Succotash: When Beans & Corn Collide

Be jealous, Internet, because Santa Claus is coming to my house a whole week before actual Christmas this weekend.

Santa's generosity is costing us about $2500 this year, including what we've paid to go in half on Heather's Christmas/Birthday car. The '96 Probe, by the way, is indeed a very sweet ride. It has about half the miles of my '00 Cavalier and is running great. The three of us (AJ, Heather and I) have been driving it around a bit. Quite sporty and black.

We found some great little kid toys at, predictably, Toys R Us. And we picked up a couple things at, predictably, Wal-Mart. And we also found a nice selection of things at, suprisingly, Dollar General. I know, it's a cheapskate haven, but they really do have some really neat toys for kids- let's say- below the age of 8.

After that age it's all "I Heart Video Games and Other Expensive Electronic Goods." That's why my dear teenaged cousins and similarly aged nieces and nephews are prone to receiving the GIFT CARD. I did find a couple of wrap-able presents for the teens though. I shall appear to be genuinely relieved as they appear to be genuinely excited about these selections. "Hey," I'll be thinking, "your mom said it was a good idea, dude. So, you enjoy that windbreaker."

I only have two easy gifts left to pick up, and then I'm finished. No more!

I've once again committed myself to making a "casserole" for the holiday meal. Why do I do this to myself? Being the anti-professional that I am, I have no idea why I merrily agreed to cook a dish that will require quite a lot more than my iffy, from-a-box skills. One of my aunts brought me a buttload of cookbooks the other day, and I intend to consult them. But still... What the hell was I thinking? Recipes that say "sprinkle" or "add a pinch" really frighten me. What if my pinch is larger than the author's? When you say "sprinkle," are we talking "a few shakes of Tinkerbell's wand," or are we talking "mama likes the Parmesan cheese to coat the pizza slice?" Those cookbooks were built to intimidate.

Well, I have a basketball jersey and shorts to stick into the dryer for tomorrow night's showdown with the Jay Bulldogs (Heather's team beat them last year). So, I should hop to it. (Braggadocios* Note: Did I mention Heather is now a starter for her team, and that she's pretty damn good ball player?) So, I will see you on the flipside, Internet. Enjoy the ether.


*Extremely sentimental word for me