I’ll be honest.  I forgot this thing existed.  To be fair, my memory is getting worse by the second.  I watched four Law and Order SVU episodes yesterday and I couldn’t tell you what any of them were about if my life depended on it.    I’d guess rape.  Or murder.  Or a rape-murder combo.

Anyway.

I took a new position at work.  I’d tell you what it is, but I’m not entirely sure yet and I won’t know more until I start next week.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn’t involve a mop and a broom.  In good news, my new position came with a raise!  In bad news, my health insurance payment went up exactly that amount.  Universe: 1; Nikki: 0.

I had Matt thisclose to letting us drive to Mount Vernon, Indiana to pick up an adorable and expensive puppy over the weekend.  Mostly because I was bored and needed a little excitement in my life.  Damn this Chicago weather!  We were going to name him Watson or Gary and he was going to love me and do all sorts of tricks and play nice with Izzy.  Somehow Matt managed to stall long enough that I forgot all about the puppy.  Which is probably what I would have done once we got Watson home (see above about progressively worsening memory).  This is best for everyone.  Mostly Watson.

In other news, I found out today that John Travolta is bald.  This pretty much rocked my world.  What else don't I know?  Things are not as they seem!  God, if I find out that Michael Bolton's beautiful mane isn't real I might just give up on life right now.

We have an exciting few weeks coming up!  This weekend, my friend Signe is in town.  Next weekend, I’m off to St. Louis for Jaime’s bridal shower.  And the following weekend, our friends Steve and Katrina are coming to stay.  So I’ll have lots to report on when I check back in!  And maybe pictures.  I'm sure you're dying to see a picture of me, in my sweatpants, watching Law and Order SVU while I browse the internet for puppies, but I prefer to keep you waiting.

Where the Hell is that global warming everyone is talking about?

I shouldn't be whining.  I am, after all, at home having the first snow day I've had since my days as a Big Walnut Eagle.  They are still just as exciting.

Hightlights:
1. The Chicago Police Department bought a whole bunch of snowmobiles to rescue stranded drivers during the blizzard.  And because snowmobiles are fun.
2. Chicago Public Schools were closed for the first time in 12 years.  Those poor kids deserved a damn snow day.
3. We got to see "thundersnow" which is every bit as awesome as it sounds.

Even Matt stayed home today, although as I type he's sitting next to me doing work.  He has no idea how to have a snow day.  Rule One: You do not do work on a snow day.  Rule Two: See Rule One.

Before all this chaos began, I spent a very quick weekend in Sunbury celebrating my quasi-Aunt Dee's birthday.  I got pretty sick while I was there, which my mom attributes to all the rum cake I ate.  I don't know why I thought that baked goods ladened with liquor wouldn't have the same effect on me that liquor normally has.  Damn that cake for being so delicious and deceptive!  Nevertheless, Happy birthday, Dee!  I hope you had a snow day today, too and are spending the afternoon in your reading room!

Now it's time for me to get back to not working.  I realize I've been a negligent blogger lately and I promise more posts just as soon as I damn well feel like it.

Stop whatever you're doing.

Somehow, I managed to miss the Miss America pageant last night.  I was ridiculously focused on a Settlers of Catan game and it just wasn't on my radar.  Even though I won the game, I was pretty pissed when I realized what I'd missed out on.

But all is not lost, because I got to see this clip today:

Is this not the most awesome thing you've ever seen?  You know all the other contestants were totally talking trash about her behind her back.  But, the joke is on them!  Because while they ALL danced and sang (honestly, like all 51 of them), she ventriloquized (I had to look that up) AND yodeled, bitch!

Miss Arkansas, you got robbed! 

I'm surprised this thing is even still here!

I'm actually a little hungover.  Correction: I'm a lot hungover.  As a result, I don't have a lot to say so I'll just share some of my favorite pictures from the holidays.  I had an AMAZING time in the Outer Banks and am pretty unhappy about being back.  I was really born to be on vacation.  Permanently. 

We worked REALLY hard to find a live Christmas Tree on the island.  Success!

Puzzling and boozing go hand-in-hand.

Thurman refusing to let my parents dance without him.  He's got dependency issues.

Note to self: Grandpa lets you eat ice cream when you wake up on Christmas morning before everyone else. 

This WHOLE tree washed up on shore!

 Couples portrait.  Done.

 Bay Point Middle School is #1!  In what, I do not know.

Adorable.

 The children eventually got a little cabin fever.

 Annual Family Photo made creepy.

Vacation: Ur Doin' It Right

1. This kid has resolved to watch Julie and Julia everyday for a year and to blog about it as he goes.  He's hilarious. 
2. This is also a great time killer.  Who doesn't know a STFU Parents culprit?
3. I got to see the lunar eclipse on Monday night.  It occurred on the winter solstice for the first time in a billion years, or something like that (I'm sure the astrologists had something to say about that).  It was pretty phenomenal, but I couldn't get a good picture of it if my life depended on it.  It could have been the fact that it was 2:30AM. 
4. Before I left Chicago for the Outer Banks, Matt took me to fancy dinner as part of my Christmas present.  I had foie gras for the first time in my life and I will never be the same.  Foie gras was banned in Chicago from 2006-2008, but it's back and boy, am I glad.  Sorry, vegetarian friends (ahem, Haley).  What's good for the goose is good for the gander (jokes!).
5. A big congrats to my friend, Megan, who got engaged last week! (Interesting statistic: 33% of my college housemates have gotten engaged in the past 4 months).  I'm just so excited for all of them!
6.  While I'm doing shout-outs, happy belated birthday to my quasi-mother-in-law (and most loyal blog-reader), Linda!  (I suspect the reason she's my most loyal blog-reader is that she enjoys pictures of her grand-kitty almost as much as I do.)  I hope you wore a tiara all day!
7.  I have LOTS of New Year's resolutions.  One of which is to stop writing blog posts in numbered lists.  But, right now, it's all I've got in me.

Alright, I've got to get back to eating pork, playing Scrabble, and drinking too much.  My sister and the kids gets here tomorrow and then this place turns into Christmas Central, so until then I need to take advantage of the calm before the storm.  Merry Christmas Eve Eve!