tom and I took the laptop to Staples last night to see what they could do; they seem to think it's fairly straightforward, and they 're having a 50% sale on repairs, so at least I'm getting a bit of a break. Six times or so, the very helpful Ryan tried to enter a work order ... and six times or so, the computer wouldn't accept it. So I had to take my laptop home, 'cause they can't take it without documenting that it's in their inventory; I took it over after work today and everything seemed to go smoothly ... oy.

God, I believe, is sending a LOUD, CLEAR message about my internet usage ... why, I don't know -- I meet my responsibilities, I feed people, I do my job, I keep up with my friends (both in the real world and the cyber ones). This could be about my New York Times addiction, but I think not ... I hope not! And I had so many posts to write about -- Faygo cupcakes, my prize-winning Thanksgiving stuffing (read all about it right here), a big announcement ... sigh.

So, I can't use photos 'til I get my laptop back, though I can at least check in with all of my friends if I have internet access at work next week.

Here's hoping everyone has a fabulous weekend!!! Tomorrow, Tom and I are celebrating the one-year anniversary of when he first contacted me ... awwww. Holiday shopping and a lovely lunch await us ... :)