‘Tis the season to gain five pounds…

I’ve decided that calories don’t count in December. I have a hard time getting myself to the gym in December too…like clockwork, right after Thanksgiving I fall into idle-sit-on-the-couch mode. And then there’s the pizzelle that various neighbors brought us, holiday candy from coworkers (I have a big chocolate Santa staring at me!!!), and a million holiday cookies. And hot chocolate. And latkes!!! And holiday parties with plenty of cheese and cracker platters and crudites and lasagna and potatoes. And candy canes.

My pants are snug, but I’m not sure that I care. After all, that’s what January is for!

Annoying

I kind of wish I never wrote that previous post, but I guess it’s too late now, especially with all the comments that wound up on Universal Hub. Sometimes I wish I wouldn’t open up my big trap, but then what else is this blog for? :-)

In other news, Turkey Day is the day after tomorrow. Let’s discuss that instead. Mashed potatoes, yams, pie, etc.

Be careful what you say…

I like to write reviews on Yelp. It’s a hobby of mine. I’ve written almost 300 good reviews, 58 mediocre reviews, and 78 bad ones.

When I felt ripped off by the smoothie I bought at the Clear Conscience Cafe in Central Square, I Yelped. I gave it two stars and said that for a whopping $6, I thought the smoothie was sub-par, too sweet, and small.

First, I got a scathing message from an owner of the Clear Conscience Cafe. I was LIVID. I lowered my rating to one star, and then today, I got another message in response to my Clear Conscience Cafe review from someone who I imagine is also an owner saying:

“you sound like a very snotty person. have you ever considered the fact that you are, in the end, completely wrong about everything you believe to be true? it’s a helpful exersize.”

I messaged them back telling them to NEVER contact me again and I reported them to Yelp. I also received a message from someone else saying that they also received harassing messages from people about his negative review of the Clear Conscience Cafe.

This whole situation is surreal. I certainly don’t think it helps their cause. I have gotten contacted by business owners in response to a negative Yelp review before, but usually they’re asking for my opinion on how they can better serve me or apologizing for any bad experience I’ve had. I think that’s wonderful. But sending out nasty messages to people who don’t like their service? Highly inappropriate.

Time machine

This evening I stepped in a time machine, pressed “1-9-8-8″ and went back 20 years.

First I went to Friendly’s, where I had grilled cheese and a Conehead Sundae. (My favorite meal back in 1988)

Then, I went shopping and I bought leggings and leg-warmers. (Some of my favorite types of attire back in 1988, but now leggings are only to be worn with full and proper butt coverage)

I stepped back into the time machine and pressed “2-0-0-8″ but everything must have carried over. I’m still stuffed from the grilled cheese and the sundae, and leggings and leg-warmers are back in style.

A few more things I love about fall/winter

I am one of those unique people who appreciates all seasons, all weather. I love a cold winter night as much as I like a sunny summer afternoon.

Let’s recap from a previous post:

- Hot chocolate!!!! Yes, hot chocolate especially with soy milk and WHIPPED CREAM!

- The smell of fireplaces. (I wish we had one.)

- Apple picking!

- Snow! I love snow. (Until March) But everything seems happy and magical when it snows.

- Better yet: blizzards! I love me a blizzard. I love being snowed in when they don’t plow my street because then I can walk to Keltic Krust for cookies and hot chocolate! And later to Crowley’s for some beer.

- HALLOWEEN!!!

- The picturesque leaves changing.

- Hot apple cider.

- Thanksgiving (and noodle kugel) because I only have kugel over Thanksgiving and Christmas!

- Christmas and spending time with family.

- The sound of the radiators at night.

- Using the steam room at the YMCA when I know it’s freezing out. Something’s very comforting about it.

- Having an excuse to just lie around the house watching TV, playing cards and board games with Matt, and reading.

- Brunch! This can be done year round but I particularly love it in the winter because it’s all comfort foods!

- Scarves, hats, and gloves. Fashionable AND functional!

- Cooking! When it’s 80 degrees in the kitchen, I don’t always feel like cooking. But in the fall and winter, I love it. I make extras and stick ‘em in the freezer.

- Flannel nightgowns!!

- Cream of Wheat. I know, Cream of Wheat is actually kind of gross but it reminds me of when I was a kid. We’d have that and hot chocolate on cold winter mornings. Also, waffles.

- Our attic. It’s so warm and cozy in the winter. I could just live up there. Actually, I probably would if the attic stairs weren’t so scary.

- Valentine’s Day. People hate it, but I really like it - CANDY! Especially because Matt and I like to go to CVS the day after Valentine’s Day and get candy on discount.

- At the end of winter when bulbs start poking out from the ground.

- Getting pizza or Chinese food delivered because it’s too cold to go outside.

- Shoveling the sidewalk. People think I’m nuts for liking this. But the way I see it, it’s great exercise AND it’s usually a time to chit chat with neighbors because the whole neighborhood is out there shoveling!

- The winter is the only time of the year when I don’t have allergies.

- Wearing pajama pants under long skirts. Nobody ever knows how comfortable I am!

- SOCKS!

- Cold, sunny days after a snowfall. Everything glows.

- Oktoberfest! BEER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Sledding.

- Chamomile tea with honey.

- Cuddling with my cat…he’s not so cuddly when it’s hot out.

- Turtlenecks. I like to watch TV with the neck part of the turtleneck pulled over my mouth and nose. It’s very cozy.

- Getting into my car and not scalding my hands on the steering wheel.

And now I have a few more to add:

- CLEMENTINES! I just bought my first crate of the season on Sunday and I’ve really been enjoying them.

- Convertible mittens! After years of coveting them, I finally broke down and bought a pair. What do I mean by convertible mittens, you ask? Here is an example!

- A few months of a break from gardening. I love gardening, but between November and April, it’s kind of nice to not have to worry about watering the tomatoes, harvesting the lettuce, making sure none of the flowers die. Instead we can just work on adding to our compost so we have some nice soil come spring. (Though we still have our Aerogarden, but that is low maintenance. Speaking of which, final harvest might be coming soon…)

- Being a homebody. Come to our house and we’ll drink wine and play Taboo!

- CrockPot cooking. Mmm…maybe I’ll make chili next week.

- Heating up cider at home, which is easy to do with our Choco Latte Beverage Maker, courtesy of Julienne.

- Tea tea tea. Yerba Mate tea.

- Cinnamon toast! And thanks to this I can just easily shake out the proper ratio of cinnamon and sugar.

- Heating pads. I have bad circulation so my feet are often as cold as ice. When it’s cold, I put the heating pad on my feet and I put a blanket on em.

Halloween Cupcakes!

I felt a little clumsy with the icing but it was still fun to make!

Pain, pain, go away…

I either have a hernia or diverticulosis. HURRAH, just in time to leave for California for my sister’s wedding. I have to do a clear, liquid diet for 24 hours IN CASE it’s diverticulosis. I had to do a liquid diet before my 2006 laparoscopy (while drinking something really nasty called PEG) but that was only for about 18 hours and it was terrible!!! I live to eat!

All I want is spaghetti and meatballs and a caesar salad.

Well, if it can make this pain go away, I’ll do it!! But I have to admit, I’m skeptical. I think it’s more likely a hernia than diverticulosis.

Discount Shopping!

Matt and I are big fans of the discount rack at Star Market. We’re like savages when we come across those shelves. Today, I got Dove deodorant for $1, Matt got Axe deodorant for $1, we got a bunch of cans of Campbell’s soup, Matt got coffee, and we got a twelve pack of hot dog buns that was missing one bun so it was only a buck. It was quite exciting. This is the best we’ve ever fared in the discount rack.

Consumer Sunday

Dubya sure would be proud of Matt and I for all that we’ve done to stimulate the economy today…

1) Matt and I put down a deposit on a Prius! It will take 2-3 months before it arrives, so we had to put the deposit down before we were actually ready to buy it. (We were hoping to purchase it before the end of the year.) We’re very excited. I still have my first car ever — a 1997 Toyota Corolla! It’s still as trusty as ever, but with the little (but fairly frequent) road trips we make to NY, NJ, and PA, it’s just a lot of wear and tear on my old car, and Matt drives a gas guzzling Toyota Tundra.

2) We both bought new phones! Matt wanted a Samsung Instinct, and he had $150 off because he had his old phone for so long. Then, once we got to the Sprint store I learned that I also had $150 off! So we went for it, and we both now have new phones. We had fun with the GPS, seeing how it would send us home from Coolidge Corner to West Newton.

3) Late lunch at Acapulco’s where I proceeded to eat 15 chips too many. But I have leftovers to eat tomorrow for lunch :-)

4) Dessert at Cabot’s later in the evening. (Wow, Mexican and then ice cream…healthy!)

Either way, I’m excited about my new phone and I’m excited about having a new car! I’ve had my trusty Corolla for so long.

I’ll take an iced tea and a cruller, please!

While in NYC and I went to a Dunkin Donuts for some iced tea. I noticed that the calories were posted for everything. When I first heard about that, I thought it sounded like a terrible idea, but actually, upon seeing the calories posted right there in front of my nose, I was intrigued.

First, I learned that a corn muffin at Dunkin Donuts clocks in at over 500 calories. That’s something that I would normally think, “OK, that’s a slightly healthier alternative to a donut!” But now I’ll never think that again. On the other hand, a cruller is only 150 calories!! I’ve always liked crullers, but for some reason when I’m on the go, I’d always reach for a muffin thinking it was the least-bad-for-you option.

My fav, a chocolate glazed, is 340 and my second favorite, chocolate with coconut is 370. Their chocolate chip cookies are a whopping 540 calories!! YIIIIIIIKES.

So, yeah…I think next time I’m at a Dunkie’s I’ll settle for a cruller :-)