walking around in a holidaze

The past couple weeks have been packed with holiday-related activities...lots of events at Misericordia (including helping the Mahoney ladies deck the halls/walls), glögg at the always festive Simon's, the Plagiarists' holiday bash, Jessica's appletini & gin bucket party, &c, &c. It has been fun. It has also been seasonal in a more traditional, get-togethers-centric way and a less buy-10 million-presents-to-the-tune-of-Mariah-Carey's-"All I Want for Christmas is You"-blasting-throughout-the-mall sort of way.

I still don't like that weird Christmas song, "Everybody's Waiting for the Man with the Bag." But I still do like the Vienna Boys Choir's cooley high harmonies.

Tonight AEM and I went to see the Joffrey's Nutcracker, and it was pretty amazing! I am always awed by the dancers' athleticism.

Now Chicago is more or less a ghost town. Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

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Courtney made her place look magical last Saturday.







The highlight of the night, of course, was the new puppy...



...Shep!



Finally made it to the Christkindlmarket.



Anne noticed that these poor sheep were drowning in snow.





I gave serious consideration to buying a glass ornament shaped like a pepperoni pizza.



Window wonderland at Rainbos.



Today I got my Christmas on (studio apt.-style). Put mini ornaments on my stick collection...



...and made some Mom-inspired Xmas cider...all while listening to the V. Boyzz Choir.



Grandparents decked with light. (I miss them.)

some recent wtg

David Horvitz (Proximity)

Green Lantern Press (Is Greater Than)

The Plagiarists (Gapers Block)

enduring light

Ben Schaafsma.

cloves, almonds, vanilla pods

In mulling over winter beverages, I realized I was getting them confused:

"Wassail is a hot spiced punch often associated with Christmas. Particularly popular in Germanic countries, the term itself is a contraction of the Anglo-Saxon term, wæs hæil, meaning, 'Be healthy.'

Glögg is the Nordic form of mulled wine, similar to Glühwein in German-speaking countries. Glühwein is usually prepared from red wine, heated and spiced with cinnamon sticks, vanilla pods, cloves, citrus and sugar. Almonds and raisins are often added to the Scandinavian version, though not to the German.

Navegado is a kind of mulled wine typically from Chile. The word "navegado" comes from the Spanish navegar meaning sailing. Navegado is heated and spiced with cinnamon sticks, orange slices, cloves and sugar. Almonds and raisins are often added."

Just another aha moment made possible by Wikipedia.



Hope to finally make it here.

sister city

Back from NYC.



Already miss this one like crazy.



And this one...even though he and his sis make me sneeze like crazy. Ah, but they're wonderful.



Sister sister.



Cute kids.



Baobab.



Homemade bounty.



Girlsgiving.



Channeling Tyra.



Jam session with Pete!



"Dear Macy's Santa. Please bring me lots of things. I so believe in you."



Ginger hot toddy with rosemary sprig? Yes, OK!