It is Official! Christmas time is very near, according to my plant anyway-the stores have been saying this for a few months now! Anywho, I'm excited because it has a large bud, (upper right hand corner) and will soon flower--Plus today there were some flurries--the kind that really don't accumulate, just lazily drift back and forth reminding you that another year is drawing to a close and the holiday season is upon us.

Reflections on Thanksgiving
(specifically my thanksgiving holiday)

Problem: when you go through the line at Grandma's house for Thanksgiving dinner (the plates have just been pulled out of the cubboard) you load up your food... set your plate down on the table to get something to drink and by the time you sit down to eat.. your mashed potatoes are cold!!
Well, Grandma was all over this! This year, we had heated plates... That's right, Grandma placed the stack of plates into the microwave for a few min.s and Problem Solved! It was great, no cold potatoes!

It was great getting to see friends while I was home... It was even better taking their money while I was home! Yes you heard correctly (actually you didn't hear it at all, you read correctly-that is unless of course you're reading aloud--but I digress) I took my friends' money! Eight of us got together and played a round of poker (Texas Hold 'em) and after three hours I had won everyone's money! First time ever that I have won, and it was about time-considering that we play at my house almost everytime we're home from school. (now... mind you, it is only a five dollar buy in to play--but for a poor college student... 8 people at five bucks each can be a nice bonus to take back to school)

Scrabble! I don't even remeber when the last time was that I played Scrabble--but I made up for it over break. Played three rounds with my Grandma, aunt, uncle and great aunt while everyone else slept off the turkey. It was definately educational (I know, I usually try to stear away from these activities especially during breaks) but it was a Blast!! I had so much fun playing Scrabble in fact that I played with mom and dad when we got home!

I'm very thankful for friends and family to spend quality time with!

Recent addition to my room! I work at the Jesuit Residence and one of the priests, knowing that I am originally from Nebraska, mentioned that he had come across it cleaning out some rooms-so he dropped it off (it was waiting for me this morning when I got to work) for me. So excited-it is already hanging on my wall!

Ode To a Classic

Watched Office Space last night for the Nth time. What a great movie! It really made me think more about my life though... I'm in school now, and some days... wait-correction... most days I don't feel like doing my homework. I haven't even technically hit the 'real world' yet and already I don't want to work. Sucks!
Well, at any rate it is a hilarious movie. Time well spent!

While going through my pile of rather random papers and such I came across a couple of letters (snail mail) that I received in the last couple of weeks. I purchased a wooden box from your standard large chain book store a couple of years ago for letters. (the top of the box has a inlay of black leather with the word 'letters' on an outline of an envelope) I've kept all the letters that I received while at school in this box-so it was only logical that the recent letters also be placed here.
What a treat... It was really fun to dig through and read some of the letters-from family members, old friends... Some funny cards but it was very refreshing to re-read the letters that were sincere and loaded with warm fuzzies. Definitely fun to think about how much has changed just within the last couple of year.... (ah.... *sigh*)

My Daily Giggle

I have made a habit of checking out comics on-line since I do not receive any main stream media news paper with a 'comics' section. With all the negativity in our country and world today it is so refreshing to have a good chuckle each day. I have three different strips on My Yahoo page, neatly positioned right at the top. ( Bob the Squirrel, For Better or For Worse and Fox Trot ) I enjoy daily comic strips so much however, that these three alone do not suffice. I frequently read strips from on-line sites such as www.comics.com It was here, that I stumbled upon the witty F Minus.

It did not take long for me to become completely addicted to this strip. There are days that the strip is so clever that I spend the rest of the day giggling to myself each time something jogs my memory relating to the strip. There are also day though, that I strain my brain to decipher where the author/artist is coming from and I just plain do not get it. Days like that really make the days that I get it all the more worth it!

*Check out the author's page (of F Minus) too... The daily version is here

Sobelman's... (a name synonymous with Delicious Burgers) has quickly become one of my favorite spots to grab a bite to eat in Milwaukee. The building itself is a small, long and narrow bar tucked into a steep hillside. During the summer there are large pots of colorful flowers lining the outside of the bar. Angle parking (for those who are skilled enough behind the wheel) is available along one side of the steep hill. Inside is similar to any small town bar (I think this has a lot to do with why I like it so much) stools next to the bar with a few of the regulars getting an early start on the weekend. The bar takes up about half of the width of the building and runs most of the length. The other half of the width has about 10 tall tables with bar stools staggered to the back. Two T.V.s and nightly beer specials--what else do you need?

The burgers are amazing! Fresh baked golden, buttery bun, Hambuger patty topped with 3 kinds of melted cheese (Cheddar, Swiss and American) while the burger is cooking-on the side chopped onions and jalapeño peppers are fried on the grill as well. Delicious bacon is stacked on top of the cheese and the onions and peppers are piled on top. Heaven! This is their famous "Sobelman Burger". They also have Sobelman Fries... A basket of crispy French fries topped with melted cheese and fried onions and jalapeño peppers. Dah Lish! With Sprecher Root Beer on tap! I don't know what else you could ever want!