Chilly Weather, Chili Cookoff, and "Are joo a JEW?"

Hi everyone :) Six more days till Mark and I arrive in Seattle and I can't wait. Of course, it's gonna be kind of a hectic of a visit, trying too see everyone and fit in everything we want to do. But I am committed to making enough time to relax. Even if it is a whirlwind of a vacation, it should be really fun and defiantly much needed.

It's freaking COLD here. We are talking -15 with a wind chill people. It doesn't feel that bad because it's been getting colder and colder over a period of time, but it's definitely the coldest temp I have ever felt. My good friend Tessa states it accurately when she says this about Wisconsin winters: "It feels like Brain Freeze all over your body" Yeah, its true, you get that "Oh My God, it is soooooooo cold" feeling, and like brain freeze, you just want it to end. But, I'm glad I can come back to Seattle for a while and get a break from the cold and snow. It's been snowing all day here, it's all quite and sparkly outside, I love that, but the cold? no thanks :)

Mark and I are gonna have a chili cook off at our house in the spring (Some friends of ours host a chili cook off every year in Seattle and we wanted to bring that tradition here to Wisconsin). So we have been getting ready and looking at recipes. Last night I made a great chicken chilli and I think I'm gonna enter it in the cook off. If you want the recipe it's posted in the October section of my blog. It's unlike chili's I have made before because it contains sweet potato. You grade it up and put it in, you cant really taste it much but it gives the chili a really nice consistency. Very cool. Give the recipe a try :)

All my Hanukkah and Christmas shopping is done. So that's a relief. I did a lot of it on-line this year which worked out quite well, but I still went into all the malls so I guess I didn't avoid all the crowds. In fact, I was in the mall last weekend, getting a book I have been wanting and some cards for everyone, and it was quite insane. Lot's of people and crying kids, man I have to deal with that at work, why do I have to be around crying kids on the weekend? But, anyways, you know how when you go to the mall there are those kiosks in the middle of the lane? Well, the East Towne Mall in Madison has soooo many of then and the people who man then are aggressive as hell! You'd think you were walking through a bazaar in a foreign country with everyone shouting at you and wanting you to try this lotion or buy this rug! It's crazy.

Anyway, there is this one guy who always works at this kiosk which sells flat irons for straightening your hair, and as you can imagine when I walk by he always gives me a hard time. he is always like " Jou! miss! voud jou like me to strayteen jour hair?" I'm not sure where his accent is from, but one day Mark and I were walking by and Mark said to me "Is his accent real?" "I don't know" I said. It does sound sort of put on, but maybe I'm being too judgemental.

So this weekend I went to the mall and happened to walk by this Kiosk. It seemed as if the man who works there jumped out form no where and said to me in a loud voice trying to attract my attention "ARE JOO A JEW?" I heard this and waved him away with my hand as to say "I'm not interested in the crap your trying to sell me." and walked on. I was wondering how he could tell I was a Jew and what a rude thing to ask a stranger in public. Then I realized I was wearing my gold Jewish star necklace my mother had given me, and it all made sense. Still! "Are joo a jew?" Come on! kinda rude, fake accent guy.

Ice on the Windows

So, you know that in places like California and Seattle people buy those cans of white frosty stuff that they spray around the windows to make it look like they have ice building up on them. it's one of those silly winter traditions that, non the less, gets people in the mood for the holidays. Well, I was very surprised to see a few homes and businesses do that here, because for the last week our windows have looked like this, and I think it's gonna stay this way all winter.

I like it really, it's kinda pretty. Mark is going sledding today with people from his department, I was invited but declined the offer, as I work late and am still getting over being sick. I am feeling better, but am very tired. My tummy is still not sure about food, but I'm trying to eat anyway.

I'm off to work. More blogging soon :)

Yuck, I Got The Sickness

It's true, I got the dreaded Noroirus last night at about 2:00 in the morning. I am probably to sick to be blogging right now and don't have very many positive things to say other then, thank god for group health urgent care because they took great care of me (they were really nice and even gave me pain killers and anti nausea meds not to mention 2 bags of IV fluids, they were life savers) and also I'm so glad Mark stayed by my side and drove me (through the snow) to urgent care and got me ginger ale and apple sauce, he was a great nurse and toke the time off school to be with me. Really, this virus is crap, if you have ever had it you understand, it's basically a really bad case of gastroenteritis. Y U C K. I'm glad its almost over.


Other then being sick for the past 24 hours things in Madison are well. I'm busy with work and having a better time at it. It's been snowing here for a few days now and it's really beautiful. I really do like the snow, don't know if i will like 100 inches of it. Oh well, you cant fight the winter, it's here wither you like it or not :) I think I'm gonna take up cross country skiing again because I here there are some great trails around here. i will take some pictures of the Wisconsin snow soon and put them on my blog.

Ok, this was a short blog, but I promise to write more later when I'm in better health.