Hello Kitty Balloon

I found this picture of the Hello Kitty balloon this morning! enjoy.

Correction

I was informed that the Jeff Koons "Rabbit" is no longer on display at the Baltimore Museum of Art. This news saddens me.

It's true. I called them to make sure.

On the Needles

Holiday Status Edition:

I finished the bulk of my holiday knitting this weekend. Finished are two shawls and a scarf. I am working on these armwarmers from knitty.com. I don't think I like one of the shawls I finished. It looks like a miniature blanket.

I should have the armwarmers finished by Thanksgiving. They knit up super quick.

After that, only three hats to go!

Very exciting.

(K, I know you want to see pics. I will try to post some after I block them)

Favorite Gifts

It's the holiday season, and that means only one thing. Oprah's Favorite Things! I'm not a really big Oprah fan. I have a theory that she perpetuates this feeling of helplessness among women in America, but this is the one episode every year that I take off work 30 minutes early to go home and watch. I just think it's really fun to see all the stuff she gives away and to see everyone's reactions when she announces they're all getting a big screen tv. (I would not want to see the taxes these people have to pay on this stuff. It would be nice if Oprah paid them)

I thought it would be nice to make a list of my favorite presents I've gotten over the years. Not for any reason other than it's fun.

1. A blue cash register with a drawer that opened
2. A homemade cabbage patch kid
3. Western Barbie
4. An astronaut cabbage patch kid (he came in his own little space capsule)
5. The Led Zeppelin Box Set
6. The Complete Set of the Chronicles of Narnia
7. A flock of chickens from Heifer International
8. A pink ipod nano
9. A camera (for 110 film!)
10. Seasons 1-3 of the Wire
11. A Hello Kitty Blanket
12. A pretty pearl necklace
13. A box of homemade clothes from my Nana (and the avon lip gloss that always came with it)

I really love everything that I am fortunate enough to receive during the holidays. It is my favorite time of year. I also love picking out presents for people and making mental lists of things throughout the year to get for them. If you're at a loss for gifts this year, I highly recommend looking at the Heifer International Site. They are such a wonderful organization. My friend Jen bought me a flock of chickens when we were teenagers, and it continues to be one of my favorite gifts. You can view their website here.

File Under Awesome

Current and former cast members of Saturday Night Live performed in front of a small audience this weekend at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. The proceeds of the show went to benefit members of their crew, who have been laid off because of the writer's strike. That guy from Superbad (Michael Cera) hosted and Yo La Tengo performed. It was probably the best night ever. Too bad I didn't get to go.

They are also performing a live episode of 30 Rock tonight. I think I'd probably rather go to this, but I don't have tickets, and I don't live in New York, so I'm missing out on this one as well.

It's really too bad they aren't filming these for secret release on ebay.

Where'd You Put the Keys?

There is also going to be a balloon this year based on the Jeff Koons sculpture, Rabbit. This is on display at the Baltimore Museum of Art, and is super awesome. I have always wanted to touch it, but I don't because I'm scared of setting off alarms in museums. I am also scared of accidentally falling into paintings at museums.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Every year, I watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I know it's cheesy and I really could do without Matt Lauer and the rest of the Today show crew hosting it, but for some reason, cheesiness rules on Thanksgiving morning. I cannot think of a better way to lead up to a day of eating a bunch of food with friends and family. My mom and sisters call to inform each other about which next broadway show tune will next be performed, or to make sure we don't miss a really good balloon sighting.

This year, I found out there will be a Hello Kitty balloon, and I'm super excited! I love Hello Kitty. She's the best ever.

If you want to see a preview of the new balloons, check out this video. The Shrek balloon scares me. I don't know why, but I think that Shrek is really frightening. Maybe it's because I thought the movie was supposed to be funny and it just made me cry. But that Sesame Street character is super cute (and purple!).

Did I mention that I'm a dork?

Holiday Baking

I don't know about you, but I can't wait to start my holiday baking. It is always such fun to pick out the cookie recipes I am going to make. After a few years in a row of making iced sugar cookies, I think I am going to forgo making them again this year. They take so long to make, that I usually don't get a nice variety of cookies.

This year, I am thinking of making linzer tarts, spritz (my personal favorite), and maybe two or three others.

I feel pretty accomplished at making cakes and pies, but for some reason, my cookies have always come out a little sub par. I read this year that it may have to do with the fact that I bake with unbleached flour instead of bleached flour. This year, I'm using bleached flour for my cookies. I'm also taking all of my recipes from the lovely folks at Cook's Illustrated thanks to the baking cookbook I received for my 30th birthday. Those folks really don't mess around when it comes to cooking and baking.

Anyone have any suggestions for holiday baking?

Update

I am about 1/3 finished with my holiday knitting projects. Hopefully, I will finish my second shawl this week. I am also guessing that the hats will be a breeze. I think I'll be able to safely post some pictures, as there are probably only about 4 of you who read my blog these days.

I went to Little Rock, Arkansas for the third time this week. I visited the Clinton Library and had a much nicer time than the previous visits. What a neat building! I miss the days when we had presidents who only lied about getting blow jobs. Those were simpler times. Sadly, I forgot my camera, so no pictures, but you can check out their website, if you are so inclined.

The food in Little Rock to be just alright, so if any of you have any recommendations, I would welcome them. This time around, I ate at the Sonny Williams steakhouse. It wasn't the best steak I've ever eaten, but it was yummy.

Unfortunately, I also had to go to Outback steakhouse as part of my meeting. It was the first time I'd ever eaten there. I do not understand the appeal of that place. The sweet potato was excellent, but their steak is really sub par.

Boo.

Today, I received an email from California Tortilla about their new bonus program. Instead of the old "buy 7 burritos, get one free" offer, they're giving out some new electronic rewards card.

Now, every time you spend 50 bucks, you get 5 bucks towards your next purchase. This basically means that you have to spend twice as much money there to get a free lunch.

I am tired of companies trading in their awesome rewards system (like the one Borders used to have) for a shittier rewards system and trying to pretend like it's better and more fun.

(I realize it's stupid to complain about things like this.)

Fall Albums

I had intended this list to come to you complete with fancy album cover pictures, but I never have the time to do all of this. So, I present to you a list of fall albums that are currently available for your listening pleasure:

1. Les Savy Fav - Let's Stay Friends - This may be the album of the year for me. Les Savy Fav has stayed an indie rock secret for too long. Their live shows can't be beat and this album was worth waiting a number of years for. Let's hope they make it to the Maryland area soon.

2. Iron and Wine - The Shepard's Dog - Iron and Wine sounds so pretty when you're driving around in the fall. Their new album is another great addition to their catalog. I've been hearing them played alot recently on wtmd. Highly recommended.

3. Liars - selftitled - If you listened to their first album (that I love) and heard this one, you'd swear it was made by a different band. Still, this album is one of the more inventive of the new releases I've heard lately.

4. Enon - Grass Geysers...Carbon Clouds - Another good album from one of my favorite bands. It isn't great, but it's a cute little pop album. They'll be playing the Rock and Roll Hotel in DC on November 15th. I highly recommend attending this show.

5. M.I.A. - Yes, I know this album technically came out in the summer months, but I haven't mentioned it and it's a damn good album. It's super fun and will have you dancing in your car like a silly white girl (if you're me) in no time.

I am also looking forward to hearing the new Beirut album, but haven't listened to it yet. If you've heard it, let me know how it sounds.

Trick-or-Treat

Last night, my husband and I handed out candy to trick-or-treaters for the first time. For my husband, it really was the first time, as he had never before participated in obtaining free candy from strangers. This was because when he was little, he lived in the middle of nowhere and there wasn't a place to go trick-or-treating. It was my first time handing out candy since my parents moved to the country when I was a teenager.

Living in a townhouse in the suburbs, I thought we would have tons of people taking our candy. I forgot that in this suburb, all of the parents take the kids to the mall. The whole point of trick-or-treating is to be outside, listening to the leaves crackle under your feet, while you shine your pumpkin flashlight on the ground. That many kids in my area will never know what it's like to trick-or-treat outside is sad.

Maybe next year, there will be a rebellion.