At this very moment I am wearing my skinny jeans. Yes, the skinny jeans, the holy grail of female fashion (except perhaps for the flattering bikini, but I still think that one's a myth). Okay, technically they're Bethy's fat jeans, and there is kind of a muffin-top effect, but STILL. I am pleased. And in celebration of this achievement I will give ( Read more... )

Christmas is expensive. Previously my monetary investment in Christmas has been limited to buying presents and maybe stuffing a stocking. This can be accomplished with $150-$200. This year is different. Since Beth and I are doing Christmas alone together in DC instead of going back to Texas we've had to pick up a few things. A Christmas tree. ( Read more... )

It's time to make Christmas lists again. Although I love the unexpected perfect gift, especially if I'm giving it, my family has always been big fans of gift lists. Even more so now that we're all growed up and not living together, so we're unlikely to know what Dad has or has not read and exactly which pair of shoes Laura is in love with this week ( Read more... )

Twice a year the DC boards of my favorite food site crackle with anticipation of Restaurant Week, when DC's finest restaurants offer three-course menus for half the usual price of dining at those establishments. My fellow foodies spend weeks comparing menus and plotting strategies to secure highly-sought reservations, and then go out to relish the ( Read more... )

I have had a long and happy relationship with my two passions, books and food. They get along well together, and like a parent I have never given thought to which is my favorite. I look with disdain on illiterate foodies and ramen-scarfing book nerds alike. I never understood the stereotypical writer/professor/artiste who lives on toast so they can ( Read more... )

My extended period of underemployment has made me look at food in a whole new way. Being short on cash means I have to get a little more creative to feed myself in the style to which I am accustomed. It's like Iron Chef, where the secret ingredient is $5 a day. It sounds daunting, but it really isn't all that hard. I've been doing pretty well so ( Read more... )