Yum & Yuk

The image to the left is a special one to me - it's a photo of my father and I when we overlapped briefly in France in 2003. I had the painting done this Christmas as a gift for my pops, by a lovely artist I happened to find online (I think through a variety of comics blogs that linked to hers, maybe?) In addition to this piece, I also had four other paintings done as gifts. They were affordable, so fun, and the artist was a joy to work with. And now that everyone's gotten their present, I can sing her praises publicly! A number of people from my office liked them so much that they ordered their own for friends and family. They make unique, great gifts (if I do say so myself), so keep it in mind if you have any special events coming up.

Beautiful, frustrating, honest essay about aging, love, and the health care industry: What Broke My Father's Heart

Listening to: The Lumineers on World Cafe

Sure, why not: parodies/mashups of the classic cover art of Sonic Youth's 1990 album, Goo.

Saw "This Is 40" last night and laughed a lot more than I thought I would. Unfortunately, the movie goes on way too long and there are a solid 20+ minutes of the couple publicly fighting which is just....exhausting. Bonus points for all the 90's music, and the sheer attractiveness of the Mann/Rudd combo. Serious eye rolling at the improbably wealthy lifestyle of the couple, and the pat resolution of some emotional and financial issues, but, whatever, it's hardly a documentary.

Currently reading: 1222 (picked it up based on the recommendations of Murder By The Book, and also since it was an Edgar finalist).

I'm excited for our NYE menu tonight, which includes lemon garlic brussels sprouts (who knew? Turns out I like brussels sprouts), kale salad with blood orange and meyer lemon, and stuffed delicata squash with quinoa.