My Thoughtful Spot

decking the office

Since I just opened my doors a few short months ago and am still having some cash flow issues, I wasn't able to get any festive decorations this year for my new office. Not that I would have gone all out, but I at least wanted a small tree with some lights. But I haven't brought home any money since August, so even a $5 decoration seems like an extravagance. (That's right, my assistant makes more money than I do at this point.)

If I could, though, I would want to start with this; it's $10 at our local grocery store. It fits me in my office well...

It was a rough day of non-operating (= no revenue) and bookkeeping today.

christmas candy selection

Despite my best efforts at being healthy, there is one thing I have never been able to kick for any length of time: candy. That would make me a candy connoisseur of sorts.

As such, one of the things I enjoy about Christmas is the unique candies that come out just for the season. The start stocking these delectable goodies before Thanksgiving and while I agree that is generally too early for Christmas in general, it is not too early for Christmas candies. My favorites are: 

• Mint M & M's
• Cadbury (the same folks who make the Cadbury eggs around Easter) takes their chocolate and makes them into bite sized balls and covers them with the same shell as their Mini-Eggs. I don't know the name, but they're delish.
• Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses
• Reese's peanut butter trees
• Russell Stover caramel Santas

I can find most things. But except for one bag of Mint M & M's, I haven't been able to find those and the Cadbury chocolates are no where to be found. I'm not sure why I can't find them; I've looked high and low, believe me. CVS, Target, Ralph's, Walgreens, Rite-Aid... no luck. I've also noticed that the amount of candy at each of these respective stores is substantially less than in previous years and is now replaced by more toys, seasonal plates, and wrapping stuff.

I suppose I should be happy. Less candy means that fewer people are buying candy, which means that they're being healthier. Which is good.

But it's terrible that I can't find the candies I looked forward too all year!

letter to santa

I got this idea from someone else's blog a week (or two?) ago, but like a big dork, I forgot to keep track of where. So if you're out there, please let me know, and I'll give appropriate bloggy love!

Dear Santa,

Can you believe it's already the middle of December already? I can't. I've got so much to do. But look who I'm talking to! I hope you've got things nicely on schedule; hopefully the Piggy Flu hasn't reached the North Pole and caused huge rashes of elves to call in sick. Let me know if you need any Tamiflu; does FedEx go up there?

I think I've been pretty good this year. There have been a lot of hurdles, that's for sure. (I'm ready for 2010, let me tell you.) I tried to handle them with as much grace and dignity as I could muster, which admittedly wasn't always a lot. But at the very least, I tried my best to treat everyone nicely and if I didn't, I apologized. I don't like to drone on about me and since you know if I was bad or good anyway, I'll skip the evidentiary part of this letter.

I also feel a little odd asking for "stuff." Don't get me wrong, I have a list. But there is so much I have already that I am grateful for: the health of my family and friends, the support of a loving husband in a business venture that has yet to bring in any real money, living in a beautiful home in a beautiful part of the country, an employee who is stellar, a saltwater fish tank, two kitties who love me, and a reliable car.

The following things on my list aren't items that go into your giant red sack. But if you could somehow swing some of them, that'd be great:

• A successful surgical practice requires patients. Please send people who need cutting my way.
• Inner peace and a grateful heart to my adopted sister. I'm not sure that would fix her, but it would go a long way. We'll handle the manners and posture.
• That Daniel makes partner at his firm. He's worked so very hard and rarely, if ever, gets rewarded for it. They could do a lot worse than him...
• That the country gets out of the Great Recession (as I'm calling it). So many people are struggling right now.
• Thinner butt and thighs. (You knew that one was coming; it's been on my list for decades. The adult version of a pony, I guess.)
• More time with Daniel. That may conflict with a previous request.
• Affordable flooring for my office that doesn't look cheap.

Here are some things you get the elves to work on and put in your sack:

• PlayStation 3, 250GB
• a Breathe yoga mat, in teal and/or purple and/or orange
• Fallout 3, Game of the Year edition with companion book
• Just about anything from Urban Decay
• Perfume sampler from Sephora. It's smart that they give you a bunch to try and a coupon for a full bottle of the one you like. Your idea?
• See's candy in my stocking, especially the white mint truffles

That's all I can come up with for the time being; you're usually so good at getting me things I never knew I wanted. I hope you can take a second or two to breathe between now and the big night and that you have a fantastic vacation planned for the second you've delivered the last gift. I'll leave out the standard snacks when you come; if you'd like something a little healthier, let me know.

See you soon,
Love,
Nichole

a hometown christmas

Ever since we moved back from Boston in 2003, I seem to be on call on Christmas, Christmas Eve, or the day after. So instead of doing Christmas with the family, we move it to a weekend earlier in December. While no opening of presents actually happens (because Jesus isn't born yet!), we exchange them to save on shipping.

This past weekend was when we decided to make our trip up this year. But it was sandwiched into a very busy schedule; the previous week was crazy for me and Daniel had traveled to New York and back. Our scheduled departure was after a Christmas party that we were obliged to attend, which was around 9:00. There were rumors of potential road closures over mountain passes because of black ice concerns, but we were lucky in that it was only raining. I think the weather scared many people into not traveling... let's face it, people in southern California have no clue how to drive in weather unless it's sunny and dry. So despite the rain, we actually made it there in record time.

Mom's party house didn't disappoint and there was enough food to feed a battalion. Maybe two. Saturday night we went out to a very famous street with elaborate Christmas displays on nearly every house. It's a tradition in my hometown going back 88 years! When we got back after that, the adults decided to warm up with my now-famous Algonquin Bar punch. We played games, watched movies, and had a great time.

The next morning, we headed over for brunch at mom's. I was asked to make the punch again, which wasn't a problem. More Christmas movies, more laughs.

A few months ago my dad moved back to my hometown with the daughter he adopted with his second wife. There have been some pretty crazy dynamics going on up there, but it is neat being able to see my mom and dad again and they're actually nice to each other. It was the first time we've been able to celebrate Christmas... all five of us (mom, dad, and the three kids), in over a decade. It was a little weird, a lot comfortable. Things are pretty complicated with the child my dad adopted, and no one really knows what the future will bring, but this year's Christmas weekend will always be a special one.

white christmas

One of the really great things about living in Southern California is that we are right next to Hollywood and the film industry. While that may provide for some of the more ridiculous portions of our daily lives, it also means that there is a sub-culture of people who love and respect old Hollywood. One of the most obvious ways to appreciate an older movie is to see it as it was intended... on the big screen. But there are few places in America where this is possible on a regular basis. Not so here. And I'm truly thankful for that.

Last night, I had the distinct pleasure of seeing White Christmas on the big screen to a sold out audience who laughed at Danny Kaye's jokes and the corny lines. And we appreciated it. Before the movie started, we were given bits of trivia. Like the car that pulls up to take them to the train station in Florida has California license plates. That the train trip features the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe as well as the Southern Pacific train lines. But neither company ever went through Connecticut, which is necessary on a train trip from Florida to Vermont. That when Bing goes to the Ed Harrison show, that was actually filmed in a television studio, but they didn't want to show the television station on the cameras that were rolling so the guy working the camera covers the logo with his hand.

I had seen White Christmas one other time with Daniel in Danvers, MA. If you've ever been to Danvers, you might anticipate that it isn't the kind of audience who would appreciate such a film. That time, there were very few people in the audience, no laughing whatsoever unless it was a snicker, and no cool trivia. Certainly no clapping when the movie was over.

I arrived to the theater very early; I had no idea how long it would take me to get there in our infamous traffic and I wanted a decent seat. As people filled the theater, I saw people of all ages and walks of life coming in. Families, young people not dragged there by their parents, older couples who may have seen it when it was first released in 1954.

Just before they started rolling the film, they announced that the film itself was an original from 1954 and in Technicolor. A rarity, apparently. The gentleman sitting next to me was obviously a buff in this area and he mentioned that not even Paramount has an original Techincolor copy of the movie, so this must have come from a private collection. Awesome.

I never realized how blue Bing's eyes were.

bikram addict

Hi, I'm Nichole and I'm a Bikram yoga addict.

On November 30th, I finished a 30-day Bikram yoga challenge. I really, really enjoyed it, despite some of the struggles I experienced from a mild viral illness and eating too much at Thanksgiving. Several bloggers, who also do hot yoga, are starting a 101 day challenge on January 1st, which you can follow here. I immediately knew that I wanted to do it, but would be unable because Daniel and I will be going on a long-overdue vacation at the end of January. And after waiting so long for a vacation, there is no way I could ask him to move it.

So after I finished the 30 days and didn't feel completely decimated, I thought to myself, "Why stop?" So I haven't. At that point, yoga had become a habit. Like brushing my teeth. And with 30 days under my belt already, maybe I could do a 60 or 90 day challenge outside of that blogging community. I had big plans to go to the gym a couple of times a week and still will once my x-number-of-days challenge is done. The weights will always be there, but this many consecutive days of yoga may not be. So we'll see what happens and how long I can go.

Today's practice made day 39 (well, 40 actually, since I have a banked double from early November). I'm not making super huge strides like I did during the first 30 days, but that's probably because my eating has been crap. So that's going to change. (Yes, another re-commitment to good eating.) Once I do that, I'm sure I'll get my balance back. I've committed to yoga, which was apparently the easy part. Committing to eating well is harder. But I can will do that, too.

So there's my fitness secret. I've come out of the yoga closet!

christmas tree

There are so many things I really love about Christmas. I don't know if there is a single one that I can pick, but of all the contenders, a Christmas tree... my Christmas tree... is right up there.

Despite the hassle, we get a fresh one every year. I understand the various reasons for getting an artificial one, from time to financial to environmental, but for this stage in our lives (and for as long as possible), it's a giant fire hazard in our living room all the way.

We usually get Noble Firs; aside from Douglas Firs, they're the most abundant in the tree farms around here. But they are the least fragrant of the live trees and the needles fall off really fast, even if the tree is still drinking water. This year, we went to a different tree farm and they had a species of tree that we had never tried before - Frazier. These trees are very fragrant and I could smell the piney goodness as we stood there in the open air with Dawn (we picked out our tree Thanksgiving weekend when she was visiting us). Also, the underside of the needles is a neat blue-green color. So we decided to try this kind of tree this year and brought home an 8 foot beauty.

So far it has not disappointed. While the smell has largely gone away, it smelled a lot more than a Noble ever did. Placing the lights was not as hard for Daniel (I can't do it because I get hives when I touch a lot of pine) and hanging the ornaments was really easy. There were a good number of thick branches that went out to the edge of the tree, so that the heavy ornaments, which I usually have to hang towards the center of the tree, can be easily seen.

I also love all our ornaments. We have some ornaments I bought in college when I had my first tree as an adult living in my own apartment. We have ornaments given by friends, collected around the time of our wedding (we got married in December, so got lots of ornaments as gifts), from trips, and interesting ones we've found on sale. Opening a box of ornaments is like opening a time capsule of sorts -- each ornament instantly whisks you away to a place, time, person, or any combination of the three.

For the last 12 years, we have been collecting church ornaments from Hallmark. It started by being an ornament with the year on it; we get at least one every season that has the year listed on it. Each church is so unique and they are lit from the inside by plugging a light into a strand on your tree. This is the last year in the series. It's just as well, too, because all 12 churches on the tree is a lot and I'm not sure we could fit many more.

Every minute I'm home, that tree is on. I love just sitting on the couch and staring at the decorated tree, even if the tv is on and I'm supposedly watching something. Despite the fire hazard, we keep our tree up until Epiphany, so we can have maximum Christmas. Here are a few pictures of this year's tree. Not promising there won't be more. Oh, that reminds me, I still have to add the candy canes!

That's at least 1,100 lights on there, folks. My cell phone camera did a weird thing with the lighting. The tree is indeed green and not pink.

This is the church ornament for this year. The window in the front and the doors are lit from within, too!

This is the first in a new series of ornaments. I think we'll use this for our yearly addition now that the churches are done.

Do you have a tree? Real or fake? Do you throw the ornaments on and move on to the next Christmas project, or do you painstakingly place each element?

holiday tea

For this month's book club meeting, we decided to go to the holiday tea at Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. One person had to bow out and another had to go to a funeral, so our group of six was down to four. Which is fine, and we would have normally discussed the book. But when we all sat down to our tea, one of the girls admitted she didn't have a chance to finish the selection of the month, The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington. So that means that only half of the group would be able to discuss it! (I hope I didn't set a bad example by not finishing Portnoy's Complaint last month.) We decided to just enjoy the tea and each other's company and discuss the book in January. I just hope I remember enough of it to discuss it in depth!

The mansion itself was beautiful and is used a lot for filming movies; I guess that's how the city of Beverly Hills makes a good portion of their money. So the inside had no furniture except what was brought in for our tea. It was a little odd seeing a "mansion" like that. I'm used to the Newport Mansions (Rhode Island) like The Breakers, The Elms, or even our own Hearst Castle that are completely furnished, often with original pieces and at this time would be decorated for Christmas. That's quite a sight to see, if you've never had the chance, by the way. Stunning.

Do you recognize the Greystone Mansion from any movies you've seen? I just saw "All of Me" on TCM and was thinking, "Hey! I was just there!"

fashion fridays: book of shadows

I'm almost done Christmas shopping. One more person to finish buying for and one gift to pick up when it arrives at the store (to save on shipping).

This past Wednesday, my arms were, once again, heavy-laden with bags full of goodies and Christmas cards. (Addressing to commence this weekend.) As I was twisting and weaving my way through the people in my local Macy's, my eye caught sight of the Urban Decay counter. I slowed down... stopped. In front of an amazing color palate...

The Book of Shadows, Vol. II. The girl, who came over almost as soon as she saw my pace slow, said that Vol. I sold out almost instantly and these were going fast. I inquired about the price, but since I was still holding onto my bags, I said thank you and continued on my way. As I was leaving, my head was swimming.

• "I'll have to tell Daniel."
• "But by the time he gets around to shopping for me, they'll probably be gone."
• "My friend suggested I should get a little something for me while I was out today..."
• "I did get some extra birthday money from Mom. She suggested I spend it on some tropical fish, but it was just a suggestion."
• "Am I too old to wear these colors? I did just turn 34, after all."
• "I usually get my colors picked out for me by the girls at the counter and they tell me how to wear it. If I got this, would I be able to use all the colors without looking like an absolute whore??"

This all took about 15-20 paces to process, when I decided to just freaking get it. Because if I didn't, and they sold out, I would be really disappointed. So I got it. And I've been playing around with color. That gorgeous, rich color. As I was finalizing my purchase, I mentioned to the girl that I was a little intimidated about how to combine different shades. She threw several combinations on the back of her hand in about 45 seconds, emphasizing that they were designed to go well together and it was really hard to make a mistake. The middle rows were the "base" colors and the ones on the top and bottom were for pops of color. Seemed easy enough. I wouldn't remember her combinations exactly, but I felt somewhat better about my abilities.

And, for once, a salesperson didn't lie. It's been fun. Edgy. Pretty. Everything I love about Urban Decay.

smells like... winter!

I picked up the most amazing smelling hand soap and lotion (and candle, ahem) from Bath & Body Works on Black Friday. It's called Winter. I don't know what all is in there, but to me it smells mostly like Christmas trees and a hint of cloves. There are some other smells in there, too, but I don't have a knack for that sort of thing. (I cannot smell wet pavement after a rain storm in a glass of wine, for example.) All I can say is that it smells like... Winter.

I usually don't go for applying lotion in the middle of the day. I know it's bad for me, and my 50 year-old looking hands don't match my 30-something face, but such is the story of someone who works with her hands. I'm constantly washing them. I know I'm supposed to put lotion on after I wash, but I just don't have time to wait even a few minutes to let it absorb before I get back to whatever I was doing. If I washed a normal amount, it might be doable, but multiply all those minutes by the dozen or more times I wash, and it's a significant portion of my day. So I usually skip it.

That lengthy analysis leads up to this with Winter: I apply this lotion. All the time. Because I love it that much.

Next on the list of Christmas loves: smells.