This morning I stopped in at Bagel Fragel and picked up fragels for Nate and I. What is a fragel? It is a cinnamon raisin bagel that has been deep fried and covered with sugar. It tastes like a donut and is guaranteed to be bad for you. Of course, it's also pure delight for the taste buds.

I like to think of coffee shops as a place of retreat where one can unwind and attempt to experience truly Zen-like moments. However, I can’t seem to find anything calming at the local 24-hour Starbucks where if I get up for a second someone has already rushed over to ask, "Can I take your seat?"

Granted, I was sitting at the fireplace when this event occurred, which is a coveted seat for all. However, I had only moved slightly to put down my coat and yet this small movement was enough to cause a man to rush over and ask for my seat with a sinister look in his eye. This sinister look seemed to say: "Move now, or else." I became frightened the man was somehow linked to the mafia.

So, I gave up my seat and left the crazy zoo that is this Starbucks because really, I shouldn’t have to fight for seating. I like drinking my Peppermint Mochas in peace, not with over-hyper, demanding strangers trying to push me out because I happen to enjoy the warmth of the fireplace.

I’ve also noticed similar kinds of crazy customer hyperness at the local Whole Foods but I feel like I should save those experiences for another entry. Besides, crazy customers won’t be driving me away from Whole Foods anytime soon. The free samples have already insured my loyalty.

These past few days I’ve lived the life of a sloth but I’m enjoying it quite a bit. Classes are over and I won’t be serving up any coffee drinks until 2007. In the month of December alone I probably made hundreds of hot chocolates, mochas and chais for busy customers. Now I’m finding time to make myself drinks in the comfort of my meticulously clean, slightly chilly but very quiet apartment.

However, I shouldn’t complain about the cold as I was given not one but two No-Sew Fleece Blankets this Christmas. In order to create the blankets you select two pieces of fleece fabric and attach them by tying them together around the border. No sewing is involved but I’m wondering if sewing would actually be faster. This site has more information on the No-Sew Fleece Blankets.

I spotted a copy of JPG magazine at the bookstore today and immediately snatched it up with eagerness. I’ve reviewed the online pages of the magazine in the past but seeing the magazine in print was a totally new experience. The pages of the magazine were beautiful and inspiring. I’m considering a subscription so I don’t have to keep going back to the bookstore to devour the latest issue.

Included in this post is the image of the current issue, Issue 7: Shoot Your Self. I really love the red. I'm attracted to the color red, so the cover works well for drawing me in.

For Christmas gifts this year I spent an incredible amount of time in the kitchen pretending to be someone who knows how to cook. I cooked up several batches of Peppermint Bark to give away in decorative gift bags. I made up the old-fashioned candy using several variations to the recipe. For one batch I used milk chocolate and white chocolate in layers. In other batches I used only white chocolate and only milk chocolate.

Here is a detailed view of the first batch:


The Peppermint Bark was given in cute gift bags I found at Michaels:


If anyone is looking to follow this recipe or melt chocolate, my advice is to skip the double-boiler method. Cheat and use the microwave. Life will be so much easier for you. Also, I used crushed up peppermint candy instead of candy canes.

I also made homemade marshmallows after being inspired by this post. My marshmallows weren’t very glamorous and so I didn’t take photos of the finished product. But I do love the results of The Small Object's marshmallows. They are an excellent example of how homemade cooking can go right. The recipe for Homemade Marshmallows is here.

As for me, I’m not sure if I’m cut out for making gifts (at least, not the cooking method). It seems to add more stress to the gift-giving process. My Mom tells me she has been limiting herself to eating three pieces of Peppermint Bark a day. Who knows if this is entirely true or if she’s just concerned about my feelings, but I’m flattered, nonetheless.

How frustrating it is to be all ready to go in the kitchen only to discover one item is missing. Right now my mind is trying to search for alternatives. Wish me luck.

I like giving books away as Christmas presents. In particular, I make it a point to give my niece and nephew books. I know they would probably prefer sparkly toys or an exciting video game but I'm old fashioned and feel books should come first. (Also, they have parents to take care of those gift categories.) I like to imagine that at some point their video games and other toys will get boring and they'll resort to reading as an alternative. Yeah, it probably isn't going to happen but if this day does occur, they will have a book to turn to.

I enjoyed listening to NPR's story, Booksellers Pick Their Holiday Favorites. I was also excited because a local bookseller and bookstore appeared on the show. It's a bookstore I love to browse but could never spend money in as it is quite pricey. So where do I get my books from?

Here are my book sources:

The local library. It's free and I can renew the items online and keep them forever if I want to.

Online. I go to half.com or Amazon.com.

Thrift stores. Used, cheap books, perfect for a girl who doesn't have money but can afford 25 cents for a copy of Jane Eyre. The only problem with thrift stores is that looking for particular books can take time.

Borders. Of all the big chain bookstores, I like them the best.

Ouch. I have a history of agony involving the dentist and yet, my teeth are hurting again. I've been taking better care of my teeth lately (flossing every day, for example) and yet the pain continues. It might just be that my wisdom teeth need to go but how can a poor barista afford that kind of surgery?

A friend mentioned going to Mexico for dentist work, as it is cheaper. At the risk of sounding a little ethnocentric, can I trust Mexican dentists? I hope the pain lessens... or else all my holiday cheer is going to be replaced with misery.

I adore the lovely flickr group, Nice Package! The group includes photos of hand-made, original packaging. Right now the group is buzzing with fantastic holiday gift-wrapping and packaging ideas. Make sure to take notes while browsing.

I love the pretty, sparkly wrapping paper that starts showing up during the holidays. Of course, the oh-so-pretty paper usually ends up on the floor and then in the trash after its unwrapping. This year I'm considering saving scraps of wrapping paper that I can reuse for next year. This saves money and is eco-friendly. I know my Mom has used this method in the past with success. Here is an interesting article I found on ideas for Christmas Recycling.

Tip #2: Leftover wrapping paper can also be used to create holiday paper garland as flickr member, db 1920, has done here. Very cute.

I made the new banner rather quickly while taking a break from my research just now. I've also switched over to Blogger beta recently, which is making things interesting around here. Certain pages may look a little off... pardon the disrepair. There was once a time I would not allow a single error go live or if it did, I immediately had to fix it. Those days are gone. Or maybe I'm just too busy to fix each and every error.

Cup of Earl Grey tea + a splash of soy milk + a tiny bit of almond syrup = the perfect beverage to keep warm and write a paper with.

Currently reading: Ten Myths About Affirmative Action. (It's related to my paper.)

We are doing a Secret Santa at the coffee shop I work at. My Secret Santa knows nothing of this blog and so I feel it is safe to blog about the gifts I'm giving him. As of now my Secret Santa will be receiving: Lindors truffles, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou Soundtrack (burned onto CD) and a very scary toy dinosaur. I just need to find a few more small items and his major gift, and I'll be all set.

link: Photojojo's Holiday Gift Guide.

link: Not your typical Gingerbread houses.

link: 2006 Harpold Advent Calendar, easily my favorite website in December.

I wanted to write about the supplies I picked up today for the holiday gifts I plan on making but sadly I cannot, as readers of this blog may include family. However, I can write about a gift idea of mine that didn’t quite make it.

Jenny over at ljcfyi has posted about Alton Brown’s White Trash Mix in the past. (Unfortunately, Alton Brown no longer includes the link to the recipe on his website.) This mix is also sometimes referred to as Puppy Chow or Reindeer Food. Jenny blogged about how to make Reindeer Food here.

I’ve had this mix in the past and it’s highly addictive. I can easily sit for hours at a time filling my mouth with this sweet concoction. I considered making up a batch of White Trash Mix this Christmas and giving it as gifts. Each bag containing the mix would be decorated just so. I was even eyeing Martha's ideas for decorating gift bags. I really like this one:



However, a new idea came to mind for gifts that I feel is far superior. I'll have to wait until after Christmas to share it but share it I will.