Sniffles

Another holiday season, another cold. Alas, toward the end of my visit with Sis, I caught a cold (probably from my dad). Now I am blowing my nose every few minutes and plying myself with hot water and throat lozenges. (No, I will not be venturing out for matzo ball soup.) Thank goodness I get to work from home this week. Though there are deadlines to meet, at least I get to stay in my pajamas and work in the relative comfort of my home. Telecommuting is a wonderful invention.

2008 probably wasn't a great year for most people, but I really can't complain. After all, I finally escaped Ye Olde Textbooke Factorie, and though the road has been a bit on the bumpy side, I truly enjoy my new job. My team is awesome, and the work is engaging and creative. Here's hoping everyone's 2009 is filled with health, happiness, and fulfillment. Happy New Year!

Matzo, Matzo Ball

As you know, I was waging a war last weekend against a relapse of my cold. My main tactics involved staying in, not doing much, and sleeping a lot. I did venture out on Saturday evening to acquire additional artillery: homemade chicken soup with matzo ball from Weiler's Deli. The item had been on my mind since my friend Rockhopper suggested it. I'd only had matzo ball soup once before, when Rockhopper and I visited New York in 2006. I was expecting more of the same, but I was quite surprised when I got home. Opening my to-go bag, I found one tub of chicken noodle soup and one tub of matzo balls. Make that one tub containing two matzo balls. Two ginormous matzo balls.
The above photo shows part of my leftovers. (To give you an idea of the proportion, the tureen used here is approximately 8 inches in diameter.) As you can imagine, it took quite a while (3 or 4 meals) to finish the daunting matzo balls; the chicken soup, however, disappeared at a much faster rate. Much as the canon-ball-sized matzo amused me, it didn't seem well thought out on a gustatory level.

P.S. The title of this blog should be sung to the tune of the Village People's "Macho Man." This connection was inspired by a video that my friend the self-proclaimed EvilRedhead forwarded me.

"What Is That? A Super Goat?"

So quoth my brother-in-law upon seeing this image of our office scapegoat on my digital camera. Well, I'm sure Azazel would be flattered to be considered a Super Goat, but 'tis only his humble self bedecked in holiday finery (and my scarf) as he assumed the role of a yule goat over the Christmas and New Year breaks. What is a yule goat, you say? Here is wikipedia's explanation: "The Yule Goat is one of the oldest Scandinavian and Northern European Yule and Christmas symbols and traditions. Yule Goat originally denoted the goat that was slaughtered around Yule, but it may also indicate a goat figure made out of straw. It is also used about the custom of going door-to-door singing carols and getting food and drinks in return, often fruit, cakes and sweets. 'Going Yule Goat' is similar to the British custom wassailing, both with heathen roots." See? I didn't make it up! I love the photos included on wikipedia's yule goat page, so I shall link to them here for your enjoyment.














I realize that it is well past the yule, but a miserable cold laid me out flat for almost a week. I spent the last several days of my vacation in a kind of illness-fogged stupor. Although writing produced during that kind of mental haze may have proved interesting (or downright bizarre), I was too enervated to attempt it. I'm still not sure how I dragged myself back to work this Thursday last. Thankfully, the weekend (though wet) was just around the corner, and I finally feel more or less myself again. So, that is my excuse for this belated entry on yule goats and my belated wish to everyone for a 2008 filled with health, happiness, and good fortune.