A good chunk of this year was very unpleasant. At work one day during a particularly dark patch in the spring, when it was hard to imagine getting through the workday, let alone the year, I scheduled a holiday-related task on my online todo list for December. I was hoping that I would forget about…
Last year, there was some crazy talk about a “War on Easter.” As an atheist agnostic apathetic agnostic in need of a couple of Easter cards, I can’t say I would have minded a skirmish as I scanned the selection of cards at the grocery store. I just wanted something cute and upbeat and not too “Christ…
Every day for the past few weeks, I have walked by this advertisement. Part of a set of ads with “humor” customized for DC, they miss the mark for me in that they resonate just enough to remind me how annoying DC can be (it’s an election year, so I’m extra cranky) but not so…
Last week, I shared our previous Christmas card photos. This year, I wanted: an easy statue for Santa hat purposes (so our runner-up will have to wait until a year I feel like packing a gopher grabber and a step stool), a short commute (so the perfect statue in Erie was out of the question),…
Preparing My Heart for Christ with Belgian Chocolate I’m sure you’ve all been wondering how I spent my free time in November. I spent it making advent calendars for me and Dave. Heads up for the devout among you, this has nothing to do with preparing my heart for the coming of Christ and everything…
Praise all that is holy, this year’s buckeye making is complete. Buckeye rolling movie: Crazy Stupid Love (I’d give it maybe 2.5 stars? It was good for what it was, silly entertainment to keep my mind off the monotony of rolling buckeyes.) Yield: 170 (new record) Elapsed Time: 2 hours, 40 minutes to roll. Almost…
Before I got married, my work colleagues threw me a party. One of the gifts was an insulated picnic backpack, which we never used until years later, after we adopted Chuck. Our first Memorial Day with Chuck, Dave suggested we have a picnic by the Potomac. The first picnic consisted of a very long walk…
These eggs come in 14 flavors and my favorite is the one filled with almond praline, wrapped in bright green. I bought enough to fill my glass Easter basket, but now they are almost gone.
I have a bit of a nostalgia problem. Also, once I experience something a certain way and like it, it’s “tradition.” Growing up Catholic, Easter was, to use religious parlance, “a big fucking deal.” I still celebrate Easter with an enthusiasm completely out of proportion with my belief in its purpose…well, I celebrate the parts…
Watching the epic movie The Ten Commandments is one of my favorite parts of celebrating Easter. And though I have it on DVD, I have to suffer along with the Hebrew slaves by sitting through all 284 minutes of the ABC telecast each year. It’s tradition. Yes, I know the movie is actually about Passover,…