this morning was rough

i woke up with my left eyelid completely swollen (and both itchy), the return of a weird associated hand rash and a migraine headache. oh, also every muscle in my body, including in between my fingers (are there even muscles there?), sore. b/c of yoga. but i’ll get to that in a minute.

let me start off by saying that eyelid swelling is stressful. this is new to me. growing up, there was always some kid who got a mosquito bite on or near his or her eyelid and it would swell up like a big red balloon and i’d be like, woah, dude. that looks bad. i had to look away. and now here i am with my own swollen eyelid (could be plural soon, i’d better watch it). and while it’s not nearly as severe, it’s supremely upsetting, esp. when you don’t know why it’s happening. both eyelids are itchy. as are my hands. this happened around the time of our neighbor “kicking it.” the dermatologist labeled it “contact dermatitis,” which essentially means you’re allergic to something you’ve touched. i’m like, thanks, doc. that’s really vague and not helpful at all. i’ll be sure not to touch anything ever again. then he gave me three creams, two allergy pill prescriptions and a six-day pack of steroids. i pretty much didn’t take anything and it sort of went away.

so my eyelids and hands were itchy and my head was achin like a toothache (as holly might say). let me tell you something about this weather: for migraine headache sufferers, esp. those of us sensitive to barometric pressure changes, impending big storms, like the storm that’s now touching down on the baltimore and dc metro areas, are murderous. so this is day two for me. my head should be nicknamed Storm Watcher. i should get paid for this.

i stumbled into the bathroom and looked at my left eyelid and gawked. i was like BABE. LOOK. AT MY EYELID. (to holly. naturally. did you expect it to be someone else? hah) and she was like, wow, babe. that’s pretty bad. the itchiness and swelling propelled me to the medicine cabinet, where i promptly found the benadryl, which i have in the house from our wedding planning days since i had a stress-induced eye twitch for, like, a year. [holly's eye doctor told me that antihistamines can help with eye twitches. (never worked for me. not a surprise.)] i decided the itchiness and swelling outweighed the headache so i took two.

then i panicked b/c i was like wait, can i even take a migraine pill w/benadryl? so i called two different pharmacies to check (the journalist in me always fact checks) and they were like, yeah, it’s ok, but you might get really drowsy. so i took the pill and got groggy. then i decided to follow up on a game of phone tag w/my neurologist’s office. see, i’m running low on ibuprofen. i take it sometimes for headaches, 800mg pills, which are the equivalent to four advil. i’ve only had one bottle of 90 ever prescribed to me, in june by another neurologist. it saves a LOT of money to get the bottle of 90 800mg pills. it’s like…360 advil (!) for a $5 co-pay. you just can’t beat that. i figured i ought to get my new dr. to call the prescription in for me. they called yesterday and left me a msg that they needed to ask me a question about it. so that’s why i was calling back. i wanted to get it filled before The Big Storm.

the lady on the phone asked me if this dr. prescribed it for me or the other one. i was like, the other one. then she said the doctor didn’t want to prescribe them for me and did i go to the anesthesiologist he recommend (for these steroid neck shots, ugh. haven’t gotten them yet, prob. will try them tho i’m scared). i was like yes, but i haven’t made up my mind if i want to get the shots yet. and she reiterated that he really didn’t want to call in the prescription for me. then i started to get a little mad.

“look,” i said, feeling shaky. “it’s only ibuprofen. can’t you just call it in for me?”

“no, he’d rather you didn’t take them.”

“i’m laid off,” i explained, feeling increasingly desperate. “it’s cheaper this way. i need them.”

“we’re going to have call you back.”

“i can get my other doctor to call them in for me,” i said, trying to sound helpful. no response.

“we’ll call you back.”

i hung up with the realization that this is what a prescription drug addict must feel like. i know it’s only ibruprofen. but still. i didn’t like it.

anyway, they haven’t called back yet. it’s after 5pm. they’re obviously not calling. totally lame.  

as for the “contact dermatitis,” i have a theory that all of the alcohol-based anti-bacterial gel we’re all using like mad (it’s pretty much enforced at my physical therapist’s office. you’re required to use it before and after your appt. i don’t blame them) is tearing my skin to shreds. what! i have sensitive skin!

i meant to tell you about yoga. but this entry is already way too long. i’m sure i’ll tell you soon since we’re going to be snowed in for about two weeks. (don’t worry, we have plenty of  milk, toilet paper and bread. geez, ppl around here go nuts when it’s about to snow. doesn’t anyone keep anything in their house anymore??) oh wait, i can’t touch my keyboard b/c i might be allergic to it. oh hell, i’ll put gloves on. you’ll hear from me

only in this town

woo-boy: Big Boyz Bail Bonds pens. a baltimore tradition.

do postal workers hand you a Big Boyz Bail Bonds pen to sign for your package. only baltimore.

these pens are everywhere around here. this is one of the topics i’ve been meaning to blog about forever. the pens (see above) are yellow and hot pink. if you’re near one, you can’t miss it. i find myself signing the check at restaurants with them, at grocery stores…i mean, everywhere. the postal worker that delivered our package earlier today said she’s even seen them at the dentist. the bail guys swing by on her route and give her handfuls of them. talk about good marketing. pens in the internet age. who’da thought.

their guerilla marketing tactics also extend to t-shirts. the dealers, hookers and pimps across the street–and all of their associates–sported Big Boyz Bail Bond t-shirts over the summer. hell, that’s probably who got them out and back on our corner. maybe if you buy some bail bonds you get a free t-shirt?? (on a sidenote, bail bonds confuse the hell outta me. lending money to ppl who most likley can’t pay you back? where’s the profit in that? if you can explain this to me, pls do.)

anyway. this is baltimore. love or it leave it. or just like it, grin, bear it and make jokes about it.

snookie must use Bumpits to get her hair that huge

NO YOU DID'INT! snookie from mtv's "jersey shore."

that’s what i’ve decided. if you don’t know who snookie is–that’s Snookie, capital S; she’s an actual person tho her nickname makes her sound like a…a cream-filled cookie or something–you must not watch “jersey shore,” the latest reality (i.e. “reality”) show from mtv. holly started watching repeats of it, then the new episodes, a few weeks ago and honestly, it’s like a train wreck. you can’t look away! if it’s on and you’re in earshot of the tv, you have to watch it. more on that in a bit.  

anyway, about that hair. it is. so. high. so high! i keep thinking that girl has *got* to be using Bumpits!  

have you heard of Bumpits? it’s this made-for-tv product to boost up your hair. (ok “boost” is an understatement. it makes your hair look like a small-to-medium sized rodent is nesting in it.) ”hair volumizing inserts,” the website reads. “from flat to fabulous.”  

here are some photos for background:  

Bumpits: huge, happy hair. these are the inserts.

the result. i really have no words. (scratch "small-to-medium rodent nesting in hair." change to "raccoon and/or possum.")

anyway, i guess you see my point.  

so about the show. right, so i was all, “oh my gosh, HOLLY. how on EARTH can you watch that TRASH?!” and holly was like, “aw, c’mon babe! it’s awesome!” and then i got sucked into it merely by being near the tv while it was on and now i have to say it’s pretty damn fun. essentially, it’s about goin’ out, gettin tan, hookin up. also workin out. and doin’ hair.  

the cast was on the today show this morning, and they were like, yo, meredith, we’re just a buncha young people havin a good time and gettin tan and hookin up and doin our hair. as for negative stereotypes of italian-americans (ppl have been freaking out that the show perpetuates negative stereotypes about italian-americans), i have to say that if you think all italian-americans are like the kids on “jersey shore,” that’s pretty pathetic. i grew up with about 95 percent italian kids in north jersey (i love italians so much it’s like i’m half a person when they’re not around), and sure, some of them are “guidos” and “guidettes,” but speaking as someone jewish and gay (both minorities), yeah, a lot of jews are doctors and lawyers and sure, some gay women dress a little butch and some gay men may have feminine “affectations,” but not all us are and not all of us do. (plus i’ve met a fair share of guidos/guidettes that are far from italian.) so there’s my rant. get over it. it’s all in good fun.  

transitioning a little, the show has helped my relationship as it gives holly further insight into my cultural background.  

“babe, i’m really starting to understand you more,” she said after the show ended one night. i thought she was going to start a deep conversation. but no.  

 ”those girls never shut up! they’re like ’ba ba BA ba ba BA!’ [she made the universal one-hand-opening-and-closing-like-a-person-that-doesn't-shut-up symbol as she said this. i kind of felt like slapping her hand down but i didn't.] no wonder you never know when to stop. you’re a jersey girl!”  

 exactly. that’s what i’ve been trying to tell her all along! that’s my home state, ppl! CAN I GET A WHAT-WHAT! HOLLA!!!

here’s an idea:

let’s put CONES and MILK CRATES in street parking spots when it snows more than five inches in baltimore. yes, let’s save parking spots so the rest of us are screwed when we’re circling round and round looking for a spot. i swear, the only thing that’s keeping me from moving them is the fact that there’s a good possibility my tires would be slashed if i did.

it was supposed to snow one inch here yesterday and snowed something like six instead. not that i mind. we both like getting snowed in, actually. it’s a great excuse to stay inside and cuddle and watch cooking shows and movies all day. plus it gets nice and quiet outside. after all, it’s pretty hard to deal drugs in the snow, right? (we’ve seen a whole lot less of that lately, btw, since the drug house across the street shut down!!! the place has been emptied out and is actually being remodeled.)

this snowy weather does make me miss florida, tho. that’s where we were for just over a week earlier this month. i’ve been planning to blog about it and i will. i’ve sort of lost my funny bone lately, which is why i’ve been quiet. we had a death in the family (a great aunt of mine; a wonderful, beautiful person). it happened very suddenly and it’s one of those things that sort of…shuts you down a little. it will pass.

january was a weird month for me. i feel antisocial lately, don’t know why. even virtually antisocial. i don’t even log into facebook that much these days. it’s too much noise. everything. all the clamouring and the updates, it gets to be too much. do you know what i’m saying? and twitter, don’t even get me started. sometimes i miss the days of one phone and one answering machine. i’m talking out of both sides of my mouth here, i know, b/c i do love the cellios and the txting and also have my fun on facebook. but i think it’s good to take a break sometimes. and i guess that break sometimes translates into blogging, too.

that said, i’m going out to buy a milk crate now.

pysch!

totally kidding. ttys

ever get a grain of rice stuck in between your nasal cavity and throat during an important business meeting?

like, during a lunch? a business lunch? and you’re trying to be cool about it and not panic (because food never, ever belongs in your nose, esp. not in your sinuses or anywhere near them) so first you casually clear your throat and then kind of cough and you quickly realize that it’s lodged you’re pretty much screwed so you pretend you’re ok and everything’s fine when it’s actually not?

yeah, that was me today. thai food. white rice. a single grain in that strange, dark place where food should never be but sometimes ends up, four, maybe five times in a lifetime (if your’e lucky). don’t ask me how i did it, but i somehow managed to hold a conversation and move it down while not making any strange noises.

i’m always that girl. i’m shaking my head as i write this. i will not embarass myself with stories of my complete and utter ridiculouslessness right now. i suppose i’ll save all the truly mortifying stuff for my book (hey, that’s the type of stuff that sells). but yeah. today was a doozie. i really thought i was a goner.

once, when i was a kid, i blew my nose and a tomato seed came out. hell if i know how it got there, but i swear i never felt a thing. this i would have felt. lady luck was shining down on me today, folks. 2010 is already looking pretty darn good.

4 a.m. is the loneliest hour

that’s what i’ve decided. i concluded on 4 a.m. as i padded downstairs in silence this morning at 4 a.m. to fix myself a glass of chocolate milk to go w/all the ibuprofen i was taking for my three-day migraine [finally breaking as i write this; word to the wise, always take ibuprofen (i.e. advil/motrin) w/food or milk or you'll eventually wind up on the verge of a stomach ulcer like yours truly)].

i hate being up in the middle of the night when i’m not supposed to, as opposed to, say, partying til 4 a.m. which maybe–maybe? but probably not–i did in college? anyway, being unwillfully woken up by head pain has  been happening to me a lot over the past few years as i wade thru these terrible headaches of mine. it’s the craziest thing: even tho i have a wonderful partner asleep next to me, i still feel so doggone lonely in the middle of the night.

i’ve always been the same. as a kid when i couldn’t fall asleep, my comforting thought was the 24-hour diner just up our street and around the corner. other ppl were up, i would tell myself. waitresses and cooks and customers. it wasn’t just me.

so i’m older and wiser and braver now, but that little kid is still in there. so as i lay awake for hours last night trying to relax and fall back asleep so i could wake up headache-free (didn’t happen), i thought about being up in the middle of the night and how it sucks (i think too much, i know). all my stirring, of course, woke up holly (i stir a lot w/these headaches; it’s just so hard to get comfortable). i was happy to have the company, as happy as i could be, considering the circumstances.

“4 a.m. is the loneliest hour,” i said in a whisper even tho there wasn’t anyone else around i could wake up.

“3 a.m. is pretty lonely, too,” she said, half-asleep cuddled next to me.

we agreed that 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. are the loneliest hours. i figured i’d share all of this w/you to get your thoughts. tell me your loneliest hour.

so there you have it.

on the way home from the holidays in pee-ay, holly and i took a quick verbal inventory of the new stuff we were bringing home. 

 we got some presents–always wonderful, as you know. we got gift cards, holly got jeans, i got a steelers jersey (troy polamalu; i love him. he’s cute, has great hair and is close with his mom. he also seems really nice. oh yeah, and he plays well, too, ha. you see my priorities in football! i also unintentionally call uniforms “outfits.”).

holly’s family, her mom’s side, also does a grab bag game at christmas. the gifts need to be at least $20. if ppl aren’t putting in gift certificates/cards, $20 bills or lottery tickets (scratch-offs; omG i love those. i get them whenever i can. always lose but it’s the thrill i’m after, i keep telling myself…) they usually choose gifts they’d like to win themselves. i mean, why not, right? we put in some pyrex containers (i know, hold your excitement, but we do a lot of cooking, so bear w/me) and some flannel sheets, as it sometimes seems to get exceptionally cold in our room during the winter. holly assured me this was a good choice. i’d never slept on flannel sheets before. i was worried they’d be too hot, but holly said they’re really cozy so i was in. anyway, we won back the sheets.

we bought holly’s grandma a new electric blanket for christmas to replace a new-ish one she bought that wasn’t warming up as hot as she’d like. she gave us her old one, which seems barely used. (never used an electric blanket before either.)

then, before we got on the road back to baltimore, we went to the local walmart (SO much nicer than any walmarts in baltimore; shocker, i know) to look for some salt for her grandma’s front steps and porch. but of course we have to look thru the whole store first, right? since we’re women and naturally drawn to “the marketplace.” (it’s in our genes, even bypasses the gay gene.)

“hey look at those travel pillows!” i said.

 i get excited about travel pillows b/c i need massive neck support on long car rides b/c of the neck/nerve condition that causes my migraines (i was recently diagnosed; if you get migraines that start in your neck and shoot right thru your head to your forehead, behind your eyes, etc. click on that link).

considering we’re about to take the autotrain down to florida to take a cruise with great uncle ben, i figure we both ought to look into some good travel pillows. we also looked at these small, figure-eight-shaped pillows that go between your knees while you sleep (if you’re a side sleeper). the physical therapist i went to in oct/nov for my aforementioned condition recommended that i sleep with a pillow between my knees for proper spine alignment. holly and i had never seen pillows like that so in addition to neck/head travel pillows, we bought the “knee-spacer” pillows.

so, as i was saying, we were taking that verbal inventory of our new stuff.

the gift cards, the clothes, travel pillows…

“oh and the sheets,” holly said.

“the knee-spacer pillows,” i said.

“oh right, right.”

there was something else, we kept saying. what was it?

“oh! my grandma’s electric blanket!” holly said.

“right! the electric blanket!” i said.

we sat there driving along the highway for a minute or so, pleased with ourselves that we remembered everything.

“honey, did you realize those last three things we listed?” i said. “flannel sheets, electric blanket, knee-spacer pillows? WE’RE OLD!!!”

we laughed til we just about peed our pants.

“honey, we’re old,” i said, holding my stomach, barely able to breathe thru the laughter. “we’re officially old.”

so there you have it. we’re old now, i guess. now if you could just reach over and get my prune juice over there for me… yeah yeah, right there, next to my walker. thank you. you’re a dear

i never told you the shampoo story

haha. i’m laughing just thinking about it.

i told you the other day about holly’s low-maintenance-ness when it comes to girlie stuff. she is particular, however, about the shampoo she uses. i mean, she’s not as bad as me. but she does care. anyway, we went to our favorite beauty supply store (Ulta–she dreads when we go there together b/c i love to walk around and around under the bright lights and ooh and ahh at all the sparkly eyeshadows and leopard-print straightening irons and spritz about a million different perfumes on those shake-em-like-a-poloroid-picture paper test strips; it’s way better than sephora b/c there’s no annoying sales ppl wearing those annoying gloves so it feels more casual) a couple weeks ago b/c she needed more shampoo. i took the opportunity, of course, to buy more frosty lipstick (buy one-get one; girls, can you really blame me??) since it seems to be my goal to have a tube in every coat pocket and every bag that i own.

anyway, the shampoo she likes is this citrus-mint (see above). it’s a pretty green color in a clear plastic bottle. technically it’s a “guys” brand but she goes by smell (and performance but mostly smell it seems like) and this one smells best. (like i said, low-maintenance) it was $8.99 for a small bottle but something like $10.99 for a larger one.

“let’s get the larger one,” i said. “it’s way cheaper.” (i love a good deal.)

it seemed oddly cheap but whatever, you know? so we bought it (and the lipstick) and went on our way.

so a week or so goes by, and holly’s mentions a couple times that her hair feels “thick” and isn’t laying right. i don’t notice a huge different but i guess maybe a little?

another week goes by and she’s saying that maybe that last haircut she got has already grown out since she’s just not having good hair days lately.

“yeah, maybe,” i say. “it doesn’t look that bad.”

a few days later i’m in the shower absent-mindedly looking at whatever bottles are lined up in front of me.

“‘american crew. citrus mint. body wash.’ wait, body wash??!”

she’s been using body wash! as shampoo! no wonder! this strikes me as insanely funny and i start laughing.

i make a mental note to tell her but the hot water feels so good and then i get hungry and forget. a week later i remember.

“oh honey! hahaha. honey,” i say.

“what? what? what’s so funny!!!’” she says. we’re both laughing. “what!”

“you know how you’ve been saying how your hair feels thick? well that shampoo you’ve been using…is body wash!”

we both laughed like crazy. she is so cute. what would she do w/out me? (come to think of it, i’m the one that picked out the bottle to begin with. but still. she needs me.)

no dead mice, no dead people

holly tells me this is a disrespectful thing to write (disrespectful to our late neighbor if you’re new to this blog), but i mean no disrespect. i really don’t. i’m being serious. we just got back from pee-ay a couple hours ago and we’re both relieved that things are ok here (we’re rarely away for this long; we were gone over a week since we were snowed in). a part of that is really and truly no dead mice inside and no dead ppl next door.

last year when we arrived home from the holidays in pee-ay we were greeted with not one, but two dead mice. one was in a trap along a wall. i didn’t know there even was a second until i realized there was a funky smell floating around and the puffy, gray thing i almost stepped on nestled in our area rug was actually a decomposing rodent. wtf, right?? we’re still trying to figure out what the hell happened. it wasn’t even in a trap. really odd and also gross. (but looking back with 20/20 hindsight, not all that bad; our theory is that it must’ve busted a leg in a trap and dragged itself to the rug. but this is just a theory.)

even tho we have a pretty serious alarm system, every time we get back to the house, even just after a long weekend, i hold my breath as we come up the street and turn onto our street. once i see our picture window and door in tact i’m like yesssssssss. score one. then we check the windows of whatever car we left here. wait, back a step. then we check to see if the car is there. once we confirm that it’s there, we check to see if the windows are in tact. another breath out. then we walk in and sniff. and this evening all we smelled was….christmas tree! holly’s car was in tact. no dead rodents, house still boarded-up next door (i.e. not broken into). no water in the basement (this is a biggie since most of the snow has melted around here.) we are snug as a bug in a rug. i can’t believe i’m saying this but i’m thrilled to be back. the cows have come home, everyone. jessica is happy to be back in baltimore.

in other news, i’ve officially turned into my grandmother

b/c i drank coffee with dinner tonight. with dinner, not after. with italian food, no less. manicotti! salad?! garlic bread?? only old jewish ladies that apply ruby red revlon lipstick right before they hit the local diner drink coffee with dinner! and now i’m one of them, omg.

i do have an excuse, i feel like. we are snowed in in western pee-ay. and it. is so. COLD here. like, stupid cold! we came back to holly’s hometown for the holiday and have not been able to leave for baltimore b/c  it has been snowing (and snowing) and the roads have been crap and i have been chilled to the bone for days. today i hit my breaking point and i was like: coffee please. here, set it right down beside the manicotti and penne and garden salad and keep it coming.

it’s so funny b/c it was only a couple years ago that it suddenly dawned on me–as i was passing a giant group of white-haired ladies in hats and lipstick (some w/walkers, others with canes…cuuuute!) all lunching at this fancy greenspring bakery in baltimore, i forget the name of it–that really and truly, the only ppl i’ve ever seen order coffee with say, sandwiches. and salads. are (besides my art professor mom who always orders black decaf with everything) women of a certain era, if you will. basically my late grandmother  (who went to “the beauty shop” every week and wore great hats and also lots of red/coral revlon lipstick; the old school kind in the green tube). these ladies at the bakery were going to give the dishwashers a real run for their money, too. tons of lipstick around the rim. adorable.

anyway, i drank it fast and piping hot just like grandma did. like it kind of burned my esophagus but it felt goooood after being so damn cold. holly was feeling a similar way across the table from me except it was with beer. which she has needed. like i needed the caffeine. and the near-burning heat. the holidays can do that to you. is all i’m saying.

ok, so there’s that. now to the elephant in the room: you’re probably wondering what in the hell happened to me over the past month b/c i essentially disappeared. i’ll tell you: i needed a break.

november–with the death smell and sadness/horror and the moving out and the laundering and everything else–just drained me. it drained me and left me pretty much a wet noodle. at least in my brain. everything we had to do around the house [we had to hire people to finish our moulding, caulk absolutely *everything*, every little hole, seal our exposed brick, steam clean all of our furniture and our carpets and wash every single fabric item in our entire house. (why all of this has to happen after two household layoffs is beyond me but i guess that's murphy's law for ya)]. it was all consuming. and every time i felt like i might sit down to blog, i was going to blog about “it.” and i just couldn’t do that anymore. i mean, how much do readers really want to read about that?? i think we all reached our saturation point. i know i did. plus i just haven’t been feeling funny. i mean, i always joke around but not funny enough to sit down and write. not that i have to be funny all the time b/c you know i just love to tug at the ol’ heart strings now and then. but my general joie de vivre, if you will, i think it’s coming back. finally. so here i am.

random thoughts for the day:

1. have  you ever  noticed that with the exception of really really fancy hotels, the “facial soap” they give you in hotels is essentially the shower/bath soap but just a smaller size?  you kind of expect it to be, like, especially for the skin on your face and it’s not!!! i am mentioning this b/c we stayed in a hotel last night (long story) and i was thinking about it this morning. hotel soap usually sucks anyway. it sucks doubly for your face. don’t call it facial soap, folks. false advertising. it’s micro-mini body soap and that’s all there is to it.

2. one of the many reasons i love holly is that she’s really low-maintenance in terms of “girl” stuff. (i, on the other hand, am high- maintenance; oh you didn’t guess?? ha) for example, this morning i saw that the hotel only gave us two bath towels. i have long hair that’s thick and i always use one towel for my hair (a towel turban; i excel at making these) and wrap one around the rest of me. holly is so great b/c she’ll always take the hand-me-down towel that i used for my hair. it’s always pretty damp but she doesn’t care and never complains. i know, right? it’s the little things. ladies, i know ya feel me.

3. i’m really excited about the new year. 2009 was sh*t. 2008 kind of sucked, too. but i think this year is gonna be our year. it’s a brand new decade! i’m launching my own writing business (website to come!!!). i’m about to start pitching literary agents. holly’s going to finish school this year. two of my oldest, closest friends are tying the knot. oh and to kick things off, my great uncle ben–one of my aforementioned late grandma’s baby brothers; the very last one of her brothers (she had four)–is taking us ON A CRUISE next month! to the bahamas! this is going to be OUR VERY FIRST OFFICIAL VACATION IN OUR ALMOST NINE YEARS TOGETHER. he’s paying for us to take the amtrak autotrain down, even! (holly’s not too keen on flying and i don’t blame her; plus this way we’ll have our car w/us all around miami cause you know we’re gonna be whoopin it up w/uncle ben and i am not kidding! he is kind of a party guy. oh and did i mention he’s 88?!!! 88! he still swims and cooks and is basically adorable and awesome and the male version of my grandma that i miss like crazy.) as my teeth chatter here in pee-ay, i just keep thinking: FLORIDA! BAHAMAS! i’m gonna be one of those b*tches who has a REAL TAN in the winter! ha!

so bring on 2010, baby! if you’re excited about anything–c’mon, you know you are–tell me. resolutions count, too. ttys! xo!