Putting the "Party" in Politics

Obama has been president for one week now and, as Neil likes to remind me, I still have a job, money in the bank, and the government has not yet taken possession of my apartment. So that is nice.

In following with my resolution to be optimistic about Obama's presidency, I decided that the office needed to have a party to celebrate (or, if you prefer "observe") the inauguration. I got it authorized and put myself in charge of the event. Needless to say, the party was a rip-roaring success, despite technical difficulties. Because of the traffic jam on the information super highway caused by so many people trying to stream the event on-line we ended up having it as a multi-media extravaganza consisting of slow, choppy, delayed visuals on the big screen and sound on the radio. Listening to an important event on the radio made me feel connected with my ancestors, so that was nice.

All the co-workers were very generous with the treats they brought. They didn't even all fit on the table!

I will give the highlights of the party via conversations that took place.

On planning the party:
Me (to another secretary): The partners didn't give me a budget, so I don't how much money I can spend on the pizza
Left-leaning attorney: Oh, those things don't matter now that the Democrats are in charge!

On learning that we were having technical difficulties:
Attorney: What?! I'm not missing this for anything! I'm going home to watch it with my girl! (I'm not sure if he meant his wife or his daughter, but either way I think it was cute.)

As the people who really cared were leaving en masse to find a better venue:
Right-leaning attorney: So..... the Democrats are leaving, and the Republicans are going to stay here and eat all the food?

On Obama's speech:
Catholic attorney: I can't believe he's quoting from the Bible!
Me: But that scripture is in the Old Testament, not the New Testament. Everyone likes the Old Testament!
Jewish attorney: Yeah, a sequel is never as good as the original.

On the yummy food:
Secretary: I'd love the recipe for this quiche.
French attorney who brought the quiche: Well, I'd have to translate it.

On seeing pictures of the First Family in the newspapers in the next day:
Me (to myself): Sasha is totally my new fashion icon! (I already have the pink coat. I just need the orange scarf and gloves! Love it!)

And just in case you haven't seen this totally hilarious clip from The Onion yet, you should watch it. I sent it out with the email invitation to the party.

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

In Defense of Mondays (or: Life is Good)

I am of the belief that one day is pretty much as good as any another. I mean, REALLY, is there that much of a difference between Monday or Thursday or Friday, or for that matter is Saturday really so soul-shakingly different? (Sundays are, of course, as ordained by The Lord, uniquely fabulous but we will not be discussing that here.)

This is why I bring this up: this morning, I said to someone at work "Good Morning! Happy Monday!" The idea of a "happy Monday" caused quite a stir. And I'll be frank, no one much liked the idea. Someone asked me what on earth I could be thinking and I said the first thing that popped into my head: "Monday marks the beginning of a new week to fill with things you love." I'd never thought of it that way, but I like it a lot.

Now I'm wondering why people dislike Mondays so much. I guess fundamentally it's because that means its five more days until the weekend. Does that mean that the work week (70% of your life) is merely something to be endured? Are the weekends the only days in life worth rejoicing in? Doesn't this reek of the "one day less to be living" mentality? It seems to me that disliking Mondays is synonymous with disliking life. And yet, there are so many Monday-haters and so few life-haters (I hope!), that I must be making false connections. I think most people probably just hate Mondays out of habit. But since Mondays do constitute nearly 15% of your mortal existence, it seems like it would be a good habit to break.

I have been thinking about this all day. I feel very much more dedicated to the idea of living and enjoying each day.

And I found this nice image on google:
Obviously there are some other Monday lovers (AKA lovers of life) out there.

Once You Start, You'll Be Hooked

My friend has a super exciting project going on right now, which you can follow at

http://31datesin31days.com/


Seriously though, you won't be able to stop checking every day. But I'd say go ahead and take the plunge.

PS and tell your friends because there WILL BE audience polling at the conclusion

Completely Random Updates on Things in My Refrigerator

Travel back with me in your minds' eye to August 1, 2007. I am leaving for the Czech Republic in the early afternoon and have taken the entire day off work. I have cleverly planned my grocery buying so that am out of eatables. Wanting to avoid the high prices of food items at the airport, I go to a restaurant across the street for lunch. With my meal they give me a free can of root beer, which I do not drink because I know all that sugar will make me antsy on the plane. I cannot be entirely sure, but I believe that this picture (taken by me approximately 5 minutes ago) is of the very root beer can from one and a half years ago:
(I found it when I cleared my stuff off my roommate's fridge shelf in anticipation of her return from Christmas break)

In other refrigerator-related news. I am happy to announce that I have used up, in its entirety, my first full pound of flax seeds. As proof, I have photographed and will now publish my second pound of flax seeds which I bought just last week:
In addition to being high in omega fatty acids, flax seeds are super awesome because (when ground and mixed with water) they can be substituted for eggs in most baking recipes. They give things a yummy nutty flavor and are great in cookies, muffins, quick breads, etc. I use them in almost all my baking and I haven't had to buy eggs since May! As an added bonus, a pound of organic flax seeds only costs around $2. I look forward to using many more flax seeds in the future.

The Rankest 2,000 Pound Bulls in the World

One thing I love about living in New York City is the fact that my regular day-to-day routine frequently takes me to places that are famous, household names. For example today I took the A train (made famous by the Ella Fitzgerald song) to Penn Station and walked past the great views of the Empire State Building to Madison Square Gardens where I had tickets to an event.

And if there's one thing better than Madison Square Gardens, it's Madison Square Gardens with the arena covered in 700 tons of dirt because it is the MOST magical time of the year--the weekend when the Professional Bull Riders Invitational is in town. That's right--despite Ford's financial difficulties they are still bringing to us this blessed, blessed event.

Having accidentally missed the show of the year in 2008, I was determined not to let it happen again. So my roommate and I donned our best cowgirl apparel and headed down (you can't tell from the picture, but yes, we most certainly are wearing boots and the biggest belt buckles in our collective closets).

The evening started with a pyrotechic display which (though you cannot tell from this picture) was truly worthy of "the most famous arena in the world" (yes, that is "NYC" written in flames)

Like any good gathering of cowboys, this event started with a prayer, including a blessing on the troops. The Star Spangled Banner was sung and we felt like bona fide Americans.

I love bull riding. I just really love it. It is the absolutely best. It brings me so so so so so much joy. The action, the drama, the suspense, the danger, the pure untapped masculine energy. I can't really think of what else to say about it. Except that there was a cowboy there named "Pistol."

Here is a brief YouTube clip of a Professional Bull Riding Event just to give you a little taste of how soul-shakingly wonderful the whole sport is

PS They even played "Thank God I"m a County Boy" right there in the urban center that is Madison Square Garden.

Post-Vacation Wrap-Up

My roommates should be getting back any time now. I can't exactly remember when they will be arriving, but in the spirit of the end of my "vacation" I've decided to do a list enumerating my accomplishments. I was thinking about this on the way home today and it seems I've accomplished quite a bit:

1. painted living room
2. painted kitchen
3. painted picket fence on kitchen wall
4. got a new sofa (this REALLY deserves its own post. hopefully I'll do that eventually).
5. learned that it's okay to have needs
6. practiced expressing my needs and desires in appropriate ways
7. celebrated my birthday
8. hosted a Christmas party
9. practiced piano almost every day (after setting it as a goal)
10. accidentally made about 4 gallons (literally) of koshari and ate all of it (except the half gallon I froze for later)
11. narrowly avoided being kissed against my will (that hasn't happened since high school)
12. went and saw a movie in the theater by myself for the first time ever
13. came to the sad, sad realization that despite my ardent devotion to him, Hugh Jackman has never been in a good movie (with the notable exception of XMen I & II). the London production "Oklahoma" (which was AWESOME) doesn't count since it wasn't technically a movie.
14. rearranged my bedroom (the chi keeps getting better and better!)
15. sorted out ANOTHER three trash bags of stuff to take to Goodwill (seriously, where does all this stuff come from?)
16. after months of trying not to be suspicious, the facts refused to be ignored any longer and I realized that someone I respect and like a lot (no one any of my blog readers know) is most likely having an affair. am very sad about it.
17. bought a hat to keep my ears warm. I think I might not have to wear a coat EVER this winter, although I realize this is not true.
18. dragged a 10-foot Christmas tree down four flights of stairs by myself. Swept four flights of stair immediately thereafter.
19. accidentally stole a yucca from the grocery store (I am going to take it back)
20. got a pair of ice skates. still need to use them
21. finally cleaned the cookie jar that had that incredibly moldy muffin in it. I think it had been there at least two months.
22. made two separate trips to Trader Joe's on two separate days and STILL didn't manage to buy their house brand of pasta. I didn't think they'd be out at 4:30. I was wrong. (Why, oh WHY, can we not get a second Trader Joe's in Manhattan?!! preferably on the west side. I'm tired of shlepping all the way to the lower east side every time i run out of peanut butter. and the cashiers always ask questions when I buy more than 10 jars at a time.)
23. Have you heard the expression "there are two seasons in housekeeping-- Easter grass and pine needles"? I have learned for myself that ridding the house of pine needles really does take an entire season.
24. bought my plane ticket to London! Yay! Feb 12-25!
25. once again rejoiced in my decision to leave the non-profit sector when my end-of-year bonus unexpectedly arrived in my checking account. I LOVE working in the for-profit industry!
26. stayed up until 5 am watching episodes of Jem on YouTube
27. successfully proposed the idea of an inauguration day party at work. Got myself put in charge of said party. (i'm not an obama fan, but i'm trying to be a good sport)
28. gave myself a rather nasty cut with a butter knife (yes, a butter knife)

Well! That turned out to be quit a list! I could probably think some more and come up with other accomplishments, but I'll end now.

And, because every good blog post should have one--a picture: For New Year's Eve I went to a great party in a neighborhood much more trendy than I usually haunt. this is us in the elevator on our way to the roof to see the fireworks. It was very windy and cold. But totally awesome fun.

My Christmas was very very lovely, thanks for asking

Once I got over the guilt of not going to visit my parents for Christmas (because really, as much as I HATE traveling during the holidays, I do love them more), I was able to have a really really delightful Christmas here in the city with friends.

I opened my apartment up for general merry-making around 3pm on Christmas eve. For me, merry-making is definitely going to involve baking, so I made an apple pie and rice pudding while my friends trinkled in. Around 6:00, I remembered that I wanted to get a Christmas tree, so I recruited two of the big, strong men from the festivities and took them with me to the tree stand three blocks away.

This was my plan: go up to them and with the full realization that they were desperate to get rid of their trees, see what sort of a tree they would give me for $5.

This is what happened: we go and the stand has been removed. BUT there are several trees left desolate on the curb. I don't want to steal said tree, so I offer to pay by yelling loudly "I want to buy a tree!! Anyone want my money?!! I have money I want to give you for a tree!!" The thing I love about Washington Heights is that no one thought this was odd behavior or stopped to look at me as they walked by. Figuring that I had done my best effort to be honest, we decided that it would be fine to take one. There were about 5 trees left and all of them were at least 10 feet tall. Luckily, I had just painted my apartment,and therefore knew that those measurements would fit within the perimeter of my ceilings. Unluckily, that meant we had to carry the huge tree (which had been sitting in the rain for about two days) the three blocks to my apartment and then up four flights of stairs. One of the big strong men I had brought along to help had a broken leg, so it was up to the other fellow and me (in my Tommy Hillfiger jacket) to carry the soaking mess home. Even I was shocked by my lack of muscle strength--I was pretty much pooped after 1.5 blocks. Luckily, the gimp had the excellent idea of calling back up to my apartment for backup and so two fresh strong men showed up to carry it the rest of the way.

We got home and left the tree in the hall to drip while we went to my favorite Dominican restaurant Malecon for Christmas Eve dinner. (do you like my Christmas-y outfit? I wore it to work too.)

And there was a Christmas miracle--even though they were out of their super-yummy rotisserie chicken, our waiter found us one!!! And the seven of us ate very well--chicken, pork, rice, bean, yucca and plantains for only $7 each. I love Malecon.

Then we went home to eat dessert and decorate our tree before heading out to midnight mass. Only I didn't have a tree stand or any decorations. We propped our huge tree up in the corner and The Other Holly spear-headed the effort to make ornaments--people cut out snowflakes and cut up cards with pretty pictures. It was so great! I was simply overwhelmed with the Christmas spiriting watching everyone make our own decorations for the tree (I was busy in the kitchen and did not participate, but was still able to bask in the glow). We even had a lovely star made out of an old cereal box and some aluminum foil. Good, old-fashion ingenuity. Here is a picture of me and the tree. I'm guessing this was Christmas morning: Man, I LOVED that tree. I was very sad when I had to throw it out to make room for my new sofa, but that's another story. (in this photo, you can also see a sneak preview of my new living room color)

Then we went to midnight mass at St. John the Divine, which I believe is the largest cathedral in NYC. The ceremony was very lovely and very long. Half hour longer than a session of general conference, to be exactly. But the interior of the building was very beautiful (this picture doesn't do it justice) and of course, it's always really heart-warming to spending Christmas eve with so many fellow believers. Towards the end, they turned off the lights and everyone lit a candle we'd been given at the beginning and we sang Silent Night. It was just wonderful.

Then we went back to my house and stayed up chatting until about 5 am. I laughed that my weekly alarm to call and wake up a fellow temple worker at 4:30 Thursday morning went off as I was getting ready to go to bed.

I woke up in the morning and made breakfast for everyone. I don't know what I did to make those hash browns so yummy, but I suspect cocaine must have been involved.

My original plan had been to kick everyone out by 11am on Christmas and spend the day in solitude and reflection, but my guests were all so charming and amusing that they talked me into spending the day with them.

I felt like eating a hot dog, so we all went to Gray's Papaya. I have not eaten any meat since about April. Those of you who are familiar with my history probably know that I LOVE hot dogs and one of the reasons I moved to Manhattan was to be near Gray's Papaya. Since turning vegetarian and then vegan, I've always said that if I really feel like eating meat, eggs, cheese, etc I would, so I decided I should go ahead and do it: It was every bit as tasty as I remember.

We went to see Seven Pounds (boring, but as I reflect more they were obviously doing a subliminal pro-vegan campaign, which is intriguing).

I got home around 7pm that night. I was sitting on the floor checking my email when I heard the Christmas tree russeling in the corner. I looked over at it and it FELL ON TOP OF ME. I was stunned and was unable to extricate myself for several minutes, largely because I was laughing so hard. Eventually I regained my composure and was able to wriggle out from under the rather large, heavy tree and then pull it back up against the wall. My robe got pine sap on it and some pine needles got into my keyboard, but other than that--none the worse for the wear.

I went to bed early with breathless anticipation of shopping until I dropped the next day, but that is a story for another day.

All in all, I think it was one of my best Christmases ever. I think the time spent hand-making the ornaments for our tree will be a Christmas moment that I remember with joy the rest of my life. I'm so thankful to have such great people to spend the holiday with, even when I'm not close to my family.