Friday Funday: The Most Ridiculous Leggings Ever Made

Okay, let's walk through a thought experiment:

Picture the most ridiculous leggings you can possibly imagine.  Now make them a million times more ridiculous.

Got it?  Got that mental picture, friends?

I'm about to blow away your wildest imagination.

Ready?

Okay:

Available here (affiliate link).  They were $18 the other week (when I bought them, because I do ridiculous things sometimes and have a huge weakness when it comes to the ugliest items imaginable, see e.g. here), so keep an eye on that price as hopefully they will drop again.  I also found them here for $20 (not an affiliate link).

Let me break this down for you:  There is a bucking unicorn on one side. There is a robot T-rex on the other side, and he is shooting laser beams from his head.  All of this is happening on a backdrop of rainbows and galaxies.

If this is not the height of "IDGAF" then I don't know what is.  I saw some girl wearing these at a dance party the other week and she was crushing the whole scene.

So, I just thought you all needed to know that this exists.

(Out of curiousity, when I asked you to picture the most insane leggings you could imagine, what did you picture?)

Have a great weekend!

On Shabbat

Despite the name of this blog, I'm not much of an actual Jewish girl.  I was born Jewish, I had a Bat Mitzvah, and I even had a "confirmation" when I was sixteen.  I taught Sunday school for a couple of years when I was in college --- I was assigned to third grade, because any class above that would have exceeded my knowledge of Hebrew and Judaism.

I'm not sure when I first started feeling uncomfortable in religious settings.  Maybe sometime after college?  Religious services started feeling less meaningful and more cultish.  The chanting, the conviction that improbable-sounding religious stories actually happened...it all felt strange.  Add to that the fact that my basic religious knowledge meant I couldn't fully participate in most services, and you've got a recipe for discomfort.

So I dialed back my participation in actual Jewish ritual.  I experienced a brief renewal in my spirituality and feelings towards Judaism after going on Birthright Israel in 2011, but my practices didn't change much.

(image)

After moving to Baltimore, I have found myself inching into the Jewish scene here.  Seemingly every week, a different Jewish group hosts a young adults/professionals Shabbat that are either inexpensive, free, or potlucks.  I've gone to a bunch of these dinners, mainly because they are something to do and a good way to meet people.  I've met a handful of cool people through these Jewish events and I certainly can never have too many friends.

Plus, I think on some level I enjoy reconnecting a bit with my religion, even if I'm totally awkward at these events.  A couple of weeks ago, I tried to strike up a conversation around the table about recreational activities during a period during the ritual when (unbeknownst to me) we were all supposed to remain quiet.

Anyway, I was inspired to write this post after my experience with last night's Shabbat.  I have had an extremely stressful day at work, even though we only had a three-day week.  There are a ton of exciting things going on and I've had a few huge professional successes in the last month, but the next few weeks are going to make me want to pull my hair out.  As the workday wound to a close I started feeling that familiar tension in my chest --- that feeling of having too much to do and too many balls in the air.

(image)

Then an unfamiliar feeling came over me --- one of impending relaxation and calm.  I think it came from the knowledge that I was taking a purposeful pause from work and life to go through the Shabbat ritual and have some kind of meal with other people.  For one of the first times in my life, I found myself looking forward to Shabbat.

I'd imagine I'd get the same kind of benefit from setting a fixed time to meditate and disconnect, but it was nice to feel it come from part of my religious heritage, even if I still struggle with the ritual and the theology.

I'm curious to hear about other weekly rituals that provide that sense of calm and focus.  What do you guys do for yourselves?

This is absolutely everything.

ShipYourEnemiesGlitter.com.

 

First, that picture says everything.

Second, these quotes are more than everything:

"We fucking hate glitter. People call it the herpes of the craft world."

 

"Glitter as a Service: want to piss off someone you dislike for only $9.99? Let us send them some stupid fucking glitter that is guaranteed to go everywhere."

 

"You'll then be taken off this shitty website for payment processing via PayPal. Yes, we know PayPal is a shitty company, hell why not send those dicks some glitter?"

The internet can go home; we've hit the apex.  I think we're done here.

Who wants to help me open the American distribution center?

Two corners

I haven't been keeping up with any Anthro or clothing blogs lately.  Since I took my new job and my shopping budget all but vanished, I've sort of steered clear of most of the blogs I used to love simply to avoid the temptation of seeing my stylish e-friends wear beautiful new clothes that I could not afford.  If I don't look, I don't crave!  (But I miss you, fellow blogger friends!)

Lately, the money I do have left in my shopping budget has been going towards items for my home.  I made two relatively big improvements to the house (replaced a roof, walled in the master bedroom), but the rest of my budget has been going towards small changes to make the house feel more like home.

Here are two corners of the house I particularly like!


1.  In the family/TV room:

99% of the time that I use my laptop, I use it downstairs on my comfy sofa in front of the TV.  I'd been leaving the laptop on the sofa, plugged into the outlet near the sofa, and it was ugly.

I found this ^ cute firewood/magazine holder at a vintage shop near DC called Peg Leg Vintage (a little overpriced, but TONS of cute stuff), and it works perfectly for my laptop!

I ran the cord behind my TV stand (which is to the left of this photo), so the piece doubles as a laptop charger!


2.  Dining Room Booze Area

All I wanted was just to store my wine glasses somewhere.  Is that too much to ask?  I wouldn't think so.  But I didn't have enough cabinet space to store my wine glasses, and there wasn't a convenient spot anywhere for a wall-mounted or under-cabinet mounted rack.  WHAT WAS I TO DO??

BAM!

It's a LAMP, but the lampshade is made up of wineglasses!!!

How cool is that??  I found it on Amazon.  (Affiliate link.)  Plus, it comes with a cool vintage bulb that looks really beautiful when lit.  Here's a bad photo of the lamp on:

Pretty, right?  The only problem is that if you have dirty glasses, you will DEFINITELY notice once the light is on.

Question:  Do you guys think I should get rid of the lampshades on the dry bar next to the wine glass lamp?  Now that I'm looking at the photo, those hanging lights seem like maybe too much light in one corner?  (Note that the hanging lights on the bar don't work.  Also one is missing; I need to reattach it.)

Happy Sunday!  I hope you guys enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Here's a cool thing for your kitchen:

Check it!
 

 

I found this thing on Amazon the other week, and it's so handy!  It fits a ton of dishes...

 

 

...looks nice...

 

 

 

...and rolls up small when you are ready to put it away. 

 

I love that I don't have to find storage for a clunky traditional metal drying rack!  It's here on Amazon (affiliate link).

 

How was everyone's New Year's holidays?  Any significant resolutions?  I didn't resolve anything this year, although it is my goal to start getting a bit healthier this year.  I have fallen out of the habit of exercising, and I definitely want to get back into that!

My Biggest Sale Haul Yet!

Have I told you all yet about how much I love the city of Baltimore?

Well, I absolutely adore it.  Baltimore is homey, quirky, and completely lives up to its nickname of "Charm City."  Baltimore has utterly charmed me thus far.  In fact, I'm hoping to start blogging more about some of the fantastic activities this city has to offer.  I believe this is a city on the rise, for sure.

I love Baltimore so much, that I bought this:

AHHHH!!!  I'm a homeowner!!

There are a bunch of reasons I decided to plunge into homeownership in Baltimore.  First, the real estate market here is pretty good for buyers.  The city has hit its stride but it hasn't quite boomed yet, so real estate generally moves relatively slowly and there are decent deals to be had.  (Plus, interest rates are still extremely low, and those low rates won't last forever.)  Second, the rental market has far outpaced the buying market; you pay substantially more in rent than you would to buy the same house.  Third, I signed a four-year commitment letter with my job, and I'm getting loan repayment assistance from my law school (given to people who take a public interest or government law job and earn below a certain threshold) that is 100% forgiven after five years...so I'm likely going to be in Baltimore for a while.  Plus, I figured if I bought a place in a neighborhood with a strong rental market, I wouldn't be forced to sell whenever I moved; I could just keep the house as an investment property and rent it out to cover my mortgage and expenses.

I started looking at houses in May, before I moved here.  I looked at about 25 houses and I actually put an offer in on this house (how freaking beautiful is that place???), but when the sellers countered for $1500 higher than my offer, I suddenly got cold feet and backed out.  I can't explain why it didn't feel right to buy that house...my parents did not seem particularly enthusiastic about pitching in for a down payment, and there were multiple buyers for the relatively-new-on-the-market house, which made me feel nervous and pressured.  And perhaps on some level I was concerned about buying before I even knew if I would like living in Baltimore.

In the end, I'm glad I didn't buy back in May.  It helped a TON to live here for a few months, get to know the neighborhoods, and get a better sense for where I like to hang out.  I realized in the time I lived in Fed Hill that I loved being close to the harbor, but wanted to be in a neighborhood with a population my own age.  (Fed Hill is fantastic but the average age there is approximately 23.)

When my Fed Hill landlords informed me that they were selling the house I'd been renting a room in and that we'd all have to leave, it seemed like as good of a time as any to resume the housing search!  I had two months before I needed to move out of my old house, so I figured I'd look at real estate for a month, and if I didn't find anything I loved I would just rent again.  I decided to focus on houses with two to three bedrooms, and at a price point that would allow me to cover at least 75% of my mortgage with rental income.  I figured a house of this size would lower my expenses and would give me room to grow if I started a family and we ended up staying in the city.  (The middle schools in the city aren't great, but the elementary school in the neighborhood I ended up buying in is pretty decent and would probably be fine (and would delay the inevitable move out to the better school districts of the suburbs).)

I looked at more than thirty houses in October.  I found a lot of very cool, great houses that seemed promising.  But the moment I walked into the house I ended up buying, I immediately felt a warm, cozy, homey feeling.  It wasn't perfect, and I wasn't blind to the things that weren't perfect about it (I would have loved an open kitchen with different finishes --- like that first house --- or a full bathroom for each bedroom (my house is a 3/2.5)), but I still loved it.  The neighborhood is awesome, the neighbors are chill, and the rental market is strong due to the proximity to Hopkins.  On the whole, it was perfect for me given my price point.  PLUS, the house had been on the market for more than 100 days,* meaning no pressure to bid high to beat out competition!  I was swooning.** 

* I'm not sure why it was on the market for so long --- although in Baltimore 100+ days on the market is not that unusual --- but I think it was because the owners accepted an offer on it after a few weeks, and three days later (without any kind of home inspection) the buyers got cold feet and pulled out.  The house was relisted and essentially became a "back on the market" house.  Often BOM houses face a stigma from new buyers that hurts their market value.

** An indicator of how well my excellent real estate agent got to know me and my taste:  We walked into my house, I immediately oozed, "Oooh, I love it..." and my agent said, "Wait until you hear how long it's been on the market and you'll love it even more."  Srsly, he was great.

The period from contract to purchase was stressful, filled with multiple unnecessary dramas and last-minute crises.  But with the help of a fantastic real estate agent and very supportive parents, we were able to get to closing on time!  I also got the maximum seller cash contribution allowed, so not only did I get a pretty decent deal, but the purchase price on record is higher than the final price I paid (because of the seller contribution), which will hopefully be good for increasing property values in the neighborhood.  Of course, the seller contribution is on record, too, but to the extent that the sale price is a more visible/accessible measure of property values than final sale price, that's gotta be good for property values.

I've already found roommates for the other two bedrooms, and my rental income will almost completely cover my mortgage payment, taxes, and insurance.  This will help me put more money away for loans/savings/home repairs!

I'm still in the process of moving in and decorating, and I have one reasonably big redesign project on the immediate horizon (a contractor is coming in to add a wall and a door to the master suite --- right now, it's not closed off at all so it lacks privacy).  I'll post photos once things get more settled!  I couldn't be happier with the place.  Sometimes I look around the house and feel so overwhelmed with love for my surroundings.  It's my HOME.

So, there you have it!  Do any homeowners read my blog?  What was your buying experience like?  Are you glad you bought?  Any tips or tricks for me?  What websites do I need to know about?

On Repeat: Cat Stevens by way of Sam Cooke

I stumbled upon this Cat Stevens cover of "Another Satuday Night" on Sirius last night and I can't stop listening to it!

What a voice.  How is it possible to sound so angry, sad, and joyful simultaneously?  I think I like this song even better than the original!  What do you think?

FYI

Just so you know...

 

This product:

 

 

...is delicious. It tastes like a delightful piña colada.

 

However, the color is a little bit...how shall I say...off-putting.

 

 

If you can manage to drink this without thinking about urine samples, then I highly recommend it!

 

How was everyone's weekend?

 

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The Zone of All Probability

Have you ever had one of those days that is so horrible --- just one bad thing after another --- that you arrive at a point when you think that nothing worse could possibly happen?  And then something worse happens?

Have you ever felt your tether to your own tragic reality break at that point, not in the sense of having a nervous breakdown or anything, but such that you no longer feel any sadness, fear, anxiety, or any other negative emotion, neither at the wreckage of the day already laid waste in front of you nor the possibility of yet another bad thing improbably finding its way into your universe?  You go from panicked and depressed to completely calm in a blink.

I have days like that periodically, and I had one of them yesterday. I felt that little "snip" in my brain when my thoughts go from "ACK THIS IS A TERRIBLE DAY" to "Of course this other terrible thing has happened, how entertaining."

Every time that happens to me, I think about this passage from A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, which just so perfectly captures that feeling:

I pull up to a light, next to a bunch of young black kids.* Maybe they’ll shoot me. I’m in the zone of all probability. I cannot be surprised. Earthquakes, locusts, poison rain would not impress me. Visits from God, unicorns, bat-people with torches and scepters–it’s all plausible. If these kids happen to be bad kids, and have guns, and want to shoot people like me, it will be me, the glass will break and the bullet will come through and I will not be surprised. With the bullet in my head, I will drive my car into a tree, and as I am waiting to be pulled from the wreck, nearly dead, I will not panic or yell. I will think only: Weird, this is exactly what I expected.

Here's to a new day.


*  ETA, in response comments expressing alarm at this passage: To be clear, this passage is a piece of literature.  In the context of the book, the passage is discussing completely crazy and improbable things happening.  As the author describes it, the likelihood of kids shooting him in the head just because they are black is crazy and improbable, and in the broader context of the book is not a statement on race (i.e., it is not a commentary that young black kids shoot white people), but is rather sort of a tongue-in-cheek jab at perceptions of race.  I encourage you to read more about the book, the author (who does an impressive amount of work with youth in under-served communities), or to read the book itself (not an affiliate link).  It is a fantastic piece of storytelling and one of my favorite books.  If you're upset (or not upset) by the passage, I encourage you to discuss it in the comments.  Hopefully folks who have actually read the book will chime in as well on either side of that spectrum.

Let's talk about fitness.

Alright, guys.  I have fallen off the fitness bandwagon.  My pants are tight and I am at a weight where I refuse to buy new ones because I am not going to settle in here.

Source.

I have found that my fitness preferences tend to swing around pretty drastically every six months to a year, and the things that I used to love doing no longer motivate me the same way.  I'm not going to Crossfit as regularly as I used to, and I am biking less since the weather became frigid (and since I bought a car).  I still will sometimes go for a run, but the shorter days leave me less time to do this in the daylight, when I prefer to be out.

My firm recently announced that it would give all associates $195 towards a monthly gym membership.  I could use this money for a 9 class per month Crossfit membership ($165 --- I KNOW), or I could use it to join an actual gym with a variety of (sadly, non-Crossfit) classes.  I'm leaning towards the latter for now, since I'm feeling like a need some variety in my life.  Plus, since I seem to enjoy driving around, I could drive to the gym to get my sweat on.

So help me out here:

1. What do you guys do for exercise in the winter?  
2. Do you belong to a gym?  If so, what do you think are the most important things I should be considering in deciding which gym to go to.
3. If you live in DC, are there any gyms/studios that I absolutely must check out before I sign paperwork somewhere?  Where is the best place for me to spend my $195/mo?

Dawwwwwww

Meet the new foster kittens!

 

 

Their names are Dust Bunny (gray female) and Caribou (orange male), but I call them Bunny and Boo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just waaaaay too much cuteness, am I right? These little ones are available for adoption through the Washington Humane Society! (My last two foster cats were adopted two weeks ago! The only thing that eased the pain of separation was immediately taking in two more cats :-D)

 

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Sponsored Post: Because I Want a Sodastream

I spare you guys most of the sponsored post requests I receive, because who wants to read that stuff?  The exceptions are as follows:

• Cold hard cash in exchange for a post about a product or service I have either used or personally believe in (e.g, Match.com)
• A free product I like/want/believe in and think you guys would also like/want/believe in, in exchange for a post about said product (e.g, Nice Jewish Guys calendar)

This post about SodaStream falls into the latter category.  I love seltzer water and have been drinking it daily since I discovered it a few months into Weight Watchers in 2009-2010.  It has the fizzy, stomach-filling satisfaction of soda but without the calories or artificial sweeteners.  (The more I read about artificial sweeteners and diabetes, the more leery I am of them.  See, e.g., here.)  I mostly drink plain soda water, and if I want to get fancy I add a squirt of lime.  Heaven.

I get free soda water at work, but the day will eventually come when that supply runs out and on that day, I will want the ability to carbonate my own water.  And that's where SodaStream will come in.

SodaStream wants you to know that Scarlet Johansson is now the new face of SodaStream.  Look how much she loves SodaStream!

There will be some kind of official announcement about her brand ambassadorship on Super Bowl Sunday.  In the meantime, there seems to be quite a bit of controversy surrounding her sponsorship!  The controversy is actually pretty relevant to this blog, in fact.  SodaStream is an Israeli company that operates in a disputed area of the West Bank, and critics of the company argue that the the factory is taking advantage of the limited employment opportunities in that area by operating there.  

In response to criticism about this, SodaStream said through Johansson:

"I remain a supporter of economic cooperation and social interaction between a democratic Israel and Palestine," the actress said. "SodaStream is a company that is not only committed to the environment but to building a bridge to peace between Israel and Palestine, supporting neighbors working alongside each other, receiving equal pay, equal benefits and equal rights. That is what is happening in their Ma’ale Adumim factory every working day."

Very interesting!  I had no idea that SodaStream was an Israeli company or that there was controversy surrounding their operations.  For a Jewish Girl, I admit that I have little to no patience for Israeli politics.  All I know is that I love seltzer water.

What do you guys think?

1. Do you have a Soda Stream?
2. Have you been converted to the cult of sparkling water yet?
3. What do you think of this controversy?  (See, e.g., here.)

Shopping Fail (AKA, The Hidden Costs of Car Ownership)

This weekend, at Target:

This weekend, at BJ's Wholesale Club:

However, I did manage to use my super free stuff-detecting skills to get a free $40 bottle of car wax and a free $25 restaurant.com gift certificate.

What can I say?  I am a savings ninja.  Except for the part where I apparently buy approximately 20 times more than what I actually need on any given shopping trip.

Online Dating, Pickup Artistry, and an offer from Match.com

This is a sponsored post.

I know very few people who have a "meh" attitude towards online dating.  In my experience, you are either pro or VERY con.

I am currently not on the market, but back in the day when I was, I maintained a free online dating account at (where else?) Jdate.com.  (Hey, I AM a Jewish Girl.)  I thought online dating was a nice way to supplement my social schedule.  Have some dates with guys met at parties, have some dates with guys met online.  Online dating for women is a pretty decent proposition, actually:  insist your dates pay for your drink or dinner, and at worst you have a funny/awkward story to tell at the end of the night.  Plus, based on what my Jdates seemed to tell me, 90% of women who date online are psychotic, so if you are normal, your dates will immediately be impressed and interested.

True story:  for a while there, I studied pick-up artistry!  This was around the time the reality show The Pickup Artist aired on VH1.  Do you remember that show?  It was about a bunch of professional pick-up artists who taught nerds how to become cool and intriguing to women.

I LOVED that show, mostly because the method advertised was so manipulative but seemed SO effective.  I wanted to learn more about it so that I would know when someone was using those methods on me, and in fact a month or two later someone tried to pick me up according to that strategy and I was able to see it coming and bust them on it!  (True caveat:  I was on a Jdate with someone else at the time the pick-up artist tried to pick me up!)

Part of pick-up artistry is a step called "demonstrating higher value" (a "DHV," for short).  In this stage, you do some kind of trick or tell some kind of story to establish that you are interesting and worth your target's time.  Here's one of the best DHVs I learned, which I still pull out from time to time whenever cocktail parties get too dull:

• Start with some kind of story about how mind-reading isn't all that difficult, it's just about tapping into the common consciousness.  I like to cite a study I once read about in undergrad that found that people completed yesterday's crossword puzzle significantly faster than today's, and the theory behind that was that the answers to yesterday's puzzle were floating in the universe for people to access.
• Tell your target that you think they could read your mind, too.  If you're on a date and you like the person, maybe add something about how you feel a connection to your date that you think they might be able to get in your head better than others.
• Tell your target that you are going to write down a number.  Write down the number "7" on a piece of paper and fold it up.  Do NOT show this number to your target or let them see what you wrote.
• Tell your target to clear their mind and after you give them the prompt just to say the very first number that comes into his/her head.  Then say to your target, "Pick the first number that you can think of between one and ten.  GO."  The key is to do this quickly so that your target goes with their first instinct.  
• 70% of the time, people will pick 7.  You can increase their likelihood of picking seven by using hand gestures when you tell your target to pick a number between one and ten.  Imagine a number line in front of you that goes from one to ten.  When you say "one," gesture with your hand where the number one would fall, and when you say the word "ten," gesture with your hand where the number ten would fall.  When you say "GO", gesture with your hand where seven would fall.
• After the person guesses seven, hand them the piece of paper with the number "7" written on it.  Bask in the glow of how awesome you are.
• If the person doesn't guess seven, run.*

*  I haven't found a smooth way to recover when this trick fails.

Now get out there and pick up some people!

Onto the sponsored stuff.  Here's what Match.Com wants you to know:

• Match.com's peak season, the site's busiest time of year, kicked off New Year's Day and spans all the way through Valentine's Day, where Match will see a 25-30% increase in registrations to the site. 





• Why the rush to log in online in the new year?  In a recent poll, Match.com found that 51% of singles' New Year's resolutions will be to socialize more and focus on finding that special someone, making the desire to connect with someone a driving force for singles' to get online after the holidays. 


• To get you online during prime time, Match.com is offering a 3-days free "date pass" for singles! Simply log on to claim your 3-days free offer. 


• Who knows, you could get lucky in love like this Match.com couple— have you seen their proposal? 

Match.com sponsored this post.  I received monetary compensation in exchange for publishing this.  I'm totally gonna use that sweet dough to pay for the speeding ticket I think I got yesterday.  Damn traffic cameras.

I'm failing to see the connection here.

In today's episode of "Car Dealers are Absurd":

Now, I CAN'T BE SURE, but I feel reasonably confident that Dr. King's dream had very little to do with getting a good deal on an American automobile.

Go-To Recipe: Ropa Vieja

I think it's important for everyone to have a small collection of recipes that are easy to make, impossible to mess up, delicious, and healthy. These are your go-to recipes when you need to put together a last minute dinner for someone, when you want to make food for yourself for the week, when you are stumped on what to cook but want something delicious anyway.

 

This ropa vieja recipe is my #1 go-to. Amazingly, the recipe initially came from Weight Watchers, even though NOTHING about this delicious stewed meat tastes like diet food.

 

^ Slightly too much liquid in my version above, but you get the idea.

 

It's amazing over rice, cauliflower rice, roasted squash, potatoes...pretty much any starch you can think of will complement this tender, juicy, flavorful dish.

 

Plus, you can easily put it together in the slow cooker (you don't even have to brown the flank steak) and let it cook all day, or throw it inside a pressure cooker (which you should all have by now, RIGHT??) and let it go for about 75-90 minutes.

 

It hasn't let me down once, and I can't believe I haven't blogged about it by now!

 

What are your easy, go-to recipes?

 

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Welcome Back, Me!

Hi Friends! Apologies for the long absence; work has been busy and I've been in a bit of a funk. I took a loooong vacation in December and now I feel refreshed and mostly back to my old self. Here's a quick catch-up of what has been going on with me:

I went to China!

Work matters brought me there and I was able to extend my trip by a day to do a little bit of sightseeing! I went to the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and the Hutong District (a traditional Chinese neighborhood). Plus, the amazing office manager of our China office took great care of me while I was in town, going above and beyond the call of duty to stay up late and take me out to various local restaurants pretty much every night!

The food was incredible. My favorite meal by far was a night of Peking Duck (not pictured). The duck was delectable and it was served with the most air-light pancakes I have ever tasted (similar to the pancakes that come with muushuu, but thinner). The Great Wall was probably the highlight of the sightseeing trip. Never in my life did I ever expect to see the Great Wall in person. Plus, did you know you have the option to take a ski lift down from the wall OR A TOBOGGAN? A TOBOGGAN. DOWN FROM THE GREAT WALL. OF CHINA. Who are these people who are opting for the ski lift in that situation????

Plus, I went to the "silk market" where I bought lots of fun stuff, including "Beats Audio" bluetooth speakers for $10, an "Alexander McQueen" scarf for $10, and "Hermes" wallets for $20! (Note the air quotes...)

Silk Market Sale Haul. Note that the bike helmet above HAS EARMUFFS BUILT IN!

I Went on Winter Vacation!

This Jewish Girl experienced her first Christmas in St. Louis, and then I went to Vegas to ring in 2014!

My favorite part of the St. Louis trip was our visit to the City Museum. For those who haven't been, it's this odd collection of stuff inside what is essentially an enormous playground. There are slides everywhere (including a ten-story slide!) and you can climb on basically everything. It's a great place to entertain your inner child.

Our Vegas trip was fun as always. No big wins to report, but I enjoyed staying on both the strip and Old Vegas. We checked out the new "Container Park" that's out in Downtown Vegas, and it is a very cool scene. If you want to get away from the strip and have a chill night outdoors, it's a great place to go! (The giant cricket above sits outside of the park.)

I BOUGHT A CAR!

Let's just consider this an early 30th birthday present to myself!

It's a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta TDI. I did a lot of research about this car before taking the plunge. It's diesel, so it gets amazing highway gas mileage (50 mpg!) and feels incredibly powerful to drive. Here's hoping the maintenance and repairs are not outrageous! (I read a decent number of horror stories on the internet, but I have a few years of warranty coverage to figure out how much I like the car/how high the costs are, after which I can sell at a small loss if necessary.) Diesel engines can last past 400,000 miles (although everything around the engine may have to be replaced several times over)!

What should I name it?  One of my friends suggested "Shirley," which I like because I secretly/publicly still drink Shirley Temples sometimes.  Another friend suggested I give it a German name, like Brunhilde or Astrid.  Yet another friend suggested "Firecrotch."  Thoughts?

There, you're caught up!  Now, please tell me what I have missed with you! I have not been reading anybody's blogs in my absense so please fill me in on the haps!

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International Freaking Business Class

What was I even doing with my life before this?

 

 

I'm on my way to China for a very short trip and this is my first time in international business class. My seat becomes a bed! I just finished a glass of champagne! Things like this, as shallow as they are, make me like my job more.

 

On the other hand, travelling poshly for work makes it that much harder to travel on my personal budget!

 

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