I'm back! And better than ever! Or at least, my computer is. Try almost 6x as much space as before, an OS that lets me run some new programs, and brand spankin' new hard drive. Yeah baby. Talk about technology!!

So, sorry about being gone so long. I was WC (without computer) for a few days, and then I've been working 10+ hour days on top of that, trying to get through the Ham Rush. Needless to say, after spending that long in front of a computer, the last thing I want to do is come home and spend more time writing a blog entry!! Plus, you wouldn't've wanted to read the things I was most prepared to write, anyway :) I like to keep my site PG or PG-13, at most...

Other than work, not much is new. I haven't had much free time recently because of The Job, so I haven't really done anything exciting. Last night was our family Christmas Gathering, and I got to see all of the relatives I haven't seen in over a year. Most of them look the same, but my cousin Jake continues to astound me. He was late arriving, and I was the one closest to the door when he finally walked in. Can I just say that had I not seen his older brother sitting across the room, I would've thought it was Ben. Those boys look amazingly similar - and amazingly like our side of the family -- they took a nice long dip in the deep end of that gene pool, that's for sure.

Anyway, Jake's a senior in high school now, so I was asking him what was new and if he was planning on going to college, etc. He told me he was, and that he was planning on studying architecture or interior design "or something like that" - then he said, "well, probably not that last part, but you know what I mean." I had no idea that was one of his interests, but he said it all started back in the day with his Legos and Lincoln Logs, and that one day at the opening of his own firm, he'll have all his Lego house models lined up with his excellent house and golf course designs. (I didn't know he had such a sense of humor, either -- that's another one of those family things!) I'm excited for him; I really hope he's able to succeed in what he does. He's had a hard life and he deserves it!!

I'm currently reading Julie and Julia: 365 days, 524 recipes, 1 tiny apartment kitchen, by Julie Powell. It's about this woman who decided to make all of the recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It's pretty good so far, but I'll post a more thorough report when I am finished with it. I've also got Why Do Men Have Nipples? Hundreds of Questions You'd Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Martini - which I'll start perusing this evening.

Oh, and a question for all of you. I was telling Jen (welcome back! Can't wait to see you Tuesday or Wednesday!) about a couple of guys at work and we started discussing my "type" -- what do you think is my type of man? Don't be afraid to answer; I'm interested in what you've got to say :)

It's good to be back, but I must warn you: don't expect too much from me this week while we're wrapping up the ham craziness, and also because Christmas is in one week and I am so far from being finished with my shopping. I'm going to hit the stores tomorrow to make a sizable chunk in both my list and my wallet. Have a good one!! Watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation tonight at 9!!